Basic HTML Version
A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
7
March 28, 2013
Election to public office does
not excuse rudeness.
Ever.
Last week, we were appalled at
the account of one of our staff
members of the treatment he
received from newly-elected
Plymouth Township Clerk Nancy
Conzelman. We understand that
the job of municipal clerk in any
community is a tough one. It really
is. We are usually the first to agree
that nobody ever gives these peo-
ple the credit they deserve for the
workload they carry and the
responsibility thrust upon them.
We also believe that most of them
have no concept of the seriousness
or importance of their job until
they have been in office through at
least one election.
But that does not excuse rude-
ness, particularly not as perform-
ance art.
Our staff member was attempt-
ing to obtain information regarding
the response times of the fire
department to the blaze at an
apartment complex last week. He
had turned in the written request
as instructed, and was sent by the
fire chief to the clerk's office,
where Conzelman took the time to
“educate” him about the proper
submission of Freedom of
Information Act requests. She was,
by her own admission, sarcastic
and took a scathing tone in her
explanation of the procedures,
telling our staff member to “Read
my lips” and that she did not “look
like the police department.”
All uncalled for, in our opinion,
but Conzelman, now solidly
aligned with several officials
whose mistakes we have made
public, wanted tomake it clear that
her conduct was biased, because,
“you're not nice tous.”
Being nice to her, or those in the
township who have bungled a
property purchase to the tune of
$600,000, can't get a $2 million
water tower to work and who have
threatened the very lives of resi-
dents by gutting the fire depart-
ment out of political revenge is not
our job. See, we can be sarcastic,
too.
Our job is to report conduct like
that listed above. Our job is to look
over the shoulder of elected offi-
cials and report on their actions.
Our job is to provide our readers
with information about dangerous
fire staffing levels, the mis-
spending of tax funds and the con-
duct of public officials. It is not our
job to be “nice” although we
almost always try to be nice while
doing our job.
Conzelman is, perhaps, follow-
ing the example of Township
Treasurer Ron Edwards who has
repeatedly been the subject of
Well butter my buns and call me
a biscuit, but I was as surprised as
the members of the Plymouth
Township Board of Trustees
recently.
During the regular meeting of
that esteemed body, one of their
own members, Chuck Curmi, had
the audacity to question his fellow
trustees, Supervisor Richard
Reaume and Treasurer Ron
Edwards about a story we printed
regarding the efforts of the City of
Detroit to take back property that
was erroneously sold to the town-
ship last September.
The supervisor could only shrug
his shoulders when asked about
the situation and the treasurer
claimed that no one from Detroit
ever contacted them. Strange, I
thought, since we have been warn-
ing them for months that this was
about to happen. Their response
was to question the accuracy of the
story, or anyway, that's how I inter-
preted it. (OK, so I am wicked sen-
sitive about these guys, so maybe
that's not what they meant, but I'm
still annoyed.)
The implication, to me, was that
the story was inaccurate which is
pure bovine residue. They claimed
they hadn't seen any such affidavit,
whichwas also strange since I have
a copy of it, as did every other news
outlet. I still have my copy filed by
Timothy Beckett, the attorney for
the City of Detroit, if any of these
geniuses wants to see it. They'd
probably have to find an attorney
familiar with land transfer proce-
dures to read it to them and then
explain it…I know I did…but it's
pretty clear, even tome.
The Plymouth Township
Assessor's Office, directed by
Reaume who gave a 20-minute
power-point presentation about
the efficiency of that same office
just prior to this revelation, which,
I admit, made me laugh, is respon-
sible, it would appear, for this prop-
erty transfer fiasco. The township
borrowed about $600,000 from the
Bank of Ann Arbor to buy 323 acres
of land at aWayneCountyTaxSale.
Now that's what I would call a
sweet deal because this land was
on the tax rolls at one time for a
true cash value of about $16 mil-
lion. Sounds like a real bargain to
me.
The only problem with this too-
good-to-be-true deal is that it WAS
too good to be true.
The fact was
that the town-
ship assessor's
office (Hello, Mr. Reaume) never
properly recorded the name of the
owner of one section of that land.
