Kochville: Gag on This

What’s going on in Kochville, Michigan? Well, plenty it seems.

First up, come recent news reports that the township board of trustees voted to gag it’s own elected members to stop them from talking to reporters or risk being “fired†from office.

According to the policy that the board approved February 21 – just three weeks before National Sunshine Week – trustees who talk with reporters are “subject to removal from their position by the Township Board.â€

National ridicule caused the board to subsequently “clarify†the policy as meaning that only the township supervisor – sort of like the mayor – could officially speak for the township. Employees and township volunteers apparently still face the threat of dismissal for exercising their First Amendment rights.

The township attorney who actually drafted the policy says the measure is aimed at controlling “negative media coverage.† It doesn’t look like it worked, dude.

In the past four years, Kochville Township officials have picked a fight with, well, just about everyone in Saginaw County.

They’ve spent $71,000 in attorney fees fighting the local school board in a vain effort to “secede†from the school district – causing the state’s attorney general to call the effort and the legal bills, “illegal.â€

They’ve racked-up over $40,000 in the last five years paying for their Southfield attor-neys just to drive from their offices to the township hall.  A 102-mile, one hour and forty minute trip – one way. At say $135 an hour, the standard rate for municipal attorneys, that’s over seven weeks of fulltime driving. Seven weeks.

Overall, the tiny township just outside of Saginaw, (population 3,241), has paid a whopping $405,000 in legal bills for the last five years according to information obtained by The Saginaw News.

All these shenanigans have got the township residents lookin’ to recall almost the whole bunch. But guess what? The township officials are suing the county Election Commission trying to keep the recall from getting to the ballot box.

Well, it looks like here’s a situation that the Michigan Caucus just can’t resist throwing more gasoline into the fire. So, Kochvillians, watch for this Freedom of Information Act request to hit town:

Dear Supervisor Kenneth P. Bayne:

This is a request for copies of the following documents:

(1) All emails sent to you by any other elected Kochville Township official for February and March, 2006, and

(2) All emails sent by you to any other elected Kochville Township official for February and March, 2006.

This request is made under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act, MCL § 15.231, et seq.

Cc: The Saginaw News and the Valley Vanguard

Gag on this!

Comments

[David Phillips]

All systems go:
A judge has ruled that Kochville Township residents who filed petitions to recall four officials may gather signatures in an attempt to put the recall on the Tuesday, Aug. 8, primary ballot.

[Steve]

Here are some additional tidbits about Supervisor Bayne and his three partners. The reason for the high legal bills and using out of county attorneys is because the supervisor buys legal opinions that are favorable to whatever position he wants Kochville to take. Then he uses these opinions to influence others into voting the way he wants them to vote. You should expand your request to include the township planning commission.

[MichiganCaucus]

Thanks for the updates, David and Steve. We'll be including more news about Kochville in the near future. Watch for the township's answer to our FOIA request.

[David]

How is the FOIA request coming along?
The Kochville First organization has gathered more than double the required signatures in less than 2 weeks!
BTW, I noticed that you have 4 seats open on the Michigan's Worst 25, room for bayne?

[David]

Who said you can't fight city hall?

Out the door with all four!

Today the people of Kochville voted to take back their government. The final votes were as follows:

YES /NO
Bayne 513 325
Schnepf 437 392
Lynn Kauer 483 351
Crystal Kauer 482 352

[linda frye]

We are in the process of recalling 4 of our township board members and it is an up hill battle, foia never answered, retaliation happening with our sevs, too many problems to post here. If anyone has any advice please contact me by email or phone-989-435-2087. Thank you...linda