Basic Civics
“We’re just looking to do great things in Hillsdale County.”
County Commissioners, Tuesday, July 14
Public Comment
District Court Judge Megan Stiverson, on the District Court facility: “There are certain Commissioners who I feel like have decided that the judges are just being uncooperative. . . You have the power to put the District Court anywhere you want: Care Drive, a different building, expand the jail, expand the Courthouse. Put me in Camden, put me in Reading: I don’t care—as long as it meets the Court’s needs.”1
Kate Buss (could not decipher the last name), on Dog Supremacy in Hillsdale County: “There was a dog attack with four pit bull-mastiff mixes [attacking] two children and a woman. . . Janel’s face was ripped open. . . we have a dog at-large problem. . . I have called animal control multiple times with no avail. . . Where I’m from, those dogs would have been killed on that day. . . those dogs are back on that property. . . one of them tested positive for rabies: why are they back there???” The dogs, it turns out, were liquidated.2
John Bliss (sp?), father of the woman mauled by the dogs-at-large: “Without medical intervention, my daughter would be dead; the child that she saved would be dead.”
Unknown assailant/Lance Lashaway: “Basic civics, guys.”
Wiley: “Your name, please.”
Assailant: “Apparently nothing works around here. No one can get a hold of the Sheriff’s Department; nobody can get a hold of the Prosecutor. . . We can’t address the issues with dogs around here. . .”
Wiley: “Sir, if you’re not going to state your name then you have no rights to address the board.”
Assailant: “I have all rights to address the board.”
Wiley: “No, sir. Step away from the podium if you’re not going to state your name.”
etc. etc. etc.
The board went into a two subsequent recesses at the end of which Mr. Lashaway was no longer present, having been removed from the premise.
D.: “My name is D. The letter D. I want to talk about the Michigan Constitution.”
D. brought several Michigan Constitutions with her, handing out a copy to each of the Commissioners, along with the ever-looming County Clerk, Abraham Dane. “This is law. Read up,” D. advised the board. Dane, in a bizarre and jerky outburst, took the bait and proceeded to rather ostentatiously throw his copy of the Constitution to the floor, perhaps at or near a trash can. “Yeah, throw it on the floor: that’s exactly what Communists do! Throw it on the floor you Communist!”
ED Presentation
Sally Clark of the Economic Development Partnership—a county-wide NGO that skims money from allegedly tight municipal budgets—presented a report before the Commissioners.
“We build a vibrant community.”
“We did a County-wide housing study. . . we had a great group of people. We had City Managers, Hillsdale Hospital, the College. . . This will guide our future housing and Workforce Development decisions.”
“We continue our partnership with a Senators and our Representatives. . . [Senator] Slotkin’s office, we had them meet up with J[ar]J[ar] Hodshire.”
“We’re just looking to do great things in Hillsdale County.”
“If we want to bring a developer to a particular City, [the study] showed that.”3
District Court Facility Discussion
Some years ago, the Commissioners sold the Courthouse Annex to the embattled Hillsdale Renaissance,4 and the County reportedly has until October of 2028 to leave the building. Given the high likelihood of construction being required for whatever new facility is chosen, the time to resolve the issue may already have passed us by, putting the District Court in a precarious position.
Lil’ Bert Leininger et al. have, however, contended throughout that all three courts could fit into the County Courthouse as it currently exists. We do not pretend to know if this is possible. The experts apparently say it is not.
Ingles: “We had a presentation from Expressive Architecture at our last meeting. What decision can we make regarding relocating District Court?”
Bert: “Without major cuts from multiple departments,5 there’s no way other than with an additional millage levy. . . for us to afford building any kind of addition, or remodeling 25 Care Drive.”
Benzing: “The clock is ticking. We’ve reached the point of no return. . . We have to make a decision; we can’t just simply delay. . . We have to make a decision. . . and deal with the consequences. Because I assure there will be consequences.”
Collins, clueless as to what has been done and what has not been done: “Why wasn’t a plan drawn out for the Courthouse?”
Ingles: “Commissioner Leininger, do you have a motion for today?”
Bert: “I do not, Commissioner. I’ll prepare one for next meeting.”
Ingles: “We’ve known since we sold the annex that this was in front of us. And it’s amazing to me with the plans that have been brought that have not been acted on that we still today, apparently, are not going to act yet. That does not serve our County.”
