To Fellow Residents of Silver Bay

First, I would like to say thanks for the positive feedback on the last letter. Those of you that asked “were can I donate,” there is now an account at North Shore Federal Credit Union. Call them, tell them you want to donate to The Under­dog Mayor Fund and they will make it happen. I thank you in advance.

This week I would like to ask you to do some research for your­self. I have 2 things that I think are important for you to understand, so when you get the chance please look up these items:

#1. What is a TIF district? Once you find it, read about its pros and cons and how it can affect the sur­rounding property values. If you are a property owner, it is important that you understand this info. Think of the Hogenson’s.

#2. What is gentrification? This is important to help you understand how people end up getting taxed out of their property.

We all know if we make improve­ments on our property that it will make our property taxes go up, this is common knowledge. Depending on what you do, it can also have an effect on your neighbor’s property.

OK, enough of that, we will get back to that at some point later.

Our current mayor has expressed his feelings that if you don’t get in­volved then you don’t have a say and you can’t complain. I disagree with that, especially when you are talking about tax payer funded proj­ects. After all it is part your money, right? He says in his article [Sep­tember 6, 2024] that you can’t just come to the final public meeting and complain about a project that is being proposed and that you should have gotten involved sooner. I think that is what I am getting from it. This is a part of why I decided to run for Mayor. With this being said, I would like to share my recent ex­perience of getting involved sooner.

This experience has to do with the plans for City Central Park, as it’s already being called. A while back there was a call for citizens to sign up if you would like to be on a committee to help design the new park. I don’t know the exact #, 8 to 12 people were hand selected to come up with ideas on what the park should look like. This group of people were then linked up with the 501c Rocky Wall Productions group to design this park. Why you ask? I don’t know. These people were not told to go ask their neighbors for input or to see what someone else might think. Although one of them did just that, KUDOS to him for getting other’s opinions, and by the way, he said everyone told him: no park, just fix the streets and leave Davis Drive alone. Of course I don’t think this is what the 501c presi­dent wanted to hear said out loud in front of everyone. Anyway, myself and 2 other people decided to attend this meeting and were told that we could only be there as “spectators”, and would not be allowed to com­ment. I, at one point, had my hand raised for a good 5 minutes to ask a clarifying question and was final­ly told that there was no questions allowed from the spectators. I had rather lengthly conversations with two of the people that are on that committee afterwards. They both told me that they felt they were be­ing railroaded to agreeing with what the 501c’s plan for the park is. Af­ter all, their good names are going to be tied to the park project even though the plan does not reflect their vision of what or even if that park should be. My point is, there have been people all along trying to get involved with the city’s plans for the future and it seems they and their ideas get pushed out if they are not in line with the people in charge of the project. So if you have ever asked yourself ‘how have we got­ten to this point,’ this is how. This is some of the underhandedness that I mentioned in my first article.

Now that we are on the subject of parks, I would like to share with you my thoughts. I consider the en­tire town of Silver Bay to be a park. There is nothing you can’t do for outdoor activities. If you go in any direction you can be on some sort of trail, paved or not. There are vari­ous courts, skateboard parks, scenic lookouts, and miles of sidewalks with benches to relax on if you want. The fact is, the city already has another park that had been abandoned years ago in part from lack of use and support in main­taining it. It was called Mariner Mountain Park. I remember being a teenager helping to mow and install signs. At one time there was a trail going around it with exercise equip­ment and benches where you could stop to do your thing, whatever that was. I honestly feel that the last few remaining undeveloped properties the city has should be saved for the future generations of the town to decide what they want their city to look like. I think a bunch of old geezers like us should not be mak­ing decisions about what future generations might want in their city. If there is nothing left for them to work with, they will be stuck with a bunch of short term rentals owned by people far, far away with way too much money and a falling down band shell. The community of vol­unteers will be gone because there is nothing left and they can’t afford to live here. As you will likely see in the near future, a public meeting will be announced to try to sell you on the new park and band shell. My predictions are, you will see a few “conceptual” views of what the park could look like. One will still have Davis Drive and the tourist info center removed and the ATV trail behind Charles Circle removed and turned into a bike trail to show you just how awesome it could be. The others will be some form of park/ bandshell more inclusive to just the field. These are just my predic­tions. Now, I am not against the mu­sic in the park thing. I just believe it should be located further away from the residential areas so peo­ple who don’t want to hear it don’t have to. I was thinking Black Beach area. What a great setting! (See, I have good ideas too.) I also think the city should be getting a nice lit­tle check from Rocky Wall Produc­tions for using the field and stage if this is going to continue. This being said, the bandshell is a pet project of the Rocky Wall Productions 501c founder. It will be sold to the pub­lic as something that all people can enjoy. It was originally sold to us as just think of how much business it will bring to town. That theory has been debunked, 501c president admitted himself, at the meeting I talked about earlier, that Music in the Park was not bringing any extra business to the local economy. Then there is Bay Days. They want to tie the bandshell to Bay Days saying how they could use it too. Makes sense you say? I talked directly to the co-chair of Bay Days and he said that he would rather keep the portable stage that is currently used, so if there is bad weather he can move his show inside as he did this year. He also made this clear at the meeting I previously talked about. The point here is, they are going to try to sell you a park and get the tax payers to pay for the upkeep and maintenance for years to come. I think they will try to tell you that the cost will be minimal even though there won’t be any numbers to back that up. I think they will try to tell you that we are already mowing it any way. I will tell you the only way that field will cost less to maintain than it does now is if the mayor wouldn’t have bought it a few years ago and took it off the tax rolls. That’s right, the bank would have been paying taxes on that field and we could have still been using it for virtually free. Instead, the prop­erty owners now get to make up that difference. Maybe it’s only a small amount, but it all adds up. Have you ever looked at your phone bill to see why it is so expensive? It’s in all the little charges. They all add up. The same thing happens with your tax bill. The plan for this park was put in motion quite a while ago. It is in the mayor’s vision of the city. If you don’t see it in your vision, you know what you have to do come November. This is where your voice will be heard. If you want a polished mayor, I am not your guy. If you want someone to look out for your best interests, which I think is your money (taxes), then maybe I am your guy. I know this is not as entertaining as the last article, but people are starting to wonder what I am running for and I hope they are starting to figure out that I am all for saving them money. So once again, it’s ok to have a wish list, we all do, just remember it all has to be paid for somehow!

This is getting pretty long, and the last one cost me $500 to print, but I think you’ll agree, it was worth ev­ery penny! So, thanks again for all your support. If you would like a sign, they will be available Septem­ber 18. Thanks again for your time and take care.

If you would like to send me your thoughts, questions, ideas or would like a sign for your yard, you can now contact me at underdogDFloen@outlook.com.  I am sure I won’t be able to keep up – I am a slow typer. You can also leave a phone number and I will try my best to get back to you. Remember, I work 40 hours a week – just like you!

The underdog Dean Floen