This past weekend The City of the Village of Clarkston celebrated 25 years of controlling their own destiny, of becoming a city to thwart off any encroachments from surrounding governments.

Twenty-five years ago, Clarkston became a city and it is high-time city council grows up – or will it be more of the same: juvenile, petulant and insouciant behavior.
To any objective viewer of city council meetings this past year, it is obvious there is a clear division on city council between those who want to follow the city’s charter/ordinances and state mandates versus those who want to continue Clarkston’s good ol’ boy way of taking care of business – by a shake of the hand, with a “gentleman’s agreement,” whether or not those agreements went smack-dab in the face of city rules.
For too long, past management, councils, and legal counsel have been lax on following rules.
It is quite evident after watching the last couple of meetings there are those on council who are upset the current mayor is a stickler for following city charter and ordinances.
How many times has some old guard council person stated, “Well, this is the way we have always done it,” or “I didn’t know that,” when the rules were written, accepted, published, and available to be read for 25 years. There is no excuse for any on the council not to know what the city council can do or how money is spent or what procedures need to be followed.
There is no excuse for any council-member to answer and send texts during a council meeting like a teenager during class as it shows a lack of commitment to the discussions at hand and a lack of respect to their position, others on the council and to the city residents who elected them.
There is no excuse for city council-members to single out and vilify any other city resident ready to volunteer to serve. It is not becoming of a city officer. It is juvenile.
Disregarding rules for expedience sets up the current board, management, and residents to be sued, which costs time and money.
We challenge anyone to watch the council meetings on the city’s website, www.villageofclarkston.org – on the left, scroll down to “View City Counci Meetings.”
Watch the last few months worth of meetings and tell us something is not amiss with city government. Click here to see council meetings.
We are encouraged the new council members and Mayor have read the city charter and ordinances and are bucking the “good ol’ boy” way the city has operated in the past. This gives us hope the next 25 years will be an era of the rule of law in Clarkston.
It’s time for the city to be an adult and face the responsibilities it decided to take on over 25 years ago. Stop the rumor spreading, back-stabbing and blatant disrespect of the rules and residents who may not agree with you.
–DPR

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