GOP Action Plan

By Carlton Ketchum, Traverse City, published in the RE July 27, 2022

Regulate a pregnant body but not a coal plant. Control the free speech of a teacher but not money as speech of a corporation. Coerce a child to pray in school but don’t keep guns out of their classroom. Locally, you fire/overrule your experts, squander public assets and funds by giving away parks and purchasing assault vehicles, ignore obvious conflicts of interest to the benefit of your personal business. Remember in November, vote Democratic.

AND - awaiting publication

Municipal Shark Tank

Picture Grand Traverse County pitching to the municipal version of “Shark Tank”. “What is your value proposition?” “The area is pretty”. “You can’t get by on good looks alone, how did you arrive at your $43,000,000 budget”? “We passed it without discussion”. “What provisions have you made to preserve county assets?” “We paid an adjacent municipality to take a 175-acre park without requiring a plan for the property”. “Your county is heavily dependent on tourism, what provisions have you made to address the need for affordable housing?” “We bought an assault vehicle”. “What is your plan to attract technology workers?” “We’re a 2nd Amendment city that fired our medical director in the midst of a pandemic.” “How do you build consensus among your board?” “We avoid it”. Collectively the investors say, “We’re sorry, but we’re out. Come back when things change.”

Having been in front of investors trying to raise funds, I’m particularly galled that the Republican commissioners lack of any formalized planning process. The Board of Commissioners leadership’s failure to plan, like any normal business, leads me to the conclusion that they are actually planning to fail. Why? To prove that government doesn’t work perhaps? This Republican led abrogation of civic duties impacts our economic well being, specifically the inability to attract talent and capital. It endangers the woods and waters we value. The minority Democrats on the board have demonstrated fiscal responsibility. The Democratic candidates running for commission understand what makes a community economically and environmentally sustainable. Help make the change in Grand Traverse county’s future by electing Democratic county commissioners this November.