"I Knew What I Was Signing" - An Open Letter to Mike Starck

Dear Mike,

I have read the article in the September 22, 2009 Ashland Daily Press about the petition that forced the upcoming recall election of you from your position on the Ashland County Board. I have to take issue with the condescending tone you take in the interview toward the signers of the petition, and I think you need a better understanding of why the petition calling for your recall was successful.

I am a signer of the petition. I knew exactly what I was signing, and I believe that all of the others that signed knew exactly what they were signing: a petition to call for a special election to replace you on the County Board. The only thing that could be considered "poorly thought out" about the recall petition was that there was no declared candidate in advance of the petition's circulation. This was, I am sure, because it was more important to remove your influence at the County Board over decisions affecting the Town of La Pointe Zoning Ordinance than to decide who would hold the seat.

The mistake that brought you to this point is your underestimating the concern and comprehension for issues of zoning that the citizens of the Island hold. This depth of concern should have been obvious to you from the overflow crowds at public hearings and the overwhelmingly negative comments that were presented at the TPC and the Town Board. The final insult was your ignoring the petition signed on very short notice by about 50 people that was sent to the County Board asking for nothing more than a professional review of the proposed changes prior to their approval. Sadly, we are vindicated by the after-the-fact review from the Town's attorney recommending a moratorium on enacting portions of the approved changes because of how shoddily they were composed;

full of ambiguities, and contradictory language and conflicting legal issues. In short this is a failure of leadership by you on all of the governmental bodies on which you sat as these changes moved forward: the Town Plan Commission, the Town Board, and finally on the County Board were you alone can take the credit for shepherding this through the Zoning and Land Use Committee and then the full Board.

You should also have taken notice of the results of the last Town Board election.  You were removed because of one issue: zoning. It was political suicide on your part to continue on the path of supporting the zoning changes that were so thoroughly rejected by the voters last November.

Will your opponent be the best choice? No, I don't think so. He will, however, be the better choice. For starters, he would not allow the County Board to "chuckle and say 'well, that's the Island'" without rising to vigorously defend his Town. You obviously do not believe that the public can deliver rational and thoughtful ideas and commentary, but I think Tom does and that's why I will  vote for him instead.

It is important to me that if these proposed changes come again to the County Board there will be someone looking out for the lack of due process that brought us to this point in time.

Sincerely,

Red