GENERAL ELECTION • NOVEMBER 4, 2008

VOTER
GUIDE
Commerce / West Bloomfield
Publication of Spinal Column Newsweekly
PAGE 2/C,WB www.spinalcolumnonline.com SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY

NOTICE OF ELECTION – GENERAL ELECTION

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008
CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF WEST BLOOMFIELD
TO THE QUALIFIED ELECTORS: FOR THE PURPOSE OF NOMINATING CANDIDATES OF ALL PARTICIPATING POLITICAL PARTIES FOR THE
FOLLOWING OFFICES:
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that a General Election will be held in:
PRESIDENTIAL President and Vice President of the United States
CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF WEST BLOOMFIELD
County of Oakland, State of Michigan CONGRESSIONAL United States Senator, Representative in Congress – 9th District
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008 LEGISLATIVE Representative in State Legislature – 39th and 43rd Districts
THE POLLS will be open 7 o’clock a.m. until 8 o’clock p.m. STATE Member of the State Board of Education, University of Michigan Regents,
Trustee of Michigan State University, Governor of Wayne State University
ALL POLLING PLACES ARE HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE, BRAILLE
AND AUDIO VERSION OF THE VOTING INSTRUCTIONS ARE AVAILABLE COUNTY County Executive, Prosecuting Attorney, Sheriff, Clerk/Register of Deeds,
Treasurer, Drain Commissioner, County Commissioner – 5th, 16th and 17th Districts
AT THE POLLING PLACES LISTED BELOW:
JUDICIAL Justice of the Supreme Court, Judge of Court of Appeals, 2nd District –
Precinct 1 Orchard Lake Middle School, 6000 Orchard Lake Road, Handicapped Entrance –
Incumbent Position, Judge of Court of Appeals – 2nd District – Incumbent Position
NW Rear of Building
Partial Term Ending 1/1/2013, Judge of the Circuit Court – 6th District – Incumbent
Precinct 2 Walnut Creek Middle School, 7602 Walnut Lake Road
Position, Judge of Circuit Court – 6th Circuit – Non-incumbent Position, Judge of
Precinct 3 Episcopal Church of the Advent, 3325 Middlebelt Road, Handicapped – All Entrances
Circuit Court – 6th Circuit – Incumbent Position Partial Term Ending 1/1/2013,
Precinct 4 Twin Beach Elementary School, 7149 Oakley Park Road, Handicapped Entrance –
Judge of Probate Court – Oakland County – Non-incumbent Position, Judge of
N. Side of Building
District Court – 48th District – Incumbent Position
Precinct 5 Gretchko Elementary School, 5300 Greer Road, Handicapped – All Entrances
Precinct 6 Beth Ahn Synagogue, 5075 Maple Road, Handicapped Entrance – East Side of Building LOCAL SCHOOL School District of the City of Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills School District, Walled
Precinct 7 Doherty Elementary School, 3575 Walnut Lake Road, Handicapped Entrance – DISTRICTS Lake Consolidated School District, Waterford School District, West Bloomfield
Rear of Building School District
Precinct 8 Scotch School, 5959 Commerce Road, Handicapped – All Entrances COMMUNITY Oakkland Community College Board of Trustee Member, Oakland Community
Precinct 9 Eagle School, 29410 W. Fourteen Mile Road, Handicapped Entrance – Front of Building COLLEGE College Board of Trustees Member – Partial Term Ending 1/1/2011
Precinct 10 Ealy School, 5475 Maple Road, Handicapped Entrance – Front of Building
Precinct 11 Shepherd King Lutheran Church, 5300 Maple Road, Handicapped Entrance – TOWNSHIP Township Supervisor, Township Clerk, Township Treasurer, Township Trustee
Rear N. Side of Building (4 to be elected), Township Parks & Recreation Commissioner (7 to be elected),
Precinct 12 Temple Israel, 5725 Walnut Lake Rd., Handicapped Entrance – Rear S. Side of Building Township Library Board
Precinct 13 Pine Lake School, 3333 W. Long Lake Road, Handicapped Entrance – AND FOR THE PURPOSE OF VOTING ON THE FOLLOWING PROPOSALS:
NW Corner of Building
STATE PROPOSAL 08-1: A legislative initiative to permit the use and cultivation of marijuana for specified
Precinct 14 Keith Elementary School, 2800 Keith Road, Handicapped Entrance – N. Side of Building
medical conditions.
Precinct 15 West Bloomfield Main Library, 4600 Walnut Lake Road, Handicapped Entrance –
All Entrances STATE PROPOSAL 08-2: A proposal to amend the State Constitution to address human embryo and human
Precinct 16 West Hills Middle School, 2601 Lone Pine Road, Handicapped Entrance – embryonic stem cell research in Michigan.
N. Side of Building COUNTY PROPOSAL: A proposed modification to the Oakland County Merit System covering the employees
Precinct 17 Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, 4800 Orchard Lake Road, Handicapped Entrance – of the County of Oakland that updates the system from its original 1966 version as explained by county
S. Side of Building resolution #08119.
Precinct 18 Pleasant Lake Elementary School, 4900 Halsted, Handicapped Entrance – All Entrances
Precinct 19 The Covenant Baptist Church, 5800 Maple Road, Handicapped Entrance – Full text of the proposals may be obtained from:
NW Side of Building SHARON A. LAW, TOWNSHIP CLERK
Precinct 20 Temple Israel, 5725 Walnut Lake Road, Handicapped Entrance – Rear S. Side of Building West Bloomfield Township • 4550 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield 48325, 248-451-4848
Precinct 21 The Friendship Circle, 6892 West Maple Road, Handicapped Entrance – All Entrances
As a registered voter, you may obtain an absentee voter ballot if you are:
Precinct 22 Maple Elementary School, 7389 Maple Road, Handicapped Entrance – N. 2nd Door
• age 60 years old or older
Precinct 23 Drake Community Sports Park, 6801 Drake Road, Handicapped Entrance –
• unable to vote without assistance at the polls
South Side of Building
• expecting to be out of town on election day
Precinct 24 Maple Elementary School, 7389 Maple Road, Handicapped Entrance – N. 2nd Door • in jail awaiting arraignment or trial
Precinct 25 Gretchko Elementary School, 5300 Greer Road, Handicapped Entrance – • unable to attend the polls due to religious reasons
E. Side of Building • appointed to work as an election inspector in a precinct outside of your precinct of residence.
Precinct 26 B’Nai Moshe Synagogue, 6800 Drake Road, Handicapped Entrance – Main Entrance
Precinct 27 West Bloomfield Community Service Center, 5810 Commerce Road, A person who registers to vote by mail must vote in person in the first election in which he or she participates.
Handicapped Entrance – North End SHARON A. LAW,
Counting Center Township Hall, 4500 Walnut Lake Road TOWNSHIP CLERK SC: 10-22-08

