Breaking: Grand Haven Cross Returns (But With A Twist)

Coming soon to Dewey Hill in GH, minus the mini flags on the side! :)

By Brandon Hall

(Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com)

I wonder what Mitch Kahle will say about this?! I am ELATED to see the Grand Haven City Council take another step toward returning the Cross and Nativity to Dewey Hill!

This vote, which passed 3-2, wouldn't have been possible without the removal of one of the City Councilman who first voted to take down the Cross during last November's election.

Despite some controversy, I am immensely proud my PAC helped lead the fight to boot him from office, the first sitting GH councilman to lose in decades...

>>>Breaking: Grand Haven Cross Critic Has A Disturbing History Of Bullying Christians-And Profiting From It


According to Alex Doty of the Grand Haven Tribune:

"City Council voted 3-2 Monday night to add a yardarm to the flag pole atop the dune.

Councilmen Bob Monetza and Mike Fritz voted against the resolution.

Common in waterfront communities, the yardarm flagpole has a horizontal bar situated in the top one-third to one-quarter of the mast.

"Councilman (Josh) Brugger asked if we've ever thought about having a yardarm on the flag pole,"
City Manager Pat McGinnis said. "I asked the (Department of Public Works) to look into it and discovered there was a yardarm in the shed building (atop the hill)."

According to McGinnis, since the arm was stored in the utility shed at the top of Dewey Hill, he believes it was at one time attached to the pole. McGinnis noted, however, that he found no vintage photographs of the arm on the flag pole and found no reports from anyone who remembers seeing the feature installed on the pole.

The yardarm will display additional flags, such as those flown at the U.S. Coast Guard facilities in Grand Haven and at the Escanaba Park memorial. The only time these flags may be flown from the yardarm would be Flag Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day and during the Coast Guard Festival.

Brugger said the yardarm allows a way to recognize the Coast Guard and the area's maritime heritage.

"Just having it up there and being able to fly signal flags solidifies (the city’s) ties to the Coast Guard,“ he said.

Brugger also thought that by having the yardarm flags flown at certain times of the year would minimize the impact any foot traffic might have on Dewey Hill.

But the initiative wasn't without opposition from some council members. In addition to voting against the yardarm, Fritz and Monetza also voted unsuccessfully to remove the proposal from Monday night’s agenda.

Monetza said the plan isn’t for the best, long-term benefit of the city.

“It’s a thinly veiled effort to add a city-owned cross on city-owned property,” he said.
However, Monetza said the yardarm would likely survive any legal challenges since it is a flag pole."

>>>WMP Confronts Mitch Kahle After Court Hearing (Video Via Fox 17)

>>>Flashback: Breaking: Anti-Cross Councilman Becomes First Grand Haven Incumbent To Lose In Decades!

The Save The Grand Haven Cross And Nativity PAC issued a statement Tuesday night regarding the historic election results just in from Grand Haven.Incumbent John Hierholzer, one of the 3 council members who voted to take down the Grand Haven Cross and Nativity in January, became the first Grand Haven City Council incumbent to lose in decades.

That vote spawned recalls, lawsuits, and continued unrest in the popular tourist town.

The PAC targeted Hierholzer through canvassing groups going door-to-door across Grand Haven, web ads, robocalls, mailers, and other strategic activities.

The mailers and robocalls proved controversial, hitting Hierholzer for his voting history and advocating for the election of Josh Brugger. (The "Ashley Madison" account of another opponent was also exposed.)

Brugger, a local businessman, won.

"Tonight, the people of Grand Haven sent a crystal clear message to City Hall: Atheist extremist Mitch Kahle doesn't run this town, we do," said Save The Grand Haven Cross And Nativity PAC Executive Director Brandon Hall. 

"John Hierholzer turned his back on Grand Haven when he voted to remove our Cross and Nativity, and tonight, the people of Grand Haven said it's time for Hierholzer to go," Hall said.

"We look forward to working with the new Council in an effort to make sure the voice of the people is heard and that the Cross and Nativity return to Dewey Hill."

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Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.

>>>Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com

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Photo By Darlene Dowling Thompson