Yesterday I reported that the Secretary of State Offices will be expanding office hours to meet the unmet demand caused by Covid-19. Today I found out that drop ins are not welcome at the offices. To receive services, you must have an appointment. If you show up without an appointment, a greeter will stop you from entering the building, but will help you schedule an appointment, which will most likely be for another day. Today a friend went to the local SOS office and was not able to get services because he didn’t have an appointment and there was no greeter to assist with scheduling one. I may be wrong, but it appears Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is putting the needs of her office and staff above the needs of the customers/citizens of the state.
Per the Detroit News, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office says it’s reviewing state GOP Chairman Ron Weiser’s use of party funds in a 2018 deal that required a secretary of state candidate to abruptly end his campaign. On Friday, the Michigan Republican Party revealed that it had agreed to pay a $200,000 penalty to resolve a campaign finance complaint focused on the situation through an arrangement with Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office. The question now turns to whether Nessel’s office would attempt to pursue its own investigation into elements of the incident that fall outside of campaign finance policy. Such a probe could feature the Democratic attorney general examining the actions of Weiser, a wealthy businessman, University of Michigan regent and chairman of the Michigan Republican Party. I am starting to believe that so much of AG Nessel’s motivation in pursuing legal action is political.
Detroit News sports columnist John Niyo had a great article today about Tiffany (Ofili) Porter, 33, and her younger sister Cindy (Ofili) Sember who have both qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in the 100-meter hurdles. This will be the second Olympics for both. Tiffany and Cindy both attended U of M and were champions on the track team. Tiffany and Cindy, both compete internationally for Great Britain, as they’ve held dual citizenship since birth. (Their mother, Lillian, was born in London and their parents — father Felix is Nigerian — lived in England for years before moving to Ypsilanti.) At the 2016 Rio Olympics it was truly a family affair, with Tiffany and Cindy reaching the final in the women’s 100 meter hurdles — Cindy finished fourth, missing a bronze medal by .02 seconds. Both grew up in Ypsilanti, with their dad and mom and brothers Frank and Alex. Frank played football at the University of Toledo while Alex played football at U of M. Tiffany. Frank and Alex all attended Ypsilanti High School, while Cindy attended Ann Arbor Huron. The Ofilis are a special group. Not only are they great athletes, they were all great students which was the number one priority for their parents. I had a chance to coach Alex in basketball in grades 4-8 so I got to know a little about the family. I also had a chance to sit with Tiffany at dinner when Alex was inducted into the Ypsilanti Sports Hall of Fame. In addition to being world class athlete, she is the mother of soon to be two-year-old daughter and a pharmacist at CVS in Canton. Her trainer, her husband Jeff, was a U.S. Olympian in the 100-meter hurdles. You can be guaranteed that I will be rooting for Tiffany and Cindy during the 100-meter hurdles at this years Olympics, just like I did in 2016.
Yesterday former president Jimmy Carter and Rosalyn Carter celebrated their seventy fifth wedding anniversary in Plains, Georgia where they have lived for most of their adult life when they were not in the White House. Carter may not go down as one of the greatest presidents, but no one can argue about the strength of his integrity and compassion. He and Rosalyn have been a fixture in our lives for over 50 years.
Stay safe. Social distance. Wash your hands regularly. Wear your mask properly. Schedule your vaccine.
Orchid of the Day: The Carters for celebrating their seventy-fifthwedding anniversary on Wednesday.
Onion of the Day: Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson for not allowing drop in visits at the Secretary of State offices. Her desire for everyone to have appointments in order to visit a SOS office shows her insensitivity and lack of understanding of the needs of the citizens of Michigan.
Quote of the Day: “I’ve been very happy and I love her more now than I did to begin with — which is saying a lot, because I loved her a lot.” Former president Jimmy Carter in an interview marking Rosalyn and his 75th wedding anniversary.