COLDnews Editor Celebrates Shay-Love Prematurely

[XLFD]

Exactly one week after Valentine's Day, City of Ludington Daily News (COLDNews) Managing Editor Patti Klevorn couldn't wait to report the good news that Ludington City Manager John Shay wasn't going to be moving to Holland Township and force her to lose her best city hall reporter:

I admire that she resisted the temptation to headline the column "Shay to Stay, Yay!"  But in reporting what seems to lead to a sigh of relief for her and other crony loyalists of the city chief executive, she offered up news that was far from accurate.  The Holland Township Board did not select Steve Bulthuis last night, they didn't even have a meeting last night. 

The selection subcommittee of that board last night voted unanimously to recommend Executive Director of the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council Steve Bulthuis to the board of trustees. This will be voted on by the full Holland Township Board at a special meeting 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, at the township offices, 353 N. 120th Ave.  Bulthuis apparently has the three votes of the trustees in the committee and their recommendation, but there are still four other votes, not to mention these committee members could change their mind at the Saturday meeting.

This version of the facts is corroborated by local sources in the Holland area representing print, TV and radio media:  The Holland Sentinel, WHTC, and Van 92.7 .  The local MCP even has it right:  Shay likely to stay as Ludington city manager.  The only one with false news is the ever-loyal COLDNews, with the managing editor needing her own managing editor in this instance.  

To broadcast the bogus, she quotes John Shay:  "It was meant to be.  Ludington's a great community.  This is the one place we've truly called home."  He's never asked the question:  "So then why are you trying to leave after you've saddled us with so much debt, have looming deficits, and your new job, when you count benefits, is paying you roughly the same as you are getting now?"  

Nope, let's not ask that question; instead let's ask the only other person in town with a greater Shay-love than Patti, Mayor Kaye Holman, about how much he would have been missed here in Ludington-- if the Holland Township committee hadn't noticed his track record.

[Willy]

X, your right. That is a good question. If Ludington is "home" why leave?

I bet Holman and the "let Shay do their work for them Councilors" will be trying to pad Shay's benefits by offering more money and other compensation to try and get him to stay put. Now that  the cat is out of the bag and it's known that Shay wants out I bet it won't be long before his bags are packed and he is leaving for another town to rule over.

[XLFD]

Many of the people on the council will probably think just like that, and try to offer Shay more inducements to stay on and lose that wanderlust he's feeling.  If I was on the council, I would think that if he really wants to go elsewhere, we should start our own interviews for the city manager position, so we're prepared when he bolts to somewhere else.  And if the incompetent, secretive, and corrupt John Shay doesn't leave when the process is complete, fire him.

[John Doe Jr]

Absolutely! No good business would ever continue with him.

[AQUAMAN]

Plus Holman didn't mention why a mtg. is coming up soon about the city mgr. status for the future. And it's main direction will be twofold: 1) about changing his appointment from 1 to 3 years, and 2) whether he can live outside the city limits, per city code book rules. Those two status questions were already put up on the ballot box recently a few years ago, and both were firmly defeated. If those are now able to be changed by voting of just the city council, instead or taxpayers, then he may just get away with them for his future employment. Meanwhile, the LDN/Patti are still following her predecessor Begnoche in fully backing the Shyster for Ludington's decline for political favors and advertising monies.

[jfc123]

Ugghh, this article in the news made me throw up in my mouth a lil! He is not a great man but a tool. Has done zero to help the ones that really need someone in his position. Only cares for those with the big bucks, a very sad state for the city, imo!

[stump]

Well we sure don't want to fire him. His contract probably says that he would get severance pay for the rest of the year with benefits. Just drop the bomb on him at contract renewal time , SORRY , WE NO LONGER NEW YOUR SERVICES!!!!!!!   Maybe theres another job out there just waiting for John Shay. 

[XLFD]

If he is fired, as per his latest contract, he would receive six months severance pay, roughly $80-90,000 in wages and bennies (presuming he does not get a comparable job in that time).  Unless, that firing comes as part of a felony conviction.

