WLHS: The City Rejected the Referendum
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. -MLK
The Brief
The City Clerk rejected the referendum, stating it was not addressed to the City Council. However, a cover letter addressed to all members of the City Council was included when the petition was submitted.
This rejection by the City is a ludicrous attack on the most basic ability of citizens to participate and petition the government. We question why the City would not want voters and their neighbors to have a say in this critical issue. We have filled documents to the city saying so (see below).
The issue is on the agenda for open and closed discussion at tonight’s City Council meeting. The meeting is at 7pm at City Hall or via Zoom. Regardless of your stance on the zoning updates, we encourage you to attend and speak up for voters’ rights.
The Details
As noted in a prior newsletter, the citizens leading the referendum formally submitted the petition on July 26th. We Love Harbor Springs assisted with legal support.
That submission was the effort of 15+ voters spending a month gathering well more than the required 302 signatures. It was then the job of the City Clerk to, within 15 days, double check the validity of the signatures, ensure we met the 25% of voter threshold, and pass it on to the City Council.
Instead, this is what we received.
Over the weekend, we had the lawyers draft the following response. The letter was sent to the City Clerk and City Council this morning.
"Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from this earth." - A. Lincoln