John Archocosky's Coverup? (service models cont'd)

As Editor of this publication I recently received
an email that appears to be from John
Archocosky, the City Manager for the City of
Iron River. I say in advance, “appears to be,”
because in cases where information is received
from a public employee the public accepts what
is provided at face value because public
employees (public servants) are supposed to be
truthful and as citizens we have a right to their
truthfulness. In fact, we demand truthfulness.
As we demonstrate below, Mr. Archocosky’s
email falls short of that goal in several respects.

-------------------------------------------------
from:John Archocosky jarchocosky@ironriver.org
to:"bill.vajk@gmail.com"
cc:Ben
date:Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 4:39 PM


Mr. Vajk,

This photo from your August 29th blog was
recently brought to my attention.

Please be advised that the City of Iron River
does not own this vehicle as you have
suggested. All city owned vehicles are clearly
marked as such. They also have government
plates so they can be easily identified by any
citizen using just a little common sense.

You claim your blog is a news source but as
the “Editor” you seldom bother to be factual.
The ownership of this vehicle would have
been very simple to check. I guess in your
case however, it was just easier to make up
a false accusation and condemn city
employees. Apparently you take no pride
whatsoever in your so called news
publication.

John



John A. Archocosky, Manager
City of Iron River
906-265-4719 Phone
906-265-5776 Fax
www.IronRiver.Org

This message may contain confidential
and/or proprietary information and is
intended for the person/entity to whom
it was originally addressed. Any use by
others is strictly prohibited.

----------------------------

I have waited a few days to see if Mr.
Archocosky wanted to retract an email that
appears, at first glance, to be the result of an
emotional meltdown. He has not contacted me
subsequent to sending me the email so taking
matters at face value once again, it appears the
personal attack above was politically motivated
and is an example of intentional cronyism.

The pertinent text from the IronCountyDoings
August 29th article was:

“On my way home I stopped at Snyder’s Drugs.
I walked past a municipal vehicle parked in the
fire lane with the driver sitting in it. I took care
of my business. On my way out, I stopped to
find out what town the car hails from. I was told
it comes from Iron River. So I went back to my
car, grabbed a camera, and snapped the picture
that appears in this article.”

It is clear from that text that I made an inquiry
regarding the ownership of the vehicle, and I
was told by a public servant that it was from
Iron River. That act ended any necessity for
me research any further.

Because of Mr. Archocosky’s whining about
this issue, I did one additional step of research
to find out what it does take to find out who
owns the vehicle and I came up with a four
page form available on the Secretary of
State’s web page.

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/bdvr154_16269_7.pdf

That form must be completed, the
requirements for receipt of the information met,
a $7 fee attached, and the package mailed to the
Department of State in Lansing. According to
the Secretary of State’s offices, the process of
determining actual ownership of a vehicle is not
so simple as Mr. Archocosky makes it out to be.
In any case, I had a right to expect a public
employee to tell me the truth, although
apparently in this article I have more than one
instance of a public servant not doing so!

So now I am faced with two public servants
disagreeing on who owns the vehicle, the
second one (Archocosky) calling the first one a
liar but failing to back up that accusation with
any substantive information, relying instead on
a personal attack against the Editor of this
news provider that does not provide him with
a bully pulpit.

Ne nuntium necare.

That’s the Latin invocation of “Don’t Kill The
Messenger.” My August 29th article carried
the title “The Iron County Service Model.”
This publication is just a messenger, not the
creator of information

The service model here in Iron County
leaves much to be desired. In the end it
doesn’t matter which municipality owns the
vehicle in the photo, what matters is that some
public servants consider themselves above
the law. In this case, that law was
MCL 257.64(1)(aa).

Section 3.04(d) of the Iron River Municipal
Code states: “See that all laws, provisions of
this charter and acts of the City Council, subject
to enforcement by the City Manager or by officers
subject to the managers direction and supervision,
are faithfully executed;”

Here’s the reply I had every right to expect from
John Archocosky:

“Dear Mr. Vajk, I have become aware of the
photo in your August 29th article and I have
forwarded the pertinent information to the Iron
River Police Department with instructions that
they take appropriate measures.”

And as action by the Iron River Police
Department I have every right to expect, at the
very least, that a warning ticket be issued to the
driver of that vehicle along with an admonition
to never do that again.

Instead what we experience here in Iron County
is a spate of political cronyism in which
Archocosky attempts to misdirect attention by
attempting to make this publication the focus of
the story rather than the fact that another public
servant thumbed their nose at the laws, and at
the public. “I work for a municipality and that
gives me power to ignore the laws.”

And Mr. Archocosky played his crony role. That
needs to stop. After all, this isn't the Wild West of
yesteryear. Or is it?

Bill Vajk

Flowers in Iron River (Service Model Page 3)

We were ever so pleased to see the progress in Iron River
given the flowers that were planted in the easement between
the sidewalk and US2 on the hillside entering town.
Volunteers have done nice things for the community. Any
time there's a call to help a family in need, Iron County
residents respond in addition to the beautification measures
and other privately and religion initiated projects . The
community is made up of good people. Iron County Doings
wrote some time back about this sort of floral impact in
Marquette and we're pleased to see it has arrived to Iron River.

Unfortunately, on the other hand, what lies at the end of this
picturesque improvement appreciated by all who traverse
this part of US2?


But as a property owner, heaven help you if your grass isn't mowed!
The city will, without a word, come and mow it for you and bill you
at twice what you could have gotten it done by local commercial
landscapers! They don't have the basic decency to warn you and
give you time if something has happened that kept the grass from
being as pretty as they demand.

If you look at the first picture above, the curb is also torn up and
not repaired. In fact, it is torn up through much of Iron River.
The government service model does not match the service model
given to the community by local volunteers.

On September 1 this year, we observed and photographed the
following scene.



What's wrong with this picture?

The Iron River street sweeper truck is in Iron River Township.
That part is OK as the truck was originally purchased with the
intention to lease its services to the surrounding communities.

But with US2 being a primary corridor through Iron County,
why is last winter's sand being swept on September 1st? It costs
us the same amount as it would have to have had this sweeping
done in May!

How would it be if the flowers around the community were
planted on September 1? Who would be happy about that?

The point made here is that the citizens of Iron County come
through with making their community the best that they can
by applying their backs and wallets to any problem that comes
along. Another example that comes to mind is the installation
of resting benches on the Apple Blossom Trail by a boy scout in
Caspian. Iron River has been asked for similar benches for a
very long time, to no avail!

What the heck is wrong with government that they are unable
to follow the example provided by the citizens. Aren't elected
and appointed officials supposed to be the leaders? How come
they're following. Not only are they following behind the citizens,
why are they following the citizens so far very behind?

Bill Vajk

An Important Change (Service Models page 2)

A letter was put out by the County Treasurer recently.

With Iron River Township's submittal of a large amount
of "delinquent taxes" for the recently imposed sewer
availability fee, it seems that the Bill and Gloria Vajk
lawsuit resulting in the county treasurer's recognition
that these charges will probably be challenged in the
courts as well, Iron County will no longer advance
monies that originate in what are now being called
"delinquent specials." This is the first time this writer
has seen the term used in this context and it clearly
demonstrates that the county treasurer, indeed Iron
County, recognizes the differences between the
various underlying mechanisms of "delinquent taxes."



