Next week’s issue falls in the week before August 2 primary election. If you have a letter to the editor you’d like to send in favor of a candidate, you may do that. However, as we have done in year’s past, we will only print positive letters the week before an election. We will not print negative letters downgrading another candidate, as they would not have ample time before the election to rebut any criticism. All other guidelines apply. 

The Cedar Springs Post welcomes letters of up to 350 words. The subject should be relevant to local readers, and the editor reserves the right to reject letters or edit for clarity, length, good taste, accuracy, and liability concerns. All submissions MUST be accompanied by full name, mailing address and daytime phone number. We use this information to verify the letter’s authenticity. We do not print anonymous letters, or acknowledge letters we do not use. Writers are limited to one letter per month. Email to news@cedarspringspost.com, or send to Post Scripts, Cedar Springs Post, PO Box 370, Cedar Springs, MI 49319.

The Cedar Springs Post welcomes letters of up to 350 words. The subject should be relevant to local readers, and the editor reserves the right to reject letters or edit for clarity, length, good taste, accuracy, and liability concerns. All submissions MUST be accompanied by full name, mailing address and daytime phone number. We use this information to verify the letter’s authenticity. We do not print anonymous letters, or acknowledge letters we do not use. Writers are limited to one letter per month. Email to news@cedarspringspost.com, or send to Post Scripts, Cedar Springs Post, PO Box 370, Cedar Springs, MI 49319.

I wish to express my thanks to Ranger Steve Mueller and the Post for all the interesting and informative Nature Niche articles he has written over many years. Having been employed at the Howard Christensen Nature Center, I can say that he has always been an inspiration to me. At 83, I can still find excitement in the great outdoors and am still learning as a result of his fine leadership.

My prayers continue for him and his family through this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Joyce Hosmer

Howard City

From the editor

How about sending Ranger Steve a card or letter?

In March, we let readers know that Ranger Steve Mueller, our nature expert and local columnist, was struggling with his failing health. This week’s column, on page ??, is the first one he’s been able to write in a few weeks.

If you enjoy his columns, how about showing him that appreciation by sending him and his family a card or letter? They are a local family, who has given a lot to this community—Steve through his years at Howard Christensen Nature Center, bird and butterfly counts, leading classes, writing columns, teaching us about nature, and much more; his wife Karen was a teacher at Cedar Springs Public Schools for many years. A note of encouragement is always a good thing. Send your card or letter to: Ranger Steve Mueller, 13010 Northland Dr. Cedar Springs, MI 49319.

Some of you have already done this, and Steve said he has enjoyed reading them. Thank you!

POST SCRIPTS NOTICE: The Cedar Springs Post welcomes letters of up to 350 words. The subject should be relevant to local readers, and the editor reserves the right to reject letters or edit for clarity, length, good taste, accuracy, and liability concerns. All submissions MUST be accompanied by full name, mailing address and daytime phone number. We use this information to verify the letter’s authenticity. We do not print anonymous letters, or acknowledge letters we do not use. Writers are limited to one letter per month. Email to news@cedarspringspost.com, or send to Post Scripts, Cedar Springs Post, PO Box 370, Cedar Springs, MI 49319.

We moved to Cedar Springs in 2017 and instantly fell in love with the community, school system and the many programs that offer so many great opportunities to try new things, get involved in sports and most importantly, make ever lasting memories.

One of the programs that has been consistent in providing my family with such opportunities is NKCE. Although we are grateful for the programs our school offers, they are limited, especially at the youth level. Without the NKCE, many would miss the opportunity to be involved in many sports, social events, camps, events and other ways to keep them active and busy in a healthy and positive manner. Is there a possibility of attending other programs offered in different areas? I’m sure there are. However, you leave out so many kids with this thinking and usually the ones who NEED these programs the most. NKCE provides these programs at an affordable cost. Other programs are very costly and unaffordable, especially with the current inflation on many of our other needs. There is also the issue of transportation. Working parents, vehicle-less parents and low-income parents already struggle to transport their kids to programs. Why make that harder? Further travel, more scheduling issues and less opportunity to rely on other community members.

