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Letters to the Editor

A flawed goose policy

The Alpena Municipal Council’s decision to reject a controlled goose hunt in favor of egg-oiling and flashing lights ignores both practical reality and local experience. Sidewalks, the bike path, beaches, playgrounds, and city parks remain coated in droppings. Residents can no longer walk the path, take children to the playground, or even attempt a picnic without stepping through a mess. Arriving cruise passengers and summer visitors are met with fouled pathways rather than an inviting waterfront. Recent minutes show $868 spent on two “Away With Geese” lights, with more ...

Who does the county administrator serve?

Jesse Osmer, the county administrator, in an obedient and servile missive believed to have been written for an audience of one, wrote an editorial for The Alpena News a couple weeks ago chastising county residents who participated in the school board recall effort. It’s clear what Osmer’s intentions were with his preachy, self-serving diatribe, but it’s surprising that he decided to bring Dennis Schultz into the rant by reminding the community that Schultz has digital copies of the almost 2,000 petitions that were gathered during the school board recall. It’s known that Schultz ...

Support the police, not the criminal

I could not believe what I read in the Friday, July 24 edition of The Alpena News. When growing up in Massachusetts in the 1940s, criminals were treated as criminals and law enforcement was honored and respected. That is when we had a decent Republic. Today, we are experiencing a rapidly spreading disease called “Democratic Liberalism” that will deeply destroy our country. President Obama said “we are a nation of cowards and hypocrites.” This recent shooting in Madison Wisconsin proves it. This has happened many times across the country where law enforcement was doing their ...

Let the voters decide

It didn’t surprise me when the news broke that Monica Dziesinski had hired an elite downstate law firm to influence the outcome of the school board recall campaign. It also didn’t surprise me that Eric Lawson joined her. After all, Lawson seems pretty comfortable with suppressing community voices. Isn’t this the same person who positioned deputies at school board meetings to remove people who dared to clap? And threatened defamation lawsuits against community members? What did surprise me was Sarah Costain. Members of the community gave me the impression that she is someone with ...

When elected officials answer citizens with attorneys

Alpena deserves to ask a serious question: How much of this are we expected to tolerate from an elected school board member? Monica Dziesinski was facing a citizen-led recall effort over her conduct and decisions as a member of the Alpena Public Schools Board of Education. Rather than simply allowing voters to have their say, she hired a downstate law firm that challenged recall petition signatures on technical legal grounds.But this goes beyond fighting a recall. I know that personally. After I publicly criticized Dziesinski’s actions as an elected official and encouraged ...

Concern about crash, Rogers City officials

On April 22nd, I was involved in a fender bender in the front of my house. After I backed out my driveway, I was struck by my neighbor's large truck backing out of his driveway. Causing over $5000 worth of damage to the side of my smaller truck. My neighbor called the police while I contacted my insurance office. The officer arrived and took our statements. No scene photos were taken of the sustained damage to either vehicle. No tickets were issued. I began picking up broken parts, including those to his broken tail light assembly. Then, my neighbor retrieved a broom and swept up the ...