Written by John Face

February 10, 2022

Photos by John Face

Getting a call in the early morning to tell you there is a problem is never a good thing. On December 6, 2021, Dan Lopez got the call no business owner wants, “your business is on fire”. The fire was isolated in the front of the restaurant and would be the start of a long road before reopening. The fire was quickly extinguished by firefighters but not before serious damage to the front end and heavy smoke damage to the entire business had occurred.

I met up with Dan Lopez the afternoon of the fire (pictured below) and he was devastated. Everything was running through his mind that day from can I reopen, fix the building to how do I take care of my employees.

A Go Fund Me account was started https://gofund.me/ea5ffdc9 (this is the link) that has raised over $22,000 for him and the business. Since that day things have slowly moved toward reopening. It was going to take a herculean effort by him, employees and others to clean up and rebuild, and that is what has happened.

Within days Albion College stepped forward to offer help in the rebuild, the community did as well by donating. Constant calls to Dan from those concerned helped him deal with everything. It would take a few days before he realized that despite what he wanted, he was not going to be able to open anytime soon.

As you can see in the pictures and others in the original story ( https://micitywatchnews.com/2021/12/06/lopez-taco-house-devastated-by-fire-information-on-how-you-can-help/ ) linked here, there was a long way to go. They have reopened for take-out only in the last couple weeks but the OK to open for eat in had not come yet.

Dan called me yesterday and asked me to stop by and of course I said yes. I just left to return and write this story and WOW is what I can say as to what I saw. A picture tells it all. Dan smiling as he showed me around was just awesome.

Everything is bright, cleaned up and no way you could know he had a fire. Pictured below in front of the new front window Dan tells me that he can’t thank people enough. I want to figure out a way to thank people. I have an idea of something to go on the wall acknowledging donors is in the works. But his one mantra was, thanking everyone.

I kept telling him how great it all looked when he finally got to why he called me. “We are opening to dine in eating John, tomorrow morning at 11”. Yeah, he was smiling big time. They will be open Friday and Saturday February 11th &12th from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Then open special hours on Monday for Valentine’s Day from 2 P.M. until 8 P.M. then back to regular hours.

Dan hopes people will stop in even if all they want to do is look at the rebuild.

Dan Is ready and plans on being busy the next few weeks, which is fine by him. As I took one last look around you felt that something special happened here. A community stepped forward and did what was right, and maybe, just maybe there were some special angels looking out for him as well.

Written by John Face

Starting this weekend, I have asked local baseball enthusiasts to share what baseball means to them. I then asked baseball expert Mitch Lutzke to take a look at the upcoming season in Detroit. This will be fun, and you can read what baseball means to different people. We start this weekend so be watching.

Written by John Face

January 30, 2022

Scott Brown who was appointed to the Marshall Public Board of Education Monday January 24 has resigned. This in the aftermath of a picture that was released to the public where he stood beside an individual who was holding a “Fuck the police” sign. Brown was smiling and giving the peace sign. Browns’ wife Joedy has been accused of accosting a Harrington Elementary school student Thursday where she grabbed a child by the arm, lifted them and carried the child aggressively according to witnesses.

City Watch reached out to Interim Superintendent Becky Jones seeking answers to five questions:

Was the child’s parents contacted? Was the police contacted? Was the teacher threatened at all? Why was Brown allowed in the school?  Was it because she was demanding because her husband is on the school board?

Ms. Jones replied to City Watch Saturday stating that at this time she could not comment as there is “an open investigation”. She went on to say, “I will let you know when I have information for you”.

City Watch will be following up with more to this story when appropriate.

Link to original story: https://micitywatchnews.com/2022/01/27/student-at-harrington-school-accosted-by-volunteer-wife-of-school-board-member/

Email: citywatchnews1@gmail.com for leaving tips or questions

Written by John Face

January 30, 2022

Dave Atchison has reworked recall language for Marshall School Board President Richard Lindsey. The original recall language was not allowed. Here is the new recall language that was submitted January 26, 2022.

