Its been a long time coming. Ever since more than 70% Elmwood Township voters reversed the adoption of a new township zoning ordinance by referendum in July of 2003, local planning entities have been challenged to bring a meaningful alternative to the table. The referendum defeat seemed to bring the zoning up-date advocated by the township board then in office to a thundering halt as answers to voters' concerns were sought. Election day 2004 realized major changes to the composition of the board and a nearly complete overhaul of the township planning commission followed. Elmwood engaged the services of a new planning consultant, LSL Associates of Grand Rapids, and new legal advisors had been brought on board after the first ordinance failed. Now its here: the first zoning legislation recommended by the Elmwood Planning Commission since the referendum, a complete re-write of the township's Rural Resort zoning district standards.

The RR-1 zoning district includes the property that was recently subject to an application for the development of the massive "Glacier Bay" destination water park resort. Elmwood's planning consultants, legal advisors and planning commission were faced with a glaring disconnect between the way in which zoning standards were applied in the zoning ordinance (an ordinance that currently is still in effect) and the township master plan. Characterized as "wide open", and without meaningful standards to apply, the planning commission was left to work with broad statements directing it to approve projects that met the requirements of the Elmwood Township Master Plan. Along with contradictions, conflicts, and ambiguities, both planners and applicants were out of luck when it came to reaching any conclusion as to just exactly what was allowed to occur in the district.

Elmwood voters should take note that there is much to be encouraged with in both the standards that have been created for this district, and the process that has been followed in their formulation by the Elmwood Planning commission. Intent statements that help define the district's connection with the township master plan are clear, direct, and simply stated. The new standards are rooted in concepts developed by recognizing the clearly defined attitudes of Elmwood residents as presented in the master plan. The new standards will: "maximize protection of its (the township's) rural atmosphere and its natural environment," to "permit resorts with limited commercial development that satisfy market needs of the local community." The district also allows a residential component compatible with rural low density requirements, and encourages home clustering to maintain open space.

Much more is on the near horizon for Elmwood. New standards developed for the RR-1 district will serve to preview a soon-to-be complete zoning ordinance re-write, a project now 10 years in the making. And while the language and procedures have been polished here, residents have an opportunity to get a first look at how their new zoning can be expected to work—and be prepared to offer suggestions for change before it all becomes final.

~ Erik

Posted by Publius at 12:11 PM | Permalink

It's not often that you get two stories in the news that illustrate one another as perfectly as the attempt by a local group to force the Record-Eagle cut back on its aggressive reporting of local scandals and controversies, and the recent behavior of a group of supporters of the failed Traverse City parking deck ballot initiative.

A local group led by former Grand Traverse County Administrator K. Ross Childs is attempting to force the parent company of the Record-Eagle to change the paper's staff, saying they want the paper to be less "slanted" and "sensationalized." Just what exactly they have in mind was well illustrated a gathering of deck supporters after their recent electoral defeat. When a reporter for the Record-Eagle showed up at the meeting, they were thrown out of the meeting to the cheers of a small group that included Childs, and obscenities were hurled at the reporter. In the lead up to the election, the Record-Eagle had reported on State Senator Jason Allen's intervention to steer the deck contract to a political supporter, among other matters.

We think you can be pretty sure that the Record-Eagle's entirely appropriate, reasonable, and necessary coverage of Allen's involvement in the parking deck matter is a pretty good example of the sort of thing Childs and his group would like to force them to stop publishing. And we think the behavior of Childs and his friends at the meeting after the election is a probably a pretty fair exhibition of the anti-Record-Eagle's group's agenda. It's not about promoting balance or objective reporting. It's about shouting down those voices in our community that have the awful audacity to question the actions of the business interests and good old boy officials who long for the day--never to come again--when their decisions went unquestioned and unscrutinized.

Revised 8/15/06 9:15am

Posted by Publius at 04:38 PM | Permalink

ABET, don’t change your name. It’s perfect just the way it is.

