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).

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.

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?

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.

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.