Response to Mayor Cooper's Recall Comments
October/11/2009 09:38
In an article by Brad Lindberg in the latest edition of The Grosse Pointe News entitled “Recall Language Filed with County”, Mayor Cooper’s response was reported as: “ Whether successful or not, this recall effort will have a polarizing effect that will further divide Grosse Pointe Shores.”
In my opinion the community is polarized not by the early stage of any recall effort, but by a variety of much more important factors, including:
- Mayor Cooper’s management style and the way citizens bringing forth concerns to our municipality are treated
- Escalating property taxes in the face of precipitously declining home values
- Lack of transparency at City Hall
- An incumbent government whose fiscal oversight has resulted in the Grosse Pointe Shores receiving the ignominious honor of being placed under fiscal watch by the State of Michigan.
Rather than address the real issues with the press in meaningful manner, Mayor Cooper again uses the opportunity to demean me, and brand me as being “rejected by the voters over 10 years ago”. Rather than making things personal, Mayor Cooper, it seems to me that you should be more concerned with responding to the strong message for change that Shores voters sent earlier this year by sending two members of your incumbent slate packing. Do you refer your own two friends who lost their Shores council seats in a democratic election as losers?
Yes, Mayor Cooper, I did finish one place out of the money in that election over a decade ago, but it did teach me a valuable lesson. As a result of continuing to stay involved in Shores issues, I have learned that you can have just as powerful, or even perhaps more of an impact on what happens by staying engaged, without of being an elected officeholder.
I take great pride in being part of the citizen’s coalition that worked on prior petition drives that lead to the sound defeat of two previous debacles that the Shores council wanted to ram down the taxpayer’s throats – the harbor expansion project, and the large activities building in Osius Park. Thank goodness the Shores residents had the wisdom to come together and work to soundly defeat these projects, which would have no doubt left of city finances and debt levels in worse shape than we find them in today.
Mayor Cooper, you are also making a mistake in personalizing things, and branding this as effort as “Lee’s recall campaign”. While it is true that one citizen did have to take the initiative and file the petition language, I am confident that as things proceed, you will be surprised by the groundswell of support behind the recall effort. Please, Mayor, do all Shores residents a favor, and as things progress with the recall, stick to the real issues voters are concerned about. Don’t personalize things and be desultory or demeaning about citizens collectively exercising their democratic right to effect change!