PEAINE PAIN
Last night, after the longest Peaine Township board meeting on record, I tossed and turned in search of better understanding of the nightâ??s events. Overwhelmed with a sense of sadness, I prayed for strength and guidance in making sense of what had gone on there, and I struggled to maintain a forgiving spirit.
Iâ??ve been in love with this Island since coming here in 1972, and believing I had found â??my true sense of placeâ?. After becoming a permanent resident in the mid-nineteen nineties, I worked to live up to my parentâ??s mottoâ??â??always leave a place a little better than you found itâ?. So I brought friends and family here who also became Island residents and landowners. I started a small business not otherwise available on the Island, served on the BI School Board and Peaine Township Board, and provided leadership to a struggling non-profit here. I had my ups and downs with all of these ventures but saw them as just the give-and-take of community life. Until last night.
Something different happened last night. I found myself cold and disconcerted as my mind replayed the accusations and punishments doled out to the hard-working civil servants of Peaine Township. I prayed for insight and suddenly what came to mind was â??let the man among you without sin cast the first stoneâ?. That was what I witnessed last nightâ??a â??stoningâ?â??and why I was in shock and mourning. We lost a valuable Island resource when our Natural Resources and Ecotourism Commission (NREC) was removed from our local government.
Angry members of the board and audience killed a hardworking successful organization of dedicated people because they disagreed with letters the Chair and Secretary wrote to the state. The Supervisor recommended that last nightâ??s meeting include identification of the key questions and issuesâ??with a subsequent meeting scheduled to review the facts and make decisions when cooler minds, better information and more time was availableâ??and importantly, when the members of the ill-fated Commission could be heard from. His request for thoughtful consideration was summarily ignored.
The rush to judgment and penalty was astonishing. Minds were made up. There was no need to wait or hear from the accused. It was as if Sandy Birdsall and Pam Grassmick were guilty of grave misdeeds, not merely writing letters. They deserved nothing less than â??death to the organizationâ? they had helped create and give leadership, and which has many worthwhile accomplishments. The Supervisor was also admonished for honoring Grassmickâ??s request to write the state and correct false information the state had been given regarding Township votes. Never mind that the Peaine Township Board approved by-laws that did not prohibit such letter writing actions. Those who disagreed with mere parts of the letters written by the NREC officers and Supervisor â??had to make them payâ?.
And they did. Pete LoDico cast the first stoneâ??and from then on it was one barrage after another. Several voices urged more reasonable actionsâ??such as simply asking them not to do it again, or accepting their apology, or writing a clarified communications policy. After all, there was no evidence of any harm done. But no. When folks come to witness a lynchingâ??they get little satisfaction until the pleading ceases and the swinging begins.
Thatâ??s why I was sad. There was no need to hurt people and kill the organization last nightâ??especially without a hearing or trial. I was sad to see people who we all know are not â??free of sinâ? heaving stones at the accusedâ??and taking great joy and satisfaction in its painful effects. â??Good job, Peteâ? was heard from various quarters. I was stunned to see so many supposedly â??forgivingâ?, â??church-goingâ? Christians filled with such anger and hate of their fellow citizens over a minor infraction (if that) of a procedural rule.
Apparently the woman Jesus saved by his command to â??let the man among you without sin cast the first stoneâ? was fortunate enough to face a mob of honest men. They owned that they were not free of sin by walking away from harsh punishment. Unfortunately this was not the case last night. Last night we witnessed rule by mob action instead of thoughtful and informed government. It was painful to watch, and makes me wonder if Beaver Island is really â??my true sense of placeâ?.
Judy Lanier Gallagher, 2/10/11
Peaine Pain
Moderator: Gillespie
I was going to go last night but I assumed that that was going to be the result. The few times I have attended there have always been some really rude, ignorant and mean comments from a few people. To me it is like going to the Jerry Springer Show. I wish you and Jack and the Board and Community the best.
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Father Zachary
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