In November, Mount Pleasant residents filled the meeting room at City Hall, 320 W. Broadway St., to support establishing an all-inclusive law intended to prevent discriminatory acts against other residents. Currently, Mount Pleasant is the only city in the state that is home to a large public university and does not already have such a law.

Norma Bailey, spokeswoman for the movement and a professor of teacher education and professional development at Central Michigan University, had asked commissioners to review an ordinance for the city that has already been drafted. She said members of the movement’s steering committee will be in attendance on Monday, should they be needed.

“We have understood that what they’re concerned about is cost — the amount of work it’s going to cost the city and the amount of money — as well as any, what they consider, ‘unintended consequences,’” Bailey said. “We want to make sure we have somebody there who is legally sound and knowledgeable to answer any questions that they might have.”

City Manager Kathie Grinzinger said the primary focus of Monday’s work session is the deliberate with the city’s attorney, who will “provide some information” about the drafted ordinance given to commissioners last year.

At this month’s second City Commission meeting, on Feb. 27, Bailey and others involved will formally present on the subject. Before anything is approved, Grinzinger said commissioners may choose to amend language in the ordinance and will hold a public hearing on the matter.

Once the ordinance is approved, there is a 30-day waiting period, during which members of the community may file a referendum. Otherwise, Grinzinger said the law would go into effect after the 30 days.

“It’s going exactly as it should, where people bring an idea to the commission and the commission begins its discussion,” she said. “I expect it will follow the process through the charter.”

Down the road

Bailey said the Feb. 27 meeting will do a number of things, but especially demonstrate the broad range of support the ordinance has gained. That has been a primary focus since November, she said.

She said support includes more than 30 businesses that have agreed to sign on, which is up from the original 10 businesses that signed a letter of support given to the commissioners last year.

She said they have also created a list of people “who have influence” in the community, whether it be through politics or business, to additionally seek support.

Since their first appearance at a commission meeting, the proposed ordinance has been made available to the public online. Bailey said people involved have begun to collect signatures in support of its passing via postcards and an Internet petition, which can be found at www.mpwelcome.org.

As of Wednesday afternoon, she said more than 400 signatures had been collected with the online petition and 50 to 60 postcards had been collected.

Last year, commissioners had acknowledged the potential need for an anti-discrimination ordinance. Commissioner Sharon Tilmann said one would have to “be living in a cave” not to have heard of an instance of discrimination in Mount Pleasant.

“What I do think (is) the commission will be very open-minded …” she told Central Michigan Life Nov. 29. “It works very diligently to do the homework and listen to what the citizens want.”

In general, Bailey said the ordinance would be a “welcoming statement” to people in and outside the community; that it shows good business and involves a diverse body of residents.

According to a news release from the Isabella County Prosecuting Office, after a seven-hour deliberation from the Isabella County Jury, Rodeney Lee Corton, 53, was convicted of intent to deliver more than 1,000 grams of cocaine, possession of cocaine and conspiracy to possess or deliver.

The investigation that started in 2011 gathered Corton traveled to Texas in September 2011 to get the cocaine, and then came back to Isabella County. Charges were filed in August 2011 by the Isabella County Sheriff’s Deapartment, and the verdict was concluded by Judge Mark H. Duthie.

The habitual offender’s sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 28, and the conviction could result life in prison. His numerous prior felony convictions spanned back from the late ’70s. Corton remains incarcerated at the Isabella County Jail.

City Manager Kathie Grinzinger

City Manager Kathie Grinzinger said her new appointment to serve on a board of trustees will not interfere with her duties in Mount Pleasant.

Grinzinger joined five other local government officials last month with an appointment to Michigan Municipal League Board of Trustees.

The league is an advocacy nonprofit that provides services in public policy and legislative endeavors to cities and villages statewide. Grinzinger teams up with 13 officials who already voluntarily sit on the board, which is responsible for overseeing the league’s operations.

