11/02/2026
I can stay silent no more.
As many of you know, the Orrock Township board and the nonprofit, all volunteer Ann Lake improvement club have been in discussions regarding maintenance and upkeep of the “gifted to the public“ boat landing on Ann Lake for well over a year. What began as what we thought was going to be a partnership, has turned into a chaotic train wreck led by a certain board member, with no input from the taxpayers or the club. This particular board member claims in their candidate profile to want transparency in local government yet when asked about statements they made about the Ann Lake boat landing at a public candidate forum (Big Lake chamber of Commerce and Industry, 09/24/26) they chose to not answer the questions and instead said that “her letter specifically addresses things I said at a campaign function and the township at this time is not to campaign from the dais, so answering specific questions she heard me answer during a campaign forum is inappropriate.”Yet, what this person said at that forum was all about township business.
Let me explain, I personally sent the Orrock Township board an email in letter form on October 20, 2026 in anticipation of getting a response to my questions at the Orrock regular October board meeting on October 28, 2026. One of the statements made by them and I quote, “… if Ann Lake was to default again… “ I asked this person, when did the Ann Lake club default the first time? Give me specifics, dates, times, instances, etc. No response. They also stated at that same forum and I quote “… I have always thought that that decision should lie with all the residents of Orrock Township. This is their property, their landing, they should make that decision.” I asked how they planned to do that, again they did not answer the question. The last question I asked was directed to the entire board and was “how much of our taxpayer dollars have you spent going back-and-forth with your attorney on this issue with no end in sight? They told me to look it up online and add it together, guess what? There are no township financials online, they also said it was in the “back “, we looked, not in the “back “, so now I have made a formal data request to see how much money the township has spent. I believe that to be a breach of their fiduciary duty. Transparency? Honesty? Forthcoming? I think not. When I spoke during open forum on October 28, 2026 restating my questions for the audience, I also asked the Township to fix the boat ramp/planks at the public landing because they are a mess. Orrock Township signed an agreement with the DNR to maintain the planks and they haven’t, as of yet. I encourage you to call Orrock Township if you have struggled putting your boat in or taking it out at 763 263–6411. They claim no one uses that landing, the parking lot on weekends tells a different story. Let them hear from us. The people on the lake use it twice a year, once to put their boat in and once to take it out. Ann Lake Improvement Club has maintain that landing since 1956 at no cost to the taxpayers saving them tens of thousands of dollars. We went to the township for help with their landing as our nonprofit, all volunteer organization wanted to focus our dollars on maintaining lake quality. We expected a resounding yes, the landing was an asset to our township. We asked for $1,200 in services which works out to $100/month/ year or $.32 per resident/year. I think that’s an exceptional investment to keep a $250,000 property that currently is owned by the residents of Orrock Township instead of gifting it to a state agency which is what certain board members want to do. We were told let’s work something out, and now it’s been all lawyers and the Orrock Township board. We have been labeled as contractors that need workman’s comp, an escrow and 1.5 million in insurance. My point to all of this is do your own research, go back and listen to the Orrock board meetings, see who said what. Do you think the landing is an asset to our township?
If there is a park in your neighborhood should the neighborhood surrounding that park mow the lawn, pay for trash pick up, pay for a security light, replace playground equipment, etc., at their cost? All of these things, the Orrock board believes the Ann Lake improvement club should pay for simply because we live in the neighborhood. I don’t even use the landing, but I believe it to be an asset to Orrock Township. I believe it’s worth fighting for, I will throw in $.32 to save it. We have elections coming up, personally I will be voting for Frank Stieve, Clint Christianson and Darren Laabs for Orrock Township board. 
