The article I am reacting to can be found here.
After reading the article I penned this response and submitted it to the Editor for consideration to be published in the Letters to the Editor section of The Blade:
I’m disappointed in The Blade’s reporting of the recent referendum vote that took place in Bedford Township. To imply that the measure was resoundingly defeated is disingenuous at best and completely misrepresentative of the truth. The measure was defeated by a mere 289 votes with a very small portion of registered voters actually participating in the vote.
More so than the poor choice in verbiage in the article I was aghast at the headline implying that this vote somehow turned down the development of a Wal Mart store. This vote was never about Wal Mart; the will of a small minority made this vote about something it was not. This vote was about appropriate land use and nothing more. The scare tactics and fear mongering of some made this vote about the possibility of a Wal Mart. Let us not forget the fact that as the property is zoned presently a Wal Mart could be developed without a rezoning request.
I’m disappointed in the outcome of the referendum vote – not because I desire a Wal Mart in Bedford Township but because the fears of a few petrified a township of people away from possibly seeing a long time vacant piece of land being developed into something useful.
Tags: Bedford Township, Whitman rezoning
Dear Keith:
What makes you a professional of knowing what is right for Bedford Township?
What experience do you have that someone would actually listen to anything that you write on this blog?
You are a 30-year-old kid that was given the author duties of this blog from Rob. You live right down the street from me on Middlebury in Lambertville-about 4 miles away from the Whitman property.
You have every right to offer your opinion- and that is what blogs are all about- but unless you have experience, your opinion doesn’t mean a thing.
There are ways to get a point across without criticizing anyone.
Larry,
Thanks for your commentary. It’s nice to know a neighbor is reading what I think – even if there is disagreement. Moving on.
First of all, please refrain from calling me a kid. Thirty might be young but I am an educated, working, family man – a kid I am not. I stopped being a kid when I had kids.
Second, Rob didn’t give me this blog. I was asked to write this blog by the former editor, Dan Shaw.
Finally, to answer your questions.
What makes me a professional of knowing what is right for the township? Well, about as much as anyone else living in or serving our township. We’re a representative government elected by the people in this township. Am I a professional in government, absolutely not. Am I less qualified than anyone else in this community in believing what I think on a matter is right, no.
What experience do I have as to why anyone would listen to me? Well, I’ve lived here for most of my life with the exception of about 10 total years living in Toledo. My formative years were spent here and I love this community. I do my homework and I read. But you’re right, ultimately these are simply opinions and I don’t ask anyone to take them for more then just my thoughts on a matter. I’ve encouraged people, countless times, to do their own homework and come to their own conclusions. I’ve not demanded that my thoughts are correct or insisted they be taken as such.
To close, I think I got my point across without criticizing anyone. This vote was fundamentally flawed from the onset due to the fact that a very biased group with a very certain agenda made this vote about something it wasn’t. I don’t have anything against any member of Bedford Watch or their leadership. Never have and never will. In fact, I have commended them for their hard work and determination – if everyone in this township took the time to care about something the way they have imagine how much more great this place would be then it already is. I simply didn’t care and still don’t care for the way they went about influencing this vote. They didn’t educate anyone on anything in terms of legitimate land use or anything else – they scared people.
Dear Keith:
How many township board meeting and planning commission board meetings and Monroe County Planning Commission board meetings have you attended in the past 20 years as a resident of this community? What exact dates did you attend?
How many FOIA forms have you filled out at Bedford Township hall?
How many times have you spoke to the boards in Bedford Township or Monroe County? If so, what exact dates did you attend the meetings and speak?
Have you read the complete lawsuit?
Did you attend the Jon Whitman vs. Bedford Township trial?
How many times have you gone thru the Master plan?
What do you do for a living?
What is your college degree in?
Are you friends of the Whitman family or do you or any of your family members work for Whitman Ford?
Hey Keith,
We all know that your smart person. Don’t let your neighbors put you down. So what it took 9 years to finish college. ( IT takes everyone 9 years to finish college. Ya their Doctors.)
Larry,
I’ll only answer some of your questions. Obviously over the past 20 years I’ve attended very few meeting … of course you’re stretching back to when I was 10 and my interest was more in Ninja Turtle than it was government. I don’t have ample opportunity to attend meetings as I see it more fit to spend my evenings with my children at home. This doesn’t preclude me from tuning in on the television, downloading minutes, or doing research. I’m more than capable of keeping up with the comings and goings of this township via my research methods.
Did I attend the trial? No, I didn’t live in the township at the time. Did I follow it closely, you bet I did. For the record I have read and reviewed the decision several times.
What I do for a living is of no importance to this blog. I have my degree in Management and Organizational Development from Spring Arbor University. Had you shown genuine interest in this blog you’d have known that by now.
It is clear to me that your intent is not to engage in spirited debate but to challenge my understanding on Bedford Township. This is well within your right and I will refuse to hold that against. However, until you can offer constructive criticism on the things I have written I will refrain from answering your questions any longer.
One need not have professional knowledge or direct insight into township government in order to form opinion which is the basis of blogging (as you’ve said yourself). I spend plenty of time keeping up with and keeping track of what is going on in this township. I form my own conclusions after doing my own research and I encourage all others to do so as well.
Thanks for your submissions.
Frank,
I don’t feel put down by my neighbors – quite the contrary.
In terms of how long it took me to complete college, well you’re right it did take me 9 years, with two years off, and mostly going part time after starting my family. At least I possessed the tenacity and grit to complete my degree in the face of many obstacles.
See, I’ve been challenged to get what I have and where I have gotten in life. Believe what you may as I come from a successful and great family but I have earned what I have and I have fought for what I have earned.
Your continued berating of me will not deter me, nor will anyone else. My voice is strong and loud and I am proud of it. I do my homework and I speak my mind using my own name … that’s a lot more than some could say, Frank (is it really Frank, I didn’t think so).
This week, I have read enough comments about Keith to last for the rest of the year. I am not standing up for him, but he IS what HE is. Has compassion for stuff that goes on in the community. He strives to make a difference each day! as far as being a KID.. well I soon to be 39! I have lot to learn, we all do, until we hit 90 and there is nothing to be learned… SO because Keith does try to make a difference, gives one the right to degrade him? This is not High school folks, no bullying allowed! I had a 20 minute phone conversation from the superintendent of BPS, and we go back 27 years. It’s almost as if it was yesterday. another 20 years from now I will still have the respect for Keith. we are all here for a purpose, either working together and make something of something or move on. If you have a question ask it in a way that you would like to be asked. Keith does not get paid to make us all happy, he is giving of his time, to get the word out, and for us to challenge it if we feel compelled to do so. I stand on my two feet, and I know he does as well as others. So enough of this bickering and lets us move forward as we do have tougher challenges ahead.
you are my hero!!!!!