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EWSPAPERS OF
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ICHIGAN
P
AGE
6
December 5, 2013
The next person to complain to
me about their local municipal offi-
cials, I swear, will get a smack right
upside their head.
Hard.
If anyone took the time to look at
the statistics from the local elec-
tions recently, they would see that
about 10 percent of the registered
voters, usually about half the resi-
dents eligible, took time from their
ever-so-busy lives to go vote. Yeah,
that means that about 5 percent of
the population, in some communi-
ties, decided who was going to
manage the community for the rest
of the residents.
This right to vote that we hear so
much about, this American democ-
racy that our national politicians
tell us to take such patriotic pride
in is evidently not too important to
about 95 percent of our population
because they are too lazy, apathetic
or too self-involved to get their
butts out and go vote.
What is wrong with you people?
Really?What?
I do understand if maybe people
are new to the community, haven't
been in the area very long, aren't
familiar with the issues or the per-
sonalities, feel they might skip a
local election until they become a
little more familiar with the issues
and candidates. That, to me any-
how, is a viable argument. If you
don't know who to vote for or how
to vote on an issue, maybe it is bet-
ter to stay home. Maybe. If you real-
ly haven't had time to educate your-
self about the community, the
issues, the candidates, well, OK, as
I said, maybe.
But there are way too many oth-
ers who know they need to help
participate in the governing of
their community by voting and who
just can't seem to find the time in
their busy, busy schedules or lives
to be bothered exercising a privi-
lege people went to war and died
for. They can't be bothered to, oh, I
don't know, read a newspaper
maybe, and find out what the issues
are and who the candidates are.
They are way, way too busy to read
the campaign literature or watch
the candidates' forums on cable.
Look chief, those ballots you
chose to ignore were paid for in
blood. People gave up their lives,
were separated from their families,
from their children for cripes sake,
and all too often from their body
parts, so that you could go to the
polls and decide who the mayor of
your little town would be. Nobody
is asking you to take your life in
your hands or face a sniper's bullet
to get to the
polls and vote.
Nobody has
asked you to
live in a desert full of sand in 120
degree temperatures eating food
you can't name. Nobody has asked
you to hike miles and miles and
miles carrying 40 pounds of gear
wearing boots that leave your feet
looking like they belong on an
autopsy table to get to the polls.
Nope, you only had to get in
your car and drive a few miles,
maybe stand in line for 10 minutes,
talk to some usually sweet, elderly
poll workers and then mark your
ballot.
Howhardwas that, doofus?
Obviously, way too hard for way
toomany of our local residents who
simply can't be bothered to do the
one thing that truly makes us
Americans.
But, I guess it's like my grand-
daddy used to say: “It'smuch easier
to criticize than to act.”
So, all anybody who didn't vote
has to do is even hint at any criti-
cism, disapproval or insult to any of
those elected earlier this month
and I swear, I really will smack
them because I have had it with
their laziness, their arrogance,
their disrespect for our armed
services and their apathy.
I'm taking donations for bail
money, just in case.
Officials in Plymouth and
Canton townships will earn more
money next year than they did last
year, after actions taken-or not
taken-by their respective boards
recently.
In Canton Township, officials
will earn another 1 percent, amod-
est raised based onwhat non-elect-
ed employeeswill receive.
In Plymouth Township, officials
will earn anywhere from an addi-
tional 1.5 percent to 4.5 percent in
each of the next two years. The
part time trustees will gain an
additional 1.5 percent to $11,745,
while Clerk Nancy Conzelman and
Treasurer Ron Edwards will get a
3.5 percent increase, from $94,668
to $101,410 and Supervisor
Richard Reaume's salary will
increase 4.5 percent, from $101,998
to $106,588. Those increases will be
mirrored in 2015, too. The town-
ship board will receive those rais-
es after they failed to reject the
recommendations of the local offi-
cials compensation commission on
a 4-3 vote. (Reaume, Conzelman,
Edwards and Trustee Kay Arnold
voted to accept the increases).
It should be noted that the
Canton officials are still not mak-
ing the salary they did in 2008,
when they voted to reduce their
wages due to the difficult economy.
