Mayor Casey Hoffman encountered unexpected silence last night when two of his proposed initiatives; the Lawsuit Prevention Amendment and the Marijuana Reduction Amendment through Attrition failed to gain traction during the Menominee City Council meeting. “It was crickets in the council chambers,” one observer noted, as neither amendment received support or discussion from fellow council members. People expected the Marijuana Reduction Amendment to be a topic of debate, as it aimed for a gradual reduction of the number of local marijuana establishments to seven through attrition. Instead, the council members met it with silence. The two items were on a corrected agenda that the mayor called and passed out at the meeting, even though they had not been listed on the meeting’s published agenda.  Hoffman said the council had previously voted to take up the item at last night’s meeting.

The mayor told the council he had consulted with lawyers at the Michigan Municipal League, who agreed the items should be on the agenda to avoid violating the city charter. Meanwhile, the Sign Ordinance amendments received unanimous approval. The city approved only two of Mayor Hoffman’s five proposed appointments. Council members cited a lack of communication from the mayor as the reason for stalling the other three. “He hasn’t even contacted some members he’s trying to replace,” said one council member, who requested anonymity.