CALUMET — Trustee Roxanne King slammed two Planning Commission nominees during the regular January Village Council meeting. The nominees had been put forward at the previous regular meeting in December. They were the same two that King had opposed at that meeting, in spite of the fact that the Planning Commission had not bothered to meet in December due to the shortage of members.

The Village Council cannot move ahead on finalizing ordinances until the ordinance drafts are completed by the Planning Commission and submitted to the council for approval, but the commission cannot function with less than enough members for a quorum.

Filling the Planning Commission

At the January meeting, Colleen Kobe, Planning Commission chairwoman, appealed to the council to accept two nominees, Chris Greene and Peggy Germain, who had faced challenges from King in December after they were nominated by trustees.

When Green was again nominated in January, this time by Kobe, King again objected, saying that, in her opinion, Green wants Calumet to be a historic village, in spite of it being within a historic national park, then railed against Germain for refusing to promise King to do whatever is necessary to push through marijuana proposals.

Speaking of Green, King said: “He does not want it to be a modern village with a historic overlay. He wants — well –that’s my impression. And that is not what the village of Calumet needs. The village of Calumet needs people who are going to guide Calumet into the 21st century strong and profitably, not as a historic theme park.”

She then denied objecting to Green on the basis of his opposition to marijuana in the village. That, she said, had nothing to do with her objections. She said she will continue to oppose Chris Green.

“In terms of Peggy German,” King went on, “Peggy Germain went on a rant when I asked her why she thought she would be a good member of the planning commission. She never did answer that question. I’m done.”

According to transcripts from the December meeting, King’s first question was not to Germain, but a general statement: “I want to know why she wants to do it.”

In response, Germain explained her knowledge of the Michigan General Law Village Act, the village’s ordinances, as well as the Michigan Enabling Act, and the Zoning Enabling Act, as well as the Village Charter. She then outlined her years as Village Trustee. She went on to provide information on her Bachelor’s Degree and her Master’s Degree, and her experience teaching Business, when King told her to stop talking.

“We’ve got a school plopped down in the middle of the ….and I have no idea how the zoning is going to go around that,” King shouted. “But — that’s not my problem, because I’m not on the Planning Commission, and I don’t feel it’s my position to be on the Planning Commission, because I won’t be living here after, hopefully, after next August.”

Planning Commission sits short of members

King was, until recently, in fact, a member the Planning Commission. When joining the Planning Commission, neither King, nor then-Village President Dave Geisler were first interviewed or their motives questioned. Green also was not questioned. Trustee Andrew Ranville, who is also on the Planning Commission, was not questioned by other trustees, either. When it was subsequently pointed out that two members of the council could not sit on the Planning Commission, King resigned.

Former Council Trustee Virginia Dwyer submitted a letter of interest to serve on the Planning Commission in the fall of 2020, and was subject to questioning from council members in October, to which she replied that she would answer the same questions the other candidates were asked, referring to Geisler and King.

In an email statement to the Daily Mining Gazette last Friday, Dwyer stated:

“Just to be clear: I was asked by the council, Andrew Ranville, a bunch of stupid questions about why I wanted to be on the planning commission. I told him I would answer the same questions that other candidates were asked. Ranville, King, and Geisler were asked nothing. I stuck with ‘I’ll answer the same questions others did.’ Same thing happened to Peggy, but that was mostly by King. Trustee Weir then stated to the council that this is not a job interview but just people who wanted to help their community.”

At the Dec. meeting, while Germain was responding to King’s questions, she brought up the point that as the village is within the national park boundaries, the former Village President, who was to act as a liaison between the National Park Service and the village, should have ascertained more than a year ago whether marijuana was permitted within a national park boundary.

“So, you’re going to do it, then,” King shot back. “You’re going to do that job!”

Germain replied that someone needs to do it. She would work as part of a group. She pointed out again that the village is within a national park, and asked why the representative (Geisler) did not address that issue with either the park or the village before the marijuana ordinance was passed the first time.

“The entire village is within a national park; this is a moot point,” Germain said. “Why did you pass a marijuana ordinance, repeal it, pass another one, then take money? You’ve jerked people around. You’ve got to figure this out.”

King replied telling Germain she wanted her to be aware that she was putting herself “on point” by joining the Planning Commission.

“You will be the person responsible for doing those things,” King shouted, “and I want to make it clear that you know — that you know — that you will be in charge of doing that. I want to know that you are understanding what you will be taking on, because all you’ve done is complain about the job other people aren’t doin’, and yet, there’s no evidence that you’re taking up the slack for them; you’re just complaining!”

King continued with her attack on Germain, again telling her that the Planning Commission has many critical tasks ahead of it over the years to come, and “our Planning Commission” requires active members who are going to do what needs to be done, not just people who are complaining.

“I don’t play games,” Germain replied. “When I offer to serve, that’s exactly what I do. I find out what is appropriate, I do all the reading, then I listen to the will of the people.”

Germain then told King that she had been “around the block” many more times than King has, and perhaps she should learn what her own duties to the village are. She then said she found it unfair and unconscionable that a Village Trustee would speak so disrespectfully to a resident who had only offered to serve the village.

She went on: “You’ve got to get in there and see what needs to be done, then you find out how much time it would take, then you do as much as you can, and if you have an active ward, the people are involved.”

King then asked if Germain was implying that she would be an active member of the planning commission, “roll up” her sleeves, and do what was necessary to ensuring needed changes were made to the zoning law. Germain responded that the answer to that depends on whether making those changes are legal.

Trustee Andrew Ranville then asked Germain if she was familiar with the Michigan Enabling Act and the Zoning Enabling Act, and whether she was willing to commit the time necessary to working with the planning firm Beckett and Raeder, and researching codification processes necessary to having the marijuana ordinances re-enacted.

Germain responded that while commissions and the council “are recodifying everything, we have no one to enforce anything.”

Germain gave up.

“I guess — I feel all you’ve done is hassle me, you don’t want me, and now sink or swim on your own,” she said, adding that she has experience, knowledge, and necessary qualifications, but the council’s behavior was ridiculous.

“You never made anyone else on the planning commission wait three months, so you don’t need me,” she said, “so, I don’t care if you nominate me or don’t nominate me. Have a good life. Merry Christmas. I’m out of it; I withdraw any application to serve on the Planning Commission.”

She then issued a stern warning:

“But I will hold your feet to the fire that you are doing what is legal in my village,” she said. “Because It is still my village, I live here, and I’m not going to put up with self-serving individuals that shut up people who are trying to what’s right.”