Comments on: County Responds to Sylvan Twp. Debt Crisis

By: Jeff Harris

Jeff Harris — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:23:47 +0000

Having just moved into Sylvan Township in March, this was very enlightening on how we got to where we are today. Thank you to the Chronicle for the in-depth reporting.

I find it amusing that Mr. Peterson “…wondered how the county board could have approved loaning money to an entity that didn’t have a way of guaranteeing repayment”, when he was on the BOC at the time.

By: Douglas E Fuller

Douglas E Fuller — Mon, 07 May 2012 22:52:11 +0000

Ms Morgan
as always, when I read something in the Chronicle, I always feel that I’ve read something worthwhile, that was informative and useful. Thank you. def

By: Mary Morgan

Mary Morgan — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:27:10 +0000

Re. Head Start managers: At the county board's Jan. 18, 2012 meeting, county administrator Verna McDaniel told commissioners that former Head Start director Patricia Horne McGee had retired as of Dec. 31, 2011. Lovida Roach, Head Start's senior management assistant and Horne McGee’s second-in-command, was to remain on administrative leave using personal time she had accrued, and would then retire. Cassandra Sheriff, site director for the Ypsilanti Head Start location, was appointed interim director late last year. Last week, McDaniel told me that Sheriff will remain as interim director throughout the transition.

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:52:18 +0000

Thank you for the background on the Sylvan Township sewer bonds. What you did not mention was that I am on record as having moved those resolutions.

I would like to comment on the history of those bonds in a different moment, but first a procedural note regarding customs at the BOC when I served.

If you look at the minutes appended, you will see that I moved all items on the agenda, from communications to resolutions to claims, and Cmr. Peterson seconded them. This is because the custom was for the chair to call for someone to move the agenda. That night it happened to be me, and it happened that Cmr. Peterson seconded it. The BOC did not move each resolution separately, but instead placed the entire agenda on the table simultaneously. Thus it is entirely possible for a commissioner to have moved a resolution which he or she then opposed during discussion and/or the vote. The making of the motion itself does not indicate anything about support.

Another custom on the BOC was that most items (I’ll just guess at 98%) were passed unanimously at the Board business session. This was often in spite of dissent in previous discussions and votes. It was not part of the culture for commissioners to be the single or one of a few dissenting votes except in highly contentious circumstances. It was basically considered grandstanding to vote “no” on something after consensus had been reached, though that happened rarely.

In the Sylvan Township case, my own vote in assent was only after months of opposition. But that’s another story.

By: Vicki Murdock

Vicki Murdock — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:17:10 +0000

I wish to thank the author for a very well written, researched and in depth article about the Sylvan Township Crisis. The facts of whom are involved and the related comments from the meeting were very thorough. It is enlightening to see who were involved in the decisions from the very beginning. We all need to make sure our government at all levels are held accountable. Honesty and transparency are of utmost importance from our elected officials. Unfortunately Sylvan Township has kept too much behind closed doors for too many years. It is time for a change.

By: Chris Blackstone

Chris Blackstone — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:24:35 +0000

During the Head Start discussion, was there any reference to fact that two Head Start Managers were put on administrative leave back in December [link]. Seems the lack of leadership for HS could be a problem during the transition.