Press & Letters
Reporting
Aligned Planning's Lynee Wells Letter to the City Council 12.12.25
DOWNLOAD OR PRINT Ordinance Review Final Edits Summary 12.12.25 #image_title
December 16, 2025
THE HARBOR SPRINGS BUDGET - FOR COMMUNITY REVIEW - A REVIEW BY A CITIZEN
From: Williams, Carter <carter@oiventures.com> Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2025 1:13 PMTo: Tom Graham <tom@grahamre.com>; kathy.motschall@yahoo.com; Jamielynnmelke@gmail.com; Reeve 4 HS Council <wendy@reeve4hscouncil.com>; Jeanne Benjamin, <jjmb1011@yahoo.com>Cc: Victor Sinadinoski <citymgr@cityof
December 12, 2025
Untitled Post 3632
Peter H. Askew 153 Zoll Street Harbor Springs, MI 49740 November 21, 2025 Mayor Thomas Graham, Jr., Members of the City Council City of Harbor Springs 160 Zoll Street Harbor Springs, MI 49740 Dear Mayor Graham and Members of the City Council, I urge you to take a hard and honest look at the workload
November 24, 2025
Carter Williams City Council Letter regarding the Hire of a new City Manager
From: Williams, Carter <carter@oiventures.com> Sent: To: Monday, November 10, 2025 8:23 PM Tom Graham; Reeve 4 HS Council; Jamielynnmelke@gmail.com; kathy.motschall@yahoo.com; Jeanne Benjamin, Cc: Victor Sinadinoski Subject: City Manager Search Process Dear Council Members, I won't be at Monday's me
November 16, 2025
4.20.25 Weather Preparedness by Bing Howenstein
Letter TO: Mayor, City Council, City Manager and Community Written by Bing Howenstein DATE: April 20, 2025 SUBJECT: Recommendations for Enhanced Community Emergency Preparedness Introduction The recent Michigan ice storm, which resulted in a week-long power outage, widespread internet disruption, an
October 22, 2025
Lamp Posts - Looking at Harbor Springs as a pallet: Harbor Light 10.8.25
1) A comprehensive plan is put together that includes the following: A) a detailed plan with color schematics for lampposts and other features in the downtown and surrounding area, B) a map of lampposts being recommended for painting, and C) public input. Kate Spaulding 10.8.25 Harbor Light The grea
October 21, 2025
Inclusion means something in a community
Dear Friends and Neighbors, Let’s take a moment to imagine Harbor Springs without second homes and second-home owners. No grand turn-of-the-century cottages. No yachts in the bay. No Irish’s, no Walstrom’s, no ferry. No bustling art fairs, no car shows, no boutique-lined streets. Just a quiet villag
October 3, 2025
A Question from the Audience
Dear WLHS, Given the defeat of Ordinance 439 and its focus on creating density in our 1.3 square mile town, and the petitions signed by homeowners to reject duplexes, triplexes, or re-zoning of existing family residential areas to Residential Multiple by SLU or any Planned Development in our residen
September 2, 2025
Update Letter 8.26.25 Following the Recent PC Meetings
Your letters speak for you, please show up at the Public Hearings now scheduled - See below Date: August 26, 2025 at 5:16:24 PM EDT To: Bill Mulder <wmulder1@gmail.com>, Tom Graham <tom@grahamre.com>, jamielynnmelke@gmail.com, kathy.motschall@yahoo.com, bobhsgov@gmail.com, Wendy Reeve <cottageinteri
August 29, 2025
Storm Follow-Up - Follow-Up Preparedness
June 21, 2025 Storm Preparedness Bing Howenstein delivered 4.21.25 TO: Mayor, City Council, City Manager and Community Written by Bing Howenstein DATE: April 20, 2025 SUBJECT: Recommendations for Enhanced Community Emergency Preparedness Introduction The recent Michigan ice storm, which resulted in
June 21, 2025
Letter about building a bridge by Karin Reid Offield
June 19, 2025 Dear Harbor Springs, It’s been 496 days since the February 8, 2024 meeting—when I first heard the Weque wetlands might be disturbed. That moment pulled me into city politics. And let me be clear: my concern was never with the people or the City Hall volunteers—it was with a rush to cha
June 20, 2025
UPDATED 5.28.25: The Garden Club, Flag Pole, Lower Zorn Park includes Newspaper & Letters
Added: Petoskey News Report . We respectfully urge you to vote to preserve Harbor Springs’ precious green space, reject this proposal, and return it to the Garden Club with instructions to identify a more appropriate and welcomed location. This is an opportunity to reaffirm the city’s century-long tradition of preservation, protection, and responsible stewardship.
May 7, 2025
BLOG: 2.4.25 Asking the Harbor Springs City Council to decouple the RRC by Karin Offield
Please include in the Planning Commission packet if possible, Thank you! February 3rd, 2025 Harbor Springs City Council Meeting Submitted for the public record as a request for a new business agenda item Honorable Mayor Graham Councilperson Behrmann Councilperson Melke Councilperson Motschall Counci
February 4, 2025
1.15.25 Harbor Light
Planning commission considers options for expanding public participation in zoning code revision By Kate Spaulding | Harbor Light Newspaper | on January 15, 2025 The Harbor Springs Planning Commission began discussion of a public engagement plan related to the zoning code update work during their mo
January 16, 2025
Letter to Editor - M.Kilbourn About the RRC
LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE HARBOR LIGHT January 9, 2025 Please accept this letter for publication in the Letters to the Editor: The City Council enacted a zoning ordinance which the voters evaluated and rejected via a ballot referendum last November. Since then, the City Council has been busy attem
January 15, 2025
12.13.24 Letter to Harbor Springs City Council by JR Elliot
December 13, 2024
12.5.24 Conflict of Interest (COI) : Letter to City Council
From: Ashley O'Reilly <ashleymkor@icloud.com> Date: December 5, 2024 at 5:23:17 PM GMT To: Graham Tom <tom@grahamre.com>, Michael Behrmann <mhbehrmann@gmail.com>, Jamie Melke <Jamielynnmelke@gmail.com>, kathy.motschall@yahoo.com, wendy@reeve4hscouncil.com Cc: Victor Sinadinoski <citymgr@cityofharbor
December 13, 2024
11.15.24 Let's do this a NEW way. Not a Steamroller!
Harbor Springs can and should stand on its own, embrace its 2nd home persona, and define business and growth plans based on THIS uniqueness not a mediocrity of the statewide definition defined by MEDC, the RRC and Lansing. Let's now consider saying no to becoming a Cookie Cutter Town in the NorthWes
November 15, 2024
11.12.24 What is the RRC ? Does Harbor Springs want or need the RRC?
Months ago we wrote a newsletter that talks about the Redevelopment Ready Community (RRC) & Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) Here's the link: https://wlhs.substack.com/p/wlhs-redevelopment-ready-community Here's the MAP. As of 11.24 we believe Harbor Springs is "an engaged RRC commun
November 12, 2024
11.11.24 Traverse City Problem Solving with DDA
This thread is "under construction"
November 12, 2024