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It’s time for Mount Clemens to Adopt a Ward System

With a city government that is strapped for cash, has no idea how to spur economic development and has been given clown noses to wear at commission meetings, it’s no wonder Mount Clemens is in the mess that it is. There is no perfect solution for these (and the other issues facing the city), but if we do not start taking steps in the right direction soon, then the city will go downhill, and fast. Think South Warren fast. A big underlying issue is that the people are not represented in city government; they have no say in what happens.By switching out system from electing all city commissioners at large to a ward system that will allow for neighborhoods to be more represented, give the voters a better choice, and encourage more people to vote and to run for office.

A ward system, for those who don’t know, is where the city is divided up into parts, and each part is represented in government by an elected individual. If there are parts A, B, C, and D then people from Ward A can only vote for a candidate who lives in ward A, and so fourth. This is exactly what activist and former mayoral candidate Gloria Haller is proposing, thus far it has gotten public support from former school board member Joe Rheker and sitting board member Larry Humphrey, while getting opposition from Mayor Barb Dempsey.

Much of this is the fault of the people themselves. If you don’t vote, then you are held prisoner by those that do (of course, not voting because you have no candidate you want to vote for is completely different). And there are even less people who are willing to step up to the plate and run for political office.

This issue borderlines cronyism, where a section of the city breeds all the people who will run it. How bad is it? There is only one elected official in Mount Clemens who lives north of Cass Avenue: School Board President Earl Rickman.

This map shows where the Mayor, the City Commission, and the School Board members live.

The southern 2 neighborhoods control the whole city of Mount Clemens

This map is taken directly from the new Master Plan of Mount Clemens. This is the neighborhood map, and from what I can tell by itself, is very accurate. Neighborhoods 7 and 10 (which also correspond with current voting precincts 2 and 9) run the entire show.

Driving through these areas, it’s not hard to see where this is different from the rest of the city. These are the nicest neighborhoods in town, and the people that live there are likely to be the most successful, college educated and have a little extra cash in the bank. Others who live in these neighborhoods include long time Mount Clemens High School Principal Nelson Jackson, Charter Commission President Jake Femmineneo, and former Congressional Democratic Whip David Bonior.

Due to the nature of these ares, it’s not surprising that these people are more likely to vote and more likely to run for office themselves. Voter data all across the country will give similar stories: higher income and better education almost always lead to higher voter turnout.

Due to the small voter turnout in Commission and School Board elections, there is absolutely no need to run a city-wide campaign if you are seeking office. If you win precincts 2 and 9 (on election day and the absentee), you’ve just won the election. I know this first hand, I won 14 of 17 precincts last year when I ran for school board and still lost the election, having lost precincts 2 and 9 and tied in precinct 1. This means that when you run a campaign, knocking on doors all over the city means nothing.

We have a culture where only 2 neighborhoods elect the officials. With all these politicians in the same area, it’s no wonder that they breed more politicians from the same neighborhoods. And when your friends and neighbors are all running for something, you get to know them pretty well, even if you already didn’t.

When election time rolls around, someone from neighborhood 7 will see a name on the ballot he recognizes. Maybe it’s his friend or long-time neighbor. Maybe he’s knocked on your door to talk to you about the campaign or you’ve gotten something in the mail from his committee. Over the years you might have seen this candidate washing their car or doing their own landscaping, maybe even playing ball with the kids and the family dog on the front lawn.Maybe your kids are friends with theirs, and they walked to school together, or even dated! Either way, it’s a community within a community. And this is someone you know either through reputation or just because you’ve seen them out and about and know they’re a “good person”.

That same person in neighborhood 7 might also see another name on the ballot. Someone who knocked on their door once or twice during the campaign. You’ve never met them beforehand, and you don’t know what kind of person they are. They seem very nice and very well intentioned, but aside from a quick conversation and a little reading, you know nothing about this candidate’s character, how he conducts his life, or anything else other than what he wants you to know.

When election day comes, guess who is going to get the vote?

Meanwhile, why would someone from neighborhood 9 even consider voting on election day? They may see a handful of names on the ballot, where none of which have knocked on their door or given them any information. If they are an informed voter they may have read their profile in the C&G paper or Macomb Daily and seen their website if they have one, but that’s it. And odds are, they are someone from the other side of town, who lives in a very different part of Mount Clemens than you do. So different in fact, that if you were shown pictures of the different neighborhoods side by side, you would never know that it’s the same city. It’s easy for people to not vote when they don’t feel represented, and that’s exactly what happens.

