The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Letters to the Editor
PUBLISHED: July 24, 2008
To the Editor: In the summer edition of the Scio Township Community Report, trustee Chuck Ream waxes on that "Scio Township is no longer just 'someplace west of Ann Arbor,' we are a community of nearly 20,000 people. We need to establish more community identity, pride and prosperity..."
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Get over it. Scio Township is just someplace west of Ann Arbor, a mix of suburbia, precious farmland and the commercial strip along Jackson Road.
For a community, I've got my neighborhood, Dexter and Ann Arbor. That's plenty for me, and a lot of other township residents, too. From the summary report of the April 2007 Scio Township Survey of Residents:
The "Sense of community identity" rating does not fare well. Four in 10 say they are neutral on the subject and 12 percent say it is not important.
A "Sense of Community" is a non-issue for most Scio residents. Residents are generally negative towards the idea of developing a Town Center - four in 10 say "No" to the concept, and a quarter say they "Don't Know."
Most residents would not favor increasing property taxes to pay for public facilities that might be included in a Town Center, such as a senior center or a community sports and recreation center.
Still, there is longing to establish a community of Scio Township? For what?! To incorporate the township? To make small, localized government bigger and more layered? To make it easier to tax the residents?
I hope the upcoming election will bring in leadership that will focus on the critical services for township residents and a master plan that reflects the diverse nature of the township. And stop trying to reshape Scio Township into something else.
Peter Logan
Scio Township, someplace west of Ann Arbor
To the Editor: A brawl over buying parkland is the basic issue in the fiercely contested Aug. 5 primary election in Scio Township. One group of candidates wants to buy land for future parks in Scio, the other does not. Most residents of Scio Township (nearly 20,000 people now), would like to see the "new parks" and "recreational opportunities" that 75 percent of us voted for in Proposal J of 2004.
A very well funded slate of candidates is running to take over Scio Township on Aug. 5. This group is a potential disaster. Called the "Team for Scio," they are bent on undoing the Planning and Zoning regulations that have protected Scio for more than 20 years. They also plan to ignore the parks and recreation portion of Scio Township Proposal J of 2004. They are certain that they are smarter than the voters and that they know what voters "really meant" when we passed Proposal J.
The "Preserve Scio" slate of candidates (of which I am a member) has promised that "we will create, before the end of our term, a park in Scio Township adequate to allow Scio residents of all ages to have a place to play team sports, walk, bicycle, and have picnics."
Jim Dries, longtime local Democratic Party hack and "Team for Scio" leader, spoke firmly in opposition to Scio establishing Township parks where sports teams could play. "Proposal J", says Dries, "has nothing to do with parks funded by Scio Township to facilitate league play" (spoken at Scio Township Board Meeting, June 25, 2008).
So, now it is official, "The Team for Scio" slate is against teams, or at least against allowing them a flat piece of ground to play on.
Scio Township Proposal J of 2004 says that the Township of Scio shall "provide new parks," and "recreational opportunities." Dries says that Proposal J was really about "a sustainable environment," but more than 75 percent of Scio Township voters voted for the words that were on the page.
It is difficult to get the candidates of "The Team for Scio" to admit that the genesis of their "team" was their shared negativity toward buying land for large, Township owned parks. I will here provide documentary proof of their effort.
The Scio Land Preservation Commission (LPC), which was chosen by the Township Board in 2005 to implement Proposal J, immediately rebelled against the idea that parkland was an important part of their mission. They passed a motion on March 16, 2006 which asked the Board of Trustees to allow them to basically forget about parks. In their motion they could not bring themselves to mention the word "parks" or even "land."
They proposed that a mere 15 percent of Proposal J funds "be held in reserve for the provision of recreational and other opportunities."
On June 12, 2007 Scott Hedberg, husband of "Team for Scio" clerk candidate Nancy Hedberg, said that Scio should not "pillage the millage" by using Proposal J funds "for active recreation parks" (see Scio Board minutes of that date).
Trustee Ream was on the LPC and was consistently attacked by other members for demanding that the words on the ballot be implemented. One member (a PhD birdwatcher) screamed "Shut up Chuck! Shut Up!" into my face as I tried to repeat the words which were on the Prop. J ballot.
Trustee Ream was booted out of the LPC because he wouldn't ignore the need for parkland for Scio Township.