ABET (the Angry Boaters of Elmwood Township) both proclaimed its existence at last Monday night’s Elmwood Board of Trustees meeting and at the same time announced that it was changing its name. We think they shouldn’t change a thing.

Let’s have a look at Websters New International Dictionary, 2nd edition (the good old prescriptive version of 1934). It says by way of defining “abet”:

“To incite, encourage, instigate, or countenance; -- now used chiefly in a bad or a disparaging sense; as to abet the commission of a crime.“

That pretty much sums up ABET, in our view. What and whom does the organization abet? First and foremost, it abets the four holdover members from the old Elmwood Board of Trustees – Terry Lautner, Jim O’Rourke, Connie Preston, and Debbie Street--in their attempts to slow or halt reforms in Elmwood township. These relics from the administration of Noel Flohe have been on a mission, literally beginning before the board’s new members took office in 2004, to reverse the effects of that election. The recently defeated recall attempt was only the most recent episode in that campaign. Now a group of disgruntled boaters are providing political cover for the holdovers to try to take away a few more of Supervisor Deri Smith’s statutory responsibilities and to politically weaken the most effective force for reform Elmwood has seen in years. (What, you thought the recall was over and Smith won?)

In return, the Board abets ABET. Ever since the 2004 election the holdovers have used every method at their disposal—and remember, they are a majority on the Board—to frustrate any attempts to bring some measure of accountability and openness to the way the marina is operated. Last Monday, they decided to “suspend the rules” at the Board of Trustees meeting in order to turn the floor over to a raucus, jeering crowd of “angry boaters” from ABET. And now, in exchange for the boater’s political support, the holdovers are promoting policies that allow for, um, flexibility in the matters of how fees are assessed at the marina and how the facility’s famously long and competitive waiting list is managed.

The fact is, the Elmwood township marina has been mismanaged for years. We can’t blame the boaters for howling when they are told that the various advantageous arrangements they have enjoyed may be taken away by enforcing the rules as they are written. But the Elmwood township marina is ultimately a resource for the whole community, not just the people who happen to have their boats there, and special attention should be paid to the long term interests of Elmwood township and its citizens. Deri Smith, Bob Doughty (whom ABET spokesman Jack Kelly wants to have expelled from the marina for “disregarding the Township Board’s will”) and a few other individuals have courageously stood up for the simple idea that the rules apply to everyone and should be followed. In our view, ABET stands for subverting and undermining it.

ABET, don’t change your name. It suits you to a tee.

Posted by Publius at 10:07 PM | Permalink

Well, the campaign finance reports from the unsuccessful campaign to recall Elmwood Supervisor Deri Smith are in. And as expected the Elmwood Township Association, a shadowy group that sponsored at least two anti-Smith mailings, failed to file a report. In a maneuver that may be illegal and which certainly fails the smell test, the organizers of the recall effort are claiming that the ETA is exempt from campaign finance reporting requirements. What are they trying to hide?

Let’s begin with some facts. As we wrote back in late April when the story of the mysteriously multiplying committees first came to light, mailings slamming Smith were sent to township residents over the names of three different committees. One mailing, sent in early April, bore the name of Elmwood Citizens for Honest Government (ECHO). A subsequent mailing changed the name to Elmwood Citizens for Honest Officials (also ECHO). And two more mailings, sent in the final weeks of the campaign, were sent by a group calling itself the Elmwood Township Alliance. In every case the committees listed the same street address on Bayview Court in Elmwood as their home. The ETA group was registered by Chuck Lessard, former Elmwood Township Harbormaster. ECHO was registered by his wife, Ellie Lessard.

Why make things so complicated? Well, campaign finance laws specify that committees that spend over $1000 must file statements of campaign finances that include lists of all donors. A campaign organization that spends less than $1000, on the other hand, is excused from the requirement to report. The creation of the second committee, Elmwood Township Association, enabled the recall organizers to withhold the names of some of their contributors.