Our lawsuit is still in the federal courts presently awaiting
the appointment of a judicial panel in the 6th Circuit Court
of Appeals. In our federal lawsuit we have claimed that
certain of the charges against a property we own in the
City of Iron River find no authority in state laws that is
required for a municipality to add a specific charge to the
tax rolls as delinquent.

While the excuses given by the county treasurer have some
validity, we believe that the underlying reasoning is the simple
fact that Iron County has finally recognized its responsibility
to citizens in these matters

Our federal lawsuit had two reasons for the complaints
being brought. The first was to force municipalities to
obey the law and to stop being so Unamerican in their
dealing with citizens.

The second was to stop the hemorrhaging of money on a
"something for nothing" basis to undeserving local
governments.

Needless to say, while the "sewer availability fee" has an
actual basis in state law, that law was nullified by the
Headlee Amendment to the Michigan Constitution as well
as a number of state and federal court cases that have held
that water and water related services constitute a contract
between a municipality and a citizen. The Iron River
Township billing is imposed from the top down with no
possibility of avoidance by a property owner.

I lay the blame for this entire series of governmental
intrusions into our pockets on poorly educated elected
officials.

Justice Thomas M. Cooley died in 1898. But before he did,
he wrote not only several crucial opinions in the Michigan
Supreme Court, but he also prepared a set of books on the
law that have been frequently referred to by the US
Supreme Court through to the modern day. All this
information is at the disposal of anyone willing to read it.
In fact a number of his books are available on the
internet for free.

The state statute authorizing the "sewer availability fee"
runs headfirst against issues previously decided by the
courts as illegal, to say nothing of more recent rulings.

If Michigan governments were doing things correctly, the
questions raised by Bill and Gloria Vajk in our lawsuit, and
the current issues occasioned by the "sewer availability
fee" should have been submitted by the Michigan Attorney
General, or the legislature, to the Michigan Supreme Court
for an advisory opinion.

That's what a government that cares about its citizens
should do.

In the end, this can be viewed as yet another "service
model" problem where government cares more about
its own little ticky tacky problems than it concerns itself
with the well being of its citizens.

Bill Vajk

Men Who Cook - Last Call

August 30, 2011

RE: MEN WHO COOK!

SOME TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE!!

IRON COUNTY KINSHIP FUNDRAISER

Saturday, September 10, 2011

5:30 – 8:30 pm

This year’s MEN WHO COOK!! fundraiser will be at

the George Young Recreational Facility the first

Saturday after Labor Day weekend – Saturday,

September 10, 2011, from 5:30 to 8:30 pm.

Please join us! Your ticket to this great event can

be reserved by sending your check for $35 per person

payable to “Kinship of Iron County” to:

Sara Basso

PO Box 63

Iron River MI 49935

Please include your name as you would like it to appear on

your name tag. Rather than sending out printed tickets,

we will have printed name tags at the registration table.

I would also appreciate your address, phone number and

email address.

If you have any questions, please email me at

ironcountymenwhocook@gmail.com or call

906-265-4410 and leave a message. I will return your

call as soon as possible.

Tickets will be made available to the general public the

first week in August – so don’t wait! Send your check

today to reserve your date with MEN WHO COOK!!

Thank you for helping to make Iron County a great place!

Sincerely,

Sara J. Basso

PS – If you are unable to attend this year’s event, please

consider making a contribution to Kinship of Iron County.

The Iron County Service Model

Some time back, in a discussion with a local lifelong
resident of Iron County, she told me that at one
time she had worked at the local J.C. Penny store.

As the “low man on the totem pole” she was the one
who was required to take the odd lunch and keep
the store open while the rest lunched. She said it was
really great because the folks who came in to buy
something during that time had to buy from her.
She sold everything, including some very expensive
items, and that really helped her along.

This very nicely brings us to repeat an old theme of
mine, the service model.

On Friday, August 26, 2011, I visited the County Clerk’s
office in Crystal Falls to gather some more information
about the TIF lawsuit (we have an article or more in
the works) involving several elected officials of Iron
County, Iron County, Caspian and Iron River.

As the time approached noon I was told that the Clerk’s
Office closes at noon for a half-hour lunch. Interestingly
I had run into the same thing several years ago at the
x-ray department of the hospital at Iron River. Both
offices have more than one person involved in running
the office. The Iron County Clerk appears to have four.

So the issue of “what is the mission” of each of these
offices immediately came to mind. What is the function
of the County Clerk’s office? To serve the public.

How does one achieve that if they close during the middle
of the day, the same limited time that is available to
working people to get information, passports, and various
other services the clerk's office furnishes?

Obviously they cannot.

So who are they actually working for, those four ladies
who cannot seem to bear taking separate lunches in
order to be available to serve the public during normal
business hours? They’re already keeping company with
one another all day! They allege to be working for the
public. But such practices present a truly lousy service
model. I’ll go so far as to say “arrogant.”

I ran into a similar situation in the Extension Office a few
years ago. Julie Melchiori was away on business, and the
office help had been prohibited from providing the public
with any information unless it was approved in advance
by Julie.

On my way home I stopped at Snyder’s Drugs. I walked
past a municipal vehicle parked in the fire lane with the
driver sitting in it. I took care of my business. On my
way out, I stopped to find out what town the car hails
from. I was told it comes from Iron River. So I went back
to my car, grabbed a camera, and snapped the picture that
appears in this article.





Then another woman came out of Snyder’s, got into the
municipal vehicle, and the vehicle left.

I had noticed earlier that police cars that visit the Riverside
Plaza (this covers state police, county sheriff’s department,
uniformed prison/jail guards, and city police) invariably park
in designated parking areas. Unlike some parts of the US,
the police here demonstrate a proper respect for the public
they serve.

So then what of this municipal car and its mission? If they
were city employees on a private shopping excursion, why
were they using a car at public expense on time they were
being paid to work on our behalf? If they were on a mission
to buy for the city, why did it require two employees, at
public expense? Why was the shopper of the duo gabbing
with store employees?

Let’s assume, for a moment, that the duo had a perfectly
legitimate set of reasons for being there shopping on company
time. Why, then, did the driver violate MCL 257.64(1)(aa)?

(1) A vehicle shall not be parked, except if necessary to avoid
conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the law or the
directions of a police officer or traffic-control device, in any of
the following places:

(aa) In a place or in a manner that blocks access to a space
clearly designated as a fire lane.

(4) A person who violates this section is responsible for a civil
infraction.

And finally, who is paying for damages this vehicle has
sustained? Did the damage happen during the course of
legitimate business?

These issues represent a cultural climate that has no
justification in the 21st century, especially where
government entities are involved. Indeed, the driver
of the vehicle appeared to be shocked that she was asked
what municipality the vehicle belonged to. It seems that
local governments in this part of the world are not used
to being questioned about anything. (This has been a
recurring theme, by the way.)

Hopefully that’s changing.

Opinion piece by Bill Vajk

Harbingers of Our Future

Last week, our final space shuttle mission returned
to earth. As matters stand we do not have any
launch vehicle system available to carry humans
and cargo into space.

I participated in the space program before the first
of the moon missions at ILC Industries, the designers
and manufacturers of the Apollo space suits. One of
the most interesting aspects of that project was the
fact that the chief designer for all U.S. high altitude
and space suits was a man with little education.
George Durney was “discovered” while he as selling
reupholstery services and curtains for Sears. The
man was the consummate genius with fabrics. This
vividly contrasts with today’s paradigm that in order
to get ahead one must have an advanced education.
A terrific education may make progression into
success easier for some folks, but it is no assurance
of a successful career. The business of learning and
getting good grades on tests improves a completely
different set of skills than one encounters in the
business of earning.

