ESCANABA – Delta County Commission Chairman Dave Moyle recently sat down with the Daily Press to respond to criticism of the board and its leadership, outline his goals for the county and highlight areas where he believes the county is moving in the right direction.
POLICY AND RECORDS
Moyle admits 2023 has been difficult for the commission, especially since the county manager’s controversial firing in early February, but argues much of the derision directed at the board is part of a larger problem of “politics of destruction” that has been played. out nationally. According to him, “there are people who want to create the appearance that the region is sinking” and many people have lost the ability to put aside differences of opinion.
“When I hit the ground running on January 3, I asked to be there. So I knew this wasn’t going to be a garden party, but I also didn’t think it was going to become as obstructive as it has been, but that’s American politics at this point,” he said.
While paperwork has yet to be filed, it is known that there is an organized effort to recall Moyle, as well as commissioners Bob Barron and Bob Petersen.
“I think the withdrawals, they will be judged, and if the public wants me to stay, I’ll stay, and if they want me to go, I’ll go. But if I step down, I’ll leave knowing that I’ve done the best job I could for to people. I’m not perfect, but I’ve done the best job I could and I’ve been honest, and that’s something I take very seriously,” he said.
Moyle strongly denied claims that Petersen or Barron were under his influence.
“The biggest thing people say is that Barron and Petersen are like my lackeys, and they don’t know them very well, because Bob and Bob, the Bobs, are two of the most stubborn human beings, and I mean that in a good way “They don’t do what I tell them to do,” he said.
AIRPORT
Moyle has taken heat from the public following the sudden resignation of airport director Andrea Nummien earlier this month. In an interview with the Daily Press and during a public statement read at the commission’s June 6 meeting, Nummilien singled out Moyle as a major contributing factor to his decision to resign.
See MOYLE page 3A
Among Nummilien’s complaints was a visit by Moyle and Barron to the airport when she was on holiday which she described as “a mission to find dirt” on her. Moyle said he went to the airport to find out what changes would need to be made for Delta Airlines to bring in larger planes, which he feels would benefit the county in light of contractors who could come to the county to work on the plan. expansion of the Billerud bin.
“I didn’t know she was on vacation and that, I felt bad about that, but she was doing my fiduciary job trying to protect the community. It wasn’t that she wasn’t doing her job, she was just trying to contact Delta,” he said.
According to Moyle, there are currently no security protocols that would be necessary for larger aircraft to arrive at the airport and that he had never had a conversation with Nummilien about not liking his job performance.
HOUSING
If Billerud’s expansion goes ahead, the Escanaba mill will switch to producing cardboard, a packaging material that was used for things like cereal boxes. An announcement is expected soon on whether the expansion will come to the Escanaba mill or one of Billerud’s mills in Quinnesec or Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., as the paper maker said earlier this year, the announcement it would be done during the first half of the year. 2023.
Moyle said he strongly believes expansion will come to Escanaba. If it does, the city could see 2,000 to 2,500 contractors come to the county to install the new cardboard machine.
Faced with the possibility of an influx of workers for the mill, the county has focused more on increasing available housing. He has been working with the cities of Escanaba and Gladstone and the Hannahville Indian Community to connect water and sewer to the Bayview area, allowing development in an area that suffers from groundwater contamination.
Moyle also suggested establishing a point of contact for the mill to assist Billerud in its transition to paperboard.
“They’re going to have the biggest paper machine in the world here in Delta County and I think somebody, one of the commissioners or somebody at the county level has to be the liaison available to them so that … they don’t run into any deception or hitches,” he said.
ANNEXATION
One of the issues where Moyle expects a disagreement with Barron is the proposed annexation of more than 19,000 acres from Escanaba Township to neighboring Cornell Township. Barron, who is one of 26 property owners whose contracts with a solar developer ended after Escanaba Township changed course from pro-solar development to adopting solar regulations so strict that developers scrapped the project entirely , was fundamental in the proposal and has indicated that he intends to. to participate when the annexation request comes before the board.
“The board already voted 4-1 that it should be recused. That should be a clear sign of where we’re going with this,” Moyle said.
The annexation was initially set to appear on the May 16 board agenda, but the application was not received at that time. It is scheduled to appear on Tuesday’s agenda.
