Written by John Face

Photos by John Face

March 21, 2022

A group of 30 area residents, business leaders and Chamber members showed up this morning for the official ribbon cutting ceremony for Superior Street Mercantile. Project Manager Joe Verbeke was smiling this morning as he greeted people for the ceremony. The Mercantile, Albions’ only downtown grocery store opened in early January and has slowly been gaining a foot hold in Albion.

The ceremony heard Verbeke thank all those behind the project. Bill Dobbins spoke about the commitment to downtown Albion and that this project, five years in the making in collaboration with Albion Reinvestment Corporation or ARC, Dr. Samuel Shaheen and members of his family including wife Karen, daughters Emily and Caroline.

Hours are 10:00 A.M. until 8:00 P.M. daily.

Written by John Face

Photos from The City of Albion Website

Opinion

March 20, 2022

Nora Jackson is going to get your tax money for her personal pet project come hell or high water, mark my words. Want to know how I know? Read the agenda for tomorrow night’s council meeting. She is hell bent on getting your money because she doesn’t have the ability to raise it herself, she wants to give jobs to her friends and herself it appears. Here are the items on the agenda that I speak of:

I.	APPROVE PUBLIC RELEASE OF CITY ATTORNEY LEGAL OPINION REGARDING COUNCIL MEMBERS CONDUCTING BUSINESS WITH THE CITY Output Document (AIR-22-423) – Pdf

J.

DISCUSSION OF CONCERNS REGARDING A COUNCIL MEMBER PROPOSALS FOR RECREATION MILLAGE FUND Output Document (AIR-22-424) – Pdf

The city attorney, the coward that he appears he is, plans on telling them it’s all good to give tax money to council members no matter what. So, if they can’t get the recreation tax money, they will then just give her 80 plus grand out of the general budget. You know, we don’t need money for roads or anything else.

But Wait, there is More, They are Going After the City Manager Again and are going to figure out a way to Get Rid of Her it Appears

They are going to give their fake evaluations of City Manager Haley Snyder because they need a Garret Brown or Mat Johnson person in charge. Here is the BS:

XI.	ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL DISCUSSION

A.

DISCUSSION CITY MANAGER 1-YEAR EVALUATION Output Document (AIR-22-426) – PdfScore Sheet for City Manager 1 Year EvaluationScore Sheet CM evaluation 6moCM Evaluation – Year OneVS 1 year CM EvalShane 1 year eval_Nora 1 year evalReid Williams LaNoue Lawler

Any guess who would replace her? A girlfriend of a former member of council would be a good fit, right? Or maybe that former member of council, if it is OK with his mom. We all know that members of council including LaNoue and Jackson have expressed displeasure with her (Snyder) . No one seems to know why. Maybe we ask Mat Johnson or Garrett Brown why members of Council are doing what they are doing.

Now that Council member Williamson is gone, we have a lone soldier in Mayor Victoria Garcia-Snyder to hold the light up for honesty. She is on an island surrounded by scoundrels and you my dear citizens better get off your ass and stand up. This is a far more serious problem than when Garrett Brown apparently ran Sheryl Mitchell out of Albion. We all know why, Garrett like Johnson have issues with, it appears, strong, independent and smart women, they make them look stupid it seems.

The meeting is at 7:00 P.M. Monday March 21, 2022. Please get up and address the council in the first public comments section. You most likely will not change the minds of what appears the simple minded but at least you are on the record of calling them out.

Oh, on top of it all they are still planning on censuring former council member Williamson, now a citizen, because they are vindictive and pissed because he pushed them to be honest it appears.

Seems pretty shady the shit they are trying to pull off right?

Written by Nick AKA “The Nate” Cooper

March 16, 2022

‘Tis the season for upsets, Cinderella stories, and introductions to new stars. From Murray State and
Davidson to Duke and North Carolina every year, every team in the field feels as if they have a chance to
raise the National Championship trophy. The NCAA Tournament has introduced us to Larry Bird, Steph
Curry, Ja Morant, and others who were highlighted by their run in this majestic playoff system. So many
unknowns who seem to rise to the moment. If one thing is certain, uncertainty is guaranteed.

Michigan State University Spartans

There is the unknown and then there is Tom Izzo. Izzo who has been to twenty-four straight NCAA Tournaments, eight Final Fours and won the ultimate prize in his time at Michigan State University. Izzo is among the all-time greats and his NCAA Tournament win percentage (.703) is that of the most elite of company. He has gotten the best out of many players- Mateen Cleaves, Draymond Green, Cassius Winston and so many others.

This year MSU tackles Davidson in the first round as the 7th seed in the West region that
includes Duke and Gonzaga who also have massive reputations for winning. Gonzaga the number one
overall seed in the field and Duke at number 8, both have top superstar prospects in waiting. Even in
the “worst of years” under Izzo, Michigan State somehow seems to find a way to make waves. With
four wins against Top 25 ranked teams this year, now is the time where, yet again, Izzo will have to get
the players together.

