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In Our Opinion
Parks & Rec Chairman Should
Step Down!
Ironwood - February 3, 2010
Monday night the Parks and
Recreation Committee met to discuss among other things the location of
the Non-Motorized and Motorized trails through the Caves area.
For decades the Ironwood Caves have been used for the enjoyment of
Snowmobile and ATV enthusiasts. Today there’s an effort under way to
displace the motorized sportsman and replace them with hiking trails.
While the Gogebic Range Trail
Authority has bent over backward
Read More... |
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In Our Opinion! |
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Sharing:
"Not Just For Children!" |
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| The following
are the comments of Lou Bonagura,
Editor of IronwoodInfo.com, made
to the Ironwood City Council,
August 10, 2009. The comments
are relative to the current
efforts, of the hiker/biker
elements attempting to evict
snowmobiles and ATVs from
Ironwood. |
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I
was unaware that the city of
ironwood was so prosperous that
it could chose between which
segments of the economy it
wanted to keep or eliminate. Nor
was I aware that Ironwood was so
perfect that it could chose or
dismiss any recreational
activity for it's citizens and
tourists alike.
First, I do not nor do I intend
to participate in motorized
sports. To the contrary, I ride
a non-motorized bike. I look
forward to using the existing
and new trails, alike.
However, I do not... repeat I do
not look forward to doing so at
the expense of other citizens
who wish to use the existing and
future trails for motorized
sports.
I have seen first hand that both
sports can successfully coexist,
when selfishness and self
serving motives are eliminated
from the equation.
I also know as a parent, that
one of the first things you
attempt to teach your children
is to "share"
Perhaps some of the individuals
involve in the current dispute
have forgotten what there
parents have taught them.
Additionally, If the
establishment of a Miners
Memorial Park were sincere, and
not just camouflage for
self-serving purposes, I believe
as do most citizens that I have
spoken to believe, that the Park
should be accessible to handicap
individuals as well as
non-handicapped individuals.
Perhaps the park should be made
accessible to all motorized
vehicles. I strongly suggest
legal research into that
particular element of the caves
park concept. There has been a
great deal of litigation
surrounding accessibility to
public lands.
I understand that the area in
question contains approximately
425 square acres. It is hard to
understand how New York's
Central park can satisfy the
needs of 23,000,000 people
annually and that our caves area
can't accommodate a pitiful
hundred or so residents.
Finally, while it may be
beneficial to talk about how
many visitors this or that will
bring to Ironwood, I believe
what is more import is what
Ironwood brings to its current
taxpayers and citizens. |
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In Our Opinion! |
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An
IronwoodInfo
Editorial |
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City
Continues to |
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Bargain in
Bad Faith |
| Ironwood - June 30, 2009 Before you read the following I
would like to make one thing clear. For the length of my
entire career, I was never a member of a union, I was always
considered a part of management. Furthermore, no one in my
family was ever a member of a union. While I like to think of
myself as a Goldwater Republican, I would neither accept nor
condone the methods being used by the spineless city council
in its dealings with the city's union employees.
The city's tactics appear to be nothing less than Union
Busting!
City of Ironwood municipal employees have been working for two
years without a contract, due to bad faith bargaining by city
officials. Each time the workers come close to a tentative
agreement with the city, the city's big guns throw another
obstacle in the way of finalization.
Ironwood, unlike any other local government does everything in
its power to beat up the local union workers. It's been over
one year since Ironwood residents picked up signs and walked
the informational picket lines in front of the Memorial
Building. Still the inept city council has failed to bring
this disgraceful situation to a conclusion.
Let's make one thing perfectly clear. We are not talking about
some union members in New York nor are we talking about Union
Workers in California, nor Detroit for that matter.
We are talking about people who work and live right here in
Ironwood.
They are not the enemy they are one of us.
They send their kids to the same schools that we send our
children to.
They bring their children to the same churches we all attend.
They take their hard earned dollars to shop in the same stores
where we all shop.
They pay the same taxes that we all do.
They not only tolerate the same miserable weather that we do,
but go out in that miserable weather to take care of our
needs.
