Chamber Chicanery

Oh what a tangled web we weave . . .

This website was slated for removal, but fortunately it had not yet been deleted from the internet as we now have an interesting attempt at obfuscation by the Swanton Chamber of Commerce.  My oh my.

Let's be frank here.  It is no secret that the earlier proposal to "conform our boundaries" made by Chamber president, Neil Toeppe, some years ago ( and no doubt still hanging over our heads) did not made him a popular person in Swanton Township. 

But we do not deal in opinions here, only facts.  Provable, cold hard facts. So when an interesting and misleading post showed up on the Chamber's Facebook page, it became necessary to clarify a few things just so those who might not have all the facts at their immediate disposal could see what was going on.

The Township placed a notice in the Key Shoppers' News to which the Chamber apparently took exception.  We will not repost here what was in the Key, as everyone has access to it and can read it for themselves.  

Here is what the Swanton Chamber of Commerce posted on its Facebook page:

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A recent ad in the Key and the Swanton Enterprise by the Swanton Township Trustees states:
“We understand that Village Council, the Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor have been aware all along that a railyard project was coming – and were planning for it. In fact, the Swanton Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director discussed the possibility of a rail yard project in a January 19, 2007 Blade article”

What is referred to was a presentation the chamber of commerce made that, in part, referred to the proposal by the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG) that an intermodal rail facility be located on property directly across Airport Highway from the Toledo Express Airport. The chamber was concerned about the potential deleterious impact this would have on the rural nature of the greater Swanton community. The chamber further suggested that cooperation between Swanton Township and the Village was needed to determine the best alternatives to thwart, or at least minimize, the impact of this intrusion. Possible alternatives offered were forming a Joint Economic Development District (JEDD) or to explore the potential of merging the township and the village. Both of these alternatives would have availed the township and the village of means to better control and regulate future potential development.

The township trustees have for the past 10 years chosen to ignore that warning.

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My oh my.

Here was our response to this post:

Swanton Chamber of Commerce:  Really??? Then why was the Chamber so silent when NF proposed the railyard in the Village backyard - several miles west of the map you posted above and which you state the Chamber saw as "deleterious" to the community ?? You sat in a few meetings, last summer Mr. Toeppe - and said NOTHING. Your silence was most eloquent, sir.

Do not be fooled by half-truths put forth by either Village Council members or the Chamber president.  They strongly believed in their course of action which is why they stuck with it.  Don't listen to their deliberately misleading double-talk.  Half truths are told with the intent to deceive - which makes them wholly false.

Of Mice and Men

Very soon the taped recordings of our township meetings in February will be online and accessible, so that anyone interested may listen to the presentations by our chairman, Jeff Michael, and our attorneys from Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick LLP.

We weren't able to do a video recording, which is a shame as listeners will not be able to see the slides that were shown to those in attendance.  Slides of various newspaper articles from the Toledo Blade and the Swanton Enterprise from years ago show how the Village of Swanton has been planning for a railyard here for at least a decade.  Proof of Norfolk Southern's involvement in the Hallet overpass was shown - they paid the same amount toward the overpass as did the Village.   

Essentially, the township learned that Village Council, the Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor have been well aware all along that a railyard was coming - and they planned for it.  All the meetings we attended to encourage - no, BEG - them to join us in our fight against NS were a total waste of our time and energy.  They had been planning this for a very long time.

Why they deliberately chose to pretend otherwise is an issue for village residents to consider for the next several election schedules.  It will be up to village residents to decide whether they want to have the rats in charge of a sinking ship, or if they want men and women in positions of authority and power in their community whom they can trust to be honest and do what is best for the entire Village - nothing less.

At least now our Township will be safe from unwanted annexation attempts perpetrated by the Village.  When you listen to the meeting recordings, you'll hear the applause from attendees when that fact was announced.

To all the residents in both the township and the village who tried their level best to prevent a Norfolk Southern railyard from becoming a reality in our collective backyard, we owe a huge debt of gratitude. Your efforts were deeply appreciated.  Had elected officials from the village and school board stood shoulder to shoulder with you and the elected officials from Swanton Township, this railyard would not have happened.  

As you look at the Swanton Village Council and Chamber of Commerce decision (made without your input) as well as the "neutral stance" from the school board, and see our community struggle with its result - remember and learn.  They believed their choice was best for our community - hold them accountable for their actions.  Hold them accountable for resultant declining property values.  Hold them accountable for resultant declining school district enrollment numbers.  Remember who brought this in to our community and hold them accountable for everything that happens because of it.  

For detailed information, please listen to the recordings of our February township meetings that will soon be available at:  Swanton Township website