I tried to have this letter published in the Munising News, but the editor didn't want you to read this, so here it is in my blog.....
At the last AuTrain Township Board meeting, Supervisor Judy Graves demonstrated true leadership by involving citizens and other government agencies, while pursuing a solution to the river flow problem.There is an intresting parallel here between AuTrain's government and the AuTrain River. If the river's water cannot get out to the lake,
things go wrong. If the voice of the citizens cannot get to the local government, things go wrong. The sand or ice that blocks the end of the river must be removed so the water can get out to the lake. Clerk Mary Rogers has openly defied citizen input at township board meetings and arranged the agenda to have any input uselessly at the end of the meeting. Then Rogers often interupts these citizens if what they have to say takes longer than three minutes.
It gets worse. At an AuTrain Township Zoning Board meeting a deputy sheriff was present. This officer would not allow citizens to speak at this meeting. Civil liberties were violated. The
Open Meetings Act was violated, and the people of AuTrain Township were violated.
The deputy was lured to the meeting by the report of a "so called" threatening e-mail received by Clerk Mary Rogers. This is what the e-mail said: "Each member of the Zoning Board needs a copy of the Rural Township Zoning Act for the meeting October 6th-this is something that would have been invaluable over the past three years. I hope you and Will agree. Oh! about the zoning meeting-if the Zoning Board is hoping to begin making changes to the current zoning they will have to accept puplic comment. The zoning is for the protection of land use for the people and thier input is essential." (Author of e-mail Supervisor Judy Graves) Who made this trumped up report to the sheriff's office? Who stands to gain by jamming the river of free speech and truth?
AuTrain Township has only had its own Zoning Ordinances for just a little over a year. The Alger County Zoning Ordinances and its continuance as our interum zoning ordinance were the law from 1979 until October 2004. That's when the AuTrain Township board made a motion to accept the AuTrain Township Zoning Ordinance as developed by our Zoning Board.It was a three year effort for the AuTrain Township Zoning Board to come up with the final Zoning Ordinance.Oh, it's not perfect, but it is well thought out and reflects a lot of work and most important a lot of citizen input. These new laws are here to help protect landowners and maintain traditional use of the land. AuTrain has been divided up into districts that are distinct according to how the land is used.Enforcing these laws is important. The Zoning Administrator is suppose to enforce these ordinances. Will Rogers is AuTrain's Zoning Administrator and he is not doing his job. There is a law suit pending concerning Rogers not doing his job.In the meantime zoning laws are openly being violated. There has never been a motion by the Township Board that directs Will Rogers to not enforce zoning.Under Oath Will Rogers claims the board directed him through his wife, AuTrain Township Clerk Mary Rogers, and Trustee Dennis Gramm. Intresting as Gramm benefits from Will Rogers not enforcing the zoning laws. Gramm is using his residence as a hotel in a district that is strictly zoned single family residential. Does this have anything to do with the fact that Will Rogers was hired based on a motion made by Dennis Gramm? Does the $750.00 per month salary that Gramm recommended for Rogers in the same motion affect Roger's decision to not enforce zoning? 
