Wasteful Lawsuit is Taking Money From Much-Needed Services

It has come to my attention that the radical extremist group “We the Parents” is continuing their previously failed efforts to get a special election called against members of the Lakeshore School Board. They say they are doing this because these school board members voted for mandated masks for the children to protect against Covid during the height of the pandemic. We all know Covid was a killer at the time, in Berrien County and the nation. In their initial effort, the group failed to get the needed signatures to call a special election. The county clerk, a respected Republican who has won elections over a 12-year period, could not approve a special election. The required valid signatures were not met. Following that failure, “We the Parents” brought a lawsuit against the county, demanding that the county clerk’s decision be reversed. In December, Judge Dennis Wiley ruled that the clerk’s decision was valid and the lawsuit was dismissed. Despite these repeated failures, “We the Parents” filed an appeal of Judge Wiley’s decision to the Michigan Court of Appeals. They did this even though the mask mandate is no longer in effect. What bothers me about this is that Berrien County now must defend itself by hiring outside lawyers to assist the County Attorney in the appeals case. This is causing the county to spend up to 400 dollars an hour for legal fees, money that could go to fixing the roads or for improving children’s protective services. Not too long ago a child was starved to death in the county by parents. The parents are now in prison, but the child is dead. Where was the “We the Parents” group on this matter? It is costing the county a lot of money to handle this case. It is costing “We the Parents“ a lot too. Where are they getting their funding? Most people do not follow the politics of county government. We mostly think the county takes care of local roads. The next time you run into a pothole, think about this extremist group forcing the county to spend money defending against their wasteful litigation - money that could have gone to fixing potholes. A few months ago, “We the Parents” took over the Berrien County Republican party. Like many others in the current crop of extremist Republicans, they like alternatives - alternative facts, alternative electors, and alternative media. Let me suggest an alternative party. At this point in time, the best alternative for all of us is the Democratic Party. Please remember this at the next election. Kenneth J. Orlich St. Joseph