Letter to the Editor: 

Separating fact from fiction 

I am writing today to separate the fact from the fiction in Jason Oberle’s last letter to the editor. Jason starts out by patting himself on the back for increasing the fund balance by more than 85 percent. How did you get to 85 percent? Is this just another arbitrary number? Does that number include the $150,000 that was set aside from the previous administration for street beautification that was never complete?... sounds to me as though he either collected too much in taxes or short changed the tax payers in services!  (DJM) ; )

Next you boast about receiving $250,000 from the Sault Tribe. Sources close to the Tribal process tell me that Kinross would have received much more if you were not Supervisor and that your presence within the Township was more of a negative than a positive with your own Tribe (As documented in your last election where you garnered only 152 votes for Sault Tribe Board in Unit I). This money often referred to as 2% money is State mandated and disbursed to municipalities based on unit allocation. DJ Malloy deserves the credit for going to bat for Kinross despite your involvement.

You continue with the Golf course issue. You are not really going to bring that up are you? That project was a complete mess from the get go and to add insult to injury, you made explicit remarks and gestures to the Bar and Grill host which almost landed you in yet another civil lawsuit. The project was fraught with delays because of poor planning and did not open until several months after it was completed.

As far as job growth I am sure that the citizens in Kinross Township would argue the fact that you had little to nothing to do with any net jobs within the community. On the rare occasion that you were in your office sources say that you were working on school work and not the business of the Township. It is a fact that you have missed 13 Board meeting in the past 15 months. As far as eliminating old blighted buildings that process was started prior to your brief tenure at the Township by the previous administration. What we are left with are two more vacant lots we can not sell and $100,000 spent to demolish them.

 I have to laugh at the next paragraph. What do you mean by “positive systemic change” in regards to the development of Mascoma locating in Kinross? You admitted at the hearing that you did not know anything about the project much sooner than the rest of us. So I guess you throw “positive systemic change” into the article to mislead readers to believing you had something to do with it or contributed to the process in some manor.

I notice that you are always giving at least a little bit of credit to your political cronies (Besteman, Ulrich, and DeWitt). What happened to the rest of the Board. Are you saying that Fred McClendon, Dan Mitchell, Herb Henderson, and Wayne Donaway did nothing to facilitate any of the accomplishments you mention? Or are you just endorsing your friends? If so, it will be duly noted by the voting public.

Finally you end your letter by stating that everyone who comes to the meetings are complaining, disrupting and speaking out of turn. I have been at the meetings you mention and have seen none of this behavior. Remember the meetings are recorded and can ne accessed at http://www.pacz.org/070708.wmv (full download) for anyone to review. What citizens will see upon reviewing these meetings is a sarcastic, rude and disrespectful Township Supervisor.

Sincerely, 

Joe Paczkowski

Kincheloe, MI 49788

906-440-5297