Yo jdemaris

I got late to your question yesterday and just wanted you to know I WAS NOTTTTTTTTTTT TAKING THE SIDE OF THE YO YO WHO CANCELLED YOUR HEARING I was just playing devils advocate to tell you how they would respond and how things would go down if you challenged them grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Id still file a complaint with the disciplinary commission even though we both know NOTHING will likely come of it.

I once challenged a Judges Administrative determination here in Indiana and the State Supreme agreed with me, however I won the battle but lost the war beacuse any time after that I appeared before her I got the "evil eye" lol

Similar I was always on time for hearings with one local Judge WHO WAS ALWAYS RUDELY BUT FASHIONABLY 15 TO 20 MINS LATE sooooooooo one morning I overslept and was 10 min late and...............YOU GUESSED IT She was on time that day........Another evil eye grrrrrrrrr

You ever make it to the New York State Two Cylinder Expo bi annually in July in Canandagiua??? I usually give a Seminar there Id enjoy you stopping by and for our cook out, you can keep me honest lol (many have tried but few succeeded at that)

John T in Indiana

JD,

I figured I would post to this new one.

Being in Michigan, everything you said sounds just like my township and all the other ones in Michigan. I had similar problems just like you said.

Only way I finally got things resolved, was to get a lawyer. Best $500 I spent. Worked at the local assessor level and with the Michigan Tax Tribunal.

You might find it to be cheaper in the long run after you look at all the bureacracy they try to run you through. It appears when another lawyer shows up that knows the ins and outs of the system, they realize they can"t screw around with them like they can with the common citizen.

Rick

Chiming in late, too.

To John's point about the "no harm - no foul" contention, that, unfortunately, is probably right, in that there was no adverse decision because there wasn't even a hearing. I don't know to what extent these courts (like this tribunal)assess costs, but I'd be amazed, fair or not, if they covered the cost of you or your in-laws getting there for the hearing. If you had lawyer representing you and bhe billed his time for the non-hearing, then perhaps, but still doubtful.

2) The late notice of the cancellation was pretty shoddy, but it would surprise me, fair or not, on this one, too, if you had any recourse. The statutory requirements for advance notice of a proceeding and the penalties for failure to provide adequate notice are for the proceedings. In this case, they didn't take place. Unless the statutes impose a penalty for cancellations (doubtful) there probably isn't much to do about it. Yes, it's shoddy, and the dates in this instance indicate a clear lack of professionalism. But, in reality, all kinds of court proceedings are delayed and rescheduled with short notice all the time, whether for practical (the judge's wife died, the courthouse burned down) or procedural (one party is granted a motion to extend) reasons. There likely isn't any penalty for moving the date back. If they had, on the other hand, moved to an earlier date on short notice, that would be a different matter.

3) Rick's idea about a lawyer is a good one. It's a cost outlay, I know, but the cost of having someone there representing you who can't be trifled with will be less than the long term reduction in the taxes.

4) The relationship of the lawyers as they advocate for opposing parties is not an issue. They do it all the time, and nobody gets their noses out of joint about it. They'll go out for a three martini lunch together after one of them wins against the other. If you hire a reputable local lawyer who practices in real-estate and zoning, you'll get your money's worth. I expect they'll be less apt to jerk him around than you, if that's what they're doing.

5) It's the three-martini lunches these guys have that make for the kind of problem JohnT talks about in trying to have a judge or lawyer disciplined. Very few of them are at all willing to have any part of that business. They are viewed as rats in the same way that Internal Affairs in a lot of police departments are, and they don't want to risk losing and then having another case in their practice come up against a judge or attorney against whom they had advocated charges.

I had that problem in Cleveland. We had an old lawyer about town, retired from my employer. He wouldn't retire and kept meddling. Three times we caught him representing himself to clients as if he still represented us, and it made for a royal mess, and cost us significant revenue. For all the high-powered law firms around town, we couldn't find anybody to press charges. Why? Because his daughter sat on the state court of appeals, and nobody wanted to be seen advocating for us in the case with their or their firm's names involved. Sad, but that's the way it is.

It's funny you mention it. Someone else recently mentioned it to me, and me, my wife and "new" 5 year old kid might go. He's just getting old enough to be interested, as all my other "kids" are in their 30s and living out west.

It's very possible we might meet. How will I know which guy is you?

Easy to recognize me JD, I will be the bald dude wearing a John Deere hat lol

The past 3 Expos John Jensen invited me to put on a few Dog n Pony Show Seminars at their Expo, I have given them on Tractor Coil Ignition Systems, Charging Systems and Wico C and X Magnetos but may only give one or none at the next 2011 show, Ive wore out my welcome maybe.

Anyway on friday night a bunch of us YT Mag and Johnnypopper chatters have a cook out at my RV and talk shop etc

Maybe you can join us in July 2011??

John T

Maybe if I get there I should bring my old monster magneto magnetizer. 10-20 years ago I bought out the contents of a magneto repair shop. The mag-stuff wasn't even my main interest. They were also an authorized Wisconsin engine dealer and I wanted the old parts inventory. While cleaning the place out, I found the old magneto magnet charger buried under some junk. It's a very heavy unit and unbelievable strong when turned on. When new, it had twin, what looked light light-bulbs that served as recifiers of some sort. Has screw-in sockets just like standard light bulbs. Both sockets have some sort of updated rectifier cartridges. Anyway, it's a really neat original unit and I've never come across another. I've charged many magnets with it. I'm kind of interested in that show. They have much nicer weather in that lake region then we get here in the hills and mountains.

Sad to say, but you"ll generally find that if you have something coming up before a local board/authority/commission of any real monetary value, that if you"re represented by a member of one of the local well-connected law firms you"ll have a much better chance of coming out ahead...
Attacking these people, especially pointing out to them the errors of their ways, is counterproductive in the extreme, unless you"re attempting to gain publicity for a reform movement...
We laugh about and make fun of the "backward" places where nothing gets done without bribes all along the way; here, you have to hire a local mouthpiece---I see little difference..

Except Seth

Except Seth