Dorr Township Clerk Brian Boot gave a heartfelt apology for his role in the Township Board’s reputation for bad behavior in public meetings, but then he and Trustee John Tuinstra later Tuesday evening continued their feud.
Boot, in part, said in a prepared statement, “For years Dorr Township has been an epicenter of strife and division. Unfortunately and ashamedly, I am part of the problem. I had hoped to stay above the fray and do some good in the township. But, as evidenced at last month’s (May 26) meeting I descended with others into the mud bog to flail away at one another all the while accomplishing very little.”
He later asked, “Why has this been so for Dorr and for so long? Why do we keep bickering and arguing about every little thing?”
Boot then opined that the community and the board need to work together for the quality of life in the township.
The clerk May 26 had been upset with the tactical moves of Tuinstra and Trustee Patty Senneker in diverting a proposal for buying a digital sign in front of township hall to use that money instead for the fire department. Boot insisted the two expenses had nothing to do with one another.
The clerk introduced a proposal that would enable the meeting’s moderator to declare new topics or secondary motions in discussions to be out of order. He suggested that “certain members of this board seem to disregard the rules.”
Tuinstra countered, “I take issue with that,” maintaining that he sometimes engages in brainstorming during discussions, perhaps to come up with a better idea or a solution to a problem.
Treasurer Jim Martin commented, “We’re spending more time on policy than anything else… I think we need more manners…”
However, Martin later said, “We can’t legislate against bad manners. I see this (proposed policy) as only causing more problems.”
Tuinstra said his intent last month was to put spending priorities on roads and the fire department ahead of purchasing a sign in the wake of the May 5 special election millage losses. He said he didn’t see the need to buy a $26,000 digital sign in front of the hall.
Boot said, “It’s not fair to bring this up when John’s done all the research (by himself) and then gives the rest of the board 10 seconds to decide on it. Every board member should have time to ponder this.”
Tuinstra then seemed to try to turn the tables on Boot by saying, “If we could have more open friendly discussion to work as a team it would be great… My theme has always been good stewardship.”
An audience member chimed in that Boot’s proposal to have issues brought before the board on the agenda and not abruptly changed during debate would “inhibit spontaneous discussion.”
Nevertheless, the vote to approve Boot’s policy change was approved 3-2, with Tuinstra and Martin dissenting, and Boot and Trustees Dan Weber and Josh Otto voting in the affirmative. Senneker and Supervisor Jeff Miling were absent.
A similar issue surfaced later in the meeting in discussion of invoice policy. Tuinstra took umbrage with Boot’s proposal, saying it offered no chance for open discussion about spending policy.
Tuinstra gave an example with the purchase of a $432 telephone for Deputy Clerk Debbie Sewers at the same time he could get a phone for $42. Boot answered that the telephone was the same as all others in the office and it had to have certain specifications in order to mesh with other units other officials use.
The clerk charged that Tuinstra is seeking too much control over purchases by department heads, who know best about what is needed. He also charged that he and Senneker barged into his office when it wasn’t open and “tried to tell me how I should run my department.”
Martin agreed, saying Tuinstra’s objections were “telling the clerk how to do his job.”
Tuinstra particularly was upset with Boot’s insistence that board members are not entitled to free copies of invoices the board will approve or disapprove. ”It is fitting and proper that officials be able to study 70 copies of invoices at home before a meeting… More of what’s going on here is emotional and not good logic.”
Tuinstra long has insisted that he can get Dorr Township taxpayers their best deal, mentioning he could have gotten something the board bought for $6,000 earlier this year at half the cost.
“You need to have board authority delegated to you in order to do that,” replied Boot, suggesting that Tuinstra too often goes off on his own without consulting with the rest of the board.
“Many times, I’ve gone above and beyond and eaten expenses,” Tuinstra commented. He then accused Boot of micro-managing with “your intent to control discussion and stifle opposition… You are making policy on your own that you don’t have the authority to make.”
But the new invoice policy passed, just like the earlier proposal, on a 3-2 vote with the same dissent from Tuinstra and Martin.
I have lived in Dorr Township for 41 years, the better part of my life. I have seen issues come and go with little debate or conversation. Now, with the advent of the social net pages and responses, we have a mess.
Over the years we have changed, as you would expect, expanding the homestead and even local jobs for the population. The people on this board are supposed to represent the local residents with honesty and forward thinking. Where are these people? I see petty arguments with no resolve and frankly, these are over money. Good grief!
I remember when local people that live and raised their children here, got together and built a sidewalk on the south side of 142nd. The purpose was real and urgent as when the population grew, people were using the road to walk with children in strollers or dogs on the leash, down a very busy road. We raised the money by having a “sidewalk sale” allowing anyone to purchase one block of the sidewalk with their name or memory inscribed in the concrete. It has since been removed and replaced when the road was expanded which was very necessary. A part of our local history is now gone, buried beneath a new path. Let’s take that “new path” and do something right for all of us that still reside here.
This act showed a community of people pulling together for the good of all. Even working late into the night, hand building the sidewalk.
Let’s have more “sidewalk sales”. What do you think?
Dorr needs to pull together and that includes the Township Board, to work out the pending calamity that will be the roads. Best to sheath the swords now and get prepared for the impossible task of keeping the roads open when the funds run out. It will take 12 to 18 months for the pain to start, but it will happen and Dorr needs a functioning Board to hold the Township together. The three people named in the story are all good folks who need to look at the long run and pull together to see the real danger that the roads will be.