A faithful Enterprise reader sent us a link to a Farmington Observer story that has Farmington mayor Valerie Knol living in Farmington Hills with her new husband, Paul Welday.
Knol presided over her last City Council meeting earlier this month, but has two years left in her council term. Welday is up against former State Representative Andrew Raczkowski in the Michigan 9th Congressional Republican run-off. Both were quoted in a story about Saturday’s Streetscape celebration.
Best guess is the paper will run a correction. Mayor Knol has been open-minded about shared services, but this would be taking things a little too far.
–JH-G
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I want to know how Welday manages to squeeze in his name and the fact that he is running for office at an event that had nothing to do with the election.
On behalf of my wife, Farmington Mayor Valerie Knol, who is currently out-of-the-country with a delegation of Young Leaders of America, please allow me this opportunity to address this post. I have no doubt that Val will be pleased to discuss this matter when she returns, but it deserves an immediate response.
Val and I were married in August of this year. For sixteen years, she has owned and lived in her home in the City of Farmington. Over the past twenty-five years I have owned homes in both Farmington and Farmington Hills and still do. Shortly after deciding to marry, my home in Farmington Hills was listed for sale. It continues to remain on the market.
However, like far too many homeowners in our community with homes for sale, the severely depressed real estate market has made selling the home at a reasonable price nearly impossible. Unfortunately, as a result of the disastrous economic policies that perpetuate the Great Recession, home foreclosures are at record levels as owners find themselves upside down on mortgage loans with few buyers willing to pay anything more than rock-bottom, give-away prices. If a home seller is fortunate enough to receive an offer to purchase, the bid is often so far beneath the outstanding mortgage loan amount that desperate sellers are required to bring thousands of dollars to closing just to get out from under their debt.
As a private owner offering a home for sale I would welcome a reasonable offer on my property, but I have no intention of giving my house away for a price that is unacceptable. There are far too many bank-owned properties for sale in our community that continue to depress the real estate market. Until this situation reverses creating a restoration of value, many private home sellers like me will be reluctant to consummate a deal. I wish that weren’t the case, but is the reality of today’s market.
Like many in Michigan and across the country, the terrible economy has created challenges for our family. But make no mistake, Val continues to own and live in her home in the City of Farmington. I continue to own and live in my home in Farmington Hills. Both of us spend considerable time in each of these homes as we are doing what we can to make the best of a less than desirable situation.
Having grown up in the City of Farmington and living in this area most of my life, I can assure you that no one is more committed to the City of Farmington – and the region – than Mayor Knol. She is dedicated to our community and it shows in everything she does. I admit my bias, but I believe she has been an outstanding Mayor who has helped move Farmington forward. Her leadership continues to make a valuable contribution to both Farmington and Farmington Hills. I know she looks forward to continuing to be part of the team that builds on the progress the communities have already begun.
Gotta get in that political dig! What Mr. Welday fails to mention is that those “disastrous” economic policies he bemoans were either initiated or perpetuated by his beloved GOP. Instead of trying to be part of the solution, he continues to try and smear the opposition with innuendo and half-truths. Let’s try and eliminate the petty finger-pointing and name-calling, shall we? America will be a better place for it.
Six paragraphs to address a point that could have been covered in one sentence: Val and I live in Farmington, the paper made a mistake.
Wow.
You hit the nail on the head. Partisanship is unnecessary and continues to divide our community and our country.
Address my question if you might Mr. Welday and please pretend its twitter and don’t go over 50 words.
Really people? With everything else going on in our district your biggest concern is where Paul Welday and his new wife Valerie Knol live? I appreciate Paul’s response, the paper clearly made a mistake, next issue please.
How about we discuss how Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Gary Peters tripled our national debt record in less than a year? That’s not including the government takeover of our health care system. Do people really think money grows on trees? It doesn’t.
So debate where Paul and Val lay their heads at night if you must but I’m more interested in jobs. And by looking at some of these responses, it sounds as though a few of you need one because clearly you have too much time on your hands. Thanks.
And yet, Seriously, you found the time to not only read through these comments, but to post a comment yourself. You are the one who needs some perspective. The original post was a funny little nothing about an error in a newspaper story – not any penentrating examination of where the Mayor of Farmington lives.
Methinks thou doth protest too much.
Perhaps instead, we could discuss why Mr. Welday and local Republicans continue to support a tired campaign strategy that involves nothing more than demonizing the opposition. As voters have demonstrated in every local election involving Mr. Welday, and Mr. Knollenberg’s loss to Mr. Peters, negative campaign tactics don’t work here any more.
You’re right, the 9th Congressional has plenty of problems right now. That’s why I cannot understand why Mr. Welday continues to harp on the same old blame game. He’s out to do one thing: Pin the blame for everything on Democrats, as though simply switching political parties is going to solve all our problems. There’s a reason fewer than 30 percent of Americans identify as Republican any more. This kind of partisan nonsense – injecting politics into every available space – is a big part of it.
And I’m going to have to pass on feeling bad for Mr. Welday and his unfortunate housing situation, considering he somehow found $100,000 to loan to his own campaign: http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/50791-fec-reports-force-new-races-to-the-fore Those who make the decision to run usually understand there’s a price to be paid, and that there’s only one person responsible for it.
