ACHTUNG: This is not a “fair and balanced” article. It is an editorial by the editor.
I swear on the grave of Shostakovich that I checked in at the Allegan County Clerk’s election site at 4:15 p.m., 15 minutes after the deadline, and noticed the name of John Tuinstra was missing from the Dorr Township candidate list.
So I published a story that he hadn’t filed and there would be one vacant seat on the board as a result in the Aug. 6 primary election.
That turned out to be wrong, and I suppose I had egg on my face because a couple of hours later a credible source texted me to report Tuinstra’s named indeed was on the list.
Another quality source told me the next day that it was his understanding that Tuinstra waited until the last minute to file in hopes someone else, who shared his views on township government, would put her name on the ballot. She didn’t, so he hastily filed right at 4 p.m. and the clerk’s office didn’t publish that information until around 4:30.
So in my haste to “get the scoop” I was foiled and forced to tell Townbroadcast readers that Tuinstra was back in business.
Tuinstra has been criticized by Townbroadcast and by colleagues for making fierce defense of term limits when voting against the appointments of Planning Commissioners Bob Wagner and Army Bob Traxler and ZBA veteran Ethel Visser. Yet he now is destined to serve his fourth four-year term as a trustee on the Dorr Township Board, in stark violation of the principles he has espoused in his votes against veterans on other boards and commissions.
So how does he spell H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-S-Y? But does it even matter? He will be re-elected handily.
As comedian George Carlin so eloquently said, “But nobody seems to notice, nobody seems to care.”
I quote this frequently, and perhaps some have tired of it. But it’s truth is damn hard to ignore. It’s a matter of fairness.
As Dorr Trustee Dan Weber once said to Tuinstra, “You tell people to do as you say, but not do as you do.”
Why do you have such a hard time admitting your mistakes? I believe almost every time you make an error you say I missed this one however you try to still try to place the blame on something or someone else. Just own it! You should have been in politics; these folks never admit their mistakes.
Cheers!!
Pardon me, Mr. Wilkens, but did you not read this admission that the editor got it wrong?
“So in my haste “to get the scoop” I was foiled and forced to tell Townbroadcast readers that Tuinstra was back in business.”
It was Mr. Young’s haste which foiled him, Mr. Young, and forced him, Mr. Young, to tell his, Mr. Young’s, readers that he, Mr. Young, was wrong and Mr. Tuinstra was going to be re-elected.
I was taught to obtain meaning from context, and when I read the quote above I clearly understood the implication that Mr. Young had made a mistake and was taking responsibility for that mistake.
I believe you missed the entire message of the article.
Or were you just hell-bent to find fault where there was none?
Easy to find fault with Dave Youngs articles; spelling mistakes, facts not quite correct at times and so on. I, however,, am very thankful for his website of local news, goofs and all. Just like myself Dave isn’t perfect, but then who is? We get local reports on township, city, village, school meetings. Get quick news on what our local school sports are doing, Find out who passed away in the area. The list goes on of all the local news we get from Townbroadcast and it costs nothing, Thanks Dave, mistakes and all.