Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 Column
Last week after (and during) Wednesday's Morning Gazette Radio Show, several scoffed at my investigative reporter wisdom. They left nasty messages and sent texts to tell me to stop trying to invent stories.
The callers apparently wanted to be on the air but I was rambling along too hot and heavy to notice the p
Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 Column
Last week after (and during) Wednesday's Morning Gazette Radio Show, several scoffed at my investigative reporter wisdom. They left nasty messages and sent texts to tell me to stop trying to invent stories.
The callers apparently wanted to be on the air but I was rambling along too hot and heavy to notice the phone lines being lit up. After 50 years of dealing with shady politicians, my investigative antennas go up when stuff just does not add up.
My hunch was that something odd was in the water at Flint Township. They went to lots of trouble during the City of Flint's awful water crisis to shout to the county how their restaurants had good water. Some of Flint Township's politicians and lawyers are obviously getting bad water, in my humble opinion. It's causing them to be stupid. That's the only explanation I can come up with for Flint Township's current political climate — excluding Flint Township Supervisor Karyn Miller and Trustee Barb Vert. They've both been at the board table for 16 years.
It wasn't until two years ago that "stupidity" started appearing at their board table.
The ignorance and erroneous reasoning exhibited often over these past few years against common sense positions of Miller and Vert could be classified as comical, except they've created real life consequences. It started with former Clerk Kathy Funk, former Treasurer Lisa Anderson, former Trustee Deb Campbell and out-going current Trustee Carol Pfaff-Dahl. Add in Tom Klee once he was appointed to be Treasurer about a year ago when I chased Lisa Anderson out of town. Or wait, she already was living in Atlanta, Georgia. I just started hollering how she needed to be in handcuffs and should return a chunk of the $63,000 in annual salary she was pulling in along with benefits despite not living in Flint Township anymore. She first said she was elected by residents and would complete her four-year term which would not have been up until after the upcoming November election.
But I digress.
Back to last week's hunch about Flint Township's current board members.
They called a special meeting last week. A community activist was asked to leave because an attorney told him it was a closed session.
Jerry Roberts said he never heard anything on the record about a reason to go into closed session. Not odd since I was at their first of now four executive sessions when no reason to go behind closed doors was given to the public. The attorneys there apparently don't understand the law. But we will get to that in a minute.
Witnesses were around after board members emerged from behind closed doors following the first three closed executive sessions. All we know is that the agenda item listed each time by Township Clerk Monya Triplett tells the public it was to discuss "complaints against elected officials (possible closed session)" and that's all we get to know. Forget what the Michigan Opens Meeting Act says about going on record with a reason why the meeting needs to be closed.
When Roberts revealed to me that he didn't stick around to find out if they emerged from behind closed doors to put anything on the record last Monday, my suspicions were elevated to high alert. He said he knew of no witnesses being around to see what happened. Time to investigate.
A call was put in to Clerk Triplett. No return call. She won't answer a simple question? Maybe it's time to call my friends in Lansing and let them know I'm writing a letter to ask Big Gretch to exercise her powers to remove an elected official for not doing her job. Only the Governor can do that unless citizens rise up to mount a recall campaign. That takes too much energy and effort. One swipe of the pen by Governor Whitmer and Monya Triplett is out as what I'm gonna classify as an absolute fraud of a clerk.
But again, back to my investigation.
A check of the township's web site for a video of the public portion of the meeting directed me to YouTube and Vimeo pages where there was no video available for Sept. 19, 2024. Triplett had published no minutes of the meeting on the township's web site.
Yeah, ok. My investigative reporter instincts that have won me state and national awards immediately kicked into high gear and I subsequently told my listeners about it when the next morning rolled around with a microphone in front of me. My prediction was that something happened. My guess was that with nobody around, they put something on the record about embattled Treasurer Tom Klee.
The board members seem to like him. My guess was they wanted to shield him from further embarrassment and scold him with nobody around by putting a few disciplinary resolutions on reccord to satisfy the union.
I was wrong on that one as you can see from today's front page story below about the board voting to ask the Michigan State Police to investigate alleged criminal wrongdoing by Township Supervisor Karyn. The township's labor attorney, Chad Karsten from the Lansing law firm of Fahey, Schultz Burzych Rhodes LLC, followed up on the vote earlier this week by making a complaint at the Flint Township post of the Michigan State Police on Corunna Road.
So here's the deal. These crazy board members (I'm guessing it was a 5-2 vote with Miller and Vert in the minority position) want State Police to investigate how Klee was allowed to be embarrassed.
That's where we turn back to Yours Truly.
They will come calling to ask me how I obtained documents related to all these closed executive sessions to talk about inappropriate behavior toward office staff by Treasurer Klee.
Let me save them some time. My sources are confidential. United State Supreme Court rulings are on my side to keep the names secret of who gave them to me. I will say, however, that I didn't get them from Supervisor Miller or anybody else on the board who should are required to keep such information private. That's the law for them.
State law holds that any member of public bodies for boards, commissions or committee are prohibited from sharing any information discussed in an executive session. Doing so "intentionally" can subject a public official to face civil and criminal penalties. On a first offense, it's a misdemeanor crime. If convicted, a public official who intentionally violates the Michigan Open Meetings Act can be fined up to $1,000. If the violation is a second offense within the same term, the penalty can increase to a fine of up to $2,000 and rise to a felony status with up to one year in prison, or both.
But here's where this whole situation turns hysterical.
They want criminal actions taken against Supervisor Miller for writing a letter to Treasurer Klee that was shared with an employee who had lodged complaints against him with her union. The e-mails to them are subject to FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests by a media member or any citizen. So color her guilty of violating the law.
But when State Police take a peek behind the curtain and read up on the Michigan Open Meetings Act of 1976, they will find out that NO ACTION CAN BE TAKEN IN A CLOSED SESSION. Board members are required to come back in front of the public and put any resolutions on the record before voting on them. They are prohibited by law from taking actions in executive session.
The township's labor attorney (Chad Karsten from the Lansing law firm of Fahey, Schultz Burzych Rhodes LLC) must not have any experience with how to comply with the Michigan Open Meetings Act.
Otherwise, he would not have allowed any actions to take place behind closed doors in the first place.
The Miller letter to Klee and a staff member that was obtained by The Morning Gazette Radio Show clearly details decisions made about Klee needing to move his office to the back of thebuilding to avoid contact with employees as well as reminding that he had agreed to take sensitivity training for other allegations against him by the staff member. Such decisions subject every board member to possible criminal prosecution. The lawyer? Well, he may get a slap on the wrist by having his license suspended for 30 to 90 days by the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission.
But as to holding him accountable for getting criminal charges for following his legal advice? Well, board members would be out of luck on that one. Just ask some of the inmates on death row around the USA who had bad lawyers via the public defender system.
As to Treasurer Klee, he would already be fired if he worked for my business. Documents we obtained detail allegations that he plays touchy, feely with female employees, uses disgustingly awful foul language around the office, made a racial slur and is on video making mocking gestures at an employee who has Tourette's Syndrome. She says in her complaint that he was stuttering to mock her, too. The fact that this employee with Tourette's Syndrome has two children with the same disease makes his behavior extra disgusting.
And yes, you read that item correctly about the "complaint" saying it because The Morning Gazette Radio Show obtained documents related to why the special meetings were called to discuss Treasurer Klee's behavior toward office staff. (See related column about it published on Aug. 19, 2024 that is contained within The Daily Gazette's Special Section with my "Most Read" recent Editor's Notebook columns)
I'm sure State Police can find some criminal activity in the documents we obtained. Maybe detectives can investigate all that after they're finished reading up on the Michigan Open Meetings Act.
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Friday, Sept. 20, 2024
Sheriff Chris Swanson has always got lots of good press out of The Daily Gazette and The Morning Gazette Radio Show. Hey, he has done lots of good stuff around these parts.
That's why he was the most popular politician in Genesee County four years ago on election day.
That's why he will win by a landslide this time
Friday, Sept. 20, 2024
Sheriff Chris Swanson has always got lots of good press out of The Daily Gazette and The Morning Gazette Radio Show. Hey, he has done lots of good stuff around these parts.
That's why he was the most popular politician in Genesee County four years ago on election day.
That's why he will win by a landslide this time in November's general election.
He's usually right on top of any question we pose for him, too. If he does not answer his cell phone, he promptly responds via e-mail.
Until this week when the owner of a local bail bond company went on social media to question how the Genesee County Jail is being run.
Alerted to her post on Facebook by many listeners to my radio show and readers of this column with similar tales inspired me to make Shelly Benjamin's criticisms of the Sheriff public.
Well, they were already public. I just gave her a bigger stage by letting our listeners know about it on The Morning Gazette Radio Show.
I mentioned it on the radio show Wednesday morning (Sept. 18, 2024).
My tip line at (810) 771-8421 lit up. It seems Shelly Benjamin went on record with a complaint that is shared by many, many with loved ones at Sheriff Swanson's hotel.
It seems they want to check out.
When the judge sets bail and you post it, freedom is yours. Apparently unless you are locked up in Genesee County.
The common theme of Sheriff Swanson's hate mail to us is that he needs to stop running around the state campaigning for Governor. He has not officially announced he's running yet but a big shiny bus with "Walk With Us" plastered on the side says otherwise. So, too, does making a TV commercial for a national TV audience at Joe Biden's debate against Donald Trump and then appearing on the national stage to endorse Kamala Harris at the national convention after Biden dropped out.
When expensive tabs for loved ones mounted for calling inmates, it made national news and Sheriff Swanson immediately acted to fix the problem.
That's an impressive way to handle a problem. He didn't shy away from answering my questions about the situation.
That's why I'm stumped as to why Sheriff Swanson didn't respond when I reached out for a comment after the social media post by Shelly Benjamin. She's a well-known business owner with a solid reputation.
On the radio, I said maybe Sheriff Swanson was busy Tuesday with helping with the security detail for former President Trump's town hall event here. But now, it's three days later.
Still, nothing but crickets out of the Sheriff on this one.
We want answers about how this problem exposed by Shelly Benjamin has surfaced. We want to know it's going to be fixed. Not tomorrow. But today.
Here's the post by Benjamin on Facebook that has set off a tidal wave of complaints to us:
"I have a client. He has been in jail for three weeks after his bond was posted. Genesee County. Courts are actually really doing the best they can. But, at this point, three weeks after my Client’s bond was posted and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department has still not released him… I don’t really care who I rat out. Detective Messer has not responded to any of my calls. Sheriff Swanson has not responded back to me also. Think about this. You might look really pretty on camera, but are you really sure you’re running a professional facility? No actual access to phones. Not even paper and pens, stamps to write a letter?! Even to your own Mother?! The Mother that doesn’t know how to access internet? Just might want a letter from her child. And!!! Don’t get me started on my clients that didn’t even get the medical treatment they needed Or medicine. But… let’s just think about it. Jelly Roll was there. Very nice guy. How much money was spent on security for that? In the meantime, inmates can’t contact family, attorney, or bail bonds. I honestly sometimes just want to give up on what I do. But guess what they call me and my hands are tied in Genesee County. The family does. Because, inmates can’t. So, my question is? Why is it so difficult? Oh. Because, people don’t realize that inmates are actually real people and might have now missed a spray tan appointment."
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Thursday, August 28, 2024 Column
The Mott Community College Board of Trustees is treading carefully on the powder keg issue of a possible advanced manufacturing plant on the Mega Site in Mundy Township.
The Flint & Genesee Group is still stinting from a July mob that went to a Mott board meeting to voice concerns. Mott's trustees subsequent
Thursday, August 28, 2024 Column
The Mott Community College Board of Trustees is treading carefully on the powder keg issue of a possible advanced manufacturing plant on the Mega Site in Mundy Township.
