Decisions, decisions, decisions

       

     It's really not too hard to imagine what $127 million can buy. You could get a pair of Space-X tickets to the International Space Station and have enough left over for in-flight pretzels. Or you could buy La Datcha, the ice-breaking yacht of Russian billionaire Oleg Tinkov. That's also about the value of Xanadu 2.0, the 66,000-square-foot estate where Bill and Melinda Gates lived before their divorce last year. And that's about how much money soccer star Lionel Messi grossed last year to make the top spot in Forbes list of highest paid athletes. 

          To express the figure in terms the ordinary shopper would understand: that's enough money for everyone in Michigan to get two rotisserie chickens from Sam's Club and a liter of coke.  

         No matter how you think of it, $127 million is a lot of money. That's the amount Kent County has received in American Rescue Plan funds.  The county is allocating money to infrastructure projects in drainage and broadband internet. They also are waiving restaurant licensing fees to help these businesses get back on their feet after Covid. 

        In addition, county commissioners are seeking input from residents on how the remaining funds should be spent. Public forums are scheduled June 2-8.   A special website gives details about the meetings and a survey to make suggestions and list priorities.

          Looking at the categories offered, I think my top priority is community health, especially programs that address mental health. So what do you think Kent County needs?

          

The Orange-Stripe Parade

   

   Road construction season is in full swing, especially along Chicago Drive in Grandville. 

        The normal four-lane route has been reduced to two lanes from the center of town, Wilson Street, to LaMar Park, just beyond the Grandville/Wyoming border. Resurfacing Chicago Drive, as well as curb and sidewalk improvements, are being done as part of a Michigan Department of Transportation parallel project on I-196. MDOT will be adding a third lane on I-196 between the left-lane exit ramp at Wilson and the left lane, west-bound entrance ramp near LaMar Park. Hopefully the extra lane will make those left lane entrances and exits a little safer. 

          If we want to fix the dang roads -- and we do-- we have to be patient with all the orange cones and striped barricades. So thanks to all the construction workers. Stay safe.

        

Promote the Vote

              I spent my Saturday morning at the Grandville Public Library tasting grassroots democracy.  I was pleased to discover that the anger and divisions we hear so much about can't hold a candle to the eager voters making the system work. 

             I was one of many volunteers collecting signatures at libraries across the state Saturday to get the Promote the Vote proposal on the November ballot.

      You may remember a Promote the Vote petition in 2018 offering No-Excuse-Absentee voting as well as early voting, day-of-election registration, and a whole package of measures to make it easier for people to vote.  That proposal was approved by the voters long before any of us knew a pandemic would make absentee voting a necessity. 

      The 2022 Promote the Vote is sort of a continuation of the popular 2018 initiative. This one is an amendment to the constitution to finetune absentee voting with state-funded postage, more drop boxes and important protections to assure military votes mailed before election day will be counted. 

              One gentleman, who biked to the library and signed my petition before riding off again with a library book, thanked me for my service like I was a soldier. "Petitions can be a thankless task," he said. It's true. Some petitions are hard to sell. But not Promote the Vote. Most of the people I met Saturday believe in the system. They are eager to support measures to make voting easier. They want everyone to participate in our democracy and they aren't misled by shaky claims of fraud.  

                "Save your words for someone else," one lady said as she grabbed the clipboard to sign. "I'm all for this."
 

Special Election Tuesday

     

       In Grandville, today's special election will choose a new state rep for House District 74 -- hopefully Walker commissioner Carol Glanville.  In Wyoming the special election considers two city proposals and a school bond issue.

       But for me, the special election means a long day from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. working in a Wyoming polling place. I've been working as an election inspector in Grandville and Wyoming precincts since 2016.  Working at the polls, I have learned a new respect for our election process. Anyone who fears that our elections have been compromised only needs to spend a day or two working the polls to be convinced of how secure they are. 

       When we arrive we unpack and inspect the tabulator. We confirm the serial number that this is the machine listed for our precinct. We unlock it and inspect every nook and cranny to be sure no errant ballots have been stashed in there. We run a zero tape to be sure that no votes are in the machine's memory and inspect the seals on the tabulator to assure nothing has been tampered with. 

         As the voters arrive we check photo IDs, filtering out those who invariably show up at the wrong polling place and direct them to the right location. They fill out an application to vote, which we compare to our log of registered voters in the electronic poll book. The poll book alerts us if the person received a ballot by mail so we can be sure they don't vote twice.

          Most voters present their driver's license which can be scanned right into our pollbook speeding up the process. Michigan law allows a person who does not have the appropriate photo ID to vote by signing an affidavit, but in all the elections I have worked this is fairly rare, maybe an elderly lady who doesn't drive any more or someone who left their license in the car.  We seldom have more than a couple people at each precinct who opt to fill out the affidavit rather than show ID. 

            We try to be accommodating so everyone gets their constitutional right to vote. Every precinct has an assisted terminal with computer screen and headset so blind voters, as well as those with limited mobility, can make their choice. But at the same time we have layer after layer of safety precautions to make sure no one "stuffs the ballot box."

            As the day goes on we double check frequently the ballot numbers and voter numbers so we are sure our records and the tabulator agree. We want everything to balance when the polls close. We run another tape tabulating all the votes at the end of the day so we have a paper copy of the votes tabulated by the machine as well as an electronic tally.  All the paper ballots are in a sealed pouch in case a recount becomes necessary. 

            Voting is the cornerstone of our country. So you can go to the polls, or request an absentee ballot, with complete confidence.