It’s time Harbor Springs

We just returned from today's special City Council meeting. I think there was general agreement that the meeting called last week by the Mayor and joined by Councilmember Reeve and former City Manager Tom Richards was inappropriate.

In the future...Councilmembers should probably not hold meetings with city staff and suggest that a former employee, who is suing the city (and is their personal friend), be hired again while sitting next to a witness in the same lawsuit against the city. Sad that has to be the subject of a meeting-but here we are.

I think for the good of all, the Council decided to spare the City from more division. They pointed out the poor decision making by the Mayor and Councilmember Reeve and moved on.

There was lots of conversation at the meeting about the divisions in our town. I have thought a lot about them too. What I want to say is the reactions we heard today are a result of ill advised actions taken last week.

I have worked hard to ask for kindness and civility in our city for the last year. Some are newly converted to the cause and I welcome them. But us being more civil does not excuse the underlying bad behavior.

Civility by us is not a "get out of jail free" card. I have said it often, disagreeing doesn't have to be disagreeable. But actions do, and should, have consequences.

All that being said, I would like borrow a phrase and challenge us all to "grab an oar." Sometimes the wind doesn't blow our way and we need to grab and oar to get to shore. We will get where we need to go faster if we ALL put our backs into it and row the same direction.

So...it's time to "grab an oar" Harbor Springs and get rowing.