It is not hard to guess who the individuals whose names are being hidden are. One of the ETA mailings was addressed to "Township Citizens owning 5 acres of land and more." The mailing claimed—falsely--that the new zoning ordinance being developed at the Elmwood Planning Commission would make it impossible for landowners to give land to their children, or to create clustered housing developments, or to allow wineries in the township. In past Elmwood elections, the John Stanek / Noel Flohe group that was behind the recall received its biggest contributions by far from various Elmwood developers and developer wannabes. It seems likely that a similar group bankrolled the ETA mailings.

Those mailings were not cheap. It appears that each of the two ETA mailings was sent to all eligible Elmwood voter households—about 2700 addresses. At the commercial bulk rate, each piece would have cost $0.18 in postage. That adds up to about $972. If the printings were done at or near cost ($0.015 per piece), they would have cost at least $80; at commercial rates the printing cost would have been closer to $270 ($0.05 per piece). If the ETA expenses were under $1000, it was by a hairsbreadth.

It’s clear that ECHO and ETA were organized by the same people. They shared the same home address and the same organizers, and in many cases the content of their mailings was identical. It is difficult—perhaps impossible—to believe that the organization of ETA served any other purpose than to enable its contributors to hide behind the $1000 exemption.

State election officials are looking into the question of whether laws were broken by the apparent sleight of hand. If the law was broken, we hope that the violations will be speedily prosecuted. But in the meantime, the people behind the recall effort can defuse this controversy by taking one simple step. They can give a complete accounting of the finances of ETA, including a list of all its contributors. Anything less must suggest that the role of developer money in the recall effort is being deliberately covered up.

Posted by Publius at 09:38 PM | Permalink

There has been a lot of coverage in the local media recently of the apparent shenanigans in the effort to recall Elmwood supervisor Deri Smith. It appears that two or perhaps three different committees were organized, each with a different name but all listing the same Elmwood street address as their home. Each filed for a waiver excusing the committee from reporting on its finances because it expected to spend less than $1000. Such an arrangement (now being investigated by state election officials) would enable the organizers of the recall campaign to hide the sources of their funding.

Now one of the groups, Elmwood Citizens for Honest Officials (ECHO) has apparently said that since it spent more than $1000, it is planning to amend its filing to include a list of its contributors.

That's not good enough. Such an arrangement, if allowed, would continue to hide the contributors behind the other committees. For example, the public would learn nothing about one of the other committees operating from the same Bayview Court address, the Elmwood Township Alliance. This committee is listed as having paid for the last two mailings sent by the recall group. We're willing to bet it was financed by some of Elmwood's biggest developers.

If, as seems certain, the different committees are just different names for the same organization, then that organization needs to file a report that includes all its expenditures and contributions, not just those made under the name of Elmwood Citizens for Honest Officials. Otherwise the recall organizers will have succeeded in what seems a transparent attempt to evade the law and the public's right to know who bankrolls a campaign like this one.

Posted by Publius at 11:58 AM | Permalink

The Record-Eagle has run an editorial that goes to the heart what's going on in Elmwood township today. Correctly describing the recall effort turned back by Elmwood voters last Tuesday as a "smear campaign" and a cynical effort by failed politicians and their cronies, the editorial lays out a constructive agenda for the community.

The editorial calls upon John Stanek and Noel Flohe, the involuntarily resigned politicians behind the campaign, to find something constructive to do with their time. And it cautions that voters should keep an eye on the four holdover members of Elmwood Township Board of Trustees: clerk Connie Preston, treasurer Debbie Street and trustees Terry Lautner and Jim O'Rourke. These four individuals have been relentless in their efforts to thwart Deri Smith's efforts to clean up Elmwood, and many of the problems that the recall campaign tried to blame on Smith can be laid at their collective doorstep.

