Buffoons or Pinheads?

One of the things that has happened in Iron County

has been a “brain drain” where the best and the

brightest growing up have fled to regions of the

world that offer better opportunities and intellectual

challenges. Those who remained have engaged in

professions and businesses that they find personally

rewarding, leaving average, and below average,

individuals the chore of running local government.

In short, most of the elected officials in Iron

County have no idea of what, precisely, their

position, and authority, consist of. Generally

speaking, most of them have no idea of the

relationships between their local government,

state government, and the federal government.

On April 6, 2012, I sent a letter to the mayor of

Iron River, Mr. Terry Tarci. Asking him for the

source of the authority for the city council to

have enacted, and to enforce, the “readiness to

serve fee,” and several other charges in section

52 (special assessments effectively excise taxes)

of the municipal ordinances. Since Mr. Tarsi

doesn't know, he did not provide any response.

Instead, a letter best classified as unabashed

baloney (an effort on my part to keep this

discussion readable by anyone) was offered by

the Marquette lawyer paid for by the MML

(Michigan Municipal League.) It is obvious

that the letter was a subterfuge designed to

appear to be an answer, but it in fact it is not.

I advised Mr. Tarci on April 23, 2012, that the

letter from the lawyer is unacceptable.

Naturally, when faced with what was an

insurmountable obstacle to him, Mr. Tarci fell

silent on the matter, “So if you have the

authority Mrs. MacGregor claims you have,

why can't we resolve this simple question right

now?”

The only available conclusion is that the city of

Iron River, through its city council, has

exceeded its authority to enact and enforce

several of the water related ordinances.

Attorney General Bill Schuette issued Opinion

7263 on April 17, 2012, explaining how the

Iron County Treasurer is prohibited from

collecting the “real property taxes” (they're

not).

 

See http://tinyurl.com/bf9hhbn

Despite showing them the error of their ways,

the treasurer's office proceeded in the prohibited

activity anyway. Although all this was brought to

the Attorney General's attention with a formal request

that municipalities be required to obey the laws of the

state, the Attorney General purposely misread my

request and has refused to intervene.

My patience is once again at an end. I sued (and lost

the case) once before about these bogus “fees.” So it

seems we must go into court once again, and so we

will. It isn't as though I haven't communicated

extensively with the evil doers, so they have no

reason to be surprised.

From the standpoint of the City of Iron River and

Iron County elected officials, ignorance is bliss.

Would Bill O'Reilley call them buffoons or pinheads?

Bill Vajk