Remove Trump
Dear Editor,
To my family, friends and also to my republican friends, and yes, I do have a few. I’m sure we have all been watching a lot of TV these days, just as I am. I hope you’re watching with an open mind, as I am. If so, I believe we can agree that Mr. Trump needs to be removed from office. I am now going to quote the last line of a poem I read a few years ago.
“You knew I was a snake before you took me in.”
My question to you now is this “did you” or did you just not want to vote for a woman, who was much more qualified than Donald J. Trump.

Sylvia Runyon
(In response to, County Executive seeks input from area, The Citizen, Jan. 25, page 1)
No RTA
Dear Editor
I’d like to applaud the Township Supervisors in their opposition to HB 5229. This bill if passed could impose a tax of up to 5 mills plus additional local taxes.
David Coulter, the newly appointed Democratic, County Executive opposes letting local governments to opt out of this transportation package. Coulter would have us pay huge tax increases for public transportation which we may never use. The late, L. Brooks Patterson would never impose this burden on Oakland County taxpayers!
The Detroit People mover is an example of government transportation systems. The People mover cost over 4 billion dollars to build. Was it worth it? The cost to ride the People Mover is 75 cents. The cost of operating the people mover is about $10 dollars per rider. This is coming out of your pocket!
Any transportation service that would benefit our communities could be given our residents at a much lower cost!
Democrats, like Coulter, (former Ferndale mayor) believe in sharing the wealth, especially when they are the beneficiaries. Coulter justifies taxing northern townships because we have the parks which are paid by all county residents. Well, it would be difficult to put a major park in his Ferndale. Everybody in the county can use the parks. Northern county residents would have little or no benefit from a street car running through his Ferndale.
Ben Franklin said,” Democracy (rule by the majority) is like two wolves and a lamb deciding what’s for lunch. Coulter apparently prefers the tyranny of the majority! He prefers that we are the lamb. Article 4 Sec.4 , of the Constitution, requires Congress to give us a representative form of government.
We need a County Executive, who will give us representation, not just south Oakland.
We should have the right to opt out of any transportation package!
This year voters will have a vote for President, Senate and House seats but the vote for County Executive may be as important for our pocket books. Let’s hope that the Republicans will give us a candidate that will represent the entire county.
Walt Dilber
Bond gives faith
Dear Editor,
Brandon School District is near and dear to my heart.
As a Brandon graduate myself, I have a lifetime of memories from the years I spent in school. Football games, after school clubs, classes in high school that have led me to my career path, and friends that I made in elementary that are still some of my best friends to this day, and my husband, we met in high school.
Our small town love and kindness brought my husband and myself back to the same town we graduated from to raise our own kids in. I cannot imagine raising our kids anywhere else or any other way. What we have here is a tight knit community, we all take care of each other and look out for each other, we’re FAMILY! And this family needs to take care of their home.
This bond will not only provide funds for current and immediate repairs and maintenance that MUST be done, but it will provide for upgrades and updates that will keep us competitive with surrounding school districts for years to come. The funds from this bond have the potential to offer the school district a fighting chance in an ever growing competitive level, amongst our neighboring communities.
I have belief that this bond will help to provide for not only my kids, but future generations, who knows, maybe even my grandchildren will someday go to Brandon. If we don’t have faith in our future, what do we have? This bond gives us faith!
Stephanie Elowsky
Support Slotkin
Dear Editor,
I am writing to respond to some Letters in recent weeks that have made unfair implications about our U.S. Representative Elissa Slotkin.
Slotkin is a third-generation Michigander, and lives on her family farm in Holly. I’m sure that many of us have moved away from Michigan to pursue education or for our careers. When we return, it does not take away from our understanding of where we grew up.

In the Congresswoman’s case, her career in the CIA demonstrates to me a deep sense of Patriotism, even placing her own life at risk when deployed. Yes, working in Iraq and DC for the CIA did require her to live away from home during that time. It is admirable. Her knowledge of the Middle East is vast and I feel she is an asset to our Country in her role in Congress.
In Congress, she is delivering on the issues that are important to families like mine, like lowering the cost of prescription drugs and fighting for clean drinking water for all.
Slotkin is Michigan through-and-through. I’m proud that she’s staying true to our values and fighting for us every day in Washington. She has been accessible, and even spoke to my daughter’s 4th grade. The students asked many questions about how being in NYC on 9/11 inspired her to join the CIA. One student even asked her who was a better boss – Bush or Obama !
I have found Slotkin to be a person of high intelligence, great integrity, and she’s very down-to-earth. She does not accept corporate PAC money, which is important to me. All of these are reasons why I voted for her, volunteered for her, and I continue to make modest donations to her campaign when possible.
Please reach out to her office with Federal Issues affecting you or your family. Issues affecting our Veterans are especially important to her. She is very familiar with Ortonville and enjoys hearing from constituents.
Marisa Prince

Vote No on school bond
Dear Editor,
Vote NO on School Bond Proposal and here’s why.
I was able to get a copy of what the Brandon School District submitted to the Oakland County Elections Division to be included on the March 10th Primary Ballot.
Most Brandon citizens know by now that the Brandon School District in the counties of Oakland and Lapeer, Michigan wants to borrow the sum of Nineteen Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars (19,500,000).
And that the estimated millage that will be levied for the proposed bonds in 2020, under current law, is 0.83 mill ($0.83 on each $1000 taxable valuation). But they may not know some of the following information which is very important and mind numbing.
The reason it’s exactly 0.83 because when added to the current 12.16 mills it becomes 12.99 mills or 13 mills. Which under current law is the maximum amount of mills/tax rate that can be charged to pay off bonds/debt. So the School District has once again maxed out the amount they can tax the citizens for the debts they have incurred.
This $83 a year tax increase may not seem like much, but for the elderly living on fixed incomes, all the retirees, or the disabled who can’t work, for all the Brandon citizens making only $10 to $15 dollars an hour, every dollar is important and shouldn’t be scoffed at. And basically for every Brandon citizen who should not have to throw their hard earned money at another of the School District’s unnecessary tax increase proposals.
Then there’s a more disturbing statements. The estimated simple average annual millage anticipated to be required to retire this bond debt is 1.56 mills ($1.56 on each $1000 taxable valuation). This is scary because I understand this to mean that the School District will be collecting tax dollars at a rate of only 53% of what is required to pay off this bond/debt. Thus in 20 years the School District will still be left with a substantial debt of around $10 Million dollars (interest and servicing charges over 20 years) and be added to the District’s current overall debt. I’m confident that I’m correct and if so this is total financial mismanagement.
Finally, the proposal cites another shocking statistic. It states: The total amount of qualified bonds currently outstanding is $97 MILLION DOLLARS. That’s right folks, $97 MILLION. A staggering amount! And the School District will most likely add another $10 Million to this staggering amount if us citizens OK this sick new bond proposal. They must think we’re all idiots. All of these facts, especially the current total debt is completely insane and totally unacceptable.
In ending, just as in 2016 when the great citizens of Brandon shot down the District’s 2 mill increase proposal to “fix water treatment plants, a minor leak in the HS pool’s roof, and some small bathroom upgrades”, we also must do it again with their latest Pipe Dream. BTW as if you didn’t already know, the School District found the ways to get these “problems” fixed by simple and inexpensive creative ideas.
So please join all my friends and neighbors in voting NO on this bond proposal. The Brandon School District cannot be trusted just like in 2016. Thank you.
Brandon Citizen Kris Kordella