Replace Kellie Menke, Mac City Council, Ward 2
I have made some observations regarding Kellie Menke and the most recent housing development being built on Baker Creek Road this year.
When I attended the first council meeting on the Baker Creek North 500 unit subdivision early this year, the mayor asked the councilors if any of them had been out to visit the site of this proposed subdivision. Kellie did not raise her hand because she had not even been to the actual site of the proposed development. This was on the night the developer was looking for a vote to pass the 500 unit subdivision.
Previous to this meeting there had been as many as fifteen e-mails and letters and one private citizen traffic report in opposition submitted to the Planning Department which was forwarded to all the councilors. The traffic report alone should have caught Kellie’s attention because it was showing almost three times more vehicle trips than indicated on the traffic report submitted to the Planning Department by the developer. The developer’s traffic report was performed July of 2019 when school was out for the summer and many people out of town on vacations. The private citizen traffic report was performed in January 2020. I don’t understand why the Planning Department relied on a developer’s traffic report in the first place, kind of like a fox in the chicken coop.
There was a lot of testimony the first night of the council meeting in opposition. The council then took time to ask questions of the Planning Department. After the questions had been answered, the mayor asked if the council wanted to vote on the approval of the 500 unit subdivision. The only councilor that wanted to vote yes immediately was Kellie Menke. The rest of the council wanted to take the time to review the traffic reports and the previously submitted e-mails and letters. Kellie demonstrated frustration with the other councilors for not wanting to vote right then. When asked why she was so sure of her yes vote, she replied she had talked to Heather Richards, the Planning Department director, and Heather said the development was okay. Kellie rubber stamped based on Heather’s opinion.
How will Kellie’s eagerness to vote yes on this subdivision affect everyone she represents in Ward 2 living on Baker Creek Road? Three times more road traffic, long waits at stop lights, a lot of frustration, and lower home values. Have you noticed all of Kellie’s election signs in front of the Baker Creek North subdivision? The developer must really appreciate her for pushing through his plan. There are times when people have been on boards and councils too long. I think this is one of those times.