“It’s an important time to be on the board of trustees because Michigan is at a crossroads,” said Bill Mathewson, general counsel for the MML.

“There has been a lot of cutting over the last decade and the last couple of years,” he added. “And the question is now, what sort of investments can be made in the local community, so the state can regain some of its prominence moving forward?”

Grinzinger said she is filling in for the remainder of a three-year term, which ends in December, for another local official.

Her first notification of a possible appointment, she said, came in December when nominations were made. Mathewson said she attended her first meeting in January.

“I haven’t received a tremendous amount of feedback from the community,” Grinzinger said. “Prior to the nomination, I did check with the elected City Commission officials.”

She said commissioners were supportive.

Still going through her orientation, Grinzinger said it’s most appropriate she spends a few months getting a handle on the board’s priorities and “where I can be the most help.” However, she said she thinks it will be an opportunity to lobby for the health of local government.

Grinzinger was out of town last week at a conference in Lansing when the league issued a news release on her appointment. According to the release, the other five officials appointed to the board are Kingsley Village Manager Adam Umbrasas, Battle Creek Mayor Susan Baldwin, Rogers City Mayor Pro-Tem Debra Greene, East Lansing Mayor Pro-Tem Nathan Triplett and Jackson City Councilman Daniel Greer.

Potential issues

Though the city manager on Monday didn’t speculate any particular state issues she’ll be coming into, Mathewson said there were three subjects trustees will likely cross paths with.

One, he said, could be articulating components for the league’s 201c3 agenda, a set of eight measures aimed at promoting “place-making” and success in areas such as economic development in 21st century communities.

Mathewson said a second focal point for the board could be transportation funding, particularly where new sources of revenue will come from as existing roads and bridges crumble amid an increasing need for additional infrastructure.

Finally, he said the possibility of personal property taxes being reduced or eliminated could be an issue.

“That’s going to be important because a great deal of them receive (revenue) through the personal property tax,” Mathewson said. “We will be active [in addressing it], and I think the trustees will be active in the effort.”

Mount Pleasant Discovery Museum is offering a train excursion from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday beginning at Mountain Town Station, 506 W. Broadway St.

Train enthusiast Sam Staples is lending his train car to the cause for the day.

“All of the proceeds will go to the children’s Mount Pleasant Discovery Museum,” Staples said.

Three train cars have seating available for 250 passengers, he said.

Staples said there will be a few Valentine’s Day decorations for endless love tailored to the theme.

“It’s a way for local people to raise capital to build a museum,” said Jennifer Fields, co-founder and member of the board of directors.

Fields said she wants to encourage as much involvement from Central Michigan University as possible.

A double-decker will seat up to 125 passengers for $25 per adult and $5 per child 12 and under, with a limit of three children per adult.

Those looking for a Valentine’s Day experience can purchase a $40 ticket for the Dome car, which will serve alcohol and hors d’oeuvres.

The business car, $35 a ticket, will serve alcohol and hors d’oeuvres, but in a less romantic setting, seating four to six passengers.

Fields said the museum is always offering ways for people to marry their love of the community and the museum.

“We need their support or we won’t open,” Fields said.

The proceeds will help build the exhibits inside the museum. The sooner the necessary funds are raised, Fields said, the sooner the MPDM can open.

Tickets can be purchased at Art Reach of Mid Michigan, 111 E. Broadway St., Commerce Center Phone Book Office, 711 W. Pickard St., and Gingko Tree Inn and River Bluff Bistro, 309 N. Main St.

As of Thursday 35 tickets were still available for the children’s car, which will feature family friendly snacks from GreenTree Cooperative Grocery.

Approximately 20 are left on the premier car, which will have hors d’oeuvres provided by Gingko Tree Inn and Riverbluff Bistro.

Other business

Alpha Phi Omega will hold a Texas hold ‘em tournament from 7 to 10 p.m. Feb. 16 to benefit MPDM.