This team of solid depth can throw well balanced lineups into the game and flex with other team’s roster moves. Even though the outlook may be somewhat grim going into this region of the tournament Michigan State is set to be the Grim Reaper.

University of Michigan Wolverines

The University of Michigan is a bit of a different story as the 11th seed of the South Region facing
Colorado State in the opening round. Michigan limped into the Tournament having finished the season
with a 17-13 record. While they have budding stars in Hunter Dickenson and DeVante’ Jones, Michigan
has also been marred by controversy. Most notably the punch thrown by coach Juwan Howard, with frustration bubbling over in an unbelievable way.

In the South region that includes Villanova and Arizona, Michigan has the potential to band together and make a run based on lack of region depth. If former Wolverine, Howard, can get the best of what his top players are capable of then this team has the opportunity to erase some of this season’s disappointment.

Both Michigan State and Michigan are somewhat foreign to these positions in the field, but both have
the pedigree to surprise the field and return to their own program standards. Brackets are being filled,
teams are readying themselves for the madness, and fans are preparing to be wowed.

Keep April through February. Give me March. Give me insanity, excitement, and hope.

Written by John Face

Photos Courtesy Marshall Public School website

Below is the written opinion by Judge Brian K. Kirkham stating that the recall decision of the County Elections Commission was correct. Signatures may now be collected.

Written by John Face

Editorial

March 13, 2022

Most likely after realizing that Shane Williamson can’t be removed immediately from office as she thought he could with their redistricting game until December, council member Linda LaNoue submitted along with the backing of Nora Jackson and Marcola Lawler a request for a public hearing of the council. The purpose is simply put to get rid of Shane Williamson now thus keeping him from voting.

I have put the “charges” that LaNoue submitted at the end of this article. Warning, don’t be drinking or eating as you may spit it out laughing at her game.

On Monday March 21 in the council chambers these three along with their two other partners will attack him and try to censure AND they will also vote to remove him from his precinct with gerrymandering. I recommend that you, the public, start calling and emailing all of these members of council and let them know there are consequences for their actions and games they are playing.

Here are the listed phone numbers and City emails of the council members as found on the City of Albion website. Feel free calling them or email AND make sure you plan on attending the meeting March 21st, they are hoping you are apathetic and stay home. Time to speak up and tell them during the meeting that enough is enough. Please let City Watch know if they take your call or return the email.

Precinct 1- Donivan Williams

2021 – 2022
(734) 236-9058
dwilliams@cityofalbionmi.gov

Precinct 2-Lenn Reid
2018 – 2022
517-629-2283
lreid@cityofalbionmi.gov

Precinct 3-Nora Jackson

2020 – 2024
810-545-7045

njackson@cityofalbionmi.gov

Precinct 4-Marcola Lawler

2020 – 2024
517-206-4252

Precinct 5-Linda LaNoue
2020 – 2024
llanoue@cityofalbionmi.gov
313-312-4282

Friday, March 10, 2022

Submitted by L. LaNoue, 5th Precinct City Councilmember

With the support of Mayor Pro-Tem N. Jackson (3rdPrecinct) and Councilmember M. Lawler (4th Precinct), as required by the City charter.

This document serves to provide ten (10) days’ notice to all Albion, MI city council members that a public hearing is being called for Monday, March 21st, during the regularly scheduled city council meeting. The following is a written summary of the facts giving rise to the alleged violations of City Council member Shane Williamson that warrant the public hearing.

 Abuse of power and Not Acting in the Public’s Interest

o On Tuesday, March 1, 2022, Councilmember Williamson verbally abused and acted aggressively against his fellow councilmember, after a city council study session in the council chambers.

o His aggression that evening (3/1/22) was witnessed by residents of the community who were concerned about the well-being of the verbally abused councilmember.

o Threatening and disrespectful behavior is part of a pattern that Councilmember Williamson has used to wield abusive power.

 Use of a personal, electronic device during official city council proceedings. He has continued to use his cell phone for private, electronic discourse during city

o Background: In September 2021, Councilmember Williamson was asked and agreed to discontinue use of his personal cell phone during city council meetings, study sessions, and MML coaching sessions.

o When asked during the Monday, March 7, 2022 special meeting to put his phone away while in the act of SMS texting, Councilmember Williamson lied about the use of his device. Found during minute 27:00 on YouTube recording.

o Use of an electronic device and private discourse during city council proceedings are both violations of the City of Albion’s Rules of Procedures for city council members.

o This is also a violation of the Open Meetings Act as there is documentation of egregious messages being sent by Councilmember Williamson to fellow council members during city council meetings.

