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October 2008 Postings 10-31-2008-02
After all the strife in town with
local politics, I really wanted to be an informed voter this
time around. Mr. Corombos and Mr. Alessandrini have been very
open with their positions on city issues. I am impressed with
the depth of their knowledge. I don't completely agree with
everything they say, but I at least know where they stand.
Besides, I think they'll also listen to an opposing viewpoint
before making decisions, too. That's important. Also very
important to me is that everyone knows they helped to expose and
flush out the corruption of the past four years.
Mr. Walters says he knows nothing.
About everything. Well, at least he's been open and honest, two
of my favorite qualities. I am a bit cynical on the claims that
he has no agenda, or no preformed opinions. I just don't buy
that. I can't vote for someone who has no idea what he's getting
into.
I have not heard diddlysquat from
Mr. Benbow or Mr. Hartwell. They could be the two best
candidates out there, but if they are, it's the best kept secret
in town. Sorry, you guys, but I'm not a gambler.
I wish to extend my best wishes to
Ted Corombos and Dale Alessandrini on Tuesday. You are known
quantities to me. I wish I could vote for both of you, but I'll
have to settle for one.
10-31-2008-01 What a great job Ted Corombos did in
his letter to the editor responding to Virginia Feleppa. 10-30-2008-04 Sorry, but those who respect our natural resources are serious. There are avenues being explored for this purpose, just as there are for the proposed changes at the City Park. The government of the City of Iron Mountain decided to direct run off water into Crystal Lake in the 1950’s. Mistake number one! Times passed and in the 1990’s the City government decided to redirect more run off into Crystal Lake. Mistake number two? No, it was ignorance. The fact that they said that there would be a filtration system at the entrance of this new run off site tells me that they were well aware that they were adding more deadly pollution to this body of water. What happened next was the flooding of resident’s yards and basements. Complaints were filed and so what did they do, but construct a large drain field in the park. Quick fix, but not well thought out. Go see for yourself.
You mentioned that the residents that live around the lake should be assessed a special tax to pay for any improvements. Maybe you are correct in your comment but then again any time the city does something in a neighborhood in the area of improvements, those residents should also be assessed a special tax. Do you agree with that? Remember, it wasn’t the residents of the said properties that created the problem.
Speaking of residents, it was the residents of the Crystal Lake neighborhood that spearheaded the improvements to the park that many now enjoy. To my knowledge the city acquired and placed the playground equipment but it was the people of the neighborhood that did the rest. Through grants and donations this park was changed from a dangerous eye sore to a beautiful park that many enjoy. We planted flowers, planted trees in memory of loved ones, placed a drinking fountain, built pavilions, the church youth group built and painted benches and the beautiful tree that is lit for Christmas was placed there in memory of Bill Bertoldi by his wife who lives in Kingsford. The stewards behind this park are Terry and Betty Kennedy. Without them and the other residents this would not be the park that it is today.
( I'm sorry but when someone says they "have no agenda" but who also lives "across the street" from Crystal Lake and then laments that it will be expensive to fix is not viewed by me without a grain of doubt .) Your words, cut and pasted, and they make no sense to me.
I will repeat, I HAVE NO AGENDA. What I do have is a desire to see this problem rectified. I realize that it is not going to happen overnight and maybe not in my time, but there are goals to be reached and steps to be built to get there.
Mary Couper 10-30-2008-03 TO-10-30-2008-1 YES THAT WAS HIS REASON, BECAUSE HE WAS CALLED BY A POLICE OFFICE BEFORE THE MEETING 10-30-2008-02
That's quite the character
assassination going on in the Daily News, re: Virginia Feleppa's
letter attacking Ted Corombos and the comments following it. I
remember when Rosen, Peterson, Farragh, Alessandrini, and
Toedter ran their campaign. They exposed a lot of dirty dealing
and lies. The difference between what they did and what is
happening now is huge. The new members had documents to back up
every single thing they said, while, so far, Feleppa's
statements are nothing but hollow accusations with no
documentation. I hope you know what you are doing, lady, and I
use the term loosely.
