Tag: Rodney Stokes

"Any personal issues he is working through have not, in any way, affected his performance as State Treasurer."

Pure Bee-esS.  Meet current Treasury Department "Executive Assistant," and former Dillon House staffer ($56,000.00), Amy U. Hichez.

State Treasurer Andy Dillon's secretary sued his ex-wife for defamation Wednesday for claiming she had an affair with her boss.

In a lawsuit filed in Wayne County Circuit Court, Amy U. Hichez denied having an affair with Andy Dillon - allegations Carol Owens-Dillon publicly leveled in a July 7 posting on her Facebook page.
....

Owens-Dillon stood by the allegations Wednesday.

"I'm surprised she is doing this because she will be putting her boss negatively in the press and I'm quite sure he doesn't need that," Owens-Dillon said in a statement to The News.

Indeed.  What further defamation is possible with those who sit in government with Andy and his buddy, Miles Handy?  Yet, much like Hillary Clinton, and Huma Abedin, the slovenly attired self-invented Nerd persona is going to stand by his man.  Frillant move for the Executive branch of state government that is the flagship of the MI-GOP.

Pure Schadenfreude.

Dillon has acknowledged a bout with alcoholism while being the governor's point man for handling financially distressed cities and school districts.

But now the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office is considering a domestic assault charge against Dillon stemming from a July 13 confrontation with his ex-wife, Carol Owens-Dillon, at their Redford Township home.

Dillon, a former Democratic speaker of the state House of Representatives, and the Snyder administration are not answering questions about his alleged actions.

"We do not believe it is appropriate to respond to speculation," Snyder spokesman Dave Murray said Tuesday in a statement. "Gov. Snyder believes Treasurer Dillon is doing a good job on behalf of the people of Michigan."

Again, zero transparency from Rick Snyder.  Sure Dave Murray, we little people "believe" you too.  Just try boozing as a "point man" in the Private Sector, and see how long it takes to be shown the door.  And, this is a so-called Executive's decision?  Amazing.  Fact remains that Rick Snyder owns that appointment, and isn't man enough to deal with his can of worms - but, he'll have to before long.  There's more...

"Treasurer Dillon is in the office and on the job every day, working diligently as always for the people of the State of Michigan," spokesman Terry Stanton said in an email. "Any personal issues he is working through have not, in any way, affected his performance as State Treasurer."

12 years of taxpayer funded professional turd polishing just can't be wrong, yes?  Survey says...

A Wayne County Family Court judge has issued a mutual restraining order against Dillon and his ex-wife after they filed competing personal protection orders against each other.

The acrimony stems from a July 13 incident at the Dillon residence in Redford Township where Carol Owens-Dillon alleges her ex-husband hired a tow truck driver to break into a vehicle she was driving that contained her divorce files. In court records, Owens-Dillon claims she had "racially-charged text messages" in the file that she intended to deliver to Snyder.

Rodney Stokes, the parks and rec guy appointed by Jennifer Granholm, and kept on board by Rick Snyder, misread the regulations his agency was responsible for, and this year finished the job of destroying family based operations which bred and marketed particular breeds of swine.  The DNR mislabeled captive swine with certain characteristics, as 'feral' and used that designation as causality to destroy them, or force destruction by the owner's hands directly.

All of this of course happened with nary a peep from the governor, who had more important issues to deal with than the systematic destruction of those family institutions which had operated for decades providing food, jobs, and game sport.

And NOW, as a bonus for his exemplary work destroying a way of life for so many breadwinners, Rodney Stokes will be given a job that has a chance to destroy a way of life for many many more.  From the MI News wire:

LANSING, Mich. - Gov. Rick Snyder today announced that Rodney Stokes will be the administration's point man on working with cities to help them become more vibrant and inviting by enhancing their existing resources. Stokes, who currently serves as Department of Natural Resources director, will leave that position to join the Executive Office.

"Michigan's cities are brimming with unique natural and man-made assets that can be cultivated in ways which attract families and visitors, retain talented workers, encourage investment and enhance our overall quality of life," Snyder said. "Rodney has the talent and experience to make that happen. His expertise in the areas of natural resources, outdoor recreation, policy development and civic engagement make him well suited to partner with cities in these efforts. A strong Michigan needs strong cities. Rodney's work will be key to that success and we're fortunate to have a person of his caliber at the forefront of this critical initiative."

LANSING, Mich. - Gov. Rick Snyder today announced that Rodney Stokes will be the administration's point man on working with cities to help them become more vibrant and inviting by enhancing their existing resources. Stokes, who currently serves as Department of Natural Resources director, will leave that position to join the Executive Office.

"Michigan's cities are brimming with unique natural and man-made assets that can be cultivated in ways which attract families and visitors, retain talented workers, encourage investment and enhance our overall quality of life," Snyder said. "Rodney has the talent and experience to make that happen. His expertise in the areas of natural resources, outdoor recreation, policy development and civic engagement make him well suited to partner with cities in these efforts. A strong Michigan needs strong cities. Rodney's work will be key to that success and we're fortunate to have a person of his caliber at the forefront of this critical initiative."

As the governor's special adviser for city placemaking, Stokes will work with cities on projects such as ensuring the availability of quality green space and enhancing recreational opportunities.
....

Snyder emphasized the need for Michigan and its communities to adopt a "placemaking" mindset in his March 2011 Special Message to the Legislature on Local Government Reform. Placemaking recognizes that economic development and community development go hand in hand. It is a multifaceted approach that encourages a fresh look at the potential use of assets such as parks, downtowns, waterfronts, neighborhoods and buildings.

Rest here

What a disgusting abuse of power by a Peter Principle agency bureaucrat.  Thank God that Sens. Hune and Booher have taken the initiative to intervene on this outrageous dictatorial assault on private property rights.

Under the guise of "invasive species" enforcement, the DNR's director Stokes, has set loose a force on small farms and family run operations which for decades have raised certain types of swine that are considered dangerous and damaging in the wild.  These types of pigs can apparently reproduce quite easily.  However, the pigs are said to be aggressive, and damaging to forests and wildlands if allowed to get loose.

so by fiat, the Director decided to simply eradicate the problem by destroying the livelihood of game pig farmers and other swine herds that MAY have certain strains of the feral breeds in them.

In July of 2011, the department, likely under the suggestions of Snyder's advisory team gave the operations that might be affected a few more months to kill their stock.  And the the Michigan Animal Farmers Association had appealed for declaratory relief citing the rules for invasive designation.  MAFA argued on behalf of those small farms that what the DNR is calling an invasive danger, does not meet all the requirements to be classified as such.

The suit by MAFA unfortunately did not meet the appeals court standard, which effectively strengthened executive authority in ALL areas.