While the usual article we read today covers one or
perhaps two issues, this one, of necessity, does
much more because of the interleaved concepts that
affect our daily lives.

My two hallmark efforts at ILC Industries were:
1) recovery of profit for work done to the tune of
$15 million on which the documentation had been
misplaced, and 2) writing the fist proposal for
modifications to the then existing space suits to
make them appropriate for the lunar mission
requirements.

My copy of the cover page for the draft is displayed.


That was another of the classic hurry-up assignments
of that day. I had a week to complete the proposal, and
I worked 95 hours that week in order to get it done,
along with three secretaries who did all the typing while
I wrote and prepared charts and tables. I was then given
a few days in which to revise the draft to change the
name of the document (it became the Omega
Configuration for the existing space suit) and to reduce
all the estimated numbers by 15%. Since the suits were
fabricated on a cost-plus basis, the actual cost of
building any suit was covered anyway, and ILC’s
profit was negotiated after the fact based primarily
on the approved aspects of the expenditures.

We knew already that the future of the manned
US space effort was going to be the space shuttle,
a project I opposed then, and now in hindsight,
for the same underlying reasons. In order to
demonstrate my reasons for opposing the shuttle
program we temporarily depart from a discussion
of space and briefly go underground.

I used, as my model, the New York City subway
system. I’ve known the story since my youth
since I first rode the NYC subway in 1946. It
was a dilapidated and old system at that time,
but it still functioned well enough. But in looking
on the internet for a web page or more to include
in support of my thesis, I found that modern
NYC politics has done extensive revision of the
underlying facts, to the point that a published
copy of a 1904 brochure is the only place I was
able to find the unabashed and unrevised truth.
You can find that brochure at:

http://www.nycsubway.org/articles/subwaysouvenir.html

In the 1800’s, New York’s city fathers recognized
the need for a public transportation system and,
unlike Iron River’s elected officials, determined
to do something about it.

(From the web page: “Our city-loving Mayor was
still the practical business man and while he
advocated all speed in the pushing forward any
crying public need, he was wise enough to consider
the ways and means by which the public need was
to be supplied.” I've always been of the opinion that
that's the way things are meant to be!)

After a number of attempts, they finally got the
state constitution amended to accommodate the
needed public transportation system. Thy found a
contractor willing to build what became known as
the IRT system, and to run it under franchise for
50 years. “By the terms of the contract, the road
was leased by the city to Mr. McDonald for fifty
years…” Work began in 1898.

By the time I rode on the system in 1946, and
later, the equipment was mostly worn out and
was technology from the year 1900. Of course
the cost of the ride for the entire 50 year
franchise was limited to a nickel, 5 cents.

Consider the reasoning. Working with budget
limitations in mind, the ideal circumstances would
be that in the last minute of the last hour of the
contract, the last train would arrive to its
destination and irreparably break down, all used
up. That didn’t happen because the IRT system
was too large and equipment deterioration isn’t
100% predictable anyway. In 1948, when the
City of New York took over the system, the very
first thing that happened was that the fare was
doubled, to 10 cents. And the City, of necessity,
began to acquire new rolling stock as well as
infrastructure supporting the system. The
important point is that what the City received
from the contractor at that point was a much
deteriorated public transportation system
comprised of old technology.

And the space shuttle system has some parallels.
The last flight was completed using 30 year old
technology. Oh yes, the shuttle is quite impressive,
but the advances made in materials alone over the
past three decades has made the existing spacecraft
significantly obsolete. The weight reduction, using
modern technology and limited use vehicles reduces
the cost per pound for launches of men and products.
Any long term, multiple reuse vehicle is built heavier
than a one or two use vehicle.

My final objection to the shuttle model of manned
space flight has to do with the dearth of technological
advance. If we had continued with limited use vehicles
as we started with, an ongoing effort to make
improvements would have benefited not only the
space program, but also helped to drive our
technologically based economy as well as other
health an social programs. None of such development
was available to the US public once the shuttle design
was frozen.

It used to be that the United States was “the
innovator.” I foresaw our loss of that status when
Japanese manufacturers came out with the first
F 1.9 camera lens. The best that anyone had
achieved up to that point in time was F 2.8. The
improvement in lens technology was huge! And
then we saw our manufacturing moving overseas.
Now a company founded by a most favored son
and inventor, Thomas Edison, is moving to
China. General Electric’s X-Ray unit is moving.

Our economy, and soon to be followed by our
living standards, is collapsing because we’ve
moved from being a nation of innovation and
capitalism into one whose inhabitants believe
social programs are the be-all and end-all rather
than technological and productive progress.

The demise of our manned space program is
merely another in a sequence of harbingers of
the truths that represent our future.

As a final chuckle, I wonder if the history of
mankind in space will be revised as much as NYC
subway history has been.

Bill Vajk

Men Who Cook!

July 26, 2011

IRON COUNTY KINSHIP FUNDRAISER

Saturday, September 10, 2011

5:30 – 8:30 pm

This year’s MEN WHO COOK!! fundraiser will be at the

George Young Recreational Facility the first Saturday

after Labor Day weekend – Saturday, September 10, 2011,

from 5:30 to 8:30 pm.

Please join us! Your ticket to this great event can be

reserved by sending your check for $35 per person

payable to “Kinship of Iron County” to:

Sara Basso

PO Box 63

Iron River MI 49935

Please include your name as you would like it to appear

on your name tag. Rather than sending out printed

tickets, we will have printed name tags at the

registration table. I would also appreciate your address,

phone number and email address.

If you have any questions, please email me at

ironcountymenwhocook@gmail.com

or call 906-265-4410 and leave a message. I will

return your call as soon as possible.

Tickets will be made available to the general public

the first week in August – so don’t wait! Send your

check today to reserve your date with

MEN WHO COOK!!

Thank you for helping to make Iron County a great

place!

Sincerely,

Sara J. Basso

PS – If you are unable to attend this year’s event, please

consider making a contribution to Kinship of Iron County.

Seniors Met In Anticipation of DICSA Action

In an effort to present a unified position, the
site counsels from three (3) Iron County Senior
Citizen sites met Friday, July 22, 2100, at the
Iron River Senior Center. Present were repre-
sentatives of the Iron River, Crystal Falls, and
Alpha Senior Centers.

The meeting was requested by the Iron River
Senior Center, to discuss how to deal with an
effort by the Dickinson Iron Community
Services Agency to reduce the amount of
staffing and financial assistance provided
to the centers. It was the opinion of the
members present that representatives from
each site should attend the special meeting
of DICSA next Friday the 29th of July to ask
if any decisions had been reached about
sharing the reduction in funding among the
three centers.

Given the atmosphere in Washington and
Lansing, the attendees of Friday's meeting felt
that some fair method of allocating the
anticipated reductions in funding should be
agreed to by interested parties. There will be
more coming on this subject as soon as
information is available.

The events precipitating the meeting came
from an anticipated reduction in the number
of days on which meals will be served in Iron
River and Crystal Falls Senior centers and
the shutting down of the Senior Site in Alpha.


This reporter sensed a willingness of the
representatives to present a united front to
the DICSA board of governors next Friday,
July 29, 2011. That meeting is open to the
public and will be held at the Crystal Lake
Senior center in Iron Mountain at 10:00 AM.