Early registration is $10, or $15 at the door. All proceeds of the tournament will benefit MPDM.

President and CEO of Middle Michigan Development Corporation Brain Anderson said the elimination of the MBT is both negative and positive, depending on who it’s affecting.

The transition would equal a $1.8 billion tax cut, affecting around 95,000 companies that pay taxes through their personal income tax return. These small businesses will no longer have to pay business taxes.

The new plan is thought to energize the economy and create jobs, according to a report from michigan.gov.

“For Class-C businesses, shifting to a flat tax is a tax increase in a lot of situations,” Anderson said.  “There’s a little bit of negative feedback.”

But on the other side, a flat tax makes it easier for credit situations, he said, and it may be a higher cost, but it’s more simplistic.

For Class-S businesses, things are more cut and dry for a flat tax. The small businesses that fall under the class will have a tax break, he said.

“It is a simple, straight-forward tax,” he said. “It’s going to help people because they will have much more time to operate, instead of trying to figure out their taxes.”

Even though it’s much more simplistic in the long-run, people always have a hard time adjusting to change, he said.

“People need to realize change could be a good thing.  If anything, it may be a short-term pain of learning the new system,” he said. “We need to embrace change.”

Anderson said the new flat tax puts Michigan in the lowest tax bracket sales in America. When companies are deciding where to locate, there is a lower cost of doing business in the state.

“From what I’m hearing, people are embracing the new tax system and are actually looking forward to it,” he said.

Some businesses are unaware of the change and whether it applies specifically to them.

“There’s a lot of media around it,” he said. “They will know once they start doing taxes.”

Thomas Raymond, owner of Tom’s Professional Accounting Services, 504 N. Main St., said the shift to a 6-percent corporate flat tax will be fairer than the MBT.

“Whatever business brings in, whether self-employed or a corporation, everybody is getting taxed instead of just the big companies,” Raymond said.

Previously, the MBT only targeted businesses that made more than a $350,000 net profit per year, he said.  Now, everyone gets taxed.

“If we are looking at it from a business point, everyone should be taxed,” he said. “They do it at the federal level, so they should do it at state.”

This item was in the 2012 budget and will be split evenly between the water and sewer fund.

The original truck was traded in at a value of $12,934 from Krapohl Ford as opposed to the $12,500 that would have been received with the Gateway Chrysler Dodge bid. These were the only two bids received.

After the trade in, the price for the 2008 Ford F250 pickup truck was $10,000.

“There is no manufacturer that has created a hybrid truck, (but) eventually this is the path we would like to go down,” said Township Supervisor John Barker.

Barker also talked about how a few different organizations in Mount Pleasant and Isabella County are trying to get a  liquid natural gas conversion. However, that is expensive, he said.

Barker said there were some grants that could be used for liquid natural gas conversion, but they have been cut back.

“We have one truck that would be liquid natural gas convertible,” Barker said.

Other Business

Also at the meeting, a Brine Contract with Isabella County Road Commission was approved by an 8-1 vote.

The approved contract is for three applications of brine at 2,000 gallons per mile, totaling a cost of $13,436.64.

“There are 21 miles of gravel roads in our township” said Trustee Phil Mikus.

Last year the township paid $12,227.04 for the brine applications. The new contract is an increase of 9.89 percent from 2011.

The increase was the result of a 1 cent per gallon increase in the cost of the brine itself.

There will be three applications of the brine; one in mid-May, mid-July and mid-August.

Troop Leader, Jamie Brown of Mount Pleasant, talks to the girls of Girl Scout Troop 50814 about their design entries for Art Reach's Festival of Banners at their meeting Monday night at the Jane Harris Cabin. Each of the girls created a design for their own banner and everyone voted on their favorites at the end of the meeting. (Kaitlin Thoresen/Assistant Photo Editor)

By day Jamie Brown helps college students choose their academic path, but two nights each month she plays mentor to a younger crowd.

