In Harbor Springs, We Trust
We trust our neighbors, we are less certain about the City.
Tom Graham for Mayor
Harbor Springs is a unique little town that preserves the best parts of its character when the citizens are engaged. Vote for Tom Graham for mayor to preserve the best of Harbor Springs and to engage the community in the changes ahead.
Deep Dive: A Lesson in Trust….
On October 17th, 2024, only 19 days before the Nov. 5th election, we learned that the VoteNO campaign website site and Facebook page were being administered by a professional political operative who now resides in Harbor Springs and is also working as a volunteer on the Redevelopment Ready Community (RRC) Committee.
Companies hire political operatives to convince communities to accept development, as well as how to shape narratives, counter opposition, and manage public perception. This makes for a skilled adversary in a community-driven campaign.
We were led to believe that a couple of local friends had gathered “in the neighborhood” to build a “VoteNO” campaign. The WeLoveHarborSpringsToo website says:
“We are not elected to anything, we are not on Planning and Zoning, we are just normal people who trust the work our friends and neighbors did on the new zoning code and love Harbor Springs too.”
The key theme in the “VoteNO” Campaign messaging is "Trust your Neighbors."
We discovered this, and we all were duped.
How did we find out? A voter filed a FOIA request with the city to ensure transparency in this campaign. We wanted to know if the registered owner of the VoteNo domain name, Burns & McDonnell, had anything to do with Harbor Springs. Within moments, someone from the City notified the VoteNo website. And VoteNo decided to out themselves. It was not Burns & McDonnell; that was a mistake. He works for Burns & McDonnell, auto-filling his company name in the website registration when he started the campaign.
It is troubling that a FOIA request about the City’s work with Burns & McDonnell is immediately sent to an anonymous website advocating the City’s position on the referendum. Anonymous to neighbors, but not to the City?
We want to ensure that our community and all the voters on November 5th voting YES remain informed about who stands to benefit and who loses from local policy and zoning changes.
We thought a timeline of events on the subject of “trust your neighbor” might reveal that VoteYes effort trusts our neighbors a great deal. Trusting City Hall though has not worked out so well. The story is a bit detailed but worth the read…..
Where it all started.
The new City Manager was hired in 2019. He came from a small town in Vermont where he was in charge of the downtown and lots of elements about that town that are in play now here in Harbor Springs. He has never been a City Manager before.
It was in 2022 that the Harbor Springs Public Participation Plan was devised and made available to the public. It states: Tax Bills: The City utilizes outgoing tax bills to provide important announcements to citizens. On Page 4 it recommends Zoning Amendments be provided to the Public only via Digital tools of Communication.
Fast Forward to Today
January 2024, ten months ago
We trusted that the city would have notified us individually by mail in the tax bills about upcoming major zoning changes.
February 2024
We trusted that if we raised concerns and asked for a pause in approving the zoning code until the summer residents and all property owners were in town, the approval would be paused by the City Government.
We trusted that property rights have due process. If the city wants to grant or remove a property right, they need to convince each property owner.
For Example: if a neighbor can put in two ADU’s in his back yard, and the other neighbor cannot because of lots’ orientation, the neighbor gets $600k of value. The other neighbor loses a great deal of value because the home with two ADU’s has removed the back yard with shorter setbacks. By making zoning changes like these without talking it out with the community and the neighbors, the city gains value from resetting the tax baseline. The city and the neighbor are the benefactors, and the other neighbor is the loser.
We trusted the families that have visited Harbor Springs for 150 years wanted to become involved, and we trusted their judgment to know when to become worried.
March 3rd, 2024
Mary Abood, a Harbor Springs voter who lives in Naples, Florida in the winter was the first person to sign the Change.Org Petition expressing her concerns and worry about the zoning changes.
We trusted that if we had a grassroots campaign, the City Government would recognize our concerns. 1200 signatures were collected.
April 24, 2024
We trusted that over 600 signers of the Protest Petition who signed the Statement of Opposition below would be heard:
I, the undersigned citizen of Harbor Springs, Michigan, represent I am the owner of the real property legally described below and that, as such property owner, respectfully protest the enactment of the proposed Harbor Springs 2024 Draft Zoning Code.
My reason(s) for protest include a fear this zoning overhaul will result in the loss of Harbor Springs’ local character due to undesired increase in density, overdevelopment, and failure to protect the unique features fundamental to our community.