They also took other wage conces-
sions in the form of unpaid fur-
lough days and the elimination of
longevity pay. It is hard to argue
against their actions-they have not
asked employees to do anything
that they have not also agreed to
do. Plymouth Township officials
have not accepted a salary
increase since 2007.
Still, we don't see the need for
full-time PlymouthTownship elect-
ed officials to get such a large
salary bump this year or next year.
They claim the compensation com-
mission uses other communities to
benchmark salary levels, and we
don't see why the clerk and treas-
urer in Plymouth Township-with
half the size, population base and
smaller work force-should earn
more than officials holding the
same office in Canton Township.
Plymouth Township residents
should be wary of this increase,
and the four-member voting block
that allowed it tohappen.
It also sends the wrong message
to the public. Plymouth Township
claims it cannot fully man a full-
time fire department and there are
suggestions swirling that they will
ask residents for a millage request
to fund a recreation center within
the next few years-rather than
work with their city counterparts
on a proposal for Central Middle
School.
In some sectors, we've seen
signs of an economic recovery.
That doesn't mean our government
should immediately snatch up
what they feel is coming to them.
We think exercising more fiscal
responsibility in Plymouth
Township, like their neighbors in
Canton, would be the better
course of action.
For more than two decades, we have, like the residents of
Romulus, expressed our serious objections and concerns
regarding thehazardouswastewells in that community.
After being closed years ago when state inspectors found
above-ground leakage of carcinogens and neurotoxins, state
and federal agencies have approved permits allowing the
facility to reopen. That could bring more than 20,000 gallons
of liquid toxins into Romulus on a daily basis. Those deadly
materials will be trucked through all the neighboring and
nearby communities or be hauled in train cars on the way to
thiswastewell facility.
While the federal and state regulators have determined
that pumping this liquid death 3,500 or 4,500 hundred feet
into the ground is perfectly safe “by today's standards”, we're
not so sure. In fact, we sincerely doubt that this is safe. Those
toxins have to go somewhere and the claim that they will not
leech into thewater table at some point in time is ludicrous.
This disposal method is reminiscent of the practice of
loading up hazardous waste in metal drums and then dump-
ing the stuff in empty fields. There was never even a thought
that someday, far in the future, a school would be built on top
of that dumping ground and the effects of the poisons in
those barrels affect the health of children simply trying to
learn the alphabet. InWestland, they unknowingly even built
a city park for children on top of one of these fields and spent
more than a year attempting to clean the soil and decontami-
nate the area.
Now, after 20 years and a million dollars in legal fees, it
appears that this facility will once again be open inRomulus,
without any real concern for the future and the potential
threat to the rest of the community, along with the very real
threat toRomulus residents.
One of our strongest objections is the information we
received recently noting that this injection well procedure is
now considered outdated technology for disposal of toxins,
that much safer and cleaner methods are now the industry
standard, even though they aremore expensive.
We applaud Romulus Mayor LeRoy Burcroff, who in one
of his very first official duties, has declared open warfare on
this facility and pledged whatever resources the city has to
fight this operation, just as his predecessor Alan Lambert
did. We think state senators Hoon Yung-Hopgood and
Douglass Geiss' request of the federal prosecutor in the area
to investigate thismatter aremore than appropriate.
Something must be done to stop these wells, but we have
all learned during the decades long battle, that help won't
come from the very environmental agencies charged with
protecting residents fromthis type of threat.
These wells are certainly correctly named. They are,
indeed, hazardous.
These wells are
certainly correctly named.
They are, indeed, hazardous.
”
Waste wells pose serious threat to entire area
Officials’
salaries are
puzzling
I have had it with their laziness,
their arrogance, their disrespect
for our armed services and their apathy.
”
How did that guy ever get elected? You stayed home
Letters
Retiring detective sendsmessage
To the editor;
This is an open letter to the good
people of Inkster.
I have served the citizens of
Inkster since 1995. Now the city has
offered retirements to save money
and I am leaving the police depart-
ment.
I have dedicated my law
enforcement career to protecting
you and doing all I could for the
victims and their families of violent
See
Letters
, page 7