The editorial missed only one trick. That is the role played in the recall campaign by pro-development forces in the recall campaign, a role that became clear only in the group's last mailing. We suspect we will be hearing more about those players once the recall group is forced to reveal the information about contributors it has apparently tried to conceal.

Finally, we also agree with Record-Eagle editorial that the real point now is to move ahead in Elmwood. There are challenges, to be sure, but it is an exciting time as well as the township finally gets it together with a new zoning ordinance and exciting plans for the waterfront and along the Leelanau Trail. Let's just hope those who have tried to undermine the progress can find a more constructive outlet for their energies.

Posted by Publius at 11:25 AM | Permalink

On Tuesday, May 2nd Elmwood township voters will be asked whether or not to recall Supervisor Deri Smith from her position. We believe the answer is “No.” Deri Smith has always put the interests of all of Elmwood’s citizens first. She has made real progress in a number of important areas, cleaning up the troubled township marina, reorganizing the Planning Commission so that progress can be made on the township’s divisive land use issues, and steering Elmwood away from the embarrassing and expensive legal battles that characterized the previous administration.

If Smith has been so successful, why has a recall campaign been mounted against her? A look at the campaign’s organizers tells a great deal. Chief among them are two officials who were tossed out by voters in the 2004 election: former trustee John Stanek, and ex-supervisor Noel Flohe, whom the Record-Eagle once referred to as a “regional embarrassment.” A recent mailing from the recall group declared its intention to “take back” the township. It seems these former officials, already rejected by the voters once in 2004, are seeking to reverse the results of that election and to seize power by other means. Most of the other organizers are either closely associated with those who lost their cushy positions at the marina, or developers who see Smith as an obstacle to their plans to subdivide the township.

The fact of the matter seems to us to be that Smith is being opposed precisely because she has been making progress in Elmwood. Believe it or not, there are people who want to see the process of drafting a new zoning ordinance fail, or who see the township government primarily as a source of lifetime employment for themselves and their friends. We don’t think that’s what a majority of Elmwood voters want, and we urge them to make their voices heard next Tuesday.

Deri Smith’s opponents are motivated and well-organized. If the decent, public-spirited voters of Elmwood don’t turn out, they will allow a small group of special interests return the township to its bad old days next Tuesday. That would be a shame.

Posted by Publius at 11:36 AM | Permalink

[Editor's note: Don Coe is the managing partner of Black Star Farms near Suttons Bay and an important voice in the discussion of how develop Leelanau County's economy. The following remarks were recently submitted to the County Commissioners in connection with the discussion over a farmland preservation millage, and we are reprinting them here with Don's permission.]

First the good news. It is an established fact that agriculture and tourism are two of the mainstays for the economy in Leelanau County. It is also well recognized that these two endeavors are linked to many of the other economic sectors in the County whether they are residential construction for our non-homestead community, retail stores, restaurants, galleries, conservancies, and museums. Open land, national, state, and community parks, beaches, boat harbors, golf courses, ski hills, recreational trails, et al, are all linked to the mosaic that makes Leelanau County a place to live, work, play, invest, and raise families. This is the traditional and long held view of Leelanau County, and who can blame us for a certain smugness or satisfaction that “this is what we are and what makes us so special, and we are not going to change."

Second the bad news. There might be no reason to change if we lived in a static world or if our economy was thriving. In reality we do not live in such a world, and we cannot claim to be thriving. Leelanau County no longer enjoys an isolated position in either the world, Michigan or on Grand Traverse Bay. Leelanau County (projecting so proudly out into Lake Michigan) stands out prominently in any satellite photo, television weather report, or regional news coverage. We share exactly the same problems: low household incomes for our working families, declining school populations, illegal drugs, underemployment in seasonal jobs, deterioration or absence of essential infrastructure, increased demands for services, aging of our population, lack of affordable housing, pressures on water use, and urban sprawl - just to name a few. Can anyone deny that these issues have not been headline news in Leelanau County at one time or another or constantly for the last decade?

