Letters: Dissolving GHBLP would make us like all other communities, not the outlier
Dissolving the GHBLP would make as like all other communities, not the outlier
There has been an attempt by those opposed to the proposed Grand Haven Charter amendment to portray it as something out of place and unusual for a community to do. In fact, suggestions have been made that many communities currently having their power function governed by either their city council or an appointed board want to convert to the elected board governance currently in place in Grand Haven. Please give some serious thought to the following information:
The Michigan Public Power Agency (MPPA), which supplies energy to Grand haven, has 22 members:
Of those 22 members, 12 (55%) have their power function governed by their city council. They would be Bay City, Sturgis, Petoskey, Charlevoix, Harbor Springs, Chelsea, Portland, Eaton Rapids, St. Louis, Hart, Sebewaing, and Paw Paw.
Of those 22 members, 8 (36%) have their power function governed by an appointed board. They would be Lansing, Holland, Traverse City, Wyandotte, Niles, South Haven, Zeeland, and Lowell.
Only 2 of those 22 members, yes only 2 (9%), have elected boards governing their power function. They would be Marquette and Grand Haven.
It would appear that Grand Haven is the community that is out of step with the way communities normally govern their power function. It’s time to get in step and fold our BLP power function into our city’s structure as a newly created Public Energy Department along side the Public Safety and Public Works Departments. Vote "yes" for the charter amendment on Nov. 7.
John Naser
Grand Haven
Thank you to a Good Samaritan
To the very kind, young father who anonymously paid for my groceries at Meijer when I discovered to my horror that I had failed to return my wallet to my purse before heading out to shop, I am eternally grateful. For me and many friends, in a world that often seems crazy, you are one of our "better angels."
Norma Killilea
Holland
Holland should consider adding more bike lanes
Hello, my name is Alexander Tunks. I’m a GRCC student who is going for information technology, and I like to ride my bike around Holland but there are some challenges to doing that.
One of the biggest challenges when riding my bike in Holland is that there are not enough sidewalks to ride on, so sometimes I must ride in the streets. Most streets in Holland don’t have bike paths for bikers so we just must be careful and not get hit by cars which is scary for bikers and the people driving. One great example is coming from Riley Street and going into West Shore Drive. There are no sidewalks on either side of the street which makes it hard for people who ride their bikes to grab coffee or get a bite to eat at the many restaurants. They would have to ride in the street.
One of the biggest ways we as a community could fix this problem is to add more bike lanes for the many people who ride their bikes all over Holland. Also, as a community be careful of your surroundings when driving in areas without sidewalks or bike lanes to make sure no bikers get hurt. By doing these things we can make sure everyone stays safe and can get to the places they want to go in either a car or a bike and enjoy the great city of Holland Michigan.
I look forward to hearing your response soon.
Alexander Tunks
Holland
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Letters: Dissolving GHBLP would make us no longer an outlier