Think about it city employees:  Shay has made sure you are compensated well, but if you have knowledge of felonious matters that Shay has engaged in, you could save the city taxpayer's a lot of money in paying him off.  With all the city liabilities Shay has made over the years in the process of roosting, you'll likely not see much extra in the future anyway.

Also of note, if John Shay resigns, he also loses severance pay.

[John Doe Jr]

Shay was caught red handed trying to flee the scene. He put up this fake wall of smiles and wisdom and saw the core unraveling and He didn't want to be held accountable so He tried to flee in the middle of the night whle everyone was sleeping.  Now everyone knows.... Everyone knows He is trying to escape. How embarrasing. There is No Red Solo Cup large enough to hide behind so, the councilors will sheild him between their knees like a mother would to her child. Nobody wants to know why their child wanted to run away, they are just glad He's home. Another failed attempt to deceive the Public. He can't even do that right. They will put a bandaid on his unscratched knee and pretend it never happened. Kay will tell Him that She could never do her job without John's left hand bumping her like She's a skipping record player. He will say, I could never leave you all so broken like unwanted toys in a Toy Story. The walls of his corrupt group are closing in around him like a final curtain call. The story will always remain a mystery like when a child wets the bed. But, you can be sure there will be a sequel and an encore.

[XLFD]

Four sentences in a row with similes, that's impressive, John Doe, Jr.  

What kind of sucks is some one with ties in the Holland Township area informed me that they shared several articles from the Ludington Torch regarding John Shay's shenanigans with the Township Board members before they interviewed him this Tuesday.  I really can't blame them for doing so, but it bums me out that if Shay continues his job hunt, unless he can convince the next government unit to disobey the OMA in their process, that his real record will likely be made available to them by concerned locals of the area, if not by our other loyal readers who are not fond of him.  Heck, even Shay-loyalists, like Holman, might use the uncomplimentary articles in order to dissuade the selectors from stealing her man.

Now, unless the future selectors are looking for somebody with the same skill set (corruption, incompetence, arrogance, etc.), this will likely make him undesirable to someone looking for a manager-- unless it's as a French restaurant manager; sacre bleu, even that might fail. 

[AQUAMAN]

JDJ, Shyster Shay has been caught "red handed" so many times by X and many others in the last 15 years that it's pathetic. Makes me want to PUKE! And yet, he still sits there in that CM office like nothing is ever wrong with his record of betrayal and malfeasance. Because he NEVER EVER makes any MISTAKES! A perfect MAN living on this planet and putting up with us small town Hillbillies. Anyone else committing the acts of him would be now serving prison time for some years to come. Hoping that eventuality will catch up with him very soon, not that Chief Barnett would have any part of it, maybe the Mich. AG or State Police.

[stump]

I can see why Shay would want to leave. Just go back to the TALE OF TWO CITIES  post. Millions of dollars of surplus verses millions of dollar of debt. Ludington should be looking to the guy who's going to retire for our City Manager. How the hell are we going to get out of this hole that Shay has dug for the tax payers?

[XLFD]

Oddly enough, I want John Shay around for one more year, because back in 2011 he stated as if it was part of the contract that both water towers would get painted at the beginning of the ten year contract  (which he originally stated and noted in the 12-21-2009 minutes was costing the taxpayers $1.51 million) and at the end.  The contract, which I had to pay $57 just to inspect with his public extortion FOIA fees at the time, said no such thing, just that the towers should be painted in another ten years.  Guess what, if the towers were both painted in the first year of the contract (Danaher's was not painted until 2012, 3 years into the contract), ten years from that painting would fall outside the contract.  

So, when Utility Services Maintenance Company (and I cannot find USMC anywhere on the internet after 2011, except for references directing you here to the LT) made out this contract there was never any intention for them to paint twice, unless it was under a new contract.  But they seem to have disappeared off the face of the earth, unless they're now called Suez which is a utility maintenance group that is based in Georgia like USMC.