We were not laying in holes repairing the water leaks
resulting from years of neglect by the politicians, they were.
"They" are "us", and quite frankly I'm fed up with trashy
attitude that our city workers are receiving by inept
politicians. Union busting is not a good thing and it's
certainly not an honorable thing.
The City is paying the City Attorney $100. an hour to stall
off the union contract. The city continues to use the
unproductive adversarial Form of Negotiations." A method that
does nothing to solve union negotiations nor to increase the
self-respect of Ironwood . You can't show respect to others
when you have no self respect to begin with.
In the event that some of our readers are too young to
remember, prior to the formation of unions there was no middle
class. None! There were however abusive employers, both public
and private.
Almost everything that we enjoy today comes as a result of
unions fighting for employees which resulted in the creation
of our middle class. The pay check that you enjoy today is
only as large as it is because of our nation's unions. Let us
remember also that when union membership was at its pinnacle
so was American prosperity. Ironwood's greatest days also came
when the unions were at their highest level.
Ironwood's fiscal woes are not a result of union wages or
benefits. It is the result of city government that failed
miserably and then mis appropriated the workers pension money.
Let's not forget that the economic collapse of 2008 was not a
result of labor but more abuse by those who crush not only
unions but employees in general.
If our city government can pay an attorney $100,000 plus per
year and a city manager $100,000 per year and then piss away
thousands of dollars on unnecessary ads in the Daily Globe,
then it damn well can afford to pay its workers a living wage!
Last Monday Bob Murphy spoke to the city commission and the
following are his remarks:
Monday June 22, 2009
City of Ironwood Commission Meeting - Public Comment.
My name is Bob Murphy. I am a staff representative with
Michigan Council 25 AFSCME. I am here this afternoon on behalf
of Local 1538. My team and I have been negotiating with
representatives of the City since the spring of 2007. We
believe it is time the City of Ironwood settles the contract
with its City employees. I have made two separate offers to
City representative over the past several weeks, the first of
which after review received several language amendments which
I believe now mirrors the Public Safety Agreement that was
ratified by this commission several weeks ago.
Last week I asked your negotiating team if it was their intent
to submit and recommend that offer to you for ratification,
your chief negotiator Denies Cossi indicated that they would
not, and went on to state (and I paraphrase) that is was their
intent was to go through the entire contract and find all the
things they did not like and make a proposal.
I strongly encourage this Commission to reconsider this course
of action as it will leave me no other option than to file
unfair labor practice charges with the Michigan Employment
Relation Commission and any other legal action that may be
available.
Please let me restate that Local 1538 did pre-ratified the
proposal that was submitted to the City Manager two weeks ago
and I believe mirrors the Agreement that was reached between
the Ironwood Public Safety and the City of Ironwood and
ratified by this Commission.
Thank you for your time.
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In Our Opinion! |
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An
IronwoodInfo
Editorial |
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"OOOPS,
I MUST HAVE FORGOTTEN !" |
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| Ironwood Township - June 25, 2009 |
| Globe editor Joseph Karius once said of people
opposing his views, that they were loose with the facts
and dealt in innuendo. It is quite clear that either his reporters
or his editing is more than guilty of the same charges he renders
against those he considers to be threats to the Globes future.
This week the remaining readers of the Globe were able to see a
glaring example of what they refer to as playing loose with the
facts and dealt in innuendo. The point in hand was the
coverage of the township's board meeting, by Globe Cub Reporter
Margaret Levra. We hope that it was an oversight on the Globe's
reporting rather than an outright lie by omission.
Levra, chose to write about allegations made by the disruptive
township malcontents, Larry and Moe, whose ring leader, Curley
stayed home to avoid any more embarrassment than he's already caused
to himself and the others.
Yes, Monday was a complete disaster to Curley and his merry men.