We have not escaped today's problems, but are we ready to address them? I sense a 1980's mentality about Leelanau County. We are still living in that time, and we are not completely sure we want to face up to today's challenges and responsibilities. Perhaps the problem is ours. Many of us came here in the 80’s, or our most active working years were in the 80's, and we are still living in that mindset. We remember when cherries were king in Leelanau's economy, tourism meant "those summer people", Sugar Loaf Resort offered some winter employment, our septic fields were not overflowing, and everyone was scandalized when the Sheriff talked about getting a drug dog. We came and we stayed because Leelanau County was beautiful, bucolic and yes, even boring. The 80's are gone. They will never come back, and Leelanau County will not be able to hide behind an old mindset.

My subject is Agricultural Tourism, and surprisingly enough this is a hot topic today - so much so that the Governor has just set up an Agricultural Tourism Commission housed within the Department of Agriculture to address this opportunity. If the subject of agricultural tourism is important enough to attract the attention of the bureaucrats in Lansing it certainly needs some attention in Leelanau County.

An old axiom is, "You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow's ear," and that is true for both agriculture and tourism in Leelanau County. We cannot expect to maintain or grow either agriculture or tourism in Leelanau County unless we move off our 80's mentality about either industry sector. We are not going to survive on one-crop “mono-culture” farming, lakeside resorts, and summer cottage residents. The cherry industry knows that, and the tourism industry has learned that. If we attempt to stay where we are, we doom ourselves to underemployment in seasonal jobs, a loss of farmland, and tourists finding other destinations. We will continue to grow houses rather than crops, watch our open land be consumed by urban sprawl, and become a bedroom community for wealthy retirees. We will see more of our young people departing for greater opportunities as we open more nursing homes and close more schools. Hardly a formula for building on what we now enjoy.

There is however, a way forward for Leelanau County. We are blessed with great natural resources, entrepreneurial business people who would like to live, work, play, invest, and raise families in Leelanau County, and the infrastructure for both agriculture and tourism. The barriers are only in our minds and in some of our public policies. We need to do a lot more to unleash the potential for both agriculture and tourism in Leelanau County so that the private sector can do what it does best.

I already hear someone saying, "Uh, oh, here comes another developer, spouting off about getting rich at our expense again - I just want it to be the same as it was - we don't need any change, particularly if it costs me anything - I am all right, let's keep it that way." However, there’s a funny thing about change…IT HAPPENS…and you either step aside, get run over, or jump on the wagon. The trick is to drive the wagon and that is called Smart Growth. What would Smart Growth be like in the agriculture and tourism sectors of Leelanau County?

Smart Growth for agriculture would be:

1. To get a grip on affordable farmland. We are losing farmland everyday to urban sprawl for all the reasons we know. As long as it remains more profitable to grow houses than to farm, that wagon is going to continue to run over our farming community. Any resource-based industry can only compete if it starts with an affordable resource, in this case the land. Maintaining agriculture will depend upon us underpinning agricultural land prices so that the farming community can be retained or we can attract new farmers. There are successful models for preservation of agriculture based upon farmland preservation. I can point to no successful models for agriculture preservation where highest land price has been able to determine the best use. If you want the best example take Napa Valley in California where the only way to stop sprawl and to keep agriculture was to establish the nation’s first agriculture preserve. There are no magic bullets, no government handouts. We have to decide whether we are going to support farmland preservation ourselves. That decision needs to be made by the people of Leelanau County.

