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uld expect m to be more con-
iderate of countY taxp ye , om
of bom live-and vote-in their
districts.
Plenty of taxpayers re cted fter
. tbi ne pa�r -reve led t e gl
. par ramp going to be built
'tb a tax tha sbould end thi year
e cept for at going on in th
c room at the county building.
�ublic reaction, ell as opposi
tio from tbe Berrien County Build
ing Au�ty, an independent
agency, forced t three bo rd
leade -Clar ,. S cey and Grau
-to junk the ramp project Star,nr
even p� that tbe four-tent
mill tax d no be dropped. .
aybe fin nce cbairman St cey
thought be as making Bro ie
points with that announcement. He
Meds t m in bis race for the state
legislative post being vacated by
Rep. RaY ittan. But di cerning
members of tbe public kno be as
forced into it; be didn't consi er the
taxp yers until after he s forced.
. to.
o Stacey and bis t 0 .fello
voyageurs in the ooden sboe on tb
"Sea of De " can hardly ait to
toss more gold into the depths of no
- return. For hat reaso ? The state
corrections commis ion ill go
along itb' a reasonable delay in
Berrien jail cons ructio if the state
too s a genuine effort i being
made to find the best ite and
develop the t long range plan.
It i n't too late to tum bac . The
second architectural contract hasn't
yet been signed. C'mon yn en
Blynken and od: let the county
board -study the alternatives. If
studies prove your program right,
so be it If you're proved rong no
bard feelings. On the contrary, th
public ill reSpect you for having
made it po ible to arrive at a
judgment more favorable to t_·
payers.
They'll love you, and as the poet
says, t •
u _ � _ Y u shall see the beautiful
things .
"As you roc on the mi ty sea.
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tacey, Clark, GraU'
In it's enthusiasm to maintain the
status- quo, the local daily newspaper
gives itself the benefit of a short memory.
What follows is the complete text
of an 'editorial that appeared in the
April 15 issue of th Herald Palladium.
A quick glance at the article shows
. the H-P � less than happy with Lad
Stacey's management of the taxpayer's
money. Since Stacey the best condi-
I dote the Republicans could produce for
the 44th District State Representative
race, the H-P has been forced to swallow
its previous tatements and appear to
favor St s record ith lip licking
nthusiasrn._
As a public service have revived
their more honest analysis of the Stacey
record and serve it up again for the
voters'digestion.
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-The Editor
drift -On
, I
,
, . f -aim t represents
onl wbat four or five thousand'
I f mily bomeo ner pay to the
.county in property taxes each year.
. Peanuts! -as tbey say these days "
aropnd Washington, the holy city of
all big . '
ancy Clar is chairman of the
county board; Stacey is finance
�an; and Grau is dministra
tion committee cbairman, in charge '"
of developing building plans. For
years the three have possessed the
clout to obtain approval of
demographic and site studies on
Berrien's building needs. Yet the
did nothing! .
o the trio claims that the state"
.. corrections department is pushing
too bard for jail remodeling to honor
the year's construcPon moratorium
. recommended by county planners.
The position of the county board
troika is particularly interesting in
vie of cbarges made by County
Complissioner R. J. Burkholz, ot
. tbat tbe planning' commis ion
voted last month to recommend a.
f facilities study that would identil
ort and long t rm needs, for the
jail. tbe nearby courthouse and
. neee ary parlding lots. Bur holz
cbarged Commissioner Grau got
t e board to approve the second.
• architectural contract
without ever telling the full com-
mi sion of the planner tudy •
recommendation.
Only last rno th this newspaper
vealed in an editorial that under
1 dersbip of Wynken, Blynken and
Nod. tile county' board was rushing
into con truction of an unsightl
par ing ramp' bet een the
courtb and Lake Michigan. And
the board was going to use a our
tenth mill tax originally voted t
p Y for construction of the
courtbo .
Since neither' CI rk, Grau nor
Stacey reside in the City of St.
Jo eph, it's understandable that
they're not particularly concerned
with the appearance of the building
projects they ponsor for the county
seat. But at tbe very least, one
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