Ben Smith

Editor's note: With federal and state budgets
on the decline, and a reduction in Iron
County's population, ongoing cuts to
essential social programs are a reality that
must be faced even though costs for providing
those services continue to increase.

The TIF Lawsuit - The Complaint

I've been sitting on this information for a couple
of days because while this publication intends to
present some appropriate commentary about
this litigation, that is so complex that it will take
a number of articles to adequately cover the
realities of what this litigation means to us.

While I'm working through such information I
thought it best to make the complaint from the
case available to the public. And please bear
in mind that this isn't simply a "complaint," it
is the "second amended complaint." This means
that the case has shifted from what the original
complaints contained.

That being said, you can find the document here:

http://bill-vajk.angelfire.com/tif-complaint.pdf

Bill Vajk

Error Correction in TIF article of July 10, 2011

We published the following sentence:

"When the problem was addressed as prescribed by
statute, it was found that the election committee of
the county had not meant to approve the wording of
the proposal before it was put on the ballot, and, in
fact, had not met for 13 years."

The sentence should have read:

"When the problem was addressed as prescribed by
statute, it was found that the election committee of
the county had not met to approve the wording of
the proposal before it was put on the ballot, and, in
fact, had not met for 13 years. "

Our apologies for any confusion caused by this error.

Bill Vajk

The TIF Lawsuit - Some Spillover

The following article has been submitted by our
Associate Editor Ben Smith. This information
has not been thoroughly researched and is being
published as the opinion of both the Editor and
Associate Editor. More will be published here on
this topic that's been receiving only a minimal
notice of any sort by a local press that's more
intent on making believe that Iron County is a
happy place with no problems and no issues.

Bill Vajk

================================

Iron County taxpayers are in a similar predicament
to Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield,
and Southgate downstate.

The Election Committee is supposed to meet and
approve as "understandable language" the wording
of any proposal before ANY issue can be put on a
ballot. Right now a judge's careless disregard of the
law (no election committee meeting being set)
makes the taxpayers of Iron County possibly subject
to a huge tax burden.

The cities of Iron River and Caspian are suing Iron
County over a misunderstanding about what is
meant by the wording of the "TIF" (Tax Increment
Financing) law proposal which was implemented
by both the cities and the county. Recently a
different interpretation of this wording has emerged.

When the problem was addressed as prescribed by
statute, it was found that the election committee of
the county had not meant to approve the wording of
the proposal before it was put on the ballot, and, in
fact, had not met for 13 years. As a result, there
have been many ballot proposals over the last 13
years on which the wording has not been approved.

All these proposals are now in question as to their
validity.

Whose fault is it when the letter of the law is not
observed? Downstate, in the areas mentioned above,
the judges involved were accused and convicted
of violating the law. The convictions were upheld
by judicial oversight boards, consequently the
taxpayers PAID.

Is Iron County facing a similar fate ?

Ben Smith

The TIF Lawsuit

Michigan’s economic development platform is
based on TIF (Tax Increment Financing,) the
notion that increased taxes paid by businesses
locating in a specific area will be used to pay for
infrastructure and other economic development
incentives needed to assist their location in the
designated area.

A few days ago I went to the Iron County
Courthouse and briefly reviewed the TIF
lawsuit between municipalities and the
County. Some things came to light that are
generally not known by the public at large.

For example, did you know that when someone
is late in paying their property taxes, the County
lends the money to the municipality before that
tax is paid?

What does this mean to Iron River Township where
delinquent water and sewer bills are supposed to
go to property taxes by law? We have the recent
report from the Township Supervisor that the
township has been sitting on late/non-payments!

And of course so long as the township is sitting on
those delinquent payments, they're charging those
poor souls 10% per month late penalty. That 10%
becomes 314% when annualized. If they forwarded
the delinquent amount to the treasurer on schedule
that penalty drops to 1% per month and the township
would have its money.

Why did Iron River Township violate the law?

A few pages from the County's reply to a motion
by the Plaintiff cities is online. They are pages
5-6 and 13-15. If you read them, please don't try
to make sense of the discontinuity between pages
6 and 13 because it won't work.

They're now arguing about the wording of millage
proposals on the ballots, and whether or not those
proposals were valid or not! It is a mess.

The copies from the TIF lawsuit are available
for you to read at:

http://bill-vajk.angelfire.com/TIF-lawsuit.pdf

This lawsuit has not received much play in the
other local news media because it airs some dirty
laundry among the county and some municipalities.
Heaven forbid that those of us who elect the people
involved in this debacle should have any solid
information on which to base our choices on
election day!

As time permits, IronCountyDoings will attempt
to bring you more information on this matter.

Bill Vajk

It's Your Money

Who is the Michigan Municipal League (MML)
working for with your money?

Michigan Statute MCL 247.64(2) used to say:

“A village or city, or a township having a population
of more than 5,000, may, whether or not provided in
its charter, provide by ordinance enacted for the
purpose of controlling and eradicating noxious weeds
in subdivided land that if the owner, agent, or occupant
of subdivided land in a subdivision in which buildings
have been erected on 60% of the lots, or the owner,
agent, or occupant of a lot along an improved street
in common usage, has failed, after 10 days' notice as
provided in this section, to destroy the weeds, for a
depth of 10 rods or the depth of the lot, whichever is
less, then an agent authorized by the governing body
of the township, village, or city may enter upon the
lot and destroy noxious weeds by cutting.”

In 2010, under pressure from the Michigan Municipal
League, that law was changed and now reads:

“A village, city, or township may, whether or not provided
in its charter, provide by ordinance enacted for the purpose
of controlling and eradicating noxious weeds in subdivided
land that if the owner, agent, or occupant of subdivided
land in a subdivision in which buildings have been erected
on 60% of the lots, or the owner, agent, or occupant of a
lot along an improved street in common usage, has failed,
after 10 days' notice as provided in this section, to destroy
the weeds, for a depth of 10 rods or the depth of the lot,
whichever is less, then an agent authorized by the
governing body of the township, village, or city may enter
upon the lot and destroy noxious weeds by cutting.”

Then in MCL 247.63a they do away with the notice requirement.

Is this what the MML means when they say their purpose is to
“make better cities?” It looks more as though they're all for
acquiring more power and control over “free citizens” than
anything else. Little by little the cities impinge on freedoms
we've come to take for granted. They have time, after all,
they've already been around for 110 years. Initially the
purpose was to assist undereducated elected officials.
Any more they're really about power grabs, because nobody
is watching and they've gotten themselves exempt from FOIA.

There will be more on this topic in the months to come.

Bill Vajk

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Field Hearing

On Monday, 20 June 2011, our Congressman Dr. Dan
Benishek and Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle
held a hearing in Iron Mountain related to the
accessibility and quality of healthcare for veterans
residing in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Our reporter Ben Smith attended in his official capacity
as well as because of his personal interests.

Ben delivered a note from me to Dr. Benishek's people
containing information as follows:

------------------------------------------------------

Dear Dr. Benishek:

As much as is possible, please try to get the following
changes passed by the federal government.


1) Remove ethanol from gasoline in order to reduce
food prices and federal subsidies.

2) Change the regulations that mandate more than
one blend of gasoline for the continental US.

