Delta County Board of Commissioners Meeting 2-14-2023: Unhappy Comments and Interim County Admin

The first thing I noticed is the audio is clearer (Good job IT!)......Then it seemed to have some difficulties with people who called in and the audio (They are trying. I think it is much better.) For a minute I thought we were going to have to call Verizon 🤷 The good news is I think the audio is on track to be resolved. Let us see what other problems the county is working on......

Because this was a very long meeting I'm using bullet points (It took days to get through it). You can watch the YouTube video if you want to see the gory gut wrenching details. There was a lot going on during this meeting. Everything from interim administrator to complaints of corruption.  😬

Here are my thoughts and really it is more of a wait and see what happens perspective. Its hard to say what exactly happened without specifics. If someone is going to investigate, whomever they are, they will need enough details to investigate something. Something someone can look at, compare, find enrichment, etc. (I'm just saying that from a general perspective. Consult a legal expert.). Who, What, When, Where, Why?

(To me one wants to look for anything where there is both decision making and pools of money involved, funds, lands, employment, etc.. Typically there has to be a benefit and a violation of some law or ethical expectation. A documented break down in moral conscious if you prefer. I think in these cases it would be the State Attorney General and a How to Report Fraud that would handle that if one had something substantial. )

....at a minimum I'm sure some ears perked. Its a wait and see thing. 

Other Business:

-Some discussion on cleaning up the old jail site for new development. Vice Utility Relocation RFP 

-airport assistant manager leaving, probation officer leaving.

-new finance policy

Expressions of Displeasure of the Board:

Some people came forward to talk about their displeasure with the board. Some of the comments were pretty harsh but seemed to have heartfelt concerns. I started writing paraphrase but decided to move to bullet points due to the amount of complaints and how they may sting.

-Contract concerns and self-enrichment

-Complaints of corruption and orchestrated behaviors.

-Freedom of speech, governance, and redress of government. 

-31K visitors and shared 500+ times. (There are lots of people interested in Delta County right now.)

-6 months severance to fire County Administrator and "other legal" issues.

-People  want other members of the county removed as they felt they were wronged in someway. 

-Some brought up the assertion that the new administration already had a nepotistic deal in place, another came up to confirm it. 

-The Conservation District will have 4 out of 5 people running for election. Younger members of the community may be running for those seats. (I don't know what that means. I'm assuming it means managing the district versus allow certain board members to stay on it.)

-Some want better community through transparency and honesty. Feel that they may have been lied to.

-Some have argued that there is misuse of compensation and attendance.

-Wells Twp. came forward to say they like working with Emily. I thought I heard something from Esky as well.

-Issues with females was brought up. Watch the video.

Appeals for a Chance:

-Some of the board members feel that they would like to have a chance to regain public trust.

-A committee to find an administrator.

If there is some work we need to do as a county it is best to get done now before infrastructure projects, land use issues, etc. all come to a head as we navigate new investment. All of that is very normal and is part of the process of sort getting things in the place they need to be. We don't want anyone confused about the role and purpose of government (We actually have an opportunity to teach national government how to resolve these issues. Like I said, its becoming an important county I think.)

Being distracted isn't the best place to be at the moment but better now then 6 months from now. 

TV6  Contract for Delta County Board of Commissioners interim administrator in the works

Anything to worry about? No idea. I can't say. The only thing I can say is that there has been some issues and concerns in some other areas that fall along similar lines (not exactly the same). That of course doesn't mean any of it is true. That is where a certain credibility threshold has to be met. It could be true, it could not be true. It should be seen like my ears are perked because there is something, they appear they could have some lose association, but certainly plausible but definitely not until someone pulls those records and starts digging through them. P.S. much of it is likely to be public records (The advantages of laws that protect public interest) and one could map it all out and create time lines and relationship charts and the potential financial value of those relationships. May lead to something or it may lead to nothing. Who has the time for such stuff? The point being is that substance in complaints creates importance and precedence; even legal precedence in uncharted territories were laws are lax. Also, be aware that when you start digging you will also ask lots of more questions and see things that most of us would never know unless we went through the same exercise. If your bored and tired of NetFlix feel free to start asking for public records and ask questions. :)

*I try and be accurate so if there is something I didn't get right I will change it. Just leave a comment. I'm sort of neutral on these things. I am more interested in how this relates to economic development. Good governance does have an impact on economic investments and growth. That is not a reflection of whether this is good or bad governance. I don't have such an opinion yet.

