Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
ALL TEN prospective members of the next city council in Bessemer, standing at the request of a resident who was unaware who was in the running Monday evening. From right to left are Terry Krishak, James Prezkop, Allen Archie, Bill McDonald, Jim Slagerman, Richard Duncanson, Louis Miskovich, Adam Zak, Linda Nelson, and Rob Coleman.
By IAN MINIELLY
Bessemer - The Bessemer city council meeting Monday evening had multiple turns and shifts. The ten prospective members of the next city council showed up and were in attendance, standing up together at one time so the residents in attendance could see them all at once in response to a question of who is running and how the election will happen during the public comment section at the end. This was the first time all the prospective candidates had been in the room together.
Members of the community were not clear on how the election is going to happen, nor who had thrown their hat in the ring. Jim Trudgeon, city clerk, said he would have a list in his office before the election and people could contact him at anytime and Mayor Kathy Whitburn said it is the duty of those running to make their presence known and get out there informing people of their candidacy for office. Whitburn even suggested someone organize a debate for the candidates, which drew some appeal from the crowd.
In organized and expected news, the council demonstrated solidarity as it voted 5-0 on the following measures on the agenda:
-To grant the Gogebic Range Trail Authority's Special Use Request to become the recognized trail authority in Bessemer with the ability to apply for grants. The GRTA is now the recognized trail authority for both snowmobiles and ATV's from Ramsay to Hurley.
-To approve the minutes of a regular meeting, special meeting, Planning Commission meeting, and the Downtown Development Authority meeting of the past two weeks.
-To make a $48,209 payment for the claims out of the General Fund to pay the major street, local street, water utility, and sewer utility funds.
-To accept the correspondence from Dan Matonich regarding the rules and rate changes adopted in the prior city council meeting, which does not mean the council agreed with the current rules. Linda Nelson, council member said maybe they should rescind the change they made last meeting based on the comments of Matonich, but the changes were kept and there was not a motion to rescind or change them.
-In adopting the Master Plan, Resolution Number 2015-29.
-In paying C2AE $380, 164 as Draw Number 8 in the city's current sewer and water project
-To raise the pay of the city's election workers. The chair of the election workers will now receive $9.25 and the six workers under the chair will receive $8.90 for their efforts during the November 7 election.
-And, in accepting the city manager's report and the DPW reports for the record.
The council ultimately decided to leave the date unchanged for their scheduled meeting with the city employees union representative Bob Murphy, currently scheduled for 18 Oct. at 5:00 p.m. to discuss the new employees handbook. Linda Nelson and Rob Coleman brought up the point the meeting has been changed multiple times prior due to the inability of the entire council to be at the meeting and Nelson and Coleman are both unavailable for the planned meeting Wednesday.
Charly Loper, city manager, said the problem is more scheduling Murphy than it is the council. Al Gaiss suggested the weekend would be a good time if everyone was busy Monday through Friday, as long as it was prior to the football games, but no one on the council was keen to perform council business over the weekend, except Gaiss. Ultimately the council decided to keep the date as it is since, "It is more important Bob is at the meeting than the people on the council," according to Whitburn.