For someone who wants to make a difference, running an election is difficult if you don’t live in the right neighborhood. The people that statistically always vote will be harder to win over when they don’t already know you. Especially when one of their neighbors in on the ballot. And when you see all of your neighbors putting up yard signs for the local guy, you start to think “well these guys are all like me, and this is who they like, so this candidate must be my kind of guy”.

The machine just generates more cogs. The candidates ignore the rest of the city, as they don’t have to answer to them. It matters not what they do as long as they appease their neighbors.

By putting the city into a ward system, we eliminate this. This will allow people from different neighborhoods to elect someone who they know, who they may have known for a long time. This will allow the candidate to take their message right to the people, instead of trying to impress folks from the “rich side of town” into voting for them over one of their neighbors. This will entice more people to run for commission as the campaigns will be easier to manage with a smaller geographical area and less expensive to run with a smaller voter base to work with.

At meetings, this will bring new, fresh perspectives to the table. Mount Clemens, despite being small, is not small the way that Armada, Romeo, or Oxford is small. We are one of the most diverse cities in Macomb County, with different ethnic groups, races, ages, incomes, lifestyles and viewpoints. Because of this, we are underrepresented across the board. And as the old saying goes, “No Taxation without Representation”.

This will also make sure that there is no cronyism in board appointments or replacements: people will be elected by their neighbors come special election or anything else. For example, take a look at the map again. Towards the bottom there are 2 shapes that overlap, one of those is a newly appointed school board member and the other is a siting elected board member. I am not making accusations against the qualifications of newly appointed school board member Laura Kropp. But I will say that it surprises me not one bit that despite being the voter’s 2nd choice to sit on the board last May, I was passed up for appointment that was given to a sitting board member. And while I have no evidence to support this theory, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit of she was “asked” by her neighbor to apply for the appointment, so the board could use the opportunity to pass me over.

Opponents of the Ward plan say that it will force the new commissioners to only serve their neighborhoods, as opposed to the city at large. This point is downright laughable. If the current commissioners are doing their best to work for Mount Clemens as a whole then the system needs obvious reform. Because right now, it isn’t working.

Let me say that again: the current system is NOT working. Businesses are closing up left and right, neighborhoods are in decline, and people are moving out. The current elected officials have failed us.

The more realistic story is that they are not serving the community at large, but their own little community within a community: Seminole Hills and the Wilson School Area. Precincts 2 and 9. Neighborhoods 7 and 10. Whatever you want to call it, it’s the southwest end of town and it runs the show.

Because of this, there is no accountability. All you have to do to win is be from that area and show your neighbors that you’re like they are. No matter what way you want to look at it, the city is suffering, the people are underrepresented, and the people have little say in anything that happens. Their cries at board meetings can be ignored, because the commissioners know that if the angry person behind the mic gets everyone he knows to vote against you, you still have a strong base.

The one thing about the Haller Ward Plan that I do not like is the raising of pay for the elected officials. People are driven to public service for things other than the pay, and the better campaign platforms that can be developed as well as the chance of knowing that they can win an election will be more than enough to get more people to seek public office. The other small thing would be that the school board should be included in this as well.

With that being said, it’s time for a change. A Ward system would give better accountability, different viewpoints at the table, and allow government to be what it was meant to be: of the people, by the people, and for the people. Instead of a few elite neighborhoods that have power over the rest of the city with no accountability overall for their actions.

Let’s take this step to save our city and bring responsible government to Mount Clemens.

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Goodbye, and Goodriddence to 2009 and this awful decade

We started off the new millennium with lots of hopes. The whole “Year 2000″ thing sounded so exciting and futuristic, and we were all expecting great things to come. Instead, this decade has been an awful start that hopefully won’t set the stage for the next 90. While some areas had wild amounts of success and made our lives better (like all these fancy new cell phones), just about every part of our lives has suffered some kind of step backwards in the 2000s.

Here’s why I can’t wait for the month to end and will be welcoming 2010 with open arms.

The Music of the 00’s

It all started off with this and has just gone downhill.