Joni,
What about your political hack of choice? Vicki continues to ignore the wishes of her neighbors and constituents by flaunting her distain for their local deed restrictions. This time her home was the only one in the neighborhood that had a forest of signs for her political buddies.
Dispite the unknowledgable offerings of her attorney husband, Mark, political signs are not protected by the free speech laws when contrary to deed restrictions. It is assumed that the home owner is capable of reading and understanding the deed restrictions prior to purchasing the home. Is the ability to read and understand too much to ask of our state rep?
Terry, either sue them or stop whining about it. This is getting old.
My feelings exactly…………
It’s getting old that your elected choice of state rep has so little consideration for her neighbors and feels herself above the rules of the society within which she lives. She is now the ONLY one in the neighborhood that refuses to follow the deed restrictions.
Of course Detroit had a mayor that thought he was also above the laws. At least the city finally did something about that. I guess that puts Detroit a leg up on Farmington Hills.
At least Welday can read and follow regulations.
Terry – you and Mr. Rogers should have spent some time together…
Ah, Terry, you slay me! Let’s see, there were political signs on two lots on Glencastle Drive (one is the President of the homeowner’s association), three lots on Lynford, two on Castlereigh, several on Raleigh. This off the top of my head, I’m sure there were many more. My “forest” of signs was exactly two. Nice try.
To Mark,
I don’t know when you were looking, but Mr. Mason had the grace to remove his signs over a week before the election…..when he found out that there was a homeowner’s deed restriction against political signs.
Sorry Mark, but you and your wife are the only people who care so little about your neighbors and are incapable of understanding the deed restrictions you signed when you purchased your home. A true political hack.
Terry
P.S. Please clean up after your mutt when you walk along Middlebelt.
Terry, every one of those signs was standing on Election Day and the two days before. Ironically, most of the signs were in support of Mr. Mason. Is there anything you won’t fabricate?
Mark
P.S. ALWAYS do. Real classy, Terry.
Mark,
You need to talk to Tom Tobe, the subdivision president. He will tell you that Mr. Mason came and took his signs down over a week before the election.
It is you, who once again, is caught in a lie. You lied about the legality of the signs and you lied about when they were removed. You manage to give even lawyers a bad name. No wonder your wife kept her own name to distance herself from your reputation.
Terry, I have now seen an excerpt from your subdivision newsletter, which explicitly states that residents ARE allowed to post signs in their yards. Obviously, since you receive the subdivision newsletter, you know the truth. Not only have you lied, but now you’re just being rude. Your last comment was absolutely unconscionable.
If I can find a way to just block you, specifically, from commenting on The Enterprise, I’ll do it. Or I’ll just start moderating comments and delete yours. One way or another, you’re done here. I don’t care how entertaining you are.
Joni,
As a matter of fact you read an excerpt from the newsletter, which is written by a person who routinely ignores the deed restrictions both concerning signs and parking trailers in their driveway.
Try reading the actual deed restrictions before you make judgements. Or would that be too responsible? You more than anyone should know better than to believe what you read in the media.
Here is the actual deed restriction:
5. SIGNS
No sign or billboard shall be placed or maintained on any lot except that one sign advertising the lot or house and lot for sale or lease, and having not more than three square feet of surface and the top of which shall be three feet or less above the ground, man be erected and maintained on any of said lots, provided, however such other signs may be erected and mainteained on lots as permitted in writing by the Grantor.
Here is the link to the correct page on the association web site: http://www.lincolnshireestates.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=NMSSGBL1mpI%3d&tabid=58&mid=380
Remember Mark said that it was illegal for the deed restrictions to ban political signs, and I easily proved him wrong.
I’ll be interested to see if you delete this post, which speaks volumes about your character.
You know, Mr. Elsey, even after the subdivision newsletter came out last week, I was going to be the adult and let the matter drop completely. But I just saw your last reply, attacking my integrity of all things, plus the absolutely asinine comment about Vicki.
So here follows the official pronouncement of our subdivision, as quoted word-for-word from Volume 2, Issue 4, November 2009 of the quarterly “Lincolnshire Estates Update” at p. 3 (emphasis in the original):
” YARD SIGNS
A well intentioned resident, that read our by-laws incorrectly, notified candidates in the recent election, that our subdivision does not allow lawn signs. This resident was not speaking on behalf of our subdivision since OUR BY-LAWS ALLOW SIGNS TO BE POSTED ON ON YOU PROPERTY WITH THE HOMEOWNER’S PERMISSION.
So yes, in future elections, yard and garage sales you may post signs on your property.”
So dear reader of the Farmington Enterprise, who do YOU think has been lying?
Terry, I approved this comment because of the link you posted, which does address the sign issue. The problem, it appears to me, is that you’re reading this document the way some people read the Bible: word for word, with neither context nor common sense.
The very brief paragraph about signs does, indeed, limit signage to a “for sale” sign. AND it concludes thusly: “however, such other signs may be erected and maintained on lots as
are permitted in writing by the Grantor.”
Now, I don’t know much about the law. But it seems to me that a notice published by the duly elected leadership of your subdivision, in the subdivision newsletter, permits other signs. In writing.
Let’s move on.