3) Change the "cost of living index" (COL) used to
determine Social Security increases to reflect the
realities that seniors living in the US today face.
It appears that the COL presently used eliminates
cost of fuel and food, thus for the past 2 years our
SS payments have effectively declined while the
gross amount has remained constant and Medicare
deductions have increased. That SS is a problem
isn't the fault of the recipients, but of bad planning
by those who have been in charge of administering
the system for the past several decades. It needs
to be made right for everyone.


Thank you for your attention.

Bill Vajk

Publisher of Ironcountydoings.blogspot.com
a publication registered with the Library of Congress

Bill Vajk

One Year Ago

Today marks a full year since we filed the complaint
with the Federal District Court at Marquette, MI.,
against the ordinances and practices of the City of
Iron River, Iron County, and the Michigan Municipal
League.

By an large we have avoided publishing documents as
the case progressed through the District Court and into
the Federal Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit at
Cincinnati, Ohio. There were, before today, two
exceptions. The first was the original complaint which
we published. The second document had to do with the
dirty pool being played by the City of Iron River.

Today, the anniversary date for this litigation, I am
publishing the principal brief in the appeal. To conserve
some space I dropped it to single spacing. You will need
a word processor of some sort to read it properly. The
footnotes are critical to understanding the contents.

The file containing the brief may be found at:

www.angelfire.com/planet/iron-river/shrink-brief.doc

Bill Vajk

Who Knew?

So there's a senior voucher system in place here
in Michigan funded by the Federal Government and
the State of Michigan with some spotty
participation by townships and counties.

Who knew?

I made the acquaintance of Michelle, the owner of
Strong's Restaurant on US 45 in Watersmeet. I
signed up for the senior voucher program and had
tonight's dinner there at the standard reduced price
of $3.75.

Here's their voucher program menu:



I had #7. It was a good feed.

Ordinarily I don't advertize for places of business,
but the senior voucher program is something I'd never
heard about and wouldn't have known about were it not
for the entrepreneurial spirit demonstrated by this
restaurant. The question arises "Why don't any of the
restaurants in Iron County participate?"

I asked Michelle how much paperwork was involved, and
she said it wasn't nothing, but was not extensive or
difficult. I can immediately think of a handful of
restaurants here in Iron County that, given our rapidly
aging population, could do very well with a program
like this, and in my opinion SHOULD be participating.

I can't think of any reason why participation has fallen
to zero in Iron County!

Let's spread the word and start applying pressure on
our local restauranteurs to get this program working
for us in Iron County. I'm thrilled that Strong's
Restaurant is busily doing it and wish the ownership
every success. But an even greater success could be had
if the program had more participants and our local
townships promoted and participated in the program.

Bill Vajk

Northstar (Iron River) Hospital Report

The first quarter Northstar Hospital
report is out.

The Hospital shows a financial
improvement over last year with an
advance to an income from operations
of some $182,000. Huge positive jumps
like bear close scrutiny.

For example, the total operating
expenses have dropped, on a pro
rata basis, some $964,000 compared to
2010. Interest expense has dropped by
some $141,000 pro rated when compared
to 2010.

All the numbers are looking much better
than last year, so something is being
done differently. We are hopeful that
this level of progress can be sustained
indefinitely.

Bill Vajk

Iron County Doings is generally
opposed to most expansion of the
local economy that is at the public
expense primarily to benefit private
individuals. The proposed expansion
of the ICMF is one of those things
that is a positive response to the
growing needs of the community that
is facing a rapidly aging population
and the needs that grow out of our
demographic profile.

Whether you are for or against this
expansion, it is important that you
attend the meeting if you can, and
voice your opinion while you're
there.

Communication from Basso & Basso
follows.

----------------------------------------

Tomorrow, WEDNESDAY JUNE 1, 2011,
there is a critically important
public hearing concerning county
support for the expansion of the
Iron County Medical Care Facility.
The hearing will be held in the
CRYSTAL FALLS County Commissioner
meeting room at 5PM.

The hearing concerns whether the
County will support bonding for
the addition of a wing at the
Iron County Medical Care Facility
(the ICMCF) in order to handle
the increased pressures of
rehabilitation needs of our
citizens.

The ICMCF is a bright light in
our community and we need to
support their efforts. This
hearing is an opportunity to
gain information and/or to
ask questions regarding the
proposed addition to the
facility.

Please attend the hearing if
at all possible.

Ron & Sara Basso

-------------------------------

Bill Vajk

Zebra Mussels

I received the following in an email from
Sara Jane Basso:

=================================
The Iron County Watershed Coalition meeting
will be held on Monday, June 6, at 1:00 p.m.
at the West Iron District Library community
room. Speaker for the meeting will be Dean
Premo on the topic “Zebra Mussels in the
Menominee River Watershed” In fall of 2010,
Zebra Mussels were discovered by a
recreational diver in Keyes Lake (Florence
County, Wisconsin) adding to a growing list of
water bodies in the Menominee River
watershed that zebra mussels have invaded.

Some of these are in Iron County. Dean Premo
of White Water Associates will tell the story of
how the Florence County aquatic invasive
species coordinator, the lake specialist from the
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
(WDNR), private citizens and others responded.

Over the course of a few weeks a proposal was
developed and submitted to the WDNR. Funding
was received in March of 2011. Dr. Premo will
describe the resulting project that ranges in scale
from a single lake to the entire Menominee River
watershed and has research, education, and
management components.

All are welcome to attend the 30 minute
presentation. Feel free to invite any people you
think would be interested in this talk.
==================================

Bill Vajk

Michigan and Passenger Rail Service

Michigan awoke again, realizing the effectiveness
of rail service but only after most of the tracks in
Iron County and the region were removed.

The state has been giving the possibility of rail
expansion a lot of thought.

http://tinyurl.com/3eneef3

A while back there was a conference looking at
the economy for the UP and bordering Wisconsin
counties. The summary report can be found:

http://tinyurl.com/3exqlou

That report, released in September 2009, closes
with:

"Toward that end, many people also noted issues
with transportation infrastructure, noting that
with an improved highway system, passenger
rail service, or mass transit options, they could
more easily seek the missing services elsewhere
while maintaining their place of residence."

This is the consequence of focus group and
questionnaire participation by the general public
in the region. It should be noted that the public
in the US is used to solving its own problems. So
that by the time these sorts of opinions have risen
to the point where they're reported as part of a
study of the sort undertaken by economic
developers and those who are in the front lines,
some harsh realities of circumstance have played
heavily on the respondents.

Now all we have to achieve is to have MDOT and
the people with transportation needs get together
in the same room to hammer out some solutions.

The only naysayers in the crowd are the very same
people who cannot figure out how to get a resting
bench placed along the Apple Blossom Trail in
Iron River. I know of one individual who has been
asking the City of Iron River for such a bench for
years, and still no results!

Heck, a boy scout is doing it for the Caspian end of
that same trail! Perhaps we should get rid of the
naysayers and replace them with boy scouts who
know how to get things done?

Remember, "impossible" is only one of many options.

It appears to me that Iron River has been stuck
with the "impossible" option for far too long.

Bill Vajk

What to do in Iron County!

This time of year IronCountyDoings traditionally
receives searches seeking things to do in Iron
County and Iron River.

Once you're already here, make contact with the
Chamber of Commerce that's got all the information
for the county.

Chamber of Commerce
50 East Genesee St.
Iron River, MI 49935
Fax: (906) 265-5605
(906)265-3822 or info@iron.org

Around town, almost every merchant has
copies of a free tabloid sized newspaper called

Summer Fun

Just pick one up and read it.

