MARSHALL, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan taxpayers in the communities of Green Charter Township, Eagle Township and the city of Marshall don’t believe that their voices are being heard about their opposition to the megasites being proposed for their small towns.
Overwhelmingly, in interviews and during local governmental meetings, impacted residents and taxpayers of these locations have stated their opposition to these large developments based on issues including environmental concerns about the impact on community land, water and animals – as well as traffic issues, a lack of transparency, the signing of NDA’s (non-disclosure agreements) and foreign ownership of one of the companies involved.
These concerned local residents have said over and over again that they feel they are being bulldozed by Governor Whitmer, the Democrats and their economic partners in state government including MEDC (Michigan Economic Development Corp), the non-profit LEAP (Lansing Economic Area Partnership) and Grand Rapids’ The Right Place.
This is in addition to the web of private industry that supports them that has people involved who some are pointing to having a conflict of interest including Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan whose CEO Donald Simon also sits on the board of LEAP as their treasurer and CEO. Other possible conflict of interest is Randy Thelen, the CEO of The Right Place, who was recently appointed to MDEC’s “Michigan Strategic Fund” Board of Directors by Governor Whitmer. The Right Place has received grant money from the MEDC.
Some opponents of the developments contend that some of these projects have been in the works for years, giving the state of Michigan a leg up on their game plan to push forward with their strategy to seek out projects that will bring battery plants and microchip manufacturing to the state of Michigan with the help of millions in taxpayer money.
After being ignored by their local and state government after months of opposing the megasites, citizens have decided to use petitions and referendums to let the voices of their communities be heard by giving a voters a say in what goes on in their communities.
In Eagle Township, a recall petition is moving forward to oust Supervisor Patti Schafer over her handling of the Eagle Township development. They are recalling her based on her signing of a NDA (non-disclosure) concerning the megasite which the state refers to as the MMIC (Michigan Manufacturing Innovation Campus). The petition says that the NDA “limited the information available to Eagle Township resident affected by the potential development.”
The gathering of signatures to recall Schafer is moving forward despite the appeal she is mounting with assistance from an attorney from Clark Hill Law who has also represented Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer in a recall battle.
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According to the Clinton County Clerk Debra A. Sutherland, the deadline to turn in those signatures to get the recall on the November ballot is August 4th.
Eagle Township resident and opponent of the MMIC megasite, Cori Feldpausch, says, “It’s time to move forward and collect signatures. We need a change to ensure the residents of Eagle Township have a voice in future decisions.” The group is optimistic about collecting the needed signatures in time and Feldpausch posted on the “Stop the Mega Site, Eagle MI” Facebook page that they recently had “another successful day” of gathering signatures.
There is also a recall effort against township treasurer Kathy Oberg which is being appealed with signature collection for that recall effort currently on hold. In addition, there are other recall petitions that have been submitted although are unlikely to appear in this election cycle. These include a second one for Oberg and one for Trustee Dick Jones.
Over in the city of Marshall, a special City Council meeting was held on June 15th to evaluate petition signatures on a referendum brought forth by the residents of the city who oppose the new $3.5 billion Ford Blue Oval EV Battery Plant. The “Committee for Marshall – not the Megasite” brought forth 810 signatures of opposition even though only 580 were needed. At issue was the city council’s approval for a request to rezone more than 700 acres of the site into an industrial and manufacturing zone which has already led to construction on the site.
On June 19th, the committee received word via email from City Manager Derek Perry that their petition was denied.
Committee member Regis Klingler said, “We were deliberate in our gathering of signatures to ensure we first met the requirement of 10% of registered voters within the city of Marshall. We went well beyond the minima to allow for a margin of error.”
However, a committee member reported to Michigan News Source that only 136 signatures were accepted. Other reasons for rejecting the petition included that only members of the committee could circulate and submit petitions and an appropriation included in the ordinance disqualifies any referendum on the ordinance.
Although the rejection was disappointing, the group is not giving up. The committee says “Seeking the referendum would provide the city of Marshall voters a say regarding the future of the community. Voting is something that citizens requested on multiple occasions after being made aware only months ago that the massive megasite was already in the works and had been planned for over two years.”
Meanwhile, construction is moving ahead at a fast pace and can be seen here. Glenn Kowalske, member of Committee to Save Marshall not the Megasite says that “All the work that is being done out there is without plan approval so magically someone somewhere knows how to move the dirt…We feel violated, the whole community feels this is wrong, this is not the way you do business.”
The committee plans to take legal action on the insufficiency reasons put forward by the city and they are asking for financial support from those who oppose the megasite.
Things are also happening in connection to the Green Charter Township Gotion site near Big Rapids. There are currently nine petitions that have been mounted against the project from citizens in the area as community members continue voice their opposition at local Green Charter township meetings.
Local Tonya Wright said at a recent meeting, ”I don’t think you remember what your job title is. You are an elected official, you work for all of us, and we get upset when you guys have a lack of transparency with us.”
The opponents of the Gotion project also have their own Facebook opposition page called “Keep Michigan Pure.” Additionally, according to Just the News, a non-profit organization called “Mecosta Environmental and Security Alliance” has formed to oppose the Gortion plant, citing environmental and national security concerns with a board of directors that includes former Congressman and Ambassador Peter Hoekstra.
The recall efforts in Gotion include a total recall of all of the members of the Green Charter Township board, with only Supervisor Jim Chapman filing an appeal. Marjorie Steele, founder of Economic Development Responsibility Alliance of Michigan (EDRA), says “So far we’ve had an extremely positive response from Green Charter Township residents on the recall petition.”
There is also a referendum petition about the Green Charter Township rezoning that was submitted recently to the county clerk with three times the numbers of signatures needed.
Additionally, the opponents of the Gotion site are also collecting signatures to recall Big Rapids Township Supervisor Bill Stanek. Steele tells Michigan News Source that Stanek has “lied to me personally about the existence of a environmental impact report. He told me that it existed and that I should get it from ‘The Right Place’ and then I asked The Right Place and on March 15th, Kelly Wawsczyk informed me no such environmental impact report exists.”
Steele’s group, EDRA, says that they are “Working as a grassroots organization to connect and ally with organizations that are affected by these EV megasites across the state.” Their website also says “We are a grassroots alliance of stewards of our land and water, united in our purpose to hold captured regulatory agencies accountable and to stop corrupt deals by taxpayer-funded economic development corporations from destroying our communities, our wild spaces, and our water so that a few may profit.”
Their vision says “We envision a community free from township, county, and state corruption, in which economic developments are designed, vetted, and voted upon by the people they impact–not distant regulatory agencies and special interest conglomerates.”
The website currently has links for the Gotion and Marshall megasites but they will be adding the Mundy and Eagle Township megasites in the upcoming weeks as they move ahead with their plans to also be a resource for new communities who are battling the same issues and are fighting against state and federal government.
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