NOTICE TO THE QUALIFIED
ELECTORS OF THE CHARTER
TOWNSHIP OF WEST BLOOMFIELD
Notice is hereby given that the Public Accuracy
Test for the November 4, 2008 Presidential
Election has been scheduled for Thursday,
October 30, 2008, at 10:30 a.m. in the Township
Hall at 4550 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield,
Michigan.
The Public Accuracy Test is conducted to
demonstrate that the computer program used to
record and count the votes cast at the election
meets the requirements of law.
SHARON A. LAW, CLERK
West Bloomfield Township
248-451-4848
SC: 10-22-08
CITY OF ORCHARD LAKE VILLAGE
PUBLIC ACCURACY
TEST NOTICE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public
Accuracy test for the November 4, 2008
General Election will be conducted on
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. in
the City Hall located at 3955 Orchard Lake
Road, Orchard Lake, Michigan.
The Public Accuracy test is conducted to
demonstrate that the program and computer
that will be used to tabulate the results of the
election have been prepared in accordance
with law.
Janet Overholt Green
City Clerk SC: 10-22-08
CITY OF ORCHARD LAKE VILLAGE CITY OF
ABSENTEE BALLOTS ORCHARD LAKE VILLAGE
NOTICE NOTICE OF
TO THE QUALIFIED ELECTORS OF
PLANNING COMMISSION
THE CITY OF ORCHARD LAKE VILLAGE: MEETING DATE CHANGE
Absentee Ballots for the November 4, 2008 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the
General Election may be obtained from the City November 2008 Regular Planning
Clerk at the City Hall, 3955 Orchard Lake Road, Commission Meeting originally scheduled
Orchard Lake, Michigan from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 for November 4, 2008 has been
p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday, rescheduled to November 11, 2008 at 7:30
November 1, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. p.m. in the Orchard Lake City Hall, 3955
Emergency Ballots ONLY may be cast on the date Orchard Lake Road, Orchard Lake,
of the Election – November 4, 2008. Michigan. You are invited to attend this
CITY OF ORCHARD LAKE VILLAGE meeting.
Janet Overholt Green Janet Overholt Green
City Clerk SC: 10-22-08 City Clerk SC: 10-22-08
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
Orchard Lake, Waterford, West Bloomfield
U.S. Congress/9th
Incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Joe
Knollenberg is being challenged by
Democrat Gary Peters in the Tuesday,
Nov. 4 general election. Members of
Congress serve two-year terms and are
currently paid $165,200 annually.
The following are questions our staff
recently posed to Peters, and his
responses to those questions.
Knollenberg didn’t respond to our can-
didate questionnaire.
IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN: Despite progress
in Iraq, there are still many calling for
rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces. How
should the nation handle the situation
in Iraq, and why? State why you are or
aren’t satisfied with the level of troop
deployment and the nature of our pres-
ence in Afghanistan.
FINANCIAL CRISIS: America has been
rocked by the recent collapse of banks
and financial firms. What’s your vision
for helping the economy rebound in the
short term, especially given the credit
crisis that threatens to cripple the econ-
omy? What would you like done to
implement long-term structural changes
that ensure a strong economy? Do you
support the economic recovery plan pro-
posed by President Bush?
HEALTH CARE: Where do you stand on
the notion of implementing some kind
of universal health care or somehow
reforming the existing system?
ENERGY/OIL DEPENDENCY: What alter-
native fuels and energies do you believe
the nation should be pursuing? Please
tell us where you stand on proposals to
open up the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge to oil drilling, or expanding off-
shore drilling.
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the district, and
how do you propose to address them?
WHY YOU? Why should voters choose
you over your opponent?
GARY PETERS
IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN: As a former Lt.
Commander in the Navy Reserve, I
believe we must immediately begin
redeploying troops from Iraq, so we can
respond to other serious threats. I
don’t support a “rapid withdrawal,” but
a responsible and safe redeployment
that protects our troops and military
materiel while providing stability. While
we are spending $10 billion a month,
Iraq has a surplus of over $79 billion.
It’s time for the Iraqi government to
take responsibility for the security of
Iraq.
The Bush Administration’s single-
minded focus on Iraq, which my oppo-
nent has supported, has allowed al-
Qaeda to become stronger than it has
been since 2001. This can’t continue,
and I will support policies to refocus our
military effort on finding, capturing, and
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
defeating the terrorists who attacked us,
and who would do us harm.
FINANCIAL CRISIS: This crisis never
should have happened, and we must act
now to stabilize the economy, ensure liq-
uidity in the credit and banking system,
and help families stay in their homes. In
Washington, I will use my background in
business and finance to take action to
protect taxpayers, and to fight for more
accountability over Wall Street to ensure
this kind of disaster can never happen
again.
Rather than eliminating the safe-
guards, as Mr. Knollenberg has voted
repeatedly to do, I believe we must have
a 21st century regulatory system that
will protect taxpayers while encouraging
growth.
I was frustrated that Congress didn’t
take action on these issues in the bailout
bill passed earlier this month. While I
supported the effort to get liquidity into
the market as quickly as possible, the
job is far from done.
HEALTH CARE: Affordable, quality
health care should be the right of every
American, and in Congress, I will work
to make this a reality. The health care
situation is both a moral crisis and an
economic crisis.
Today, American businesses are put
at a severe competitive disadvantage
compared to other countries because of
our outrageous health care premiums.
Small businesses that want to hire more
employees are unable to do so because
of the cost of health insurance.
We must allow Medicare to negotiate
for lower prescription drug prices for
senior citizens — just like the VA already
does. We also must provide children
access to quality, affordable health care.
The SCHIP program (known as MIChild
here in Michigan) works, but on the fed-
eral level President Bush and my oppo-
nent have blocked this important legisla-
tion.
ENERGY/OIL DEPENDENCY: High ener-
gy prices are crippling Michigan’s auto-
motive industry and hurting families,
and our dependence on foreign oil places
our national security in jeopardy. We
must take immediate action to reduce
the price of fuel, and to make a serious
investment in alternative energy research
and development. Although I oppose
drilling in the Great Lakes and in the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, I support
domestic drilling as part of a compre-
hensive energy policy that includes wind
and solar energy, advanced vehicles, and
biofuels.
The challenges of global climate
change and reducing our dependence on
foreign oil present an enormous oppor-
tunity for Michigan’s economy. We have
the best engineers, researchers, work-
ers, and universities anywhere in the
PAGE 3/C,WB
least 18 months, but the Iraqis must
take responsibility for their own country,
and we need to start the process imme-
diately so that we can refocus our
efforts on defeating the terrorists in
Afghanistan.
WHY YOU? My family has been here in
Oakland County for five generations, and
I understand the challenges we’re facing.
I have the unique mix of experience and
skill that will allow me to tackle these
challenges head-on, starting on day one.
In the Michigan Senate, I had a
proven record of bipartisan leadership,
having more of my bills signed into law
than any other Democratic senator. At
the Lottery, I generated record revenues
to invest in our classrooms, and did it
Gary Peters served two terms in the under budget every year. I spent more
Michigan Senate before becoming than 20 years in the investment sector,
commissioner of the Michigan Lottery. and will use that experience to provide
He is a former Lieutenant Comman- leadership in responding the financial cri-
der in the Navy Reserve. Peters sis.
worked for 20 years as a vice presi- I know Michigan is ready to take the
dent at Merrill Lynch and UBS/ lead in education, research, and new
PaineWebber.
industries that will create the vehicles
and energy sources of the future — and
world, and we are ready to take the lead that’s what I will work to do in
in the next generation of alternative Congress. ❏
energy technologies that will create jobs
and bring new investment to Michigan.
TOP ISSUES: First and foremost, I will
take action to reinvest in Michigan’s
economy to create jobs by investing in
our auto industry and new industries like
alternative energy.
Second, I will work to ensure all
Americans have access to quality, afford-
able health care. Spiraling health care
premiums are hurting families and place
a terrible burden on American business-
es. We are the only developed nation in
which all citizens don’t have access to
affordable health care, and our business-
es are forced to bear that extra burden.
Finally, as a former Lt. Commander in
the Navy Reserve, I will work towards a
responsible end of the war in Iraq. Any
responsible redeployment will take at
Election results on
PUBLIC NOTICE election night, from the
TO THE CITIZENS OF Spinal Column
THE CITY OF WIXOM Newsweekly
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the PUBLIC starting at 10:30 p.m.
ACCURACY TEST for the November 4, 2008
General Election will be conducted on Monday,
October 27, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. at Wixom City
Turn to our website
Hall, 49045 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, Michigan. www.spinalcolumnonline.com
The Public Accuracy Test is conducted to deter-
mine that the program and computer being used
to tabulate the results of the election count the
Website election results
votes in the manner prescribed by law. updated every
Linda Kirby
City Clerk
half hour.
SC: 10-22-08
PAGE 4/C,WB
Commerce, Highland, Milford, Walled Lake, Waterford, White Lake, Wixom, Wolverine Lake
U.S. Congress/11th
Democrat Joseph Larkin is challeng-
ing incumbent Republican U.S. Rep.
Thaddeus McCotter in the Tuesday,
Nov. 4 general election. Members of
Congress serve two-year terms and are
currently paid $165,200 annually.
The following are questions our
staff recently posed to the candidates,
and their responses to those ques-
tions.
IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN: Despite progress
in Iraq, there are still many calling for
rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces. How
should the nation handle the situation
in Iraq, and why? State why you are or
aren’t satisfied with the level of troop
deployment and the nature of our
presence in Afghanistan.
FINANCIAL CRISIS: America has been
rocked by the recent collapse of banks
and financial firms. What’s your vision
for helping the economy rebound in
the short term, especially given the
credit crisis that threatens to cripple
the economy? What would you like
done to implement long-term structur-
al changes that ensure a strong econo-
my? Do you support the economic
recovery plan proposed by President
Bush?
ENERGY/OIL DEPENDENCY: What
alternative fuels and energies do you
believe the nation should be pursuing?
Please tell us where you stand on pro-
posals to open up the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, or
expanding off-shore drilling.
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the district, and
how do you propose to address them?
WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should vot-
ers choose you over your opponent?
JOSEPH LARKIN
IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN: Rep. McCotter
believes in continued occupation for
years to come at a cost of more
American blood and over $100 billion
dollars per year, which could be spent
to shore up our own shaky economy or
to balance our budget. My position is to
leave the country as soon as practical,
but only as soon as prudent. Specific
security goals, military goals, etc., must
be set for Iraq, with specific hard time
lines and appropriate reduction of
troops being made based upon
American military leaders’ decisions, not
on politicians’ decisions. This should be
accomplished in less than two years,
hopefully closer to one year.
FINANCIAL CRISIS: The “bailout” is
not a bailout; it’s a rescue bill. It’s
effectively a loan to save our economy,
get the flow of credit going again, pro-
tect jobs, and protect our investments.
We can get money back, possibly make
a profit, and save our economy from
tanking. The first version of the bill
had many inadequacies, but the “no”
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Joseph Larkin is the owner of Larkin Legal
Services. He is a member of Catholic
Lawyers Society of Michigan, the Michigan
Association for Justice, and the Livonia Bar
Association.
vote created a real loss on Sept. 29 of
$1.2 trillion in the Dow Jones alone.
I would be fighting for reforms, par-
ticularly to help homeowners stay in
their homes to help increase the value of
the rest of our homes, and for accounta-
bility provisions to assure a financial cri-
sis doesn’t happen again. I would have
voted for the best bill available before
adjourning. McCotter instead voted for
his ideology at the sacrifice of your
money, investments, and economy.
ENERGY/OIL DEPENDENCY: My No. 1
initiative to break dependence on foreign
oil, fight high gas prices, and create
American jobs is to pass a law akin to cre-
ating a modern day “Manhattan Project.” I
would put together our best scientific
minds to make all types of alternative
energy sources a practical reality and
refine traditional energy sources (e.g. the
hydrogen fuel cell; cars powered by lithi-
um batteries or other electrical alterna-
tives such as hybrids; renewable energy
such as wind, solar, biomass, geothermal
and hydropower; clean coal technologies;
nuclear power; etc.). I advocate research
and implementation of all alternative ener-
gy sources; conservation; and increased
fuel efficiency. We must take all logical,
cost-effective, and environmentally-sound
alternatives to produce American-made
energy that will help to prevent global cli-
mate changes.
TOP ISSUES: The biggest issue is the
economy, with four subset issues: A)
Energy Crisis: solved by aggressive
investment in alternative energy; B)
Decline in Housing Values: solved by
aggressively combating home foreclo-
sures to increase housing values, penaliz-
ing predatory lending, and taking all
responsible measures to keep families in
their homes. C) Loss of American Jobs:
solved by creating and maintaining
American jobs in every way possible, e.g.
renegotiate trade agreements like NAFTA
and focusing on fair trade. D) Financial
crisis: solved by responsibly supporting
Thaddeus McCotter has represented the
11th District for the past six years. He
served in the Michigan Senate from 1999
to 2002. Prior to that, McCotter was a
practicing attorney who served as a
Wayne County Commissioner from 1993 to
1998 and on the Schoolcraft College
Board of Trustees from 1989 to 1992.
our markets and creating accountability
provisions to assure this doesn’t happen
again.
No. 2 is Iraq. We should responsibly
re-deploy from Iraq to save $100 billion
or more per year.
No. 3 is expanding health care to
cover as many Americans as possible.
WHY YOU? Thaddeus McCotter has been
a foot soldier for George Bush, voting
how Bush leads without question.
McCotter will continue to follow Bush’s
erroneous policies on the Iraq war, econ-
omy, energy policy, credit crunch, health
care, etc., all of which are severely harm-
ing America’s middle class, jobs, and
businesses. McCotter is not a “represen-
tative.” He votes first and foremost
along party lines rather than what is best
for his constituents.
I will act as a leader, not a follower. I
will reach across the aisle to work with
members of both parties on policies that
will best solve our country’s problems in
the economy, energy, and Iraq war.
THADDEUS McCOTTER
IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN: If the United States
is defeated in Iraq and this fledgling
democracy is abandoned, its instability
will coalesce into an epicenter of terrorist
attacks upon our country; the state
sponsor of terror Iran will develop a
nuclear weapon, and dominate and
destabilize the region; Syria and Iran
through their proxy Hezbollah will con-
tinue to undermine Lebanon’s peaceful
Cedar Revolution; Hamas will escalate its
violence against Israel and the Palestinian
Authority’s Fatah party; the U.S. allies of
Pakistan, Jordan and Egypt will face
renewed efforts to undermine their gov-
ernments; and, having proven successful
in Iraq, the insurgents and terrorists will
utilize the same tactics to force an allied
withdrawal from the struggling democra-
cy in Afghanistan.
Future troop removals from the Iraqi
theater will continue, based upon suc-
SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY
cess on the ground which, at present,
is steadily progressing.
FINANCIAL CRISIS: My fellow residents
of the 11th District didn’t elect me to
abet American socialism. Thus, I
opposed both of the Bush administra-
tion’s taxpayer-funded, trillion-dollar
Wall Street bailouts; and, alternatively, I
proposed a pro-taxpayer, free market,
private recapitalization plan for the
banking system. Unfortunately, the
$800 billion Wall Street bailout was
passed by the Democratically-con-
trolled Congress. The bill remains
intrinsically unfair to the American peo-
ple; didn’t properly address the short-
term financial issues it purported to
solve; and didn’t even begin to address
the deeper economic dysfunctions in
American and global markets.
ENERGY/OIL DEPENDENCY: There are
three key elements to America’s energy
situation: production, conservation and
innovation. It’s crucial we do all we can
to lower gas prices and energy costs
by increasing domestic production,
promoting conservation and encourag-
ing free market innovation of clean
alternative fuels. We need to unleash
our natural resources, while supporting
the aforementioned “all of the above”
approach.
TOP ISSUES: We must lower gas
prices by increasing domestic produc-
tion, promoting conservation and
encouraging free market innovations of
clean alternative fuels.
We must lower our taxes and reduce
the size of government. It’s critical we
preserve and promote Michigan’s econo-
my and set the conditions necessary for
entrepreneurs to create new jobs. We
must fight to stop unfair trade agree-
ments and level the world’s economic
playing field for American manufactur-
ing, businesses and workers.
And, finally, it’s paramount to
American sovereignty we stop any
amnesty for illegal aliens.
WHY YOU? I’m seeking re-election to
continue fighting against the powerful
for my fellow residents and address
our community’s critical concerns. I
have matched my words with my
deeds and worked for and with my
constituents to reach our shared goal
of improving the quality of life in our
community, our state and our country.
I will continue to fully, honorably and
effectively work for the sovereign citi-
zens of the 11th District.
Equally, as a husband and a father
of three children, I live and share the
same daily burdens and countless
blessings as everyone in our communi-
ty; and, I’m personally committed to
ensure we succeed in moving forward
and keeping America the greatest
country in the world. ❏
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008 www.spinalcolumnonline.com PAGE 5/C,WB