And don't forget that making your selected
Iron County destination the central point for
day trips to the surrounding region can
expand your experience, and your pleasant
memories of Iron County!

Bill Vajk

King's "education" as dogcatcher revealed

We now have the documentation that was
provided by the Michigan Department of
Agriculture and Rural Development regarding
the qualifications of Mr. Tom King's alleged
compliance with the state requirements.

As a matter of opinion, we do not believe
the documentation provided to the State by
then undersheriff Brezek to be credible. There
is no certification of any of the records and the
records themselves are incomplete.

Here are some points of contention:

"3. One day spent with prosecuting attorney,
preparing complainants and case writing,
preparing and giving testimony, court protocol,
and public relations. 8 Hours. 23 Aug 02."

There appears to be no letter from the
prosecutor from that time, Joe Sartorelli, who
is no longer able to provide verification of the
alleged event

"4. One clay spent with local authority, discussing
local policies and procedures. 8 Hours. 19 Nov O1."

This lacks identification of the "local authority"
who allegedly provided training. Absence of the
name precludes approval which was unjustifiably
granted by the state. Please see:

http://tinyurl.com/3sog627

"6. Accompany state or federal livestock inspector
for two days and discuss laws and regulations,
inspection of shops, dog pounds, and animal
shelters. 16 Hours. 8-9 Feb 02."

Once again, no identification of the livestock
inspector fails to meet the state's requirements.

"7. One day spent in large city with humane
society shelter, observing entire operation along
with record keeping and method of euthanasia.
8 hours 16 Feb 02."

Here we go again, no documentation as to what
city shelter was involved.

It appears to us that Brezek took the sample that
is published by the state at:

http://tinyurl.com/3oyfe5o

and copied it while interspersing dates and other
"pertinent" information wherever such information
could be made to reach the descriptions.

Apparently Tom King was a jail guard, "Local
Corrections Officer," at the time. The qualifications
for that position changed on April 1, 2004. If Mr.
King qualifies to return to his former position, one
must wonder why such accommodation hasn't
been undertaken by Iron County.

When I originally inquired about filing the FOIA
request for this information with the Iron County
Sheriff's Office, I was advised the the FOIA officer
for the Sheriff's Department was the Iron County
Prosecutor. And Melissa A. Powell was cc'd on the
reply the Mrs. Clisch, the actual FOIA officer for
the county, provided, along with a cc to Tom King.

We also find it very odd that Tom King failed to raise
any issues about his compliance with state law in
being employed as county dogcatcher. until after
his termination from that position. Could that be
because the documentation facially fails to provide
what it claims to do? The legal term used by the
courts to describe such things is "specious."

In any case, the county itself failed to comply with
the state statutes by not formalizing the formal
requirements for that position. And finally, the
state law provides more than adequate regulation
of dogs in the state. We've never discovered any
need for Iron County, Michigan, to regulate animals
and to unnecessarily spend money for a dogcatcher
while state requirements provide this function
adequately.

IronCountyDoings, and therefore its editor, are
satisfied that Iron County possesses no documents
about Mr. King's compliance with the statutes
regulating the position of dogcatcher. The answer
provided by Mrs. Clisch was, in our opinion, sadly
correct.

Bill Vajk

The Dog Catcher Stories continue

We began our investigation regarding Tom King's
qualifications for the office he held, that is, Iron
County's dog catcher. In keeping with Michigan
statutes, we requested two documents in a
FOIA to Iron County:

1) The County's policy regarding physical,
educational, mental, and moral fitness for the
job.

2) Mr. King's qualification based successful
completion of a required course of study
as prescribed by the Michigan Department
of Agriculture.

In an office visit to encourage compliance by
answering the FOIA I noted that Mrs. Clisch,
the FOIA officer for Iron County, had a copy
of the state statute MCL 287.289b as part
of her file on the matter. I had not mentioned
the statute in my request, but someone
(perhaps the prosecuting attorney) was
sharp and had found the basis for my question.

On June 15, 2010, Mrs. Clisch answered the
FOIA request stating that none of the documents
requested exist. We've discussed this before.

A few days ago, a letter was handed to
associate editor Ben Smith, from Steven
L Halstead, program manager for the
Department of Agriculture, dated Sept 24,
2003, stating that based on information
sent to him by J. L. Brezak (then the
Undersheriff) that Tom King "has satisfied
the training requirements" for the position
of dog catcher.

This is not the end of the investigatory trail,
but rather a new beginning. Those results
will be reported here.

We have reason to believe that Iron County's
typical flim-flam was used to "qualify" Mr,
King as a political expedient. So whatever
comes out in this matter will be fairly
reported.

In the meantime, the County, for years,
violated the state statute which says:


287.289b County animal control
officers; employment standards.

Sec. 29b.

(1) The board of county commissioners

shall adopt minimum employment standards

relative to the recruitment, selection and

appointment of animal control officers. The

minimum standards shall include:

(a) Requirements for physical, educational,

mental and moral fitness.

(b) A minimum course of study of not less

than 100 instructional hours as prescribed

by the department of agriculture.

(2) Subdivision (b) shall not apply if the

animal control officer is a police officer or

has served at least 3 years as an animal

control officer.

It is clear that Iron County violated section
1 of the statute. What remains to be discovered
is how they claim that Tom King fulfilled the
educational requirements. If Undersheriff
Brezek claimed that Tom King had been a
police officer because he had been a jail guard
at the Iron County jail, we'll be looking for his
certification as a Michigan Police Officer.

Sometimes digging resolves issues. And
sometimes when you scratch something
it festers. We are eager to resolve this set
of questions and with hold judgment till
all the facts are in


Bill Vajk

more wool over the taxpayers' eyes

A presentation was made on May 10, 2011 by
the Iron County Economic Development
Corporation related to the rail spur in
Hematite Township at the meeting advertised
the week before in the Iron County Reporter.

The rail used by the EDC project sawmill is
worn out and needs to be replaced. This fact
must have been known when the sawmill
was funded using a county underwritten
bond, but kept quiet because the net effect
is the addition of yet another contract
amount to replace rails costing taxpayers
a base investment of $176,850 with the
possibility of significant additional charges
to replace unsuitable fill under the tracks.

How many more secrets are there about
this sawmill project that the EDC promoted
heavily not all that long ago? How much
more is that project going to cost the
taxpayers that we haven't been told about?

It was bad enough that roadway was
replaced at EDC/taxpayer expense, but at
least that was public property. Now the
EDC is involved in the replacement of
privately owned property with the only
available recovery being revolving loan
repayments by two firms using the rail
spur, and those firms "guarantee" a
certain number of railcars moving over
the spur till the loans are repaid. That,
of course, assumes the continuing viability
of the sawmail and Sappi Paper for at
least 5 years after this new project is
funded.

The fact that the rail spur isn't going to
become public property is, in this editor's
opinion, incompetence on the part of our
EDC officials. And the way the current
project is being handled pretty much
precludes extension of the rail spur
down to the Crystal Falls Industrial
Park that would have significantly
improved the growth potential there.

Since the trackage is worn out and must
be replaced, and the Railroad Company
has stated that they do not intend to
continue service on the spur in its present
condition, this means that the entire spur
is ripe for abandonment except for
intervention by the EDC, the County, and
the State of Michigan.

