Sumpter Township supervisor slams mallet on public comment

Sumpter Township Supervisor Tim Bowman argued loudly with a resident trying to make a comment at the May 24 regular meeting of the township board and then ordered Public Safety Director/Police Chief Eric Luke to remove the speaker from the meeting.
But township attorney Rob Young told Bowman he should call “point of order” and he did and then said he’d have order and angrily slammed his mallet down loudly.
Corey Blue, a resident who has had a difference of opinion on how the township should deal with the sale of the township-owned properties it wants to sell, then took his seat without further comment.
Blue became interested in the issue last year when he learned land adjoining his residential property was being sold to be the site of a storage center. The land once was a part of the property housing the now-vacant medical center on Sumpter Road and had been split off and sold to the township. It is zoned commercial.
Blue and Bowman have disagreed on the sale of that property and other properties for months and when Blue started in criticizing the board for rushing ahead with a new plan to auction off the property, he asked if this newest list was picked out of a hat.
“I want to sell all the properties,” Bowman replied. “I’m not taking it out of a hat.”
Blue asked if he had gone to the people next door to the properties to ask if they would like to buy them. Bowman asked why Blue didn’t bid on the property next to him and Blue said its because it is zoned commercial.
Bowman and Blue argued over the eagles that Blue says are in that parcel and transparency and the six weeks’ notice you are supposed to give before selling property.
At one point Bowman said he should bite his tongue rather than respond to Blue and Blue said, “Go for it, man,” and so Bowman did.
Bowman said he walked the property for the first time and said he saw a trailer in Joe’s parking lot and four-wheeler tracks.
Blue said he hasn’t seen four wheelers since July 4, two years ago. The trailer is there because Joe is cutting the grass, Blue said, adding he would know because it’s at his front yard.
Blue, an engineer, said he works 12-hour days at home and can see what’s going on in his front yard.
Bowman said the trails are groomed for four wheelers.
Blue and Bowman argued over the pipe that goes through that area and Bowman said it was at the north end of the property and Blue said you would have to build a drive over the pipe at that point.
“It’s landlocked,” Blue said and Bowman disagreed.
“You can act higher and mighty all you want,” Blue said to Bowman.
At that point Trustee Tim Rush, who serves as Bowman’s deputy supervisor, asked Blue why he doesn’t make an appointment and come in to talk about this and Blue said he is working 12-hour days.
“We can’t shut the public down because we don’t like what he’s saying,” Trustee Peggy Morgan said to Rush.
As the arguing continued, Blue called out, “We went through this, Bowman!” and Bowman replied, “It’s ‘sir’ to you.”
“You’ve got to earn respect in my mind,” Blue replied.
Bowman called out to Public Safety Director Eric Luke, “Can you escort this man out of my presence?”
That’s when the attorney spoke up and Bowman slammed the gavel and Blue sat down.
Later in the meeting, Rush said the board had approved using Robert’s Rules of Order and the meetings are getting sloppy, which leads to meetings like this.
He said if anyone thinks they can solve something from the podium, it’s not going to happen, Rush said.
“Our meetings are getting sloppy and we’ve got to clean them up,” Rush said.
In other business at the May 24 meeting, the board:
• Tabled selling eight township-owned properties by auction by Braun & Helmer Auction Service to the next meeting, pending attorney Young “working his magic” on the contract and have the full board present. Trustee Matthew Oddy was absent from the meeting. Rush made the motion, seconded by Clerk Esther Hurst which was approved by the whole board present. Discussion during the workshop showed the contract stated the auction would be at the pavilion at Quirk Park in Van Buren Township and Bowman thought it was supposed to be in the pavilion across the street from Sumpter Township Hall. Also, Bowman said he’d call a realtor to get minimum bids on the parcels;
• Approved a revised resolution supporting the action taken by the Conference of Wayne regarding the Great Lakes Water Authority billings to communities to cover Highland Park’s water use. This version of the resolution does not put the Highland Park part of the fees charged to Sumpter Township in escrow as the previous resolution would have done. The new resolution calls for the state and county to correct the problem and pay the overcharged communities back what was paid by them;
• Approved terminating the employment of fire fighter Kenneth Myers, with regrets. Public Safety Director/Police Chief Luke said Myers hadn’t been to a run in a year and they have not been able to reach him;
• Approved recognizing John Krushlin as the DPW Crew Leader at the current AFSCME established rate effective May 16. This is a $0.17-per-hour base increase. Although Krushlin has been with the township for 35 years and is a crew leader, he was never memoralized as a crew leader and now the paper work will be right;
• Approved Helpnet EAP (Employee Assistance Program) for all employees at a total cost of $2,266.32 annually. Deputy Clerk Anthony Burdick said that it could be used immediately by two employees. He was asked to look into a Critical Incident Response policy, as well;
• Approved setting up a review committee for the deputy clerk, deputy treasurer and administrator which would report back to the board on job description, pay and benefits. The motion was made by Rush, who proposed the committee members would be Trustee Oddy, Clerk Hurst, and Supervisor Bowman, with Rush as an alternate in case someone can’t attend the meeting;
• Heard Mary Ban ask if Joe had said anything about selling the vacant medical center and Trustee Morgan said he said he’s waiting for the right people. Ban asked Bowman if he had met with Van Buren Township on the museum since he had announced he was going to meet before the June 1 public meeting and Bowman said everyone was meeting June 1. She also said she still would like more comfortable chairs in the meeting room. Ban also asked who the township’s emergency manager is and Chief Luke said he is the township’s emergency manager and there are protocols set up;
• Heard Rush say that Parks and Recreation Commission was approached by Police Officer Beth Egerer who was taking part in another outreach to Rawsonville Woods and the commission approved paying for a bounce tent;
• Heard DPW Director John Danci report the new part-time employee started that day, putting six in the department now including Danci. He said quite a bit of work has been done at the cemetery on Willis Ct. to get it ready for Memorial Day;
• Heard Morgan say that attorney Young went out to the memorial area south of township hall and the tags are gone. Bill Hamm’s tree looks dead. She asked if these can be replaced. Clerk Esther Hurst said employees paid for the memorials, the township did not. She said Clarence Hoffman’s tree looks good. She said they will look into it. Rush said the board could pass the hat;
• Heard Young say the Fraternal Order of Police contract was approved after the last meeting subject to an insurance issue. He said the 12-week Family Leave and Medical Act policy should just be continued and they would have to pay co-pay like other employees. The board approved his recommendation;
• Heard Bowman say he had a quote from architect Wayde Hoppe on a list of improvements to the fairgrounds since part of it now has been demolished. Finance Director Scott Holtz said since the quote is under $10,000 he actually needs three informal quotes and he only has one. Holtz asked if this was a sole-source person and Bowman said, “Wayne handles it from A to Z.” Holtz said they could use Hoppe’s list of services and post it the next day. There was a question whether there is an exemption for professional bids and Young said he would look into that. Morgan said they could bring it back to the next meeting; and
• Heard Bowman say he got three bids for repairing the road to the recycling area behind township hall and improve the condition of the yard. Holtz said these were not sealed bids and this project requires three sealed bids. Holtz said he would go out for sealed bids.