Dear editor:
In response to John Klimek’s Aug. 24 Niles Daily Star letter to the editor, my letter was submitted to Niles Daily Star on Aug. 11, published in the Aug. 12 edition and was at the U.S. Post Office by 8 a.m. the morning of Aug. 12 as the Star is now delivered by U.S. mail. The letter was in print and in delivery long before the 10 a.m. county commissioners meeting on the 12th.
You have accused me of lying about your voting record. Since you lead the Pledge of Allegiance to open the June 24 commissioners meeting at the Niles City Council Chambers, how can you deny that YOU and Commissioner John LaMore both voted in favor of Resolution C1006144 giving authorization to negotiate for property (including putting down earnest money) on Napier Avenue, Benton Harbor for a Berrien County Campus? The following two Berrien County Record articles and minutes of the Berrien County Commissioners’ June 24 meeting are the written records that reported your “yes” vote. Are you saying these reports are fraudulent?
The Berrien County Record July 1 edition printed two articles:
Berrien County Record correspondent reports, “Berrien County Board of Commissions meet in Niles, voting to give Wolf the authority to proceed with negotiations including putting down earnest money were Mamie Yarbrough, Bryan Bixby, Marletta Seats, Jeanette Leahey, John Klimek, John Hinkelman, Debra Panozzo, Andrew Vavra, John LaMore and Robert Wooley.”
County Commissioner Report by Don Ryman (the only commissioner voting against C1006144 on June 24 reports, “…10 members of the county commission voted to authorize the purchase of land for a campus to ultimately contain all county facilities to be located on a remote northern site on Napier Avenue in Benton Township… Regrettably the three other commissioners from the bottom tier of the county voted  for the purchase. I stated that to vote for the purchase resolution would be a betrayal of my constituents in District 11 in the bottom tier of the county…”
Quoting from County of Berrien State of Michigan/Meetings & Agendas, website, http://berriencounty.org/inside.php?a=MEETINGS:344, “Commissioner Seats presented Resolution C1006144 and moved, seconded by Commissioner Leahey, for adoption.
The vice chairman instructed the clerk to call the roll on Resolution C1006144 resulting as follows: 10 yeas: Bixby, Hinkelman, Klimek, LaMore, Leahey, Panozzo, Seats, Vavra, Wooley and Yarbrough. One nay: Ryman ; two absent: Gillespie and Pagel. Motion carried.”
Your “Yes” vote on Aug. 12 at the commissioners meeting reminds me of Washington politician, John Kerry, who is famous for having “voted for before he voted against.” Now John Klimek is the Niles politician who “voted for the Benton Harbor Campus before he voted against it.”
A written apology is due to your constituents and me.

Donna Ochenryder
Niles