Beaver Island Michigan

EC or Ed or RG or . . .

Would you please take a few minutes to explain why we should vote yes? I have not yet seen a coherent argument for consolidation and would sincerely appreciate your thoughts.

Respectfully . . .

Hey, EC . . .

With all due respect, Mr. McCafferty is entitled to his frustration, just as you are entitled to your â??feelings.â?￾

As I wrote earlier, unelected petitioners thrust themselves into the Islandâ??s political arena with effectively zero discussion by placing a proposal on the ballot.

Letâ??s examine what they said on their website.

â??We think that voters should look more closely at what consolidation would involve, and the best way for that to happen is to put the question on the ballot. Some people hope, for instance, that consolidation might lead to a reduction in the cost of local government on the island. But that might not be the case; it would depend on budget decisions by the future township elected officials and on what voters decide about future special-purpose millages. This is just the sort of discussion that could occur in the days before an election.â?￾ (Emphasis added)

They also write on their website . . . â??Then letâ??s have the kind of community discussions that inform and educate voters and answer their questions. Then letâ??s decide what we want.â?￾ (Emphasis added)

Finally, their website states . . . â??This FAQ will be updated as we learn about additional relevant questions. If you have other questions, please e-mail them to lefevream@hotmail.com and we will try to address them.â?￾ (Emphasis added)

On January 22, 2018, I wrote that, â??The failure to provide such information creates an informational void and more responsible parties would have prepared this information before circulating petitions.â?￾ I also wrote that, â??This is far too important to ask the Islandâ??s voters to base their decision(s) on the unsupported claims, idle speculation and conjecture on the Forum.â?￾

The election is 48 days from today and I suspect the township clerks will begin mailing absentee ballots in the next few days. Dare I say that it is in no oneâ??s interest to have uninformed voters cast ballots on this issue.

Rather than chastise Mr. McCafferty, why donâ??t you (and others) ask that the Petitioners live up to the promises they have made to the Islandâ??s constituents?

EC or Ed or [insert your true name here] #1 â?? You continue to conceal your identity and, from where I stand, that is disrespectful. #2 â?? Please review your prior posts to ensure that you are living up to the standard that you would impose on others. (For some unknown reason, I could not access y...

Hey, EC . . . Thank you for your post, but I would appreciate clarification. Unelected petitioners thrust themselves into the Islandâ??s political arena with effectively zero discussion by placing a proposal on the ballot. The election is 49 days from today. They have not yet provided the promised i...

Kirk I did not start this thread. I responded to a post that presented what I believe is incorrect and/or misleading information; I included an additional post to demonstrate that this is not a recent, one-time event. I also provided clarification of a comment made in a public meeting. The ESA (EMS,...

Kirk

Brad admitted (during an open township meeting) to his unprofessional language.

EC, Bob

Obfuscate - to be evasive, unclear, or confusing

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obfuscate

Back to Pamâ??s March 18th post. She writes that, â??Normally with regards to our Island townshipsâ?? authorities, the townships have always defended that the township paying the predominance of taxes would retain the controlling number of members for that authority.â?￾

It's hard to see much truth in the statement. The ability for one of the townships to appoint a majority of the board for any authority or commission is limited to the ESA.

A few years ago, St. James asked Peaine to match the millage rate, rather the dollar-amount taxes contributed to EMS. I recommended to the Peaine board that the township match the millage rate. Since Peaine would contribute approximately 60% of funding, I further suggested that the township be able to name three of the five board members. St. James agreed (but I don't think the entire board liked it!)

As Ron Wojan noted in another post, there are two sides to every story. Readers of this Forum should be skeptical; many of the posts are misleading, factually incorrect and/or fail to disclose additional information that would provide important context. For example . . .

In her post on October 1, 2016, Pam chastises me for failing to distributive a report relating to an EMS ballot proposal, which (in part) read, â??For months various individuals, myself included, have asked for the ESA board to communicate and keep the taxpayers notified of what is going on with EMS and funding. To date nothing has been released. As Bill Kohls stated, "the EMS Fact Sheet for voters is on my desk." The island is 30 days out from a vote!â?￾

Unfortunately, that post failed to disclose additional information to provide context.

