Year in Review: The highlight reel of Hillsdale news in 2022
HILLSDALE — Writing the Year in Review column for 2022 feels a bit loaded. It's almost easier to say what didn't happen than what did.
Last year was no exception, as the greater Hillsdale area faced a county Republican Party in chaos, a library embroiled in controversy and a midterm election that heralded a sea change in Michigan.
Here's what we deemed the most impactful topics of 2022:
Hillsdale County GOP in chaos
It began when dozens of newly elected Hillsdale County GOP precinct delegates elected in the August primary were barred from entering the county ... and it never really ended after that.
The county party then split into two group: an ultraconservative faction ("America First") and the newly elected moderates (Leininger faction). In late August, days before the state’s convention, Leininger’s faction convened its own meeting and elected a temporary executive committee to serve through the end of the year, ousting the “America First” faction, who dismissed the Leininger faction’s actions that day as unlawful.
The feud landed in court with Leininger’s faction filing for a preliminary injunction in October seeking a declaratory judgment, which a judge ultimately granted. However, the "America First" faction has vowed to carry on and not heed the ruling.
The year ended with more accusations of politically motivated attacks, with two Hillsdale County political activists arrested on criminal allegations of cyber-bullying. On Dec. 28, Michigan GOP Chairman Ron Weiser announced support for the Leininger faction — reversing his position from months earlier.
One thing's for sure: 2023 will see this in-fighting continue.
Jonesville police considers 48-hour shifts
The most read story on our website this year (over 50,000 pageviews) was about the Jonesville Police Department posting a job opening for two full-time police officers who would work 48-hour shifts with 96 hours off, similar to what fire departments and some emergency medical service agencies are doing across the country.
The city of Jonesville has one officer on per shift currently providing patrol coverage for just over 2,000 residents. The move was an effort to provide better work-life balance for officers while trying to provide continuous coverage to its community.
Officers would “live” at the department for their 48 hour shift and the posting touts a full kitchen, sleeping and showering quarters, cable television and internet are at the officers disposal. Despite the amenities, as of this writing, no one applied for the positions.
Tragic boating accident finally results in arrest
The community was heartbroken when an 11-year-old Indiana girl was struck and killed by a boat in July while on a trip at Camp Michindoh on East Bacon Road in Adams Township.
A lifeguard had 12 young children on a towable device behind a boat and that a spotter saw three fall from the device. When the boat was turned around to retrieve the three children, a fourth, who was not observed going into the water, was struck by the boat and succumbed to injuries.
In early October, authorities announced they had arrested and charged 25-year-old Matthew John Kovacic, of Hillsdale with one count of marine safety — negligent crippling or death
The rare crime falls under the natural resources and environmental protection Act 451 of 1994 and is punishable by up to two years in prison and/or a $2,000 fine.
Library sees resignations over LGBTQ materials
A series of Hillsdale Community librarian resignations rocked the community this summer after a controversial book ban proposal sparked controversy on both sides of an issue of whether LBGTQ books should be in the children’s section of the library.
The resignations followed a June library board meeting where Board Secretary Joshua Paladino authored and leaked an amendment to ban LGBTQ books from the children’s section amid others.
Paladino’s draft policy change was leaked on his social media and sent to friends of his by email asking for support at the meeting, which garnered a large audience from both those in favor of his proposal and those against it.
From teens and parents alleging the move would infringe on their First Amendment rights to board members wanting clearer rules on how materials are circulated, the issue was a lightning rod for months.
Michigan Midterm Elections
The morning after the November midterm election, Democratic Michiganders awoke to discover they'd kept the governorship, secretary of state and attorney general offices — in addition to passing all three statewide proposals and flipping the state House and Senate for the first time since the '80s.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June, voters approved an amendment to enshrine abortion rights in the state's constitution. Proposal 3 establishes a "fundamental right to reproductive freedom" which includes — but is not limited to — the right to seek abortion. It also protects a right to contraception and infertility care.
Michigan voters also adopted Proposal 2, a wide-ranging constitutional amendment to establish early voting, preempt efforts to enact more stringent voter ID rules and expand access to absentee voting.
Perhaps the most bipartisan support came for Proposal 1, a ballot proposal that modifies term limits for state legislators and requires them, the governor and others holding top elected offices in the state to disclose information about their finances that could reveal potential conflicts of interest.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Year in Review: The highlight reel of Hillsdale news in 2022