2. To foster entrepreneurial agriculture or value-added or product agriculture. After the land, the most important ingredient is viable agriculture - the farmer has to make a living off his land. Successful farming is not a view shed it is a business. We have supported agriculture too long on the basis of growing a lot of commodity crops and growing them cheaply. That wagon is running over the farmer who is too small and who cannot compete in a world market. We do not have very large, low cost, commodity farms in Leelanau County. What we do have is specialty crops, smart farmers, and an established tradition of high quality, healthy food production. We are seeing growth in value-added agriculture in dozens of farm markets, fish, poultry, and beef suppliers, flower and herb growers, preserves, honey and maple syrup producers, wineries and cider mills as evidenced by MLUI's Taste The Local Difference program. We are seeing development of hydroponics, greenhouses, nutriceuticals, organics, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSI) farms. These are all based on doing more than simply growing a crop by adding processing, retailing, and marketing on the farm. One big advantage is moving from seasonal to year round employment. These all prove that if government policy, particularly in zoning restrictions, does not stand in the way and if land cost allow, the entrepreneur will invest in developing sustainable, value-added agriculture enterprises.

Smart Growth for tourism would be:

1. To encourage year round tourism development. We need to break the mindset and the reality of the "summer people" which restricts us to a very short season in northwest lower Michigan with all the dependence on a seasonal workforce. Leelanau County needs to be a year round tourist destination offering tourism jobs year round in Leelanau County. A destination today has to offer a variety of attractions in a variety of seasons. That is why we are so dependent upon our entire offerings in Leelanau County, not simply sun, beach, golf, and sailing. Our competitors know this well, and every time we drive away a new year round destination water park resort or a baseball field because of zoning or traffic or neighbor's concerns we benefit other destinations. We need to recognize that tourists have choices and they will go where they want to go and not necessarily for the reasons we treasure. We should be able to deal with local concerns by giving the developer an opportunity to do so rather than scaring him away up front in our press or public comments.

2. To build upon the agricultural heritage, the environment, and our multiple attractions to make Leelanau County the most successful agricultural/recreational/cultural tourism destination attraction in the Midwest. That could set us apart from other areas while ensuring our quality of life is maintained and enhanced. It won't be the 80's. Change will have occurred, but it will offer us a economic base more attractive to a young, stable work force that will continue to live, work, play, invest and raise families in Leelanau County. The alternative of becoming a bedroom community for Traverse City or a retirement home for downstaters is not appealing particularly when the cost for doing so will be so much higher than investing in a vibrant economy now.

There are very successful examples close to hand, and one of the best is the Niagara Peninsula of Ontario. They faced the same issues and have evolved into a major agricultural-recreational-cultural tourism destination by taking steps necessary to contain sprawl, to promote living in villages, to mix horticulture, viticulture and animal farming in townships, to support cultural and recreational attractions, and to manage through Smart Growth principals. We really have no choice. Like it or not, we are growing, but the way we’re growing is not smart and it’s threatening our way of life. Let’s work together to agree on public policies for Smart Growth.

Don Coe, Managing Partner
Black Star Farms

Posted by Publius at 06:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

It was said of the Bourbon kings who were overthrown in the French Revolution that they never learned, and they never forgot. The same might be said of the four Elmwood township Board members who are holdovers from the previous administration. On the one hand, they have steadfastly refused to learn, either from their own mistakes or from the suggestions of their critics. And they never forget a grudge.

The latest instance of this unfortunate combination was on exhibit at the Elmwood Township Board meeting Monday night, when the four holdover members declined to reappoint to the Marina Committee current members Dave Darga and John Melichar. Darga and Melichar have been energetic and constructive advocates for the reform of the troubled Elmwood township facility. So why were they not reappointed? Although there were some vague claims of conflicts of interest, the real reason seems to have been that the holdovers on the Board of Trustees don’t want to see the marina investigated or reformed. They have voted time and time again against plans and measures that would bring a measure of accountability and even handedness to the way the marina is run. And so in place of Darga and Melichar, the holdovers exercised their working 4-3 majority on the Board to install two additional boaters from the marina. Talk about the inmates running the asylum!

