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There are a lot of questions surrounding the upcoming closure of the Ojibway Correctional Facility in Gogebic County.
Some of those questions can be answered thanks to documentation just released from the State of Michigan.
State Representative Scott Dianda has already requested that a performance audit of the Michigan Department of Corrections be conducted.
Dianda’s opponent in the race for state senate and former fellow state representative Ed McBroom has now released documents related to the prison closure, obtained from the MDOC through the Freedom of Information Act.
His FOIA request was for all documentation considered by the department relating to the economic impact of closing the Ojibway Correctional Facility on the community of Marenisco, Gogebic County, and the western Upper Peninsula.
“I thank the department for its timely response as the community with all that is at stake is especially and understandably eager to see the documentation,” McBroom said in a statement. “As evidenced by the continued large turnouts to all the local meetings I have been attending, like last night’s Gogebic Township Association meeting, I know I will be joining many in closely examining all of these documents in light of their critical importance to the community to ensure that they comply with both the letter and the spirit of the law which requires the State to “fully consider” the economic impact of the closure on the community. I welcome the community to immediately join me in reviewing the documents with an objective and exhaustive eye to ensure the department did indeed fully consider the dire economic consequences to the community, such as the profound adverse impact on our schools, on the hospital, on the housing market and complied in good faith with the law. I’d also welcome the community to reach out to me with their thoughts and concerns as they review the documents. And, I will be sharing my thoughts in the immediate days ahead after I have a fair chance to thoroughly review each page. Compliance with simply the letter of the law in light of the significant economic consequences that will follow from this closure is unacceptable. With the extreme consequences it is facing, this community absolutely deserves a good faith analysis that complied with the obvious and intended spirit of the law!”
Those records are now available for public review by clicking here or by visiting www.facebook.com/McBroomForSenate
