01/03/2007

Apology is in order for Elmwood Twp. residents

Elmwood Township residents Noel Flohe, John Stanek and Donald Barrows probably would rather crawl through hot coals than publicly apologize to Elmwood Supervisor Derith Smith, the political adversary they so desperately, so maliciously, so anonymously tried to smear the past couple years.

But they don't have a choice. Circuit court Judge Philip Rodgers rebuffed objections from the three men and ordered them to apologize to Smith, who ousted Flohe from the Elmwood supervisor's position in the 2004 primary election.

It's a just ruling by Rodgers in light of a Leelanau County jury's November verdict that said former township board members Flohe and Stanek, as well as Barrows, defamed Smith by sending an anonymous and knowingly false public mailing that accused Smith of illegal behavior while she served in a government position in Suttons Bay.

Jurors ordered the three men to pay Smith a combined $107,000 in damages and demanded they apologize to her in the form of legal notices in the Record-Eagle and the Leelanau Enterprise.

Flohe, Stanek and Barrows should swallow their misguided pride, follow Rodgers' ruling and apologize.

It should be clear, direct and to the point. It should say they knowingly smeared Smith with their venomous, anonymous mailings.

It should include a vow that they won't do it again.

And it shouldn't be one of those increasingly popular, phoney-baloney apologies that go along the lines of "We're sorry she misunderstood what we said.”

Then the three should forever remove themselves from Elmwood politics.

Flohe and Stanek, in particular, are poster boys for the type of secretive, vindictive, back-room government that infests the Grand Traverse region, particularly in local townships.

In some cases, the Flohe-Stanek board was worse than most; its members frequently found themselves on the losing end of lawsuits over development, open government and payback politics.

They were bad public officials and when the 2004 primary neared and they feared voters were wise to their tricks, Flohe, Stanek and Barrows — the Larry, Moe and Curly of political espionage — pulled the attempted smear from their dirty tricks bag.

How hapless were these characters? One claimed last year in pretrial hearings that yeah, he stuffed envelopes, but didn't have a clue they contained the anti-Smith falsehoods. Right.

Smith survived a recall effort last year pushed by many of the same folks who propped Flohe and Stanek over the years, and she deserves a chance to govern without the cowardly, undermining attacks foisted upon her.

Two elections and an overwhelming jury verdict should send a clear message that the Flohe, Stanek and Barrows way is no way to govern. They must apologize to Smith, but it's one also owed to all Elmwood residents.