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Voice of Reason
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This is on East Village Mags website:
Motion fails Dec. 7 to revoke decision on Manning Street — serious questions remain
By Gregory J. Vanucci
The Flint Historic District Commission Dec. 7 upheld its November decision to allow the demolition of four houses in the historically significant Manning Street Historic District to build a parking lot for the Flint Institute of Music. It discussed alternatives to demolition, however, and agreed to find out how the institute’s entrances and also how its parking and drop-off areas are used.
A motion, to nullify the group’s November decision to allow four houses in the Manning Street Historic District to be demolished, failed to pass with a majority of votes 3-3.
Commissioner Leanne Barkus said the group should nullify its decision to allow the demolition of the Manning Street houses because the group followed improper procedure.
“The application was received too late and should not have been on the November agenda.
“Every parcel number on the application was incorrect, so approval was granted to demolish buildings on properties that do not exist.
“The plan should not have been reviewed until the applicant obtained all planning and zoning approvals, provided financing information and received all necessary environmental clearances.
“In addition, Commissioners Stephen Heddy and Dale Suomela did not disclose their conflict of interest and should not have voted,” Barkus said.
According to Barkus, Heddy held a fund-raiser Dec. 3, planned since last spring, to benefit both the Flint Cultural Center Corporation and the institute. Suomela, she said, is a member of the corporation’s Ambassador Society.
(The Ambassador Society is a “special group of friends” of the corporation that are also corporation advocates, according to the corporation’s web site. To be an Ambassador Society member, a person must donate at least $1,000 a year to the corporation for at least three consecutive years.)
Suomela said the group should not nullify its November decision.
“We accepted the plan, didn’t we? ” he said.
The properties planned for demolition, 1003, 1009, 1015 and 1019 Manning St., are owned by the corporation. The planned parking lot will be used by the institute. The institute leases its building, 1025 E. Kearsley St., from the corporation.
Barkus and Vice Chairman Nancy Sinclair, who both voted to deny the application in November, voted to nullify the November vote, as did Commissioner James Rutherford, who voted in November to approve demolition.
Heddy, Suomela and Commissioner Mildred Smith voted to uphold the group’s November vote. All three voted in November to approve demolition.
Chairman Ryan Eashoo was absent and did not vote on Barkus’ motion. In November, Eashoo voted to deny the corporation’s demolition request.
Prior to Barkus’ motion, David White, Genesee County Historical Society president, said the commission should reconsider its November decision to approve demolition of the Manning Street houses because the commission made many procedural errors.
White also said the commission is required to look at alternative plans that meet the institute’s needs while preserving the historic houses.
The city’s historic district ordinance states, in cases where approval for demolition is granted for reasons other than public health or safety, “such certificates shall not become effective until six months after the date of issuance in order to provide a period of time within which it may be possible to relieve a hardship, to cause the district resource to be transferred to another owner who would retain the district resource, or to develop alternative development plans.”
White explained several of what he said are many alternative plans and added that most of the alternatives were explained to the commission at prior meetings.
“The institute says it has a line-of-sight concern. Simply remove the trees and shrubs between the building and the current parking area and there is no line-of-sight problem,” said White.
“It was the corporation that planted the trees and shrubs there in the first place, anyway,” he added.
Therese McDonnell, the only individual property owner in the historic district, said the institute keeps most of its doors locked and only lets students use one entrance at the building’s northeast corner.
“There is no line-of-sight between that door and where the corporation wants to build the parking lot,” she said.
Suomela said the institute probably uses only the northeast door because it is convenient for the students.
“It probably keeps most of the doors locked to follow city code,” he added.
White said, “Although the corporation has not provided any proof that it needs additional parking, the current parking area can be extended. The Flint Board of Education parking lot can be used and the institute can make better use of drop-off areas around the building.”
The group formed a committee to see how people come to and leave the institute. It plans to give a report at the commission’s January meeting.
Suomela said he did not want a quorum of five or more commissioners to inspect the institute because he did not want the public invited.
Later in the meeting, Suomela said he also wants the commission to restrict the amount of public comments it allows at its public meetings.
After the meeting, Sinclair said she found it odd that no commissioner discussed Heddy’s or Suomela’s apparent conflict of interest.
“Also, I thought someone from the city would have come to tell us an appeal was filed in circuit court,” she said.
Sinclair said she only knows about the appeal from what she read in news articles.
The society and McDonnell filed an appeal Nov. 27 in Genesee County Circuit Court to reverse the commission’s Nov. 2 decision to approve demolition of the four Manning Street houses. White said Nov. 29 that a copy of the notice of appeal was sent to the commission by certified mail.
Sinclair said she has not seen or been told about any mail recently sent to her group. She said the group’s staff person did not mention any certified mail at the December public meeting.
Former Chairman Parkhill Smith said, “Oh yeah, a certified letter that says a commission decision is being appealed should most definitely have been made public at the group’s meeting."
Eashoo said he was told Dec. 11 by someone in the city attorney’s office that he could not have or see a copy of the certified mail that was sent to his group, because the mail was being reviewed by city attorneys.
“She actually said I had to file a request under the Freedom of Information Act, even after I said I’m the commission’s chairman and its the commission that’s being sued,” he said.
In addition, Susanne Wilcox, community and economic development supervisor, told East Village Magazine Dec. 8 that, “because of pending litigation, the minutes from all historic district commission meetings have been transferred to the city attorney’s office. If you want to inspect any minutes, you must get permission from the city attorney’s office. If they say its okay, then the minutes can be inspected in the city attorney’s office,” she said.
“But, you can’t do it now,” Wilcox added, “Because a city attorney must be present and there isn’t one available now.”
