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Kaliseum director resigns as commissioners debate facility’s future and social-media disputes
Summary
Kaliseum director Chad Williams resigned, citing lack of board support and objecting to social-media posts he said misrepresented him. Commissioners debated Kaliseum performance, fundraising, and whether the facility should prioritize community recreation or larger events.
Chad Williams, speaking during the public-input portion of the Sept. 10 Kalkaska County Board of Commissioners Committee of the Whole meeting, announced his resignation as Kaliseum director, saying he felt he lacked the board’s support and that statements posted on social media had misrepresented him. "What was said about me in the cast were lies," Williams said, adding that his focus was on community programming rather than large-scale events and citing recent activity — "32 people who played pickleball the past weekend at $6/head" — as an example of revenue-generating programming.
The resignation touched off an extended exchange among commissioners about the Kaliseum’s purpose and management. Commissioner Robert Baldwin said he strongly supports the Kaliseum and encouraged fundraising and business partnerships but criticized board members’ social-media conduct, calling public attacks "cowardly." Commissioner Jeff Sieting responded that his livestreams are a form of constituent outreach and said he reaches thousands of viewers; he objected to what he characterized as unfounded personal criticism. "They are who I am there to represent," Sieting said of his online audience.
Commissioners disagreed about whether Williams had achieved the objectives for which he was hired. David Comai noted a roughly $15,000 increase in Kaliseum revenue but questioned whether that performance justified the salary paid, saying the county had hoped the hire would bring grant-writing and larger-dollar revenue. Baldwin and others argued that continued investment in recreation programming could keep young people occupied and yield longer-term benefits. No personnel action was taken at the meeting beyond Williams’ announcement that his last day would be Sunday and that he would return keys and badge.
A letter from Greg Morris, read into the record, expressed reluctance to donate to the Kaliseum because of concerns about how funds would be used and asked commissioners to review a previously discussed flooring donation. The letter was entered into the minutes; the author wrote, in part, that calling the donation a "bribe" was "the most ridiculous comment."
