Trustee Lisa Manzella Fights to Keep the (Money-Losing) 41-A District Court In Shelby Township — At All Costs!

The 20-year long debate and discussion concerning the 41-A District Court building is back in the headlines once again.

Shelby Township’s Board of Trustees voted on Wednesday, December 14th to put a question on the February, 2012 ballot giving Shelby taxpayers a direct say (through our public vote) in deciding whether the 41-A District Court should stay in Shelby Township or relocate to Macomb Township.

This decision by the Board is greatly appreciated, and very welcome news to residents who firmly believe that taxpayers, those who will be paying to build and operate a new Court, should have a voice, and a vote, on this crucial decision.

This has indeed gone on for way too long - primarily because the politicians didn’t bother asking the people their thoughts on this.  Now, we will finally get our opportunity to tell Shelby’s Trustees how we feel about the Court.  Should it stay or should it go?

If Shelby residents want to keep the court in our township then we need to let our Board of Trustees know at the ballot box so that we can then understand the total costs involved for bonding/taxing to build a new facility.  If we don’t want to pay for the court, and if the 41-A District Court is a financially-losing proposition for our township (as it appears to be based on financial reports), then we owe it to ourselves to vote NO and let them move to neighboring Macomb Township.

Either way, the people will decide — and for that the INSIDE OUT says “thank you” to the Board of Trustees for voting to give Shelby taxpayers a voice in this decision through the power of the ballot box in February, 2012!

By now, we all have seen that whenever the Board of Trustees discusses the 41-A District Court issue, Trustee Lisa Manzella gets on her soapbox in defense of the Court.  This is obviously a very touchy issue for her.  She has publicly that the $20 million figure cited by Supervisor Stathakis and others as the cost for the “justice center” is incorrect.  She then goes on a rampage about how the Supervisor, Treasurer and others are misleading people about the Court.  Actually, it is Lisa Manzella who has been misleading people.  She has been the chief cheerleader for the court, going so far as to openly support higher taxes to build and operate the Court.

Check out this e-mail that Trustee Manzella sent to resident Ed Young back in 2006.  We are reprinting the e-mail in its entirety so there is absolutely no confusion about what Lisa Manzella’s position is:

We find it extremely interesting that Manzella actually says “no one knows better than I about the financial predicament Michigan is in right now.”  Really?  No one in the entire State of Michigan understands the complexities of the economic picture except Lisa Manzella?

Manzella then wrote:
“I predicted these economic time back in the early '90s.”  
Really?  Lisa Manzella, Shelby’s economic gypsy, gazed into her magical crystal ball (probably paid for by taxpayers) and predicted the tough times Michigan is now facing a full 15 years before the recession actually happened?  That Manzella Snake Oil really does impact the brain, doesn’t it?

Manzella also wrote:
“I took the justice center under my wing because I firmly believe it is a necessity.  I’d love to see a new library and a rec center, but the police/court facility is a necessity.”  
Manzella has tried to rewrite history, saying that she never supported Skip Maccarone’s $50 million campus project.  However, since building a new library and recreation center (two ideas Manzella supports) were elements of the campus idea that was defeated, this proves that Manzella DID support the campus, and once again is not being honest with township taxpayers.

Also, take note that her “justice center” would have cost taxpayers $20 million dollars that we do not have and would be taxed to the max to pay for!

We also find this statement by Manzella to be truly bizarre:
“I believe the time is now to complete this project.  I was elected by the people to make decisions, and I believe it is an act of cowardace [stet] to throw this back at the people.  Only a self-serving official who has only their own interest, would be coward enough not to act on the police and court building.”

COWARDICE!!  True political cowards are arrogant politicians, like Lisa Manzella, who believe that they were elected for some higher purpose, have all the answers to all the problems, and should just be trusted by us to make the right decisions.  Lisa Manzella’s die hard support for both the unaffordable justice center and the unneeded Maccarone “campus” proves, without question, that she is incapable of being trusted by anyone to make the right decisions for Shelby taxpayers.

At the Tuesday, September 6, 2011 Board meeting, Manzella announced that she was never in favor of a $20 million court building.  This was a lie.  Not only did she champion it, but also chaired the committee which proposed this massive structure.  Check it out yourself by reading the September 8th Inside Out.  She was called out for her revisionist lie and immediately went on the attack against those who dared point out the truth.  Typical Manzellian behavior.