In the Scio Board minutes of our July 10, 2007 meeting (page 6) you can see that Trustee Ream offered a motion to ensure that at least one quarter of Proposal J funds will be spent on parkland owned by Scio. On the next page you can see that this motion was gutted by Trustee Dries; he got an alternative motion passed which omitted all references to "new parks" or "recreational opportunities."
The stage was set for a final vote on parkland at the June 25, 2008 Board meeting. Trustee Ream again proposed a motion which would mandate the spending of at least a quarter of Prop. J funds on parkland owned by Scio. Trustee Dries tried everything to table or defeat the motion, but the question was called. Only two Board members voted against spending Prop. J funds on parkland for Scio - the two who are on the "Team for Scio" slate. (Dries & Palmer)
Scio citizens love to go to parks that other people pay for - I know I do. However, it is now time for Scio to step up to the plate and get some parkland, while the land is at a good price and we have dedicated dollars from Proposal J sitting in the bank. Scio Township soccer teams and Little League baseball teams are desperate for places to play ball. On June 27, 2007 the Dexter Soccer Club sent a letter to the Scio Township Board explaining that they need playing fields, and offering to pay for the upkeep of such fields.
Washtenaw County is concerned that "many local governments in Washtenaw County are not supplying an adequate amount of parkland for their population. Of greatest concern are townships with growing populations and/or suburban developments that do not have any parks at this time."
They are talking about Scio!
Only one slate of candidates in the Aug 5 Scio election will buy land for major parks, and that is the "Preserve Scio" group, Charlie Nielsen for Supervisor, Mary Shindell for Clerk, Chuck Ream, Deborah Bulley, Leslie Douglas and Josh Warner for Trustee.
Our opponents have as much money as they can spend; the "Preserve Scio" slate speaks for what our citizens want but has much less money. I hope the truth can get out about which candidates stand for buying parkland!
Scio Township needs to have at least one major park. Parks are good for a community.
Our people want parks, but if the "country club Democrats" of "The Team for Scio" can buy this election there will NOT be any new major parks in Scio. It will be a great day when a sports team takes the field to play ball on a Scio Township owned park, and it will be my last day on the Scio Township Board.
Chuck Ream
Scio
To the Editor: On July 14 I had the opportunity to attend Senator Mark Schauer's town hall meeting which was held at Kellogg Community College regarding jobs and the economy.
I must say that I and others were deeply disappointed in that little to no time was spent discussing the economy of Michigan.Instead, we got to hear how the Michigan Jobs Works agency is doing such a great job of eating up the tax payer's money doing little to nothing to put Michigan back to work.
Oh, let's not forget that great program, "NO WORKER LEFT BEHIND", introduced by our governor, Jennifer Granholm. What a joke.What little time that was spent by Senator Schauer on the economy was spent misleading the group regarding the Michigan Fair Tax Proposal. Due to a lack of understanding or by intent, he flat out misinformed the audience regarding the impact the Fair Tax Proposal will have on of Michigan's economy.
How can a candidate running for Congress of the United States of America stand in front of American citizens and try to mislead his constituents into believing that by eliminating taxes hidden in the prices of things we buy ("business" taxes), and by taxing noncitizens, drug dealers and other illegal activities, it would be wrong for Michigan.And don't let the citizens know that the Michigan Fair Tax protects the poor and middle income families far better than Michigan's current tax system.
There is no doubt that companies from all over the USA and the world are watching to see if the Michigan Fair Tax Proposal gets to the ballot and passes, because if it passes they will start heading for Michigan on Nov. 5 2008. Jobs will be created and wages and property values will increase.
NO BUSINESS OR COMPANY PAYS TAXES, ONLY PEOPLE PAY TAXES.
Taxing business is a dishonest way of taxing citizens, as businesses treat taxes like any other business expense and pass the cost on to consumers in prices. Michigan's high taxes cause Michigan made products to be less competitive, causing businesses to leave Michigan or go out of business, and costing us our jobs and retirement plans.
Stop letting Lansing tax spenders steal your hard earned dollars while telling us they are taxing businesses not us citizens.Demand an honest and visible tax system, the Michigan Fair Tax. Demand that it be placed on the November ballot and we the people have an opportunity to decide the future of our State and it's economy.
Go to www.mifairtax.org click on FAIRTAX FACTS and check out PREBATE.
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