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Clarification from a councilperson

EDITOR:

A few days ago, Councilman Ron Beauchamp offered a Letter to the Editor that was so convoluted that I doubt anyone could understand what he was trying to say. He referred to several members of city council obliquely, but without identifying about whom he was writing. I offer this letter to help him out. The councilperson “who met for two hours in public with a candidate:” was almost certainly Mayor Tall. The mayor told me that he wanted to meet with the new candidates to learn their opinions and views. He said he did not need to meet with incumbents Ron Beauchamp and Mike Sattem, because he has known them for years. I think he met separately with Tyler DuBord and Karen Moore. These meetings were conducted in public, so as not to give the impression that there was anything wrong about such meetings.

Mr. Beauchamp wrote that the wife of a councilperson is the treasurer for a candidate. The “wife” is my wife, Mary Blasier, and the candidate is Karen Moore. Back in the early 1950s, at the time of Karen’s and Mary’s births, the two families (Karen’s) Christiansens and (Mary’s) Schrams were living together in the same house! Karen and Mary have been best friends for their entire lives. It is natural that Mary would become Karen’s campaign treasurer. I, myself, did not suggest to Karen that she run for council; that was my error; I should have encouraged her to run. Will I vote for her? Hell yes! She is clearly the most intelligent and most likely to be a team-player of the candidates. She is very pragmatic and clear-headed. One of the incumbents is very intelligent, and one is partially cooperative.

In the same issue of the Daily Press, in another Letter to the Editor, a citizen hinted that Candidate Moore would be soft on crime in Escanaba. That is silly. Ms. Moore has not served a day on city council. Every year, the director of Escanaba Public Safety prepares a budget in which he requests whatever he thinks he needs to run the Public Safety Department and fight crime. What he requests has to be balanced against what the city can afford. City council does the best we can, but we cannot afford everything. In the past few months, council has authorized a new firetruck, two new police cruisers, an executive pick-up truck, new bullet-resistant vests, new radios, and other gear.

Ralph B. Blasier

City Councilperson

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