On another story in the paper, I am
outraged and dismayed to find out that our police officers are
so sneaky and underhanded. And greedy. It's shameful. And we
would not know about it if Dan Burke hadn't accidently spilled
the beans. It makes me wonder if the police have some kind of
leverage against him, to vote like that after it was pointed out
to him that the labor attorney had the contract for an entire
MONTH before it came back for approval by the council. Now we
know who's really holding up progress in this city. Thank you.
10-30-2008-01
I read the news story last night
about the fire contract. Does anyone know if Dan Burke really
said he was voting no on the firemen's contract because a police
officer called and threatened litigation? That's rich. The cops
underhandedly bargained to do the firemen's work, the firemen
won a lawsuit against the city for it, then let it happen anyway
on a trial basis, and now the cops are threatening to sue the
city if the firemen are permitted to do their own jobs? No
wonder the firemen are so frustrated.
Reading more, I wonder if Burke
realized that his strange reasoning for voting no may cause REAL
litigation against the city again, and maybe even against the
police officers themselves this time? They directly interfered
with contract negotiations that had nothing to do with them. I
think that's a no-no. And their buddy Burke ratted them out. I
thought the underhanded, behind-the-back dealings were done with
in this city. Apparently not.
10-29-2008-03 Is Virginia Feleppa losing it
totally? And is The Daily News too dumb to pick up on it. I'm
refering to her letter to the editor taking a very cheap shot at Ted
Corombos. 10-29-2008-02
To 10-28-2008-02
Actually, I think, Harlan Walters'
NEPHEW is a retired fireman.....
I will admit, being uninformed is
not necessarily a good thing, but being wrongly informed is
worse. So you see, let the candidates look at the REAL facts for
themselves, not what is fed to them by their political mentors
or "supporters" or through the eyes of ancient policies and
mistakes, the eyes of no forethought and eyes that are living in
the past (not the recent past so don't even go there). This is a
new century and a new economical era. Things are not what they
were 20 years ago when the state funded cities with shared
revenue...
I can't wait until this election is
over...no matter how it turns out because I am tired of
constantly wading through the stream of B.S. from ALL sides from
the national level on down to our poor little community. It has
been the ugliest in decades.
10-29-2008-01
Re: 10-27-08-01
Being totally uninformed is
radically different than not having formed opinions set in
cement. To have an opinion or understanding, one must first
have awareness and knowledge, something Mr. Walters admitted he
did not have. He did not say he hadn't formed his opinions, he
said he didn't know anything about the budget, TIFA, or the
issues with the fire department. These topics along with many
others have long been discussed in The Daily News
to the degree that any concerned citizen, much less a candidate
for the office, should at least be able to address the issue in
some way. He spent most of his allotted time on the
budget talking about oatmeal. What you call rhetoric from Mr.
Alessandrini and Mr. Corombos is knowledge shared from years of
research, experience, and involvement to provide wisdom
and what's best for all the citizens of Iron Mountain.
10-27-2008-02
Response to 10-27-2008-01:
You're kidding, right?
We need someone who, according to his own words, hasn't exerted the effort to educate himself on the important issues he would have to deal with if elected? With no stated position on so many controversial issues, no voter can honestly vote for him, unless maybe they were family . . . say, isn't his niece married to a city cop or something?
Moving on, didn't he get up at a few
council meetings last year and voice his very strong and angry
opinion on a few issues? Has he suddenly forgot that he very
strongly held the same opinion that got three members voted out
and two others recalled?
If you're gullible enough to believe
Harlan doesn't have pre-formed opinions on city matters, he has
some swamp land to sell to you. No, it's almost too funny,
but he really does. And I'm sure you'll say itsʼ location is
just a coincidence, too, eh?
Hmmmph. 10-27-2008-01
At first look, Harlan Walters seems
ill prepared to face the chellenges of Iron Mountain City
Council. As you look beyond the rhetoric that was spoken by Dale
Allesandrini and Corombus, you get the thought that actually,
Harlan Walters is EXACTLY what we need. He has not formed his
opinions based on what is printed in the media..all media, this
site, The Truth, the Newspaper etc. He merely is saying that he
needs to see WHAT the real data is, not others opinions of the
data or interpretations. He will look at the information, as
only someone sitting on the council can trully do, then form the
best course of action. He has no prior conclusions on what is
the best route because obviously, he hasn't seen accurate
information, despite what some say is accurate.He wants to see
it withhisown eyes, not through others.
