Message Received
Outside voices are tolerated but not valued. Or are they?
Council Member Ryan Cummins took to his Facebook page to make a statement about the “protests” that took place at the Grand Haven City Council board meeting on Monday, May 15th, 2023.
Ryan Cummins statement:
“I respect people exercising their first amendment rights. Even though nearly all of the commenters were not city residents, we do welcome all public comments. I’ve received many more comments from folks who are supportive of the City Council’s unanimous approval of both Pride Month and first Pride Festival for our community.
For the last three years, two separate City Councils have recognized June as LGBTQ Pride Month in Grand Haven. We support a wide diversity of events in Grand Haven. This includes religious, sports, music, arts, food and military events. I am proud that we can also openly support the value of the LGBTQ community and make it clear Grand Haven is welcoming to all people. #hatehasnohomehere”
Can’t forget the hashtag.
Here is what Mr. Cummins is actually saying. “We have to listen to all comments but unless you’re a city resident, we will not value your comments and completely dismiss them. Outsider opinions are not valued here.” More on that later.
Message received. Seems equitable and inclusive to me, don’t you think? It’s a baffling statement to make considering the City of Grand Haven cannot survive on its 10,000 residents alone. Grand Haven survives on a combination of city residents, township residents, and tourists in the summer and the city and township residents in the winter. The majority of income comes from “not city residents”, as Mr. Cummins calls them.
Of the 14 men who spoke out in opposition at the council meeting, two were city residents, and four were residents of Grand Haven Township or Robinson Township. Grand Haven Township and Robinson Township combine for roughly 24,000 residents who have Grand Haven as their city on their addresses. The townships are mere miles from the city limits.
Grand Haven is our city. We shop downtown, we eat downtown, we grab beers downtown and we grab our coffees downtown. To send the message that our opinions have no value in the City of Grand Haven is a questionable strategy at best, and just plain stupid at worse.
I suppose our dollars have no value either. I wonder if downtown store owners would echo Mr. Cummins sentiments if “not city residents” avoided the downtown space this summer and if they encouraged other “not city residents” to do the same.
Grand Haven is a summer resort community of families who come year after year. What happens when those families look elsewhere for a new summer destination?
The hypocrisy dilemma
The city council members have a dilemma on their hands and it deals with their own hypocrisy.
Council member Karen Lowe claims she is a city resident. She owns a cottage in the city and claims it's her primary residence. In 2019, she bought a home in Grand Haven Township for $650,000, a mere 10 minutes away from her cottage. Ask yourself, who buys a second home, at that price, 10 minutes away? Whether she will be honest with herself and the public or not (she won’t), Karen Lowe is a resident of Grand Haven Township.
Four of the seven PRIDE Fest event organizers are confirmed non-city residents, one co-chair being a Spring Lake Resident.
When the Cross was removed from Dewey Hill in 2015, it was a man from Norton Shores who spearheaded the charge and organized that initiative. I guess “not city residents” do have an influence, but only when it goes in one direction. Funny how it's flowing in the same direction. It appears you have to have the right voice. Or is it left?
The request at the City Council Board Meeting was simple, keep the public space in downtown Grand Haven family-friendly for everyone, whether you live in the city, township, or visiting from out of town. Let’s keep downtown truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive for all.