The recommended imposed sanction for this behavior is a verbal reprimand and censure.

The primary goal for this public hearing is to publicly document the continued wrongdoing of Councilmember Williamson against his fellow councilmembers.

Written by John Face

March 7, 2022

As in the past Albion City Council members Lenn Reid and Marcola Lawler have submitted a last-minute addition to the council meeting agenda. They have submitted their version for the redistricting of voting precincts in Albion. They have every right to do so but there is a process that normally happens in Albion.

Changing voter precincts is done every 10 years after the Census. In Albion everyone agrees there needs to be change as Precinct 6 has fewer residents than other precincts, the precinct is currently represented by Shane Williamson. There is a process involved in Albion takes into account several factors most of all is getting an equal number of residents in each of the 6 precincts.

Other factors have always been to account for current council members in each precinct. As a rule, the changes are minor enough that members rarely get placed out of their current precincts. Since precinct 6 is expanding there is no logical reason to make drastic changes other than to increase size.

The City Manager, City Attorney and Clerks office work on proposed changes based on the law, census and the above factors. They completed their request for change and now Reid and Lawler miraculously come up with a new map they want to be put in place instead of an intelligent no politics involved map submitted by Snyder. Now City Watch has been told that former Mayor Garrett Brown has a map that he had drawn up and that has yet to be submitted.

This is called gerrymandering when politicians try to change districts to punish others, and this should concern citizens of precinct 6 and the entire city. There is no secret when people say Williamson has been a voice of reason on the council along with Mayor Snyder the last year and a half. It appears that council is going to try and stick it to Williamson. Time to show up and stick it to them folks. Meeting happens at 6:00 P.M. at City Hall.

Written by John Face

March 5, 2022

Albion City Council member Nora Jackson is Director/President, of a non-profit she started called Divine Ministries, INC, DBA Difference Makers. The organization is a mentoring program for children stressing character building, personal training, relationship building and community service. Her organization which was licensed on June 17, 2019, has been operating in the Washington Gardner (WG) school on Michigan Avenue.

It’s Free

Former Albion College President Mat Johnson allowed Jackson to run her program for free at the WG school. When I asked Johnson last year during my interview if he was giving her special treatment or can any non-profit in town use the old school for free, he said he had no control over her usage as that was a deal, she had with the YMCA out of Battle Creek. The interview story that referenced this usage for Jackson was published on September 12, 2021, on City Watch Facebook page and subsequently on this site as well.

City Watch was supplied a copy of emails between Jackson and Jill Kingsley Hinde, Chief Executive Officer of the YMCA in Battle Creek. City Watch did not edit the emails in any way other than to remove the email addresses of the individuals mentioned. The email Jackson sent CC Mathew Johnson for some reason.

Here is the original email sent by Jackson on September 29, 2021, to Hindes:

From: Nora Jackson
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2021 4:26 PM
To: Jill Hinde
Cc: Mathew Johnson
Subject: YMCA- Difference Makers

Jill,

We Difference Makers would like to know if we could continue our program in the space we used during the summer months?  I have many childrens and families wanting to know when we can start back up again!  I would like to begin in November if possible?  I would like to be able to hold a couple of meetings next month to talk with parents as well.  Can you please let me know if this is possible?

Respectfully,

Nora Jackson

Difference Makers

Hindes replied to Jackson the following day on the 30th:

From: Jill Hinde
Sent: Thursday, September 30, 2021 11:15 AM
To: Nora Jackson
Cc: Mathew Johnson

Subject: RE: YMCA- Difference Makers

Nora—my approval is not necessary or required. The Y does not own the space at Washington Gardner and we have no authority to approve or deny a request for its use. The use of that space is a decision made between you and the College. Happy that hear that Difference Makers may be starting up again—I know it is a very successful program. Take care, Jill

Jill Kingsley Hinde

Chief Executive Officer

As you can see Ms. Hinde made it clear she had no control over Jacksons’ usage of the school and that proved Johnson mislead this reporter and the public. Why Ms. Jackson saw fit to attempt to get Hinde to state something that was untrue can only be answered by her. All this is important to remember because of what Jackson is trying to do now.

Tax Money Usage

Jacksons’ non-profit is funded much like others with donations and grant money. Everything City Watch has heard about the program has been positive. Though limited in the number of participants and it being a faith-based program they are considered to be successful. That brings us to early this year when Jackson was talking with City Manager Haley Snyder about her Dream Makers program via emails. City Watch was made aware of these emails and requested a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) with the city for copies of emails between Jackson and Snyder.

That FOIA was sent by this writer and acknowledged by city staff as received. The series of emails and attachments from Jackson was for using City of Albion Recreation tax money to fund her program. She submitted three different proposals for $26,456, $36,403 and the lowest being $25,779 for a grand total for the year $88,638. The budget proposal asked to cover everything from staff, bus rides, food etc.

