On occasion we at City Watch will allow a letter to the Editor that we publish. Typically, they are letters tied to an important event or situation in Albion. We do review all letters and will only consider those that are factually accurate, not abusive and important, in our opinion, to the local community. We find the letter below to fit all in these categories and agreed to post it. The letter writer is well known in the Albion area, though that is not why we chose his letter, but his points tie in to our story which will be released later today.

John Face Chief Editor and Publisher of City Watch News.

AEDC Board of Directors;

Please carefully consider the formal oath of office you swore as public officials appointed to serve the City of Albion as Directors of the Albion Economic Development Corporation (AEDC). Each of you has solemnly pledged to support the Constitution of the United States and the State of Michigan and that each of you will, to the best of your abilities, faithfully and IMPARTIALLY discharge the duties of the AEDC.

Rushing to hire an individual who is currently under investigation by the Michigan State Police, who has allegedly made several improper fiscal transactions, who has reportedly caused the AEDC to breach a lease contract, putting the corporation and City of Albion at risk of litigation, who has required the AEDC to pay for additional professional services to assist this same individual in satisfactorily performing the duties of the same position you are about to hire them for; and who has, in the last 12-months, repeatedly demonstrated difficulty in effectively working with a super-majority of the AEDC Board of Directors, as well as numerous vital stakeholders; is NOT IMPARTIAL.  

In summary, rushing to hire this individual under the cloud of these circumstances is hardly an impartial discharge of your duties. Instead, such an action would underscore an impassioned effort to “right a wrong” that some or all of you perceive has been committed against this individual. Each of you has the responsibility to faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of your office, and that requires the law enforcement investigation be completed, and allegations of fiscal irregularities be laid to rest, as well as honestly engaging the stakeholders whom this individual has not effectively worked with, all before offering an employment contract of this magnitude and turning over the corporation to this individual.

Finally, it would help if you considered that a failure to discharge your office’s duties impartially would violate your oath of office as a public official and constitute official misconduct. 

Respectfully,

Dave Atchison

Albion Michigan

Photos by John Face

September 23, 2023

Press Release

September 23, 2023

The week of September 12-16, Battle Creek Area Habitat for Humanity embarked on a week-long project to give back to veterans who have served to bless our country. Habitat worked on three wheelchair ramps, a roof reshingle project, and a significant yard clean-up project for veterans in Calhoun County.

One of those projects was located on Monroe Street in Albion. It was a complete roof redo with work performed by the Michigan Job Challenge Program, Eaton Corporation, Albion College students, the American Legion Auxiliary Post 55, and Habitat regular volunteers. “It was truly a blessing to have so many willing and able volunteers. So many people pitched in to see the project through to completion,” stated Mike King, Interim Executive Director for Habitat.

The roof was started on Tuesday and completed by Friday. Funders for all the projects of the week included the American Legion Auxiliary Post 55, Eaton Corporation, Marshall Community Credit Union, Johnny’s Market, Advia Credit Union, Quality Plumbing and Drain, Spartan Podiatry, and Kellogg Community Credit Union.

There is much desire to support veterans in this community. The three wheelchair projects were located in Homer, Marengo, and Athens. Volunteers for those projects came from Eaton Corporation, Knauf Insulation, and Habitat’s regular volunteers. “Tears are often shed at the completion of a wheelchair ramp,” stated Mr. King. “As our population ages mobility can be a big issue in a person’s life”.

Sometimes, the biggest hurdle for an elderly person is the four steps right outside their front door. A ramp can bring freedom like they haven’t felt in years. The volunteers certainly enjoy building ramps because when the project is finished in a day, there is so much appreciation from the entire recipient family.” Habitat builds ramps for families of low income, and they can be contacted at 269-966-2502.

PHOTO CAPTION: Albion Area Philanthropic Women gathered last week at McIntosh Park to award funding to the latest recipient INNOVATE Albion to support the robotics teams. This giving circle has donated over $650,000 to local Albion area non-profit organizations.

Innovate Albion was the latest to receive funding from the Albion Area Philanthropic Women during its recent 3rd  quarter meeting.

The philanthropic group met at McIntosh Park pavilion to view the year-old splash pad and playground donated to Albion by Christie and Tony de Nicola in honor of their parents. 

INNOVATE Albion and our FIRST Robotics Teams will be supported by the AAPW funds to help the growing community of robotics teams for students in kindergarten through high school.  During the 2023 – 2024 season there will be over 90 students participating in a 

robotics team experience, according to Caroline Hurteau, head of INNOVATE Albion.

She stated, “ Funds donated by AAPW will support team competition registrations, provide scholarships for team participation, provide snacks for teams during practice and purchase necessary equipment including LEGO education kits, competition field elements and necessary technology.”