Brown, an academic adviser at the Towers Success Center, is a Girl Scout leader for Brownie Troop 50814.

She was a girl scout in the 6th grade and has been a leader for the last two years, following in the footsteps of her mother.

“The most I remember doing is selling cookies (as a girl scout),” Brown said. “What is great is that people have a positive attitude about girl-scout cookies. My daughter is now selling them.”

Brown said she believes it’s important for the kids to have their parents involved in their lives, which is why she first became a leader for her daughter Katherine.

“I took my daughter and some of her friends out to dinner once,” Brown said. “They asked me questions; stuff that they probably wouldn’t ask their moms. I feel like they see me as some type of role-model.”

Brown leads the troop of nine third grade girls from Vowles Elementary School with two other leaders, Lisa Thackery and Becky Kaniski. Both Mount Pleasant residents have daughters within the troop.

Thackery, whose daughter Mackenzie is a brownie, said the position can be difficult.

“It’s challenging (to be a troop leader), because I’m a chemist and I’m used to working in a lab all day,” said Thackery, who works for Dow Corning Corporation.

Kaniski has been a troop leader for six years and is currently leading two troops with a daughter in each; Megan is in her Brownie troop.

On Feb. 6, the Brownies gathered in the Jane Harris Cabin near Barkley Road to discuss their future involvement in the Festival of Banners.

“This is the first time we decided to do this (be in the festival) as a troop,” Kaniski said. “They get to see what they can do as a team when they put their heads together.”

One of their goals is to help the girls become strong leaders, stay substance free, able (to make) good decisions and provide for themselves,” Brown said. “The lessons built in their activities have more depth and meaning. Traits, such as cooking, aren’t taught to make them good homemakers but to teach them about nutrition, eating healthy and taking care of themselves.”

Supported by the funds they receive from selling cookies, magazines and nuts, the Brownies are able to plan field trips and buy supplies for badges and crafts. They also go on smaller outings, such as bowling, swimming at the Student Activity Center and roller skating, Kaniski said.

The girls also help out by visiting the nursing home, the Laurels of Mt. Pleasant, 400 S. Crapo St. Last Christmas, they sang carols for the elderly and made ornaments and cards, Thackery said.

Aside from getting together with friends, brownie Taylor Strom said she thinks it’s good to be a girl scout, because it helps nature.

“Sometimes we do walks and look for garbage,” Strom said.

The bills would require lawmakers and appointed officials to disclose their finances and would establish periods when former lawmakers and officials could become lobbyists.

House Democrats also proposed an amendment to Michigan’s constitution requiring corporations to increase disclosure of lobbying and political activities and banning the state government from awarding contracts worth more than $100,000 to contractors and vendors who make political donations.

Central Michigan University Philosophy Professor Robert Stecker said these proposals are a step in the right direction to creating an ethical and transparent government.

“Complete public financing of elections would help,” Stecker said. “Short of that, strong disclosure rules and restriction on going from public office to lobbying would be helpful.”

Philosophy Professor Andrew Blom agreed.

“The biggest ethical problem in contemporary American politics, as I see it, is that we have effectively made corruption institutional by allowing monied interests to have so much influence in campaigning and, as a result, access in lobbying,” Blom said in an email. “This is not a matter of individual ethics, but of our very system of democracy.”

Democrats hope their proposals will gain bipartisan support in Lansing. In his State of the State address in January, Republican Gov. Rick Snyder made transparency in government a priority for 2012.

“We should have more frequent and better disclosure of campaign contributions, and we should have stronger rules governing employment of people who negotiate state contracts while in government service,” Snyder said.

Snyder is under pressure from many outside groups to pass legislation to slow the “revolving door” in state politics. This refers to when politicians leave government to work for private companies that may have benefitted from policies they passed or advocated.

