Week in Review
County Commissioners, Tuesday, March 12
Lifeways, cont.
Lifeways CEO Maribeth Leonard delivered her March 2024 report to the Commissioners. She did not mention the focus groups hosted by Lifeways happening in Hillsdale County this year.1
Maribeth’s primary talking point was the need for an expanded facility for Lifeways. She asked the Commissioners if they were open to issuing a bond to fund a new building, and if perhaps they would be open to selling Lifeways the 50 Care Dr. parcel for a new building.
Brad Benzing stated definitively that he was not open to selling any of the County’s property on Care Dr., and that finding a long-term solution for a new jail and a new location for the County courts was a higher priority for him than funding a new Lifeways building.
Doug Ingles: “We have no details, so we can’t make any kind of decision. An addition or a new build are possibilities, but we need more than a generic ‘would you consider?’”
Brent Leininger and Mark Wiley got into an amusing exchange:
Leininger: Why are some of his constituents with private-pay insurance being denied services from Lifeways?
Wiley, the VP of Lifeways’ board of directors, did not want those issues to be discussed in a public meeting. He claimed that some of them were “less than true.”
Leininger: What is the potential exposure to the County if it were to issue a bond to Lifeways for building/renovating?
Again, Wiley: “Exposure is a mute [sic] question, . . . it’s a mute discussion.”
Leininger: Where are the details of a proposed plan? How can the Board of Commissioners signal openness to issuing a bond without any sort of proposed plan?
Wiley: Why would Lifeways put together a proposal if the Board of Commissioners is unwilling to consider it?
As Leininger pointed out near the end of the meeting, Lifeways is not a government organization: it is a private non-profit that is receiving County funding. His comment leads to the question, What if the County did not give that funding?
The Courthouse
Brian Locke updated the Board on progress to the repairs to the courthouse. Dutchman repairs are being done to stones, which means they are being repaired and reused whenever possible, cutting costs.
Roughly $8 million of the authorized $10.5 million for the repairs has been spent.
Locke: “The anchors had deteriorated. The rebar in the bricks had deteriorated. It would have been a candidate for tear down. I bet we replaced 50%, structurally. . . We’re probably here until end of summer, fall.”
Ballot Initiative for Local Control
Commissioner Lanius brought forward a resolution supporting the Citizens for Local Choice Ballot Initiative. From the text of the resolution:
“The Hillsdale County Board of Commissioners supports the longstanding right of local community self-determination as provided by the laws and constitution of the State of Michigan.”
The bill was tabled by a vote of 3-2 because the bill did not focus exclusively on local control over wind and solar but also short-term rentals and gravel mining. Lanius was tasked with limiting the bill to what had previously been discussed: maintaining local control over finding sites for wind and solar.
Dope Money
The County will receive approximately $472k of funding from excise taxes on recreational marijuana from the State of Michigan.
There are 8 licensed marijuana dispensaries in Hillsdale County, all in Camden, Reading, and Jefferson Township. This was all authorized at the local/township level.
There are 737 dispensaries across the State.
Upcoming Events
City Council, Monday, March 18
Neighborhood Enterprise Zone Application from Nicholas Rorick (98)
Mr. Rorick, who appears to be a Fort Wayne dentist, plans to build a $1 million home on a N. Manning St. lot, but wants to do so with a ~60% ($20,000/year—>8,000/year) property tax cut. As such, he is asking the City Council to grant him the “Neighborhood Enterprise Zone” development tax break. Given the City Council’s penchant for flattering those with wealth who promise “development,” it is anyone’s guess how this plays out.2
The Neighborhood Enterprise Zone status originated in Hillsdale in 1992. It “allows property owners to obtain property tax exemptions for improvements to residential housing or new housing construction in urban neighborhoods.” It is a method by which the City Council can choose its favorite citizens and get their properties largely off the tax books.
Some on the Council have proven especially comfortable with such programs. Wolfram and Socha, in particular and despite their theoretical and rhetorical commitments to “free markets” and “limited government,” have on numerous occasions over the past year decided for a larger and more cumbersome local government, a government which cares little about enforcing the laws equally, but rather about targeting favored causes—few of which are compelling—with tax breaks.3 But someone has to pay the bills.
Police Vehicle & Equipment Purchase (105)
The Hillsdale Police Department wants to purchase a $50,000 vehicle, fitted out with another $16,000. They would also like to acquire $16,000 in tasers. Both purchases, they say, were anticipated in the City Council’s Public Safety budget.
Set Public Hearing- Amend Ordinance for Parking Violation Fines
The Council will set a public hearing for the consideration of raising parking violation fees, including handicap parking violation fees.
External Links
“We must not turn to the tempting option of simply loosening our standards and permitting rampant homelessness to continue, as I have seen many larger cities do. Lowering our standards will only further hurt our communities and the individuals who are in need of homes. Instead, we should continue to support our local police departments and their enforcement of the laws that are often violated due to increased homelessness.” Rep. Andrew Fink.
“For at least the past two years (although in reality much longer), the ideologues of American Empire have derided those who oppose them as wrong, immoral, short-sighted, and useful idiots of Vladimir Putin. . . . apparent that this view of foreign policy will be vindicated yet again in its predictions of the Ukraine war’s likely outcome.” Dominick Sansone, writing at The American Mind.
“The new Hillsdale College baseball facility which was designed by S. Allen Design Architecture of Coldwater opens this weekend. The Chargers will host rival Findlay in two doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday, each beginning at 1 p.m.” WTVB.