Abandonment means that it is available
at a minimum cost to anyone who is willing
to purchase it. That "anyone" should have
been the County of Iron. Then
improvements to the rail could have been
made by the Michigan Economic
Development Corp. (MEDC) because it
would have meant improvements related to
public property used for economic advantage
of the region, and a future extension to the
Crystal Falls Industrial Park would have been
a likelihood instead of one more page in a wish
book. Not only that, but the Amasa Depot
has had a lot of inquiry as a site for business
that's not going to be available so long as the
rail spur remains in private hands.

The bid for rail work was submitted by
Holubar Construction Co. on November 8,
2010. So the project has been in the works
at least since that time, and the recipient of
the bid was Pine River Lumber Co.

IronCountyDoings editor has been immersed
in another project and has been unable to
pay attention to the business of the EDC, but
it appears at this moment that this project
was more or less kept under wraps, and
trotted out in the May 4th issue of the Iron
County Reporter, approved by the EDC the
following week on May 10, and approved by
the County Board the same day.

Can you say, "pull the wool over the taxpayers'
eyes" and "rushed through" with no chance for
dissemination by the press and the expected
public discussion?

As is to be expected in Iron County, Tinti
Law and GEI engineering have their pieces
of the action.

According to the unapproved minutes from
the EDC meeting of March 10, the following
members of the EDC Board of Directors were
present and responsible for approving the
project:

Leonoff, Archocosky, Yusla, Ferguson,
Syrjanen, King, Lind, and Quayle. Absent
from the meeting were members Anderson,
Alexa, Lesandrini, and J. Melchiori.

Bill Vajk

The Pre-Budget Budget Meeting

The city of Iron River held a special
pre-budget meeting last Wednesday,
May 4, 2011. Various categories and
departments were discussed. It was
announced that a public pre-budget
meeting would be held sometime
later in May to explain the aims of
the budget to the public.

During the public comment segment
of the meeting an Iron River citizen
asked if any consideration had been
given to taking advantage of the New
Government Affordable Health care
Law (Obamacare) to provide the health
coverage for the city employees that are
covered under union contract.

As of now no information has been made
available either to the city nor any
employees.

Later during council comments a
mention was made by several members
of the concern of citizens about
the condition of the street pavements in
the city. It was pointed out by the
administration that most of the road
funding the city receives has
traditionally been used primarily for
winter snow removal which leaves very
little for routine maintenance.

And since revenue sharing is expected
to shrink dramatically not much hope
was expressed about future maintenance
of the streets in the city.

Ben Smith

--------------------------------------------------------

Editor's comments:

The "Ethic of Reciprocity" is also known in
the predominantly Christian west as "The
Golden Rule." A goodly number of
variations in the wording have been around
since at least the Middle Kingdom of Egypt
that began about 2040 BC. However, of
particular interest to today's discussion
is the variation stated by a Jewish Elder,
sometimes referred to a Rabbi named Hillel,
who was a contemporary of Christ. Hillel
taught, "If I am not for myself, then who
will be for me? And if I am only for myself,
then what am I? And if not now, when?"

For this discussion, the last part is critical.

If the City of Iron River has been unable to
maintain the street pavement over the past
few decades, and has no money for it now,
then when?

It appears that no one has taken the
residents' long term needs into
consideration. The City Manager is,
relatively speaking, a short timer, who
will be retiring before any of the city
streets become impassible. The
members of the City Council are elected
for one cycle at a time. The office staff
has no responsibility for infrastructure.

This publication discussed this very issue
quite recently, on April 29th. What good is
money in the bank while infrastructure is
collapsing around us?

The bad part is that it doesn't appear that
the City of Iron River has any plans at all
for making necessary repairs or replacement
of pavement. The powers that are responsible
appear to be turning a blind eye to the
problems.

And unfortunately, some finger pointing
solves the problem for them by saying that
Bill Vajk is just "out to destroy Iron River,
so don't listen to him, there are more
important things to do."

Really?

Bill Vajk

Money In The Bank?

OK, so Iron River has some money in the bank,
and did well on the government audit deciding
whether or not it is in fiscal trouble. The score
of 0 we mentioned a few days ago has Iron River
politicos breaking their arms patting themselves
on the back.

But there's a downside. There almost always
is. Today I'll show an obvious one. Unfortunately
at the moment I don't have the time to do a
deeper investigation to find some of the other
pitfalls that are hovering just below the surface.

If you don't properly maintain your infrastructure
it hardly matters how much money you have in
the bank.

As a citizen, what would you rather have? Lousy
streets and buildings that are left wanting of
repairs for years on end and a nice bank balance,
or would you rather have a government always
on the edge of needing a bailout and good roads?

Here's a photo of the alley behind my property
at 413 Plum Street.



This alley was paved. Since 2005 it has
deteriorated and not been repaired, but
has been covered with gravel instead.

Because it is a hillside, as many streets
and alleys are in Iron River, graveling
over the paves street doesn't work very
well, and the City knows that, but this
is their idea of "good enough for the
residents." Is it good enough for you?

Washington Street on the hilltop is
actually one of the better paved streets
in Iron River, and they're going to tear
it all up to put a median in. Still there
are plenty of flaws, like this one at the
corner of Washington and Diamond, right
in the path of most traffic going around
that corner.


And speaking of Diamond, that street is riddled
with potholes over its entire length!


So these are where people live and drive. What
about the parts that the public who come on
vacation see?

The City of Iron River has a pumping station
next door to the Riverside Mall. The roof
has been in the state shown in the next
picture for years. Literally, for years!!!!



This is the face we show the world. But
you must feel good, because the City has
money in the bank!

Other people have pretty strong horror
stories abut the City, and most readers
will know several unique ones.

City "fathers", fix the city up, and don't
feel so good about having a strong reserve.
None of the other communities do, and all
that "fail" will be bailed out, so why in
the heck are you doing this? I wouldn't
want to guess. Your mission is to serve
the public. It is past time you start doing
that.

Bill Vajk

A Non-negative Economic Look at Iron River

For a change, the news about the City of Iron
River is not bad. Ben Smith, our Associate Editor,
acquired the information that the City has been
found by the Michigan Treasury to be in a
sufficiently sound state that a close watch is not
necessary.

The scale of numbers starts with zero, the best
score, and moves upwards, to depict the level
of alarm that each municipality engenders.

Iron River achieved a zero score. The full table,
as well as a tabulation of several earlier years,
can be found at:

http://tinyurl.com/3fzkq2m

I look forward to the day that the City of Iron
River volunteers the auditor's report as well as
the budget for scrutiny and public comment. If
the City is actually proud of their achievements
perhaps they'll put a copy in the mail to me, they
already have my address. As far as I know, those
are public documents and they should be available
on request. I have to wonder why such records
aren't routinely put up for public view on their
web page. The business of the city is our business,
not the City Council's alone.

The old Russian adage "trust but verify" comes
to mind. Reagan, and others similarly clever,
took that caveat to be a rule of living, as we all
should where governments are concerned.

Bill Vajk

Rearranging The Deck Chairs?

Sarah Palin's recent speech admonishing the
newly elected Republicans in Congress
for "rearranging the deck chairs on a sinking
Titanic" was on target.

This news source generally doesn't comment
on national news unless there's a significant
impact on Iron County, Michigan. This is one
of those occasions.

Standard and Poors has warned the US
Government that we're not matching other
AAA rated sovereigns, and that we have a
negative long term outlook by comparison:

"We have affirmed our 'AAA/A-1+' sovereign
credit ratings on the United States of America."

