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Supervisor of Onekema Township Retracts Resignation After Contentious Meeting

Onekama Township Supervisor, David Meister, is also the chairman of the Two Lakes Collaborative Sewer Authority Board.

The group is looking into a projected $60 million sewer project for the Village of Bear Lake and the townships of Onekama, Bear Lake, and Pleasanton in Manistee County.

Meister had resigned Wednesday after a contentious sewer board meeting Tuesday Night at the Bear Lake Township offices but that all changed after Friday’s announcement.

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“The focus of this has to be on the project, not personal attacks, not innuendos, not false statements on Facebook. I mean, that doesn’t help the process. This was voted on to proceed by all the municipalities to a lot of misinformation,” said Meister.

The meeting was standing room only, as several people came out to object to the proposed sewer project.

A few accused Meister of trying to push an unwanted project on them but Meister said people are misinformed.

“I think the statement needs to be made that they understand that that board, the TLCSA Board, just represents the four units of government and we take our marching orders from our respective boards. That’s who actually is going to vote on this. I don’t think some of the people in the audience understood that,” said Meister.

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Meister said a handful have since apologized, making him reconsider stepping down from the sewer board.

Sewer project opponent Libby Matthews-Schleiffarth said the fake letters made to look like they came from the township, unfounded rumors on Facebook and the lack of transparency by the board has complicated things.

“Nobody deserves any of the nastiness that they get on social media. I am not in favor of that,” said Matthews-Schleiffarth.

She said she’s looking for the silver lining.

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“I like to look at the upside to every down situation. And it was a down situation the way it was sent out, the up situation, it is that it is generating conversations and that’s good,” said Matthews-Schleiffarth.

We reached out to a few opponents to the sewer project. They said they are fine with Meister returning to the sewer board. They said regardless of who’s in charge, the fact remains that the project is too expensive and unneeded.

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