“If the request arrives, I don’t know if we will vote on it or not. If we vote for it, I think it’s going up in flames. I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Moyle said.
Moyle said that while he can’t speak for the rest of the commission, he doesn’t intend to support the annexation proposal because he can’t support voting on something that would be properly deleted by a township official elected from his seat. If the annexation passes, three members of the municipal board would be dismissed because they would no longer live in the municipality of Escanaba.
PARKS
The county is currently in the process of hiring a new parks manager to take over when the Delta Conservation District’s contract to manage the parks ends Dec. 31, according to Moyle.
“We’re taking immediate steps to make sure the parks are self-sustaining and we’re not going backwards because the conservation district will be there for a limited time,” he said.
WAGES AND BENEFITS OF EMPLOYERS
One thing the county has been working on, according to Moyle, is increasing the wages of county staff. Prior to Nummilien’s resignation, the board had already intended to increase the airport director’s salary by $5,000.
In addition to making wages more competitive, Moyle wants to institute a tuition payment plan for county employees. Under the plan, which has not yet been presented to the board, Moyle envisions county employees in approved educational programs having half their tuition reimbursed for a C, 75 percent for a B and a refund of 100% for an A.
“An educated workforce is a happy workforce and a safe workforce and I would like that to be an advantage that we give our employees that we don’t currently have. We’re going to raise wages, more and more like we can, but I don’t see that many people going to college where we couldn’t afford it,” Moyle said.
VETERANS
The county continues to work to increase funding for veterans services, either by using a nearly 125-year-old law that levies up to 1/10 of a mill (10 cents per $1,000 of taxable value) for emergency services for indigent veterans. or an act of 1953 creating county departments of veterans affairs and a related fund to contain at least $50,000.
It’s unclear whether the county will use Public Act 214 of 1899 or Public Act 192 of 1953 to fund veterans services, but Moyle hopes to see changes to support veterans and the county. Veterans Service Office.
“There may be differences of opinion on the board as to how we do things, but we all want the vets, especially (Delta County Veterans Service Officer Dave Xavier), to get help, because it’s running out,” he said.
MILITARY PARK
Another thing Moyle wants to do is create a veterans park. His dream is to have 12 to 15 stations with retired military vehicles, such as tanks, on concrete pads along a non-motorized trail suitable for walking and skiing.
“I think it would be a starting point for many schools, it would be a way to honor vets; something that is very unique that could bring people to the area,” he said.
Moyle says the park has been a dream of his for 13 years.
SECOND AMENDMENT
Moyle said the county board’s reaffirmation of its status as a Second Amendment sanctuary county added “teeth” to the resolution passed in 2020. He added that the original resolution was more of a compromise, as the old Delta County Board President Patrick Johnson was more of a moderate politician than Moyle.
“The difference between this one and this one is the provision that we will not fund red flag laws that are unconstitutional,” Moyle said, noting that funding for the courts and the sheriff’s office goes through the county.
PRAYER
Prayer at county board meetings has been a contentious issue, but Moyle said prayer was a “core American value” and reiterated previous statements that he has made that no one is forced to pray during the invocation prayer offered at the beginning of the meeting.
MENTAL HEALTH
Moyle also responded to controversial comments about mental health Barron made at a recent county commission meeting by saying he felt mental health services in Michigan are underfunded.
“Eighty percent of the people in our prison have some sort of mental health need, and we spend $50,000 a year to feed, clothe and medicate inmates, but we’re cutting social workers in public schools, and it just doesn’t do it.” it doesn’t make sense,” he said.
DOLLS AND GIRLS CLUB
One of the issues Moyle felt could help the youth of Delta County is the move to create a countywide Boys and Girls Club. The club is in the early stages, although the county has received multiple introductions from the man who heads the programme, Ricky Graham, and a meeting has been set between the county and the organisation’s regional co-ordinator for 23 of July
“We already have nearly $75,000 in pledges,” Moyle said.
COURT SECURITY
Courthouse security has been a topic of discussion at several county meetings. According to Moyle, security upgrades are underway with the addition of bulletproof glass in some areas and electronically locked doors.
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