Escanaba Clears Out the Snow

We dug out from the snow two days ago. I would say about 7 inches total. I didn't get to go snowshoe today but am planning on doing outhouse races so I will get some outdoor lifestyle in.

The sun is out! Early pm.!
Our high-rise!
Personally it would have been an 
awesome hotel and casino.

We pile the snow up!

Gloomy a.m. 

The world needs more snow!

Escanaba 1881

You may be interested in our early history. Notice the heavy reliance on the Great Lakes. 

Institute for Study of War and AEI Critical Threat Project Release Ukraine-Russia War Map Time Line

Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and AEI Critical Threat Project provided the Time Line Map of the Ukrainian-Russia War. ISW was launched during Iraq to analyze ground situations  while the AEI Critical Threat Project focuses on national security issues.  You can learn more about Institute for the Study of War (ISW) HERE  and AEI Critical Threat Project HERE. Basically, in that world they are knowledgeable institutions that provide policy recommendations.

I was actually looking for a study on quantum level time manipulation findings I read this a.m. and in my search for that I came across this time lapse map of the Ukraine -Russia conflict (The other important development is in energy fusion). For those of you who sort of follow the news and its implications there is much that can be learned through difficult situations like this. We should always seek peace and when that doesn't happen learn and apply as fast as possible.

I'm thinking in terms of conflict management, technology development, strategy formation, and economic posturing as it relates to geographically important areas. Not actively of course, but more or less, 'What's going on over here and how is that impacting our local and national markets and economies?' Conflict of this magnitude mixed with ideological loyalties does impact the business market (i.e. how supply chains reform along ideological lines.).

There are of course other considerations such as supply chain enhancement and closing the gap from innovative prototype to small batch production (i.e. small specialized clusters for equipment, ship retro fit, vehicles, etc.) Its is the small batch production that leads to larger production for either military or industrial purposes.  All of that is part of stronger capacity development by focusing on specific needs and methods of more quickly creating capacity to meet the challenges of increased supply stresses. 

We have struggled as a nation to launch new things fast enough to maintain advanced technology superiority. I don't think rapid innovation is impossible but I do believe a level of mixing organic self entrepreneurial interest with structure guidance, incentives and collaboration that provides the right innovative environment that is neither too bureaucratic nor Wild West. Such a cluster would require a level layered local, state and federal support.

Firefighters and Fitness: The biggest risk is their big hearts! (A Few Resources)

Source: Fire House

Training is vital to the long term success of any firefighting team. When teams train together, they get to know each other and in turn begin to find ways of tackling tough situations. In rural areas such as ours, we have to train regularly because we encounter a variety of environments that range from hundreds of miles of forests to cars falling through the ice. House fires are sometimes part of the risk but so can be carrying heavy hoses and equipment around. 

In the rural world we rely on everyone and anyone who can reasonably help. Our department has been pretty good at attracting younger people and we want to maintain their interest to get them through required training in a safe manner. It takes time, so being interactive is helpful.

Of course there is a place for people of different skill sets . Some will bust down doors and some will run the trucks. Some will lift heavy hoses and some will tell them where to lay those hoses to gain the most  power and reach. We are a team. Each team member will need to know their limits and training will help them determine not only their abilities but also their limitations. 

Training gives one a fairly good understanding of each persons capacity and abilities. It also provides you insight into where some firefighters might need some help and where they can help others. There are risks to being injured during training but the benefits far outweigh the costs.  Physical overexertion can become a major issue if you are unaware of your physical condition but are pushed to the max during training or during an actual live exercise situation. 

A good place to start for everyone in rural and volunteer departments is for firefighters to be aware of their physical capacities and know their limits. Engage in activities that match one's fitness level. 

You may want to read this research study by NFPA that helps highlight the need for training. U.S. Firefighter Deaths Related to Training, 2009–2018 

Key findings (I put in brackets those things a department could consider.) 

Fahy, 2020 NFPA

• Between 2009 and 2018, 12.9 percent of all on-duty fatalities occurred during training.  (Thinking safe practices and look through the scenes and activities to ensure risks are minimal prior to training. Having proper equipment, expertise and support.)

