Week in Review: Lippincott Agonistes
"The County Commission says we cannot punish criminals, we can’t build a new jail space; it’s too expensive."
Week in Review
County Commissioners, Tuesday, June 25
Judge Not
In lieu of a prayer, Mark Wiley read Matthew 7:1-2, about not judging others. He called it “rather thought-provoking,” and then proceeded without further comment. See our judgment of Wiley’s performance as Commissioner below.
Public Comment
Joe Hendee on the radio millage, which apparently also provides money for public schools—institutions that already receive the majority of your tax money: “The ballot language regarding the 800 MhZ is misleading; it amounts to double-dipping the taxpayers, we already fund the schools with a separate millage.” On the strategy of the pro-radio faction: “The fear-mongering tactics used to promote the necessity of the 800 MhZ system suggests that lives will be lost without it. Totally inappropriate. That is what fear-mongering Democrats do.”
Reports
The commissioners heard reports from:
Susan Smith, Executive Director of the Economic Development Partnership. Triple Diamond Plastics is a new business moving to the County.
Rebecca Burns, from the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency. Burns gave the 2023 annual report for the Community Health Agency. She urged everyone to get vaccinated with all the vaccines.
Homeless Task Force, Law Enforcement, LifeWays
Stephanie Stockford and Josiah Lippincott presented the report of the Homeless Task Force. The Commissioners appear to have met beforehand to form a plan of attack. Each Commissioner tried, pitifully, to play the expert in turn.
The Task Force:
“We are talking about criminalizing crime, not criminalizing homelessness.”
“There are bad actors within the City of Hillsdale and within the County who engage in conduct which contributes mightily to the homelessness crisis . . . especially in relation to sexual trafficking and drug abuse. . . . There are between a half-dozen and a dozen drug dens in Hillsdale City.”
“There are over 500 active warrants in the County. . . . They’re not going to jail. . . . We have a limited amount of jail space. We’re constantly maxed out. And that’s a problem, when crime is a leading cause of this crisis.”1
“One of the primary recommendations of this report is to expand jail space.”
Leininger, smugly fact-checking Lippincott’s assertion that LifeWays has a $130 million budget: “LifeWays’ budget is only $101 million per year.” On jail funding: “Where is this money floating around at?”
Wiley, Chief Defender of Lifeways: “Every bit of that money is allocated to services or to staff.”2 On how LifeWays can’t be judged by a non-expert citizen: “[The money] does come from taxpayers, but it comes from multiple sources, and a lot of it is only captured after services rendered. . . I don’t think you fully understand how that all works.” On the possibility of making meth safe: “There’s even a proposal. . . about safe use, providing clean needles.” On the need for people to take it easy on organizations getting public money: “You can’t just throw accusations or blame at programs or organizations that are trying.”
Lippincott, on the need for elected officials and those receiving public money to be competent: “You know what, trying is not enough. You need to succeed. . . It is easy for me to say that, but it’s true. I had to succeed in my role. I expect the same from my public servants.” On the Commission’s failure to achieve the most basic things: “If we’re saying we can’t do law enforcement because it’s too expensive, that’s something I want to know as a voter. The County Commission says we cannot punish criminals, we can’t build a new jail space, it’s too expensive. It’s time to start combing through the budgets and finding how do we accomplish our primary purpose.”
Ingles, on his experience and training: “The Lifeways issue is very difficult to fathom by looking at an annual report. . . To jump to the conclusions that you’ve presented—there’s a gap. . . What I see here is a preliminary draft; there’s more information to be had.”3
Lanius, saying some words: “As far as I’m concerned, one homeless person is a crisis in the United States.”
Benzing, on pro-life as pro-crime: “As a radically pro-life individual, I would argue that all life has value, and every individual deserves a 2nd, or a 3rd, or a 100th chance at recovery.”
A telling exchange regarding criminals and law enforcement:
Wiley: “Your solution is to throw [criminals] in jail?”
Lippincott: “The criminals need to go to jail, one-hundred percent.”
Wiley: “[Laughing].”
HCR County Commissioner and City Council Grades: 2023-Present
Find below our fact-based grades for the two deliberative bodies that we have covered for the past year.
County Commissioner Grades, 2023-Present
Your County Commissioners have been nothing short of a mess. They openly do not care about the rule of law, and find this lack of law enforcement acceptable, even good, despite its consequences, which we are now witnessing more acutely. With their $3 million in annual property tax revenue (plus another $6 million from the state) they ignore the law and instead install favored programs, hire more employees, finance new buildings for massively rich leftist propaganda corporations, and leverage your money for new radios which you’ve already firmly rejected,4 all while 800 arrest warrants, largely drug-related, float about unserved and your property tax limits are maxed out and bloating on an annual basis. A vote for any of the incumbents and any of their millages is a vote for the regular inflation of the county bureaucracy, a vote for a regime of failing social programs, a vote for self-satisfied board members who find you ignorant and your interests unworthy of their time. See the district map here.