The Flint & Genesee Group is still stinting from a July mob that went to a Mott board meeting to voice concerns. Mott's trustees subsequently (that very night!) rescinded their former President's letter of support for the project and told CEO Tim Herman not to associate Mott's name with the project.
Another attempt to win back Mott's support failed today when trustees agreed to supply training for potential employees but stopped short at giving support for the Flint & Genesee Group's project.
I'd consider it a massive understatement to say residents oppose the idea among those who live in Mundy Township and in the bordering areas of Swartz Creek, Grand Blanc Township and Flint Township.
Four of the seven on Mott's board are currently fighting a recall over another issue, and the last thing they need is to have dozens of Mega Site opponents angry at them, too.
They're heroes to them right now after rescinding their letter of support to the Flint & Genesee Group. To borrow a line from Mundy Township Trustee Kyle Ward at a June meeting when he became the first public official to come out against the proposed project, I've seen lots of "No Mega Site" signs but not a single sign promoting it.
A massive PR campaign has been deployed by the Flint & Genesee Group to change opinions. CEO TIm Herman's non-profit group received more than $260 million from our state tax dollars to build something at the 1,000-acre site that measures 1,200 acres on an overlay displayed in numerous media reports.
The site borders Linden Road, Maple Road, Elms Road and Jennings Road.
The Flint & Genesee Group's Tyler Rossmaessler is Executive Director of its Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance, and he has been the face of the proposed project. He gathered a few dozen community supporters for the project to get his bag of money from the state despite supplying no specific plans, admitting they didn't yet have a company willing to build anything there yet and there was no clue yet what kind of specific items may be built.
So how does he spout off guarantees about bringing thousands of jobs?
Well, Governor Gretchen Whitmer is a big supporter of President Joe Biden's push to eventually get rid of gas-powered engines and replacing them with electric vehicles. She wants Michigan to lead the way in supplying the budding EV industry with battery plants and chip-making plants to support Biden's push.
Thousands were spent early on to kick off the massive campaign in a commercial paid for by a California climate change PAC that featured Big Gretch. She said her state was already supplying the batteries to lead the way while bringing thousands of good-paying jobs to Michigan.
What she meant to say was that she's hoping jobs will come and she hopes they pay better than what battery plants and chip-making plants across America are now paying their employees.
What she meant to say was more than $680 million of your tax dollars had been given away in Big Rapids to build a plant for a company from Communist China to build a battery plant there. All the township board members were thrown out in a recall and residents there vow not to let a company from Communist China build anything there.
The same kind of opposition has surfaced in Delta Township, near Lansing, that got millions in funding from Gretchen's piggy bank to support supplying parts to power the EV movement. So what's going on in Mundy Township isn't a surprise.
The surprise maybe is the lengths they're going in order to try to convince us it's good for us.
You know, all the climate change fear talk and all.
But let's consider real facts. The pollution from burning gas is a fraction of the damage to the environment when matched against the toxins resulting from battery plants and chip-making factories to support the EV push. It takes 22,000 gallons of ultra-pure water to cool down and rinse toxins off a single chip. That's a lot of water with toxins in it that needs to go somewhere? It's the same problem with battery plants that also produce toxins associated with all the massive amounts of water needed in that manufacturing process. Where does the water with toxins in it go?
How about into the ground water supply in a few miles around the plant? That's the reality.
Do you remember GM's Berlin & Farrow disaster of the 1970's? I'd say we can likely consider that a minor disaster compared to what will happen if a battery plant or chip-making plant is located in Mundy Township when you add in how it will also drain Lake Huron within a few years because of the massive amount of water necessary to operate these plants.
Look at Atlanta as an example. They've warned plants there that they need to find a new home in a few years because they've tapped out how much water can be used without damaging the city's drinking water supply. They've been told to find a new home because there's no more water for them.
No wonder our area is a target of Biden's EV push. Hey, government poisoned an entire city more than 10 years ago and Flint still isn't fixed with more than 1,900 still waiting to get new pipes to their homes. They had 100,000 people impacted there. The Mega Site is in the middle of farm land where fewer people are around to make noise.
Sure, there's a Facebook group with more than 2,100 members.
Two candidates for the Mundy Township board have made the Mega Site the focal point of their campaigns for office in November. Jennifer Arrand Stainton wants to be Supervisor and Leah Davis wants to be a Trustee. Ward would be a third against the Mega Site if he can get re-elected to his Trustee position but his June declaration against the proposed project may be the kiss of death for his campaign.
Let's face it. Stainton, Davis and Ward have no big financial backing against the PR machine trying to convince everyone how great it would be to build an advanced manufacturing plant with thousands of good-paying new jobs to support the EV push.
Thousands went into TV commercials by Gretchen and the campaign has added mailers, polls and expensive social media buys with well-done videos. And we're not even within the final 45-day window when local campaigns usually heat up.
The basic message of their campaign is simple: An advanced manufacturing plant promising thousands of jobs to support the EV push is good. Anybody who tells you otherwise is bad.
They like the board they have except for Ward. Getting rid of him while keeping Stainton and Davis away would be good for their cause.
The Daily Gazette and The Morning Gazette Radio Show went on record early in July as endorsing Stainton after Mundy Township Supervisor Tonya Ketzler made it clear she would not appear on my radio show to answer questions about the Mega Site or debate Stainton. I guess we can call it a mere "disqualification" because she chooses to be a "no show" in the campaign with us.
Ketzler insists she's only met Tim Herman a few times and says she's not his puppet.
She says he did not even come to a political fundraiser that was the target of a picket in late June organized by Stainton.
The picket demonstration against the Mega Site drew plenty media attention when the Metro Flint Police Authority met picketers with a massive police presence at Gateway Center off Hill Road where Ketzler's political fundraiser was being staged. The Daily Gazette later pointed out that police patrols are illegal under state law on private roads, yet Chief Matt Batt had his cops cruising all over the roads in the complex, saying it was private property and protesters could not be curbside outside Redwood Steakhouse or park at any of the nearby businesses.
Stainton said social media posts by certain individuals warning to meet Flint protesters with a strong police presence scared away many who were planning to come to show support for their cause, and she demanded an internal investigation be conducted to determine exactly how tax dollars were used to "hassle" protesters against their boss — Supervisor Ketzler.
Here we are more than two months later, and nothing. Stainton's call for an investigation was ignored.
If she can get her investigation, I'm sure it will impact the election. Maybe she can overcome the lack of money by continuing to get media attention to show voters what's really going on here. A July 21 campaign finance report shows Ketzler has raised more than $13,000 which will fund a solid campaign during the final 45 days and she is obviously helped by the massive PR campaign being undertaken by the Flint & Genesee Group although the non-profit organization isn't classifying any of that as "political" to influence the Mundy Township election.
Stainton initially filed for a waiver, saying she was not going to spend more than $1,000. She later amended that but did not file a July 21 campaign finance report which is illegal under state law.
Ketzler may likely try to use that as an example of how her opponent does not belong in office, trying to comply with hundreds of laws more complicated than that one.
I'm ready for someone who isn't a politician but is ready to listen to the constituents. Mundy Township residents clearly do not want this project and they need board members to listen to their concerns and get busy to do something about them.
Give Mott's board credit. They heard them.
So did the MTA when Director Ed Benning bowed to pressure and rescinded his support in the face of mounting opposition to a millage on the ballot for the MTA in the August primary. A few other businesses have rescinded their letters of support after Stainton and other opponents of the Mega Site have threatened boycotts against their businesses.
Hopefully voters are paying attention.
See Related Stories in Mega Site Special Section
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Monday, August 19, 2024 Column
A third special meeting about the behavior of an elected official has been scheduled for 4 pm today before the regular board meeting tonight at 6 pm for the Flint Township Board of Trustees.
Tom Klee, Flint Township's Treasurer, was ordered to "minimize" contact with office employees after a second executive s
Monday, August 19, 2024 Column
A third special meeting about the behavior of an elected official has been scheduled for 4 pm today before the regular board meeting tonight at 6 pm for the Flint Township Board of Trustees.
Tom Klee, Flint Township's Treasurer, was ordered to "minimize" contact with office employees after a second executive session by the Flint Township Board of Trustees, according to a letter obtained by The Morning Gazette Radio Show. The story was reported today on the program at 8 o'clock and it's currently the lead story on the CCN News Break presented on today's front page of The Daily Gazette.
The letter is from Flint Township Supervisor Karyn Miller to Klee although Miller did not confirm she wrote it. Township board members are prohibited from discussing what happens in executive sessions.
We confirmed weeks ago, however, that the letter is authentic. In it, Miller wrote to Treasurer Klee on May 21, 2024: "In order to align expectations, I would like summarize the agreement made at the Special Board Meeting yesterday. You voluntarily agreed to move your office to the back hallway in order to minimize contact with the Township's Administrative Staff. The office with the window is empty and available for your use. It was agreed that your current office will be maintained as is, with your name plate in place, to minimize attention to this move. Please keep your current office door, closest to the Tax Department, clsoed until after you physically move everything, minimizing contact with staff. (In) order to eliminate face-to-face interaction with staff, please communicate through your Deputy, Kevin McIntyre, since he is the Director over several departments. Please utilize email to communicate with the staff when necessary. Lastly, you agreed to participate in one-on-one training for harassment prevention and sensitivity training. You volunteered to pay for this training as long as it was not overly expensive. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask."
Multiple attempts to reach Klee failed during the recent campaign for the Democrat primary where he was challenged by two opponents — Dave Huffman and Kareem Snell. Klee won with 1,612 votes to 1,133 for Snell and 986 for Huffman.
Huffman was especially miffed that Klee also skipped a July 17 debate sponsored by The Morning Gazette Radio Show and The Daily Gazette at Ruggero's Restaurant on Corunna Road in Flint Township. Klee also failed to respond to a questionnaire about his positions on key issues.
"If he can't face his opponents and answer questions about his record, he does not belong in office," Huffman said. "I have absolutely zero respect for him."
Huffman said he may challenge as a write-in candidate in November, now that the issue about Klee's alleged treatment of staff has become public. "He should resign," Huffman said. "It's a disgrace how he has acted toward our employees."
Snell has not yet responded to our request for a comment.
Also obtained by The Morning Gazette Radio Show was a cover letter on the first formal complaint filed on March 20 this year against Klee that was written by the union's Chief Steward, Melissa Grzanka, on behalf of an office employee.
Grzanka wrote: "Treasurer Klee has shown a blatant lack of respect for the personal boundaries of employees (harassment, borderline sexual) and has, on more than on occasion, utilized speech to indicate to discriminatory opinion toward the general population of a certain race (discrimination). Complaints were brought to my attention of instances where Treasurer Klee has physically encroached upon the personal space of female employees. Instances described were unnecessary physical contact by way of touching shoulders, arms, backs and on occasion sitting so close as to create physical contact of his leg with the employee. Although a formal complaint of sexual harassment is not being filed at this time, it is imperative, for the protection of all employees, that this behavior on the part of Treasurer Klee be addressed so as to prevent the situation from progressing to such an extent in the future. This sort of physical closeness and contact with employees (is) not only unnecessary, but is appropriate, and it is important that boundaries be set, hopefully though the process of this complaint, and respected moving forward."
Grzanka also addressed complaints brought to her attention about Klee "making offhand remarks that have been construed as racist in nature against the black community."