I distributed a draft background report to the BIESA board for review at its regular meeting which was held on August 25, 2016. Surprisingly, Brad Grassmick, a BIESA board member, questioned my authority to distribute a draft report for the boardâ??s review. Although Dr. Grassmick was critical of the draft report, he did not provide any comments, suggested revisions and/or edits. Nor did he take the time to draft an alternate report. Although Dr. Grassmick objected to a friend helping me draft the report, he did not object to soliciting comments from the Beaver Island Association.

Among the BIAâ??s comments to the draft report was a suggestion that the report should not be distributed until the BIESA board had established a proposed course of action. (For those who may not be aware, Pam Grassmick is a member of the BIA board and, presumably, was fully aware of the BIA boardâ??s positions with respect to EMS and the draft report.)

At its meeting on September 29, 2016, the BIESA board established a course of action. When asked about a report, I noted that I had a draft on my desk. I also asked Bob Anderson and Ken McDonald, members of the BIA board, if they would be available to help finalize the report.

In summary . . . 1) Brad Grassmick challenges my authority to draft a report; 2) The BIA encourages me to delay distribution of that report; and 3) Pam Grassmick chastises me for not having distributed the report.

Obligatory disclosure: The forgoing reflects my personal thoughts; I am not speaking on behalf of the Peaine Township board or the BIESA board.

Hey, Pam . . . Thanks for your post . . . a compelling argument to VOTE AGAINST township consolidation! As you know, the Peaine Township board would be eliminated if consolidation is approved on May 8th. Future appointments to the ESA board (as well as other authorities and commissions) would be mad...

Hey, John . . .

Just because it's legal doesn't mean that it's right!

Ken . . . Thanks for your post. You may not be aware that BIEMS reports exclusively to the Northwest Medical Control Authority with respect to all patient care issues. BIEMS reports to the Beaver Island Emergency Services Authority only with respect to the business-side of their operations. This may...

Ken . . . Thanks for the post. If you would, please clarify for the readers. The Peaine board determined that a boat launch at the Bill Wagner Campground failed a simple cost/benefit analysis . . . itâ??s an underutilized asset and any appropriate solution was cost prohibitive. With Paulâ??s leaders...

Wow . . . Itâ??s hard to know where to begin. Joe Moore says itâ??s about money, Don (a.k.a., the Pirate) says itâ??s not about money and starts talking about unity, but you tell Peaine residents to mind their own business.


So, here are a few more thoughts for your consideration . . .

Unity is an admirable goal, but it seems reasonable to suggest that we should start by respecting the legitimate opinions of others and engaging in an honest exchange of ideas.

My experience suggests that those who call for unity are rarely ready to make any concessions. What they mean is, â??Be reasonable, do it my way!â?￾

Consolidation will not stop the bullies on the Beaver Island Forum.


With respect to Pamâ??s initial post . . . â??Peaine decided to abandon the Wagner Boat Launch which makes town launching sites all that more critical.â?￾

â??Abandonâ?￾ is a little harsh. It would have been fair to say, â??Peaine elected not to replace the damaged boat launch due to the excessive cost and limited use.â?￾

What is not mentioned is Paul Welkeâ??s suggestion that Peaine work with St. James to develop an improved boat launch on the harbor. The Peaine board agreed. Note, too, that working together is not unprecedented. For example, the townships jointly own the municipal beach at Iron Ore Bay.

So . . . consolidation is not a prerequisite to the joint funding of land acquisition(s) and/or improvement(s).


Final thoughts . . .

Kathe is still waiting for her apologies.

Larry â?? thanks for your post! Itâ??s clear why people should identify themselves on the Forum.

Ken . . . Iâ??m confused . . . if someone questions the wisdom of township consolidation, they want nothing to do with St. James Township and they donâ??t want whatâ??s best for the Island? Thatâ??s pretty harsh coming from someone that cannot articulate a coherent argument stating why consolidation...