general election voter guide

Walled Lake, Wixom

Republican Hugh Crawford and

State House/38th insight few people have.
Democrat Chuck Tindall will face off in
the Tuesday, Nov. 4 general election
CHUCK TINDALL
BUDGET: If spending cuts are needed,
for the state’s 38th House District
the Legislature should lead the way by
seat. State representatives serve two-
taking pay and benefit cuts before
year terms and are currently paid an
asking others to do so. Another area
annual salary of $79,650.
for budget savings would be our
The following are questions our
prison system. We need to look at
staff recently posed to the candidates,
alternative sentencing for non-violent
and their responses to those ques-
and first-time offenders. We are wast-
tions.
ing tax dollars housing and supporting
BUDGET: Please explain what state
some people needlessly.
spending reductions, if any, you would
However, along with cuts we also
like to see in the future. What revenue
need to look at possible revenue
enhancements, if any, do you advo-
Hugh Crawford is vice chairman of the Chuck Tindall has been a union commer- increases.
cate? Finally, state why you believe the
Oakland County Board of Commissioners. cial carpenter with Detroit Local 687 for 21 BUSINESS TAXES: The new business
budget can be balanced by addressing
He was a Novi city councilman from 1985 years. taxes should be reviewed for possible
only one side of the ledger or the
until 2000, and has served on the county changes. We don’t want to overburden
other, or why both spending cuts and
Board of Commissioners for the past eight our businesses but we must ensure
increased revenues are the solution. years. that all pay a fair share.
BUSINESS TAXES: The state during
PROPOSAL A REFORMS: I see no
this last session had an opportunity to
adamantly opposed to that tactic. DEQ FUNDING: I would not support any need at this time for any changes, but
rewrite the business tax structure in
Spending cuts, coupled with budget- supplemental DEQ appropriations until I would always be open to review.
the state, replacing the single busi-
ary reform, should be the primary areas and unless reforms were in place to DEQ FUNDING: We must maintain
ness tax. Are you satisfied with the
of focus in order to get the state’s fiscal insure overspending and lack of account- funding to insure our water and our
new business tax structure or is more
resources under control. The need to ability were first addressed. This is a environment are protected. How could
work needed on the new taxes?
increase taxes need not be considered prime example of the reforms needed in we be the Great Lakes state and not
PROPOSAL A REFORMS: Although
because there are other ways to achieve our state government. Here we have a protect our greatest resource?
Proposal A effectively resolved several
a balanced budget. Why raise taxes department that has gone over its budg- TOP ISSUES: The Legislature’s No. 1
legitimate issues for nearly a decade,
when some departments consistently go et for the fiscal year, without accounta- priority should be bring jobs to
the economic hardships of the past
over budget with no accountability? Why bility as to why. Shouldn’t the first focus Michigan. I would address this by
couple years have brought attention to
raise taxes when department heads be on reining in budget overages? working with our governor and all oth-
several of Proposal A’s shortcomings.
don’t need to report to the Legislature Should not an inquiry be made as to why ers with plans to bring jobs to our
Which, if any, of Proposal A’s unin-
to explain why budgetary guidelines have this department has overspent? Water state.
tended and unexpected negative con-
been exceeded? resources can be protected without No. 2 is access to affordable, quali-
sequences do you believe need imme-
BUSINESS TAXES: No (I am not satisfied blindly handing over money to a depart- ty health care. For this effort to work
diate attention, and how should they
with the new business tax structure). All ment that has mismanaged what money it must include health care providers,
be resolved?
recent surveys attest to the fact that they were already given. businesses, public and private groups.
DEQ FUNDING: The Michigan
Michigan is among the least business- Even outside the realm of funding, All need to be involved and heard
Department of Environmental Quality
friendly states in the nation, according this department also needs reform in from.
(DEQ) failed to garner enough political
to CEOs. As a result, businesses and terms of its overregulation that some- No. 3 is to look for more wasteful
support to place an environmental
their workforce are leaving Michigan in times results in getting done in months spending to reduce. One area I would
bond issue on the general election bal-
record numbers. The way to attract new what it takes other states weeks or even look at is the Department of
lot to replace the Clean Michigan Bond
business and retain existing ones is not days to accomplish. Corrections. We need to reduce
initiative funding, which will run dry
to impose an onerous tax for doing busi- TOP ISSUES: My top three priorities are Michigan’s prison population. I sug-
after 10 years at the end of 2008. The
ness in Michigan. By revising the tax cut spending and eliminate unnecessary gest shorter and alternative sentenc-
department now seeks supplemental
structure and the tax rates, including spending; reduce taxes and eliminate ing for non-violent and first-time
funding for the next two years to keep
the elimination of the new 22 percent onerous taxes; and reform government offenders.
existing water quality and pollution
Michigan Business Tax surcharge, only by making departments more transpar- WHY YOU? Because we don’t need a
clean up projects running at a mini-
then will Michigan attract the new ent and by requiring departments to candidate working to fund municipal
mum level. State why you would or
growth necessary to achieve the diversi- keep a balanced budget or face economic projects that the citizens don’t want.
wouldn’t support a supplemental DEQ
ty of business needed to restore consequences. We don’t need a candidate voting for
appropriation to maintain bare-bones
Michigan’s economy to what it once was WHY YOU? My record of being fiscally pay increases and golden parachute
initiatives directed at protecting water
— namely, one of the leading states for responsible is well documented. Oakland retirement packages for their subordi-
resources.
business opportunities. County is one of only 28 counties in the nates.
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
PROPOSAL A REFORMS: One of the nation that enjoys a AAA bond rating. I Michigan can no longer afford to
important issues for the Legislature,
unintended consequences of Proposal A will bring that same sense of fiscal have partisan fighting taking priority
and how do you propose to address
is that even if property values go down, responsibility to Lansing. I have the over what is best for our state. We
them?
a taxpayer’s real property taxes can and experience to work across the aisle to need to send someone to Lansing who
WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should
do still increase. At the time Proposal A get the job done of making Michigan a will work with all others to get our
voters choose you over your oppo-
was enacted, no one really believed that better place to live and work. In this state going again; a candidate who will
nent?
the real estate market would be suffer- era of term limits, experience is now work with our twice-elected governor
HUGH CRAWFORD ing its current woes. Now that that has more than ever a vital component of and help bring in jobs and put our citi-
BUDGET: First of all, I advocate no come to pass, taxpayers are receiving achieving success. I have the experience zens back to work; and a candidate
spending cuts in either of the areas of their new tax bills which indicate lower of being a city councilman for 15 years with a working-class point of view
education or Medicaid. After that, any- property values, yet higher taxes. This is and an Oakland County Commissioner that knows first hand what Michigan
thing is on the table for consideration. patently unfair. A simple fix would be to for eight years. Those positions, cou- families face. I strive to be such a can-
As to revenue enhancements, if by limit or eliminate tax increases even pled with my life-long residency in this didate and will work for all the voters
that it is meant tax increases, I remain when property values plummet. district, have collectively given me an and help to move Michigan forward. ❏
PAGE 6/C,WB
Commerce, West Bloomfield, Wolverine Lake
Democrat Lisa Brown and Republi-
State House/39th
can Amy Peterman will face off in the
Tuesday, Nov. 4 general election for
the state’s 39th House District seat.
State representatives serve two-year
terms and are currently paid $79,650
annually.
The following are questions our
staff recently posed to the candidates,
and their responses to those questions.
BUDGET: Please explain what state
spending reductions, if any, you would
like to see in the future. What revenue
enhancements, if any, do you advocate?
Finally, state why you believe the budg-
et can be balanced by addressing only
one side of the ledger or the other, or
why both spending cuts and increased
revenues are the solution.
BUSINESS TAXES: The Legislature dur-
ing this last session had an opportunity
to rewrite the business tax structure in
Michigan, replacing the Single Business
Tax (SBT). Are you satisfied with the
new business tax structure or is more
work needed?
PROPOSAL A REFORMS: The economic
hardships of the past couple years
have brought attention to several of
Proposal A’s shortcomings. Which, if
any, of Proposal A’s unintended and
unexpected negative consequences do
you believe need immediate attention,
and how should they be resolved?
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the Legislature, and
how do you propose to address them?
WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should
voters choose you over your opponent?
LISA BROWN
BUDGET: Our Legislature needs to set
an example. I would propose a reduc-
tion in the salary that our legislators
receive. I would also like to end the
health care for life that our legislators
enjoy.
There are companies that outsource
our jobs and receive tax breaks, and I
don’t think companies that send our
jobs elsewhere should be rewarded.
I’m happy to give tax breaks to compa-
nies who actually create jobs here in
Michigan. The gas companies also
receive tax breaks, and I would like to
end that, as well.
I think you need to do both (spend-
ing cuts and revenue enhancements).
You can’t just cut and cut and cut and
still have all the services that you want.
However, this is not the time to raise
taxes, as people are struggling to keep
their homes. We have to be creative.
BUSINESS TAXES: More work is defi-
nitely needed. Our small, medium-sized
businesses seem to be unfairly bur-
dened with the Michigan Business Tax
(MBT). I’ve heard of a company that
was paying $4,000 a year under the
SBT, and is now paying $14,000 with
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Lisa Brown is a realtor with Max Broock
Realtors. She is currently a member of the
Pine Lake Elementary and West Hills Middle
School parent-teacher organizations, and
chairwoman of the volunteer services
committee of the executive board of
JARC, an non-profit organization for peo-
ple with disabilities.
the same amount of business. I’d also
like to eliminate the surcharge on the
MBT.
PROPOSAL A REFORMS: It definitely
needs a second look. The thought behind
it was there shouldn’t be one school dis-
trict that’s better than another. They
should all be great. However, the funding
kind of brought everyone down to meet
in the middle instead of bringing all the
school districts up to be the very best
they could be. Our kids need every oppor-
tunity that they can get to compete for
the jobs of the future.
I’d like to introduce legislation that
prohibits your property taxes from going
up if your property value goes down,
because that’s what’s been happening in
our community.
TOP ISSUES: First and foremost, what’s
on everyone’s minds is jobs and our
economy. We need to diversify our econo-
my. We need to attract new industries to
the state. We need to create jobs that
can’t be outsourced because that’s where
so many of our jobs have gone. I’d also
like create retraining programs for people
who have lost their jobs through no fault
of their own.
Health care is another. I signed a
pledge through AARP to work across the
aisle to come up with a solution to make
quality health care affordable for every-
one. No one should have to choose
between buying their needed prescription
medicine and their groceries.
Next, obviously, is schools. Businesses
come where there is an educated work
force. We need to prepare our kids for
the jobs of the future. Being a mother of
three, I have a little self-interest involved
there, as well, making sure that our kids
get every opportunity possible.
WHY YOU? I’m not a career politician and
I’m not a Lansing insider. We need a
change. We need someone who will stand
up for the people of the 39th District;
someone who believes that Lansing is
broken and will fight to reform govern-
Amy Peterman is legal counsel and a poli-
cy advisor for the Republican State Senate
Majority Policy Office, where she has been
employed for two years. She has held vari-
ous offices with the Walled Lake School
Board, including president and vice presi-
dent.
ment by setting an example; someone
who will work to create jobs and fight
outsourcing and end the tax breaks those
companies that do outsource enjoy;
someone who will work across the aisle
and make health care accessible and
affordable to everyone; and someone who
will end drug (company) immunity. We
need someone who will stand up for our
schools and make sure our classrooms
are fully funded; and someone who will
stand up for our environment and protect
our Great Lakes and protect our green
spaces. I believe that I’m that person.
AMY PETERMAN
BUDGET: Last year the state Legislature
passed one of the biggest taxes increases
in a generation. There was still a $350
million surplus and the state quickly went
on a spending spree.
There are plenty of areas to cut the fat.
Areas that we could look at are the Depart-
ment of Corrections’ $2 billion budget. We
spend more on the Department of Correc-
tions than we do on higher education.
The answer is government reform: Cut
government waste and reduce overall
spending in areas of reform. We can look
at going to a part-time Legislature; have
a no-work-no-pay rule for legislators, so if
they’re not there to vote they don’t get
paid. I would also like to end lifetime
health care benefits for legislators.
I think the resources are there. I work
in Lansing. I’ve been an eye witness to
the dysfunction in our state government.
Our tax dollars are being mismanaged.
I’m not sure we need increased revenues.
Michigan’s budget is bigger than two-
thirds of the world’s countries.
BUSINESS TAXES: Clearly, the MBT needs
to be revisited. We need to eliminate the
22 percent surcharge on businesses. Near-
ly 40 percent of business owners are pay-
ing double the tax liability that they were
paying under the SBT. We need to be work-
ing with and helping our job providers, not
penalizing them with more taxes.
SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY
PROPOSAL A REFORMS: The idea
behind Proposal A was to create parity
in education funding, but also to keep
property taxes down. When we’re look-
ing at any sort of revisions, I would like
to continue to keep property taxes
down and to make sure our schools are
fully funded.
One of the many unintended conse-
quences of Proposal A was the pop-up
tax. It’s prohibiting empty nesters from
being able to leave their homes because
their taxes would be so much higher on
even a condo, and they can’t afford to
downsize. It’s also preventing young
people from pursuing their dream of
owning a home. I would like to see
pop-up tax reform. One of the bills in
the House would give an income tax
credit in the amount of the pop-up tax.
To me that’s a better solution than
reducing taxes or raising taxes.
TOP ISSUES: Jobs and the economy
are the issues out there right now. We
need to diversify our economy. The nat-
ural way to do that is with an industry
that compliments our existing automo-
tive industry, like alternative fuels. We
need to create a more favorable busi-
ness climate to encourage businesses
to come here. We have the MBT, and
the 22 percent surcharge which is
killing our small businesses. We also
have the DEQ who has all sorts of reg-
ulations and red tape.
I have children in the public schools
and as a very strong advocate for pub-
lic education, I think we have to invest
in education. We have to make sure
that our schools are fully funded and
that college is affordable.
The third issue is affordable health
care. There’s just too much waste ...
when we could be a little more
resourceful and have the money that
we need for the programs that we
value, like affordable health care and
roads.
WHY YOU? It takes an experienced
leader to come up with solutions and
implement them so we can get Michigan
on the right track. I have balanced a
$165 million budget on the (Walled
Lake) school board for the past nine
years and protected the taxpayer dollars
while simultaneously improving MEAP
scores. I have represented the people in
our community. I have also been an eye-
witness to what’s going on in Lansing
and I understand what the problems are.
I’m ready to hit the ground running.
What’s also important is that I do have a
track record of not serving the interest
of one particular party or another and of
not representing special interests. I’ve
always done what is best for the com-
munity and I’ve never been a rubber
stamp for anybody or any organization. I
will continue to do that if elected. ❏
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
Orchard Lake
Democrat Julie Candler is challeng-
State House/40th
ing incumbent Republican Chuck Moss
in the Tuesday, Nov. 4 general election
for the state’s 40th House District
seat. State representatives serve two-
year terms and are currently paid an
annual salary of $79,650.
The following are questions our staff
recently posed to the candidates, and
their responses to those questions.
BUDGET: Please explain what state
spending reductions, if any, you would
like to see in the future. What revenue
enhancements, if any, do you advocate?
Finally, state why you believe the budg-
et can be balanced by addressing only
one side of the ledger or the other, or
why both spending cuts and increased
revenues are the solution.
BUSINESS TAXES: The Legislature dur-
ing this last session had an opportunity
to rewrite the business tax structure in
the state, replacing the single business
tax. Are you satisfied with the new
business tax structure or is more work
needed on the new taxes?
PROPOSAL A REFORMS: The economic
hardships of the past few years have
brought attention to several of
Proposal A’s shortcomings. Which, if
any, of Proposal A’s unintended and
unexpected negative consequences do
you believe need immediate attention,
and how should they be resolved?
EDUCATION: What do you see as the
most important education issues in the
state, and how should they be
addressed?
DEQ FUNDING: The Michigan Depart-
ment of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
failed to garner enough political support
to place an environmental bond issue on
the general election ballot to replace the
Clean Michigan Bond initiative funding,
which will run dry after 10 years at the
end of 2008. The department now seeks
supplemental funding for the next two
years to keep existing water quality and
pollution clean up projects running at a
minimum level. State why you would or
wouldn’t support a supplemental DEQ
appropriation to maintain bare-bones ini-
tiatives directed at protecting water
resources.
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the Legislature, and
how do you propose to address them?
JULIE CANDLER
BUDGET: The spending reduction I
would most like to see is in the
Corrections Department. It now incarcer-
ates more than 50,000 prisoners, to the
point where prisons are overcrowded. It
employs more workers than any other
Michigan department and spends $2 bil-
lion a year, the fifth largest item in the
state budget. Many of the prisoners are
there because of state drug laws which
require mandatory minimum sentences
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Julie Candler is a photojournalist and has
operated her own public relations business,
Julie Candler and Associates, for more than
40 years. She serves on the Oakland County
Executive Committee of the Democratic Party
and is precinct delegate for Bloomfield
Township Precinct 21.
for non-violent drug offenders. I favor
changing the law so that judges aren’t
forced to give long prison terms to these
non-violent offenders and pardoning some
of those who have already served unneces-
sarily long sentences.
At the same time, I believe in increas-
ing revenues, especially some of the big
income tax cuts that began in the Engler
years.
BUSINESS TAXES: I believe the new sin-
gle business tax needs some revision to
make it more equitable.
PROPOSAL A REFORMS: I agree that
Proposal A now has shortcomings, partic-
ularly the fact that local school property
tax is eliminated in most communities
and funding is shifted to the state by
raising the state sales tax from 4 percent
to 6 percent and creating a state educa-
tion property tax of 6 mills. Michigan no
longer has a general fund budget surplus,
and the public school populations are
decreasing. Even though per pupil grants
are increased, school systems are losing
funding. This is unacceptable and some
way must be found to compensate
schools for their budget cuts. It shouldn’t
be through increasing the sales tax but
through some type of revenue increase.
EDUCATION: The state’s most urgent
problem in education is the fact that we
rank 34th in the nation in the percentage
of college graduates. The result is that
our per capita income is also low. We
could have a more prosperous, better-
educated workforce if we provided tuition
loans that help students afford college.
DEQ FUNDING: A supplemental DEQ
appropriation should be passed, to keep
existing water quality and cleanup projects
running at more than a minimum level.
TOP ISSUES: My top issue is health care.
More than 1.5 million Michigan residents
have no health insurance, usually because
they can’t afford it. Consequently, they
often wait too long to get care. Often
they have to resort to care in a hospital
emergency ward, which provides the most
Chuck Moss has served in the Michigan
House of Representatives since 2006. Prior to
that, he was an Oakland County Commis-
sioner and member of the Birmingham City
Council, where he served as mayor and
