From the notes of moderator John Hansen:
Paul Cousins let us know that his neighbor and our friend Mary Ellen Miller has undergone some serious neurosurgery. She may have some memory issues when she returns so be sure to re-introduce yourselves when you see her.
It was noted that the folks in Flint will no longer be supplied with free bottled drinking water. There was considerable frustration with this whole issue and a lack of trust in the folks who have declared the water safe since they seem to be the same folks who denied the problem in the first place.
We gave Adam Dreher a chance to introduce himself. Adam is the Democrat candidate for state senate district 22 which includes most of us. The seat is currently held by Senator Joe Hune who is term limited. The Republican candidate is Lana Theis who visited us earlier this year. This is only the second election under the new district lines that moved all of western Washtenaw County into a district with all of Livingston County.
We had our usual round of infomercials for upcoming community events. Sponsors are encouraged to bring a handout for their events to insure accurate transmission of details.
Doug Fuller, our Road Scholar, confirmed that the road commission did indeed turn back a federal grant that would have funded the removal of a lot more trees in the right of way of our rural roads. This is a good example of the government listening to the people and being willing to take a step back to better understand the situation.
Rex Reed wanted to compliment the road commission employees for their great work clearing our roads during a difficult winter and thank them for risking their lives to try to fill all of the potholes. We were then cautioned to stock up on food and beverages since our two major connections to Ann Arbor will be undergoing significant construction, perhaps simultaneously, this spring/summer.
Larry Kestenbaum, our County Clerk/Register of Deeds, comes by now and then and we always try to give him a little time to talk about elections. He explained the new audit system put in place by the state and again assured us of the safety and accuracy of our system.
The City of Dexter will be taking citizen testimony on the notion of moving their elections from the odd years to the even years to line up with other state and national elections and will be voting on a proposal relating to a new fire station at its meeting on Monday, April 9.
The next meeting of the Dexter Forum will be on Saturday, April 21 at 8:30 AM at the Dexter Wellness Center.
The Dexter Forum is supported by the Dexter Wellness Coalition as part of the 5 Healthy Towns initiative to “help connect with others in healthy ways”. The purpose of the Forum is to create an opportunity for interested women and men to gather to discuss important issues facing our community. All are welcome on a drop-in basis. The group meets on the first and third Saturdays of the month.
The Forum is co-moderated by Karl Fink and John Hansen.
