VILLAGE COUNCIL MEETING OF OCTOBER 7, 2025:
How A Government Should NOT Be Run!
- Attorney’s Fees:
Attorney’s fees born by the taxpayers under the presidency of Bill Lewis have now reached $25,903.58 for the first nine months of 2025. They are still climbing.
II. Restrictions On Free Speech:
Bill Lewis led off the October 7, 2025 meeting by introducing a new set of rules restricting the ability of citizens to speak at Council meetings which he entitled “Village of Climax Council Meeting Public Participation Rules”. Of course, no speaker should expect any response, dialogue, or answers from the Council at such time.
Bill Lewis was told by one speaker that these rules would not pass constitutional muster, particularly as Lewis would apply them, and that the Council should seek the advice of a First Amendment lawyer in order to avoid a federal civil rights lawsuit seeking damages from the Council members individually and the Village as an entity.
III. October 7, 2025 “Citizen Time”:
Several responsible citizens who do not regularly attend Council meetings showed up for the October 7, 2025 meeting. Their presence seemed to tame some of the behavioral excesses of Bill Lewis, Denise Pyle, and Carolyn Kelly. Lewis did not cut off those who spoke during “citizen time” when there was criticism of the Lewis Quartet’s (Lewis, Pyle, Kelly, and Moore) governing actions; Denise Pyle did not interrupt, talk-over, or pontificate; and Carolyn Kelly did not make ridiculous claims about her code enforcement activities which she refuses to detail at the meetings. Ben Moore was not in attendance and no reason was given for his absence.
Former Village President Jim Cummings and residents Roger Smith, Brian Deller, and Rita Beck, among others, made remarks during the 3 minutes of “citizen time” that Bill Lewis allows residents to exercise their right of free speech in this designated public forum.
- Jim Cummings:
Jim Cummings remarks were pointed. He said in part that:
“I’m here tonight because what’s happening in this village government is unacceptable …”
and
“There is a deepening pattern of dishonest behavior, nepotistic practices, vindictive actions, incompetence, and questionable fiscal management. The people of this village deserve better.”
then:
“DISHONESTY is not leadership. When information is withheld, distorted, or selectively shared, it betrays the public’s trust. Residents should not have to fight to get clear, accurate information from their own government.”
Mr. Cummings condemned nepotism saying:
“NEPOTISM has no place in public service … Favoring friends or family for positions, contracts or relief, undermines fair process and damages public confidence. Leadership means putting the community’s best interest first, not personal networks.”
As to vindictive behavior Jim Cummings noted that:
“VINDICTIVE BEHAVIOR toward residents who question or challenge decisions is unacceptable. This is not a private organization – this is a public institution. Every resident has a right to speak and ask questions without fear of retaliation, intimidation, or dismissal. Your pattern seems to be to allow people to speak …. then ignore their concerns.”
Mr. Cummings also touched upon what he termed “incompetence” by the Village Council under Bill Lewis’ leadership. Mr. Cummings said that:
“INCOMPETENCE has become far too common. Disorganization, neglect of responsibilities, personal agendas and careless decision making have real consequences …. for our infrastructure, our budget, and our reputation as a community …. which I might add is suffering. We deserve leadership that meets the responsibilities of public office. ”
Elaborating on fiscal concerns, Jim Cummings cautioned:
“… there are Serious Fiscal Concerns. This involves taxpayer money, not personal funds. Patterns of questionable spending, poorly explained contracts, and weak oversight are red flags that demand independent review and full transparency. The community has every right to demand accountability on how our money is being managed.”
Then Jim Cummings made four demands for accountability saying:
“1 – End the backroom decision making!
2 – Immediately stop any nepotistic or self-interested practices!
3 – Make all records and books open to independent oversight!
4 – Treat residents with the respect and transparency they deserve. Even the ones that aggressively disagree with you.”
Then he issued a warning to Bill Lewis and the other Trustees saying:
“If this council will not act voluntarily, expect to face public, legal, and political scrutiny, because at least in this town …. The era of silent acceptance is over.”
He went on to close by saying that:
“Holding public office is a responsibility … not a privilege. Right now, the Council is not living up to that responsibility. You were elected to serve this community, not yourselves.”
Valuable words by Jim Cummings but wasted on Bill Lewis, Denise Pyle, and Carolyn Kelly who will not appreciate their wisdom.