She wrote: "Examples of this are Treasurer Klee making a specific point to reference an individual's skin color when speaking with the employees about his involvement with the students at Carman-Ainsworth, or the public in general. This is elaborated upon more in the written formal complaint provided by the employee... it created a feeling of discomfort and upset due tot he racial heritage of her daughter as well as the behavior and speech being inappropriate overall. If Treasurer Klee's patterns of this type of speech and apparent bias are not addressed now, there is concern that he may grow bolder with his statements in the future, thereby crossing the line..."
Grzanka also noted in the cover letter for the formal complaint that Klee uses "inappropriate language at work."
"This is something I have observed personally as well, noting Treasurer Klee's lack of respect for anyone around him (employees, co-workers and residents alike) where his use of foul language is concerned," Grzanka wrote. She added: "This is upsetting, not only for the inappropriateness and unprofessional nature of the language, but for the fact that if we, the employees, were to speak in the same manner as Treasurer Klee, we would be disciplined for it and, in some cases, have been disciplined for it (or warned that discipline would be issued if the language continued)."
The March 20 complaint also alleged Klee has used a "disruptive nature when interacting with employees."
Grzanka wrote about this allegation: "The employees at the Charter Township of Flint are here to perform a job and make sure the residents of Flint Township are helped in a timely, and accurate, manner. I have personally experienced Treasurer Klee interrupting me while attempting to assist residents at the counter as well as him being vocally persistent in making me stop what I'm doing to address him, speak with him, and sometimes even forcing me to stop my work simply to say 'hello.' This sort of behavior is reportedly even worse within the tax department — a department in which attention to detail is extremely important..."
Grzanka wrote another cover letter for a second formal complaint on May 14 this year, complaining that Klee mocked an employee's Tourette's Syndrome — a medical condition two of her children also suffer from as well. Grzanka said the incident was witnessed by another employee who provided an affidavit and the union steward requested a copy of office surveillance video from the day this incident happened.
"Prior to his departure, he stood in the doorway linking the hallway to the Tax Department and said, 'Hey...hey...' he then said 'I'm going to th-th-th- therapy' while twitching his chin toward his shoulder in a mocking gesture of someone with a mental illness. This physical gesture was in addition to the utilization of the intentional stutter indicative of the same. Not only is this sort of behavior insulting and in appropriate, it is discriminatory against people with physical/mental disabilities by poking fun at the common tics associated with several illnesses and conditions."
People are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, but allegations in the documents we obtained are troubling — especially when considering Klee is also employed as a teacher at the Flint Carman-Ainsworth school district. My vote is that it's time to turn all these allegations at the township offices over for a police investigation. The school district should also suspend him until the investigation is complete, in my opinion. Other financial items need to be investigated, too, after Klee has also been under fire for weeks by Trustee Barb Vert who has demanded an accounting of how townships dollar were used on a public hearing to discuss raising taxes in a special assessment without a vote of the people. Klee has said publicly on three occasions that he "would get it to her" but he has so far kept the financial spending a secret from the board.
Klee already isn't very popular in Flint Township's business community over his push for tax hike. He pushed for a 4-mill tax increase last winter, trying to get it enacted without a vote of the people. He was supported by Clerk Monya Triplett and Trustees Carol Phaff-Dahl and Greg King when setting two public hearings to consider the tax hike in a special assessment. The resolution was illegal since charter townships can't use special assessments to pay salaries of employees — only buy emergency items or pay off court-ordered judgments.
After business owners and residents packed a church on Bristol Road to voice opposition to the tax hike in the first public hearing, Trustee Vert led a vote to cancel the second public hearing. She demanded to put her colleagues on record how they felt about raising taxes without a vote of the people. Triplett, who won last Tuesday's primary, changed her position to block Klee's push for more tax dollars to support what he contended is a need to hire more staff for the Flint Township fire department.
A reliable source tells me Klee wants today's 4 pm special meeting re-scheduled so he can have an attorney represent him. I hope he's paying for the attorney because all the other legal bills for lawyers to be present at two previous special meetings is a waste of tax dollars. Klee should reimburse the township taxpayers for whatever the tab is, unless he can prove the allegations are not true.
The big losers in this scenario are the taxpayers although my heart goes out to the employees impacted by Klee's alleged behavior, if these accusations prove true. Nobody should be subjected to such treatment and it's no surprise (or secret) that three office staff members are actively looking for another job.
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Friday, August 16, 2024 Column
It was 37 years ago today that a then 27-year-old young newspaper editor was forced to take off his journalist hat and pray for families across the tri-county area of Fenton, Linden, Holly and Hartland.
It was a little after 9 pm on a Sunday night alone at my offices of Tri-County News when all the red buttons
Friday, August 16, 2024 Column
It was 37 years ago today that a then 27-year-old young newspaper editor was forced to take off his journalist hat and pray for families across the tri-county area of Fenton, Linden, Holly and Hartland.
It was a little after 9 pm on a Sunday night alone at my offices of Tri-County News when all the red buttons on our phones were suddenly lit up as calls were ringing off the hook.
Since the phone seldom rang on a Sunday night when I would slip in for a little writing in the solitude of quietness to hopefully be a bit more creative after my little children went to bed, I was obviously curious why the world wanted to talk with the Tri-County News.
It turns out tri-county area residents were looking for news about survivors because they had friends and loved ones flying out of Detroit Metro Airport.
It was 37 years ago today that tragedy struck in Romulus when Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed just minutes after take-off at Detroit Metro Airport. It was the deadliest plane crash in Michigan's history with 156 people killed. Photos of the wreckage scene beneath the I-94 overpass on Middlebelt Road returned by two of our reporters pictured bodies scattered everywhere. We didn't publish the most gruesome ones which continue to haunt me to this day.
It was the kind of gruesome you just can't erase from your head.
I remember callers crying, asking me to pray with them about their loved ones.
It was an era before cell phones.
They were awaiting word, any word, about whether or not their friends or loved ones were on Northwest Airlines Flight 255.
The miracle of the day was when a 4-year-old survivor was pulled out of the wreckage alive. Her 6-year-old brother was killed and both of her parents did not survive.
Her name was Cecelia Cichan of Tempe, Arizona. I've learned she's now known as Cecelia Crocker. She went away to be raised by an aunt and uncle in Alabama after the crash, and was featured in a 2013 documentary called "Sole Survivor." It featured four people who were the only survivors in tragic plane crashes.
"When I realized I was the only person to survive that plane crash, I was maybe in middle school, high school, maybe, being an adolescent and confused," Crocker said in the documentary. "So it was just extra stress for me. I remember feeling angry and survivor's guilt. 'Why didn't my brother survive? Why didn't anybody? Why me?'"
The flight was headed to Phoenix where a layover was scheduled before departing for its final destination in Santa Ana, California.
Witnesses at the time reported that the plane struggled to gain altitude and the National Transportation Safety Board report said that shortly after the takeoff: "The wings of the airplane rolled to the left and the right about 35 inches in each direction. The plane's instability caused the left wing to strike a light pole beyond the runway, resulting in significant damage to the wing. The plane then struck several other light poles and the roof of a rental car building before ultimately crashing around 8:46 p.m. onto Middlebelt in Romulus. The airplane broke up as it slid across the ground, and postimpact fires erupted along the wreckage path. Three occupied vehicles on a road adjacent to the airport and numerous vacant vehicles in a rental car parking lot along the airplane’s path were destroyed by impact forces and/or fire."
The official report also showed "negligence" as a factor in the tragic crash that claimed 156 victims. Six were crew members and two people were on the ground. The National Transportation Safety Board's conclusion was that flight crew failed to follow proper checklists and procedures, including accurately setting the plane's flaps and slats for takeoff that led to a loss of control shortly after departure. The investigation also pointed out a demanding work load of the flight crew during the quick turnaround time between flights on that particular evening.
Families of survivors stay in touch to this day via a Facebook group with more than 250 members.
The only victims from the Metro Flint regional area who were killed in the crash were Douglas A. Hagler, 31, of Burton and Gary A. Kimmel, 34, of Fenton.
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Tuesday, July 16, 2024 Column
Yesterday's e-mail haul from the community included a half dozen or so notes about a specific politician from listeners of my radio show or readers of this column.
That's usually a bad sign for a politician.
But not this time.
They were urging me to salute a certain county commissioner for something he posted on
Tuesday, July 16, 2024 Column
Yesterday's e-mail haul from the community included a half dozen or so notes about a specific politician from listeners of my radio show or readers of this column.
That's usually a bad sign for a politician.
But not this time.
They were urging me to salute a certain county commissioner for something he posted on Facebook. I noticed that it was shared several times across social media, too
With the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump with two deaths and two others hospitalized with injuries from gunshot wounds, it was the kind of message we should be getting from our elected leaders.
Former President Trump reportedly ripped up his speech full of attacks against Joe Biden set for this week's Republican Party convention, and is said to be revising it to a message calling for unity.
Maybe a gunshot wound centimeters from striking your brain can do something like that to wake you up and make you act better.
President Biden has spoken three times to the American people since a shooter missed killing Trump. He called it a "sick" act and said there is "no place for violence" in American politics. This from the same guy who has been saying Trump is a "fascist" and "should be stopped at all costs" because he will "destroy democracy."
Dale Weighill is a member of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners and a former Flint City Councilman. He's a Democrat who reaches across the aisle to try to work with Republican colleagues. He's also a Vice President at Flint's campus of Mott Community College. He wrote the following about democracy:
"One of the reasons I chose to pursue the academic study of American government & politics and to engage in public service at a young age is that I thought then — and continue to believe now — that we can bring diverse people together to solve our problems and plan for our community and our country’s future.
As a practical matter, what other choice do we have? Reason over irrationality has always been what’s grounded my belief system and world view. That was my record as the state’s youngest school board member when I lived in Livonia, Michigan (in the Clarenceville School District). It was also my record as a member of the Flint City Council and reflects my approach to presently serving as the Genesee County Commissioner for the 8th District.
"As we all know, there will be disagreements — sometimes very deep ones — but I continue to believe the vast majority of people act (and want their public officials to act) based on good will and human decency. After all, extreme rhetoric, fabrications about other people, and over-the-top politics is, by definition, out of the mainstream and I think unwelcome by reasonable and serious individuals.
" At the age of 18, I defeated a man who eventually became a good friend and who subsequently returned to the Board of Education through an appointment which I advocated for. I recently attended his wife’s funeral in Livonia, the three of us being friends for thirty-five years now.
"In 2009, I defeated for Flint City Council a woman who is my dear friend to this day, Denise Smith Allen. I love her and her husband, Fred. After becoming the 7th Ward City Councilperson, I nominated Denise to be the Ward’s member of the City of Flint Planning Commission. She accepted and served us well.
"When I won my County Commission election in November 2022, my opponent Meredith Davis called me the morning of the final vote tallies and left me a message of congratulations that I still have in my voicemail today. We later had lunch together and I asked for her thoughts and guidance as I began my new role.
"This year, as I run for re-election to the Genesee County Commission, I’ve been at events in my district with the gentleman who will be my Republican opponent in November, Mr. Dennis Kramer. We always greet each other warmly and introduce one another to our respective acquaintances on these occasions as 'Opponents, not enemies.' Mr. Kramer has also called me his 'brother in Christ' for which I am grateful. He is a decent human being who wants to serve his community. I am grateful for that as well.
"When I taught Political Science courses at Mott Community College for a dozen years, I would define 'politics' for my students as the interactions, agreements, and disagreements that inevitably occur between two or more people who live in the same physical space. Laws and government are in place to channel these interactions into either compromise or an agreement to disagree (with the minority, having lost, able to take their case to the electorate at the next election). We can compromise — or agree to disagree with majority rule and minority rights — without resorting to violence against the other party.
