Welcome - For the near future, we will host VIRTUAL Meetings-
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***The Forum is co-moderated by Karl Fink and John Hansen.
If you wish to be added to the Forum Mailing List just send a request to RepHansen@aol.com. or KarlVFink@gmail.com -You will get meeting reminders, meeting notes and nothing else.- -Meeting Dates-*** The next virtual meeting of the Dexter Forum will be on Saturday, December 05 at 8:30 AM on Zoom ****************************************************** To attend virtual meetings please join the "Forum Mailing List" as noted above to get the sign in info ****************************************************** ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ <<< The "Stump">> ---- "Stump Activity" is complete for now. ---- ------------------------------------------------------------------ ************************************** The the big election is coming. Check the Forum Notes from previous meetings on the "previous meetings" pages.. ************************************** |
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Who We Are- |
The Dexter Forum is supported by the Dexter Wellness Coalition as part of the 5 Healthy Towns initiative to "help connect with others in healthy ways". The purpose of the Forum is to create an opportunity for interested women and men to gather to discuss important issues facing our community. All are welcome on a drop-in basis. The group meets on the first and third Saturdays of the month.
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The Forum in action-
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"We make the agenda at the meeting so you never know what's on peoples' minds until you ask."
======================================================== Forum Notes 11-21-20 Lots of information to share as we all look forward to a Thanksgiving like no other. You still can't get to Ann Arbor using Miller Road. Apparently the whirligig at Miller and Wagner is done but there is still some bridge work on the western side. Our favorite road commissioner was not with us but we all know by now that he would have assured us that the project would be finished upon completion. The twisted fish has returned, disassembled, but more or less unharmed. We had a concern about Dexter water being a little on the chewy side. We get all of our water from wells so there is a high mineral content. Concerns were raised about amending the recently passed charter amendment that requires a vote of the people to sell any city property. Any amendment to the amendment requires a vote of the people as well. The charter is our version of a constitution and is not changed easily. There will be a tableaux on the front porch of Gordon Hall suitable for holiday photographs. All of the regular in-person activities have been cancelled. Uncle Washtenaw wants you! Our county commissioners, Sue and Jason, pointed out that the county needs to fill seats on the many (40) advisory boards that provide guidance to the commission. Go to washtenaw.org to get more information. There was general agreement that the downtown parklettes with tents were a reasonable attempt to help save our restaurants. The schools are adjusting day-to-day to changes in regulations and case numbers. They continue to get high marks for communicating with parents. We had very positive feedback on the smooth running of the election from a couple of folks who actually worked as inspectors. Webster Township had a 91% turnout. The next meeting of the Dexter Forum will be on Saturday, December 5 at 8:30 AM via Zoom. Now go wash your hands - right now! ======================================================== Forum Notes 11-07-20 With the election in the rear view mirror it was time to get back to the local issues that are the main substance of our meetings - traffic, development and community events. We learned about the problems with the connection of our beautiful trail systems. Some of the connections are on city streets that need more clear signage and attention to safety. Most of the Holiday activities at Gordon Hall have been wiped out by the virus but there will be a drive by light display for public viewing. We discussed the challenges of recycling during a time of low market demand for the recycled materials. Those involved with the process stressed the importance of putting only clean items in the recycle bin. One funky pizza box does indeed spoil the whole load. Jack Knowles gave us a little run down on all of the development activity in Scio Township - much of which is close to Dexter and part of the Dexter School District. The Baker/Jackson area alone might account for around 1,000 new residences including a senior care facility and retail establishments. We closed out by giving the many candidates that were with us a chance to reflect on their victory or defeat and to thank their supporters. We heard some very gracious comments from both groups. As Karl pointed out, there needs to be candidates from all perspectives to properly engage the electorate. They don't all win but they all add to the substance of our democracy. We will meet again by Zoom on Saturday, November 21 at 8:30 AM. Karl and I are considering a return to in-person meetings at the Dexter United Methodist Church. They have a large meeting area that we believe could accommodate sufficient social distancing. We would share space with the Dexter Winter Market which might be good for both groups. Your comments would be appreciated. (Don't reply to simplelist. Use Karl.fink@finkandfink.com or RepHansen@aol.com). ================================================================= FORUM Notes October 17-2020 We had our final candidates on the virtual stump this morning. They were: Rod Anderson - Republican, County Commission District 1 Wa Hubbard - Non-partisan, Dexter City Council Zach Michels - Non-partisan, Dexter City Council Sue Shink - Democrat, County Commission District 2 Michigan law allows for elections to be held in May, August and November of each year. (In presidential years there can be a primary as scheduled by the political parties.) Since all of our elected officials are elected in even years the 2021 election dates, if needed, will likely only be about funding issues so we will put the stump in storage for a while and get back to our bread and butter issues like traffic and development. We did have time for a few other items. Sanam Arab explained the decision by the arts, culture and heritage committee to postpone their storytelling even until later in the year. Ryan Henyard recommended a guide for young/first time voters developed by UM that is available at Michigan Online. Aimee Osinski asked candidates who wish to be featured in the next issue of The Guardian to contact her at anbingham@gmail.com Paul McCann reported that the re-opening of the library has been going well with good mask compliance. The library looks a little different and has less of a browsing vibe and more of a do what you need to do and keep moving feel. In any case it is good to be open again. Senator Theis gave a quick Lansing update. October is a five Saturday month so our next session will be in three weeks on Saturday, November 7 at 8:30 AM on Zoom. With any luck we may even know who won the election for president. ============================================== FORUM Notes October 03-2020 Not surprisingly we were all stump speeches today so the notes are pretty easy. For the benefit of our newer members we do not summarize or paraphrase stump speeches. We also do not solicit candidates. They find us and we schedule them on a first come basis. We heard from the following: Phil Arbour - in opposition to the Dexter City charter amendment that would require a vote of the people to sell any city property. Brian Arnold - candidate for Dexter Board of Education Barbara Read - candidate for Dexter Board of Education Harley Rider - candidate for Dexter Township Supervisor Melanie Szwara - candidate for Dexter Board of Education Shelly Vrsek - candidate for Webster Township Trustee Our next meeting will be on Saturday, October 17 at 8:30 AM on Zoom. ===========================================The notes from previous meetings are on the "previous forum notes" pages... |
