Basic HTML Version
A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
4
January 23, 2014
Wild game dinner tomorrow
The CDSFoundationwill host the 21st Annual Wild
Game Dinner from 6 p.m. until midnight tomorrow,
Jan. 24, at LaurelManor inLivonia.
Sportsman and outdoor enthusiast Jim Jabara said
this will be the best event ever. "The chefs have gone
above and beyond in planning an extravaganza includ-
ing tastings of alligator, frog legs, braised rabbit and
venison and those are just the appetizers," said Jabara.
The dinner is a fundraiser to benefit substance
abuse programs and out-of-doors education. Tickets
are $70 and are still available by calling (734) 462-0770.
Chairman of the event, Richard Asztalos said there
will non-stop raffles and entertainment throughout the
evening. Northville homebuilder David Compo will
be the emcee for the related hunting activities and
said there will be raffles of an ATV, shotguns and a
2013LittleCaesars PizzaBowl playerswatch.
Rotarians host Euchre Tournament
The Wayne Rotary Club and the Wayne Westland
Parks and Recreation Department are hosting a
Euchre Tournament beginning with check-in at 6 p.m.
Jan. 25 at the Wayne Community Center. Play will
begin at 7 p.m.
The fee for entry is $20 per player and refresh-
ments and beer will be available and raffles and a 50-
50 drawing are planned. Prizes will be awarded for
the top threehighest point totals.
Pre-registration is available at RJG.Euchre@
Township called 'moocher'
To the editor;
I would like to thank the taxpay-
ers of the United States for the
SAFER Grant to hire back one
third of our fire department here
in Plymouth Township. This has
made us a welfare recipient on
public assistance. While our neigh-
boring municipalities pay their
own way, devious politicians in
Plymouth Township use their wel-
fare assistance to fund our broken
fire department. This allows our
treasurer Ron Edwards and his
trustee cronies to fund new
improvements to their parks, their
money-losing golf course as well as
give annual 4 and 5 percent raises
to themselves and a select few of
their employees.
I would like to also thank our
neighboring communities for
allowing Ron Edwards and his
cronies to mooch off of them by
offering frequent mutual aid to the
fire department so Plymouth
Township can use their ladder
trucks, rescue vehicles and person-
nel.
Why buy the cow if you can get
themilk for free?
RichardSharland
Fifth generationPlymouth
Township resident
The federal grant of more than $1.3 million to Plymouth
Township to fund basic fire and medical safety for residents
received some strong reactions and responses throughout the
area last week.
Officials in neighboring communities were aghast and
shocked that elected officials in Plymouth Township would
prove such poor managers and have so little self-respect that
the municipality would have to resort to the public dole to pro-
vide basic services.
Plymouth Township is now a public welfare recipient, using
federal funds to provide the most basic and necessary services
to taxpayers while officials publicize their intent to pay $1.9mil-
lion for a vast new recreation project, including a year-round
pavilion, an amphitheater and other amenities. This while the
safety of the community is in such serious jeopardy the federal
government felt it necessary to step in and fund a fire depart-
ment to protect residents.
What iswrongwith this picture?
What is wrong includes several of the people sitting in elect-
ed offices in Plymouth Township who spent more than $4,000
for food and liquor at a private party at the taxpayer-funded golf
course and consider it acceptable. If there is documentation to
prove the golf course account was reimbursed by private dona-
tions, as has been claimed, it has not been provided to the
trusteewhohas requested it four times.
Neighboring communities like Canton and Northville town-
ships have elected and hired people who have managed to pro-
vide good governance, excellent public safety services and
recreational and community amenities without resorting to
depending on federal welfare to do it.
That officials in some of these communities resent the
'mooching' by Plymouth Township of their fire department serv-
ices is understandable. While many of these board members
only recently became aware of the dire conditions residents in
Plymouth Township face and the dependence of that communi-
ty on neighboring fire departments through mutual aid, fire
chiefs in the surrounding area have been aware of the usurping
of services for severalmonths.
The situation reached a point where fire chiefs and public
service directors from Livonia, Canton and Northville wrote to
Plymouth Township, warning them that the mutual aid they
continually called forwouldno longer be available in some situ-
ations. That letter came on the heels of the unprofessional and
life-threatening performance of several “on-call” firefighters at
a serious fire in Plymouth Township which threatened to dam-
age expensive equipment and seriously jeopardized the safety
of professional firefighters on the scene.
Those men deserve an acknowledgement of their profes-
sionalism, their dedication to their own communities and their
integrity. They took the only step open to them to attempt to pro-
tect their own departments and the resources of their own com-
munities. Perhaps that kind of courage only comes with facing
down 30-foot raging flames and collapsing buildings, which is
unfortunate because a lot more of that strength of character is
needed inmunicipal offices.