Interestingly, while Lisa Manzella is busy condemning people for using the $23 million figure (or even a $20 million number), as you can see from the letter to resident Ed Young, Manzella readily admits that the “justice center”, which she fully embraced, was projected to cost $24 million.

What the heck .... a million here, a million there, millions of our tax dollars being spent everywhere (nods to Dr. Seuss).  Manzella’s taxing and spending agenda was, and is, a path to financial destruction for Shelby Township.

Trustee Manzella enjoys attacking people who question the logic of spending $20 million (or $24 million) for a justice center.  Actually, she attacks anyone who questions any decision she makes, and loves using Facebook to promote her political bullying.  She is bitter and angry that the people rejected her justice center concept, and is on a revenge mission against those who oppose her big spending, liberal views of government.

Today, Lisa Manzella is still lobbying for the 41-A District Court to remain in Shelby Township.  She still does not want the people to vote on whether to build a new court or let the facility move to Macomb Township, as evidenced by her December 14th vote against a ballot question.  She further says that she has not changed her mind, and that the township can support and fund the Court.  In other words, Shelby Township has plenty of money to keep the 41-A District Court in Shelby Township.

Or ... do we?

Check out this e-mail that Manzella sent around on April 8, 2010.  She was responding to a request from Supervisor Rick Stathakis, on behalf of officials in Macomb Township, to schedule a meeting to discuss the 41-A District Court’s future:

Okay, so on April 8, 2010 Shelby Township, by Manzella’s own admission, Shelby Township “can not afford the court.”   However, she has repeatedly that nothing that she has seen or read has changed her mind about the Court staying in Shelby.

So let’s dissect this logic.  Since Shelby Township can’t afford the Court under current funding arrangements (and financial forecasts say we cannot), and since Manzella has said she does not want the court to leave, does Lisa Manzella then support higher taxes and fees to keep the court in Shelby Township?  Based on her public statements and actions, what do you think?

Manzella is on record as wanting to increase fees to pay for a new court — raising them higher than what the 41-A Court judges even wanted.  Consider the following that was first reported in our October 10, 2010 Inside Out detailing Lisa Manzella’s track record in her own words:

Macomb Daily - April 23, 2006

Sierawski and Chief Judge Maceroni agree to increase fines for traffic tickets an additional $5 per ticket.  That money then would go into the Court's building fund.  Trustee Lisa Manzella said she would have preferred a 100% increase above what the judges recommended.

“I thought $5 was a little light,” Manzella said. “If we get to June and make some plans to break ground, maybe we can think about $10.”

NOTE: WAS MANZELLA LOOKING FOR AN EASY WAY TO PAD THE BANK ACCOUNT FOR HER JUSTICE CENTER?  TAKE MONEY FROM TAXPAYERS TO BUILD SOMETHING WE CAN'T AFFORD SO THAT WE ARE THEN ARE FORCED TO PAY EVEN MORE MONEY TO OPERATE?

Given that the “Save Shelby, Status Quo, Liberal Spending Liars Society” (also known as Save Shelby), has already gone on record as saying the Board should raise taxes to deal with financial issues, is this Manzella’s true secret agenda? Raise taxes in order to keep the 41-A District Court in Shelby Township at all costs?  Do we really need a new Court building that taxpayers must pay higher taxes to construct and operate?  Should we just let politicians, like Manzella, decide — or should taxpayers be involved in helping make this important pocketbook decision?

Trustee Lisa Manzella opposes a public vote on the 41-A District Court.  However, an overwhelming majority of taxpayers believe a public vote is the proper and prudent thing to do.  Lisa Manzella has much to be ashamed of given her conduct in office — and depriving the people of a public vote is just one of the many reasons (her Facebook posts being another) why she does NOT deserve another term on the Board of Trustees in 2012.

Now that Shelby’s Board of Trustees has approved this advisory ballot language about the 41-A District Court, it is up to us, the voters of Shelby Township, to get to the polls and make our voices heard.  We predict that informed voters will make an informed choice in February, 2012— and this will finally put to rest a discussion that has been dragging on in this township for FAR TOO LONG.

Thanks to the current Board of Trustees, the people will finally get a chance to speak on this.  When we do, everyone will know where Shelby taxpayers stand on the 41-A District Court once and for all.

Until next time...