Richard Lyndsey’s activities as an attorney raised questions of conflict with his school system duties & responsibilities.  Some voters believe he violated MPS policy #1130 CONFLICT-OF-INTEREST. He simultaneously served as School Board President & as attorney representing Albion College.  He presided over board meetings & activities associated with a $45.5-million-dollar school bond proposal which included provisions for construction of a new elementary school in Albion, while concurrently participating in activities associated with his client’s unsolicited proposal to MPS for establishing a new elementary school adjacent to their campus.  Questions were raised by the public, social media bloggers, and in local newspapers about the appearance of impropriety & apparent conflict between his legal representation of Albion College & his duties & responsibilities as president of the school board. The legal firm of Hewson & Van Hellmont sent a legal opinion to the school board concluding a conflict-of-interest under MCL 380.1203(1) exists.  Fifty community members in the Marshall School District signed a petition requesting he recuse himself from voting on board decisions which affect the location of a new school in Albion.  Mr. Lyndsey continued to represent Albion College.

Written by John Face

Photo Credit Albion Michigan NEWS

January 27, 2022

As Scott Brown was being appointed to fill one of two vacancies on the Marshall Public School board an old picture resurfaced. Brown, on the left in the picture below taken two years ago during a protest making the peace sign has always maintained that he was the unfortunate victim in this photo. He claimed then he had no idea the sign said Fuck the Police though witnesses had placed him beside the sign holder for a long period of time. He would say that this picture was used to try and discredit his wife who was involved in the local Mayoral race, he said then that his opponents used the photo for their benefit. Browns appointment to the school board has become a hot topic for some in the community questioning the School Boards thinking.

His wife Joedy Brown would go on to finish 2nd in a three-way mayor race by less than 20 votes to current Mayor Victoria Garcia-Snyder and then Mayor Dave Atchison who would finish third in the race.

Yesterday Joedy Brown went on social media making many claims regarding Harrington elementary located in Albion. She stated she had volunteered at Harrington and made wild claims about staff and students and at one point that she was asked to leave the school. What her claims failed to state was why she was asked to leave.

City Watch News has been told that she had stopped to volunteer at the school for reading making sure that staff knew her husband was a school board member. She would be sent to a class but after a short time she was told she was not needed and instructed to go to office for another class assignment. According to witnesses instead of going to the office she chose to go to another class without permission.

Once in the room she told staff why she was there. City Watch can’t confirm much of exactly what happened other than at some point Joedy Brown got into a situation where she grabbed a child by the arm, lifted them and carried the child aggressively. Again, she was in the room without permission and apparently was asked to leave. The teacher would eventually go get administrative staff who would remove her from the school.

It is forbidden for staff or volunteers to touch students in any way. According to sources the student was not a threat to Brown when she accosted the child. City Watch is being very careful not to reveal information that could identify the student or staff members. There will be follow-up interviews in the coming days.

Email: citywatchnews1@gmail.com for leaving tips or questions

Written by John Face

Hearing this morning found recall language for School Board member Matt Davis and Shawna Gamble was approved as submitted. The vote to approve Davis and Gamble language was 2-1 for each. The language for the Richard Lindsey recall was considered “too much to pick apart” and was voted down 3-0.

Recall petitioners have plans to refile today with new language against Lindsey. All three are current members of the Marshall Public School Board.