Doug Ingles, District 1, Hillsdale, Hillsdale Township
Grade: C-
Ingles is running on the platform that he is “experienced,” that he has “republican values.” But after observing his words and actions, it is an open question as to whether or not he actually has really experienced anything, despite his years sitting through government meetings. Still, he does appear to have taken away one thing: that nothing is anybody’s fault, and above all, nothing is the Commissioners’ fault. So, it’s true: Ingles is an “experienced” compliance officer, for whom implementing state dictates is the primary job of the elected official. His self-described “republican values,” therefore, begin and end as mere “values.”
Steve Lanius, District 2, Jonesville, Fayette, Scipio, Litchfield, Moscow
Grade: B-
While we appreciate Lanius’ political instincts, he lacks that blend of whatever it takes to stand up to his colleagues on his own, and so achieves very little. Still, he has tried to hold something of a line against their pro-crime, pro-program, pro-state sentiments, which is more than can be said for the others.
Mark Wiley, District 3, Cambria, Reading, Camden, Allen5
Grade: F
Mark “Clean Needles” Wiley has held office for a decade. He openly laughs at the idea of laws being enforced. He muses on the idea of a county-sponsored drug-injection site. (The Drop-In Center?) He becomes infuriated when anybody questions LifeWays, upon whose board he sits. He is either too dim-witted to understand elementary arguments, or is so disingenuous that he pretends not to understand. He disdains the West-centric celebration of Christmas, and loves to comply with the state, appealing to his secret expert knowledge of regulations.
Brad Benzing, District 4, Adams, Woodbridge, Amboy, Ransom, Jefferson
Grade: D+
Much like Ingles, Benzing floats along with the general momentum of things. The momentum of things in Hillsdale County government is fairly dire in our evaluation. While he is less of a sermonizer than others, he does pray to strange gods at public meetings, and he has resigned himself to the status of compliance officer.
Brent Leininger, District 5, Somerset, Wheatland, Pittsford, Wright
Grade: C
Leininger is a budget hawk, but a half-blind hawk with a bad wing and that scrapes a living from the rotting leftover scraps of prey already devoured by Wiley. His attempts to limit spending are pointless, and lead to nothing because they are petty rearguard attempts to hinder already-decided-upon actions. For instance, he panics about spending money to fix broken furnaces in the middle of winter, and yet blinks in the face of tax raises, millage “renewals,” and other county programs that are sapping the life out of Hillsdale County’s families. So taxes continue to increase on his watch in order to fund social programming, and he shrugs.
City Council Grades, 2023-Present
Compared with the Commissioners, City Council is a bastion of competence. This is because the City Council is directed by the City Manager, whose word is sacred for six or seven out of the nine Councilmen.
Before you nod solemnly in agreement or shake your head in disgust, we at the HCR would celebrate the demise of managerial government, but we also believe that the people in these positions are more important than the institutional structure, even if it would be good to get both right. While the City Council is guided by Dave Mackie’s recommendations, which can be characterized as cautious, development-oriented, and managerially coherent—all of which turns on wealth redistribution programs—the County Commissioners also have his managerial attitude, but with none of Mackie’s budgetary savvy. Without further ado:
Mayor Adam Stockford
Grade: B+
Stockford has supported the rule of law and in general voted against crazed spending. He voted for the public camping ordinance, and opposed all special assessments and most tax abatements, the PILOT program excepted. Though he bungled the library situation at first with his ill-advised “first come, first serve” board position policy, he turned things around rather quickly. One could argue that the policy was merely one example of his lack of initiative with respect to the use of mayoral powers, and that would be a fair criticism. However, things could be much worse, as we may see in the near future if he vacates his office for the State House. If he were only a Councilman perhaps this would be an A-.
Tony Vear, Ward 1
Grade: D+
It’s not difficult to grade Vear because he appears to not believe in self-government, or making any decisions at all, instead giving way to expert opinion on every occasion and calling it wisdom. This is known as Vear Deference, becoming a human vessel for the will of the manager. He has voted for: PILOT programs; green energy programs; special assessments; library hysteria; the Mobile Home Park bailout; new carpet in City Hall; new airport construction projects; a brand new car for the city’s tax assessor; and every other opportunity to spend money or take more from the taxpayers. His policies lead invariably to elevated property taxes, and he is fixated on the prospect of rising property values at any cost.
Greg Stuchell, Ward 1
Grade: B-
Stuchell has stood admirably against library hysteria and other contrived drama, and he was prepared to enforce the law in the laughable Hillsdale Mobile Home Park situation. But as of late—and particularly in relation to road projects and the airport—he seems to be afflicted by a desire to make city government subservient to business interests, and votes as such. See the Keefer House, PILOT programs, and NEZ redistributions for a few recent examples.
Cindy Pratt, Ward 2
Grade: D-
Pratt has been a quiet supporter of the library frenzy and many tax abatements.