mayor pro tem.
expensive care available. Hospitals pass
that high expenses through the insurance
system and as a result Michigan residents
with insurance have their costs raised. We
need a statewide system of universal
health care, similar to that in Massachu-
setts, but less dependent on insurance
because many families can’t afford it.
Another top issue is the economy,
which the Legislature could improve by
measures encouraging Michigan resi-
dents to buy American vehicles, not
imports. The profits from import pur-
chases go back to Japan and Germany,
even though their factories are in the U.S.
My No. 3 issue is the corrections
department, which should be addressed
as stated above.
CHUCK MOSS
BUDGET: We’ve already had the revenue
enhancements. A year later, the money
has been spent with no real decreases.
It’s time to tackle the spending side of
the ledger.
We should implement the reforms
advocated by the bipartisan group Detroit
Renaissance, Inc. in its September 2008
Budget Action Plan. Areas of action are
corrections, Medicaid reform, teacher
retirement benefits, and state employee
retirement benefits. Savings are estimat-
ed at $800 million. Next, we should end
“prevailing wage” laws that boost educa-
tion costs, and redirect the savings to the
School Aid Fund. Next, we need to achiev-
able government-wide economics: elimi-
nate state employee pay increases to save
$150.7 million; shift 10 percent of cur-
rent state employee health insurance
costs to employees to save $59 million;
eliminate “economic adjustments” and
impose administrative savings identified
in Senate Bill 511 to save $94.2 million;
and adopt the “Pappageorge Plan” of
holding all state budgets to 96 percent of
revenue estimates, to avoid overspending.
BUSINESS TAXES: No, it’s time to repeal
the 21.99 percent Michigan Business Tax
PAGE 7/C,WB
(MBT) surcharge, and the tax-on-tax.
Michigan has lost over 61,000 jobs
since the business taxes were
“reformed” by raising them.
PROPOSAL A REFORMS: A comprehen-
sive look at Proposal A is in order. Just
remember two things:
A) A precipitous rise in property
taxes will kill our citizens, coming on
top of everything else; and
B) Relief from current property
taxes, while desirable, can’t be taken
out of the hide of local governments,
which have been economizing since
about 2003. Property taxes aren’t just
pesky pains in the butt, they’re the pri-
mary source of revenue for cities, town-
ships, villages, counties, and schools.
Nothing should be “immediately”
changed, without looking at how the
whole thing works.
EDUCATION: First is failing schools,
which can be addressed by directing
money from propping up inadequate
systems to educating kids.
Second is Lansing micro-manage-
ment, by taking money away from the
foundation allowance — which gives
school boards and local district super-
intendents maximum flexibility, to “cat-
egorical” appropriations targeted to
Lansing mandated-programs. Address
by decreasing categoricals and funding
the foundation allowance.
Third is retirement benefit costs:
$25.5 billion for PSERS, the education
retirement system, as of FY 2007. It’s
undoubtedly higher now. Address by
containing costs for new hires, privatiz-
ing non-core educational functions,
beginning a funding plan.
DEQ FUNDING: I would support fund-
ing the cleaning up of Michigan’s water
resources. I’m not sure the DEQ is the
agency to be trusted with that task, as
it has made a very bad name for itself
as an inflexible bureaucracy of zealous
regulatory tyrants. Balancing protection
of the environment with the need for
jobs and economic development is a
sensitive task, and the DEQ has simply
forfeited the trust necessary to be a
credible overseer.
TOP ISSUES: First is try and undo the
damage wrought by the last budget/tax
cycle. Repeal the MBT surcharge and
tax-on-tax immediately. Work to fix the
MBT burden on business, and reform
Lansing spending (See budget ques-
tion).
Second is fund our schools. Our dis-
tricts need the funding promised them
by Proposal A in the 20j budget line,
and that 20j funding must be preserved
(See education question).
Third is address the state govern-
ment’s retiree health care legacy costs:
currently $40 billion in unfunded liabili-
ty (see education question). ❏
PAGE 8/C,WB
Waterford, West Bloomfield
Republican Gail Haines and
State House/43rd
Democrat Scott Hudson will compete in
the Tuesday, Nov. 4 general election
race for the state’s 43rd House District
seat. State representatives serve two-
year terms and are currently paid
$79,650 annually.
The following are questions our
staff recently posed to the candidates,
and their responses to those ques-
tions.
BUDGET: Please explain what state
spending reductions, if any, you would
like to see in the future. What revenue
enhancements, if any, do you advocate?
Finally, state why you believe the budg-
et can be balanced by addressing only
one side of the ledger or the other, or
why both spending cuts and increased
revenues are the solution.
BUSINESS TAXES: The Legislature dur-
ing this last session had an opportunity
to rewrite the business tax structure in
Michigan, replacing the Single Business
Tax (SBT). Are you satisfied with the
new business tax or is more work
needed?
PROPOSAL A REFORMS: The economic
hardships of the past few years have
brought attention to several of
Proposal A’s shortcomings. Which of
Proposal A’s unintended and unexpect-
ed negative consequences do you
believe need immediate attention, and
how should they be resolved?
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the Legislature,
and how do you propose to address
them?
WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should
voters choose you over your opponent?
GAIL HAINES
BUDGET: In Michigan we have the
14th highest tax burden in the country.
We must stop taxing our citizens. We
need to lower taxes, we need to reduce
the size of state government and we
need to reform and restructure state
government. There are many areas in
which we can do that and that is what
I would support.
BUSINESS TAXES: No, I’m not satisfied
with the new business tax structure.
The MBT (Michigan Business Tax) was
a deal that was made in the middle of
the night. It was all but slammed down
our throats and I firmly believe that we
need to go back and revisit the MBT
and do away with the 21.9 percent
surcharge that was added. This was a
job-killing move.
PROPOSAL A REFORMS: In 1994
when Proposal A was instituted it did
exactly what it was supposed to do. It
reduced property taxes and it also pro-
vided per-pupil funding for education. It
worked well but that was during those
economic times. We are here now in
2008 and the economy isn’t the same.
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Gail Haines, a former teacher, is a Lake
Angelus city councilwoman. She has
served as community liaison for state Rep.
Fran Amos and a precinct delegate. She is
a member of the Oakland County
Republican Party Executive Committee
and the North Oakland Republican Club.
In other states they are looking at a sim-
ple percentage of retail value. Perhaps
that is something that we might want to
take a look at. Or, we might want to take
a look at further tweaking Proposal A. I
do believe that it needs to be adjusted
but I would be very careful about chang-
ing the equation and the per-pupil fund-
ing for public education.
TOP ISSUES: When I announced my can-
didacy I was running on the three E’s:
the economy, education and the environ-
ment/energy. Education and the environ-
ment are still very important to me, but
as I knocked doors I found it’s all about
the economy. If people don’t have jobs,
aren’t able to make ends meet, and are
loosing their homes, than nothing else
really matters. I’m very excited about the
(recently adopted) energy package. There
are parts of it I like; there are parts of it
that I don’t like. It has been written in a
manner that we’ll be able to go back and
look at it for change as we go along. The
package now tells the other states that
we’re on board.
WHY YOU? I firmly believe I can make a
difference. I want to take common sense
leadership to Lansing. My experience in
city government and commitment to all of
the community groups that I have been
involved with led me to state govern-
ment. I posses the knowledge, the ability
and the energy to do this job and I will be
ready to do it on day one. I have been a
wife, a mother, a teacher, a community
activist and an elected official.
Most importantly while I do believe
that we need to work in a bipartisan
level, I’m partisan. In 2007 every single
Michigan (Democratic) representative
voted for a tax increase. I have signed a
pledge not to raise taxes. I’m the only
candidate in this race who has signed
that pledge and I will stand by that.
SCOTT HUDSON
BUDGET: What happened last year, when
Scott Hudson has served on the Waterford
Schools Board of Education since 2005,
and on the Waterford Planning Commis-
sion from 1998 to 2006. He has been a
real estate broker and agent, and owner
of Scott Hudson Developments, Inc. since
1995. Hudson served on the Cherryland
Electric Cooperative Board of Directors
from 1982 to 1990.
the SBT was replaced by the MBT, was a
net increase in taxes and that’s got to be
the most backward way of thinking I’ve
ever seen. What happened with the film
industry, as far as giving tax credits —
the writing is on the wall. By reducing
those taxes you encourage people to
come and create business and jobs in
Michigan. The last thing you want to do
is increase taxes. There are other ways
you can reduce the need for money and
revenue. In Waterford, at the school dis-
trict where I’m a member of the school
board, we just replaced the insurance for-
mally held by MESSA with another group
so that the school board is the policy
holder. We are giving the teachers and
the employees essentially the same insur-
ance, Blue Cross Blue Shield, which
they’ve had to date. The school district is
going to save anywhere from $2 million
to $4 million a year. If 552 districts
statewide did this that could amount to
$400 million saved at the state level.
That’s the approach the Legislature
needs to take. You don’t simply raise
taxes, you adjust and you refine your
business pattern.
BUSINESS TAXES: I agree the MBT needs
to be revisited. I know the people in the
Department of Treasury are still trying to
figure out just what is what and how to
interpret different aspects of the MBT. In
times that are terribly tough, the last
thing you want to do is make things
more complicated and more burdensome.
The MBT needs change.
PROPOSAL A REFORMS: Proposal A did a
lot of things and it did some less than
good things. It did help to equalize school
funding on a statewide basis. At the same
time, the property taxes which have the
various caps to them and pop up aspects
with market value and state equalized
value and cost of living — it’s not in tune
with what’s going on in 2008. You need to
spur the economy, you need to allow peo-
SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY
ple to sell houses, and you need to allow
people to move into a home for the first
time. By reducing the pop up tax that
occurs when a house is sold, you start
dealing with true market rates which are
declining, but you at least get some kind
of cash flow going instead of defaults
and bankruptcy. Proposal A will probably
always need to be adjusted, and it’s
extremely important right now to adjust
it.
TOP ISSUES: Right now people need
jobs, and energy is an important aspect
of how we can reinvent Michigan.
Education is probably to single most
important economic development
engine we have.
What’s going on in Michigan with
the energy package that was just
passed is a huge mistake. What it does
is end competition and give back
monopolies to Edison and Consumer’s.
One of the terrible things happening in
the U.S. when they try to get involved
in wind turbine energy is they import
technology from Denmark. It’s not even
built in the U.S. If we change the
investment to encourage competition
and create new high-tech jobs in
Michigan, and if you take those funds
and put them into renewable resources
you can still have a base load capacity
that’s clean energy and controlled so
people have reliable sources.
From a job standpoint we should
have tax credits and encourage busi-
nesses.
In education we should be focusing
on the emerging technologies including
alternative energy in Michigan. We need
to manufacture what we can, deal with
emerging sectors and focus on renew-
able energy.
WHY YOU? It has to do with experi-
ence. I’ve been involved with alternative
energies for over 31 years. I’ve been
involved with the electric utility busi-
ness for eight years. I was on the
board of directors of electric utilities in
northern Michigan, perusing alternative
energies. I’ve been on the planning
commission in Waterford for nine years.
I understand how state and local regu-
lation need to mesh and work together
for savings so you don’t duplicate
efforts. I have demonstrated the leader-
ship it takes to go against the grain, to
reinvent how you fund insurance, pro-
tect the teachers, and open up new
aspects of education with all-day
kindergarten. I’m a business man of
more than 20 years. I know how to
come up with a budget and make it
work. I’ve dealt with budgets over
$100 million. I am a family man. I have
a daughter and there is nothing more
important than the family unit. I know
how to make win-win situations. I’m
not partisan. ❏
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
Oakland County Executive
Democrat Brenda Lawrence and
incumbent Republican L. Brooks
Patterson are competing in the
Tuesday, Nov. 4 general election for the
Oakland County executive position. The
county executive serves a four-year
term and is currently paid $178,869 a
year.
The following are questions our
staff recently posed to the candidates,
and their responses to those ques-
tions.
BUDGET: What changes in county
budgeting priorities or processes do
you advocate to deal with new budget-
ary challenges? Are there other major
cost savings efforts that can be under-
taken if the situation worsens in the
next couple of years?
REGIONAL ISSUES: What do you see
as the most critical regional issues at
this time, and what should Oakland
County’s role be in addressing them?
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: What
new service, incentives, or marketing
programs would you implement to
attract new enterprises and retain
existing businesses?
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the county at this
time, and how do you propose to
address them?
WHY YOU? Why should voters choose
you over your opponent?
BRENDA LAWRENCE
BUDGET: I’m the mayor of Southfield,
the third largest city in Oakland County.
We have confronted the same chal-
lenges concerning our budget and state
revenue. We have a substantial fund
balance. When shortfalls are coming,
we’re able to take money from that.
We implemented a five-year plan to
take less out of our fund balance.
You look at every aspect of opera-
tions. You look at your manpower.
We’re going to have to start looking at
where we can cut. We’re going to have
to reduce some departments and con-
solidate. You have your Health
Department and others that you have
to look at; instead of a five-day opera-
tion it could possibly be a three-day
operation. We can’t continue to do
business as usual.
REGIONAL ISSUES: Three things that
come to mind are water, Cobo, and
mass transit.
The current administration has said
no one wants mass transit and we
tried in the ‘70s and no one rode it.
There are federal dollars available for
mass transit but you have to show you
have a regional plan. I will sit down at
the table and develop and solidify a
regional mass transit plan.
The water belongs to all of us. We
pay for it. That’s a regional issue that
we can’t wait until there is an issue
and start fighting about it. We need
updates and reports on a regular basis.
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Brenda Lawrence has served as the mayor
of Southfield since 2001. Prior to that she
served on the Southfield City Council for
five years, and on the Southfield Schools
Board of Education for five years.
How long do we need to talk about an
expansion of Cobo Hall? When you have
varying interests, various levels of passion,
you’ve got to roll up your sleeves, go to
the table and keep working until you reach
the goal. Being a leader is making a com-
mitment to getting the job done.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: If we can
keep the businesses we have, we’re one
step ahead of the game. I keep my thumb
on the pulse of the business community.
We have some wonderful programs. The
Emerging Sectors is a great program.
When we hear of a company that has
merged or you read they file for Chapter
11 or they’re downsizing, we immediately
call that person and say “What do you
need? Where are you going? Can we
meet with your leadership?” They don’t
always come to you. You have to go to
them.
TOP ISSUES: One of the issues is foreclo-
sures. We have been taxed all across the
country as government leaders to main-
tain properties that people have walked
away from. In Southfield, we won’t allow
blight to happen. We actually pay staff to
cut the lawns and do the shrubberies, to
do the trash and whatever we can to
keep things up. It’s a service that we
don’t have in Oakland County.
Another is declining property values.
It’s frustrating when you try to explain to
taxpayers that we’re taxing you at a cer-
tain value but you can’t sell you’re house
at that level.
The other one is how we’re going to
continue to do business with less money.
Oakland County has always had the
checkbook and we could just write
checks. That’s not the case anymore.
WHY YOU? The Oakland County that
elected my opponent is not the Oakland
County we have now. We have so much
that doesn’t require the type of leader-
ship that is stuck in the past. When I say
we have to do things differently I mean
we have to embrace new technology.
When you have leadership that will only
talk to a certain group of people and
make decisions based on that, that’s not
respectful and that will never move this
county forward. I’m coming to the table
L. Brooks Patterson has served as the
Oakland County executive for over 15
years. Prior to that he served as the
Oakland County prosecutor for 16 years.
with 16 years experience as a school
board member, as a city council member
and twice as a mayor.
L. BROOKS PATTERSON
BUDGET: We have a two-year rolling budg-
et. We are in balance for the current fiscal
year 2008 and we’re in a line item budget
balanced for 2009 and 2010. We’re now
working on fiscal year 2011, which isn’t
going to be a pretty year. We’re already
starting to make decisions about employee
incentive reductions, hiring freezes, and
other programs we’ll have to totally
deplete. Some of them we’ll implement
right now, which minimizes the challenge
when we get to 2011.
It’s not so much savings as offsetting
the loses with new property taxpayers.
As those property values slide, you cut as
we’re doing and go out and find more
businesses to come here, open up shop
and their new taxes make up for some of
the loss.
REGIONAL ISSUES: Lack of information
on Cobo Hall (expansion) has been an
issue. (Oakland County Deputy Executive
Robert) Daddow keeps saying “Send me
the finance information, the operational
costs.” We’ve been waiting for four years
to get the basics. I wasn’t going to enter
into an agreement without knowing the
costs.
The economy, if not a regional issue, is
definitely a statewide issue. With the
passing of the new Michigan Business
Tax (MBT), businesses are being taxed
out of here. I would bring in analysts to
look at Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, West
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina,
and what is it about those tax codes that
makes them so appealing. Then we could
adapt that and bring them back here.
I know an issue my opponent will
touch on is mass transit. I’m for mass
transit, but how much is it going to cost
and who’s going to pay for it? I don’t
think my opponent knows her history. We
had mass transit in Oakland County. It
went from the Pontiac Transpo Center to
Birmingham down to Royal Oak, and
down to the Renaissance Center. In the
1980s, ridership fell below 500 people.
PAGE 9/C,WB
They asked for a subsidy. The people
said “Nope, we’re not going to subsi-
dize that.” So they closed the lines and
sold it. So when we had it, when there
were more people going to and from
the city, it couldn’t sustain itself and
the public wasn’t willing to subsidize it.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:
Automation Alley started out with 43
businesses in 1999. Today we have
940. The other program we started in
2003 is called Emerging Sectors. We
researched the sectors we think are
going to be the future growth indus-
tries and that’s what we want — the
high-tech sectors, chemical technology,
biotechnology, information technology,
homeland security, alternative energy,
health care, finance. We’ve brought in
90 companies that have invested $1.85
billion and created 13,000 jobs. We’ve
become the financial center of the
state. All those businesses come here
and pay taxes.
TOP ISSUES: The economy is clearly
No. 1. We’ve talked about Emerging
Sectors and Automation Alley. I think
economic development and our pro-
grams can and will create jobs in this
county. We have to go beyond the
county and tackle the MBT in hopes of
getting a better chance to develop
instead of going sideways from a tax
increase.
No. 2 would be roads. They’re in
terrible condition. The road commission
doesn’t work for the county govern-
ment. It’s an independent agency. They
get their money from gas taxes. People
aren’t driving and the distribution of
the revenue is based on miles of roads
rather than the number of cars driven
on the roads. We are getting the short
end of the stick.
I’m concerned about education,
although it’s not under my purview. My
Mandarin Chinese program is right on
target. There’s more English spoken in
China than Mandarin spoken in
America. They’re going to be the
biggest economy by 2020. If they’re
going to be that dominant and their
kids are learning English so they can
compete, we have to get our kids ready
for the competition. That’s why I intro-
duced the concept of teaching
Mandarin, and to Oakland Schools’
credit, they jumped on it.
WHY YOU? I’ve brought strong leader-
ship. Oakland County is considered the
premier county when it comes to facing
economic issues. The fact that we’re
one of the few AAA bond rated coun-
ties in America shows that in this
financial time, we pass all the Wall
Street analysis. Our fund balance is
exactly where Wall Street says it should
be, at 15 percent. Wall Street says
Oakland County is a benchmark when
they look at other counties. They say if
you want to be good, look at what
Oakland County is doing. ❏
PAGE 10/C,WB www.spinalcolumnonline.com SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY

Law Enforcement Leaders Endorse DAVID LAW

Attorney General Mike Cox Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #128
Oakland County Executive Lake Orion Police Officers Association
L. Brooks Patterson Lathrup Village Police Officers Association
Oakland County Prosecutor Novi Lieutenants and Sergeants Police Association
David Gorcyca Southfield Command Officers
Oakland County Sheriff Southfield Police Officers Association
Michael Bouchard Walled Lake Police Officers Association
Police Officers Association of Michigan (POAM) Wixom Command Officers Association
David Law will: Deputy Sheriffs Association of Michigan Wolverine Lake Police Officers Association
;
Continue tough, no plea West Bloomfield Police Chief Ronald Cronin Fmr. Oakland County MADD Director Michele Compton
bargain policy Oakland Former Farmington Hills Police Chief William Dwyer
County is famous for Retired Circuit Court Judge Gene Schnelz
;
Create Cyber Crime Unit to Detroit Metro Airport Police Chief Edward Glomb
prosecute internet criminals Southeast Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police
preying on kids, stealing
identities Oakland County Association of Chiefs of Police
Bloomfield Township Police Officers Association
;
Prosecute those committing
mortgage fraud Farmington Hills Police Officers Association Paid for by Citizens for David Law
8627 Cooley Lake Road, Suite 308, Commerce Twp., MI 48382
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
Oakland County Prosecutor
Democrat Jessica Cooper and
Republican David Law are competing in
the Tuesday, Nov. 4 general election for
the Oakland County prosecutor posi-
tion. The county prosecutor serves a
four-year term and is currently paid
$154,583 annually.
The following are questions our staff
recently posed to the candidates, and
their responses to those questions.
LEADERSHIP: Describe your manage-
ment style and what kind of leader you
would be for the office. What do you
see as an appropriate role for assistant
prosecutors in decision-making and
setting office policies.
BUDGET: Like all departments and
offices in the county government, the
Prosecutor’s Office will continue to face
budget challenges in the next few
years. What spending reductions or
changes resulting in greater efficiency
would you implement? What, if any-
thing, should the office do to gain addi-
tional funding?
PLEA-BARGAINING: What’s your
stance on the value of plea bargaining?
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the prosecutor’s
office, and how do you propose to
address them?
WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should
voters select you over your opponent?
JESSICA COOPER
LEADERSHIP: I gained leadership expe-
rience when I was in the 46th District
Court. I was the chief judge. We had a
massive budget. I was manager of my
temple — it was a large temple with a
large budget; but more importantly I’ve
managed a courtroom for many years.
I’m a soft-spoken person and I lead on
the basis of my experience. You lead
because people have respect for you
and you earn that respect.
I would want to give assistant pros-
ecutors that same respect back, to give
them the opportunity to make deci-
sions within the guidelines that are
established by our leadership.
BUDGET: I don’t know why the pres-
ent prosecutor has chose to disband
the forfeiture unit. That’s the unit by
which ill-gotten gains are reallocated
into law enforcement. There’s a small
percentage (of forfeiture dollars) that
goes to the prosecutor’s office but the
rest of it goes to law enforcement.
We have to reallocate some
resources. There are 10 to 12 people in
the Warrants Division, and in Macomb
county they have three people in war-
rants. We can reallocate those resources
and there are income sources and
resources from closing down drug hous-
es. I’m not really worried about those
budget changes because there is a great
deal of trimming that can be done within
that budget.
PLEA-BARGAINING: There’s a differ-
ence between being tough on plea-bar-
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Jessica Cooper has 28 years of experience
as a judge, first at the district court, then
the circuit court level before serving on the
state Court of Appeals. She has been a
law professor at Michigan State University
and the University of Michigan.
gaining and being smart about it. If you
have a good warrant, and have good
proofs and you’ve got someone you need
to put away, hang tough, because that’s
what you need to do. When there is a
greater good to be served, particularly in
the area of law enforcement, then some-
times you have to be able to listen to
your police. Sometimes that plea-bargain
for the greater good is purposeful so that
(we take out) the guy who’s sitting in
Bloomfield Hills with no visible means of
support and laughing at us while we put
a ton of mules in prison. We need to get
that person to take care of the drug situ-
ation in this county.
TOP ISSUES: The first thing is whether
we are going to have a political or profes-
sional office. We need professionals based
on their academics and not on the basis
of their political connections. We need to
have an office that has training. We need
to recognize who the good prosecutors
are, and who is working. Most effective
prosecutors can try 25 to 30 cases a year.
That’s a demand that we need to have.
We need to revamp the Warrants
Division. We don’t need 10 to 12 people
there. It’s not a training ground for new
prosecutors. I want to see trial prosecu-
tors alternated in there, bringing two
extra trial prosecutors up from district
court and alternating them into the divi-
sion so when we’re talking to the more
experience police officers, we’re having a
dialogue. We’re going to make certain the
people who write the warrants are ones
who will be trying them.
We need to be working in the commu-
nity and with the community coalitions
on drug prevention and reinstitution of
the forfeiture unit. It’s not just a matter
of money but a matter of the drug hous-
es and shutting them down.
WHY YOU? There’s an extreme difference
in credentials. It’s nice he’s been in the
prosecutor’s office, but I want to talk
about my 30 years on the bench. I have
presided over just about every type of
case. I’m tough on crime, but very effi-
cient. He has tried some very low-level
felonies. I have tried those child sexual
assault cases, those murder cases and
David Law has been a state representative
since 2005. Prior to that he was an
Oakland County assistant prosecutor for
over six years.
cyber cases. I’ve put people away. In addi-
tion, you have to be smart to allocate
resources. I’ve got that background.
You have to learn to work across the
aisle. That’s the mediative skills I’ve
learned to use during the year I’ve been
off the bench and the years I’ve been a
trial judge — working with police officers,
working with the probation department.
I’m someone who has been very active in
this community and active in the preven-
tion of crime.
DAVID LAW
LEADERSHIP: My leadership style is one
of honesty and being up front with peo-
ple. I never liked working in a setting
where I didn’t know, particularly from the
top down, what was expected of me.
That is one thing I can promise the citi-
zens of Oakland County and members of
the prosecutor’s office, that as the next
prosecutor, they will know where they
stand, they will know what’s expected,
and they will know the guidelines.
I think the assistant prosecutors’ role
is large. They’re the attorneys trained to
handle certain types of cases. No one in
the prosecutor’s office knows that case
better than they do, so they would have a
large role. If there’s an issue with a case,
I would listen to their opinion on how
they should ultimately handle that case.
BUDGET: The budget issue is one of the
largest things the prosecutor is going to
have to deal with in the near future.
Thankfully, Oakland County looks ahead.
Brooks Patterson and Dave Gorcyca has
— they’ve been working on the budget
projections, which look awful down the
line, and doing some front-end fixes to
alleviate some of that problem. Still, there
are tough decisions that will have to be
made. Whatever decisions I make won’t
be at the expense of public safety.
Efficiency is key. In Lansing I co-spon-
sored bills on government efficiency, look-
ing at what state government is doing
right and wrong, what we should be pur-
suing, what we shouldn’t, where money is
being wasted, and where money is being
spent well. The same can be used at the
prosecutor’s office. I’ll go in from day one,
review from top to bottom, line by line,
PAGE 11/C,WB
where money is being spent and whether
it’s being spent well.
PLEA-BARGAINING: Oakland County
has been well-served in the past having
a well-known stance that we’re going
to be tough on plea-bargaining. We
shouldn’t just be dealing cases. Some
counties do this. They have a large
amount of cases and in order to keep
up on the day-to-day operations, a lot
of cases are worked out. That doesn’t
mean justice is being done. If justice
dictates that we look at some kind of
plea arrangement, then that needs to
be looked at.
TOP ISSUES: Cyber crime is one. I would
implement a Cyber Crimes Division look-
ing to protect children from Internet
predators, address identity theft, senior
citizens, and mortgage fraud.
Second is recidivism. It’s important
that the prosecutor’s office work with
the judiciary and community groups
and coalitions to give offenders, partic-
ularly habitual offenders, the skills
needed to be productive members of
society. There’s also drug, mental
health, and alcohol issues. We must
make sure they’re getting help with
those so they don’t go back out into
society and reoffend.
The budget is a big deal. The prose-
cutor has to make sure the decisions he
or she makes don’t affect public safety.
There will be tough decisions that will
have to be made but I have the inde-
pendence to make those. I would
review the budget from top to bottom,
line by line, to decide what’s working
and what’s not, what’s efficient and
what’s not, what division is working
and what’s not, what prosecutors are
working or not, and make tough deci-
sions based on objective facts.
WHY YOU? I’ve spent six and a half
years in the prosecutor’s office. I found
it tremendously rewarding to be in
court everyday protecting victims of
crime. As a state representative for the
last four years, a number of bills I intro-
duced reflected that passion. From
“Jessica’s Law,” a Medicaid fraud bill, to
an airport security bill, I felt that pro-
tecting children, senior citizens, and
society as a whole was particularly
rewarding. I want to take that passion
back to the prosecutor’s office. Having
spent time there, having protected soci-
ety there, and having served county
residents as an assistant prosecutor
and going into court is extremely
important. I’ve been an attorney in pri-
vate practice, I’ve been an assistant
prosecutor where I’ve tried cases —
actually tried cases. That’s a very
important distinction. It’s one thing to
have presided over a case, it’s quite
another to get in court in an adversarial
setting on the side of the crime victim
and protect them the best you can
alongside law enforcement. That’s a
very key difference in this race. ❏
PAGE 12/C,WB
Oakland County Sheriff
Incumbent Republican Michael
Bouchard is being challenged by
Democrat Jane Boudreau in the
Tuesday, Nov. 4 general election. The
county sheriff serves a four-year term
and is currently paid $137,623 a year.
The following are questions our staff
recently posed to the candidates, and
their responses to those questions.
JAIL: The Oakland County Jail has
experienced chronic inmate overcrowd-
ing, leading to the early release of non-
violent prisoners. At what point, if
ever, would you support a tax hike to
pay for a new jail facility? What alter-
natives would you support to deal with
jail overcrowding?
DEPARTMENT BUDGET: What
changes in department budgeting pri-
orities or processes do you advocate to
deal with budget challenges?
CONTRACTED SERVICES: The depart-
ment is contracted by Commerce and
Highland townships — among others
— to provide police services. How many
deputies do you feel are needed to safe-
ly and adequately patrol Commerce and
Highland? What changes, if any, are
necessary in the department’s contracts
with individual municipalities, or the
services that are provided?
MARINE DIVISION: Explain why you
do or don’t believe the department’s
Marine Division is adequately staffed
and equipped. If you believe the divi-
sion is in need of more staff or equip-
ment, please be specific about what
additions are necessary and how you
would pay for them.
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the department at
this time, and how do you propose to
address them?
MICHAEL BOUCHARD
JAIL: Given the strain on our taxpay-
ers, adding to their burden is absolute-
ly out of the question.
We have undertaken many proactive
steps on the front end. Our active par-
ticipation in successful programs, such
as Oakland County’s Youth Assistance
programs, help encourage positive
behavior and works to deter young
people from a life of crime. Another
program we established is called U-
Turn, which allows young people to
experience jail first-hand and see the
consequences of criminal behavior. We
also just started an aggressive tether
program which offers great promise
for non-violent offenders, and a strong
system for the diversion of mental
health offenders.
I will continue to aggressively pursue
innovative cost-effective alternatives.
DEPARTMENT BUDGET: I will contin-
ue to look for innovative ways to oper-
ate my budget more efficiently. For
example, I have already saved $1.6
million annually by changing the way
we feed inmates. I’ve found ways to
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Michael Bouchard has served as Oakland
County sheriff since 1999. He was a state sen-
ator from 1991 to 1999, and served in the
state House of Representatives for a year prior
to that. Bouchard was a member of the
Beverly Hills Village Council from 1986 to
1990. He has 21 years of law enforcement
experience, is syndicate director for Leader-
ship in Counterterrorism, a member of the
National Sheriff's Association Congressional
Affairs Committee, and chairman of the
Michigan Citizens Corps Council.
save hundreds of thousands of dollars in
fuel and fleet costs. I’ve saved hundreds
of thousands of dollars more in pharma-
ceutical and medical care costs. I’ve
brought in millions of dollars by billing
inmates for their time in my jail. I will
continue to look for ways to provide nec-
essary services, including the use of drug
forfeiture funds, so taxpayers don’t have
to pay for expensive but needed tools.
We will devote the remaining resources
to programs that affect the safety of the
majority of the county residents.
CONTRACTED SERVICES: We currently
have 29 deputies in Commerce and 20
deputies in Highland. Any changes need-
ed or desired by contracted areas have to
be approved and supported by residents
in those municipalities. Since, in effect,
we are their local police department, we
encourage and suggest what we feel is
prudent, but ultimately it’s a local deci-
sion.
MARINE DIVISION: The Marine Division
is very important to our operations and
is a significant expenditure in our budget.
While I would like to add to this effort,
given the current budget cuts that have
been handed to the sheriff’s office by
county commissioners, an increase isn’t
possible.
Over the last few years we have
added some very important technology,
including side scan sonar.
With grants and other leveraging
actions, we have greatly updated the
Marine Division abilities without asking
for new tax dollars.
TOP ISSUES: I will continue to squeeze
efficiencies out of this budget to ensure
that in these tough economic times, the
public’s safety needs are being met. This
includes creating more response capabi-
lities as our duties in homeland security
expand. We will also continue to aggres-
sively pursue innovative and cost-effective
Jane Boudreau is a police officer for the Holly
Police Department. She is a former sergeant
in the Oakland County Sheriff's Department.
Boudreau is a past president of the DARE
Officers Association of Michigan, and mem-
ber of the National DARE Officers Association
and Women's Police Officers Association.
alternatives to deal with jail overcrowding.
JANE BOUDREAU
JAIL: As the Oakland County sheriff I will
research best practices being utilized
throughout the United States. Programs
such as community service, behavioral
programming, work release, boot camp,
intensive supervision, community correc-
tions, mental health services, alternative
education opportunities, electronic moni-
toring and residential substance abuse
treatment are the types of programs that
can be used to reduce recidivism and
alleviate jail overcrowding.
With the current economic climate, a
tax increase should be considered only
after all other alternatives are exhausted.
I support the concept of a task force
of members of the community, prosecu-
tors and judges to examine existing pro-
grams and grants in an effort to develop
a community-based plan for alternatives
to incarceration. I would wholly support
a plan that included preventative meas-
ures, as well.
DEPARTMENT BUDGET: I will find ways
to eliminate superfluous expenditures,
such as “take home vehicles.” These tools
can serve a legitimate purpose; however,
they are not essential in every circum-
stance. In stronger economic times, law
enforcement agencies were able to provide
employees with cell phones, Blackberries
and cars to use, even when not on duty or
on-call. However, in times of economic
strife such as this, all non-essential items
must be evaluated.
The same is true for personnel assign-
ments. Core functions of the sheriff’s
office must be adequately staffed and
equipped. Beyond that, we need to take
a hard look at where our officers are
deployed and what effect that has for the
citizens. Serious consideration must be
given to all avenues where federal, state
and local funding is available.
SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY
CONTRACTED SERVICES: The depart-
ment’s Records Division works hard to
keep accurate records and compile sta-
tistics, which need to be reviewed and
compared to national standards in
order to determine whether the
department is doing its job and, if so,
how well. Citizens in communities
where we serve need to be consulted
to determine whether they feel they
are getting their money’s worth.
Uniformity in our substations would
promote efficiency and lower operating
expenses almost immediately. Shared
supervision should be explored to avoid
duplication of efforts. Each communi-
ty’s contract should be reviewed
toward eliminating unwanted services
and inordinate costs.
MARINE DIVISION: The Marine
Division, like any other service we pro-
vide, must be measured. We need to
determine how many calls for service
are received; the number of reported
accidents, injuries and deaths; and on
which lakes incidents occur. We need
to examine deployment to determine if
it’s justified. Some say current deploy-
ments are made for political, not sta-
tistical reasons. Assignments should
made based on need and not want.
The department’s Dive Team will
continue to operate as it does today. I
support the redistribution of assigned
emergency vehicles for members of the
Dive Team. The majority of the Dive
Team responds to search, rescue and
recovery operations in personal vehi-
cles, which places the county and tax-
paying citizens in a position of liability
should an accident occur.
TOP ISSUES: Jail overcrowding: This
will be a continuous problem unless
the sheriff, prosecutor and judges cre-
ate a plan for alternatives to incarcera-
tion. Programs that have alleviated jail
overcrowding in the past, such as the
highly successful “Sheriff’s Boot
Camp,” should be reinstated. No longer
will successful programs be sacrificed
for political reasons.
The budget: I intend to be an ally of
county commissioners, not an adver-
sary. An audit of expenditures has to
be made to develop an assessment of
where cuts can be made without com-
promising safety.
Hiring, retention and discipline: I
will investigate disciplinary procedures
and the failure to use progressive disci-
pline. When considering the most
recent 11 employee terminations, 90
percent were returned to their jobs by
an arbitrator. Reinstated employees
received compensation for lost earn-
ings, overtime, benefits, and more.
Some filed lawsuits and received addi-
tional compensation. This unnecessary
and wasteful practice costs the taxpay-
ers money that could have been more
wisely spent. ❏
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
general election voter guide
Oakland County Clerk
Incumbent Republican Ruth
Johnson is being challenged by
Democrat Sheila Smith in the Tuesday,
Nov. 4 general election race for the
Oakland County clerk/register of deeds
position. The county clerk serves a
four-year term and is currently paid
$137,623 annually.
The following are questions our
staff recently posed to Johnson, and
her responses to those questions.
Smith didn’t respond to our candidate
questionnaire.
RECORDS: What’s the state of the
county’s current record-keeping sys-
tem? Is the clerk’s office current with
record-keeping work? What changes
or upgrades, if any, are needed in the
way records are kept or stored in the
county?
ELECTIONS: What, if anything, can
the clerk’s office do to improve the
election process across the county,
and prevent problems from occurring
in the future? How, if at all, should
the clerk help municipal clerks deal
with problems related to new voting
machines obtained under the federal
Help America Vote Act (HAVA)?
CLERK’S OFFICE: Could there be a
reduction in the number of employees
in the clerk/register of deeds office at
this time? Why or why not? If so,
where do you propose to make cuts
or consolidations?
CLERK’S ROLE: Aside from the
record-keeping and election responsi-
bilities handled by the county’s
clerk/register of deeds, what do you
see as the position’s role in county
government?
TOP ISSUES: What are the top three
most important issues for the county
clerk/register of deeds at this time,
and how do you propose to address
them?
WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should
voters select you over your opponent?