So, based on that incorrect infor-
mation provided by Plymouth
Township, Wayne County went
ahead and sold them the land for
back taxes. Detroit isn't too happy
about that, but then, who would
be? They never got a bill and never
knew they owed the taxes. Beckett
has now recorded the affidavit
with the Registrar of Deeds and is
working to reclaim Detroit's prop-
erty.
Our newspaper has been report-
ing on this whole fiasco for literally
months, since Detroit first decided
that maybe the township shouldn't
have failed to record the proper
owner of the land and then jump
on the chance to “buy” it from the
county when the taxes weren't
paid. Seemed a little strange to me
that this was all such a huge sur-
prise to everyone but Curmi, who
apparently, is the only member of
the boardwho can read.
It doesn't take much of a con-
spiracy theorist to smell something
really rotten at the basis of this
deal, whether its incompetence or
malfeasance, or maybe a little of
each, is difficult to discern.
Now, rather than the 323 acres
the township borrowed more than
half a million dollars to buy, they
have 133 acres, 77 of which are in a
floodplain or are declaredwetland.
State law says Detroit can also sue
Last month, a national sorority chose four area women to
honor for their contributions to their communities.
We think their choice of DeArtriss Coleman-Richardson as
Community Activist of the Year was an excellent one by the
members of Zeta Nu Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta sorority
and thehonor long overdue.
We certainly so not discount the other winners who were
also deserving of the honors awarded by the national group,
but Richardson is a very special person, one the entire com-
munity shouldbe grateful for and treasure.
We strongly believe that is people like Dee Richardson
who are most responsible for change in their communities.
She doesn't simply talk about problems in her neighborhood
or her community, she attempts to find the most efficient and
effective way of making change and then takes that path. Her
service on the Board of Education of the Inkster Public
Schools is one example of her attempts to make her commu-
nity a better place and to help educate the next generation of
citizens about their own cultural history and the opportuni-
ties available to them.
Richardson spearheaded a trip for high school students to
teach them about what the freedoms they enjoy cost Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Many of these young people, believe
it or not, had no idea of the torment and battles Dr. King and
somany others fought to ensure the liberties that are enjoyed
today.
Most of these students had no idea that Dr. King had been
set upon by dogs, beaten, and humiliated. They had no con-
cept that thewar for equal rightswas, in fact, a real war.
It was Richardson, too, who brought the engineers from
NASA into the Inkster Public Schools to talk to the elemen-
tary grades about the real opportunities that exist for them, if
they take their education seriously. She brought a nuclear
physicist, a graduate of Inkster High School, to show these
young people that they could get the education they need to
soar to great heights right in their home town.
Richardson served on the Inkster City Council, too, where
she fought long and hard for issues she was convinced would
help her neighbors and her fellow citizens. She fought for so
many things andwas never afraid to speak up about what she
knew to be the right thing.
All of this was done with her almost unshakable good
cheer and smile. She might fight for her principles, but she
always did so with respect for others' opinions and point of
view. Even when they were wrong or misinformed, as often
happened, she remained polite, professional and person-
able.
She and her husband, James L. Richardson, both served
on the Inkster City Council and the Inkster Board of
Education, working together to attempt to improve their com-
munity the best way they knewhow.
She has left the city council and the school board, now,
and the loss of her voice of reason and independent spirit is
glaringly obvious onboth those electedbodies.
Richardson's list of accomplishments and works through
the schools and the community are too long to list. Her chari-
table work for children and for the underprivileged are an
example of what a truly pureheart can accomplish.
Richardson, we believe, is a very special person whose
accomplishments and good deeds are more than worthy of
the highest honors. We also believe that there are many,
many more people like her in our communities, people who
work tirelessly to help others, who try to right wrongs and
provide needed leadership in communities where it is need-
ed.
We congratulate Richardson on her award which is so
well-deserved and truly earned. She is a beacon of true com-
munity spirit and service and the impact of her involvement
and efforts will resonate and echo with the hundreds of
young lives she touched and continues to affect.
Wehope otherswill followher example.
Richardson spearheaded a trip for high school
students to teach them about what the freedoms
they enjoy cost Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
”
An honor well deserved and long overdue
Civility is
not optional
The township borrowed
about $600,000 from the
Bank of Ann Arbor to buy 323 acres
of land at a Wayne County Tax Sale.
”
Now, I’m really starting to get annoyed
See
Annoyed,
page 7
See
Rude,
page 7