Mid-Michigan Dining

This is actually pretty common city politics when it comes to hot button issues.

Council members agreed at Thursday’s Committee of the Whole session – their first opportunity to grill Gillespie since Monday’s public hearing – that Aug. 18 is the earliest they will vote on the change in ownership.

Gillespie requested the extension to be more accessible and accommodating with feedback, city officials said.

It would help if city council members were getting in touch with Gillespie ahead of time, but this is probably the best step in the process. 

Despite the hundreds of jobs and the new year-round, indoor-outdoor market that Market Place promises, council members said Thursday they want more information about several things. That includes a business plan for the market, the construction schedule and the amount of local laborers that would be hired to work on Market Place.

Councilman Tim Kaltenbach asked if there was a way to ensure that a certain percentage of city residents worked on the Market Place project.

“That’s extremely important to me,” he added.

Gillespie said Thursday that he’d be willing to hire city residents

These are all questions that could have been answered by now.  Not really the kind of things I would think that would hold up a vote on the project.  There’s always a couple people on the council like this.  Next week, they’ll probably bring up living wage.  This could easily get dragged out for two or three months on piddly crap like that.  The underlying question, that he’s not straight up asking, is would this be a union job?