"...we have revised our outlook on the long
term rating to negative from stable."

http://www.standardandpoors.com/ratings/articles/en/us/?assetID=1245302886884

This is a prelude to loss of the AAA ratings we
presently experience. A change of as little as
1/10th of 1 percent in interest on the 14 trillion
dollars of national debt that we presently owe
increases monthly payments on that debt by
more than most of us can possibly earn in a
lifetime, even considering the sorts of inflation
we've experienced since the 1929 depression.
That small increase in an interest rate comes to
more than 1.5 million dollar increase (not the
payment, just the increase) per month. That's
roughly $14 million a year for each 1/10 of 1%
increase in interest. Who among us thinks for
an instant that the interest will increase by
only 1/10 of 1%?

How does that affect us here in Iron County,
you ask?

This county lives on grants. No more
infrastructure improvements, new police,
township, or county vehicles would be
available! The "deep pockets" that local
governments have come to rely on for
many of our needs on will be empty. More
paved roads will be graveled over.

The difficulty is, of course, that we depend
on political decisions to solve economic
problems that would be best solved by
knowledgeable hard-nosed non-political
economists whose only interest is in
stabilizing the economy.

The time has come for a new question to
be asked of the politicians in Washington.

"Ask not how much you can gift the folks
who vote for you. Ask, instead, what you
can do to improve this nation!"

Redistribution doesn't work!

Bill Vajk

BOC Meeting 4-12- 2011

Iron County Board of Commissioners
Meeting April 12, 2011

Commissioner Camp reported that the Iron
County Health Department had achieved a
99% compliance award by the Michigan
Department of Community Health as the
result of a recent audit. The Board considered
this real achievement and the board was
happy to receive the news

They also received the Equalization
Department Report from Director Mussatto.

In other business Iron County received an
allowed increase of twenty cents per month
in the surcharge on telephone lines in order to
finance the 911 system. The board indicated that
they would like more information regarding a
VOIP (Internet telephone) proposal from Merit
a not for profit agency. The MERIT Network has
been in existence since 1966. Their original
mission was to design and implement a computer
network between public universities in Michigan

Merit is in the process of installing a distribution
system near Forest Park School Campus. It is a
program originally installed through University
of Michigan and through a grant has been
encouraged to spread statewide. This reporter
thinks they are offering to provide VOIP telephone
service to Iron County although it was not spelled
out at the meeting because many of the
commissioners were not familiar with the process.
They requested more information.

In other action the board authorized Prosecuting
Attorney Melissa Powell Weston to defend the
County in Federal Appeals Court in the lawsuit
filed by residents William and Gloria Vajk against
the County, the City of Iron River, and the Michigan
Municipal League.

Ben Smith

Casperson and Huuki

Senator Tom Casperson and Representative
Matt Huuki appeared at townhall style
gathering at "The Station" restaurant in
Iron River, tonight April 9, 2011. They spoke
for approximately two hours to an audience
comprised of local residents.

The audience asked questions ranging from
their positions on the proposal to tax
pensions, to nuclear energy and emergency
financial executives to replace elected office
holders and voiding collectively bargained
contracts.

Both officials said they didn't think the
Item Pricing Bill was designed to create
jobs.

This reporter was not able to ask the follow-
up question,"How many jobs would be lost
due to it's implementation?"

The audience was generally polite and
heard the two officeholders both express
support for nuclear energy and the mining
being done in Marquette County.

The previously unidentified sponsor for
the event was later identified as Eric
Koenig of Iron County.

Ben Smith

Notice

The Notice of Appeal for the federal lawsuit in which
I am suing the City of Iron River, Iron County, and
various officials of both entities, was filed this
afternoon at the Federal District Court in Marquette.

This will move the next phase of the case to a three
judge panel in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals at
Cincinnati, Ohio.

Bill Vajk

Eternal Vigilance?

A letter to the editor was published in the March
30, 2011, edition of the Iron County Reporter. The
letter concerns itself with the streetscape plan
for Washington Street - Lay Avenue that's been
in the works since at least 2006.

Someone finally woke up.

Consider the Cool Cities Blueprint report:

"In addition, serious consideration should be given
to creating a landscaped median down the center
of Washington. Doing so would not only beautify
the area, but would greatly enhance The Hilltop's
pedestrian-orientation."

You can find a copy of this report posted on the
internet at:

http://www.ironriver.org/downloads/forms/Cool%20Cities%20Blueprint.pdf

The Cool Cities Blueprint prepared for the city by
Hyatt Palma in 2006 after several public meetings
at City Hall about the topic cost the taxpayers over
$100,000. In essence the report is a clearinghouse
of a wish list prepared predominantly of items on
the wish lists of some of the "shakers and movers"
in our region. In addition the report plays hardball
in giving kudos to those same shakers and movers.
That sort of thing makes it ever so much easier to
sell the authors next cool cities, or any similar urban
planning project.

The letter to the editor is well founded, but more
than a little late. Streetscape plans have been
created at public expense. This project has been
in the works, one way or another, for some 5
years.

Where has the public outcry against this project
been hiding for the past 5 years?

The following appears on the Jefferson
Memorial:

"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal
hostility against every form of tyranny over
the mind of man."

This is often taken as the basis for our American
creed that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance.
Jefferson was a clever man, and we should be
heeding his advice. It is not enough to take
exception to what the government is doing when
the facts are pushed in our face. In order to
prevent projects like the planned streetscape
at Iron River's Hilltop, the objections should have
been made in 2006 rather than 2011.

The local watchers of government are too few
here in Iron County, Michigan, and the retaliation
taken by our local power brokers has been too
effective. It takes a degree of bravery to stand
up to the onslaught extended by local government
administrations.

Please see:

http://ironcountydoings.blogspot.com/2010/11/non-legal-retribution.html

for an example.

If we have no personal care about the Hilltop we
still have a strong interest in how and where our
money is being spent. Grants from the state or
the federal government still come out of our pockets.

I wonder if the author of the letter to the editor
has been paying attention to other local government
initiatives that run counter to taxpayer interests?

a new airport of Iron County

Windsor Center

Michigan Townships Association model ordinance:
http://ironcountydoings.blogspot.com/2011/03/here-we-go-again.html

City of Iron River authorization of a $23,150,000
municipal bond for Northstar Healthcare (hospital)
improvements with a shrinking population and a
resulting loss of over $2 million for the calendar year
2010. In fact, the last break-even year for the
hospital was 2007.

http://ironcountydoings.blogspot.com/2011/03/northstar-hospital-report-2010q4.html

I'll stop here, the complete list is far more extensive.

The planned Hilltop streetscape is Iron River's
"bridge to nowhere," just like the jutting out
sidewalks on Genesee Street were a very bad
idea not clearly thought through considering
the snow clearing we must do all winter every
winter.

Please take some time to read the Cool Cities
Blueprint report. Please become more involved
in throwing reins on local government whenever
it is appropriate.

Idle hands are the devil's workshop. For variants
please see:

http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/21/messages/17.html

The problem is that our local governments are
designed to be caretakers, not activists. And the
elected politicians haven't gotten that message,
they appear to think that they're supposed to be
activists, and the voters are supposed to follow
their lead.

In reality, the situation is exactly the opposite
of what we are experiencing in Iron County. It
is the taxpaying electorate that's supposed to be
leading.

How about it?

Bill Vajk