8/4/2019 Dexter Leader Front Page for Oct. 6, 2011

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INDEX

VOL. 141, NO. 40 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 201175¢

THE

DEXTERLEADER

Renowned quilter will

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Page 11-A

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Page 3-A

INSIDE

SPECIAL REPORT: HERITAGE MEDIA LOOKS ‘BEHIND THE SMOKE’

Has Michigan’s medical

marijuana law made potmore socially acceptable?By Karen WorkmanJournal Register News Service

Whether Michigan’s medicalmarijuana law has madethe drug more sociallyacceptable — for medicaluses or recreational — 

appears to depend on the individual.“Sometimes there’s a perception that

college kids have very permissive atti-tudes about drugs across the board andthat is not true at all,” said Amanda

Burgess-Proctor, an assistant professorof sociology at Oakland University.

Burgess-Proctor teaches the course“Alcohol, drugs and society” and saysthat while it’s hard to gauge an overall

attitudetowardmarijuanabased on thestudents inher class

 — especially because they’ve signed upfor a course with the word “drugs” inits name — there is one perception thatseems to ring true.

“Students tend to draw a big distinc-tion between marijuana and otherdrugs, like cocaine and heroin,”Burgess-Proctor said.

One of her students, Susan Bouvier,is the mother of four teenagers.

“I think in my generation, it’s 50/50

 — you’re either for it or against it,”Bouvier said. “What I’ve seen … sincethe medical marijuana (law)passed, there’s been anuproar with kidsusing pot. It’s somuch more accept-able.”

For 14-year-oldAlyssa and 15-year-old Trent, a brotherand sister whoboth attend public

schools in OaklandCounty, recreationaluse of the drugamong their peersis not uncommon,they said. Both skedtheir last names be

AmandaBurgess-Proctor,teaches acoursecalled “alco-

hol, drugsand society”at OaklandUniversity.

PLEASE SEE POT /3-A

See related “Behindthe Smoke” coverageon Pages 5-A and 8-A.

Cityhood debate continues

By Sean DaltonHeritage Media

Village officials will senda letter in a final attemptto head off the StateBoundary Commission’sfinding of legal insufficien-cy in its second cityhoodpetition.

The letter will be sentto the the state’s depart-ment of Licensing and

Regulatory Affairs, whichapproves or denies peti-tions for cityhood anddenied Dexter’s requestAug. 18. The petition wasdenied for a second timewith protests from WebsterTownship officials and the

Dexter Area HistoricalSociety.

At the heart of the mat-ter is an advisory opinionissued by the state attorneygeneral’s office stating thatDexter’s incorporation as acity would repeal a PublicAct 425 agreement, whichDexter and Webster have inthe Westridge subdivisionto share tax revenue.

As part of the village’spetition, the Westridgesubdivision and Mill CreekSporting Goods, which isalso covered by the PublicAct 425 agreement, werebrought into the proposedcity boundary.

The village will have to

decide at an Oct. 10 meet-ing whether to file in apetition for court review inthe Ingham County CircuitCourt, where boundarycommission hearings takeplace, or restart the entirepetition process over again.

There is also a chancethat Webster may appealthe circuit court after the

 judge, in a juryless proceed-ing, rules in such a waythat the commission iscompelled to reverse thesecond legal insufficiencyrecommendation.

“I don’t see any way inwhich we can be guaran-teed (a third petition willnot be challenged anyway)… I don’t think we can sat-isfy Webster Township, andI don’t think we can satisfythe boundary commission,”said Council Trustee PaulCousins. “I think it wouldbe another long term pro-cess to take a chance to

have that happen and I’mnot sure what you’d put ina petition to make anybodyhappy.”

Cousins figured that thevillage will spend moneyeither way, so it may as wellgo the legal route.

Trustee Jim Carsonsaid that he was confidentin a favorable decisionto compel the boundarycommission to grant legalsufficiency so the petitionprocess can move forward,but he was skeptical of thetime investment and longterm success in the face of an appeal by Webster.

“If we do that, somebodyis going to come back, andthey are going to appealthat,” Carson said. “Wehave a long process aheadof ourselves pursuing that,but if we try to redo theboundary again or take thelegal action … I don’t thinkit’s going to be done in six

months.”The only way out of a court or third petitionappeal by Webster is if theunsealed advisory opinionis ruled as incorrect in acourt room.

The village’s cityhood

attorney, Tom Ryan, feelsthat the village has a strongcase that could be resolvedswiftly.

“Fortunately, in our mat-ter, we have one real issue,which is the issue of lawonly, as to whether or notthe Act 425 Agreementscan be included in our peti-tion for incorporation ornot,” Ryan said in a letterto Council. “The other rea-sons of the boundary com-mission – as to the partiesgetting together to work itout, or not wanting to causelitigation, or a deal is a deal

 – are not valid ‘reasons’ inmy view and should be dis-posed of quickly.

“The question comesdown to whether or notthe commission madean error of law by refus-ing to include the Act 425Agreement properties inour incorporation peti-tion.”

Council to take

next steps in petition battle at Oct. 10 meeting

Sidewalkprojectwill join

CedarsBy Sean DaltonHeritage Media

The village finalizedan agreement with theWashtenaw County RoadCommission this month forservices involving the Cedarsof Dexter sidewalk connec-tion.

The connection is a vitalaccess point to the Mill CreekPark project, which is cur-rently under construction, aswell as the county’s Border-to-Border Trail, which willbring walking path con-nectivity into parts of Scio

Township and the nearbyHuron Metro Parks.

Road commission officialRoy Townsend recommendedthat the path be built as an8-foot nonmotorized pathconfiguration, rather than a5-foot sidewalk, which was anoption on the table to reduceproject costs.

“(Townsend) respondedthat he strongly recom-mends the 8-foot asphalt pathbecause the path will onlyrun on one side of the streetand would be a tight fit forpeople trying to use it to goboth ways,” Assistant VillageManager Courtney Nichollssaid.

Village officials ultimatelywent with the 5-foot sidewalkdue to cost issues, in additionto keeping the path uniformwith the rest of the sidewalksthroughout the village.

PLEASE SEE SIDEWALK /3-A

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