Dear Editor,
For starters let me just say that I am a proud supporter of Brandon High School, the girls soccer team as well as the coaches.
What I’m not proud of though, and has absolutely appalled me throughout the entire girls season this year, is the cruel and sociopathic campaign taken on by people who obviously had two goals in mind.
The first goal being to force the resignation of Brandon High School Coach Kimmel. Now I have to ask, did these people truly believe that forcing him from the coaching position would actually be good for the team, for our children? I believed it would only cause chaos, stress and division and this is exactly what the approach accomplished. That proved to be not exactly sound ingredients for improving a team’s performance, nor were they positive contributors to making this an enjoyable season for the girls, which ultimately should be what’s most important.
Their second goal was covered by the failure of the first and the cowardly approach taken. That was to insure that the season was unsuccessful, filled with drama, division and frustration, and most of all to make sure that it was not filled with memorable and happy experiences for the team, especially the senior girls.
Goal two accomplished. They should be so proud of themselves!
All I can say to the senior girls, is that ‘sometimes people suck and selfishly rob others of their right to happiness?.
People are entitled to their opinions and I respect that, but opinions should be stated to the correct audience and in an appropriate manner.
The rational and adult approach to all of this would have been to meet with the coach himself, the athletic director and or school administrators. I know these options were offered several times but were turned down.
Instead, they chose to write articles to The Citizen, attempted to hold secret and selective attendee parents meetings, searched the girls? Facebook pages for derogatory information and photos, made negative comments on the Facebook ‘Support Page?, bashed the team, players and the coaches in the stands and videotaped the coaches? actions on the sidelines looking for rule infractions. These are just some of the pathetic tactics used, and besides being psychotic some of them actually border on stalking, bullying and intimidation.
All of this seems to have been going on long before this season started, I’m told, and even further back from before the 2009 LOBOS try-outs where one of the followers was seen on a clandestine mission documenting who was leaving the Brandon travel team, like they were on some CIA covert operation.
Sadly this group will gain some feeble- minded cronies who can’t think for themselves, heck even Jim Jones was able to gather his share of demented followers on the way to the tainted Kool-aid line.
I’ve heard for years that the worst part about junior sports can be the parents, and I believe that point has been demonstrated to be true.
With that point proven, I think enough is enough!
Eric S. Carlson

Rain, cold wind: no problem, Rocking & Raking’rocks on
Dear Editor
Teens & Seniors, Rocking & Raking took place on May 8. It rained, the wind blew and it was cold as heck, but all teams who signed up showed up; nearly 200 volunteers. The weather kept us from doing some of the requested work such as staining docks and painting gutters but all in all, most of the work requested by 56 senior citizen homeowners was completed.
In thanking everyone who made this program a success, I know I will forget someone. I apologize up front if I forget to mention you.
Our wonderful volunteers came from St. Anne Youth Group, Seymour Lake United Methodist Church Youth Group, Hillside Bible Church (two groups), Brandon High School Student Council, Frosty Boy of Ortonville employees, Brandon Alternative High School, Boy Scout Troops 139 and199, Girl Scout Troop 1265, R.I.O.T (an organization formed by local Teen Katie Marsh), a group of individual citizens who numbered enough to form a separate team and numerous folks who came out to help put on the lunch.
Our wonderful sponsors: Edna Burton Senior Center’s Auxiliary Board, Tool Sport & Sign Co., Seymour Lake United Methodist Church who also provided most of the food for lunch, Frosty Boy of Ortonville who also sent their employees as a team and donated 300 hot dogs, Bory Landscaping, Inc. who also donated his services to remove the yard debris throughout the day and Hillside Bible Church.
Thank you to Chesnutt Outdoor Services for donating their services throughout the day to collect and dispose of yard debris, St. Anne Tithing Committee for donating $200 to purchase most of the work supplies and Maxine Stockley for over 300 homemade cookies, yum! Thanks also to the following for food, supplies and money donations: Sylvia Runyan, MacPhee’s Restaurant, Corky and John Loftus, Karen and Bob McArthur, Sue and Ivan Whipple, Arlyn Wise, Don and Margaret Kengerski, Heidi Barkholtz, Wilma Merritt, Bonnie and Terry Beltramo, Katie Marsh and family, Gil and Carol Kachmar, Winifred Shaver, Kathy Thurman, John Stellini, Bill Wright, and Nat Duman.
This program can only take place with the support of the community, and we live in an amazing community. Thank you to the homeowners who gave our volunteers the opportunity to do something nice for someone else and a huge thank you to my volunteers who touch my heart every year.
Jeannie McCreery,
Brandon Township Clerk

Kearsley Creek a better place now
Dear Editor,
On May 8, about 100 volunteers came out to support the Brandon Youth Conservation Council’s Kearsley Creek Clean-up. They paid little attention to the undesirable weather, and instead focused their efforts on removing eight years? worth of litter from one of only two trout streams in Oakland County.
Approximately 54 golfballs, a coil of metal net, a long lost shoe, two basketballs, a volleyball, a hula-hoop, an auger, parts of a gun, a knife, barbed wire, a car, a toy truck, a television, and many miscellaneous pieces of trash were removed from the creek. The Brandon Youth Conservation Council would like to offer a sincere thank you to each of the volunteers who helped out on that rainy Saturday.
Due to their efforts, Kearsley Creek is more aesthetically pleasing and the stream’s ecology has improved.
Thank you,
TAmelia Jackson, for and on behalf of the Brandon Youth
Conservation Council