Pious Harbor Beach Mayor Booms obeys Open Meeting Act and then tells the public how we should be thankful he's a nice guy for doing so.
Recently the Mayor of Harbor Beach told a member of the public during a public meeting:
When I allow people to speak during city council meetings, I do it because I’m a nice guy.
Harbor Beach Mayor Gary Booms
WRONG, Mr. Mayor don’t-know-the-law. It’s a legal requirement. In that spirit, I have decided to publish an email I recently sent “Gary” — so more light may be put upon his false self-virtue. Below is that email:
Hi Gary,I hope you don’t mind me calling you Gary. I don’t mind me calling you Gary, so we should be good.
I read a recent comment you made during a public meeting as Mayor.
One part of this caught my attention, aside from the fact you have no regards for an employee’s natural right to self-defense. It was:Booms added, interrupting Armitage’s attempt at a question. “When I allow people to speak during city council meetings, I do it because I’m a nice guy.”Let’s not make this about you and how nice and virtuous you are. Based on what I’ve read about your respect for Casey’s rights, I’ll go ahead and assume you’re not really that virtuous. Anyhow…You don’t let people speak in public comment because you’re a nice guy. You let people speak because the Michigan Open Meetings Act requires that you let them speak.(5) A person shall be permitted to address a meeting of a public body under rules established and recorded by the public body. The legislature or a house of the legislature may provide by rule that the right to address may be limited to prescribed times at hearings and committee meetings only.A professional tip: if you’re going to extol your virtues, it shouldn’t be over something the law requires you to do. That just seems tacky and insults the intelligence of anyone who is informed.Kindly,Phillip Hofmeister
My hope is to reach nearly every voter in Harbor Beach, to let them know what a self-righteous and pompous guy their Mayor is.
You Betcha! 
(36)Nuh Uh.
(4)
(36)Nuh Uh.(4)
The mayor is right (by law).
Every conservative in this state not only knows this...but chose to intentionally IGNORE any desperately needed fight centered around meaningfully CHANGING the OMA/FOIA laws from the very beginnings of the last (failed) conservative movement.
The mayor WAS a 'nice guy' for even permitting the back and forth exchange that you linked for that meeting. Even 'nicer' if he even so much as responded in ANY way to a word said.
Tea Partiers were "A-OK" with these OMA laws from the very beginning ('09ish) despite AMPLE evidence that they were GROSSLY impeding (for decades): #1) Educating the public and #2) allowing the public to both speak AND to have their voices properly recorded **for our children's education** as well (the latter being yet another ignored fact which TPers have long 'poo-pooed' as having no impact whatsoever on...dare I say it..."transparency".
Arrogant?
You bet...but with the people's long approved consent researchable by too many local and state examples to count and just as many calls for change.
What's the next 'big news'???
That this same mayor can stick a sheriff's deputy in the room...'allow' whatever short amount of time that he wants any citizen to speak **before business is even conducted**... and then (afterwards) have that same citizen arrested if he so much as 'farts' (again) until the gavel is finally pounded?
Where has everybody been?
Gee, wouldn't ANY of the above stuff have been 'neat' to center a grassroots political campaign around..not to mention unimportant stuff like Common Core or what bathroom "Pat" might use on any given day?
...not knocking your article, Phillip...just pointing out that the Mayor doesn't care because he doesn't have to and never (evidently) will until significant changes are made in the OMA/FOIA arena...which will most likely never happen until people understand why the Mayor doesn't care.
I hear you. OMA gutless like gun preemption. Michigan needs to get rid of Home (Tyrant) Rule.
...the irony there being (in terms of gun preemption) that any local public official can already call in their own 'gun' to intimidate by presence of same (or by threat of arrest) those at any meeting they so choose for no publicly stated reason whatsoever.
Gadsden waving 'Tea-infused 'constitutionalist' debating the Open Meeting Act over the past 8 years (which has never happened/never will):
"..Gosh...our public employees don't even let us speak or feel that they have to answer anything brought forward to them when we (rarely) bother to show up at OUR progress report meetings!!! Heck, they don't even force those actually RUNNING our local governments through long corrupt ('charitable-no-strings-attached') "foundations' or "non-profits" of all stripes to even so much as ever show their faces either!!! Outrageous!!!.."
Our kids:
"Wait a minute...aren't these the exact same two groups of people (working together) who told YOU (at the MiGOP country club) to FORGET any grandiose plans involving immediately needed changes in the OMA or FOIA...or that YOU can FORGET 'both of us' us legislating/privately funding that "oh so evil" no-vote-of-the-people-required 'pension obligation bond' that your group has been drooling all over after (again) your group received the very first 'peek' during the very beginnings of your 'grassroots' movement???.."
TeaPartier with a pocketful of mini-constitutions to his grandchild:
"Uhhhhh..never mind."
Those who attempt to assail the King's castle yet end up 'staying for dinner' don't (normally) let down the drawbridge for their fellow warriors tasked with the actual siege.