One watchdog group, Common Cause Michigan, recently unveiled a new website featuring a clock counting the days, hours, minutes and seconds since the governor called for ethics reform.

“We, the people of the State of Michigan, declare that we have a right to know when corporations spend money to influence elections or government officials so that we can make informed decisions and hold our leaders accountable,” the group said on its website.

The Craigslist ad posted Tuesday indicated the monkey, from Crystal, an hour from Mount Pleasant, would be given away for free and includes a cage, food and toys.

However, to own a monkey in Michigan one needs a permit, said Megan Boursaw, feline care specialist at Humane Animal Treatment Society.

Boursaw said the shelter, located at 1105 S. Isabella Road, does not typically encounter exotic animals.

“Rabbits, ferrets, rats; that’s about as exotic as we get,” Boursaw said.

Past legislation has been encouraged that would discourage against owning pet monkeys as they have the potential to carry disease.

The number listed on the ad is not in service, but requests to include necessary contact information have been made by interested parties.

The current owner will be kicked out of their current residence at 9 p.m. Friday and it is unclear whether the current owner has the necessary permit.

The ad claimed the monkey to be valued at $3,500.

But students living on campus who are interested in the monkey are out of luck.

“The university has a policy against pets on campus,” said Central Michigan University Police Chief Bill Yeagley.

Yeagley said pet monkeys have not been a problem on campus as long as he’s been here.

Since being posted at 2:24 p.m., the listing has been flagged for removal.

In the journal Nature, a University of California team of experts argue sugar is as addicting as alcohol and tobacco, and products should be taxed to reduce consumption.

Central Michigan University Economics Department Chairman Paul Natke said people would react how they would react to any tax.

“Buyers don’t like it, sellers don’t like it,” he said. “One of the purposes of the tax is to discourage types of activities, and another purpose is to raise revenue.”

Natke said he believed people would consume less sugar because of the tax.

“My guess is the intent from the health professionals is to reduce consumption of sugar, which is a health problem in the U.S.,” he said. “And presumably the argument is it’s more costly to use sugar than other substitutes, although I’m not sure how much the tax is supposed to be.”

Registered Dietician Kati Mora, owner of Mora Nutrition, said people are still going to find ways to enjoy these types of foods.

“When we think about sugar, we are thinking that if we eliminate or have people eat less by incorporating this tax, then we’ll eventually see less obesity rates and we’ll see people adapting to healthier lifestyles,” she said. “But unfortunately, sugar isn’t the only cause to (an) obesity problem, so if we single out one nutrient, we often see that nutrient is replaced by something else that typically isn’t better for us.”

“Most Americans are consuming too much sugar on a regular basis, and by bringing this issue up, hopefully people are starting to rethink some of their favorite treats and beverages,” she said.

Mora said in the September 2011 issue of American Journal of Critical Nutrition, a study said the amount of sugar we consume is more than the recommendation, but there has actually been a decrease in the amount of sugar people have consumed from 1999 to 2008.

A large part of that study is because of people drinking less sugary beverages, she said.

On average, the recommendation for women is six teaspoons, which is equal to 100 calories from sugar of 25 grams of sugar.

For men, the recommendation is nine teaspoons, which is equal to 150 calories from sugar or 37 grams of sugar.

Roseville senior Paul Paonessa said college students would still find a way to buy sugary foods.

“I think it would affect kids more than college students, because the parents are the ones buying it,” Paonessa said.

Mora said not all food containing sugar is bad.

“Look for foods that are nutritionally dense and focus on getting enough vegetables, fruit, whole grains and lean meats,” she said. “There will be sugar in some of those foods, but as long as they’re not overdoing it on the added sugar and on sweets with nothing but sugar, then you should be OK.”

Mora said the tax would be like a quick fix, and what we really need is a long-term solution, such as teaching people how to eat healthy.

“By putting a tax on sugary food, making it a bad thing is kind of like a band aid on a bigger problem,” she said.