RUTH JOHNSON
RECORDS: In the last four years, our
office has streamlined access to many
public records, including online access
to court records with Court Explorer,
which saves the public from having to
drive to our office to make copies. We
have placed political contribution
(campaign finance) records online, as
well, to promote transparency and
accountability in government. Our new
FRAUDCHECK system, put in to fight
property fraud, allows homeowners to
go online, for free, to make sure there
has been no unauthorized activity
recorded against their names. Other
improvements include a new index to
provide access to 40 years’ worth of
land records. Public records belong to
the public and should be available to
them. We successfully fought a pro-
posed 700-percent increase in the
cost of land record copies. Our goal is
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
Ruth Johnson was elected Oakland
County clerk/register of deeds in
November 2004. She was a state repre-
sentative from 1999-2004, and served as
an Oakland County Commissioner for 10
years, including six as vice chairperson.
to provide those records at the lowest
possible cost.
One recent change has to do with the
release of court copies. Our office,
despite state guidelines to the contrary,
now blacks out or removes Social
Security numbers from every standard
court copy issued by our office to fight
identity theft.
ELECTIONS: While the Help America
Vote Act (HAVA) to promote standard-
ized voting was well-intentioned, what
turned out to the be one of the largest
reform efforts in this country has had
some unintended consequences —
including quickly built machines that
have serious design and performance
flaws. While local communities own the
equipment, our office has advocated for
local clerks in several ways, including
pressuring federal and state officials to
hold vendors’ feet to the fire so local
communities don’t have to bear
repair/warranty costs for what was
offered as “state of the art” equipment.
Our office, in the last four years, has
surveyed local clerks after elections to
measure performance problems with the
new equipment and provided that data
to officials to help push for change. In
addition, we have asked that laws be
changed to give the county legal stand-
ing to help us push for needed changes
— something state-vendor contracts
currently don’t allow.
CLERK’S OFFICE: Thanks to the vision
of county leaders, who are meeting
Michigan’s economic situation head-on,
our office staff has been reduced
through the county’s early-out retire-
ment incentive program. We closely
monitor work-to-staff ratios and invite
regular performance audits. Our depart-
ments are busy, from our Elections
Division which has assumed many addi-
tional responsibilities, to our Register of
Deeds Office. Unfortunately, 10,000 fore-
PAGE 13/C,WB
closures are expected in Oakland
County alone this year. We deal with
challenges in several ways, from rec-
ognized better business practices to
cross-training and the advantage of
our numerous online programs, which
allow us to have better workload man-
agement/distribution throughout the
day.
CLERK’S ROLE: While our office is
dedicated to paperwork, my job is
really about people — getting them
access to public records easily, effi-
ciently and at as low a cost as possi-
ble. In the last four years, we have
advocated for people on important
issues — keeping them safe from
identity theft; educating homeowners,
especially seniors about property
fraud; fighting government waste; and
cutting our own budget by $700,000
annually as an example of what can be
done. We have advocated for positive
change — consolidated elections.
TOP ISSUES: On our priority list are
several projects. We are working with
legislators to change foreclosure laws,
which now prevent county clerks from
providing foreclosure redemption
amounts. Some investors are refusing
to provide those to homeowners,
basically stealing their last opportuni-
ty to redeem/recover their home. We
are asking the state to allow us to
provide that basic calculation to
homeowners so they can save their
home.
You have the
Other top issues include the fight
against identity theft. We are fighting
right to vote.
criminals who would mine public doc-
uments for private information. We
are working with the state on several You have the
projects, including the simple change
of some forms so Social Security num- responsibility
bers aren’t placed on public docu-
ments in the first place. It hasn’t been
easy. We formed an Identity Protection
to vote.
Task Force more than a year ago, with
members of the bench, the bar, coun-
ty attorneys, the county’s IT Make sure you
Department and others to push for
change. exercise your
Thirdly, given current economic
struggles, the state and federal gov-
ernment will be looking for new
right to vote,
sources of income. I believe the
clerk/register of deeds will have to like a responsible
protect the public from “new” fees for
public records, which essentially citizen, on Tuesday,
amount to tax increases. One proposal
included a 700-percent increase in the
cost of land record copies. That’s November 4th.
unfair and can’t be tolerated. We suc-
cessfully pushed for defeat of this pro-
posal.
WHY YOU? Experience, commitment
to fighting government waste while
promoting accountability and the
demonstrated ability to save citizens
time and money through innovation
and technology. It’s more than just
paperwork — it’s people. ❏
PAGE 14/C,WB www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
County Drain Commissioner
Incumbent Republican John P.
McCulloch is being challenged by
Democrat Brett Nicholson in the
Tuesday, Nov. 4 general election race
for the Oakland County drain commis-
sioner position. The drain commis-
sioner serves a four-year term and is
currently paid an annual salary of
$137,623.
The following are questions our
staff recently posed to McCulloch, and
his responses. Nicholson didn’t
respond to our candidate
questionnaire.
LAKE LEVELS: What’s the status on
the condition of the dams and aug-
mentation wells that help control
some county lake levels, and where
do you anticipate the need to replace
existing structures and facilities?
What changes, if any, are needed in
the way the drain office handles lake
level monitoring and control?
COUNTY DRAINS: Which county
drains should be a priority for the
drain commissioner, and what needs
to be done there? Where do you
anticipate having to replace entire
existing drains, or construct new
infrastructure where none currently
exists?
WATER SYSTEM: Oakland County
officials recently agreed to team up
Out of town with Genesee County and contribute
$125,000 toward a joint study to
on election day? determine the economic feasibility of
constructing a water system that
could serve much of the county. Tell
Then call your us why you agree or disagree with
the need for such a study. What’s
local clerk’s office your stance on the need for another
water system?
for an TOP ISSUES: What are the three
most important issues for the drain
ABSENTEE BALLOT office at this time, and how do you
propose to address them?
and information WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should
voters choose you over your oppo-
on how to nent?
JOHN P. McCULLOCH
VOTE BY MAIL. LAKE LEVELS: I have the delegated
authority to maintain 36 lake level
control structures and eight lake level
It’s the easiest augmentation pumps. The structures
are operated to maintain a normal
way to be part level on 54 lakes. These structures
are repaired or replaced as necessary
of the November 4 as they reach the end of their design
life, which could be as long as 50
election process. years. The control structure for White
Lake was constructed in 1948. Our
most recent dam replacement was at
Watkins Lake to replace a dam built in
1961.
We are looking at replacing the
lake level control structure on Upper
Straits Lake in West Bloomfield
Township. Lake level augmentation
wells and pumps are inspected twice
a year. Within the last 10 years, 21
John P. McCulloch has served as Oakland
County Drain Commissioner since 2001. He
is a former chairman of the Oakland
County Board of Commissioners, and was
employed as an attorney and certified
public accountant prior to being elected
drain commissioner. McCulloch is a mem-
ber of the Oakland County Parks and
Recreation Commission. He is also presi-
dent of the Michigan Association of
Counties Service Corp.
lakes have had SCADA (Supervisory
Control and Data Acquisition) installed,
which allows my staff to read the lake
level remotely. No other changes in mon-
itoring or controlling lake levels are pro-
posed at this time.
COUNTY DRAINS: The oldest drains
operated and maintained by my office
were constructed in the late 1800s and
early 1900s to drain farmers’ fields.
Many of these drains are not able to
accommodate the large quantities of
storm water runoff from developed
areas.
Drains that are a priority for repair
are those most at risk for causing prop-
erty damage due to flooding. In some
cases, local municipalities will ask me to
construct a new county drain to replace
the existing drain. The construction of
new infrastructure, where none currently
exists, typically is done at the request of
local units of government to provide
drainage for developing areas of their
community.
In some instances, local ordinances
have been adopted requiring developers
of subdivisions or condominiums to
establish the drainage facilities as county
drains under the jurisdiction of this
office. Currently, approximately 150
drains have been established as county
drains for this purpose.
WATER SYSTEM: Communities in
Oakland, Macomb and Genesee counties
have joined together to study the feasi-
bility of providing an alternative water
supply. I support that effort and have
taken a leadership role to help the com-
munities in this important undertaking.
An alternative water supply would pro-
vide much needed redundancy which is
essential in addressing homeland securi-
SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY
ty issues, health concerns and reliabil-
ity. We all remember the inconvenience
when that power outage of 2003
caused significant disruption of our
water supply facilities. An alternative
system with redundant capabilities
would have addressed that challenge.
Communities in the region are
embarking on this road because they
realize that they need options for their
long-term strategy. A redundant sys-
tem is not an either-or system. We
need to partner with Detroit in a
cooperative venture where both the
city and her suburban neighbors
would benefit.
TOP ISSUES: No. 1: Ensure that
drinking water is available for the
future and that it is safe and reliable.
We can accomplish reliability by pro-
viding a redundant system and work-
ing cooperatively throughout the
region. We can provide safe drinking
water by maintaining high standards
and being vigilant about water quality.
No. 2: Escalating water rates is a
major issue. Operational costs are
escalating; capital improvement costs
will continue to burden ratepayers. We
must find innovative ways to maximize
our resources and pool our efforts to
address this pressing problem.
No. 3: Controlling pollutants that
enter our natural waterways is a pri-
ority. Education is key to ensuring
that the waters of the state remain
free of contaminants. We’ve developed
a multi-faceted approach through a
dedicated environmental team that
teaches children and adults how their
habits impact waterways. Additionally,
it is important to work cooperatively
with other agencies such as the road
commission.
WHY YOU? I have been the Oakland
County Drain Commissioner for nearly
eight years. I have dealt with the day-
to-day operational issues as well as
being in the forefront of initiatives
designed to save money for the
ratepayers and improve efficiency.
I spearheaded the first countywide
master plan to assist Oakland commu-
nities. I also instituted ISO 9000 and
ISO 14000 standards for the office. I
created the position of community liai-
son to improve relations with the pub-
lic. I also am the host of an award-
winning cable television show
designed to inform residents about
water issues.
I am committed to protecting envi-
ronmental resources. I formed an
environmental team to help communi-
ties meet Clean Water Act mandates.
As a CPA and an attorney, I am
uniquely suited to address complex
negotiations and I bring more than 18
years of public service experience in
both legislative and elected adminis-
trative roles. ❏
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
Oakland County Treasurer
Incumbent Republican Pat Dohany
and Democrat Andy Meisner will square
off in the Tuesday, Nov. 4 general elec-
tion for the Oakland County treasurer
position. The county treasurer serves a
four-year term and is currently paid
$137,623 a year.
The following are questions our
staff recently posed to the candidates,
and their responses.
QUALIFICATIONS: What are your spe-
cific qualifications for holding the post
of treasurer?
CDARS PROPOSAL: Michigan lawmak-
ers have been asked to consider a
Certificate of Deposit Account Registry
Service (CDARS) bill to make changes
in the way public funds are spread
around depositories. What’s your take
on the need for changes in that sys-
tem, and on the CDARS proposal itself?
FINANCIAL CRISIS: What impact does
the recent economic turmoil at the
national level involving banking and
investment bailouts have on Oakland
County investments?
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the treasurer’s
office, and will you address them?
WHY YOU? Why should voters choose
you over your opponent?
PAT DOHANY
QUALIFICATIONS: I was the treasurer
in Commerce Township for 16 years. In
1993 I went on to Oakland County as
the chief deputy treasurer until 2003
when I was appointed to the treasurer
job, and then was elected in 2004. I’ve
got lots of experience in public treasury
management. It’s pretty much what
I’ve done most of my adult life, invest-
ing billions of dollars and earning hun-
dreds of millions of dollars in interest,
and collecting taxes which are impor-
tant to keep police and firefighters and
teachers on the job.
CDARS PROPOSAL: Absolutely I support
it. What it does is take a community
bank where I would normally put
$100,000 and allows me to, say, put $1
million in that bank and it takes 10
pieces of $100,000 and spreads it
across banks across the country. You
can designate one to stay here at a local
bank. All the certificates of deposit are
kept safely at a third party location and,
because they’re all under $100,000,
they’re backed by the FDIC. It gives you
the opportunity to invest in our local
community and take a small community
bank where we’d normally limit our
deposits to under $100,000 and give
them $1 million that they can put into
productive use in Oakland County.
FINANCIAL CRISIS: It’s made it harder
to place the money and feel secure
with the financial institutions, so we
are monitoring the banks we use.
We’re investing in CDs daily. You have
to limit what you’re going to put into
those community banks. It would be
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Pat Dohany has been Oakland County's
treasurer since 2003, after serving 10 years
as the county's deputy treasurer. He served
as Commerce Township's treasurer from
1976-93. Dohany is the immediate past
president of the Association of Public Treas-
urers of the United States and Canada.
nice, again under the CDARS program, to
put more money in community banks
because that money will stay here in
Oakland County but will be protected by
FDIC insurance at each of the institutions.
TOP ISSUES: First and foremost is the
length of service and experience I have.
I’ve spent 31 years collecting property
taxes, which are key to keeping police,
firefighters, and teachers on the job.
There’s 500,000 pieces of property in the
county and in the last cycle we collected
on all but 292 of those. Of those 292,
none were owner-occupied. The other
part is investing public funds. I’ve never
lost a dollar. I’ve earned hundreds of mil-
lions of dollars in interest.
The second area is this notion of the
county being in the landbank business.
I’m opposed to a landbank for mortgaged
foreclosed properties. It does nothing to
keep a person in their home and takes
mortgaged foreclosed properties off the
tax roll. You’re going to cost the taxpay-
ers revenue of $39 million. Once property
goes into the landbank, it’s obligated to
pay for maintenance of the property.
That’s another $21 million. That’s a $60
million bailout for mortgage companies.
The landbank Mr. Meisner is talking
about that Genesee County has been suc-
cessful with is for tax foreclosed proper-
ties. There’s 4,000 of them in Genesee
County and 46 in Oakland County. You
don’t need a landbank for 46 properties.
With the mortgaged foreclosed properties
you’re going to have to buy them to put
them into the landbank. That’s $2.3 bil-
lion to buy properties and $60 million a
year to maintain them. I don’t think the
people want to give up their police, fire-
fighter services and teachers for that
when the banks that own the properties
have a vested interest in them.
The third is the county’s AAA bond
rating. We have to maintain it so we can
borrow money for projects that keep the
county a nice place to live, work and play.
WHY YOU? I don’t think my opponent
understands what the job is about. It’s
about collection of property taxes. No
Andy Meisner has served as state represen-
tative since 2003. He is a former congres-
sional aide, vice president of marketing
and communications for a non-profit
organization, and corporate communica-
tions director for the Farbman Group.
person has lost their home to tax foreclo-
sure under my administration. Not a
penny of investment earnings has been
lost in the 30 years I’ve been collecting
taxes and investing money for the resi-
dents. The interest has been put back
into public use. Is it really time for
change? Oakland County has a AAA bond
rating. We have a balanced budget for the
next two years. Now go to Lansing where
my opponent, a term-limited state repre-
sentative, would like you to believe that
he’s done a great job, but he’s voted for
the highest income tax increase in the
state’s history — Michigan Business Tax
that added a 22 percent surcharge.
You can have a 30-year veteran who
will continue to do the job, or you can
have a term-limited state representative
that’s looking for a place to hang his hat
until he can run for something else.
ANDY MEISNER
QUALIFICATIONS: Out of college I worked
on Capitol Hill for five years as an aide for
Congressman David Obey, who was the
House Appropriations Committee chair,
and worked for Congressman Sandy
Levin. My responsibility was working on
the federal budget that dwarfs our county
budget. I learned a lot about the appro-
priations process and public finance. After
that I was vice president of a national
non-profit organization where I was a
department head and managed the
department budget and staff. For the last
six years I’ve been a state representative.
I had a chance to work on the state
budget as a member of the House Tax
Policy Committee. I’m also an attorney
educated in fiduciary relationships.
CDARS PROPOSAL: Opening up the
opportunity for investment in more
Michigan banks and especially Oakland
County banks is probably the best part of
it. We need to use our tax dollars wisely
and ideally invest those locally where we
can insure safety, liquidity, and return. I
support the proposal.
FINANCIAL CRISIS: When you’re taking
the taxpayer dollars and investing those
PAGE 15/C,WB
you want to be prudent. When you’re
investing the county’s money, you have
to be especially careful. We have to
draw back a little bit, kick the tires a
little on what we’re making invest-
ments with, and make sure we are
mindful of the watch list that banks go
on and look at some of their risk.
TOP ISSUES: My three issues are pro-
tecting property values, preventing fore-
closures, and bringing the office of the
county treasurer into the 21st century.
As early as January (Dohany) was
quoted in a newspaper saying he sup-
ports a landbank, and that he was sub-
mitting paper work to the county com-
mission to initiate a landbank within a
month or two, which hasn’t happened.
While there are no taxes paid while a
property is in the landbank, you put it
in the landbank and you leverage feder-
al dollars. The federal government just
passed a $4 billion appropriation for
local governments to purchase mort-
gaged foreclosed properties. Instead of
having these properties that are neg-
lected and abandoned, by putting them
in the landbank you can rehab them
and get families in a 30-year fixed
mortgage into these homes.
(Dohany’s) website says county
treasurers have nothing to do with
mortgage foreclosures. We can go to
Washtenaw County where Catherine
McClary is doing a lot of work on mort-
gage foreclosure prevention. We can go
to Ingham County where Eric
Schertzing won an award for his mort-
gage foreclosure prevention strategy. I
would follow up on protecting property
values and preventing foreclosures by
implementing the best practices that
are established around the country.
It’s important for officials to be in
the community and accessible. I’ve got
a cell phone number, 421-ANDY, that I
give to every constituent and person I
meet. I’ve got a toll-free number at
877-RepAndy. I do office hours called
Mondays with Meisner to make myself
available to constituents so if they’ve
got an issue, we can talk about it.
WHY YOU? I’m not going to leave any
tools on the sideline. I’m going to take
the landbank, take the aggressive
mortgage foreclosure prevention, and
take investing Oakland County dollars
into county institutions so we get the
return on it so and people get benefit
from this office. The incumbent wants
us to stay the course and say every-
thing is roses. That’s what Mr. Dohany
is asking us to do by re-electing him.
I have a proven track record. As a
legislator, I’ve left some big marks on
the state. I sponsored the motion pic-
ture legislation that’s brought $370
million to Michigan in the five months
since the bill was signed into law. I’m
somebody that’s going to be making
moves and utilize best practices. ❏
PAGE 16/C,WB www.spinalcolumnonline.com SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY

general election voter guide

Waterford, West Bloomfield

County Board/5th
Incumbent Republican John Scott is we are going for.
being challenged by Democrat Nicole
T. Stallworth in the Tuesday, Nov. 4
NICOLE T. STALLWORTH
BUDGET: I propose redirecting a por-
general election for the Oakland
tion of the funding from business
County Board of Commissioners 5th
attraction, i.e. the Emerging Sectors
District seat. County commissioners
Initiative, to business stability and
serve two-year terms and are current-
retention via investment in a Master
ly paid about $33,000 a year.
Plan for commercial, retail and office
The following are questions our
space use. In addition, the county
staff posed to the candidates, and
should be investing in the identifica-
their responses to those questions.
tion of resource partners capable of
BUDGET: What changes in county
identifying buyers with a three-year
budgeting priorities or processes do
soft second forgiveness provision (pro-
you advocate to deal with budget chal-
John Scott, a sales engineer with Nicole T. Stallworth is chief of staff for State vided by the county or its partners) of
lenges?
McMasters Koss Co, has been an Oakland Rep. John Espinoza (D-Croswell). purchasing homes headed to auction
WATER STUDY: Oakland County officials
County commissioner since 2003. He is a at full market value, thus reducing the
recently agreed to team up with Gen- member of the county board's Personnel uncontrollable property value decline.
esee County and contribute $125,000 Committee and vice chairman of the Lastly, to reduce the annual increasing
toward a study to determine the feasi- Public Services Committee. utility costs, the county should retrofit
bility of constructing an alternative or
all lighting systems with either LED or
backup water system to serve much of
WATER STUDY: We need an alternative, If we were to do anything with regard induction lamps.
the county. Tell us why you agree or
backup system. For most of Oakland to a new jail, I would like to see some- WATER STUDY: Any studies of this
disagree with the need for such a study.
County, water comes from the Detroit thing more along the lines of an “Up type should be paid for with state
What’s your stance on the need for an
water system. As we saw when we had North” version of what is done in grants and not paid for with county
alternative or backup system?
a power failure (a few years ago), there Arizona. We could build a facility for our general fund dollars. The people of
BOARD APPOINTMENTS: Some
was no water service. Had we had a non-violent people, a low-budget type Oakland County don’t need a backup
Democratic commissioners assailed
backup system, that possibly would have facility, and not give them all the perks water system; they need governance
last year’s appointment of new Board
been different. they have right now. But it’s like the representation on the Detroit Water
of Road Commissioners and Parks and
Secondly, Detroit needs competition. movie “Field of Dreams” — if you build and Sewerage Board.
Recreation Commission members
They fought us on putting a member it, they will come. If we build a jail, no BOARD APPOINTMENTS: As an
without interviewing all applicants for
that we want on their water board. They matter how big it is, we’ll fill it up. employer, I don’t interview every appli-
the available positions. State why you
pick the representative for Oakland I could possibly approve having the cant who contacts my office for a job.
do or don’t believe all applicants for
County. Basically, that whole group has voters speak on it. Someday, something So no, I do not think interviewing is
board-appointed positions should be
been ram-rodding their price increases is going to have to be done. Our popula- mandatory if requisite credentials can’t
interviewed before the board votes to
through to our Oakland County resi- tion is growing, and the crime rate is be met. I do, however, feel the unnec-
fill appointed positions?
dents, mainly to fund non-water depart- going up. When all other options are essary partisan activity which creates
JAIL: The Oakland County Jail has
ment projects in Detroit. exhausted I would approve putting it on inefficiencies and fosters poor deci-
experienced chronic inmate over-
We are looking to work with Genesee, the ballot. sion-making needs to come to an
crowding in recent months, leading to
but I think it’s going to be expanded TOP ISSUES: We talked about one abrupt halt; and I’m dedicated to the
the early release of scores of non-vio-
beyond there. We can study it, but I already, our jail overcrowding. We need introduction of bi-partisan civility in
lent prisoners. A citizen survey indi-
don’t think there’s ever going to any the state to belly up to the bar and start the commission chambers.
cated overwhelming opposition to a
money to bring a new system into the taking some of their prisoners. We are JAIL: I say transport the felons in our
tax increase to pay for a new jail. At
county. We would have to take federal housing the people pre-trial. We’ve got county jail that should be in state pris-
what point, if ever, would you support
money, and I don’t know where that’s to solve that problem. ons to the governor’s doorstep. If the
a tax hike to pay for a new jail facility?
going to come from. Let’s see what it is, No. 2 is our budget. Our budget is state were living up to its responsibili-
What, if any, alternatives would you
find out what it costs, and maybe one balanced going into 2008-09, and ty, we wouldn’t have such a mess. In
support to deal with the jail over-
day we can find federal money for an because we do the rolling budget, we addition, if the county were to
crowding issue?
alternative system. know we are in good shape for 2009- enhance foster care incentives to
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
BOARD APPOINTMENTS: We started 10. We’ve already lost revenue, and we reduce the cost of caring for, and pro-
important issues for the county at this
compiling qualified candidate lists after are going to lose more. The property val- viding residences for wards of the
time, and how do you propose to
January 2007. We receive all the applica- ues are dropping, and it’s going to affect court, we would have more resources
address them?
tions, we go through them, find the top our revenue. We are making all the to redirect to jail support services.
JOHN SCOTT 10 people or so that are qualified, and efforts we can to find ways to be cre- TOP ISSUES: No. 1 is stabilize resi-
BUDGET: We’ve made significant cuts. conduct interviews. If you interview ative to balance the budget. dential property values via introduction
In fact, our 2008-09 budget was, at everybody that fills out a form online, The third issue is bringing jobs into of a public-private neighborhood stabi-
one point, at about $5 million in the you wouldn’t get anything else done at the county. Fortunately, since 2003, lization plan focused on the market
hole. As of right now, we are in good the county. Our appointments now have we’ve had the Emerging Sectors pro- price purchase of residential properties
shape, but one of the things we are all been done after interviews. gram. We brought in just under $1 bil- headed to auction.
looking at is getting all the cost sav- JAIL: We’ve been doing a lot of things. lion in revenue. We’ve got about 9,000 No. 2 is business retention via
ings we can. Of course, our four-day, We have done some jail diversion pro- jobs that have come in just from the introduction of a countywide master
10-hour (per day) work week will help grams. We have taken many people that Emerging Sectors program. Those are commercial, retail and office space use
a bit. really don’t belong in jail and put them dynamic, non-automotive jobs. I’m going plan.
For 2009-10, we are OK. I talked in other programs. The second thing to be working with the administration, No. 3 is job creation through intro-
to staff, (County Executive L. Brooks that we’ve done is get a new tether sys- once again, on Emerging Sectors, and of duction of an national energy trades
Patterson), and the administration, and tem on board. We’ve got a lot of jail course on Automation Alley, which is institute to train certified electric line-
we are balanced, but it’s going to be overcrowding because some judges are another great feature. We have to get men, line clearance professionals,
tight. Getting rid of some of the frivo- putting people in jail who are non-violent non-automotive work here. It won’t alternative and energy efficiency pro-
lous spending is what’s going to be offenders. First-time impaired DUI make us recession-proof, but it will make fessionals to address the known labor
taking place in the next budget year. offenders are really filling the jail up. us recession-resistant, and that’s what shortage within this skill-set. ❏
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008 www.spinalcolumnonline.com PAGE 17/C,WB