Once I received the requested items, I spent time reviewing the information.

Withdrew Request for Council

After reading the FOIA City Watch saw that Jackson is looking to have the City of Albion to pay for her programs with tax money. Now there are several questions such as can a faith-based program receive tax money and should a sitting council member get tax money for her personal non-profit. Responding to Jacksons’ request Snyder stated in an email, “please note the language for the Recreation Millage is very specific on what/how funds can be utilized” Snyder went on to write that if after reviewing her budget and making sure it was legal, they could get this on the February 21st meeting agenda.

This writer reached out to Snyder to ask where this stood, specifically if she had approved the request to move forward to council. Snyder said the proposal has since been withdrawn by Jackson. When asked when and why she said it happened shortly after my FOIA was sent to her (Jackson) to reply with emails.

Agenda Items

Council members can place anything on the agenda up until noon on the day of a meeting. This has been a tactic several current and past members of council have done as this gives the public little chance to know what is happening. There really is nothing to stop council from doing this again.

Recreation

I have spoken with a real attorney, unlike the one I used in the past and they said this was this certainly inappropriate for an elected official to receive tax money for their non-profit and that could rise to the level of a criminal investigation. Follow City Watch for more of this story.

Introduction written by John Face

February 19, 2022

Final story of a 3-part series regarding the Albion College Board of Trustees.

Mr. Greenhalgh reached out to me expressing his concerns for his beloved Alma Mater. As you will see his bond to Albion College is deep and personal. I could have used his letter and reported on it but there is no way I can show you, the reader, the love he has for his school as well as his own words will.

There will be criticism of his letter in City Watch, but this according to him is what he has written publicly. He has however, reached out privately to key players that are referenced in this letter over the last few days, so this is not a “hit job” or “surprise” on the Board of Trustees by him.

In my conversation with him I found that he cares deeply for Albion College and the city of Albion as they are an important part of his life. Hopefully someday I will be able to meet him in person, shake his hand and thank him for this heart felt letter to the Editor. It takes courage to do what he is doing by risking friendships decades old. He felt these words had to be said.

About the author:

A Pontiac native, Stephen Greenhalgh earned his bachelor’s degrees in 1974 at Albion College in anthropology and sociology then earned his law degree from Washington & Lee University in Virginia in 1977. He is now retired and living in Boulder, Colo. with his wife Susan Brochu Greenhalgh, a ’75 Albion Alum after a career with the Bodman Law Firm in Detroit (where he was a corporate attorney for the Detroit Lions among other clients). He served on the Albion College Board of Trustees for 11 years stepping down in 2019.

Letter to the Editor:

One of the shortcomings of a nonprofit organization like a college is that it has no owners with a financial stake in the enterprise who can hold the board to account (i.e., remove it) when it fails. Sadly, this is all too true with respect to Albion College; no for-profit company owners would have tolerated the board’s failures over the last decade-including the loss of over $100 million and now after the embarrassing Mathew Johnson debacle which has been covered extensively in many damaging articles in the national higher ed media. 

I may not have an ownership interest in the College, but I love the place and my family connections to it go all the way back to its founders in 1835. Samuel Dickie, president from 1901-1925, was a cousin on my father’s side and his wife, Mary Brockway, was the daughter of W. H. Brockway, a founder of the College in 1835. So, I have a stake. 

I don’t know what you trustees are doing (or not doing) on the board. But I have to say that I have watched the value of my diploma decline since I quit the board in 2019. It hasn’t been pleasant.  Whose idea was it to stick the board’s middle finger up at the almost 2,000 signers of the Johnson recall petition? Did you really think this was a good thing that would calm the waters? 

It’s not my place to tell you what to do or not do. But I can say that if you had anything to do with the ridiculous “Resolution of Support” for Johnson adopted by the board in late October (2021), followed weeks later by his ignominious departure while chairman Harrington relentlessly cheered him on as he walked out the door, you should resign from the board and give someone else a chance to clean up the mess. 

The board has failed miserably since Don Sheets became chairman eight years ago. It is inept and entrenched as the ruling minority have all served as trustees longer than the term limits provided in the College’s bylaws, which they themselves voted to approve. Board meetings are scripted infomercials designed to silence hard questions. The leaders do not listen; they are an echo chamber, an advertisement for the importance of board term limits. 

The board is by far the largest problem facing the College; no improvement in the College can be expected until it is replaced. As the farmers say, “It’s time to grab a shovel and clean out the barn” at the board of trustees

You are all friends. But as trustees you are not above criticism, and friends speak frankly to friends, hence this letter. 

Respectfully

Stephen Greenhalgh

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