The NKCE creates experiences for kids (and adults) to bond with their peers, making connections that will last a lifetime, uniting students (making it easier to find familiarity with each stepping stone and change at school), and making it easier for parents to find and grow their own tribe. The NKCE gives kids the opportunity to try new sports and gain new skills, with less pressure- eventually carrying those skills into the Cedar Springs Schools programs. The NKCE gives opportunities that many low-income, less fortunate families may never experience without it. The NKCE is a selling point for Cedar Springs and surrounding areas. The NKCE creates bonding experiences and opportunities between parents and kids, that they may never receive with the hustle and bustle of daily life. The NKCE bonds our community. The NKCE promotes volunteering amongst both adults and kids. The NKCE is a legacy of Cedar Springs. The NKCE is something I hope will encourage my kids to remain in Cedar Springs and enjoy the many benefits with their kids.

I understand the financial concerns with the North Kent Community Enrichment program. I,  however, am also aware that a new director was hired. A new director with a fresh set of ideas. When Jaime Gunderson stepped into the role, the program began to flourish. Then, at no fault to anyone, the pandemic halted that. We are just now getting back to normal. People are excited to get out, again. Many are taking every opportunity they can to see other faces, to embrace human contact, to just do. Businesses are growing substantially. At the least, I think we need to give the program an extension of time to rebound from the downward spiral of the economy, caused by the pandemic. Programs are seeing increases in numbers, businesses are willing to make donations, community members are willing to volunteer their time and efforts. Let’s give Ms. Gunderson a chance to reinvent the wheel, expand the current programs, and add new ones. A chance to implement new fundraising ideas.  I strongly believe she is up for the challenge. I also am not opposed to a small increase of fees.

We cannot leave these opportunities, programs and benefits up to chance. Maybe other entities will pick up the programs that will be lost and fill that void- but, maybe they won’t. The last few years have been an on-going nightmare to return to normal. The kids have had so much taken from them and have been forced to grow up, faster than needed. Please don’t take this program and all it has to offer from them, too.

Samantha VanDyke, City of Cedar Springs

This PostScript is a paid item due to the length.

After reading the front-page story in last week’s edition regarding the possible closure of The Post, I was flooded with memories of articles that have appeared over the years. The Post is our eyes and ears that connect us to our community They are a snapshot in time and space representing where our community was then and where we are now. 

I must have hundreds of articles from The Post in my children’s memory books ranging from kindergarten trips to high school graduations. There were postings of significant community events and celebrations. Weddings, births, retirements, and obituaries (becoming more important to me as I age) and other announcements which are an important part of our community. Stories that may have been forgotten had they not appeared in The Post. 

A vital community needs a local newspaper to praise good deeds and expose wrong-doings People are provided with things to do, where to go, and what’s going on. We can hold this information in their hands and readily know where The Post office is located if additional copies are needed. 

Belinda Sanderson serves the team as the graphic artist. She ultimately fits it all together to look beautiful. She creates all the advertisements. 

Mary Randall has been the smiling face that greets us as we walk through their office door answering questions, organizing information, and collecting the payments. A long-time hard-working partner of The Post.

Our significant and dedicated reporter and editor for The Post is Judy Reed. She has done an outstanding job at accurately publishing news stories within the community. She has gained the unique skills for gathering the facts and then presenting them in a way that matters to our community. All those late-night meetings (prior to online accessibility) that she has attended over the years. She would sometimes spend most of the night finalizing the lay-out before the paper goes to print. All this being done so our community members might be better informed for the next issue of The Post. 

The true and faithful heart and soul of our hometown newspaper is Lois Allen. She is why we still have The Post. For most of her life, she has used her creative mind and frugal strategies to find ways to … keep on publishing. Her continued motivation is found in her desire to serve our community! 

Thank you, team Post!

A small town is not a community without a hometown newspaper. People can lose interest in being a part of a community without access to information about unfolding events and the people within our community. 

As the song goes, “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.” Let’s prevent this tune from ringing true. Please support our hometown newspaper!

Sue Wolfe, Nelson Township

Kent County v Mollie McClellan

Village President Mollie McClellan was charged with a felony by Kent County prosecutor’s office for violating Michigan Election Law. McClellan was charged with a felony for signing the petition to recall Rachel Gokey—once under her legal name (McClellan) and once under her husband’s last name (Doerr).

The case was not dismissed against McClellan for lack of evidence or because it was unwinnable. Technically McClellan didn’t enter a guilty plea. However, she had to admit to guilt to take part in a pre-trial diversion program. If McClellan complies with the conditions of the program, the offense will eventually be removed from her criminal record.