• The largest share of FF deaths occurred during physical fitness training and apparatus and equipment drills, with both shares accounting for 34 percent of the training deaths. (Thinking about providing fitness guidelines and allowing firefighters to reflect on those needs and/or or talk to their doctors about them. There are plenty of roles to fill in a department.)

• Three-quarters of the deaths were attributed to stress, overexertion and medical causes.   (See fitness needs above. We may also consider getting a fitness trainer to come out and talk to us about nutrition and food. Show us some basic exercises. I probably could do some of that myself.)

• Sudden cardiac death accounted for two-thirds of the deaths. (Include some information in training about these deaths and how to minimize them.)

• Most of the deaths occurred at the fire station or at off-site locations controlled by the fire department.  (It sounds like most of these deaths are related to fitness and readiness versus actual injury. Its something good to keep in mind.)

Firefighting Fitness

I'm looking through fitness to share with my fellow firefighters and department. A couple of resources I'm going to share include. 1. Training Accidents Stats, 2. Stress Test Requirements, 3. FF Fitness Drills. 

A Few Resources: Fitness NFPA Requirements, NFPA Official Site, NFPA 1582 Physical Requirements, CDC Firefighter Resources, IAFF Physical Fitness Tests, Harvard Study on Firefighter Injuries.

Interesting in terms of how reliant we are on volunteers but have various readiness levels.

Grand Chute FD Needs Recruits and EMTs: 38% EMS are cross trained with Firefighters. 5.9% of WI firefighters are career based while 79% are volunteer (That is interesting. They are close to the U.P. so I would suspect we are similar.)

This article is free to share. Its a helpful article so take some of the resources back to your departments. If your interested in contributing to a good cause and volunteering you may want to check us out on Facebook or Google Maps. We also appreciate donations as we are looking to replace a grass truck $100K +-, battery powered extrication spreader and traffic equipment $30K, and expand training based on new investments in the area.

The Winter Snow Keeps Coming in the U.P.

A couple of pictures of us being dumped on. The weather people teased us again. Initial forecasts were expected to be less. 4" to 8" inches today and 1-2 feet over three day period. I would be surprised if we get that much. 

Its cold, it will be awesome for winter sports tomorrow, and we are out shoveling our driveways and sidewalks.

 

meteoblue

Invest Escanaba: Ship Building in Esky? Trends Say It Should be Considered!

Escanaba Light House
Source: Escanaba Post Card Museum

Sometimes its a good idea to capitalize on other investments to maximize impact and dollars. We do know there are things coming into the area that will likely change some of the landscape. We also have other infrastructure advantages such as ports, road and rail. As infrastructure develops, and the Navy considers how to maximize its innovative capacity, they should consider Escanaba as a candidate for an advanced medium to small vessel shipyard. 

Before you judge too harshly the idea. Consider ship building in Marinette-Menominee and how that might be able to hedge coordinated ports in close proximity, the space launch site going in north of Marquette (I think its still going in. I have to check. 🤔) and some other awesomeness in the area. While it would be great for the Navy if they pass we want to attract shipbuilding in general as a cluster advancing industry.

The Escanaba
Source: My Michigan

Let us look at three sort of trends emerging.....

1.) Growing general need for ship building internationally. Growth Ship Building Market Report 2023

2.) China has larger ship yards and more capacity. China Ship Building Outpaces US

3.) Escanaba has a developing deep port (Military, tourism, ore/commercial, ship building, etc.) matched with some local production (Local SME manufacturing and metal work). 

4.) Large infrastructure development in the area. $200 Million MI Esky and MI. Spends on Infrastructure

5.) Innovation and small business military. Rapid Innovation Fund

6.) An "incalculable". Something unique about the place and why its a good cluster location with key characteristics that can't be easily measured or repeated by other nations. As economic synergy is created there is greater economic and innovative value thereby achieving the essential purpose of a cluster as a rapid innovation system. (The simplest answer is an innovative leap under the right economic condition brought forward by a functioning microcosm of a cluster. ) A Decade of Change and Fourth Industrial Era (i.e. the Digital Era. Unknown DC)

Light reading. DC Great Lakes, MultiCluster Ship DC, Esky Downtown Incubator, Incubator Econ Growth, Outperform China