"We can and should also advocate for the rule of law in all circumstances. We in the United States do not see to destroy our political opponents by assassination or by overturning elections we have lost through violence. We can and should hold each other accountable for our policy views, our decisions, and our behaviors without violating the rule of law. We do this through vigorous debate and discussion, seeking to demonstrate the merit of our positions to our fellow citizens. I continue to believe this is the view of the vast majority in our community and our country regardless of their political ideology.
"As Abraham Lincoln (a man who would be assassinated by a political extremist four years later) said in his first Inaugural Address: 'We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.'”
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Sunday, July 14, 2024 Column
A young man with his pants hanging half off his butt, two gold front teeth and a half inch thick gold chain around his neck; walked into the local welfare office to pick up his check.
He marched up to the counter and said, "Hi. You know, I just HATE drawing welfare. I'd really rather have a job. I don't like ta
Sunday, July 14, 2024 Column
A young man with his pants hanging half off his butt, two gold front teeth and a half inch thick gold chain around his neck; walked into the local welfare office to pick up his check.
He marched up to the counter and said, "Hi. You know, I just HATE drawing welfare. I'd really rather have a job. I don't like taking advantage of the system, getting something for nothing."
The social worker behind the counter said "Your timing is excellent. We Just got a job opening from a very wealthy old man who wants a chauffeur and bodyguard for his beautiful daughter. You'll have to drive around in his 2012 Mercedes-Benz CL, and he will supply all o f your clothes. And because of the long hours, meals will be provided. You'll also be expected to escort the daughter on her overseas holiday trips. This is rather awkward to say, but you will also have, as part of your job, the assignment to satisfy her sexual urges as the daughter is in her mid-20's and has a rather strong sex drive."
The guy, just plain wide-eyed, said, "You're bull******** me!"
The social worker's reply: "Yeah, well... You started it pal."
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Saturday, July 13, 2024 Column
Today's column includes a special request. I need my prayer warriors to inspire generosity in the hearts of my friends and our readers.
Proverbs 22:9 tells us "A generous man will be blessed" and I need that precious thought in everyone's head as you read today's pitch to chip in with the kind of community sp
Saturday, July 13, 2024 Column
Today's column includes a special request. I need my prayer warriors to inspire generosity in the hearts of my friends and our readers.
Proverbs 22:9 tells us "A generous man will be blessed" and I need that precious thought in everyone's head as you read today's pitch to chip in with the kind of community spirit only our community can produce.
Picture the old Jerry Lewis telethon money board spinning digits as they neared the goal. We need to raise the rest of $12,000 needed for a special family dealing with the most devastating loss a parent can face — burying a child.
Dave Dohrman of Foutch's Strike Zone passed on the sad news via e-mail: "So sad to report the passing of Randy Klomp... we will miss him at the Strike Zone... he's playing on God's team now "
Randall James Klomp II passed away on July 4.
His funeral is set for this morning at 11 o'clock.
The Gaines resident was only 16 and I remember saying prayers a few times for him as friends in the local baseball community rallied to raise money to support his family during their child's battle with brain cancer.
I wasn't able to donate then because I was fighting my own serious health battle. A bout with COVID put me in dialysis near death for 14 months until God delivered a life-saving kidney transplant to on Dec. 29 at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor.
I'm back to work now with a radio show full of commercials.
That's why I checked out all the donations and noticed that $300 was the highest gift so far. God directed me to top that by a dollar to inspire everyone I know to bless this family with a gift.
I'm sure many can afford to give a lot more than me. If it's only $5, do it. But if you can afford $100, $250, $500 or $1,000 — please bless this family.
While so many parents spend thousands to support their kids in travel ball, travel hockey or whatever passion they love — Randy's dad was forced to sell his house to support his child's fight to live. Think about that for a minute.
I know the struggles of being sick with expensive co-pays on what I thought was great insurance. Friends and old players I've coached dug into their pockets to pour thousands into my wife's hands to navigate us through our darkest days as I spent most of my waking hours flat on my back after they did their best act to suck the life out of me three times every week in a dialysis chair.
The love I felt from such generosity from so many was a blessing like I've never felt before.
Many told me they didn't know me but loved how I've used my columns and my radio shows to fight public corruption and to occasionally raise money for community members in need. I fondly remember a note from one guy my listeners raised money for many years ago to send his son to a big sports honor he had qualified for out of state, but the single dad couldn't afford to get him there.
"Hey Mike, $20 is all I can afford but I'm praying for you man," he wrote.
A simple post on Facebook asking for prayers as I headed for Ann Arbor to get my transplant at 4 am after a surprise 10:30 pm call one night led to literally hundreds of calls to my office line, texts to my cell, messages on my cell, notes on Messenger and e-mails. All sent prayers.
In fact, I later learned during a 15-day stint at UM Hospital to begin my recovery process that more than 100 churches in our community asked for prayers for me on that first Sunday morning.
Several people I didn't know very well called to pray with me.
Tomorrow at church, please pray for this family who has lost their child. Direct your friends to TheDailyGazette.net to find a link within today's column to donate what you can to help.
If a prayer is all you can send, please bless this family.
This family has lost everything. Forget the house. Forget all the money for Randy's hospital bills. They lost their precious little boy.
I can't imagine how you find the energy to fight back from such tragedy.
Psalm 34:18 tells us "the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."
Money can help this family move forward to help them cope with moving on. As Matthew 5:4 tells us in our worst moments of grief: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
Let's comfort this family.
Let's raise way above what they're asking for in a friend's recent post which was simply to cover today's funeral expenses.
Just recently, a Go Fund Me Account was launched and has already raised nearly $5,000 of a $12,000 goal. Click on that link above and give what you can to help Randy's family.
The most recent post read:
* Update July 4, 2024 *
Tonight Randy left us all to become an Angel of God. I hope he makes everyone as happy in heaven as he made everyone here on this earth. God bless you, we will always love you and never forget you ! . If you haven’t already, please help this family lay their son to rest. Thank you.
Here was his pitch for help a few days earlier:
Hi, my name is Frank Kiacz and I am asking for those around me for help, I am honored to have the opportunity to meet one of God’s brightest stars, Randy Klomp. Randy is a 16-year-old young man that has an infectious smile and laugh that can brighten anyone’s day. From being a great human being to a great baseball player, that was Randy For those of you that know the story know that last fall Randy became ill with a horrible brain tumor. Randy went through painful surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation over the past several months, but this cancer is relentless and it won’t let Randy go. At the time of this writing, Randy only has days, perhaps hours left before God reclaims one of his greatest brightest stars. I’m asking for help for his family and the upcoming funeral arrangements and a memorial service. The family has no burial coverage and the family has lost nearly everything over the past year, including his father having to sell his home. I’m asking for a small bit of charity and asking for people to do the right thing to help with Randy's transition to the hands of God so if you could find it in your heart to donate a little bit to this cause myself and Randy‘s family would greatly appreciate this forever The world is a better place because we got to know you, Randy. Soon heaven will be too. Thank you in advance Frank
Kiss your kids or grandkids tonight.
Think of Randy's family as they prepare for the worst day of their lives today when they are forced to say good-bye to a young man described in his obituary as a "ray of sunshine" who "showed everyone around him how positivity can shine bright in a hole of darkness."
Let's brighten that hole of darkness for his family by visiting that Go Fund Me to make a special gift of what you can afford.
Not convinced so far to help?
I dare you to read the obituary:
KLOMP, Randall J. II was born on October 31st, 2007, also known as Halloween. He passed 16 years later on the 4th of July. He was a kid worth celebrating and he made sure we knew that. Randall was born in Slidell, Louisiana, the son of Randall J. Klomp and Tammy Sue Morris. He was an outstanding student and athlete at Swartz Creek Public Schools where he showed his achievements through his grades and his favorite sport, baseball. His passion was the game of baseball and he never failed to amaze everyone around him with his hard work and discipline for the sport. Earning varsity letters because of his dedication and pure love. Randy also loved gaming and computers. He could do anything he wanted with technology from a very early age. Randy had a heart of gold and a humor that made him one of a kind. He would have done anything for his kittens. No matter how much he grew and how busy life got, he never lost his love for animals. He loved to spend time with his family and his life long best friends, Jonah and Jacob. He was a ray of sunshine and showed everyone around him how positivity can shine bright in a hole of darkness. From Halloween of 2007 until the Fourth of July, 2024 he made an impact to those around him and never failed to put a smile on a face. Surviving are; father, Randall J. Klomp of Swartz Creek; mother, Tammy Sulkowski of Gaines; siblings, Timothy Morris of Kalkaska, Stephanie Bender of East Jordan, and Christopher Arender of Swartz Creek; Grandfather, James Klomp; and Grandmother, Jordan Wilson. He was proceeded in death by: grandparents, Betty and Thomas Campbell; brother, Adam Arender; Uncle, Jeff Morris; Grandmothers, Faith Klomp and Rhonda Klomp. Funeral services will be held 11 AM Saturday, July 13, 2024 at Sharp Funeral Homes, Miller Road Chapel, 8138 Miller Rd., Swartz Creek, MI 48473.
Visitation was Thursday and Friday. Burial will follow at Glen Eden Memorial Park in Livonia,
Tributes may be shared at www.sharpfuneralhomes.com
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Friday, July 12, 2024 Column
Joe Biden needed a powerful performance on stage to welcome nations to the NATO summit.
Then it was last night's big press conference to take questions from the media.
Media reports had spent the last 48 hours telling us how Biden needed to shine to save his political career as a growing number from his own party
Friday, July 12, 2024 Column
Joe Biden needed a powerful performance on stage to welcome nations to the NATO summit.
Then it was last night's big press conference to take questions from the media.
Media reports had spent the last 48 hours telling us how Biden needed to shine to save his political career as a growing number from his own party are calling on President Biden to bow out of the race against Donald Trump.
His fallout after the disaster at the debate continued, however, as the leader of the free world took to the stage with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky as "President Putin" in a gaffe that the media has mostly ignored.
President Putin?
Give Zelensky credit for restraint. You could see in his eyes that he wanted to strangle Biden for calling him by the name of the President of Russia who has been trying to wipe his nation off the face of the earth.
Don't forget that our nation told the Ukraine many years ago that if they gave up their zest for nuclear weapons, we would always be there to protect them. Yet, Biden hasn't kept America's promise.
Zelensky is at the NATO summit begging for help to stave off the Russians.
In my book, it's a gaffe that should ramp up on calls for Biden to get out of the race against Trump if Democrats want to win in November.
Then last night Joe Biden told America why he picked Trump as his Vice President.
If the debate wasn't bad enough, this had to be the last straw for members of Congress who fear losing their re-election bids with Biden at the top of the ticket with his low poll numbers and continued embarrassing gaffes.
The number yesterday was 13 in his party saying he should bow out. It's up to 17 today and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer suggested yesterday, too, that it might not be a bad idea for Uncle Joe to get a cognitive test. If she can convince him to do that today when she sees him during a visit in Detroit, Gretch might just find herself at the top of the ticket soon.
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Thursday, July 11, 2024 Column
The latest scandal for the UAW won't help Joe Biden's chances to beat Donald Trump.
A motion was filed in federal court yesterday for monitor Neil Barofsky to get his hands on key documents related to several investigations into continued wrongdoing at the international offices of the United Auto Workers in De
Thursday, July 11, 2024 Column
The latest scandal for the UAW won't help Joe Biden's chances to beat Donald Trump.
A motion was filed in federal court yesterday for monitor Neil Barofsky to get his hands on key documents related to several investigations into continued wrongdoing at the international offices of the United Auto Workers in Detroit.
