Opinion: Kelly Clark Responds to Susie Shipman’s Opinion Piece

(Editor’s Note: Kelly Clark, candidate for Township Supervisor, responds to Susie Shipman’s opinion piece published here. Read on for his thoughts. -jb)

Everyone is a villain in someone else’s story.

In her recent opinion piece, Susie Shipman calls my character into question. Odd, since she also states she doesn’t know me and I do not know her. I’m not surprised though, since she currently serves on the Township Planning Commission with my opponent, and their first response is always adversarial. This is exactly what our residents are tired of.

She first questioned my honesty when I stated that I was instrumental in keeping OMPS in the community. Go back and watch the TCAPS archives. Without speaking up on behalf of the school and the group we had been working with, the school would have gone to the highest bidder, who would have used the school for another purpose. I also sent my son Cooper there for third grade to try and boost their numbers, but he was accepted into the TAG program at Central Grade and left after one year.

I never said I was integral in running or starting the school. I wasn’t trying to take the credit. I am simply happy to have been a small part of it and happy to see that it is still operating.

I have been working with my accountant for a long time now to establish Lakefront Love as a non-profit entity. We are awaiting IRS approval and see no reason why it will not be recognized as a non-profit in the coming weeks.

The mission of Lakefront Love is to protect and preserve the Great Lakes through funding for research, environmental cleanup, and financial contributions to candidates who support environmental concerns directly impacting the Great Lakes and watershed initiatives. I appreciate Susie’s due diligence, and I’m sorry our timeline does not meet with Susie’s approval. We will succeed regardless.

As for my “celebration of disobedience,” I encourage all residents to ask why they are required to pay permit fees for fences, deer blinds, hoop houses and docks on property that they already own and pay taxes on. With so many regulations in place, it’s likely everyone reading this is “disobedient” in some form or another. Wait until you speak out at a meeting, only to receive a notice a few days later, telling you the items that better be fixed on your property, lest you face more fines.

Michigan is one of a handful of states that has all three major taxes; income, property and sales tax. Eight states are looking to add ballot initiatives limiting or banning property taxes. My opponent wants to raise them for our township. When will my opponents figure out that you can’t tax people into prosperity?

Perhaps Susie misunderstood what was written in regard to offering to serve on the shoreline committee. I personally did not have a problem with the time of day. My point was that other constituents would have a hard time, since many people work 9 to 5. I offered multiple times to serve and was told no. Jenn Cram does not want constituents with different viewpoints on the committee. She does not want constituents who say no to more permits and fees.

I’m glad Susie has enjoyed her time with Jenn. She seems to be in the minority. I listened to Jenn read the zoning language for building height. It was straightforward. She then said, “That’s not how I interpret it.” If she wants it changed, then go through the correct process. Until then, the language is what we go by.

The biggest issue I have with Jenn is trust. There are multiple instances where she will tell constituents she is in support, only to go before the board and completely blind-side them. I wonder why the people hired to work directly with Jenn only lasted a couple of months or, in one case, a couple of days.

I was a master level. bilingual public educator for 25 years and served on the board of education for TCAPS, yet my opponents try to label me as anti-education and anti-public libraries. I was a Grand Traverse County Sheriff Deputy and licensed Coast Guard Captain, yet my opponents try to label me as anti-first responders. The easy route would be to keep trying to raise taxes, but I prefer to ask questions to try to find alternative solutions that will take the burden off of taxpayers.

If you want the same divisiveness and litigation issues, without creative thoughts or solutions, vote for Maura Sanders. While it will not be on the ballot this year, what will happen if the AxMItax initiative passes in the future and she has no plan B in place? As a reminder, Democrats are allowed to vote in Republican primaries in Michigan. That is what Maura is counting on and those are her supporters. Need proof? The signs are there…

I am rarely on Nextdoor. Unlike our current supervisor and his protege, who apparently scour the site like Captain Queeq searching for the strawberries, I prefer to spend my time more productively. It would be nice if they responded as quickly to official emails as they do to social media. That being said, the first thing I ever wrote to Maura on Nextdoor was “Thank you for offering to serve our township.” I have received nothing but slings and arrows since then, despite her also saying that she agreed with me on many issues.

Maura states that she will step down from her real estate career to serve as Supervisor. As Susie would say, “that is quite a stretch” from someone who, according to our MLS data, has sold two houses in the past four years, during what has been the most lucrative period in the history of Traverse City real estate. If my opponent is not willing to get up and grind for herself, what makes you think she will get up and grind for our community?

For the record, Fred Swaffer, Kate Jerman, J.P. Milliken and Mark Luea are all remarkable, intelligent, capable professionals, with their own individual thoughts who are informed and concerned with the issues facing our township.

We do share some common vision. We believe in protecting our community while allowing it to flourish. We believe in not raising taxes. If elected, I would be honored to serve with them in representing our community.

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