The Dorr Township Library Board made it very clear it is unhappy with the behavior of Dorr Township Trustee John Tuinstra during the failed millage election earlier this month.
Two representatives from the Library Board told the Township Board Thursday evening that Tuinstra overstepped his freedom of speech rights before the Aug. 6 primary by having his flyers opposing the millage placed improperly on residents’ mailboxes, in violation of federal law.
Library Board President Rachel Vote agreed Tuinstra had every right to tell citizens about his opposition to the request for a one-mill levy for 10 years, but his flyers were discovered to be hanging on mailbox flags. She also said his flyer incorrectly stated an 0.85 mill request was defeated the year before when it actually was 0.789 mill.
“I would hope this does not reflect poorly on the Township Board, but he has an obligation to present correct information,” she charged.
Tuinstra responded, “Either way, it (the millage request) was much more than what was requested (in August 2018). Someone must have picked it (the flyer) up from the ground and put it on the mailbox flag… I am aware of the law… I put it (the flyer) in the press boxes.”
Tuinstra added that he would support a request for the renewal of 0.289 mill for 10 years.
Vote told him, “Our library cannot run on anything less than 0.75 mill.”
Library Board member Sara Ryderman added, “It’s against federal law and you should have known better… Our library is one of the three lowest in funding in Michigan with less than three-tenths of a mill and when you break down our request for one mill it amounts to just $1.35 a week.”
Vote said the Library Board continues to have discussions about what to do in the wake of the millage loss and about what services or personnel must be cut as a result.
Despite suggestions from Tuinstra to place a scaled-down millage proposal on the ballot during the Michigan presidential primary in March, Vote said library officials are looking more seriously at the August primary or November general elections in 2020.
I am not a supporter of trustee Tuinstra but if the Library Board is going to “throw stones” they shouldn’t live in a glass house.
Their first postcards sent to the voters were in violation of campaign law. They failed to say who was paying for those cards ….even the following cards were in the “gray area” ( never made clear if our tax dollars or private donations to the library board were used )
If you are going to try and chastise a a person, please make sure you didn’t make the same mistake or at least admit you did with all the facts not selectively picking those that you would rather not mention
Mr. Smit, thank you for your concern the informational postcards you received from the Dorr library may have violated campaign law. I can assure you they did not. Our source is a trustee with the Kent District Library who supports libraries in the state of Michigan with their millage campaigns. The funds used by the library were part of their general budget designated for millage funding. The postcard I received indicated it was paid for by the Dorr Library. The signs displayed around Dorr were from the Yes Campaign – Dorr to Lifelong Learning. These signs clearly stated they were paid for by Dorr to Lifelong Learning.
Mr. Young, thank you for your reporting and support for the Dorr Library. I would like to add a correction to my ‘passionate comments’ to the township board last night. My reference to the $1.35 a week was the ‘increase’ Dorr property owners would incur on the taxable value of a $200,000 home in the township to equal the 1.0 millage request by the library.
I apologize to you and your readers for any unintentional confusion.