Hurteau continued, “ Our FIRST Lego Explore (K-3), FIRST Lego Challenge (4th -5th grade) and FIRST Tech Challenge (6th – 8th grade) teams are practicing now and will begin competing as early as late October.” 

New AAPW members are always welcome. The only requirement is that women have a heart for giving and a desire to make the Albion area a better place for all. Members commit to donating $100 per quarter to a deserving nonprofit voted on by the group. To be a member you need not live in the Albion area. Many current AAPW supporters live out of town but regularly send checks to support the philanthropic group’s efforts. 

AAPW was founded in 2007 by Cathy Campbell and the late Maggie Konkle. To date AAPW members have given over $650,000 to the Albion area nonprofit organizations.

For more information contact AAPW volunteer leaders Nancy Roush at nancyroush@gmail.com; Gwen Tabb at tabbqwendolyn113@gmail.com or Marcia Starkey at mstarkey74@gmail.com.  

Written by John Face
September 13, 2023

Former Albion Economic Development Corporation (EDC) President Virgie Ammerman’s actions are what is the focus of the Michigan State Police (MSP) investigation. City Watch has learned that Ammerman, after she was fired, illegally accessed her EDC email account. Even as she told the public that she had noble goals of archiving emails for whoever would replace her, she knew that was false.

Ammerman had deleted emails, and it is what was in those emails that caused MSP to be alerted. City Watch discovered that Ammerman had sent a shared drive of all EDC data, including personal EDC data, to her private email. This action appears illegal and does not match her claims about why she accidentally deleted emails. Fired or not, if Ammerman in fact did take these documents it would be a crime according to law enforcement sources. City Watch has also learned that MSP interviews have been taking place throughout the community. According to sources, the MSP was able to retrieve the lost emails. That of course does not fix the alleged stolen information.

As the current EDC Board still attempts to rehire Ammerman, her EDC Board and City Council supporters need to address this information.

Written by John Face

Photos by John Face
September 11, 2023

Stealing the line from the movie Field of Dreams, where they say, “If you build it, they will come,” yesterday taught the Albion area one thing. Book groups that the masses want to see, and they will show up. Yesterday at the season-closing show for the summer concert series, “Swingin’ at the Shell,” we learned that the masses in Albion like what they saw this summer.

Simply Queen packed the place. Estimates of up to 1,500 people showed up, that number could be higher as the crowd was spread out wide and made counting difficult. This show was the most talked about event in Albion in a long time. After the show, this writer spoke with several people, and they all agreed that Albions’ summer concert series is doing it right.

Much of the credit goes to Stephanie Dobbins as M.C. Bill Dobbins introduced her to the audience as the force behind the shows. She knows what her audience wants: great music and a great venue.

Even though naysayers scoffed at “cover bands” playing concerts in Albion, the summer concert series was full of professional tribute bands, which the crowds wanted — and loved. Proof of that is thousands of people who came to the shows this summer. Thousands. Hard to scoff at that.

So, thank you to all the sponsors, event organizers, and those who work hard to make Albion a fun place to live. So, enjoy these pictures from yesterday:

Written by John Face

September 9, 2023

PARDON THE COPY AND PASTE WITH THE PICTURES AS THIS WAS DONE WITH MY PHONE AS I WAS AWAY FROM HOME.

After our opinion article that was released earlier today, CLICK HERE TO READ THAT ARTICLE we have decided to go ahead and post the contract offer the Albion Economic Development Corporation Board (EDC) is trying to push through. As stated in the original story, the remaining EDC Board members have one agenda it appears. Please take a moment and read the original story. Here is a copy of the new Contract that is being offered:

Written by John Face

Editorial

September 9, 2023

The Albion Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has attempted to meet and rehire the fired EDC President Virgie Ammerman. On August 10, 2023, the EDC Board fired Ammerman. CLICK HERE TO READ THAT STORY The following week, the Albion City Council, against the advice of the legal counsel from the city and EDC, voted to remove the EDC Board members who voted to remove Ammerman from her job. After the council vote, a lawsuit was threatened by fired EDC Board member Ed Haas. CLICK HERE TO READ THAT STORY. Haas said on Friday that he is still planning to file an injunction.

Bring her Back

Meanwhile, three EDC Board member supporters of Ammerman have been busy. Initially, they attempted to reinstate Ammerman as Interim President, only to realize they needed a written contract, which displayed a complete lack of understanding of what they were doing. Since then, they have been unable to get a quorum of the Board, so business has yet to be done. They attempted to meet again on September 1, and again, no quorum was in attendance.

We found out what Ammerman’s contract will look like if they can push it through. First, they plan on paying her $8,480.76 in “back pay” for the time she has been home and not working this last month.

