I Wanna Be a Cowncilor

[XLFD]

 

With the discovery of Brent Scott's early retirement from the Ludington City Council, the knowledge that Mayor John Henderson is looking to appoint someone from the Third Ward to stand in for the last few months of his tenure, and the realization that I am a resident of the Third Ward, I have come to a conclusion: I wanna be a Cow-nsler. 

Being banished from City Hall serves as no immediate disqualification for this position, just a hurdle I have to vault over.  The main problem is to get His honor, the Mayor, to consider me for that august body of distinguished townfolks.  To that end, I wrote the following letter today to show my interest and point out a few of my qualifications. 

Letter to Mayor H 3-28-11

You can get my E-mail address from your neighbor, John Shay, if you need to contact me quicker, to make sure I don't get snatched away for other jobs and projects, your honor.

 

This was sent late today to his residence.  I am ordering my purple robes in anticipation, and preparing my speech.  "I wish to thank all the members of the Third Ward who voted for and got me this position   "Thanks go out to all the seven people outside the Third Ward who got me this position, I will serve them accordingly...". 

[Willy]

I see a problem. The letter should have been issued by Shay. Of all the gaul, Shay said "the City will permit you to enter City Hall". It's not the city keeping you out it's Shay. You should insist on a police escort if he refuses to send you a letter of entry. Or better yet have 2 goons dressed in old gestapo uniforms bring you to the meeting in leg irons.

[XLFD]

Gestapo goons and leg irons, I love that mental picture.  I might just have Sergeant Schultz (of the LPD, not of Stalag 13) at my side leading me away, if I go there now with what I've been given. 

Your perceptiveness is acute, RJE, and I hope you're able to make a positive difference in how this city is run someday, even if you don't serve in the city government. 

I still think most of us can be most effective as concerned, active, citizens rather than running for the city's elective posts-- which like the citizens, are rapidly losing their rights/power to the unelected appointees who allegedly serve them. 

The only reasons I wanna be a cownsilor is to lower fees and taxes, repeal needless laws and make sure needful laws are followed, dissolve the corrupted city cliques, and give people and businesses their rights back.  This will sound like heresy to them on Tuesday.

[AQUAMAN]

That's kinda strange, I just noticed your first letter of invite says the public is welcome to attend. Never heard of a job interview being conducted in anything but privacy, not a public stage. Funny time and place for transparency imho.

[XLFD]

The process is not really well defined in the City Charter or State law for replacing local elected officials, so they can pretty much make their own rules concerning such stuff.  The Interview Committee is a public body and should be governed by the Open Meetings Act, which means the public can attend. 

The OMA does provide an interviewee to request a closed session, if he requests it, to discuss his/her application.  Section 8f of that act: "(A closed session is permitted) To review and consider the contents of an application for employment or appointment to a public office if the candidate requests that the application remain confidential. However, except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, all interviews by a public body for employment or appointment to a public office shall be held in an open meeting pursuant to this act."  

[Edie Lindsey]

Good luck today, X; you'll need it with that rogue's gallery they call an interviewing committee.  If you think Tom Rotta is public enemy number one, check out what goes on today and you may be refreshingly surprised at who wears the white hat in this town.  Giddyap!

[Willy]

I predict that the City will be so impressed with X that they will offer him Shay's job. Then X will immediately issue a "no trespass order" to Shay, which will restrict him from  the entire City of Ludington. Shay will be allowed to use the beach, but only in January.

[XLFD]

That prediction is definitely in a Twilight Zone episode or maybe even a sci-fi Sliders episode.  Alternate dimensional, but not this one. 

I was interrogated interviewed for over 40 minutes and found five people whose political views amount to "more government means more everything".  I did not agree, and offered my views on what a public official should represent during recessionary times that are likely precipitated on too much government money-grabbing and involvement in free markets. 

But the angle your local paper will take is to declare that I would illegitimately represent the Third Ward, because I am registered at my mailing address in another ward of Ludington.  Notwithstanding, I have actually resided in the Third Ward for the last 18 years. 

[Willy]

Love the photos of the meeting. Of all the City reps. at the meeting, did a single one ask you why you were banned from City Hall because if they did not then they were either uninformed as to your situation or were convinced you were guilty or were complicit  in the banning or they just did not give a crap that a citizen who is engaged with and cares about the community was denied his Constitutional rights.

[XLFD]

Thanks, a friend of a friend took those pictures. 

No-- the two Johns brought that subject up as if I had done something completely socially unacceptable. 

The Mayor, asked as if he didn't know, that I was also given a Letter of Trespass for a house.  When I pointed out the house and the fact I had never been there or threatened or intimidated any of its residents, he copped a non-verbal attitude of "yeah, right-- then why the Letter of Trespass?"

At the beginning and the end, Shay, who was not on the committee but an observer, commented, in his best parole officer manner, on my abilities to enter the City Hall with prior permission from the City (his pseudonym) to carry out any tasks I was legally supposed to carry out as a candidate for office. 

The three elected representatives of the people, two former Ludington Peace Officers, were OK with that.  As an interviewee at a job where my character is on trial, I took that as you did.

No one cared why I was banished from these areas, they just knew I had committed the most heinous act of terrorism this town has seen, I ran a website where their illicit and/or illogical activities were highlighted and commented on by people who care about where our community, state, and nation are headed, and speak freely of such.