So you see, Harlan Walters is
exactly what this council needs..he is independant of both sides
and honest enough to say that he doesn't know the best course
until he has seen THE FACTS. Its actually quite refreshing.
10-26-2008-01 I am a Breitung Township resident who
has watched Iron Mountain politics closely for years. You can take
my opinion or leave it. I attended the AAUW Forum to listen to all
the speakers, and that included the candidates for the Iron Mountain
city council. 10-25-2008-02
One would hope that no one is
seriously giving any thought to spending millions to fix Crystal
Lake. This country and this area have enough problems to fix and
very limited resources. I would support a special tax be
assessed to the property owners around Crystal Lake to pay for
any improvements. What? Don't like that idea? What do you mean
not fair? It is fair....... The City is struggling with issues
involving essential services and other financial issues that are
long term and costly. Lets set the priorities where they should
be. If repairing Crystal Lake is not in our near term future we
really shouldn't be wasting time talking about it. Nor any other
issues of minor significance for that matter. Not until
sufficient energy has been expended fixing critical issues.
There are plenty of lakes in Dickinson County for Iron Mountain
residents to enjoy. I'm sorry but when someone says they "have
no agenda" but who also lives "across the street" from Crystal
Lake and then laments that it will be expensive to fix is not
viewed by me without a grain of doubt. We have recently heard
from another who lives right on Crystal Lake who all but swooned
when talking about Crystal Lake and spending millions to fix
it.......Haven't heard much from her lately though.
Anonymous
10-25-2008-01
Although several citizens cared
enough to take the time to become informed on the candidates and
issues at the forum on Thursday night, more should have been in
attendance. Although I was pretty certain how I planned to vote
in the various races, some decisions were solidified and at
least one was determined by the candidates' presentations.
I have to admit that one of the
"dedicated candidates" mentioned by the previous poster was not
served well by Mr. Walters. He had to admit that he couldn't
speak to questions regarding the fire department issue, TIFA, or
the city's budget crisis because he didn't know. With only a
week and a half away before the election and these issues being
well publicized for the last two to four years, it seems to me
that a dedicated person would have familiarized himself with the
particulars before deciding to become a candidate. And if not
then, certainly at least he should have started on an intensive
learning program since submitting his petition in August to be
placed on this ballot. A promise to become knowledgeable if he
gets elected is not acceptable. We all continue to learn
throughout life, but he needs to be pretty well prepared to hit
the ground running and not have to go through on-the-job
training. The issues are too important, the needs too
critical, and the stakes too high.
10-24-2008-01
To the voting public:
PLEASE PLEASE do not elect anyone
that feels we have done enough for our existing businesses and
should only look at helping new businesses. This belief can only
lead to loss of what precious jobs we do have and forgets
what our existing companies have done for our community and its
continued survival.
10-23-2008-01 Tonight, Thursday, October 23 is the
Forum at the Kingsford High School Auditorium. 10-22-2008-02 Pardon my ignorance. I was unaware of Mr. Hartwell's candidacy, and made another mistake when typing in the ward for Mr. Walters. Thank you for correcting me. Yes, Mr. Corombus and Mr. Alessandrini are running for city council but I assumed that that was who was being referred to in the posts previous to mine. Mr. Corombus has shown his dedication among other qualities and Mr. Alessandrini, well, I had a business dealing with him that did not turn out well and I am paying for it to this day. Evidently, the individual who posted prior to mine was unaware of Mr. Hartwell also. I have no agenda. I only wish that in 1980, when I returned to Iron Mountain, that I had attended more council meetings. I live across the street from Crystal Lake and every day that I walk outside I see a beautiful body of water, a natural creation of a higher power die more and more, because the government of Iron Mountain felt that it was better used as a holding pond. The so called filtration system that, as neighbors, we were told was going to be installed off of "F" street, turned out to be a screen to catch leaves and twigs. It turned out that the council of the 1990's, not to mention the 1950's, saw no value in the lake. Now it is going to cost millions of dollars to rectify this problem. Who was serving as steward to this natural resource? Who was serving on the city council when this decision was made? To 10/21/08-01 : It is really none of your business with whom I associate and I have no intentions of getting rid of the duly elected council members. In fact, I am very impressed with Dave Farragh and his open mind. He is doing a lot of outside work obtaining information for the council to use in making their decisions. These members were chosen by the people of this community and they will serve. Who knows what drives people to run for the city council. Some may have a real interest in what is best for the city and others may have their own personal agenda. Oh, and by the way, why don’t you sign your name? Mary Couper 10-22-2008-01
Re: 10-20-08-01
The previous poster had just said
there were a couple of dedicated people (no names were listed as
I recall) running for the city council on November 4th. Why did
you say there were four dedicated people and then list only
two. Actually there are five people running for the two
available seats. Why did you neglect to mention Ted Corombos
who is also running in Ward 2 and Dale Alessandrini and
Mr. Hartwell who are also on the ballot for Ward 1, not Ward 3.
