Beaver Island Michigan

Pretty naive to think that forcing a merger of two townships without consensus of the Voters is the right thing to do whether itâ??s 1988 or 2018. It will only divide the community. I wish i knew who you were so I could better judge as to whether your opinion is worthwhile. So I have to assume that ...

Voting blindly without knowing all the facts and potential consequences. Isnâ??t the same as Nancy Pelosi saying â??we need to pass this bill so we can see whatâ??s in itâ?￾.?

Great Post Bill. I always thought you were one of the smartest guys I know. Brilliant !

The Reason we did not not consolidate the two townships was as folllows:
1. The savings for having one township , less board members, duplication of Salaries would not be a reality. It may cost more. Attorneys to sort it all out is one reason.
2. Too much power in the hands of a few. No brainer.
3. If you think politics are bad now just wait until St. James and Peaine voters are trying to get on a smaller board to maintain representation. For what they consider is in their best interest.
4. If this merger was successful, it will never be considered anything other than a â??takingâ?￾ of Peaineâ??s property by St. James township for the purpose of expanding their property base. The fallout on that and the hard feelings it will create will never go away.
5. Two heads are better than one. I came to realize that the back and forth ,before any new legislation was finally passed ,was very beneficial in getting it right. Thatâ??s what they do on the State and Federal level. Right?
6. The joint ventures of the two townships (fire stations, airport, yacht dock, roads, transfer station, etc. etc.) are bigger financially than either township alone. So for all practical purposes, we are one township.
7.Peaine township has their traditions and they are proud and rightly so of their accomplishments and their history as a township. Why would we want to take that from our neighbors.
8. Logistically, this is going to be a nightmare to make all the adjustments, tax wise and otherwise that will make this work. The Attorneys get enough of our money , as it is.
9. When Vivian Visher (STâ?? James township Clerk) was alive she helped Peaine with all the book work. When she died Peaine had people to help St. James until we could replace her. The business of taxation and representation is tough work for very little money. Letâ??s not hire very expensive people to do the business we can manage ourselves. Islands are very unforgiving of people that think they can make more out of them than they are. Ask the people of Drummond Island how that worked out with Tom Monaghan. They did not have zoning.
10. Iâ??ll stop at ten but there are many more reasons that we should not consolidate. Itâ??s just not a good idea given the nature of the two townships. Good people in both townships with a system of our own checks and balances. If itâ??s not broke then donâ??t fix it, comes to mind. Beaver Island is not perfect. No place is ,as weâ??ve discovered in Petoskey. We are not professionals and we make mistakes in township business. We do stiff arm the visitors sometimes because we are smarter than they think and we are and we do know a lot about surviving long term in the middle of the Lake. Not saying the stiff arm is right. Weâ??ve seen many come and go and it usually gets dumped back in our lap to close the City dump, build the Library, Health Center, Transfer station, etc. Not without the help of our many seasonal residents and visitors. Wouldnâ??t be here without you. So letâ??s continue to pull the same wagon as far as making this a community that everyone can enjoy. We should get rid of any fake names and agree to disagree. I wrote a college paper on the inevitability of fighting and wars. But thatâ??s a subject for another day.

Hello everyone, This is Ron Wojan. I was very surprised and disappointed to learn that the Voters of Beaver Island will be asked to vote on whether we should have one or two townships. Without enough public input, meetings, and discussion about the facts and whether itâ??s a good idea or not. I woul...