Ishpeming City Council Tables Issues

The Ishpeming City Council places two issues on the back burner tonight that concern some city residents.

One of those is a final route for an extension of Malton Road, near the Hematite Heights residential area.

Tim Hares, whose property would be touched, is upset that he only heard about it through the grapevine rather than from the city directly.

He also says a 45-mile-per-hour zone, which the extension would call for, would be a bad idea.

He says there are more than two dozen children living within a block or two of the road extension and the speed would be dangerous for them.

The city is also negotiating a contract for a new police chief after Jim Bjorne’s firing.

The City Council can discuss union contract talks in closed session, and it wanted to do so tonight.

But Mayor Pat Scanlon says the chief position is not subject to collective bargaining, so the council can’t do that.

He says per city policy, two City Council members have been sitting in on the contract talks.

But he says those two council members have not shared the details of the negotiations with the other members yet.

The council voted to table both issues until a future meeting.

Chief Bjorne was fired last September after more than 20 years as chief.

Det. Sgt. Dan Willey has been serving as acting chief and the contract talks about the permanent position have been with him.

Posted by: Mike Hoey