Will Morrisey, Ward 2
Grade: C+
Morrisey has delivered polished speeches and policy proposals in favor of special assessments, tax favorites, and deference to City Staff. He seems to also not have a particularly strong belief in the equal application of the law. He did, however, ignore the library board teeth-gnashing.
Bruce Sharp, Ward 3
Grade: D+
Sharp has been an obnoxious, sermonizing supporter of P. Swan library activism, all special assessments, airport cash, and most tax breaks. In his favor, he does seem fed up with Corecoyle, and he wanted Hillsdale Mobile Home Park to pay its legally-accrued penalty.
Gary Wolfram, Ward 3
Grade: F
The Jogger has been a spineless supporter of just about every spending project recommended by City Staff. In all issues that he deems “social,” that is, unworthy of his consideration, he infamously makes decisions based upon the number of “concerned” emails he receives, thus rewarding whichever side cries louder—a pitiful attempt to outsource all responsibility. In short, Wolfram refuses to make a stand on anything at all, except on issues that he deems strictly “economic,” in which case he goes for redistribution and programs. Thus, we award him the lowest grade.
Robert Socha, Ward 4
Grade: C
Socha tends to support the various types of programs and abatements offered by the city, including NEZs, PILOTs, the airport, and SADs, prioritizing the rule of development over the rule of law—an odd thing given his tendency to wax poetic about America’s founders, whose words he seems to ultimately hold in lower esteem than he does Mackie’s. When more publicized votes come around—the library board, for instance—he appears to be swayed easily by public pressure, like Wolfram, and so it is difficult to detect any clear pattern or preference beyond the blowing of political winds.
Joshua Paladino, Ward 4
Grade: A
Paladino has given the City Council—before a mere compliance board like the Commissioners—the hope of new life as a deliberative body. Whereas before his tenure, Council last term was a rubber stamp for Mackie’s plans, Paladino has forced conversations about the nature of the City Council and what its aims ought to be and how it ought to deal with requests for special treatment. As a result, his decisions—the Domestic Harmony vote excepted—have been decisions that would lead to lower taxes, less spending, and a government of laws and not services.
External Links
“Joe, you did such a great job! You answered every question, you knew all the facts!” Jill Biden.6
“Justice Jackson’s opinion adds nothing to Justice Kagan’s legal analysis, but she reads my opinion to suggest ‘that States have free rein to nullify federal law’ . . . Anyone who reads my opinion can see that it makes no such suggestion but simply explains what the federal law in question means.” Clarence Thomas.
“IVF relies on treating the embryos it creates, freezes, and often discards as Schrödinger’s persons: we cannot make a moral pronouncement about what they are until we know whether they’re intended for life or death.” Leah Libresco Sargeant.
“Shifting from informal and school-based sports to expensive pay-to-play leagues has landed us in a pretty dysfunctional place, where parenting is unnecessarily complicated, society is unnecessarily inegalitarian, and communities are unnecessarily weak.” Matthew Yglesias.
“Going forward, we will . . . stop sponsoring nonbusiness activities like pride festivals and voting campaigns; eliminate DEI roles and retire our current DEI goals while still ensuring a respectful environment; withdraw our carbon emission goals and focus on our land and water conservation efforts.” Tractor Supply.
“Todayʼs crop insurance, for farmers like myself raising corn, soybeans, and wheat, is generous and safe. It guarantees a profitable yield and revenue. At the same time, that discourages innovation into more specialty crops that could better diversify and benefit our food supply.” Doug Doughty.
“Before 1969, when the then California Republican governor, Ronald Reagan, who had been divorced, approved the country’s first no-fault divorce law . . .” The Guardian.
“They worked heroically throughout the pandemic. The idea that they have to go into the office to please Jeff Zients is absurd.” Jacqueline Simon, policy director for the American Federation of Government Employees, defends the 94% of federal employees who aren’t yet back at the office full-time.
“How does the whole ghastly ‘I’m married to Mary-Lou, we’ve got 12 beautiful kids, live in a really cute Christian college town and I’m ready with my guns to fend off the state, and with my chain saw to further subjugate nature’ thing exactly square with any of the Bible?! . . . They seem just not to understand the transformative if inadequate things that Biden has done to steer us away from utterly amoral neoliberalism.”John Milbank.
“To put a gloss on the Frontier Thesis, the settling of the West helped maintain for our pioneer fathers a commonsense classical and Christian understanding of nature and natural limits alongside the modern optimism of the American project and industrial progress. In their war on the wilderness, the railway men were necessarily cognizant of its wildness. Today, we must find ways to rewild, to recognize the futility of the tower to the heavens we are building, in pursuit of an ever more rationalized total regime, and instead make creation apparent to ourselves and the common man again.” Micah Meadowcroft.
FACT CHECK: As of February, there were approximately 800.
Wiley invited Lippincott to a LifeWays board meeting to discuss their budget further, before promptly uninviting him.
Does Ingles even know what LifeWays does? If he does know, and refuses to say or do anything about it, is that any better?
By ten points. It wasn’t close. But they’re forcing it again, this time backed by propaganda videos.
What’s the deal with these places?