Hmmm, do you have an agenda? We need experience on that council
to make order of the chaos left by the misdeeds and waste of the
previous four years.
10-21-2008-01 A note to Mary Couper - the post
about two dedicated people running for the city council did not name
them, if you will notice. 10-20-2008-02 What a refreshing difference at city
council meetings lately. The new members, Bruce Rosen, Tina
Peterson and Dave Farragh have created a whole new positive
atmosphere of competence in those proceedings. 10-20-2008-01 It was recently noted that there are a couple of dedicated people running for the city council in November. It is my understanding that there four dedicated people running for the council seats. I feel that these individuals deserve the same recognition for their concern and efforts. I believe them to be highly qualified, honest and hardworking.
(Jim Benbow – ward 2, Harlan Walters – ward 3).
Mary Couper 10-15-2008-02
Re: 10-15-2008-01
Mr. Farragh did better than you
thought. The solution to A Street was about $35,000. And a
very important addition to all your points is that citizens
coming to council meetings are respected, listened to (the new
members even look at you while you are sharing your concern),
and then have those concerns addressed or answered in the
council person's privilege part of the meeting.
10-15-2008-01 I'm impressed and encouraged to see
the progress and enthusiasm being made by the city council lately.
I should narrow that down to the three new members because they have
generated all the ideas and have implemented many of them. 10-12-2008-01
To 10-10-2008-01 (Mary Couper) and
to 10-11-2008-01, thank you both for the updates. I used to be
a regular attendee of council meetings, but stopped going some
time ago due to not liking the fact I, and others - the
public, were treated like we were a necessary evil just barely
tolerated by the arrogant members who are mostly now gone,
including Marquart. Maybe I should have stayed the course and
not have bowed to the not-so-subtle hints from them that
I shouldn't go to meetings, but, I did hurt them where it counts
- in the voting booth.
Perhaps I will start attending
meetings again. Dare I hope I will be treated with respect by
the present city council? I have ideas, maybe they will be
heard.
10-11-2008-01 To 10-9-2001. I'll try to answer
most, if not all of your questions. I am close to the three new
council members, and have received answers from them as and will
answer as best I can. 10-10-2008-02
We have streets that need repair,
city sidewalks need to be fixed. A city budget in need of help
along with a list a mile long and somebody thinks there is extra
money to shoot deer?
10-10-2008-01 I have been attending the council meetings on a regular basis and some of the issues you inquired about were discussed at the meeting; i.e. fire hydrants. While driving around town, I am seeing repairs (replacement) of fire hydrants. Regarding the assessment, Dave Farragh queried Mr. Pirkola about his progress with this investigation, to which he responded that he would have information at the next regularly scheduled city council meeting. At the October 6, council meeting, the topic of communication technology was brought up. More information is forthcoming. Attending the council meetings is a good way to keep informed. They do get a little lengthy when Roberts Rules of Order are not followed but you can glean important information from the council meetings. Mary Couper 10-9-2008-01
It would be nice to hear some
informed updates on other big issues that caused so much turmoil
in the City, besides fire.
How are the fire hydrants coming
along?