Linkin Park: Pure awful on a disc

In 2000 the #1 album was “The Beatles: 1″, and by 2005 it was a 50 Cent album. That’s how fast things went downhill. The rest is history. Year after year we are treated to another piece of repetitive trash, a new Britney comeback album, or something else that just makes you dumber every time you hear it. It’s gotten so bad that we now consider a song who’se only lyrics are “Tonight’s gunna be a good night” to be perfectly acceptable. Excuse me while I go barf.

It’s ridiculous how much 90’s music I listen to now just because today’s “artists” have driven me in another direction so rapidly.

The music industry as a whole became something we all hated. Nothing like hearing record labels cry poor from piracy only to find out now that they use unauthorized recordings in compilations all the time.

Cars and The Auto Industry

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Livonia’s Glenn Moon: Even Jesus can’t help but to Facepalm

Vermin Supreme giving an interview during the 2008 primaries

I can’t believe this went so long without me noticing it. Being involved in politics for as long as I have, I’ve seen some really screwball candidates. But at long last, I think I may have found a candidate who is even more absurd than the infamous Vermin Supreme.

Now, to Mr. Supreme’s credit, he can form coherent sentences in the manner in which the average Joe would say such things…he just says stuff that we would never say. But hey, he was running for president of the United States (and one of the few people I’ve ever met who was also a fan of Imperial Emperor Norton I). Livonia City Council Candidate Glenn Moon on the other hand, not only says things that no mentally competent person would ever say, but he says them in a manner in which prepositions are completely optional and has invented his own nomenclature.
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Detroit de Burgundy: The Worst flag ever discovered

For the longest time, I was convinced that the city of Detroit had the worst flag ever concieved by man. It’s an ugly mix of various parts of heritage centered around a city seal that leaves much to be desired. Due to the fact that the flag is so horrendous, most people haven’t known what it looks like. Very few places in the city have the balls to actually fly the thing, which I’m sure is a combination of shame and avoiding the question “what the hell is that flag out front”.

As you can see, the city desperately needs a new flag:

The Flag of the City of Detroit

The flag is divided up to represent French, British, and American rule over the city surrounding the city seal. There’s also some latin words, representing the mottos of the City of Detroit: “We hope for better things” and “It will rise from the ashes”. Despite the fact that the motto represents a fire from the 19th century, that motto has proven to become more and more true over time, sadly enough.

House of Burgundy Coat of Arms

As I said before, I was convinced that this was the worst flag ever concieved by man. It’s as though it was designed by committee, everyone had their own idea and nobody could decide, so all the ideas made it in. Putting the terrible city seal aside, it looks like an awful patchwork of scattered history. Nobody ever could be proud of this flag. However, history has proven me wrong: another flag exists that upon first glance one could assume that it was the inspiration for Detroit’s.

However, it does not.

It represents the flags of the territories of Charles the Bold of Burgundy. His flag was based on the family coat of arms, which we can assume was so absurdly elabourate as to distract the opponent in battle with an array of flying colors and as such, gain the upper hand. You can see it to the left. Tell me you can look at that and not be distracted?
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Michigan Central Station Status Updates

The following is being re-posted with permission of John Mohyi, the chap heading up the efforts at Michigan Central Station. I’m glad to report that great progress is being made, ideas are coming into the fold, and more people are getting involved.

Since our strategic grassroots restoration effort to save the Michigan Central Station (MCS) began on June 30th 2009 volunteers have eliminated nearly three dumpsters worth of debris, planted over 1,000 flowers, and inspired a sense of hope in the heart of Detroit.

I have been working closely with the station owners, students, residents, businesses, elected officials, organizations, and volunteers to secure the future of the station. Many individuals have come out of the woodwork and needless to say we could never have made it this far without them.

To me the Michigan Central Station is a symbol for the city of Detroit. At one point it was known for its greatness and then slowly it slipped away into the decrepit state that exists today. It seems as if the more debris we remove from the building, the more corrupt and incompetent politicians we remove from office in the city of Detroit. After we remove the debris is when the real work begins.

After this Friday, July 10th, the MCS project will move into its next phase. In addition to various skilled volunteers, Home Depot corporate has expressed interest in sponsoring our efforts by providing equipment and professional volunteers to help us achieve our objectives. Assuming everything goes according to plan it will not be very long until the station comes to life. For this part of the volunteer effort we will need volunteers who are 18 and older with a decent background in construction.