The Michigan Open Meetings Act states that minutes from all public meetings must be available for public inspection at a location specified in the group’s public meeting notice. According to the commission’s notices, its minutes must be available to the public in Wilcox’s department.
Wilcox refused to say why the city attorneys needed the copies that are kept on file for public inspection and could not review photocopies, or why photocopies could not be kept on file for public inspection.
In other matters, the group approved a plan to restore the Berridge Hotel and an adjoining apartment building and also a plan to replace an apartment building’s fire escape. All three buildings are in the Carriage Town Historic District.
The group will next meet at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 4 in the city council chambers in City Hall, 1101 S. Saginaw St. Call Eashoo at 341-1969 for details. |
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Fri Dec 15, 2006 2:25 pm |
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Voice of Reason
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| Yes, Steve, this was me who posted this topic. I will no longer be using that name because of identity theft.... |
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Sat Dec 16, 2006 2:39 pm |
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Sat Dec 16, 2006 3:38 pm |
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John
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quote:
Larry schreef:
huh
I got mixed thoughts of this post not the poster and one of them is the entrance use and line of site. And whats with this crap of photocopies that cant be seen. If not why copy? And who has seen them? If not anyone. Elitist my ass. crooks!!! Laws you say i say history has two sides the losers have a story too you know .I wonder how Mr Bryant feels about this ? Not that it matters all he could do would be to late if elected. Some one needs to call and break this all down for me.
Or is it not that important? but i see that the F I M own all but one of the buildings and only one is privately owned the FIM owns em do what they want i guess.
But if its a public organization. Whats with the secrets and needing to file freedom of info acts.!
Ignorant bureaucracy to much for anyone to take!! MONEY WINS
Over priced daycare but it will look good on a mayoral website later i guess
here's a little history for the FIM that they no mater how hard the try cant destroy
just before the great Dr martin Luther king gave his great speech i have a dream you know the one!!! BUT the music was forgotten by some. Not all
the people who left the podium before he spoke where peter Paul and Mary
they sang
blowing in the wind by bob Dylan
the demographics at sites like these the people i mean may not have a song yet but the message will be the same and history again repeats 
Its the same idea, just new post.... here goes:
Here is the deal, Larry & John We need your help. Lets get this all out in the open, we need your video show / blog caster talent.
Voice of Reason and Ryan Eashoo should both come on your show personally! Because I think Voice of Reason is someone we all know, and Ryan Eashoo could be a relative of don Williamson. Flint has a right to know.
So since voice of reason is so gun hoe on talking smack, lets let her prove it. Also, lets have Eashoo come to the camera and defend himself from the accusations voice of reason made. |
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Sat Dec 16, 2006 5:33 pm |
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Sat Dec 16, 2006 5:44 pm |
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John
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Larry schreef:
What does it matter if Ryan may or not be a realtive of Don Williamson? Sorry but I really don't see the relevance. Having said this,if you want to bring the those two together on camera we (me and Larry) have no problem moderating the meeting.Larry and I beleive we will be fair and objective since we have become the defacto common meeting ground.
Larry it does matter, and Flint wants to know. If he is related thats a conflict of interest, secondly if he was put on the commission to dissolve it, we need to know that to. I would also like to know if Ryan Eashoo even cares about History of this city, voice of reason makes it sound like Ryan Eashoo knows nothing of historic things. I want to know, lets get these two people in the laundry room. After all, all things work out in the laundry. |
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Sat Dec 16, 2006 5:53 pm |
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Sat Dec 16, 2006 6:02 pm |
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John
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quote:
Larry schreef:
here is the engraved invitation time and place to be set at later date
we can not force either party to do this but we can invite them to debate each other civily and thats it we are not the law just common ground
should we as a flint talk group have a party a christmas bash not a christmas bash heads maybe at the FIM think thats about as possible as geting the two of them on camara but have camara and voice recorder will travel
That would Rock Flint town, but i don't voice of reason will come out because they are obviously someone involved and they use a fake name on here. And I think Ryan Eashoo would be a wussy, and not show up. He may talk the talk, but not walk the walk. |
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Sat Dec 16, 2006 6:04 pm |
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John
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quote:
Larry schreef:
here is the engraved invitation time and place to be set at later date
we can not force either party to do this but we can invite them to debate each other civily and thats it we are not the law just common ground
should we as a flint talk group have a party a christmas bash not a christmas bash heads maybe at the FIM think thats about as possible as geting the two of them on camara but have camara and voice recorder will travel
Good Luck, if you can get Ryan Eashoo's & Voice of Reason's attention, i will streak naked down sagianw street. |
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Sat Dec 16, 2006 6:12 pm |
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Sat Dec 16, 2006 6:31 pm |
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John
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quote:
Larry schreef:
the reality is this argument here is mute i cant call ryan or sandy or ted or any other member every time an argument comes up on a public website
lets get real if the people call they do ill play it but we are not in the flnit paparizzi buisiness were video blogers with a local mini appeal so if that helps good. ryan did call yesterday and said he was not related to the mayor ok
i have not done the eashoo gene chart !!
and i dont know who the voice of reason actually is so if any one called and said they were to me they might or might not be . this is out of control and
again i say mute lets move on next story thank you
Okay sounds good, so from here on out, lets all realize Ryan Eashoo is blood to Mayor Don " I Don't Care What You Think" Williamson. |
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Sat Dec 16, 2006 6:38 pm |
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Sat Dec 16, 2006 6:42 pm |
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John
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quote:
Larry schreef:
do you know the phone number 810 471 4252 ill be glad to listen to your points and post the audio
Think you can not censor what I say? |
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Sat Dec 16, 2006 6:47 pm |
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Sat Dec 16, 2006 6:48 pm |
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Sat Dec 16, 2006 6:54 pm |
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