What about that reassessment
investigation?
What ever happened with the ISO? Are
they coming back or not?
How are we addressing the illegal
hiring that went on during the last four years?
What about the water and sewer rates
per the Bolt decision?
Rental Ordinance?
Cable TV fee?
Free wi-fi offer that was ignored?
What about that "top secret" city
park plan we're not allowed to see?
After the next snow storm, will the
north side streets get plowed within 12 hours, like it used to?
Before the City pays money to plow the downtown business
people's sidewalks?
What's gonna happen the next time
the City floods a house with sewage?
Corporate welfare?
TIFA pipe dreams?
DDA pipe dreams?
What about that legally questionable
early retirement in the police department, hurting an already
strained pension system?
That's enough for now. So many
things left unanswered.
10-8-2008-02
OOPS,
I meant paid-on-call/volunteer
INSTEAD of the part-time positions...NOT in place of the full
time we have left...sorry for the confusion...
10-8-2008-01 What, exactly, is a paid-volunteer?
10-7-2008-01
To 10-5-2008-03:
In regards to your brilliant
idea of "transitioning to paid-on-call/volunteer....to reduce
the City's labor costs even further": Bottom line in a fire
situation involving potential loss of life and property is that
minutes are the difference.
Minutes.
A call comes in to the station from
dispatch, and our firemen can immediately step into their
waiting gear, jump in the truck, and race to the scene. With
your scenario in the City of Iron Mountain, calls would
have to go out to volunteers who may be sleeping or working or
in the middle of whatever...
That is not to say that a
Volunteer is any less dedicated or able, it is
mathematics...it is addition and subtraction of
minutes. If it is my home or my family, I want instant response
and I will gladly pay for it. My family is worth it.
Commercial businesses will not
locate in the City of Iron Mountain if we have only volunteers.
Use your head. They will not be able to afford the insurance
rates.
Is that progressive?
Would you say the same for the
Police? Would you put forward that the Iron Mountain Police
force should be a volunteer Police Force,
paid-on-call? That would surely drive down City labor
costs even further, right?. When you call 911 because someone
has a gun pointed at you, you probably want immediate response
from a patrolman on duty, in a car, racing to the scene. That
is why you gladly pay taxes for their service. Or would you
rather give that gunman extra minutes, and wait while volunteers
are gathered up?
Treat the Departments equally,
because they are both lifesaving departments. Give them both
the respect they deserve. There are plenty of places in the
budget to trim spending that do not put residents in jeopardy.
If you have never needed the service of either the Police or
Fire Department, then be very thankful. But if you will need
them someday, I would bet that you would want the most speedy
and efficient system to save you, your loved ones, or your
property.
10-6-2008-02 To 10-5-2008-03: It sounds like the underlying point that you're trying to make is that there must be SOME way that we can screw the firemen. 10-6-2008-01
To the person who wrote in about
fire grants for volunteer or paid on call, ask the fire chief. I
think he'll tell you that you can't get those grants if you had
cut your staffing within the last three years prior to applying.
That's why he had to wait this long to apply for ANY fire
grants. I hope I have that right. Please correct me if I
understood it wrong after speaking with you, Chief Johnson.
I, personally, don't want the
lowered level of protection that public safety or volunteer
departments give. I'm sorry, police officers, I think you guys
have a tough job as cops, and we need you and greatly respect
you for that, but the safety of my family far outweighs my
concern that you might lose a 5 grand a year bonus that doesn't
keep my family safer - its ultimate intent. It does just the
opposite, in fact, wasting money needed by the fire
department. Three out of four newly elected council members got
elected because they feel the same way I do about my fire
protection, among many other important issues facing the City.
And two others just got recalled, too. The BS is over. Stop
trying to resurrect it.
10-5-2008-03 Even less expensive yet: Transition to paid-on-call/volunteer, apply for SAFER under Recruitment/Retention and reduce The City's labor costs even further! 10-5-2008-02 My thanks go to Fire Chief Dan
Johnson for clarifying the Safer grant application issue. It is
always a good idea when those most knowledgeable about a subject
post on this site. 10-5-2008-01
On the Safer Grant:
The fact is the City intends to
create Full-Time positions and fill them with Part-Time people.