Proof – EDC Board Knew She Was Breaking Rules

They also plan to give her an extremely lucrative expense account, $15,000 annually, that can be used for “including but not limited to meals for development activities.” Using a five-day workweek works out to a daily average of $57.00 per day she is allowed to use.

This expense account was not in her first contract for good reason; a small EDC such as Albion doesn’t need it. Also, it proves one thing: the three Ammerman Board supporters now acknowledge that she was illegally using EDC money for food before being fired. Yet, let’s hire someone that we now know has no problem taking money from the taxpayers that she was not supposed to. At least now she can “lunch” with any old ex-mayor and make taxpayers for it.

Can’t Fire Her

The new contract makes it nearly impossible for the Board to fire her unless she is convicted of a felony or acting dishonestly regarding the EDC. They will tell the public of other rules in place, but I have never seen a contract requiring a 30-day notice to fire someone.

The big issue is that if you do your job like you are supposed to, getting fired is unnecessary. It’s clear Ammerman knew little about what an EDC does, and she has allowed those with suspicious intentions access to the EDC and its money for projects not connected to the EDC.

EDC Board and Albion City Council Gone Wild

All this has shown the taxpayers in the Albion area is that the remaining Ammerman supporters on the EDC Board and four Albion City Council members who fired the EDC Board will only listen to their legal experts if they fit their agenda.

It is time for a change in the City Council. Is there anyone with the stomach to do something? Time will tell.

Have information for this or other stories? Email us at Citywatchnews1@gmail.com

Written by John Face
September 6, 2023

City Watch has been reporting about the activities of former Economic Development Corporation (EDC) President Virgie Ammerman since her board fired her in early August. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ORIGINAL STORY. Ammerman said in her interview one week after her August 10 firing she would be quickly rehired. So far, that has not happened.

There is a scheduled meeting tomorrow morning at City Hall with what appears to be an illegal board that plans to rehire her, even in the face of investigations of her trying to delete emails from the EDC server after her firing. She has gone public in an attempt to say that she was trying to archive the emails that she conveniently accidentally deleted; fortunately, the emails appear to have been retrieved by the Michigan State Police, according to sources, so that the board can view them. The issue is, she was not an employee apparently when she tried to hide the emails.

City Watch received another round of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). In this round, we find that the city of Albion billed her for more illegal charges she made with her corporate credit card that City Watch found when this investigation began. Ammerman now owes an additional $138 on top of the over $600 she had to repay.

We also now know the scope of what appears to be her inability to understand simple instructions and rules. As reported earlier, she illegally hired Dick Lindsey of Abbott, Thomson, Mauldin, Parker, Beer, and Lindsey out of Jackson, MI. Most will remember Lindsey as the attorney used by Mat Johnson, the disgraced former President of Albion College, who bought up multiple properties in Albion for Albion College. He also appears to be tied to John Jones a Florida real estate speculator who has been buying properties for the Blue Oval Project in Marshall.

Can someone explain how a contract paying an attorney with questionable ethics is considered an ordinary expense? How much money did Lindsey and his firm bill the EDC? In August alone, $13,000. The EDC Board needs to address this, but this will continue unless legal challenges CLICK THIS LINK TO ORIGINAL STORY ON LEGAL CHALLENGES are successful.

City Watch wants to update you on the legal challenge by Ed Haas, and plans are for the Circuit Court to receive his request for an injunction as soon as today.

More to come soon

Written by John Face

August 29, 2023

The Albion City Council voted to remove four Albion Economic Development Corporation (EDC) board members because they disagreed with the EDC Board’s vote to remove then-EDC President Virgie Ammerman. Since then, the remaining board members have attempted to meet to reinstate Ammerman. So far, they have yet to have a quorum of the remaining board members.

The four Albion Council members voted to remove even though their own lawyer appeared to have told them they could not do it. The EDC Lawyer also said what the Albion Council was doing was illegal. Yet, four members, three of whom have been linked to questionable activities in the past, said they didn’t care and violated their City Charter.

Now Ed Haas, one of the EDC Board the City Council voted out, is suing the city. Click on this link to read the letter Haas’s Attorney sent the city, which is in my story from last week.

The Council may have stuck it to themselves by choosing to ignore legal opinions. Since that happened, the City Attorney may not be allowed to support them when they get sued. This would mean they may need to hire attorneys and pay out of pocket. Citizens of Albion deserve Council members who are not ignorant of the laws and unwilling to listen to people such as their Attorney.

I would ask the EDC Board not to reinstate Ammerman, especially with her questionable actions in attempting to delete thousands of emails that have caused the Michigan State Police to investigate her actions. The issue here is that she tried to do this AFTER being fired. Causing many in the community to ask, what is she trying to hide?

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