For those returnees to Mullett Township who abandoned our fair shores for warmer climes, here are some updates. Just over 6 months ago MaryAnne Gale AKA Mrs Clean, a retired exec from Proctor and Gamble was elected to the position of Supervisor of the Mullett Board. She immodestly brags on-line as having defeated the incumbent by a 2 to 1 majority and has promised that she would clean house.
She has now been making her own mess and cleaning up after herself for months.
Mrs Clean promised "open" government, then immediately censured any comments from the public in attendance during discussions at her Board meetings. Censured unless you are a personal supporter or TDA member. At a recent Board meeting, while protesting Supervisor MaryAnne Gale's AKA Mrs Clean attempts to give away a portion of Sutherland Rd, a public road end to an adjacent lakeshore property owner, I was told I had exceeded my allowed three minutes. This, despite the fact there was no mention of a 3 minute limit at the beginning of that meeting. The previous meeting had allowed TDA park supporters to wax eloquent using Tom O’Hare’s prepared scripts for an hour and 40 minutes. Another attendee commented after the meeting how blatant this favoritism was. He counted more than 6 comments or questions that Supervisor MaryAnne Gale later allowed to be interjected during the Board's discussions without shushing any of them.
An early example of Mrs Clean’s “mistake” in censuring and shushing meeting attendees was her motion to pay Patty King an additional $100 per month to “administer” renting the Township Hall. Some in attendance knew the Hall typically rents about 35 times a year for $35 per rental with annual gross revenue of $1235. Approving paying $1,200 a year for this simple task left egg on the face of Mrs Clean. She later tried to clean the dried egg off by ignoring the earlier motion and approving a new motion to pay only $35 a month. Still a sizable sum, over $400 a year, basically 1/3 of the typical annual rental revenue for a task that was previously done at no cost as part of the Librarian’s task and leaving little funds left for actual hall clean-up. Mrs Clean misinformed or not, ignorant or not, takes action on issues at meetings with attendees guffawing into their armpits or biting their tongues as she makes another mess.
A big item on Mrs Clean’s initial agenda was to reduce unnecessary attendance by the Mullett Board members at a variety of public meetings. She exhibited former Supervisor Bill Morgan as an example of this waste. Supervisor Morgan allegedly attended 99 meetings in fiscal 2011-2012 at the per diem rate of $70 per meeting.
Supervisor MaryAnne Gale stated she would not charge taxpayers the $70 per diem to attend local meetings. She then promptly sought and received Board approval to pay former Supervisor Bill Morgan to attend Cheboygan County Road Commission meetings in her place as her busy schedule apparently does not afford enough time for her to personally attend meetings. Mrs Clean, there are NO savings if you state publicly you will not charge to attend meetings and then pay your defeated opponent, who you brag that you “whupped” by a 2 to 1 margin, to attend those public meetings in your place.
Mrs Clean gained Clerk Rachel Osborn’s cooperation by throwing taxpayer money at her. Mrs Clean had an issue with Clerk Osborn’s proclivity to attend meetings. Although she only attended 43 meetings at $70 per, that still accounts for an extra $3,000+ on her annual pay. Mrs Clean reined the Clerk in with the agreement that she will only attend two meeting per month on the taxpayer’s dime. If this has been followed, and the “policy” has probably already been broken, the 24 meetings allowed annually will gain Ms Osborn about $1,700 in pay. That might look like a net savings to the taxpayer of $1,300, but Mrs Clean only gained this “agreement” by raising the Clerk’s salary by $2,000 a year to $15,200. Clerk Osborn cleans up by attending fewer meetings and making more money.
Mrs Clean empowered her fellow Board members with a maximum of $500 “discretionary” spending authority for “emergency” repairs or purchases for the township. Mrs Clean stated any amount above this would be “bid out” and have Board approval to promote the appearance of open government. As this month’s Board motion to approve “up to $5,000 to provide electric service to the pavilion” on a no bid contract clearly shows, Mrs Clean has a very short memory and this policy has already been broken. Seeking a “bid” from one or even two select suppliers is not a competitive bid policy; it is the definition of cronyism.
Assets, assets. Everyone in business knows that protection of your assets is important. Mrs Clean stated she would develop a list of Township assets. Good idea. As good citizens, I and others volunteered initially to help Mrs Clean. I was asked to develop an asset list of our roads and a method to rank their condition. A spreadsheet was done in a timely manner and forwarded to Mrs Clean, who gave the obligatory “good job” pat on the back. Six months later, I’m still waiting to hear if this road asset list is being used or has simply gotten lost in Mrs Clean’s broom closet.
Mullett assets are diminishing as Mrs Clean “gifts” assets to friends and other assets are stolen.
At the request of an attorney representing Brain and Pat Callaghan, the Mullett Board entered into a ridiculous quid pro quo “quitclaim” deed swap that would be laughed out of any Michigan Court of Law. The Callaghan’s, correctly described as knowing squatters on public property, offered to “quitclaim” their unproven interest in the Sutherland Rd end, constantly referred to by Mrs Clean as the Sutherland "property". The squatters would then receive a “quitclaim” deed from the township for the “foot print” where their shed currently squats. What is the term I’m looking for? B.S.?
The legal definition of “Quitclaim Deed” is: A deed that conveys only that right, title, or interest which the grantor has, or may have, and does not require that the grantor thereby pass a good title. The grantor of a quitclaim deed does not represent that he or she has any interest whatever in the property for which the deed was given-merely that whatever interest is had may be conveyed to the grantee.
You could “quitclaim” your interest in the Mackinaw Bridge to another party. As an example, here is a quitclaim deed form conveying an interest in a lakeshore property.
This quitclaim deed does not prove the grantor has any actual interest in the parcel, it merely conveys a possible interest. Before you print this out and run to the recorder’s office, be warned you might also need to pay off a $1 million mortgage to actually gain possession.
Mrs Clean, apparently feeling that the Township Facilities Manager is her own personal asset, directed him to work on Saturday, May 25, 2013, possibly at overtime rate, delivering a number of banquet tables to the Topinabee Development Association’s annual rummage sale by 6:30 AM. He did. Unfortunately, Mrs Clean must have thought those tables, Township assets paid for with our taxes, would miraculously reappear by themselves back at the Township Hall.
Loaning the tables to a local non-profit is probably OK. Using a township employee on the taxpayer’s dime to deliver them is a poor judgment. Leaving them stacked, sitting under the pavilion all weekend and allowing 6 or 7 of them to be stolen is just plain stupid.
Where will the blame be placed? The TDA? Mrs Clean? The Township at will employee who shouldn’t be serving Mrs Clean’s personal whim? Should this just be swept under a nearby rug and called clean, open government? Has Mrs Clean AKA Supervisor MaryAnne Gale or anyone called the local police and reported this theft of our assets? Will we receive answers to the questions?