B. Roger Smith:
Village resident Roger Smith took issue with President Bill Lewis’s efforts to cancel the accumulated court ordered debt owed to the Village by Anthony Murat Bates, owner of the property at 110 S. Main St., Climax, Michigan 49034.
Roger Smith presented documentation in support of his argument that the fines imposed by the court upon Anthony Murat Bates were due to construction and remodeling activities that were done without the proper permitting. Roger Smith also stated that even after the court ordered Anthony Murat Bates to obtain the proper permitting and inspections, Mr. Bates failed to do so.
Roger Smith also noted that the deck attached to the building at 110 S. Main still did not appear to have passed an inspection.
Roger Smith cautioned that allowing people to do what they want and then begging forgiveness to avoid the consequences would be bad for the Village. What he didn’t point out was that allowing people to avoid the consequences of their choices for reasons of personal associations, friendships, or shared ideology with Bill Lewis, Denise Pyle, Carolyn Kelly, and Ben Moore is terrible for the Village, a form of self-dealing, and likely illegal.
C. Brian Deller:
Brian Deller, a Village resident and property owner, once again appeared before the Village Council to voice his complaints about the Council’s failure to meet its code enforcement obligations to the Village residents.
Mr. Deller has filed “numerous” complaints about conditions on the property at 115 Watson Street in Climax. The complaints center on blight including inoperable or junk vehicles. At the time he began filing complaints with the Village Council in June of 2025, there were three inoperable or junk vehicles on the property. That number has since grown to five.
Mr. Deller said that he has still not seen action or feedback regarding the conditions on the property. He said he has received no information regarding what steps, if any, have been taken to correct the code violations.
Village Trustee Ben Moore resides at the 115 Watson Street property and Mr. Deller said that he noticed that another Village Trustee has an “abandoned broken down vehicle in her driveway.” He observed that both of those Trustees are on the “Ordinance Committee” chaired by Trustee Carolyn Kelly.
Mr. Deller asked if there was any update on the hiring of code enforcers and if that would negate the need for the “Ordinance Committee”. President Bill Lewis refused to answer saying that it was not a “Q & A”.
Under Michigan state law, MCL 64.1:
“The president shall see that the laws relating to the village and the ordinances and regulations of the council are enforced.”
However, that law does not require Bill Lewis to answer questions in public. Who does he think he is? Who does he think he works for? What is he hiding?
D. Rita Beck:
Village resident Rita Beck read a prepared statement. She spoke in favor of writing-off, reducing, eliminating, forgiving, canceling, or otherwise forgetting about the court ordered debt owed to the Village by Anthony Murat Bates in connection with the property at 110 S. Main Street in Climax. Beck said:
“Next, we continue to have David Miller wanting to take people to court which he was continually doing to residents rather than warning while he was president of the Village.”
Not surprising that Beck is wrong! First, written warnings always went out – sometimes more than one. Second, the Court has already spoken as to the matter of the permitting issues at 110 S. Main Street in Climax. There is no need for the Village “to take people to court”. The debt is determinable without the need for court intervention. Easily done without the need for hired expertise and further expense, that is, if Bill Lewis, Denise Pyle, Carolyn Kelly, and Ben Moore will cease obstructing the debt’s resolution and payment to the Village.
What is needed is that Bill Lewis, Denise Pyle, Carolyn Kelly, and Ben Moore not write-off, reduce, eliminate, forgive, cancel, or otherwise forget about the debt based upon some unfounded, unproved, undocumented, extra-judicial claims by Bill Lewis. If the property owner feels that he has legal grounds to reduce the debt he should bring them before the court that set the debt.
It may well be that the property owner doesn’t have such grounds and Bill Lewis is making an end-run around the court as a special favor. Bill Lewis has not even made public any documents that show that the property owner has complied with the court’s orders to this date.
It’s not up to Bill Lewis and his cronies on the Council to represent the property owner’s interests. The property owner had high priced attorneys for that. As Roger Smith pointed out, allowing people to do what they want and then begging forgiveness to avoid the consequences would be bad for the Village. It would be worse if those consequences were forgiven because of personal relationships by members of the Council.
Beck then said:
“I really don’t understand what vendetta he (David Miller) has against the owner of 110 South Main regarding penalties being charged.”
