Dear Editor,
I attended the Goodrich Village Council meeting on Nov. 30 after I heard about issues at the previous meeting. I am quite concerned about the direction the council is taking. I am in favor of reducing costs and trying to be more efficient, but I question if these are objectives of the current council.
After the recent election, I read that the council was going to thoroughly review items before making any rash, uneducated decisions. There were at least 30 minutes of public discussion during which at least 80 percent of the people advised the council to take their time, review multiple options, take three bids on major purchases, and evaluate questions and concerns. The council would then make a well-thought-out decision.
The first item the council discussed was the attorney the village has been using for 20 years. The village council voted to fire the current attorney and hire a different one. It was brought up that not all of the council members have even seen the new attorney’s resume, let alone interviewed him. It was also discussed that the village is in the middle of a lawsuit and the council said it was a frivolous lawsuit. We were then told the lawsuit is over a pile of dirt, but that it is a $400,000 lawsuit. This does not sound frivolous to me. Hiring an attorney this quickly and in this manner makes people wonder who they know and is there any corruption. Why did this decision need to be made without proper due diligence?
I am all about giving the new council a chance. After all, the people of Goodrich voted for this council. I do not like to see time and money wasted with recalls, but I do have a serious trust issue at this time. I would like to think that our voices are heard and it was obvious the council did not listen to the concerns when they fired and hired an attorney in haste.
Bill Gibbs
Goodrich