Barofsky was the attorney assigned by a federal judge to keep an eye on the UAW after the corruption scandal that resulted in 15 convictions, including Dennis William who was the UAW's president from 2014 to 2018.
It seems Barofsky is asking the federal court to clarify its consent decree with the U.S. Justice Department on whether UAW leaders can withhold what they contend is "confidential and privileged information" being requested by its court-appointed monitor.
With all the corruption and prison sentences, I'm guessing we already know what a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan is gonna say.
It won't be good for Joe Biden who wants union workers in the UAW to trust their leaders who endorsed him. How do UAW workers vote for a guy endorsed by union leaders they continue not to be able to trust?
A report filed last month by Barofsky disclosed an investigation into current UAW President Shawn Fain for alleged retaliation against Secretary-Treasurer Margaret Mock for claims she misused her treasury powers and an unnamed regional director for potential embezzlement.
Now we learn from the Detroit Free Press today that Fain is being accused of steering UAW funds to his fiancee and her sister.
UAW top boss Fain has argued that Barofsky can't see "confidential and privileged information" and I guess any UAW money steered to benefit his fiancee and her sister fits into that category as far as he's concerned.
Whoever is advising Shawn Fain to hide any documents either knows he's guilty or needs a basic lesson in PR 101. After trust in your union is rocked by a scandal where top leaders go to the slammer for stealing UAW funds, you don't let a court-appointed monitor be forced to file in court to get his hands on stuff he wants to see.
It smacks of "guilty" and begs the question of who the next leader will be?
If today's court filing is any indication, Shawn Fain needs new employment soon.
An attorney for the UAW (Harold Gurewitz) wrote in his response to the court filing as follows: "The monitor’s request amounts to a takeover of the UAW’s computer and email systems, giving the monitor access to all of the union’s electronic information."
Yep, I think that's fair after so many previous UAW leaders stole hard-earned money of their workers.
The Detroit Free Press story today said a UAW spokesman "declined to comment on the filing" by Barofsky.
That ought to build trust with your 391,000 active members and more than 580,000 retired members in more than 600 local unions that allows you to sit on assets that total just over $1 billion.
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Sunday, July 7, 2024 Column
Checking out all the tidbits in my Editor's Notebook too short for a column on their own:
UAW WORRIES? It appears trouble is brewing again at the Detroit office headquarters of the International UAW. A court filing reported by the Detroit News says top union officials are not cooperating with the monitor appointed to keep any eye on their books in the aftermath of a scanal where thousands of dollars disappeared when 15 UAW leaders went to prison a few years ago.
FLINT'S TOP GUY A TARGET? More than a few calls and texts came in after my radio show this morning. They were curious for me to talk with Steve Dawes — Executive Director of Flint's regional UAW office near Van Slyke Road and Atherton Road. The curiosity comes amid multiple reports by Detroit media that a Vice President at the International is under investigation as well as one regional director. Dawes is clean. I've heard no rumblings of any investigations into his behavior, and you know I'd hear! But I will ask him his take on the media reports.
ANOTHER TRY? Yet another recall drive is apparently shaping up against Flint's 2nd Ward city councilwoman — Council President Ladel Lewis. A10 am meet-up is scheduled for 4000 Wisner Street in Flint on Saturday, July20 for what is being billed as a "Recall and Rock Rally." The 4000 Wisner address appears to be at the edge of Sarvis Park — the park adopted by Lewis when starting a non-profit organization to support it. So far, there's been a candy giveaway for children at Halloween by her campaign (funded by Ashley Capital before she and her colleagues forked over millions of dollars to them to build something at the old Buick City site) and well, nothing else I know about. But something is gonna happen there. I'm sure that's why Flint's mayor and city council forked over ARPA dollars to her non-profit. I bet some folks would like to use those ARPA funds to finance a recall campaign to send her back to Maryland.
CAMPAIGN TRAIL OBSERVATION: Isn't it funny how supporters are quick to point out good deeds by their favorite politician when re-election time rolls around. Because I stole this tidbit on Facebook and it wasn't sent to me in search of a free PR plug — outgoing Genesee Township Treasurer Tod Sorensen posted this note: — " Yesterday I watched Dan Eashoo, the Genesee Township Supervisor, put on a safety vest and direct traffic after a serious traffic crash in front of the township building. I’ve never seen a Township Supervisor do that before. Would you rather have a Supervisor who leads or divides? Think about that voters." In the sense of fairness, let me know if you see Steve Fuhr out directing traffic any time soon, or maybe fixing a down-on-their luck customer's car free at Kearlsey Auto Repair.
DETROIT TIGERS FEVER: Yeah, I'm catching it. Our Tigers may be 15 games behind first-place Cleveland in the American League's Central Division, but I'm sensing all the losing is over after so many years of lingering near last place. The four-game winning streak was snapped by last night's 9-8 loss to Cleveland after Monday's 1-0 victory over the AL Central leading Guardians. If the Tigers win tonight over Cleveland and again in tomorrow's matinee to wrap up their four-game series at Comerica Park I may dust off my old '68 tune of Go Get 'em Tigers! on my radio show Friday. Let's not get ahead of ourselves but one can be filled with hope. I am.
SAGINAW VALLEY BASKETBALL WARNING: All our local teams in the Saginaw Valley should be aware that Bay City Western has hired a new head basketball coach. He's Will Williams. The Wolves showed promise for the future as he led the last two JV teams. Williams moved up to become varsity assistant a year ago when Bay City Western won more games than any season in 12 years. The 11-13 record was the best since Mr. Basketball Matt Costello was warming up for a Big 10 career at Michigan State. Williams (the school's third varsity leader in three years) replaces P.J. Weaver who left to join the coaching staff at Northwood University in Midland.
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Friday, July 5, 2024 Column
Here are 10 things that really don't matter in life sent to me by a friend. It was borrowed from a podcast known as All Pro Dad:
1. Sports Results
Sports are wonderful means of entertainment. However, taking someone else’s success story and somehow making it our own leaves us with little to show for it. Michael Jordan won a lot of championships, and it sure was fun watching him do it. But the rings are on his fingers, not ours, so strive to be a champion in your own world.
2. Living Up to Unrealistic Expectations
Avoid unrealistic expectations. Sometimes they are external, such as from a parent or a spouse, and sometimes they come from within. In either case, do not waste energy trying to live up to something you are not.
3. Television
Are you going to look back on your life and wish you had watched more TV? Meanwhile, walks aren’t taken, conversations aren’t had, life is neglected. All for the sake of what is mostly mind-numbing and brain-crushing worthless programming. Turn it off and do something.
4. Bitterness
Want to improve your life? Drop all those things you are holding on to that are eating you from the inside out. Instead, spend your time practicing forgiveness.
5. Revenge
As the saying goes, if you are going to seek out revenge, then dig two graves—one for the other person and one for yourself. Instead, spend your life working on building something rather than destroying.
6. Vanity
From personal observation, the more a person needs his or her ego stroked, the less happy he or she is. There comes a point where you must accept and love who and what you are.
7. Technology Obsession
We are bombarded with new and faster ways to share and absorb information. In moderation, technology is extremely helpful in many ways. When abused, it pushes our lives almost into an artificial existence. Does it really matter if you have the latest and greatest product to replace yesterday’s latest and greatest? No, it does not.
8. Fear of Failure
The following is a quote from John Keats: “Don’t be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, in as much as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error, which we shall afterward carefully avoid.” Don’t waste your time fretting about failing.
9. Wealth
There is nothing wrong with having money, but when it becomes the focus of our hearts and minds, it can be damaging. It’s a good idea to be financially responsible, but don’t focus your entire life on having more money or make the pursuit of money your number one goal. It isn’t worth it.
10. False Idols
When I consider what is important in life, I believe our number one priority should be our personal relationships with God. Yet, we surround ourselves with multitudes of false idols—all the things we discussed in this list and plenty more. What are you worshipping? Where is your heart? When you are moments from death, will you be able to look up to God and say, “I’m ready!” Don’t waste any more time on gods that don’t last.
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Wednesday, July 3, 2024 Column
Steve Haney's text hit me hard. The prominent high profile attorney sent word that the Detroit Free Press had just called about a social media post that Bob Carmack had passed away.
It was a matter of minutes before I confirmed it was true. The embattled Detroit businessman lost his battle with cancer.
It began as pancreatic cancer and then spread into his spine last fall.
Up until only a month or so ago, Bob was still calling me every day. Sometimes twice or maybe three times.
It was usually to inspire me to get going on finishing a documentary film project he had been helping me on. My first ever free employee, he called himself.
Of course, our subject was Bob.
It's a documentary film that turned into a documentary film series about Bob's battle against public corruption. Our project was delayed by my congestive heart failure and kidney failure after a minor bout with COVID landed me 14 months in dialysis to stay alive until a kidney transplant on Dec. 29.
I just made it back on the radio two days ago when I'm told Bob went into hospice.
Too many tears of sadness prevent me from finishing now on what will be the most in-depth glimpse into Bob's life that you will read.
Tomorrow is the 4th of July and it's only fitting to drop this bombshell on the very day we celebrate America's birthday. Forget your favorite fireworks display. Bob Carmack's gift to fight public corruption was arming me with ammunition to show how the bad guys control our tax dollars.
It's the biggest bomb to be dropped tomorrow as fireworks displays dominate the landscape.
Stay tuned.
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Monday, July 1, 2024 Column
George Moss came off looking like a genius of sorts after his appearance on The Morning Gazette Radio Show earlier today. It wasn't two hours later that the United State Supreme Court handed down its decision — saying Presidents have immunity.
George, a former long-time professor at the University of Michigan-Flint, is a constitutional scholar who made it clear on my radio show that the justices had no choice but to follow the law. George recited the articles and sections within the constitution that essentially means all these criminal cases against him are going out the window rather Democrats like it or not.
He also went on record to assure that he thinks Joe Biden is staying on the ticket.
The fallout continues since last Thursday's debate as one after one, prominent Democrats around American are coming out in unison to suggest that Biden step aside.
One factor that clinched it for me that George's prediction may prove true is something I just thought about: Campaign finance rules
How does he steer $250 million in his campaign war chest to someone else? It's not possible. The law won't allow it.
Many names have been bantered about as possible replacements if Biden did agree to step aside, including Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, California Governor Gavin Newsome and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Former national Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus said on ABC TV right after last week's debate that "Gretchen Whitmer should stay by her phone because the Democrats may be calling her."
If her daddy can loan her money and get around campaign finance laws, Gretchen may be the only player in the field who can come up with enough cash at this late date to make a serious run at stopping Donald Trump from returning to the White House. Gretchen's daddy is rich.
He's the former head of Blue Cross / Blue Shield for 30 years and a prominent businessman in many other ventures.
I've searched and searched on the topic.
It seems to me that Gretchen's daddy may be able to get around campaign finance laws by guaranteeing a bank loan for his little girl.
The Clintons and Obamas went to the White House without millions, yet book deals and speeches turned their families into multi millionaires. It's a good bet a bank could count on getting its money back when Gretchen hits it big. How could she lose to Donald Trump with her entire party united around her in a big green deal initiative to rid our nation of gas engines and to fix climate change fears.
Anyway, daddy is good for it if Americans reject all her green talk.
For the record, Gretch has so far supported Biden in public and rebuffed overtures that she replace him on the top of the ticket. She's featured right now on mid-Michigan TV stations touting all she's done by building battery plants in her state to support the Biden administration's push to replace gas engines with electric vehicles. The commercials are paid for by a California climate change PAC.
She's lying about putting a charge in electric cars because no battery plants have been built yet.
So we can assume she's lying, too, about wanting to be President.