It’s sad to see the little bit of progress that has been made at the marina set back in this way. The marina belongs ultimately to the residents and citizens of Elmwood Township, and should be run on their behalf in a responsible, business-like way. The attitude of the holdover members on the board toward their constituents seems to be “Let them eat cake.” Perhaps they should take a lesson from the French aristocrats and reflect that such attitudes are not a recipe for long-term political success.

Posted by Publius at 06:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Record-Eagle has a thoughtful editorial Wednesday on recall elections.

Recalls are a right of voters, giving them the ultimate recourse when elected officials fail to do their job. But sometimes they simply become politics by another means -- a venue by which "embittered ex-officials" (in Elmwood Township's case) try win a victory that eluded them at the ballot box. The Record-Eagle rightly says that voters need to have a clear understanding of the issues at stake when they go to the polls for a recall election.

Posted by Publius at 04:16 PM | Permalink

It's not often that we get a chance to praise the Elmwood township Board of Trustees. But they did the right thing Monday, 13 February when they voted to hire a new auditor to look into the township's books. For years the board has continued to re-hire their same auditor of 20 years, even though experts recommend changing auditors much more frequently. Even last year, when controversy raged over questionable management and inadequate financial controls at the township marina, the four holdover members from the previous board--a working majority--blocked attempts by the three reform members--Supervisor Deri Smith and Trustees Paul Walter and Jeff Howell--to bring in new blood.

This time around, apparently convinced by the scandals in East Bay township (scandals that were permitted by the township's lax accounting and auditing procedures) the holdovers changed their votes and hired Wilson and Warn, CPA. David Wilson is a specialist in auditing township marina operations. Although Dave Wilson was given no mandate last night to look into the marina's history, his approach should bring a breath of fresh air to a township hall that sorely needs it.

Of course, the Board didn't do everything right. By a 4-3 vote--holdovers against reformers--they voted to make payouts to Dick Eldred and Chuck Lessard, two former Marina employees whom Smith did not rehire for the 2005 marina season. Although township legal counsel Jim Young advised in May 2005 that the "board would be remiss in their duties to not investigate" the allegations directed at the marina management, the four holdover board members called off the insurance company’s investigation into the marina in August of 2005. The aborted investigation and criticisms from township residents have raised legitimate questions about the management of the marina, and these allegations deserve a thorough investigation, not a payoff.

Let's hope that the new auditor finds his way to the marina. It's not far from township hall.

Posted by Publius at 08:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A number of readers have written to comment on our article “Citizens charge heavy-handed tactics in recall drive“. Some of these readers have criticized us for running an article which is based on anonymous sources. They say that such pieces, which cannot be verified by independent readers, are undesirable and a debased form of journalism.

These writers may have a point. We agree that anonymously-sourced stories should be avoided wherever possible. There has been a lively debate on the web about this very topic, and we tend to agree that when those who comment or report refuse to stand behind what they say, the media should be very cautious about providing a medium for smears or attempts to spin the news.

At the Leelanau Post, we do not ordinarily publish such articles. If a source has something to say, we feel they should be willing to stand up in public and identify themselves. However, there is one exception, and it is an important one. That is when a source legitimately fears that speaking out could result in retaliation or persecution. In the case we reported on, people we trust and respect reported they felt they had been intimidated by persons collecting signatures for the recall campaign. Intimidation can take many forms. At its crudest, it can involve physical intimidation—as when someone “gets in your face”, as we say. In other cases, it may take subtler forms—threats, or veiled threats. To require that the victims of intimidation or attempted intimidation identify themselves publicly is, in our opinion, asking too much. After all, the implied message of those who try to bully others is that crossing them will have negative consequences. Coming out publicly and identifying oneself and one’s intimidator would have negative consequences as well. We salute those individuals who have the courage to speak up even in the face of implied threats or physical intimidation, but we don’t feel we can ask it of the elderly, the vulnerable, and the weak—the favorite victims of bullies and intimidators.

