Last weekend, I made a pilgrimage back to Ionia, Michigan to pay my respects to my old friend Gloria Cook. Gloria was the wife of David Cook, former president of the Kent-Ionia Labor Council and former Chairman of the Ionia County Democratic Party.
In 1968 I was installed as the new Chairman of the Grand Valley State College Democrats by the Merrick Machine. I had met Dick Merrick in Professor Tevebaugh's 19th Century American History class in the spring of that year and, along with Steve Pekich, was tasked with producing two 50 page papers on the political life of the century. Dick was then Chairmen of the College Democrats and an alternate delegate to the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Later in the year I was introduced as the newly elected Chairman at my first meeting with the group having been elected in abstention.
Similarly, I was installed by the Cook Machine decades later as Chairman of the Ionia County Democratic Party in 1994, although I had attended meetings and been previously elected Secretary a couple of years earlier. The Cook's, known in the jurisdiction as Mr. and Mrs. Democrat were then the moving force behind the local Democracy. When governors and United States Congressmen and Senators passed through town, they were sure to stop at the residence of David and Gloria Cook.
In any case, in 1995 the political community was under siege by a group calling itself the Ethics in Good Government Committee or, as they fashioned themselves EGG. EGG was called into existence to oppose Zoning, Ionia then being one of a handful of counties in Michigan totally unfamiliar with the concept.
In any case, on my sojourn back to my old haunts I stopped by the library to retrieve from oblivion a letter to the editor that I submitted in the heat of the battle. What follows is a transcript of that letter along with a cover letter I sent to my daughter who went to school with the Cook's granddaughter and who, like Cook's descendant is a staunch Democrat. The cover letter, addressed to my dear “Shoes” will put the matter in context.
Scottville, Michigan
July 19, 2025
Shoes,
Enclosed please find documents relating to the political fight back in 1995 between the forces of good and the barbarians at the gate. A little background:
The EGG group, see documents for reference, was a bunch of yahoos funded by the county's most notorious slumlord, and fronted by a lay preacher at some local Baptist Church named Cliff Lazarus. The group's benefactor, your mother informed me, would sell properties with huge balloon payments, meaning low or no down payment with balance due in four or five years knowing that his clients wouldn't be able to get a mortgage to meet the payments. He would then evict them. He also sold properties with no floors and with toilets and plumbing simply running out in the yard. He was a known disgrace to the real estate profession and general all around scumbag.
Here were the driving forces behind this movement. Plain greed and unlimited political expediency along with a smattering of idiotlogical nonsense.
Gathering momentum, they launched a recall drive against several township officials over zoning, although I was never aware of any zoning proposals being forwarded by anyone, this being Ionia County. But, nevertheless, here it was.
Ray Vogt, then Ionia County Prosecuting Attorney and Chairman of the Ionia County Republican Party made his monthly appearance on WION's “Viewpoint” program, hosted by newsman Steve Howard. I happened to be in the office when he was on and decided to wait until the program was over to speak with him. At conclusion I went into the studio, sat down and said “Ray, we need to talk about what to do about the barbarians at the gate”. He asked me what I had in mind. I replied that we should join forces and endorse all our elected officials of whatever party, that is I would get the Democrats to support Republican officials if he would get his party to do the same. He asked if I were serious. I replied that I was damn serious and would resign if my party didn't approve the strategy. He agreed.
Fortunately the monthly party meetings were at hand and I immediately raised the business of joining the Republicans to support our beleaguered comrades. There was much murmuring, as you would expect. The Cooks, for instance, were skeptical. I assured them that we wouldn't go forward unless the Republicans voted to join us and that I would resign if we didn't initiate this. It passed, albeit, with all due reluctance.
I then called Ray to give him the news. The ball was in his court, but he had the knowledge that the Democrats were in earnest and that the initiative had been approved by the other side. He carried the day, albeit with similar reluctance.