“Fortresses as pockets of insurgency strongholds, located in strategic places, sufficiently resilient to external attack, and vigilant against infiltration offer not just a Negative World survival strategy, but a springboard to a new world hereafter—a new Positive World. . . . Fortresses, in this model, can and should take on various forms. Places like Moscow, Idaho or Hillsdale, Michigan represent something closer to ‘towns.’” Timon Cline and Clifford Humphrey, writing at American Reformer.
“The debate over a homeschool registry in Michigan is heating up, but the Democrats who run Lansing do not have a cohesive plan on how to proceed. Some say a registry is all that’s sought; others want full-blown regulation.” Michigan Capitol Confidential.4
“Gotion’s federal suit, filed Friday in federal court, alleges a decision by the Green Township board to rescind its approval of the water line is in breach of a development agreement requiring the township to assist the company in ‘obtaining the necessary governmental authorizations’ for the project.” The Detroit News.
“For nine years, Michigan state Sens. Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield) and Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan) have been pushing for legislation to subject the Legislature and governor to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. On Wednesday, their bills made it out of committee and now move to the Senate floor for consideration.” Michigan Advance.
“We need to be doing legal ballot harvesting — something that has never been done by the RNC, but I can promise you will be a huge part of what we’re planning to do.” Lara Trump, RNC co-chair.
“Leaks from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the body which formulates guidance on ‘trans healthcare’, reveal doctors perplexed at how they should explain to an 11-year-old child that drugs will render them infertile.” Janice Turner, writing in The Times.
“This expansion of care has long been a priority for us, and we are working urgently to make sure that eligible unmarried Veterans, Veterans in same-sex marriages, and Veterans who need donors will have access to IVF in every part of the country as soon as possible.” A very principled VA Secretary Denis McDonough.
“The Supreme Court on Friday rejected an emergency appeal from a student group that has been blocked from staging a drag show at a public university in Texas.” Associated Press.
“As more conservatives have flocked to classical education, progressive academics have issued warnings about the movement, characterizing it as a fundamentally Christian project that doesn’t include or reflect the many kids in America who aren’t white, or who have roots outside this country.” Emma Green, writing in the New Yorker.
“One method of accommodation is the ‘who stole feminism’ gambit . . . critics of feminism often disagree about what the good feminism represented, why and when things went sideways, and how to bring back the better brand. But they never disclaim the mantle of feminism: Early feminism, real feminism good; later feminism not good.” Scott Yenor on Phyllis Schlafly’s failures.
“Container shipping demand from China to Mexico increased by a massive 59.7% in January 2024 compared to January 2023. . . . with a sizeable portion of these goods likely being trucked into the US, it gives rise to the possibility that China’s increase in trade with Mexico is being used to circumvent tariffs placed on imports from China to the US as part of the ongoing trade war.” Xeneta.
“My claim is that the new phone-based childhood that took shape roughly 12 years ago is making young people sick and blocking their progress to flourishing in adulthood. We need a dramatic cultural correction, and we need it now.” Jonathan Haidt, writing in The Atlantic.
“The strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people and has the courage of the white flag, and negotiates . . . The word negotiate is a courageous word. When you see that you are defeated, that things are not going well, you have to have the courage to negotiate.” Pope Francis.5
Farewell
Thankfully, if Lifeways receives County funding, they will continue to advance this key component of their Strategic Plan: “LifeWays will ensure it has a strong infrastructure for diversity, equity, and inclusion, in all aspects of organizational responsibility and operations.” For the public’s benefit, Lifeways made sure to keep close track of the Gender Identity of those it served in recent years:
This data is for informational purposes only. . .
We don’t begrudge Mr. Rorick his attempt to privately free himself from high taxes, though we do begrudge him his decision to seek privileged status before the City Council as if the construction of his home is a charitable boon to “the community.”
See this duo’s votes related to: TIFA, the Keefer House, Corecoyle Composites, Hidden Meadows, the airport, road assessments, and Hillsdale Mobile Home Parks, to say nothing of the budget and many other things. Wolfram and Socha, among others, tend to justify their decisions on the grounds that they will “develop” downtown Hillsdale from a blue collar/college town into a hipster’s paradise. Since this vote does not pertain directly to this pet project, however, we hold out hope that they will not fold.
See the comments made by Tom McMillin, a Republican member of the state Board of Education, during the February BOE meeting: “[Dana Nessel] basically said, we want this list so that we can have unwarranted home entry, without a warrant. Warrantless home entry into homeschool.” McMillin is, in part, referring to a December 2023 tweet in which Nessel said, “The homeschooling environment allowed abuse in the Flore home to go unnoticed; implementing monitoring mechanisms is crucial to ensure that all children, including those homeschooled, receive necessary protections.”
Damage control from Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin: “One must never forget context, which in this case is a question that was addressed to the Pope. He, in response, spoke of negotiation and, in particular, the courage to negotiate, which is never a surrender. The Holy See pursues this line and continues to call for a ceasefire—and it should be the aggressors who cease fire first—and then the opening of negotiations. The Holy Father explains that negotiating is not weakness but strength. It is not surrender, but courage.”
Just wanted to point out that the Roricks have lived in Hillsdale for about 4 years. He does own a dental office in Fort Wayne. His wife is the first grade teacher at the Academy and their kids go there. I think they’re both Hillsdale College alumni- I know for sure he is! They currently live in our neighborhood and are great neighbors. (Just wanted to make it clear they do live here; they aren’t just people moving here randomly from Fort Wayne).