By Michigan law, the petition form itself states “A person who knowingly signs a petition more than once, or signs a name other than his or her own name is violating the provisions of the Michigan election law.”

The law also states “(10) an individual shall not sign a petition with multiple names. An individual who violates this subsection is guilty of a felony” (emphasis added).

The law is clear. McClellan signed the petition under multiple names and is guilty of a felony, even if it will not ultimately remain on her criminal record.

If you look at sample forms online, the warning against signing twice is displayed very prominently.

One can only assume McClellan intentionally signed the petition twice for the purpose of adding to the signature count necessary to recall Gokey. Apparently, the Kent County prosecutor agreed, and McClellan, herself, admitted her guilt so she could take part in the pretrial diversion program.

There is a provision in Michigan law that says a person convicted of a felony cannot hold public

office if “…the conviction was related to the person’s official capacity while the person was

holding an elective office…”

Someone who is willing to commit election fraud should not be serving as a public official. The residents of the Village need to call for her resignation!

Tracy Quinlan, Village of Sand Lake

Jack was part of the positive team that made “Prom on Main Street” happen. 

Jack will sign the Social Media Policy. 

Jack will continue getting previous decisions into compliance with ordinances. Jack wants to be part of the council to continue updates that benefit Sand Lake, like the new tables and updating park equipment. 

Jack sees the positive changes the new council has made. 

Jack Christensen will keep the positivity flowing in Sand Lake.

Vote Jack Christensen for Sand Lake Village Council Trustee.

Keep the Unity in CommUnity. 

See you Tuesday,November 2nd.

Cherrie Camilleri, Sand Lake

To the Village of Sand Lake taxpayers and residents,

We have not had a more honest, transparent, united hard working Village President and Council in years. You all have seen for your self’s the improvements and unity this council has done for our Village and the new DPW is awesome and has done more than you all have seen in over the past year. If someone comes to your door and is asking you to sign a petition for a recall for either Mollie, Stacy, or Marcia, DO NOT sign it. These people that are coming to your door will tell you lies about the people they are recalling and they are very convincing so beware. Just tell them to leave and do not believe anything they are saying.

And please, for unity, trust and transparency, elect Jack S Christensen for Village of Sand Lake Trustee on November 2, 2021.

Marty Helton, Village of Sand Lake life-long resident 

Former S.L. Village councilman, former S.L. Village Department of Public Works Supervisor, Former S.L. Chamber of Commerce Trustee, Former S.L. C of C President.

POST SCRIPTS NOTICE: The Cedar Springs Post welcomes letters of up to 350 words. The subject should be relevant to local readers, and the editor reserves the right to reject letters or edit for clarity, length, good taste, accuracy, and liability concerns. All submissions MUST be accompanied by full name, mailing address and daytime phone number. We use this information to verify the letter’s authenticity. We do not print anonymous letters, or acknowledge letters we do not use. Writers are limited to one letter per month. Email to news@cedarspringspost.com, or send to Post Scripts, Cedar Springs Post, PO Box 370, Cedar Springs, MI 49319. * We only print positive letters about candidates one week prior to an election. 

Nelson Township voters need to be aware that the August 3 election is about more than just selecting a state Senate candidate. There is a proposal to increase the township library millage. This was voted down a year ago, and yet township officials refuse to accept that the people have already spoken on this issue. So, they are trying to sneak it past voters in an off year primary election where the turnout will be very low. This is totally unethical and should be illegal. Furthermore, they have misused taxpayer money and resources by including propaganda about this in the newsletter sent out with property tax bills. The propaganda states that the library needs a new roof and boiler. This is highly suspect for a library building barely 15 years old. The real question is why there is a township library tax at all. The township library millage was passed in 1987, and unfortunately has no expiration. In 1995 a countywide library system, KDL, was created with a new tax to support it. Nelson Township officials should have stoped collecting the township library tax at that time. The fact that this township library tax is still collected means we have been doubled dipped for library services for the last 25 years. Shame on Nelson Township’s self-serving and less than honest elected officials (past and present).  However, this is not a raw enough deal for taxpayers to satisfy the current township officials. They want to increase the township library tax to scam taxpayers even more. This proposal needs to be soundly defeated. Please vote NO! It also needs to be noted that the KDL library millage has increased by 85% (from 0.68 in 1995 to the current 1.26 mills), so KDL certainly could and should be paying the maintenance and utilities on the library building. In the interest of full disclosure, I do not live in Nelson Township, but I own (and pay taxes on) 80 acres in Nelson Township.

