Three city commissioners absent, pedestrian lighting vote delayed at Feb. 10 meeting


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City commissioners discuss city issues during their Feb. 10 meeting. Commissioners Gillis, LaLonde and Tolas were absent from the meeting due to illness.

Mount Pleasant City Commission's ranks were thinned at their Feb. 10 meeting, but there were still enough commissioners present to get some business done.

Despite missing three members, city manager Nancy Ridley said the commission could still hold a meeting because it's required to have at least four commissioners present to make votes. 

Due to illnesses, commissioners Lori Gillis, Kristin LaLonde and Petro Tolas were all absent from this meeting. The four commissioners present postponed a vote scheduled for the meeting, and had a work session regarding the mayor electoral process.

The commission unanimously postponed a vote on a resolution to re-use eight pedestrian lights, move two light and purchase six lights for Michigan Street. It was also postponed last week when Tolas made a recommendation to change it, suggesting the city not replace the 10 lights already there. 

Ridley recommended the commission to postpone it again because the project needs five votes in order to approve it. 

The commissioners also had a work session regarding the election of the city’s mayor. Frimpomaa Ampaw, director of the Central Michigan University Center for Applied Research, gave a presentation on a study her office conducted on mayoral election methods from cities similar to Mount Pleasant.

She said at least one official was interviewed from 15 cities, and the study found that of these cities, 11 elected their mayors through popular votes, and the other four did it through council votes. Only two of the cities had recently changed their mayoral election methods, according to the officials they interviewed.

Ampaw also spoke about advantages and disadvantages to council elections and popular vote elections. With council elections, she said the main advantages were that commissioners got to choose their own chair and the mayor’s position was more clearly defined. But, she also said it could create more apathy towards the commission’s work and create adversarial relationships between commissioners.

With popular vote elections, Ampaw said the city population is more invested in the mayor, the mayor becomes more accountable and voter turnout rises. But, it also creates a misunderstanding of what the mayor does and may become more about popularity.

Ridley said the mayoral election in Mount Pleasant can be changed through a ballot item approved by city commission. The ballot item would first be introduced by the city’s charter committee.

Other News

· Mount Pleasant mayor Will Joseph recognized the 100th anniversary of the League of Women Voters, with many local members in attendance. He said, “The League has sponsored legislation and fought in the courts to protect and strengthen voting rights and access, and for free and fair elections, civil rights, children, community health and education.”

· The commission unanimously approved a grant application for a project with the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Ridley said the grant would be used to rebuild both the treatment plant’s digesters.

· The commission unanimously passed a resolution to amend a contract between the city and Consumers Energy. This contract concerns installing new LED lights at the intersections of Pickard and Mission streets, and High and Mission streets. Ridley said the lighting would increase vehicular and pedestrian safety.

· The commission approved a bid for replacement of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge in Island Park that connects Island Park and Pickens Field. A new non-motorized, half-mile pathway will also be constructed. The cost of the project is not to exceed $414,500.

Correction: It was originally reported that "resolution to refurbish six pedestrian lights along Michigan Street and add six more. It was also postponed last week when Tolas made a recommendation to change it, suggesting the city not replace the six lights already there." This is incorrect. The resolution called to re-use eight existing lights, move two poles, and purchase six poles. This was corrected as of Feb. 25, 2020.

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