Postcards Mailed to Wyandotte Absentee Voters

Absentee voters in Wyandotte soon should be getting a blue and gold postcard in the mail urging them to support

The cards were paid for and mailed by Citizens for Responsible Government in Wyandotte, which is run by residents Richard Miller and Larry Tavernier.

Both men are cable volunteers and are regulars at Wyandotte City Council meetings, filming away to ensure residents can watch the meetings from home.

Miller and Tavernier said the millage is essential to maintaining the level of city services that people have become accustomed to in Wyandotte.

“We hope everyone supports the millage and votes yes,” Miller said at Monday night’s council meeting when he announced that the postcards had been mailed to the 1,810 registered absentee voters in the city.

He said the group plans to purchase lawn signs that residents can display leading up to the election.

The postcards refer to Wyandotte as “the jewel of Downriver” and contain a photo of fire Sgt. Ray Wagoner, Department of Public Services employee Shawn Meade and police Sgt. Jamie Pouliot.

“The city of Wyandotte will suffer drastic reductions in employees and services including police and fire unless you vote yes on the charter amendment,” the card reads. “Let’s work together to keep Wyandotte clean, safe and moving forward.”

The three-year, 1.75-mill tax hike is expected to generate about $1 million in revenue in the first year to help offset an estimated $1.4 million budget shortfall.

If approved, it will cost the average homeowner about $85 a year for three years, according to City Administrator Todd Drysdale. Or, as the postcard says, less than $7.50 a month.

If the millage is defeated, officials said, drastic cuts would have to be made to city services.