Collins: “Why wasn’t there a plan when the annex was sold?”
Benzing: “I voted against selling that building, and that’s one of the arguments I made, is that we don’t have a plan. . . And all five of us need to find a solution. . . What is the proposed solution? We’ve heard some of them, and they all need money. . . Here’s a solution, is $2.25 million: we buy it back. That’d be stupid. That’d be tar-and-feather reasons, but that’s probably the cheapest solution we have available to us. And I’m not advocating for it, but what are we going to do?”
Wiley: “Commissioner Leininger has indicated that he’ll bring a motion next week, and we’ll hold him to it.”
Ingles, on Bert’s preference for trying to fit all three courts into the Courthouse: “Without knowing the future, and without knowing what Commissioner Leininger’s motion could entail, I do know what Commissioner Leininger’s position is. And with that position, this Commissioner would be a No. . . If that motion fails, we’re back to where we are here today.”
External Links
“Hillsdale City Council should answer to the VOTERS—not the PhD Boys.” P. Swan.6
“Steve Jarvis jokes he was ‘kidnapped.’ But months later, he knows the better word is probably ‘saved.’” A textbook case of Stockholm Syndrome is on full display as MLIVE runs PR for the embattled Camp Harbor.7
“We seek no direct financial support from the City, and will never do so.” Share the Warmth.
“None of the dogs were registered, and only one had documentation of a rabies vaccination, though the date was unknown.” HDN.
“President and Chief Executive Officer Jeremiah J. Hodshire was featured on the 2026 Rural Hospital and Health System Presidents and CEOs to Know list.” Hillsdale Hospital.
“[T]he applicant is requesting a full exemption from local property taxes for the qualifying solar energy equipment and devices.” Hillsdalian on Big Solar’s bemused mockery of your pitifully-governed County.
We confess ignorance regarding the capacity of the County Courthouse, but we happen to think it might be possible to move Abe Dane’s office elsewhere and the District Court into the main building, which is already outfitted for the task.
Six percent of dogs (the percent with significant pit bull lineage) commit over 60% of violent dog crimes.
The purpose of the Housing Study of course is to morally coerce the City of Hillsdale into compliance with the larger ED Vision of suburban sprawl and chain stores that were fashionable in 2010.
Yes, please!
Remember that time Missy told Council she once forced weed gummies down the gullet of a half-conscious man to sedate him?
Who-ah! Woo-ah! Huzzah--drei cheers for Ze Gutter Press!
Yes, I know, it has not been since my family was run out of their sinecures at the Hofburg by that upstart Corsican that a Von Benderr has lauded ze Gutter Press. You Cowboy-McDonalds boys, you "PhD" students who know little else than ze grunt and scratch, normally I must...hmm, how do you say...harangue, nay, "hog-tie" you for ze scatological attacks on the gelded and ennobled; but today, I am an "enjoyer," yes, as you imbeciles say.
You have taken ze first great leap, you see: you have begun to haltingly grasp ze basics of animal breeding. My pack of 33rd generation Weiner dogs, you know, they break out in ze hives merely from looking upon your filthy mutt population! When I come calling to the court of the von Mackie, I must blindfold my pack of beasts, lest they take ill at the sight of your pitbulls; nay, I must blindfold myself, lest I turn green at the sight of zer monstrous "pitmommies!"
I vill take your message to the Von Mackie; perhaps ze King will have mercy on his most favored courtier, if not upon his filthy subjects...
Regarding the legendary “Man with No Name,” and freshly inspired by the letter “D,” it’s high time we mount an organized, polite resistance to the tedious “state your name” ritual.
I propose that every speaker, when asked at the podium, simply adopt the exact same name. If I may be so bold, I suggest we all go with “Clovis.”
One simple, innocuous word that would send the usual Facebook political activist/news personality/lunatic crowd into orbit for weeks.
(Hi Penny!)
Of course, any consistent name would work — even a string of random letters if we prefer. The point is unity through harmless absurdity.
Naturally, the next escalation will be “show your state-issued ID,” “submit to a polygraph,” or some fresh indignity. We’ll cross that bridge with the same calm, coordinated spirit when we reach it.
Organized, soft resistance — cheerful, consistent, and impossible to paint as threatening — remains one of the most effective paths to reclaiming freedom.
Let’s make the word “Clovis” the new quiet rebellion.