Residents have expressed the draft’s developmental nature does not align with the values of our community and rushing to implement such amidst significant opposition reflects a disconnect between city officials and those they were elected to serve.
Despite assurance of the opportunity to adequately contribute to a solution, I consistently question the intentions of the elected as well as the legitimacy and reliability of the governmental processes involved. At this time, legislative action is planned for May 6th.
We trusted the City would be concerned not just for voters but also for these property owners, who, it happens are also our neighbors.
We trusted that if the City thought we should grow, they would be clear about how much.
We trusted that since the constitution says the State cannot take property without due process, a property owner would have had no reason to pay attention to the zoning/master plan because property owners have the expectations of due process. The tax bill should have provided the important announcement.
May 2024
We trusted that when we launched our website WeLoveHarborSprings.org we would not have to worry about our logo and page being copied by the VoteNO Campaign – yet the VoteNO Campaign plagiarized and copied our logo a few months later on July 13th, 2024.
We trusted if we showed up at the planning commission and city council meetings or asked for Town Halls, we would not be ejected or threatened for mentioning the Redevelopment Ready Community (RRC) Program.
We trusted that when hundreds of concerned voters and property owners asked City Council to pause their approval of the new zoning code, we would be heard.
We trusted that the City Council would listen, but despite multiple attempts to explain our position City Council member Kathy Motschall still commented she “didn’t have much of a clue as to what the real issue is, for people against the zoning changes.” But never sought clarity.
May 20th, 2024
The new Zoning Code was unanimously approved by all 5 City Council Members regardless of hundreds and hundreds of people who have spoken up, even to that day, asking for a delay.
June 26, 2024
We trusted that a referendum to place and repeal the zoning code on the November 5th ballot would be our next step.
We trusted the City Manager would be nonpartisan.
July 2024
We trusted that if we did a referendum and followed the rules, it would be accepted.
We trusted that all of the City Council members would want to place the zoning onto the ballot. Nancy Rondel, the candidate for mayor, did not. She voted against placing the issue onto the ballot.
August 2024
We trusted if we gathered signatures from 348 voters to place the Zoning Code Referendum on the ballot, that someone in City government might say "Let’s talk to those voters and be sure we understand their concerns”.
August 5-9th, 2024
We trusted that when the referendum signatures were submitted, they would be handled discreetly, not handed over for political purposes to two candidates, one running for city council and another for mayor, as well as the sitting Chair of the Planning Commission.
August 7th, 2024
We trusted that the VoteNO Campaign campaign slogan "Trust your Neighbors" was legitimate. Instead we discovered it was administered by a professional political operative who currently volunteers on the Redevelopment Ready Community (RRC) Committee.
We trusted that a couple of local friends had gathered “in the neighborhood” to build the “VoteNO” campaign. The WeLoveHarborSpringsToo website says:
“We are not elected to anything, we are not on Planning and Zoning, we are just normal people who trust the work our friends and neighbors did on the new zoning code and love Harbor Springs too.”We trusted that we did not have an experienced political operative misrepresenting and shaping political narratives.
We trusted that the website and FaceBook pages we built for WeLoveHarborSprings.org would not be copied or plagiarized for political purposes.
September 2024
We trusted that our city government would not subvert democracy by sending letters and newsletters to voters campaigning for the new zoning and confusing them. The VoteNO campaign echoed the messages.
October 2024
We trusted that if we put up yard signs, the city would not discuss a new ordinance to restrict yard signs and that folks would not tear down, mutilate or steal the yard signs.
We trusted that having differing points of view is healthy.
We trusted it's essential to keep our discussions best centered on the facts. Our goal is to advocate for what the community is telling us about Harbor Springs and ensure that all voices are heard fairly.
We trusted that the scope of the original new zoning resolution was to ‘participate in’, and not to become certified in the RRC.
We trusted that, as a community, we would not give up all governance to an indirect democracy.
We trust that the City Council retains legislation oversight and will return to the community to ask the community if RRC certification is what the community should and wants to do.
Today
We still trust our neighbors.
We trust the voters.
We do not trust that MEDC or that the RRC has our interests at heart
We do not trust that developers have Harbor Springs interests at heart.
We trust if we put our names in to be on city committees, or to volunteer, that we will be added despite divergent views.
In conclusion
We now have to trust the voters. Please vote YES