Actually we cam simply read her forthcoming memoir and clearly see she has some President-sized ambitions. he book closes with an excerpt from Teddy Roosevelt’s famous speech The Man in the Arena where he extols all to strive for greatness. "Though these words were written more than a hundred years ago, they're just as true today — except for two things. The 'man' may be a woman. And she may just be wearing fuchsia,” Whitmer writes.
Her "green revolution" within Michigan has now extended, too, to off-road vehicles as she unveiled the nation’s first free network of public ORV chargers in the western Upper Peninsula. They cover only a small fraction of the state’s trail network but she notes how it’s a "start."
Kinda like her commercial saying her state is leading the way in the electric vehicle push by creating thousands of jobs with all her battery plants which have not yet arrived.
Isn't it strange how Biden's wife, Jill, is booked to visit Traverse City on Wednesday. Do you suppose she has any private talks set up with the Big Gretch?
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Friday, June 28, 2024 Column
America's choice for leader of the free world has created a sad state of affairs for the greatest country on earth.
Joe Biden is too confused to be left alone to wander the streets — let alone be on the national stage with millions watching on TV. The current President didn't seem to know what planet he's on and there he was trying to answer questions about issues important to our nation in the first of two scheduled debates against Donald Trump.
Trump spewed lies unchecked by Biden or CNN's two moderators — Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. Forget that he's facing possible prison time after 34 felony convictions in a Manhattan court room where facing allegations that he paid off a porn star and paid off a former Playboy "Playmate of the Year" to hide affairs from voters during the 2016 campaign. Forget that he also faces other felony charges in three different states. Forget that he was sentenced in a civil court for sexually harassing a woman who wants him to put up on a $83.3 million judgment. Forget that he is also suspended from doing business in the State of New York after being ordered to pay a $325 million fine in a massive civil fraud case.
CNN says this morning that Trump made more than 30 false claims during CNN’s presidential debate last night (June 27, 2024). The Associated Press noted how "Biden, who tends to lean more on exaggerations and embellishments rather than outright lies, misrepresented the cost of insulin and overstated what Trump said about using disinfectant to address COVID. "
It seems Trump can't help himself when it comes to making up his own facts.
Anybody who believes he didn't sleep with a porn star and Playboy centerfold should be checked in to have their mental faculties evaluated.
Speaking of mental faculties, doesn't it bother every American how leaders in other countries are looking at us with a staggering, mumbling man of absolute confusion being allowed to remain in charge as President of the United States?
Reince Priebus, former head of the national Republican Party and ex-Chief of Staff for Trump before being pushed out, weighed in with the best comment of the night while on an ABC TV panel analyzing the debate afterward last night. Just seconds after the debate ended, Priebus quipped: "Gretchen Whitmer: Stay around your phone tomorrow because the Democrats may be calling you to find a replacement on their candidate for President.
CNN aired a special program earlier this year proclaiming that Biden should be replaced at the top of the ticket by Michigan's governor. Polls at the time showed Biden was behind Trump in every state. A Special Prosecutor investigating Biden taking home sensitive "top secret" documents to his garage in Delaware shocked the nation by announcing its reason for refusing to prosecute him — describing Biden as a "well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."
Politico may have put things into perspective best for Democrats. The headline in a story today proclaimed: "Playbook: Democrats wake up to a nightmare"
Politico's article analyzing the debate began this way: "The mass panic among Democrats began last night about 12 minutes into the debate.
President Joe Biden was answering a question about the national debt. He confused trillionaires and billionaires but corrected himself quickly. He stumbled over millions and billions but again fixed it. Then he started to tick off the things he could pay for with his tax plan: paying down the debt, child care, elder care, strengthening the health care system. Then something went wrong. As he reached for a final example, he lost his train of thought, stumbled around and then just paused while staring at the floor. When he popped his head up, it seemed like he had recovered his thought. Instead, he blurted out this nonsensical line: 'We finally beat Medicare!”'
I predicted a year ago that Biden and Trump wouldn't make it through their party conventions this summer. Anybody who watched last night's debate won't wager with me on that fact.
Someone feed my column into one of those AI gadgets and fact check the odds on my hunch. Last night my prediction seemed on target to come true.
America can't elect either one of these clowns.
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Thursday, June 27, 2024 Column
My recent Editor's Notebook columns are getting some national attention.
The New York Times has called. So, too, have Detroit media outlets. Local TV stations have reported the story although only WJRT ABC 12 TV featured comments by the organizer of the picket demonstration (Jennifer Arrand Stainton) last week outside a political fundraiser for Mundy Township Supervisor Tonya Ketzler
Nothing but crickets out of MLive and The Flint Journal though. We will see how later today how View Newspapers reports on the controversial picket demonstration last week by protesters angry about the proposed development at the Mega Site location in Mundy Township on a 1,200-acre location bordering Linden Road, Jennings Road, Elms Road and Maple Road.
Michigan News Source quoted by column in a story today about a proposed $250 million gift of our state tax dollars to the Flint Genesee Group to build something on the Mega Site. No details. They need the money first before they tell us what the plan is out there.
It's nice to see some statewide attention focused on Governor Gretchen Whitmer's budget. I don't like my tax dollars going to support building plants to support the electric vehicle industry. Gretchen's current TV commercials make me sick.
They're paid for by a climate change PAC out of California. They admitted to me there was a major donor out of our area to make the TV commercials happen on our local TV air waves.
Any guess on who the donor may have been?
By the way, Gretchen proclaims that Michigan is leading the charge with battery plants across out state employing thousands. Um, no battery plants have been built yet.
Gretchen should also check with the Battery Plant Manufacturers Association of the United States. The average battery plant in our country employs an average of 92 people.
If it's a chip building factory headed to Mundy Township, the numbers are worse for jobs. They average 48 employees. Comments from CEO Tim Herman's representative on all this garbage have led us to believe thousands of jobs are coming.
Why not locate them at vacant old GM plants in Flint? Or is all the pollution that comes with them too much for a city where its water was poisoned 10 years ago? Time to poison people around the Mega Site location out in Mundy Township?
A battery plant or chip building plant would produce thousands of gallons worth of toxins. Do they just drain them into the groundwater to ruin the properties of neighbors?
There are environmental experts warning that extensive use of ultra pure water would lead to draining Lake Huron and eventually end its use as a water supply for so many Michigan communities. Ask Atlanta how the impact from similar plants has destroyed their water supply.
and contaminated nearby properties.
Are we ready for another Flint water crisis? Are we ready for another Berlin & Farro catastrophe?
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Wednesday, June 26, 2024 Column
Chief Matt Bade sat mostly mute two days ago as residents took turns taking shots at his Metro Police Authority during a meeting of the Mundy Township Board of Trustees.
He invited residents to attend today's Police Commission meeting to air complaints and ask him questions.
And a half dozen or so showed up to do so.
Jennifer Arrand Stainton, organizer of a picket demonstration last week outside a political fundraiser of Mundy Township Supervisor Tonya Ketzler, complained to Chief Bade and the seven Police Commission board members about "nine cop cars" being dispatched to "discourage the picketers from being there" to show opposition against a proposed development at a 1,200-acre Mega Site bordering Linden Road, Jennings Road, Elms Road and Maple Road.
Chief Bade attempted to immediately provide answers to citizen Leah Davis after her comments critical of the way police officers behaved. He was shouted down by audience members, however, after being told by Stainton he was "out of order by interrupting public comment."
Swartz Creek Mayor Dave Krueger, who is Chairman of the Police Committee, told Chief Bade he would let him speak after public comment was finished. He also allowed Mundy Township Manager Chad Young to speak after public comment despite the agenda calling for public speaking to be followed by board member comments from the Police Committee.
Flint Township community activist Jerry Roberts was at the meeting because his neighborhood is near the border where the Mega Site sits. He noted, "Roberts Rules of Order requires a vote to change the agenda. It appears they just make up the rules to benefit themselves."
Roberts was miffed that Krueger refused to allow attorney Dan Andoni to have a second turn at speaking to respond after Young's comments.
Attorney Andoni had earlier told board members they were not following the agenda and also in violation of the Michigan Open Meetings Act requiring agenda packets to be available to the public for inspection before voters are taken. "It's like you are operating in secret," said Andoni who also complained that audience members could not hear board members speaking because they did not use microphones.
Krueger said the Police Committee is not accustomed to having so many residents show up at its meetings. "If we knew a crowd like this was coming, we would have used a different room or used microphones," he said.
Chief Bade took a second attempt at answering questions after the audience members were finished complaining about how police handled the protest event.
Chief Bade declared, "I'm in charge" to reject accusations he was "taking orders" from Ketzler when dispatching police patrols last week when picketers staged their protest.
Chief Bade told Stainton he called her because her name was on the flyer. He says he saw a flyer about "crashing the party" of Ketzler's fundraiser and added: "I had heard Flint people were coming and we wanted to be proactive in case 200 people showed up."
Township Manager Young chimed in that he was once part of a picket where police arrested protesters and he didn't want to see a riot in Mundy Township by Flint residents.
Three community activists organizing picketers told me none of their recruits showed up because of Facebook comments suggesting there would be a "strong police presence." They tell me there are more than 42,000 outstanding warrants in Flint, so leaving the city limits is dangerous if confronting police anywhere else in Genesee County.
The picket protest organized by Stainton had a two-fold reason behind it as I see it. She's running against Ketzler for the township's top job and she's among 2,100 members of a Facebook group opposing a plant to support the electric vehicle industry on the proposed development at the Mega Site.
The Flint Genesee Group has already bagged more than $10 million in tax dollars to develop something out there. CEO Tim Herman was approved two weeks ago for $250 million more by the Michigan Strategic Fund and final approval may happen before the end of the week. The State House Appropriations Committee voted 17-9 on Thursday (June 20, 2024) to move the bill to the House floor as part of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's budget. She would apparently then sign the budget into law after it clears both the House and Senate chambers.
Stainton has questioned the claim that thousands of jobs are coming to the Mega Site and she noted numerous environmental concerns.
But she's now vowing to take her complaints to the Genesee County Sheriff's Department and the Michigan State Police
Chief Bade made a pretty good attempt at defending his department's actions, saying he contacted the owner of Gateway Center which he claims is private property.
My question to his board was that if it's private property, how can they condone police patrols there? Protesters say Chief Bade dispatched 9 cop cars (I counted 7) buzzing around the roads inside the Gateway Center to keep picketers from parking at businesses.
I cited a state statute prohibiting police patrols on private roads and a 2011 bill approved by the state legislature to permit owners of private roads to petition cities, villages and townships for police patrols if they can strike a financial deal.
Otherwise, 911 calls or a police investigation into a crime are the only reasons why police can be on private property. Period. It's the law.
So if the owner of Gateway Center told Chief Bade he didn't want picketers parking on business parking lots inside his development, isn't Meijer located next to Gateway Center and isn't the Lafontaine dealership across the street?
Yet at least one cruiser was parked across from the picket demonstration on Hill Road at all times, sometimes two of them. And yet police confronted "suspected" picketers in the Meijer parking lot.
Stainton said she talked to a Meijer official who said it was okay for anyone to park in their parking lot and that people "always do." I've talked with two business owners who say they had no problem with the idea, but police told them it was not to be allowed.
Last time I checked landlord law, any business leasing an office from the owner at Gateway Center is under the jurisdiction of certain rights by state law. The landlord has no right to come on their property unannounced and he certainly can't tell them who can use their parking lot.
Chief Bade ought to know this. Many years ago, he was one of two Burton officers who showed up on my property that was being rented out to a minister. He kept making promises to pay his rent until the bill exceeded $3,000. He slammed the door in my face and told me to get off "his" property when trying to collect the overdue rent.