Now that the federal government has stepped in to validate
the claims of Fire Chief Mark Wendel regarding the dilapidat-
ed, outdated and hazardous equipment along with the inade-
quate staffing in the Plymouth Township Fire Department, we
think officials there should be embarrassed that their dirty
laundry has been made public and that they have placed their
community in this situation.
That $1.3million in funding could have gone to a fire depart-
ment where there is a genuine and serious financial need----not
this artificial emergency created by political retribution, poor
management and egocentric incompetence.
Our concern is that the blame for this situation is being
placed on Plymouth Township residents, which is entirely with-
out basis. The residents in this community begged their elected
officials to let them vote to pay for a fire department. Residents
took Plymouth Township officials to court no less than four
times, demanding to be allowed to vote to fund a fire depart-
ment, which they felt they could and would do. The people of
Plymouth Township have only one degree of culpability in this
matter and that is that they elected and continue to elect the
disingenuous and self-involved fool who designed this debacle
and thosewho support his every despoticwhim.
These arrogant and foolish officials refused to place a rea-
sonable measure on the ballot, raising the millage amount to
more than 10 mills----an unheard of bastardization of the will of
the people who only wanted a fire department adequate for the
needs of their community.
But hey, if their 10 mills had been approved, that tax could
have funded a lot more golf club parties, paid for a terrific
amphitheater and provided even healthier raises throughout
townshiphall.
An embarrassment, indeed.
If area residents needed a per-
sonal demonstration of political
demagoguery and ego, they needed
only to attend the meeting of the
Plymouth Township Board of
Trustees last week.
It was at that meeting that
Plymouth Township resident Don
Soenen asked the board members to
join, at no cost, a feasibility study
regarding the proposal for an area
arts and recreation complex. The
Plymouth Arts and Recreation
Complex (PARC) project is proposed
for the site of Central Middle School
on 18 acres of land in downtown
Plymouth. The $26 million plan
includes playing fields, recreational
areas, a community center, an arts
complex and theater and would,
eventually, be funded by a special
millage, if voters approve.
The project has garnered a
tremendous amount of grassroots
support throughout Plymouth and
Plymouth Township, although that
would have been hard to discern at
the meeting when township
Treasurer Ron Edwards aimed his
vitriolic and juvenile comments at
Soenen and other supporters of the
project in the audience.
Edwards actually said at the pub-
lic meeting that he was upset
because he felt his proposal for a
township recreational complex was
“tossed aside” for the PARC project.
The failure of his unrealistic and
unsupportable plan to gain traction
apparently prompted his unprofes-
sional and undignified, but typical,
conduct during themeeting.
Edwards may have some good
points, perhaps the PARC proposal
is not financially viable in the two
communities. Such efforts in neigh-
boring communities have not been
self-sustaining, much less a profit
center, but those have not included a
sports complex, whichmaymake the
difference. We are not criticizing
Edwards' feigned attempts to ensure
the financial health of the communi-
ty he represents. Actually, we would
find that refreshing. After all, this is
the same man who wants to spend
$1.9 million for a recreational com-
plex in the township while demoni-
cally gutting the fire department to a
level even the federal government
founduntenable.
No, what we are criticizing is the
manner in which he rejected the
idea, the way he spoke to the audi-
ence, to Soenen and other trustees
and his complete lack of respect for
others. His temper tantrums and
adolescent conduct have previously
been the subject of evening TV news
reports and arewell documented.
His diatribe against the City of
Plymouth was unconscionable. His
demand that his acolytes approve a
motion forbidding the township to
enter into any agreement with the
city for three years was an overt and
obvious display of his control of his
cabal of votes on the board.
Soenen, and other community
supporters, weren't asking for more
than a survey, a preliminary investi-
gation into the viability of the proj-
ect.
What resulted was this near dec-
laration of war against the city and a
public display of temper that may
have revealed an extremely unflat-
tering, unprofessional and immature
aspect of Edwards' character to a
very large audience of voters.
Edwards' display was so outra-
geous, it even prompted the nearly
unprecedented vote of Township
Supervisor Richard Reaume against
his motion. Evidence, we suspect,
that the apocalypse is near.
Our concern is that the blame for this situation is
being placed on Plymouth Township residents,
which is entirely without basis.
”
The project has garnered a tremendous
amount of grassroots support
throughout Plymouth and Plymouth Township...
”
Federal grant is an embarrassment of riches
Treasurer’s conduct, comments deserve censure
Calendar of events
Letters
See
Calendar,
page 6
Send us your letters
The Associated Newspapers welcomes all letters to the editor.
Letters should be addressed to:
The Editor, Associated Newspapers,
P.O. Box 339 Wayne, MI 48184.
All letters will be considered for publication and may be edited for content, space and length.