Good odds for the side of goodwill.
Hello friends! Long post coming below...new today, we are cross-posting these kinds of things on the Lil' Nubbins Blog: https://www.votenoharborsprings.org/nubbinsblog
We’ve had some interesting interactions on here after launching a few weeks ago. The vast majority have been positive, some have not.
The vitriol from some people has been, frankly, disappointing.
The same group that sent misleading mailers, swarmed council meetings, called names, questioned motives, used the specter of lawsuits to sway the council to accept their deficient petition and place it on the ballot. Do we blame the council? No. Is public policy by threat of litigation healthy? No.
Some commenters took glee in getting their way and derided the kindness extended to them.
It has been a perfect example of grievance over goodwill. That is where we are. A microcosm of politics on the whole here in our little town.
It is still unclear what exactly the concerns are other than some vague worries about preserving the town’s character and that 35 feet isn’t 35 feet (we can't figure it out either).
The unsaid truth is most of this is about some lucky enough to have multiple homes wanting to make sure their property values are protected. And that's fair. Don’t get us wrong, we need everyone who visits and has second and family homes in Harbor Springs. Without their wealth, our schools wouldn’t be the amazing places they are for our kids. Our stores wouldn’t be able to support themselves. We have literal cottage industries built and employing many of our neighbors to support our guests.
As we were writing this post last night, a fire broke out at that apartment building next to Teddy’s. Thankfully everyone is safe and our local professional and volunteer firefighters did an extraordinary job to protect lives and put out the fire.
Our friends and neighbors who fight fires, like the one last night, don’t ask if you are a voter or a full-time resident when they pull up. They protect everyone the same. Even in the off season, when our guests leave, they protect the empty homes. And they aren’t alone.
Our police patrol and look out for their homes even when our guests are not here. The snowplows clear the streets. The streetlights are kept on and burnt-out bulbs replaced. Water mains are fixed when pipes freeze and break. We put up a tree and hang a star at the top of the boardwalk. And the city council and committees meet and act even when our guests return to their primary homes.
This vote on our new zoning codes is not really about the substance of the codes (the changes are not big, you can see for yourself at www.votenoharborsprings.org ) Rather, this vote is about how we conduct ourselves as a city. It’s about who we are. Those of us who keep watch and stoke the home fires year-round. We can and should be trusted to care for the best interest of our city.
We all understand the deal. Those with enough money will get what they want anyway. They will hire lawyers to get variances or fight approvals. Whatever they want will likely get done. We really don’t need to worry about them getting what they want when it comes to zoning.
But what about the rest of us? Those of us who do our best on committees. Who shovel snow three times before noon. Who wait ‘til 9 to mow our lawns so our neighbors can sleep since we know they don’t feel well. Most of us don’t have a bazillion dollars to hire lawyers to get variances or challenge city council decisions.
Kinda what it comes down to, right?
A group of our friends and neighbors volunteered their time for two years to update our zoning code. They are not in the pockets of developers. They are not expanding personal empires. They are just regular folks doing their best.
Isn’t that what we want? Who said it must be all this drama? We aren’t some big downstate city or Florida for Pete’s sake. We are just regular folks who trust each other and make everything work year-round.
We drive the buses. We teach school. Pick up the trash and weed the beds. We open the shop on time and make sure the coffee is fresh and hot. We bring in docks and make the snow. And yes, some of us bravely fight the fires.
We know it’s not that cold but you need the right equipment. We don’t need thrusters to dock a boat but know it helps if Mike likes you. We know Miss Hanna is a treasure and you gotta be pretty weird to try and mess with the Farmer’s Market.
Three hundred and forty-some of our fellow residents signed a petition to force a vote on the new zoning code. We’d wager at least some of those folks support the new code but don’t have a problem voting. Let’s just say 28% of eligible voters signed. The petition people worked hard and achieved their goal. We are skeptical once the measure is defeated it will all be over, but we will keep the faith.
They did us a huge service. They knocked on every door (ours they came to twice at least). So, we have a pretty good idea that more than two-thirds of residents didn’t sign.
We like those odds.
There are 1,211 of us who call Harbor Springs our home and are registered to vote here. We are lucky. We are also not dumb. Our friends and neighbors worked hard on the new code. They did their best and compromised when they could.
That’s all we can ask for. Put aside the conspiracies, the anger, the misinformation and that’s where we are. People who live here thought it through and we should support them. We should vote NO on the repeal of their work. Learn about more reasons why you should vote no at www.votenoharborsprings.org Please like, share, and forward this post to your friends and neighbors. Be kind to each other!