Beck simply assumed a personal motive in the form of an unknown vendetta, which she admittedly couldn’t identify. She tried making personal the opposition to writing-off, reducing, eliminating, forgiving, canceling, or otherwise forgetting about the property owner’s debt to the Village. Beck is wrong again. It doesn’t matter who decides to snub their nose at the permitting requirements in the Village, the same ones we all have to deal with, there’s nothing personal about it. And, this is a clear indicator that there are no legal grounds communicated by Bill Lewis to Beck that would reduce the debt and the whole thing is Kabuki Theater or empty showmanship by the Lewis Four.
And do all of the people in the Village who object to this proposed breach of trust by the Lewis Four have vendettas against the property owner of 110 S. Main Street?
Beck’s third point was:
“The Village is only financially out the money actually spent of approximately Two Thousand Dollars for attorneys’ fees.”
The attorney’s fees were incurred to force the property owner to comply with the Village Code. The debt was a fine imposed by the court because the property owner had not complied with the court’s order that the property owner comply with the Village Code and go through proper permitting. One has nothing to do with the other. The attorney’s fees were the costs of obtaining court assistance and the debt is the result of the property owner’s failure to follow the court’s orders.
Beck’s next point was:
“I’m not sure why Miller didn’t take care of this when he was president. This occurred prior to Miller’s administration.”
Beck has driven into the weeds here. Bill Lewis is proposing to tamper with the debt. Beck knows that Miller never would have done so. And, the debt was still accumulating according to the attorneys for the Village at the time Miller left office. Bill Lewis has not made all of the file documents available to the members of the Council and for the public to see. So, it’s not clear whether or not the court’s orders have even now been complied with.
Going further, Beck said:
“As a resident I think we should drop any costs not incurred by the Village on this and do a better job in the future so a situation like this doesn’t happen again.”
The first part of this just reiterates Beck’s argument that out-of-pocket costs should have some bearing in the recovery of the debt of the property owner. But those costs don’t have anything to do with the debt. The costs were incurred by the Village – the debt to the Village was imposed upon the property owner by the court to obtain the property owner’s compliance with the Village Code. The court gave the property owner a choice.
The second part of this actually perpetuates the unproven claim by Bill Lewis who asserted in a Council meeting that SAFEbuilt was “negligent” in something it did or didn’t do that caused the amount of the property owner’s debt to increase. There is no evidence, nor was it ever argued by the property owner, that the Village’s enforcement mechanism including the activities of SAFEbuilt, were in any way lacking or remiss. SAFEbuilt was asked for a comment on Bill Lewis’ claim but did not respond.
In this instance, building codes are health, safety, and welfare regulations. They are important. Who wants black mold in their walls where windows or siding are installed improperly; or toilets backing up and pipes freezing; or electrical failures or fires; or the roof caving in on them with the first snowfall.
Finally, Beck said that:
“Just admit that mistakes were made in handling these permits by all parties and move on. This should never have gone before a judge.”
Of course, she has no evidence that the Village or SAFEbuilt made any mistakes, material or otherwise, that caused or contributed to the debt owed to the Village by the property owner of 110 S. Main in Climax. Anthony Murat Bates is educated, a businessman, and an entrepreneur who was represented by attorneys from a Grand Rapids firm that represented him in court and provided counsel to him out of court. What Beck and Lewis really want is for a few unfounded aspersions cast by Bill Lewis upon SAFEbuilt to suffice for actual evidence of “mistakes”.
Beck was right about only two things in her remarks to the Council. They were:
“I really don’t understand …”
and
“I’m not sure …”
IV. Last:
Justice is perhaps best described in antiquity where in the 6th century Roman law defined justice as “the constant and perpetual will to render to each his due.” Justice is achieved where individuals receive what they “deserve”. As citizens, we defer to the system of courts to deliver justice and to enforce our laws through their rulings.
The debts owed to the Village – 110 S. Main St., 329 W. Maple St., and 115 Watson St. – were the result of decisions made by the owners of the properties after they were asked to comply with our laws in the Village. The courts got involved when compliance could not be voluntarily achieved.
Bill Lewis is now attempting to ignore the rule of law and the accountability that ensues when those community standards are willfully violated. His motive is not mercy, it is favor. This is not justice!
End