At the end of the 5 year period the Patrolman will no longer be
utilized (More likely within 18 months they will be no longer in
play). There will be more members in the fire department then
before (28 members). The NFPA Standard 1710 will be met. I wrote
the grant application and spoke to FEMA reps through their
Hotline on these very questions.
What some out there should know is
we are going to do this with or without the SAFER grant. So some
of the arguments being made, although semi-credible (I'm being
overly generous), in the long run they are just wasted speech.
The City is going to transition to Full-Time/Part-Time
Firefighters whether we get the SAFER grant or not. I
think you need to accept that and adjust your thinking. It will
not cost more money long term then we are spending or will spend
under the failed "Hybrid" department. And at the end of the
day..... we will be effective.
Public Safety is dying all over the
country. It is illegal in some places and being made illegal in
many more. Why? Because local officials do not realize that to
ensure safety through minimum training levels requires too much
time from an individuals work schedule. Since Police coverage is
expensive, when all benefits are considered, it is easy to see
that even 4 hours a week of training per man quickly adds up in
terms of lost time for Police work or added cost to fire
protection. It is simply not cost effective. I realize this is
hard to accept for some who may consider themselves up to the
personal challenge. I don't question courage or willingness to
run into a fire by anyone...... you either have that or you
don't...... my problem is completely with levels of
training..... and proficiency....... for example....... putting
an air pack on upside down......this is a completely and
unacceptable level of training. Yet I submit some of the members
of the Police Department are or recently were (after 4 years) at
this level..... putting themselves and others at risk..... The
facts are that some Patrolman did not want to do this. They
personally told me so. I submit that some should not be doing
this.
The City Council and the City
Manager are struggling with the Police/Fire Issue. They are
beginning to craft a plan that will ensure a sufficient response
to fires. It is being done through the collective bargaining
process with both sides wanting to have a workable
cost-effective system in place at the end of the day. If it
means that the Patrolman will no longer be utilized then I
submit that they will be better positioned as a department to
provide better Police protection in a more efficient manner. The
Patrolman are paid professionals who will be able to concentrate
on their chosen profession rather then trying to be someone they
may not want or are able to be. It is not the Patrolman nor the
Firefighters who created this mess. How it happened is not as
important (as long as we learned from it and don't repeat it) as
where we go from here. As my Platoon Sergeant told me a long
time ago.....Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.
Iron Mountain has a long history of
an Effective Professional Police Department and a Effective
Professional Fire Department. Lets work to ensure that the
public is happy with us and has the needed services only we can
provide.
Dan Johnson
Iron Mountain Fire Department
10-4-2008-02
For those of you that still don't
believe, here are some quotes pulled directly from SAFER site.
(Italics added for emphasis)
What type of firefighter
positions will be funded?
Only full-time firefighter positions will be funded. Full-time positions are those that are funded for at least 2,080 hours per year (i.e., 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year.) The Grant Program recognizes that many fire departments have shifts beyond this typical 40-hour work week. The Grant Program will consider funding job-share positions if there is sufficient justification.
Firefighter
An individual having the legal authority and responsibility to engage in fire suppression; being employed by a fire department of a municipality, county, or fire district; being engaged in the prevention, control, and extinguishing of fires; and/or responding to emergency situations in which life, property, or the environment is at risk. This individual must be trained in fire suppression, but may also be trained in emergency medical care, hazardous materials awareness, rescue techniques, and any other related duties provided by the fire department.
Career Fire Department
An agency or organization in which all members receive financial compensation for their services (organizations that provide reimbursement on a paid-on-call basis are considered to be a “combination fire department” for the purposes of this program).
I do believe that the Fire trained
police officers DO NOT get paid per fire call they respond
to(paid-on-call) and receive a "Bonus"(financial compensation)
for providing the services. So, it is CLEAR that that the fire
trained police officers fall under the defintion of
firefighter(for the Grant purpose), and, in turn, make them part
of the "Career Fire Department" as far as SAFER is concerned.
