Barron comes under fire over annexation

ESCANABA -- A controversial Delta County commissioner who could financially gain from a proposed annexation of land from one township to another was censured for an alleged conflict of interest by his colleagues Tuesday, but the action had no teeth and it is unclear if the commissioner will be able to vote on the issue moving forward.

“He’s not participating -- or he will, I can’t stop the guy. He’s a duly elected official,” Commission Chair Dave Moyle said following a vote of the commission to ask Commissioner Bob Barron “to recuse himself until discussion is complete” that passed 4-1, with only Barron opposing.

Barron did not participate during the ensuing discussion following the vote, but remained in the room during a presentation from Escanaba Township Treasurer Kim Knauf-Wycoff. Knauf-Wycoff, who received a standing ovation following her presentation, raised a number of concerns about the proposed annexation of more than 19,000 acres from Escanaba Township to Cornell Township, the signatures on the applications for annexation, and the proposed solar development at the heart of a years-long battle between Barron and Escanaba Township.

Barron is one of 26 landowners that own property in Escanaba Township who were previously contracted to lease their land for a large-scale solar generation project that was later scrapped by the developer, primarily due to a series of actions taken by the township to severely restrict solar development within its borders. Because Cornell Township is reliant on the county for zoning and the county’s zoning ordinance is more permissive than Escanaba Township’s ordinance when it comes to solar, moving the land in question to Cornell Township would allow any similar developments to move forward.

“I would love to see my friend benefit from this, but that’s not why I’m in office,” said Moyle, who added he would need public hearings in both townships, a joint meeting of the townships, and to hear votes of support from 51% of the people who live in Escanaba and Cornell townships to be able to support the annexation.

While prior meetings have included public comment from individuals who supported the annexation or utility-scale solar, Tuesday’s meeting was overwhelmingly hostile towards the annexation, solar, and Barron personally. Outside the meeting, Barron was met with protestors who insulted him with comments like, “You should talk to Moyle, at least he knows how to dress.” Inside the meeting, he was called a “thief,” “criminal,” and “fool” by residents during public comment. Moyle recessed the meeting for 10 minutes prior to voting on Barron’s ability to participate after the audience in the packed meeting room began shouting comments at the commissioners.

Prior to the recess, Barron questioned whether commissioners Steve Viau and John Malnar should be allowed to participate, as they had previously stated they were against the annexation, and said the applications for annexation were not yet presented to the board.

“The evidence for anything has not been brought forth whatsoever. We need to hear what they have to say, and I plan on participating,” Barron said prior to the recess and Knauf-Wycoff’s presentation.

The applications are expected to be presented at the June 20 commission meeting, but Moyle has said the commission will not vote on the issue that day. It would take at least a 3-2 vote of the commission to pass the proposal and redraw the township boundaries.

After the meeting was reconvened, County Clerk and Board Parliamentarian Nancy Przewrocki read from sections of the board’s ethics rules that state “a public official or employee of the county should always avoid even the appearance of such conflicts through full public disclosure of any interests to appropriate officials and where possible by abstaining from participation in the performance or exercise of the official discretionary actions.”

Despite his stated intent to participate, Barron did not comment on the annexation or solar after the vote, nor did he address any of the public comments criticizing him directly. Instead, he followed his habit of using a quote as his commissioner comment.

“I’m reminded tonight of an old phrase, ‘Emotion dominates for a time but reason will always prevail,’ It’s just the length of the emotion. Certainly there was a lot demonstrated tonight,” he said.