Petition language for Davis:

Mr. Davis violated the Michigan Code of Educational Ethics by failing to confront and take reasonable steps to resolve ethical conflicts involving Board President Lindsey while Lindsey simultaneously served as Albion College attorney and presided over School Board deliberations involving his client. Davis failed to communicate with parents in a respectful manner during the 27 September 2021 School Board meeting by telling the public voting no due to no trust in the board is the height of shooting themselves in the foot.   Davis disregarded the voters’ 2 November 2021 rejection of a school bond, and despite public opposition to an alliance between Marshall Public Schools and Albion College, voted on 13 December 2021 to proceed in establishing a partnership between MPS and Albion College to construct a new school.  Mr. Davis violated the Open Meetings Act and School District policy on 11 October 2021 by participating in a closed session meeting of the Board without the purpose of the meeting being disclosed to the public.  He subsequently created a false official record by approving inaccurate official minutes of the meeting which hid the OMA violation.

Petition language for Gamble:

Shawna Gamble violated the Michigan Code of Educational Ethics by failing to confront and take reasonable steps to resolve ethical conflicts involving Board President Lindsey while Lindsey simultaneously served as Albion College attorney and presided over School Board deliberations involving his client.  Shawna Gamble disregarded the voters’ 2 November 2021 rejection of a school bond, and despite public opposition to an alliance between Marshall Public Schools and Albion College, voted on 13 December 2021 to proceed in establishing a partnership between MPS and Albion College to construct a new school.   Shawna Gamble violated the Open Meetings Act and School District policy on 11 October 2021 by participating in a closed session meeting of the MPS Board of Education without the purpose of the meeting being disclosed to the public.  She subsequently created a false official record by approving inaccurate minutes of the 11 Oct 2021 BOE meeting which hid the OMA violation.

Written by John Face

City Watch NEWS

January 21, 2022

One thing has become painfully obvious to those in the college and Albion communities the last few months is that the Albion College Board of Trustees (BOT) has no real interest in making community relations a priority. When hundreds of staff, students and residents begged the BOT for change of the administration they had put in place, the BOT turned away and appeared to hold up a collective middle finger to these people and say, “we don’t care what you think”.

Leadership the Way it Was

“I miss Mauri”, If this writer had a nickel for every time I heard this. Mauri Ditzler was President of Albion College up until he retired in early 2020. Ditzler worked hard on building relationships in Albion. The City of Albion named the street that runs through the main campus after him, Ditzler Way. If you need to know anything about him and his work at the college and in Albion that alone should tell you where he stood in the community.

Ditzler built bridges between the college and city. He didn’t get everything right while he was here, his biggest supporters will tell you that, but he still worked hard to make the college and city a better place. He worked to increase overall student enrollment, which he did, and he worked very hard to diversify Albion Colleges overwhelmingly white student population.

A New Presidency

The BOT told everyone they were looking for someone dynamic for the new President. Mathew Johnson came into town like a whirlwind. Even though according to sources on the national search committee that they had concerns because of issues he had at his last employer, one of which it appeared he was demoted from a high-profile job at Brown.

At the start of Johnsons’ tenure this writer talked to many of the staff and heard good things. Many said his ideas were great, but after months nothing really was changing. Johnson had a history of being vindictive, mean, demeaning and people started to jump ship and take new positions outside the college if they weren’t fired. Johnson brought in his “cabinet” who would be his “headhunters” said one staffer, no one was safe, and everyone walked around on pins and needles trying not to get fired or have their job eliminated.

Word started coming out of the campus “that there are serious problems with the new President” said a staffer after just a few months in. Staff telling me they were talking to members of the BOT trying to get them to understand what was happening with little action. One BOT observer said that “the BOT is controlled by a very small group that the rest will do whatever they say”.

With that knowledge it makes sense little was done about Johnson even after students and staff started becoming public and vocal.

Email: citywatchnews1@gmail.com for leaving tips or questions

Written by John Face

A few pictures from the Rally supporting Hazel Lias from last night. An inspiring night of love, kindness and friendship, gotta be proud to be an Albionite. At the end of the night Dr. Mitchell read the words to the popular song “Thank You for Being a Friend”. (Link to song on YouTube: https://youtu.be/GWbz_mIAShM

A very nice sized crowd showed up considering the weather. The event was live streamed as well to a small audience.