Mayor Steve Warmington gives county comissioners 'tough love' message, praises foundation

Mayor Steve Warmington gives county comissioners 'tough love' message, praises foundation | MLive.com
As he said local communities in the Muskegon area protect their territory like it was a Friday night high school football game, Warmington gave a direct challenge to the Muskegon County Board of Commissioners.
“I challenge the county board to become leaders in Muskegon County,” he said.
“I don’t think we have had one county commissioner who was serving all of the citizens of Muskegon County.
We need to change the attitude of the county commission.”

Specifically, Warmington said he is still miffed that when the community was at the verge of bringing back cross-lake ferry service to Milwaukee in 2003, the city of Muskegon – not Muskegon County government – took the leadership and financial role to secure a ferry terminal and dock on Muskegon Lake.
On other issues of governmental cooperation and consolidation, Warmington indicated it will take the county board’s leadership to break down the walls between cities and townships in the Muskegon area.
Muskegon County Board Chairman Ken Mahoney said he did not hear Warmington’s outgoing address to the community but has had conversations of similar ideas with the Muskegon mayor over the years.
“In some senses, I don’t know what he wants from us,” Mahoney said. “We don’t have the authority to do a lot and we need the approvals of the local communities.”