I broke down my door and he called Burton police when I threatened to beat his ass if my money wasn't delivered in 30 minutes.
Bade and another officer arrived shortly thereafter and explained to me that it was "his" door and "his" property until I went to court and got an eviction to throw him out.
So Chief Bade understands landlord law.
Nice try on your explanation about getting around not being able to patrol on private property by saying you talked with the owner of Gateway Center. He just doesn't have authority to speak for his tenants. That's the law.
My suggestion is to issue an apology to avoid the ACLU or some other law firm slapping a lawsuit on your department as Stainton has said may happen. Issue an apology in writing and be sure to include a clause that "Flint people" are welcome. Some suggest to me that's code for "black people are not wanted in Mundy Township." Then total the hours for police patrols (whether it was 7 or 9 officers), add up how much gas cost at $3.89 per gallon that day and write a refund to the taxpayers.
If you are in charge Chief Bade, do it.
Otherwise, I have three applicants with State Police command staff experience who tell me they'd like to apply for your job after you are fired or forced to resign in disgrace.
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Tuesday, June 25, 2024 Column
Mundy Township Supervisor Tonya Ketzler told me to sit down because I was out of order when trying to speak out at Monday's board meeting.
A few things were on my mind about how picketers were treated during a protest last week outside her political fundraiser at Redwood Lodge off Hill Road in the Gateway Center complex.
Protesters complained that 9 cop cars (I counted only 7) were dispatched there to keep protesters from picketing inside the Gateway Center area because it was private property.
I told board members that police patrols are not allowed on private property. That's the law.
I penned a letter earlier Monday to invite Chief Matt Bade of the Metro Police Authority to appear on The Morning Gazette Radio Show on July 1 to explain his decision to send so much police presence. I also asked to hear any 911 calls that led to his decision to dispatch so many cruisers to the area.
He vowed to give answers to public speakers if they attend the 11 am Police Commission meeting on Wednesday (June 26, 2024).
I will take him on the offer to quiz him in front of his board of political leaders from Mundy Township and the City of Swartz Creek.
Let's see if he and friend Jack Belzer (Mundy Township's attorney) can come up with a good explanation to defend what appear to me to be illegal police patrols on a private road.
Or let me hear 911 calls from business owners who complained that they didn't want protesters parking at their businesses.
If Chief Bade tells me Belzer authorized the police patrols despite what the law says, I'm gonna ignore such advice. I appealed to him on Monday night when Ketzler shut me down. She said my 5-minute comment portion needed to be specific to an agenda item. She said I could have 3 minutes at the end of the meeting.
I tried to tell her then that my comments were specific to the agenda but she cut me off and rudely sent me back to my seat in the audience.
When getting a second chance to speak, I explained that I had prepared a 5-minute speech and again appealed to Belzer to let me do as I had originally intended. The township rules say the 5-minute time allotment must be in regard to one of the agenda items highlighted in red.
I told Belzer my topic was specific to item IV on the agenda regarding a report by Chief Bade for the Metro Police Authority. I wanted to hear explanations in his report. He eventually would have no report. He's trying to make national news by hassling picketers at a protest, yet he has no report about it?
Ketzler shut me down after saying "I rise tonight in anticipation of hearing explanations from Chief Bade in his report set forth within your agenda ... "
She ordered me to my seat as I tried to cite section IV of the agenda which listed a report by Metro Police Authority Chief Bade.
I noted for the board that if they're depending on sound advice from Belzer, they might read the Supreme Court decision regarding Bisio vs. Clarkston. It's a decision which affirmed the 1976 Michigan Open Meetings Act that essentially guarantees citizen rights to every piece of paper on a government employee's desk, unless it's specific to something discussed at an executive session or dealing with HIPPA law violations of personnel. A seething 37-page opinion talked to township attorneys such as Belzer.
Clarkston tried to hide a confidential document with a developer. Sound familiar Mr. Belzer?
Extensive fees to produce it with redactions is what Leah Davis faced when trying to uncover such documents regarding the proposed development at the Mega Site — a 1,200 acre location bordering Linden Road, Elms Road, Jenings Road and Maple Road. She also didn't get the document in 5 days as required by law. An extension was never sought by township officials.
They eventually told her she needed more than $500 to prepare it. I'm not sure you can charge that for pushing "send" because there can't be any executive session discussions about the topic that need redactions because the redactions because there can't be any. Period.
"For their redactions," she said about the fee they tried to charge her prior to filing a lawsuit to get her hands on all the documents she wants to see.
I told Belzer he will win his court action to get a summary judgment to dismiss the case as frivolous because Davis didn't use an attorney and failed to cite the proper laws to win her case.
That doesn't make it right that Belzer didn't follow the edict set forth within Bisio vs. Clarkston when the Michigan Press Association stepped in to prove a point about Freedom of Information Act requests. Give 'em up! Everything done by government officials is for the residents they work for, and Mundy Township board members should keep that in mind as they go forward.
Trustee Kyle Ward broke from their ranks and announced Monday night that he was with the angry citizens opposed to the Mega Site. See Related Story
I think it's time for attorney Belzer to also break from the ranks of his bosses on the township board and do the right thing on surrendering documents requested by Davis' FOIA request. He also needs to explain the law to Chief Bade about police patrols on private roads being illegal.
A 2011 bill by the State Legislature allowed owners of private roads to petition their local municipality to negotiate patrols in return for financial arrangements. Otherwise, police can respond only to 911 calls or do investigations on crimes on private property. That's the law, Mr. Belzer.
As I asked Monday night, do I need to go to court to prove my point?
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Sunday, June 23, 2024 Column
It's been a week now since another mass shooting in Oakland County.
A gunman fired off more than 40 rounds to wound nine people at a splash pad in Rochester Hills, including an 8-year-old and a 4-year-old. The older boy remains in critical condition and it's a miracle that there were no fatalities.
The latest tragedy came with our state still reeling from the mass shooting at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021 that resulted in four deaths and national attention when the young shooter's parents were charged and convicted for buying their child a gun while ignoring obvious signs of mental illness.
One of my grandsons was playing in a travel baseball tournament down the road in Shelby Township last weekend. Saturday between games, some older siblings of his teammates were shopping around for an adult to take them to that very splash pad. They wanted to have some fun and cool off in the 90-plus heat. Fortunately, all their parents refused to let them go.
A different decision would have left these families scarred forever — either as shooting victims or from the terror of witnessing the tragic mass shooting.
We need gun law reforms. We need mandatory waiting periods after more extensive background checks. Nobody needs an assault rifle machine gun unless they want to join the United States military to protect our nation, or to become a police officer.
Now a week later, none of the politicians are talking anymore about fixing our gun laws.
It happens that way every time.
President Joe Biden had a speech last week about America needing to ban assault rifles. "If you need a machine gun for hunting, you are a terrible shot," he said. "Nobody needs an assault rifle unless they want to kill people. We owe it to the victims of gun violence, their families and the future of our country to continue to fight for a future without senseless gun violence."
Amen.
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Friday, June 21, 2024 Column
Heads need to roll at the Metro Police Authority of Genesee County. If not, I'm ready to lead a campaign to close down the recently formed force to patrol the City of Swartz Creek and Mundy Township. I guess we just can't use picket signs to do it.
Protesters against a proposed mega site for a 1,200-acre location in Mundy Township showed up with picket signs last night. They tried to set up outside Redwood Lodge where Mundy Township Supervisor Tonya Ketzler was hoping for $1,250 contributions to support her bid for re-election during a political fundraiser.
As promised in this space yesterday, I showed up to check out the protest show.
By the time I arrived, nobody was holding picket signs around the entrance to Redwood Lodge. I'm told officers from the Metro Police Authority were dispatched to chase away anybody who wanted to picket. Witnesses say nine cop cars were waiting for them. I only counted seven but either number is ridiculous.
Jennifer Arrand Stainton, organizer of the event and candidate to end Tonya Ketzler's political career, was so angry that she rented a hotel room to field interviews from media around the state when police tried to chase her away.
"They told us picketing isn't allowed," she said. "I guess Mundy Township and a few other places in Michigan are not part of America anymore now that our Governor (Gretchen Whitmer) is giving them over a billion dollars of our taxes to build plants for companies in Communist China, Taiwan and South Korea. They told us it was private property and we couldn't be on the streets or park at any of the businesses because they had complained."
Hmmm.
I'd like to hear audio of a single 911 caller that generated this mass police presence.
If you need someone arrested for a clear crime the Metro Police Authority didn't have time to help you with, give me a call at (810) 771-8421. If you can prove to me he or she is guilty, I'm willing to take you with me to the Mundy Township meeting Monday night and demand they go get your alleged criminal before the meeting is over and slap handcuffs on him.
All the protesters were chased up to the Hill Road area entrance to Gateway Center. Seven cop cars were buzzing around to hassle anybody who looked like a potential picketer. They were ordered not to park at businesses.
Again, just one 911 call please to prove someone complained. I talked to several who said, "Hey, we're closed by then. Sure. No problem."
In fact, I rode around with Flint community activist Arthur Woodson who stopped his shiny black truck to chat with a few. He talked to cops, too.
It seems Tonya ordered all this, according to my interviews and his quick poll. If you want to try to illegally stop a picket protest, you probably shouldn't share who is behind it with cops who are typically pretty truthful characters.
"I'd call it weaponizing the police," said Jerry Roberts who is a frequent critic of Flint Township government. He says he has been involved in the mega site issue because it's near his property. Read Related Column Yesterday
Stainton says she complained to the Genesee County Sheriff's Department about the tactics, but says "she got no help."
She says she now plans to talk with State Police on Monday and is considering a class action lawsuit. A Facebook page by protesters has 2,100 members. Community activists from Flint were also planning to join the picket demonstration until reading comments about "expecting a police presence."
"It was clear they didn't want black people out there, so I stayed home, and no, you can't use my name," said one Flint resident who said he's outraged over Governor Whitmer giving more than $260 million Flint Genesee Group President Tim Herman when Flint water crisis victims got no justice with anyone going to jail for poisoning their city 10 years ago.
"We have 1,900 homes that still don't have their pipes fixed 10 years later," he added. "How would you like to live without water to drink or take a shower with? Yet Gretchen can give away a billion dollars to people promising to build some plants with big promises to create jobs, but to possibly create another Flint water crisis on steroids!"
Why did he want to stay anonymous? His explanation was simple: "Because I don't want nine cop cars showing up at my place in the hood to haul me to jail like they did with Art Woodson in Flint the other night for filming a city council meeting with a tripod after he spoke out against Tim Herman on this mega site project."
Woodson said: "Tim Herman is a racist. You can quote me on that. So are whoever these political people are behind stopping this protest out here (in Mundy Township)."
Flint community activist Rich Jones said he didn't know about the event soon enough to deliver a massive turnout by Flint residents. He said, "Plus people were scared when they started reading comments on Facebook about the police waiting for us out there. They can't fix Flint but they can give all that money to Tim Herman to build something for the Chinese out in Mundy Township? Give Flint that money and watch how many good-paying jobs we could create over at the abandoned Buick City site or the old AC Spark Plug site. We need to take bus loads of people to protest this in Lansing."
Yours truly expressed excitement from this space and on my radio show when the Mundy Township Police Department and City of Swartz Creek Police Department were dissolved a few years ago to form the new Metro Police Authority.
Our community would miss long-time Swartz Creek Chief Rick Clolinger anyway because he was ready to retire, so the timing was right. New leadership was also needed in my opinion for Mundy Township's police department for many more reasons than the "political" arrest of Mateen Cleaves who was eventually cleared of phony rape charges. It was also refreshing to see long-time Burton cop Matt Bade win the sweepstakes to get the top job. He's one of the finest police officers to patrol the streets in our Metro Flint regional area.
