I enjoy using different weapons when I hunt, from my trusty rifle to my way-cool crossbow.
But my all-time favorite is my shotgun. It’s definitely my weapon of choice because it sends multiple projectiles screaming toward the target. It’s tough to miss.
Readers can think of this as a ‘shotgun commentary? this week because I’ve got lots of targets to hit, so I’m just going to let the pellets fly.
****
Hats off to the North Oakland Transportation Authority (NOTA) for hiring a new director without the aid of an employment recruiter.
The Oxford Area Cable Communications Commission could learn a thing or two from NOTA seeing how it recently approved wasting ? I mean, spending ? a whopping $9,000 on a headhunter to find a new station manager for OCTV.
Finding someone to run a small public access television station that covers two townships shouldn’t be any more challenging than finding someone to run a transportation authority that serves three townships.
Remember the days when officials didn’t abdicate their responsibilities by paying others to do their jobs?
Oh well, it’s only our money.
Plenty more where that came from, right?
****
Yes, the building that houses the Northeast Oakland Historical Museum is an asset owned by village taxpayers.
But there’s no doubt that the taxpayers would not have possession of this asset today had Oxford Bank not donated it in 1971 in order to establish an historical museum.
That is the one and only reason the bank donated it to the village. Had there not been a group of local folks in the process of forming a historical society back then, the bank probably would have sold the property to a private party and today, it could be a vacant building with one of those chic ‘for-lease? signs in the window.
True, the deed specifically states the building was donated to the village for ‘public purposes only? for a period of 25 years, a restriction that expired in the 1990s.
However, that doesn’t tell the whole story of how and why it came to be in the village’s possession.
That story can be found on Page 13 of this week’s Leader and on Page 75 of the ‘History of Northeast Oakland County,? written by Richard A. Young and published by the Leader in June 1976. We sell these history books at our office for $3 each. Check it out.
****
The only way I’d support giving Oxford Village permission to sell the municipal complex at 18-22 W. Burdick St. is if voters were also given the long-overdue option to dissolve the village government.
I see no reason to sell the current village complex and use the proceeds to build a new one at 98 S. Glaspie St.
The goal should be to rid ourselves of all these unnecessary and antiquated layers of local government, not build costly new monuments to worship them.
****
The Oxford Downtown Development Authority is constantly encouraging us to ‘buy local? and ‘shop local.?
How ironic ? and hypocritical ? that it’s sending $6,000 in tax money to a firm that’s based in Greenville, South Carolina for the creation of a branding campaign.
Nothing against the out-of-state firm or its folksy and humorous presentation ? we’ve all got to make a buck.
But frankly, the DDA should know better.
You mean to tell me there weren’t any marketing firms or branding professionals in the Oxford area ? or in Oakland County or in the entire state of Michigan ? that could have accomplished this same task? I realize this South Carolina firm was recommended to the DDA by Oakland County, so shame on them as well.
If you’re going to preach that everyone should buy local, you’d better walk the talk.