Kladis favors rec authority
Published 1:22 pm Wednesday, October 11, 2006
By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
Jim Kladis of Wayne Township, Democratic candidate for District 2 Cass County commissioner Nov. 7 against Republican Chairman Robert Wagel, says he can't support the half-mill park proposal.
Instead, he favors a recreational authority, which could be the path to deliver the county a public swimming pool, recreation center, auditorium, conference center, parks, museum or even an historic farm.
Another aspect of a recreational authority Kladis finds appealing is that the mechanism can generate jobs.
"If I'm going to pay more taxes to invest into something, I want to see some real equity," Kladis said. "The county could be the territory, or they could align it with a school district or the City of Dowagiac. Middle-class America is smaller and getting poorer, but these are the programs that can benefit a community that is struggling. My dollar I invest, I'm going to get most of that back. My dollar would go to this whole investment – not like the parks proposal. This program is more palatable. These things are missing right now. There is no public conference center. Lowe's is private."
Recreational authorities are similar to district libraries in the 20-year taxing authority they afford – an opportunity created relatively recently by the Legislature as Public Act 321 of 2000.
A recreation authority is governed by a board citizens nominate.
"It's relatively new," he said Tuesday.
"There is not one established in the state of Michigan at this time. This could be a precedent, for Cass County to be the first. It could put Cass County on the map in a positive light, instead of it being known for its drug problems.
"These programs bring government and the people together, which is what needs to happen. And it will build a community to benefit the people who are here, who live here, not the ones who come three months out of the year," Kladis said.
The four-year, half-mill parks and recreation proposal on the Nov. 7 ballot "is not going to benefit anybody but the bureaucracy setting it up," Kladis said.
"I don't think it's going to pass, but we'll see. I've been an advocate, and I'll introduce it as a county commissioner, of a recreation authority. A recreation authority can do so much more to solve the problems regarding parks. It's not a temporary (solution). The benefit of a recreational authority is it doesn't have special interest groups inside of it. Whereas this park proposal is primarily set up to benefit special interest groups. If you allow Cass County to control this tax levy, it's going to get the lion's share of the money."
Kladis, who came here from Illinois, has evolved his 3-year-old business, Marketplace Cafe and Donut Shop, trying to create a downtown anchor.
"This is a business that will bring people into Dowagiac, but nobody supports it as far as the people who are in position to do that, and I'm sure that has something to do with I'm not a Chamber member. I refuse to be for personal reasons. Who knows? One day I might apply for Vickie's job. (Phillipson's) got two (as program director for the Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Development Authority). She doesn't need to wear two hats."
The Cass County Democracy Club founded a year to the day before Myron Miller's death Aug. 20 met at the doughnut shop and at Round Oak Restaurant.
"Myron and I worked pretty close together and brainstormed," Kladis said. "Myron wanted me to run for the commission over a year ago, but I decided to run for precinct delegate because it didn't require as much time. I became a great supporter of Myron Miller for that position and committed the doughnut shop to his campaign headquarters. I was very close to his campaign. So it was a shock when he died two weeks after being nominated as a commissioner candidate of congestive heart failure. Two days before the Democratic Party had to nominate somebody else, they called me, Myron's wife and two others in for a special meeting with the nomination committee."
"I don't know if the county's dealing with what I would consider big issues," Kladis said. "My biggest issue is a safe county, where people can go and be safe – on the roads, in the parks, in your home. There's so much domestic violence, drugs and alcohol. I don't think there's enough education and community awareness. It's a lot 'keep it under the carpet.'
"I'm appalled at the number of young people dropping out of our schools. You don't see a lot of neighborhood watch programs going on. I like what Twin Lakes does. Twin Lakes has a watch program and they look out for one another. You've got four cars stolen in the last week, and one of them was mine, right out of my driveway on Sunset Drive."
While this is his first try at elective office, Kladis said he's always attended a lot of meetings as a concerned citizen. Delivering doughnuts to three counties, "I'm familiar with many of the roads."
He became concerned with the posted speeds coming down Henderson Hill from Marcellus Highway to Prairie Ronde Street coming into Dowagiac and said he persuaded the Road Commission to change the signs.
He and his wife, Dawn, have a daughter, Jacque, in sixth grade at Patrick Hamilton Middle School.
"I will be a commissioner who can be reached, who will listen to your concerns and who will find answers."
Another plank in his platform is the environment. He wants to "preserve our pristine landscape in Cass County, including clean, safe and accessible lakes."
"Real cooperation begins with real communication at every level of government," Kladis says. "The people's voice must be heard, listened to and responded to."