Daniel Davis

Courtland Township

The recent decision to offer only “appointments only” at the Michigan Secretary of State offices is nothing more than government takeover.

I believe that the Michigan Secretary of State offices are to serve the people of Michigan, not to make it more difficult to obtain required documentation.

Thank goodness I don’t have to make an appointment to shop at the grocery store!

Betty K. Towns, 

Cedar Springs

The Cedar Springs Post welcomes letters of up to 350 words. The subject should be relevant to local readers, and the editor reserves the right to reject letters or edit for clarity, length, good taste, accuracy, and liability concerns. All submissions MUST be accompanied by full name, mailing address and daytime phone number. We use this information to verify the letter’s authenticity. We do not print anonymous letters, or acknowledge letters we do not use. Writers are limited to one letter per month. Email to news@cedarspringspost.com, or send to Post Scripts, Cedar Springs Post, PO Box 370, Cedar Springs, MI 49319.

I live in the Village of Sand Lake, with my father, Nile Hayden. I’d like to make a statement on his behalf.

The Cedar Springs Post has three articles, published in print and online on April 1st, 2nd, and 8th, about the Open Meetings Act lawsuit. All three articles mention a phone call from an automatic speakerphone from my father to Ms. Gokey, allowing her to overhear “the entire conversation” between my father and a Michigan State Trooper. Ms. Gokey stated, my father “implicitly or explicitly admitted the truth of the assertions, that he had met with Council Members in violation of OMA, and that he wanted to know who told.”

It’s impossible for that phone call to have happened, Ms. Gokey. 

The security system, that is supported by the company SimpliSafe. was put in for my mother, who suffers from dementia. My father and family have been using this system for years to monitor the house. Father uses it everyday. The doorbell is a receiver of information. It cannot broadcast or receive except at the doorstep. If the system is breached while “active,” the SimpliSafe team calls my father first, if he doesn’t respond, SimpliSafe is to call the County Sheriff. That’s how my father’s list worked. It also sets off an alarm that turns into a siren. The security system doesn’t dial, it has a wireless contact to SimpliSafe. SimpliSafe would only call my father or the County Sheriff.

They would not have knowledge of Ms. Gokey’s number. She’s not on my father’s list. SimpliSafe without number knowledge or permission to call her, didn’t make the call to her to help my father. 

It could not have been an accidental phone generated call. Father’s phone history lists no calls lasting longer than 13 minutes to Ms. Gokey, ever.  

The “entire conversation” between my father and the trooper lasted over an hour, in house. Not on the doorstep. 

The best part of speaking with the knowledge to clear my father’s good name, is that it has already been done by the Michigan State Police. “The investigation was closed as unfounded.” Quoting Spl/Lt Michelle Robinson, in the Cedar Springs Post, April 8, 2021.

Cherrie Camilleri, Sand Lake

POST SCRIPT NOTICE: The Cedar Springs Post welcomes letters of up to 350 words. The subject should be relevant to local readers, and the editor reserves the right to reject letters or edit for clarity, length, good taste, accuracy, and liability concerns. All submissions MUST be accompanied by full name, mailing address and daytime phone number. We use this information to verify the letter’s authenticity. We do not print anonymous letters, or acknowledge letters we do not use. Writers are limited to one letter per month. Email to news@cedarspringspost.com, or send to Post Scripts, Cedar Springs Post, PO Box 370, Cedar Springs, MI 49319.

I want to congratulate all Michiganders for the successful election we participated in on November 3, 2020. We had 5.5 million people vote in this election – the most ever in our state’s history. In 2018, we passed Proposal 3 to make it easier to vote because we the voters should choose our politicians, not politicians choosing their voters. The Michigan Senate introduced Senate Bills 272-311 to make it harder to exercise our fundamental right to vote. We all know that it is not always easy for our grandparents and even parents to get to the polling place on Election Day. Making it easy and convenient to vote from home through the mail by absentee ballot is a great and safe way to vote and we should not support any bills that will make that process harder. I think that even you may have taken advantage of this method of voting because it really makes it a lot easier to mail in your ballot instead trying to vote after working all day. I hope you join me and other Voters Not Politicians volunteers and contact your state legislators to make sure they do not support these bills that will make it harder for all of us to vote absentee.

Joan Fifelski, Kent City