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Residents urge review of senior‑center ban for local attendee; council hears broader concerns about civility
Summary
Several residents asked Livonia City Council to review a lifetime recreation ban for Steve King and raised related concerns about fairness, court outcomes, and civic decorum. Speakers also urged ADA access to council facilities.
Several residents used the study session’s audience‑comment period to press Livonia’s elected leaders to revisit a Recreation Commission decision that banned Steve King from the senior wellness center and recreation facilities.
Frankly Dermott, a neighborhood resident, asked the council to “put it on the agenda and vote on it” after the 16th District Court imposed a $50 fine for trespassing; Dermott said the commission’s lifetime ban appears disproportionate and suggested rescinding it or returning the matter to the Recreation Commission. “I think you owe mister King that,” Dermott said.
King spoke briefly during later public comment defending his record and criticizing the city’s pattern of creating new management positions instead of enforcing accountability. “We simply add another layer of government,” Steve King said, urging council to demand measurable results rather than new titles.
Other residents framed the issue as one of fairness and access. Barbara Glover said that if charges against King have been dropped, she sees no reason for continuing the ban and noted that taxpayers who support the facilities should have access. “If you don’t want to let him go, then maybe you could make him not pay — I have to pay taxes for those two buildings,” she said.
Public commenters also called for better physical access to council meetings: Glover asked the city to install an ADA‑compliant restroom in the council building, saying some residents cannot attend without it. Chair (presiding) acknowledged the comments and reminded listeners that the study session is preparatory: items will be voted at the Aug. 17 regular meeting, where council can choose to place a reconsideration of the ban on the agenda.