Armed with support from both parties we met in his office at the County Courthouse and hammered out a joint press release which appeared a few days before this letter to the editor on the front page of the Ionia Sentinel-Standard. This touched off a response from the EGGheads claiming we were denying them their 'constitutional right to speak'. Enclosed is my reply.
This produced, in the aftermath, an immediate visit by Lazarus on our front porch in which he spent between 2 and 3 hours trying to convince me of the righteousness of his and Bob's position. I countered by pointing out the hidden agenda that Cusack was prosecuting, finally telling Cliff that I know the Lord works in mysterious ways but this is ridiculous and that he could lob this lame shit up to the plate but he must know that the ball will leave the yard. This shot cleared the light standards, I told him, that I can do this at will. I told him that the question before him was how long and how often he wanted to subject himself to this. I, and the community, didn't hear from him again.
They did recall one township official in Orleans township, but lost all the other recall elections which, if memory serves were about 7 in total. After that the group disappeared.
This is, in my humble opinion, is a textbook case of what can happen when the power elite closes ranks. It is what should have happened on the national stage when Newt Gingrich raised his ignorant ugly head. It is certainly what should have happened when the Orange Turd began stinking up the place ten years ago.
Anyway, something you can share should you encounter your classmates.
Love,
Daddy.
Here is the letter to the editor:
EGG Should Read Constitution
To the editor:
Ethical Good Government for Ionia County Committee's reaction to the resolutions of both the Democratic and Republican parties in opposition to their recall efforts is both curious and instructive.
It is curious because the leadership of EGG was quoted as saying that we are “depriving them of their constitutional rights to speak”. That is fatuous nonsense.
No one, least of all the major political parties, has prevented them from expressing their views. In fact, their views have found ample expression in print, radio and at several public forums.
No one, least of all the major political parties, has stopped them from recalling local officials. In fact, both major parties have historically supported the Citizen's right to petition, referendum and recall.
We simply oppose EGG's current use of recall as a costly misuse of the political process in the furtherance of agendas that do not warrant such extreme measures.
It is instructive, because at the first sight of opposition, the EGG leadership flatly declared that those opposing them were violating the group's Constitutional rights.
This is both a spurious and singular reading of the Constitution of the United States, revealing a fundamental misunderstanding of the democratic process.
While the EGG organization would prefer to remain unopposed, the facts of political life in a free society are otherwise, and we who have worked hard to elect good people to do the public's business can be relied upon to stand in their defense.
EGG is free to speak; it is speaking. EGG is free to advocate; it is advocating. EGG is free to organize; it is organizing. We are free to oppose; we stand in opposition.
No matter how much they cast themselves as the modern reincarnation of Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison and Adams, these would-be constitutional experts must come to understand that our opposition does not in any way constitute an infringement upon anyone's constitutional rights.
It is, in fact, a free exercise of our rights. EGG may not like our opposition, but that does not make it unconstitutional.
We suggest EGG follow its own well-publicized advice and reread the Constitution of the United States, this time with the help of someone who can explain to them what it means.
Joe Camfield
Chairman, Ionia County Democratic Party. (1)
On the day following the publication of this missive I found myself walking the Main Street of the City of Ionia making my sales rounds when John MacNamara, then City Attorney, came out of his offices shouting “Way to go Joe!”. I met a similar response from the assembled at the annual G. Mennen Williams Tent Dinner at the Ionia Free Fair a few days later. EGG, as noted above, was successful in recalling only one township official and then crawled back under the rocks from which it had emerged.
This is how you deal with the barbarians at the gates. This is what leadership looks like. This is what the major parties should have done to the Teabaggers and the Maggots had they the courage of two local county leaders. Instead they opted for unlimited political expediency betraying a cowardice that has put the republic itself at risk.
Impeach and Imprison
__________
1,Published in the “letters to the editor” section of the Ionia Sentinel-Standard, Tuesday July 15, 1995