Gathered in the township hall was a large group of township
voters who came to support the board of trustees against the false
allegations being thrust about by Curly, Larry and Moe. The
globe reporter chose to omit this information from her biased
report. She further omitted the fact that Trustee Kathy Maki, spoke
to the attendees in defense of the trio's false allegations against
Township Supervisor Kim Mattson. The points brought out in Maki's
comments clearly exonerates Mattson from the false statements made
against Mattson by the sore losing cry baby who bullies the
women on the township board every chance he gets. He and the stooges
he's duped into assisting him retreat every time a male member of
the board challenges them. Hmmmm! Levra included in her story
reference to an email sent by a township employee to the cry baby
Jim Simmons. The email probably should not have been sent via the
township's computer, however, the content was nothing more than the
sentiments of the overwhelming number of Township voters. The same
voters that sent Simmons and his cronies running during the last
election. The contents of the email were very mild compared to what
should have been said to these Imo Limos. Unfortunately, Rachael
isn't used to handling men who bully others.
The Globe reporter not only omitted Kathy Maki's remarks, she
also omitted the remarks of Township resident, Donald Treglon, who
stated to the board, that he was very pleased with the job
that Kim Mattson and the board were doing. He went on to say "that
he wished the other ones (3 stooges) would leave the board alone so
they would not be disrupted in their work.
It's bad enough that the meetings have become disrupted by
folly but, it's made even worse by the role being played by the
Globe in this fiasco. Unlike everyone else, the Globe allows Simmons
free access to the letter to the editor column. The rules that apply
to everyone else go right out the window with respects to the
township sore loser.
In fact, we find to be a strange coincidence that Globe which
abandoned news coverage of the township more than three years ago,
would chose this time to return.
Loose with the facts and dealing in innuendo is one thing,
as is sloppy editing. But, a lie by omission is quite something else
altogether. It leaves one wondering. |
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"I'm Glad I Lost
the Election!" |
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In Our Opinion |
An
IronwoodInfo
Editorial |
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| May 27, 2009 |
The Township naysayers brought their negative
attitudes back to the township offices again Tuesday afternoon. The
chronic complainers once again were assembled by Jamie Simmons at
the Township Board meeting in another attempt to embarrass or
otherwise harass Kim Mattson, the Township Supervisor.
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Simmons has been pursuing what appears to be a
personal vendetta against Mattson ever since he got his butt beat in
last year's election. Some people just can't accept defeat
gracefully.
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What is amazing to this writer is how his little
band of merry men (and women) continue to embarrass themselves on
behalf of Simmons. One has to wonder, how many times would you stand
up, say something, appear to be dumb as dog poop, and come back for
more.
The problem is, that Simmons gives them a sound bite to go with and
nothing more to back it up with.. Since Simmons' arsenal is filled
with little more than trite and innuendo, the Simmmons
spokes-folk are left with egg on their faces when presented
with an answer from the board. The blind followers don't have any
where-with-all to follow through, making themselves look far from
bright.
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With each succeeding meeting the Simmons' boys and
girls look worse and worse, with nothing new to say. Simmons himself
is running out of fresh material. Not that any of it has been
relevant so far.
Simmons and his friends (?) go in front of the board asking
rhetorical questions trying to embarrass Mattson. However, as soon
as one of the men on the board confronts the naysayers they back
down immediately. That too makes one wonder!
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| This week the front man was a woman, Kathy Lahti.
She asked when would the road in front of her home be sprayed? At the
last meeting Chris Winchowski asked when would the road be paved? He
and Lahti both live in the home located at 5056 Welch Creek Road.
There are over 5000 people residing in the City of Ironwood asking
the very same question! Only they have a more legitimate complaint
as they pay the highest taxes of any city in the Upper Peninsula.
Nearly twice the taxes that Township residents are paying. Get in
line Chris! With respect to Kathy Lahti, why was she asking this
question in the first place? She called the Township office last
week and received the same information she received again at this
week's meeting. "The County sprays the road, not the Township. The
township pays the bill!" |
The questions are a result of the naysayers lacking
the knowledge about their government, which is a result of not
attending meetings until Simmons lost the election. Even Simmons
failed to attend meetings until he was beaten in the election!
There was some good news. ......
After the meeting adjourned, Simmons told this writer that "He was
glad that he lost the election" he went on to say "I wouldn't want
to be up there doing what they (the trustees) are doing!"
Guess what Jimmy? We're all glad too! |
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