Once the building is safe and secure, we will need skilled artists to help with the aesthetics of the building. I envision the second main room with the metal roof as a giant mural. As you can imagine this will be an enormous project and the College of Creative Studies (CCS) will likely play a key role.
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The Case for Bob Barr

The Freedom movement has been torn between two people in the wake of Ron Paul losing the GOP Primary. We have been stuck between two candidates that have left many of us in a place where we aren’t sure where to turn. On one hand, you have Pastor Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party, and the Libertarian Nominee, former GOP House Representative Bob Barr. There’s little question that the LP had to sell their soul to the devil a little bit to nominate Barr, a man who they once prided on kicking out of office. Baldwin is a strong charismatic speaker and reminds me a lot of the late Harry Browne in his relentless focus in not deterring from his views no matter what. 

However, I’ve been in the Barr camp since the nomination. And the reasoning behind it is simple when it comes right down to it. 

Barr isn’t by any standards the perfect LP candidate. He was part of the GOP takeover of congress in 1994 and was quite a force as a drug Czar and called for Clinton’s impeachment on campaign finance long before Lewinskygate. He voted for the war and the Patriot Act, as well as numerous other skeletons in his closet that make him a less than attractive choice with an option like Baldwin on the table. 

However, he has since changed his stance on numerous issues, including the Patriot Act, the War, the War on Drugs, etc. He’s not 100% Libertarian by any means, but he has recognized that the things he supported in the past did not work. 

Some could easily dismiss this as a simple flip flop on issues, as we are used to seeing in elections. But this goes back deeper than that. Barr did not announce his candidacy for president until May, not long before the LP convention over Memorial Day weekend. And by then his issues were already firmly in place. Unlike former Alaska Senator (I don’t know about you guys, but I’m pretty sick about hearing about anything alaska-related for a while) Mike Gravel who jumped ship over to the party to try and get the nomination, Barr has been working within the LP for years now, having left congress in 2003 and endorsing Michael Badnarik in 2004. 

What I like about this is that what has happened to Barr needs to be what happens to ALL congressmen. How many times have we seen people in politics refuse to admit that their plans didn’t work? Or that their positions were wrong on something? How many times have you heard a politician say that they regretted a bill they sponsored, voted for, or a position they had? Those kind of statements are unheard of in politics. Yet Barr has the balls to come out and say, essentially, “I fucked up, what I did was wrong, and I’m looking in a new direction now”.

As Ron Paul supporters, we have made it our mission to go out and turn people around. People that would be voting for Obama or McCain have seen our way of thinking, and yet we celebrate their awakening, yet many are quick to jump the gun and call Barr’s awakening fraudulent. Of course there’s no real way of telling for sure if he’s completely genuine. But I find it hypocritical of the Freedom Movement to say that we want to get politicians and people to see our side, and here is a man claiming to have done so, long before the Ron Paul bandwagon I might add, who we immediately question. 

Is it possible that Barr is playing us like a fiddle? Sure. It is possible he’s a GOP plant into the LP? Sure. In reflecting upon this, we must also realize that it’s entirely possible that he is sincere and that he has performed a 180. And if that’s true, we need to show the other politicians that we will support them if they are able to see the way things should be done.

Things get sticky when we consider that Paul has now endorsed Baldwin. This is primarily the effect of a couple stupid moves made by Barr’s campaign manager, Russ Verney (who also headed Perot’s campaign). First Verney decided that Barr shouldn’t appear at Paul’s bipartisan endorsement at the Washington Press Club, for reasons that I’m still struggling to understand. Then we had him get Barr to ask Paul to be his VP, which was just weird. So Paul turned around and endorsed Baldwin, and I’m not going to punish Barr for a few dumb mistakes made by his campaign manager, the same as we didn’t chastise Paul for decisions made by the late Kent Snyder.

I’ve seen Chuck Baldwin speak. He’s a fantastic man and I would have no regrets about voting for him. I’ve watched him speak before, and he is a man of whom I have a tremendous amount of respect for. However, odds are I’ll be voting for the man who I feel has led the example for all mainstream GOP and Democrat politicians to follow, and that is Bob Barr. Best of luck of course to Barr and Baldwin, let’s show ‘em that liberty is NOT dead.