I once helped Burton police officers get a millage passed to pay them better and hire them some friends to fight crime. So I'm not an anti cop kind of guy. And when I say Matt Bade is a good man, I have lots who will support that fact.
But if he ordered what happened over at the Gateway Center last night, he needs to go back to enjoying retirement. If he took orders from Mundy Township Supervisor Tonya Ketzler or bowed to pressures by anyone else, Matt Bade needs to go away. He isn't police chief material.
Count on Chief Bade being invited to appear on my radio show to explain how this was allowed to happen in America.
Call our office line at (810) 771-8421 if you want to leave me a question to ask the Chief.
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Thursday, June 20, 2024 Column
I'm not even back on the air yet and one local politician already fired off a nasty e-mail response to my request to talk to her about what's going on in her community. "I won't go on your show," she declared twice among several texts via Messenger.
Tonya Ketzler has a big fundraiser tonight at Redwood Lodge off Hill Road, near U.S. 23. She wants to be re-elected as Mundy Township Supervisor. She is completing her first term after previously serving as the township clerk.
Her first term as township leader ends in November and my grade for her performance so far would be an absolute "F" grade.
I first me Tonya when she operated flower stores known as Ketzler Florist. She once had locations on Hill Road in Mundy Township, Grand Blanc and Swartz Creek. All the stores are now closed up.
She was once an occasional guest at a "Mafia Club" dinner group of community leaders. I think her last visit was when she voiced opposition one night outside on the patio at Flint Golf Club about comments I made on the radio blasting her police department for arresting Mateen Cleaves on a phony charge that had big time political overtones. Let's just say the only folks who needed to be charged and thrown in prison as far as I'm concerned were some local chiefs, a few cops and several from the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
I predicted to her that the case would be dismissed. She was outraged, especially so when everyone at the table agreed with my assessment of things.
Frank Manley, one of America's very best defense lawyers, indeed won a dismissal at the preliminary exam stage — something of a rare event in court rooms. It essentially means he proved to a judge that the prosecutors and police had no evidence to charge Mateen Cleaves.
Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton recused his office, yet our local taxpayers got stuck with the bill as Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy staged an all-out war to put Mateen in prison. Don't let any facts get in the way of some positive big time PR. She was coming off a national scandal in the media over thousands of untested rape kits her office was sitting on. She wanted to look "tough on rape" by going after Mateen. The problem was that Flint's once national champion basketball player at MSU wasn't guilty.
My investigation proved that before Frank Manley ever staged an all-star performance to get all the charges dropped at the preliminary exam. Worthy appealed and former Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Archie Hayman overturned the district court decision by former Judge Cathy Dowd. She was eventually justified in her decision when a jury awarded a not guilty verdict.
Where does Mateen go to get his reputation back? He lost his job as an analyst on TV with the Detroit Pistons. CBS dumped him from the March Madness panel on pre-game, halftime and post-game shows. A charity he used to help hundreds of children was damaged. Who wants to hire a guy accused of rape?
Prominent lawyers reached out to me about getting their hands on Mateen's case. All of them predicted a multi million dollar case against Tonya's police department and Kym Worthy's office. I passed on the information to Frank Manley but Mateen walked away. It probably had something to do with not putting his family through more media attention. The only thing Mateen was guilty of was cheating on his wife, yet she sat in the front row at almost every day of the trial . He spoke to the media with his beautiful wife at his side.
He eventually thanked God for clearing his name and not sending him to prison for 10 years. I think he needed to thank Frank Manley and his brother Mike Manley most of all, and he did pass out rave reviews to them for their hard work on his behalf.
Tonya dodged a bullet on the Mateen case. It could have bankrupted the township, in my opinion, depending on how their insurance policy is set up. The bad publicity alone of her police costing the township thousands of dollars would have doomed her political career.
She's now apparently in hot water with residents who don't like a proposed mega site bordered by Linden Road, Jennings Road, and Elms Road and Maple Road. Tim Herman, President of the Flint Genesee Group, has been given grants by Governor Gretchen Whitmer of $1.2 million, $9.2 million and $250 million to build something there. They will let us know what it is after they get the rest of the money.
Governor Gretchen, according to media reports, has now given out more than a billion dollars to build factories to support the push for electric vehicles. She's currently featured in a TV commercial flooding the local air waves about how Michigan is leading the charge with battery plants across Michigan bringing thousands of jobs to our state because of her efforts. She doesn't mention that not a single job has been created yet because not a single plant is operating yet.
So all these plants around Michigan — funded by our tax dollars — can be owned by companies from South Korea, Taiwan or Communist China? I say let them pollute their own part of the world. Ask Atlanta how they like battery factories and semiconductor chip making factories. The city notified factory owners some time ago that they've almost drained the water supply there.
It takes 22,000 gallons of water to cool down a single chip and rinse away all the toxins. So where do the toxins go? The climate change folks pushing to do away with gas engines are worried about the climate — just not draining out water supply and ruining the groundwater with poison toxins for homes around the mega site. A battery factory is also a huge offender of polluting the soil of their neighbors with their runoff of toxins.
I might mention that claims of creating thousands of jobs to support the EV industry is hogwash. The average battery factory in the U.S. employs 92 people. That's a fact from the Battery Manufacturers Association of the United States. Jobs in battery factories have declined by 2.1% over the last five years and the estimate is that they will employ between 10% and 15% fewer people over the next five years.
Dealers say they can't sell electric cars. The average American can't afford them yet. If a battery goes bad, it's almost as much as a new car to replace it.
Plus, answer this for me. The federal government was handing out warnings earlier this week because of the extreme heat. We were told to conserve using air conditioning because the overload on power grids may short-circuit us into darkness. That's with EVs making up less than 1% of registered vehicles in most US states, and accounting for less than 1% of all vehicles sold in the country in all of 2023. So what would happen if the climate change PAC funding Gretchen's local TV commercials gets their way and we do away with gas-powered engines for our vehicles?
We pollute our soil around the plant for a man-made disaster that will make the Flint water crisis look like a little league event. We drain the water supply over the next five years, so then what?
So if the average battery plant employs only 92 people and only 24,340 are currently employed by 500 chip factories around the USA, how are we to believe these claims that thousands of jobs will be created in Mundy Township? My math computes to about 48 jobs for a chip factory and 92 for a battery factor. The trade-off is ruining our earth with these plants to save the earth from being ruined by gas engines?
With $260 million of our tax dollars going to Tim Herman's non-profit group?
Yeah, Tonya expect me to see you tonight at your fundraiser. I won't be paying $1,250 for a dinner to chip in for your campaign. Anybody who does should have their business boycotted by our residents of the Metro Flint regional area.
I will be out front talking to the good people with picket signs.
So you don't want to go on my radio show to defend your part in all this? Well, I have list of former politicians who can tell you how that went for them. Talk to your residents by answering media questions — especially from The Morning Gazette Radio Show — or go back to being a flower store lady.
I hear you hired one of ex Burton Mayor Paula Zelenko's folks to work in your office. Ask her how her old boss liked the public pressure when we turned the attention of our microphones on her goofy leadership ways. My investigation led to State Police asking Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton for a warrant on felony charges of changing a union document to reward her campaign manager with a big raise for a union position as Chief of Staff. State Police alleged that she changed the document from "is a union position" to "is not a union position."
The State Police investigation confirmed our declaration that the document didn't match old contracts of other former union members after she presented it to her Burton City Council. They voted 7-0, by the way, to demand a State Police investigation into my radio show claims. The six-year statute on that crime has almost run out, yet Prosecutor Leyton still has the document sitting on his desk. That's the comment on about a half dozen times I've asked Chief Deputy Prosecutor John Potbury about it .
Better yet. Read the recent story in the Detroit News about Prosecutor Leyton ignoring warrants from State Police troopers he called "liars" who were "too unreliable to put on the witness stand." The episode was touched off by our push to have former Flint Township Clerk Kathy Funk arrested for tampering with ballots. She pleaded guilty, yet got probation and was ordered to write an apology. Yet five elections were impacted by her illegal actions?
By the way, why is Prosecutor Leyton allowed to have the biggest campaign sign possible on Linden Road a few months before signs are allowed? I guess he won't want to charge himself for violating the state law that sets forth that it must be 45 days before election day. Campaign finance laws also require a posting on who paid for the sign. That's the law.
I guess the law doesn't matter around here. Ask Mateen Cleaves. Ask Burton residents who wanted Mayor Zelenko locked up. Ask all the hundreds who called my show and wrote letters demanding that Kathy Funk be locked up.
Yeah, I can't wait to get back on the radio.
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
Wednesday, June 19, 2024 Column
I'm excited about getting back on the radio air waves. Our team will plug Metro Flint News/Talk Radio back into its 24/7 streaming live position via internet radio on July 1.
Over the next 12 days as we prepare for launch day, my goal is to get back into the habit of pumping out an Editor's Notebook every day to keep my readers abreast of what's going on around us across the Metro Flint regional area.
My columns have often been my radio show opens over the years, and I've missed sharing my thoughts with you. It's been a long journey back for me after 14 months on dialysis and 5 months of recovery following a 15-day stay at UM Hospital in Ann Arbor for a life-saving kidney transplant. I've missed serving as a local "watch dog" over your tax dollars with my radio show work and this column via our online daily newspaper — The Daily Gazette.
Hey, I made many promises to God to be able to be blessed to write this column today. As I seriously pondered death, not once did I worry about where I'm headed. In fact, I had one dream about standing at the pearly gates inside Heaven. Saint Peter was holding his clip board and told me there was a big asterisk beside my name.
"Hey, Mr. Killbreath. God wants to have a little chat with you. Let me get him."
I was a bit nervous but excited to meet God. as he proclaimed: "Hey, man, I've had lots and lots of prayers about you Mike!" It was very satisfying to hear and I told him I knew more than 100 churches had been praying for me after I posted on Facebook about my 10:30 pm call on Dec. 28, 2023 to be in Ann Arbor for a transplant the next morning at 5 am.
I'm nearing a goal to read every last e-mail, text and note via Messenger. I'm a ways away, however, from listening to every last phone message. I'm truly blessed to have so many friends and so many people who cared enough to say a prayer for me.
Thousands of well wishers and hundreds of prayers were sent up to keep me around for my beautiful angel of a wife, our 4 children and 5 grandchildren. But here I was in my dream — standing at the pearly gates to Heaven.
God laughed when introducing himself and said, "All the prayers were impressive but you were still on the list. It was your time. But you must be doing some good work down there. I had prayers from all the crooked politicians in your county but they were praying for you to die and leave them alone! You get back down there. You have more work to do."
I promised God I'd ramp up my fight to rid our community — and the nation — of crooked politicians. He delivered an opportunity for me to do a new weekly national TV show, so the big man upstairs is obviously expecting some big things out of me. Today was my 4th straight day up at 4 am. Three 21-hour days in a row to go back at it full time. I'm on a mission!
I need to get back to busting the crooks and exposing them by handing out my traditional bushel of rotten apples.
The equally enjoyable part of my job as a columnist and radio show host, however, has always been my habit of handing out bouquets of roses to local folks who deserve getting a public salute for doing "good works" in our community. Handing out my bushel of rotten apples to all the crooked politicians often leads to an end to their political careers if they don't fix their mistakes and vow to do better in a convincing fashion to my thousands of listeners.
We need to get back to seeing more of them go to prison when we expose their wrongdoings. That's where my listeners and readers come in.
I vow to share phone numbers to all of you can make their phones ring with outrage until they go away in handcuffs.
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Mike Killbreath appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning newspaper columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.
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