Should we then not publish an article like ours, which reports attempted intimidation while nevertheless preserving the cloak of anonymity that its victims rightly claim? We don’t think so. To fail to report on these matters would grant the bullies precisely the victory they seek—to be able to take advantage of the vulnerabilities of others without suffering the consequences. That is contemptible, and it is wrong. We understand that articles like ours must be, as it were, taken on faith. We stand by our article. We have heard from people whom we trust and respect that these things happen. We will vouch for them. Our readers will have to make their own judgment about our credibility.

Publishing an article that is based on anonymous sources is not what we would prefer to do. But remaining silent, and allowing the hateful and despicable tactics of bullies to remain in the darkness, would be by far the greater evil. Reasonable people can disagree about contentious political issues—even those as charged and personal as a recall. But when people cross the line from persuasion to intimidation, they have gone too far, and letting their actions go unnoted would be unacceptable.

Posted by Publius at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Welcome to the Leelanau Post, an online news source for the friends and residents of Leelanau County. We hope to bring the best of the web to Leelanau, including links to stories and resources from all over, as well as analysis and commentary of the same. In addition, we will publish original articles written expressly for the Post, as well as the comments and contributions of our readers. (For more information on the ownership and policies of the Leelanau Post, please see our About Us page).

You may wonder exactly what kind of animal the Post is. Probably the best model is that of a "blog" (from "web log"). Blogs started out as compendia of links to other sites on the web--a means by which a blogger with an interest and time on his hands could troll and filter the immense amount of information on the internet, distilling it down for those who shared a particular interest in a subject.

To some extent, the Leelanau Post will perform that function. There is a great variety of information published every day that is relevant to Leelanau County, only some of it in the places you might expect. Our job will be to scour the net, bringing you links to news stories, articles and other resources from all over the state, the country, and the world.

But blogs have evolved to include more than just lists of links. So too, at The Leelanau Post we will provide commentary and analysis on the importance of the stories we collect; and of course our original articles may contain few if any links at all.

We believe in the importance of a free and open exchange of information and opinions. We think there is always room for another voice, another point of view. We invite you to share in our conversation, either by commenting on our posts or by submitting one of your own.

We look forward to helping to bring Leelanau County together.

Posted by Publius at 01:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Have you ever been to an Elmwood Township Board Meeting? The Board meetings in Elmwood traditionally begin with a Pledge of Allegiance. A more appropriate start might be a gong, with the cry: "No one is watching (not enough people, anyway). Let the games begin."

Although minutes from an earlier personnel sub-committee meeting indicate unanimous approval to recommend the rehiring of the 2005 Harbormaster Fred Leddy and Deputy Harbormaster John Ferdinand, in what has become a typical manuever in the Board game called Elmwood, 2 of the 4 personnel committee members (Clerk and Treasurer) rescinded their decision and blocked the timely hiring of these positions. Clerk Connie Preston "remembered that Jim O'Rourke wanted to be a part of this decision." Trustee O'Rourke had sent a note that he was unable to attend the meeting, but "could be reached at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas." Treasurer Debbie Street wanted to "slow the process down and take a closer look."

Traditionally the help of the Harbormaster and Deputy Harbormaster has been required prior to the mailing of the seasonal permits, but it's not clear that will happen this year. While boaters are eager to finalize their plans for the highly sought seasonal slip contracts, the Elmwood Board seems intent on other priorities.

Posted by Austen at 12:33 PM | Permalink

Elmwood Citizens for Sensible Growth has engaged in a process of examination and analysis of the application that has been submitted by Wilderness Development for its “Glacier Bay” resort complex. We have pursued consultation with both accredited planning professionals and legal specialists in our review. As a group that speaks for many concerned citizens we would like to share the results of our enquiry with you in the form of this submission of formal public comment. We fully expect that this document will become an official part of the record of the Planning Commission’s deliberations regarding this application.

Continue reading "ECSG Comments on Glacier Bay" »

Posted by Erik at 01:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)