Police To Get City Review of Behavior
By Karen Gould

A routine city council meeting Wednesday, July 6, took an unexpected turn when residents, during the public comment period, expressed their concern about overzealous police behavior. Council and Police Chief Bill Lenaghan listened as residents said the officers needed better public relations skills, and Mayor Margaret Doud promised there would be discussions regarding the police department based on information given at the meeting.

In other business, Council said it would consider tightening its vehicle permit policy, discussed the dangers of the corner of Astor Street (at the head of the Coal Dock) and Main Street, set a public hearing for an ordinance variance, thanked Grand Hotel for its contribution to the July 4 fireworks, and learned the NBC Today Show had canceled plans to visit the Island. But the police complaints, raised near the end of the meeting, dominated the discussion.

Mayor Margaret Doud suggested restaurant owner Debra Orr file a formal complaint against one police officer that Ms. Orr accused of harassing one of her managers. Alder-man Mike Hart agreed and Alderman Armin Porter ac-knowledged he had heard similar complaints about police harassment.

Ms. Orr said an officer had pulled a manager on duty out of one of her restaurants and demanded a breathalyzer test on the spot. She said when the reading came up zero, the officer asked what the manager was smoking.

“You have a very loose cannon,” Ms. Orr told Council.

She cited several other incidents, but said she would not go into detail at the meeting. Bringing the information to the city council was difficult for her, she said, but she believed the situations warranted the city’s attention.

Island cottager Jay Stingel said he was frustrated one day when a policeman tried to write a ticket for causing a commotion while he was wrestling with a broken harness line and a pair of frightened horses on the street. He said the officer should have been assisting him.

Mr. Stingel’s wife, Janet, also addressed Council.

“I love this Island as much as you,” she said. “I haven’t been here as long as you, and I wasn’t born here, but I love this Island.”

She and her husband have owned their cottage for 15 years and suggested the attitudes in the police department need to change. She noted the Island offers an opportunity to teach children that police are their friends, but that is not happening.

“Police set the tone, because they are in uniform,” Mrs. Stingel said.

Businesswoman Mary Dufina volunteered herself and others to work with the department to explain how officers can be a positive experience for visitors, “and what it means to us to see the police walk up and down the street.”

“We want to see ‘community’ police officers,” she said.

Mayor Doud told the Town Crier later that she thinks Chief Lenaghan is doing a good job, is friendly, and has been accepted by the community and that she will work with him and the department to improve its public relations image.

In an unrelated matter, Police Chief Bill Lenaghan advised Council that two police officers had resigned, although neither had been accused by citizens of inappropriate behavior. John Burns has taken a position in Muskegon and Jason LaHaie will be an officer in Rapid City, South Dakota. Both were seasonal officers looking for full-time work.

In other business, Council set a public hearing Wednesday, July 20, at 5:45 p.m. on an ordinance variance for Horn’s Bar signage. The city ordinance allows for two signs, but the bar has a hanging sign, window signage, and a canopy sign. Bar owners Steve and Patti Ann Moskwa want to put the canopy sign back up. It had been taken down for renovations. Mrs. Moskwa wrote in a letter to the council that they have a unique situation because Carriage Tours operates in front of their bar and carriages block window signage for visitors on the other side of Main Street. For their business name to be visible, they need the canopy sign.

Council could act on the request during its regular meeting following the July 20 public hearing.

Four motor vehicle permits were approved and one was denied. Council granted a temporary motor vehicle permit for a Stevensville Boy Scout troop that will be coming to the Island in July to do service work for the State Park. The trailer will be used to haul their food and gear and will be pulled behind a dray.

Based on comments from Mr. Stingel, Council decided to revisit the city’s motor vehicle permit policy at a future meeting. Mr. Stingel said the last Boy Scout trailer brought to the Island was sitting out between the Scout Barracks building and Garrison Road and was not hidden. He suggested the items be placed on pallets transferred to drays, which is what he does. Otherwise, he said the city council might consider charging $500 to $1,000 for trailers that are used as storage sheds.

“I don’t think it looks very nice and I don’t think it’s in keeping with the Island,” he said.

Mayor Doud said she did not realize that the trailers were so large until the scout trailer was brought to her attention.

Alderman Mike Hart agreed.

“We need to get trailers more under control,” he said. “They are being used simply for convenience.”

A permit was issued to the Kiwanis Club of St. Ignace for its annual Island run September 10. Council also approved a motor vehicle permit for them for transport portable toilets to the Island with the stipulation that they use Mission Point Resort’s Beaver Dock and not the Arnold Dock, since the event will take place at Mission Point.

Council granted a motor vehicle permit to the Chicago Yacht Club, but City Clerk Karen Lennard was to write a letter to the club requesting they make arrangements to use a smaller vehicle than a backhoe to move their race headquarters trailer from Cadotte Avenue to Windermere Point.

Grand Hotel received a motor vehicle permit to move a snowmobile trailer carrying a riding lawn mower from repairs.

A vehicle permit for the Webster family to move food, clothing, and toys to the Annex was denied, with council noting a dray could handle their needs.

An off-Island license was granted to Murray Realty. The request was tabled at the June 22 meeting until an exact location of the business could be confirmed. While newspaper ads indicated it was on the Island, the license application listed an address in Port Huron. City Attorney Tom Evashevski confirmed the business was off the Island.

Island resident Kay Hoppenrath informed Council of danger on the corner of Astor Street and Main Street. She said an elderly Island woman on a bicycle fell when a family riding in the opposite direction failed to give way and carriages and other congestion did not permit her to turn. Mrs. Moskwa said she has seen many near-misses at the intersection, too. Chief Lenaghan said the department would look into it the next day and see what could be done. He also said they would be reassigning areas for police coverage.

Council thanked Grand Hotel for contributing $5,000 to enhance the city’s Fourth of July fireworks display.

Mayor Doud announced that the NBC Today Show had canceled a visit to the Island. The Island was to be part of a series on summer vacation spots, but the entire series has been canceled, she said.

Two letters were read out loud by Mayor Doud. Island condominium owner Mary Anderson expressed concern over safety issues relating to trees near the East Harbor condos. She was concerned with branches breaking off and causing injury or property damage. City building inspector Dennis Dombroski said he would look into the matter.

Council decided to send a copy of a letter from a 32-year Island visitor to two downtown stores and the Island Tourism Bureau. The letter expressed concern over two Island stores that displayed T-shirts in their windows that were demeaning to women.

The next city council meeting is Wednesday, July 20, at 6 p.m. in City Hall.