Whether the city feels that way or not or any one else does for
that matter,The DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY DOES. So they
must be included in the application and the funds that are paid
to them must still be paid and their services provided if the
grant is awarded or it gets pulled and the city pays what they
received back.
So, again, the City for purposes of
this grant have 19 firefighters, 10 "career" and 9 fire trained
police officers. Research is WONDERFUL thing......
No one is against having more
fighters, in an ideal worlds where cost was no object it would
be great to staff it the way we have, but, unfortunately, this
is not the case.
10-4-2008-01
I couldn't help but notice how
thorough the City of Marquette has been in developing their city
owned land. I have been impressed with their courage to say no
to developers when all things are not just right. They have
stood firm on price and development issues. This is of great
benefit to all the citizens of Marquette. No free rides for
developers.
I applaud the council members in
Iron Mountain that won't give the farm away at tax-payers
expense. In these tough economic times, Iron Mountain should not
be giving away anything. We as tax-payers, should not be paying
for anyone to build. I'm fairly certain the City
Charter spells out what the cities obligations are for selling
and developing land.
Those current and former council
members that insisted on purchasing the Khoury property need to
get over there with their lawnmowers and clean-up that
area. What a black eye that has become!
10-3-2008-01 I have confidence that
the SAFER grant application will be looked into very carefully by
the fire department, the fire chief, and the new council members.
We have many people, employees and elected officials, who are
working very hard for the benefit of the city. 10-2-2008-05
For those who care....
City of Iron Mountain 1995-1996
Budget year:
Police Department Budget - $674,350
Fire Department Budget - $726,251
City of Iron Mountain 2003-2004
Budget Year:
Police Department Budget - $116058
Fire Department Budget - $1045636
The above figures do not include
pension costs. Policeman make a lot more money then fireman. I
think it is safe to say that the Policeman are a greater burden
on the Pension system. Now......who are the "Pigs at the
Trough"?
Soon, you will know.........
there are more money hungry moves coming......
10-2-2008-04 Current Events: I am sure all you have been watching the news lately, a 700 billion dollar bailout of Wall Street. A Senator from Minnesota said on the news this morning "they have been having a huge beer party on Wall Street for the past 2 years and now they are all hung over and need the taxpayers to pay and fix the furniture." Something about that statement struck home on our past battle. I am just glad that we broke up the beer party before they starting breaking the furniture. 10-2-2008-03
Hmm . . . looks like someone is
trying to make the upcoming election a one-issue race. The fire
issue is big, and desperately needs fixing, but let’s not forget
all those other equally important issues that got us to this
point. I’m not playing down the fire thing, but let’s give some
air time to some of those other items, too, shall we?
10-2-2008-02
To 9-30-2008-02, thanks for that
link to the fire grant page. After reading some of it, I can't
believe you are against it. You should have never included that
link if you wanted people to feel like they are against having
more firemen. Wow. All I can say is didn't you read it?
I can think of only about a dozen
people who might have a strong interest in not fixing the fire
mess. Maybe those few should think beyond themselves, to what
is good for the whole community.
10-2-2008-01
To the writer of 9-30-2008-02:
I find it interesting that you wrote to "debunk" the myth that the safer grant only funds full-time positions, but you actually ended up admitting that the position can be filled by part-time people! Nice try, I guess? Also, Iron Mountain does not have nineteen firefighters. They have ten, with, as you say, police officers trained to help. So, the city would have to maintain ten, not nineteen positions. That’s the fulcrum of the lever, by the way. The day the city legally admits that the police officers are actually public safety or even paid firemen is the day that any laid off fireman could get his job back, probably with back pay. You see, the City argued that the police officers are not actually firefighters, only cross-trained to help the real firefighters, and that’s the only reason this whole mixed up mess was allowed to continue. Maybe you read one, but not BOTH lawsuits on the matter. As you say, DO SOME REAL RESEARCH! AND STOP SPINNING THIS ISSUE. Everyone knows by now that having the cops as firemen is a miserable failure and a huge mistake. No offense to anyone, cops or fire. Save your breath on the "I'm-not-against-firemen" crap, too. It's obvious you hate firemen so much that you are even against a federal grant to fund real firefighter positions. Why would ANYONE feel that way? |