MARY ELLEN CHRIS

BRENNAN
JUDGE
FOR CIRCUIT LONG YOUR
Experienced criminal prosecutor and civil attorney OAKLAND COUNTY
COMMISSIONER
Rated Well Qualified by the 3,000-lawyer Oakland County Bar
Association* and the Women Lawyers’ Association of
Michigan - Oakland County Region
Endorsed by lawyers and Oakland County Circuit and District Proprietor, Long Family Orchard & Farm
Judges
Endorsed by law enforcement organizations
Strong Community Ties, Available
Endorsed by the Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News, The Baccalaureate Degree, Michigan State University
Oakland Press and the Michigan Chronicle
Endorsed by Democratic and Republican elected officials Non-Passive, Hard Working
Endorsed by the South Oakland Bar Association Conscientious Representation, Perfect Attendance
*2004 election. The OCBA has not rated candidates for the 2008 election

THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR CIRCUIT COURT Solid Grasp Of County Issues
www.brennanforjudge.com
Paid for by Chris Long’s Friends
Paid for by Mary Ellen Brennan for Circuit Judge Committee
322 N. Old Woodward, Birmingham, MI 48009
1342 E. Commerce Rd., Commerce, MI 48382

Re-Elect

JEFF
Proven •Trusted • Endorsed
POTTER Republican
OUR OAKLAND COUNTY
More than 20 years litigation in probate,
COMMISSIONER – DISTRICT #8
general civil, trial & appellate courts
Walled Lake - Wixom
Probate & Circuit Court Facilitator, Lyon - South Lyon
Probate Court Conservator & Guardian, Novi Precincts 9 & 10 (“Lakeside”)
Probate Court Fiduciary Trustee … Moving Oakland Forward
The Only Candidate Endorsed as Best Qualified KEEP BUILDING OUR FUTURE:
• Spinal Column Since Elected…
• The Oakland Press •A Real Record of CUTTING TAXES
•Over $20 Million in NEW Oakland
• Detroit Free Press
projects in our District
• Law Enforcement •New Jobs, Road and Growth in our community
•All Oakland County Probate Judges Winner “Distinguished Leadership in Joint Public Services” and
“Outstanding Project” Awards
Our Most Vulnerable Deserve A Qualified Judge Endorsed by 25 of 28 Elected Local Leaders in our community
Republican, Independent & Democratic
And
Sheriff Bouchard • L. Brooks Patterson • Pat Dohany, Treas. • State Senator Nancy Cassis

Straight ticket is not a vote for judge. You must flip your ballot to the judge section to vote for Frankel! For info or a YARD SIGN please call 248-981-7597 (cell)
Paid for by “Jeff Potter for Excellence” 1099 Stable Lane, South Lyon, MI 48178
PAGE 18/C,WB
Commerce, Milford, Wolverine Lake
Democrat Pam Jackson is challeng-
County Board/7th
ing incumbent Republican Chirstine A.
Long in the Tuesday, Nov. 4 general
election for the Oakland County Board
of Commissioners 7th District seat.
County commissioners serve two-year
terms and are currently paid about
$33,000 a year.
The following are questions our
staff recently posed to the candidates,
and their responses to those ques-
tions.
BUDGET: Please explain what county
spending reductions, if any, you would
like to see in the future. What revenue
enhancements, if any, do you advocate?
Finally, state why you believe the budg-
et can be balanced by addressing only
one side of the ledger or the other, or
why both spending cuts and increased
revenues are the solution.
ROAD FUNDING: Several bills were
recently introduced to give counties the
ability to seek voter approval of new
taxes and/or fees that would create
revenue for road construction and
maintenance in that county. State why
you do or don’t support such legisla-
tion. If it’s approved, state why you
believe it’s time for Oakland officials to
consider putting such a question before
voters. If you do, what’s your take on
Oakland County partnering with one or
more of its neighbors to raise money
for roads?
TAX INCREMENT FINANCING: County
officials have tightened down on a poli-
cy related to the use of tax increment
financing (TIF) included in local corri-
dor improvement authority (CIA) plans.
Under the policy change, the county
“may not support” plans that involve
use of TIF revenues to bury utility lines,
construct municipal facilities or build-
ings, or to acquire land. Explain why
you do or don’t agree with the new
policy provisions.
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the county, and
how do you propose to address them?
WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should
voters choose you over your opponent?
PAM JACKSON
BUDGET: One way to reduce costs may
be to offer early retirement incentives
to county employees or eliminate posi-
tions through attrition. Expanding the
concept of a 4-day work week could be
explored to decrease costs. A feasibility
study could be done for maximum
building utilization that may help
reduce costs. The commissioners voted
to take a pay freeze. The administra-
tion could also follow suit with a pay
freeze until the economy turns around.
Revenues can be increased by
attracting businesses using the Emerg-
ing Sectors program and Automation
Alley.
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Pam Jackson is a mathematics, construc-
tion management and concrete construc-
tion management professor at Oakland
Community College. She is the former
owner of Elite Building and Construction
Company.
The county can address both sides of
the ledger ... in keeping the budget bal-
anced.
ROAD FUNDING: I would support the leg-
islation. Quality control measures need to
be enhanced with more oversight on the
projects. If business continues “as usual”
with road construction and renovations,
it will be very difficult to get any increas-
es approved by the voters.
I support the concept of shared costs
with two or more adjacent communities
provided that the communities agree to a
partnership. The public has the tendency
to live in one community and work or
spend leisure time in another. Since the
public benefits from the road systems in
the connecting communities, sharing
expenses would only seem logical.
TAX INCREMENT FINANCING: I support
the policy change on restricting the use
the TIF monies. Oakland County might
look into creating a land bank authority
like Genesee County, where declining
areas are transformed to their maximum
potential. They should incorporate green
construction practices. Why let a commu-
nity deteriorate while trying to develop a
new one? It only decreases the surround-
ing property values. We need to be fiscal-
ly responsible and use TIF monies to revi-
talize our depressed areas before sprawl-
ing into open spaces.
TOP ISSUES: Responsible development
needs to occur to preserve the environ-
ment using green construction practices
as a requirement or encouraged in the
specifications for roads, new construc-
tion, and redevelopments. Moving toward
renewable energies would generate
employment for this region while creating
educational programs to retool our work-
force for these new careers.
A safe, efficient, and cost-effective
regional mass transit system is of para-
mount importance to Oakland County.
Cooperative and responsible regional
development will relieve traffic conges-
Christine Long is an owner and operator of
the Long Family Orchard and Farm in
Commerce Township. She has served on
the Oakland County Board of Commis-
sioners and as a Southeast Michigan
Council of Governments delegate for the
past six years.
tion, reduce air pollution, alleviate the
need for more parking structures/lots,
reduce gas consumption, and will attract
business and industry to the entire region
to enhance economic growth.
Every endeavor should be made to
maintain the level of current health care
funding for children, seniors, and the indi-
gent. By placing a stronger emphasis on
preventative health care programs with
cooperation from health care providers,
overall health care costs could be reduced.
WHY YOU? My diverse educational and
professional experiences make me the
most qualified candidate. Please visit my
website for a complete review:
www.PamJackson2008.com. I am a pro-
fessor at Oakland Community College
teaching mathematics, construction man-
agement and concrete construction man-
agement. I have successfully owned two
small businesses over the years which
required quality work, balancing budgets,
and getting the job done on time and
within budget. I will help generate jobs,
attract businesses with the Emerging
Sectors program, facilitate the improve-
ment of the educational and health care
programs, preserve the environment, and
ensure that Oakland County has a bal-
anced budget.
CHRISTINE A. LONG
BUDGET: Unlike the state, Oakland
County uses a biennial budget that antici-
pates economic conditions two years out
and adjusts its budget accordingly. As a
Finance Committee member, I will contin-
ue to review all programs, services, as well
as staffing with tight scrutiny. In 1998,
Oakland County established a property tax
rate of 4.19 mills. With good leadership,
the board has been able to retain the same
tax rate for 10 years. I will continue to
maintain a balanced budget through
spending cuts, not tax increases.
ROAD FUNDING: Any tax or fee increase
for road improvements must be decided
SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY
by a vote of those that will pay for it …
the taxpayers. In my personal opinion, I
do not support increases in taxes or
fees. Perhaps legislation could be draft-
ed facilitating equitable federal and
state road funds coming back to the
county. Currently, Oakland County does-
n’t receive it’s fair share of funding,
thus contributing to the county’s donor
status.
TAX INCREMENT FINANCING: I support
economic growth in Oakland County. TIF
and Corridor Improvement Authorities
are vehicles used to promote this eco-
nomic growth for cities, villages, and
townships. The Board of Commissioners
have established the TIF District Review
Policy Ad Hoc Committee to evaluate and
recommend plans from the communities
to the Finance Committee. With the
sluggish economy, the county must
guard its tax revenue; however, these
authorities enable local municipalities
economic growth that would not occur
without these tax captures.
TOP ISSUES: No. 1 is the budget.
Property tax revenue will continue to
fall. Since property tax revenue sup-
ports about 62 percent of the county’s
operations, Oakland County is not with-
out budget challenges. In 2010, a
$19.6 million shortfall is anticipated.
As a Finance Committee member, I will
continue to review all county spending
with diligence. It’s imperative to keep
taxes low while providing quality serv-
ice within a tight budget.
No. 2 is the economy. I will continue
to diversify the county’s economy with
initiatives such as Automation Alley, the
Emerging Sectors program, and
Wireless Oakland.
No. 3 is public safety. Residents
deserve to feel safe where they live,
work, and play; therefore public safety
services must continue to be adequate-
ly funded. Jail overcrowding continues
to be a challenge. A task force is
exploring and developing alternative
sentencing programs, such as the teth-
er program, for non-violent offenders.
WHY YOU? Operating a fifth generation
family farm, my business enables me to
be available and highly visible before
my constituents on a day-to-day basis.
Having installed a designated
“Commissioner Hotline” in my home, I
have made it a priority to return calls
from residents in a timely manner.
Based on merit and hard work, I have
moved into leadership positions at the
county. I have voted with principle, and
have been a strong advocate for local
input and participation in county
issues, programs, and services. My 100
percent attendance record for commis-
sion meetings in 2007 and 2008
proves my commitment to my elected
position and my constituents. ❏
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
Walled Lake, Wixom
County Board/8th
Democrat Michele Berry is challeng-
ing incumbent Republican Jeff Potter in
the Tuesday, Nov. 4 general election for
the Oakland County Board of Commis-
sioners 8th District seat. County com-
missioners serve two-year terms and are
currently paid about $33,000 a year.
The following are questions our staff
recently posed to the candidates, and
their responses to those questions.
BUDGET: Explain what county spend-
ing reductions, if any, you would like to
see in the future. What revenue
enhancements, if any, do you advocate?
PAY RAISES: County commissioners
recently were asked to consider
approval of pay raises for county
employees, including county commis-
sioners and the four-year, countywide
elected executive officials. Please state
why you do or don’t support pay
increases for the elected officials?
NIGHT MEETINGS: The Oakland
County Board of Road Commissioners
currently meets during Thursday ses-
sions beginning at 9:30 a.m. Explain
why you do or don’t believe the county
board should hold evening sessions.
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the county, and
how do you propose to address them?
WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should
voters choose you over your opponent?
MICHELE BERRY
BUDGET: Addressing both sides of the
budget is the logical and smart choice.
Adjustments in our county building
sector right off the bat will bank thou-
sands of dollars per month. Shifting to
trim the budget, not within programs
or jobs but to reinvent the way we pur-
chase and dispose of supplies will
lower energy costs in our offices and
courts. Investment in our communities
alongside federal funding and state
matching funds for our road and rail
mass transit system will augment our
ability to amplify many projects, includ-
ing our recycling capability, creating
jobs as we retrain our skilled workers.
Reaching this goal will create a healthy
community, improve productivity, and
yield revenue in the first year.
PAY RAISES: I don’t support pay raises
for county officials or administration
officers. Businesses have put a freeze
on raises, hiring and improvements. All
commissioner perquisites must be
frozen or eliminated until the economic
climate changes. We must be frugal,
maintaining current positions and pro-
grams while reducing county expenses.
NIGHT MEETINGS: The Oakland
County Board of Commissioners should
hold calendared evening meetings to
allow those who work ease in attend-
ing. Holding meetings in the evening
would be beneficial and convenient
since most board members and con-
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Michele Berry is a freelance researcher,
paralegal, bookkeeper and advocate. She
is a member of the West Oakland
Democrats board, and a precinct dele-
gate.
stituents work during the day. I would
also consider a various day and evening
calendar.
Availability to our constituents is
important since the word in the neighbor-
hoods is that the board is elusive, slow,
or non-existent. Opening meetings to the
public will build the board’s accountabili-
ty. Evening meetings will permit con-
cerned citizens to participate.
TOP ISSUES: Advocating Detroit as the
hub for our road and rail mass transit sys-
tem could be possible considering new
leadership. It will bring investors, develop-
ment, and revenue into our communities;
give residents choice and an affordable
means to and from work and play; and
generate sustainable jobs and revenue.
Our county building sector must go
green. Small changes will save thousands
per month, and tens of thousands per
year. We must move to shave the budget
not in cuts within programs or jobs but to
reinvent the way we conduct daily busi-
ness. The county must also promote green
development incorporating county workers
and independent contractors through edu-
cational programs and incentives.
Permanent growth and future jobs
with competitive wages that promote
sustainable living and new energies, and
protecting our rivers and lakes with fore-
sight will help restore faith in our ability
to diversify our means of development.
WHY YOU? The record of the incumbent
is one reason: No effort to create lasting
jobs. The incumbent is digging in, defend-
ing existing business models that state a
grim outlook through 2035.
I’m logical, determined, and aware.
Working with the county, state, and fed-
eral government, we will accomplish our
energy tasks, consisting of improvements
in infrastructure, protecting our waters,
alongside mass transit, road construc-
tion, maintenance, increasing our recy-
Jeff Potter has served on the Oakland
County Board of Commissioners for the
past six years. He previously served as
mayor of South Lyon from 1989 to 2002
and as a South Lyon city councilman from
1987 to 1989. He was co-chair of the Tri-
County summit in 2007 and 2008, and is a
trustee on the Oakland County Library
Board.
cling capability, and adapting our county
building into a healthy community, which
will benefit our workers and the public.
I’m the leader that will act smartly,
work long-term trends in energy, create a
new economy, bring revenue to our com-
munities, and lessen the tax burden.
JEFF POTTER
BUDGET: We’ve already passed a bal-
anced budget, taking interim, present-
year cuts when we saw trouble coming,
and planned ahead for future years.
The most important areas to preserve
are public safety, and economic develop-
ment, adding to job growth.
I would save by blending administra-
tive positions, encouraging retirement of
high-salaried people, continuing technolo-
gy-based productivity improvements, and
further efficiencies to benefit programs,
such as vesting of health obligations. I
would end tax scams, and get our fair
share from Lansing.
As chair of the Public Services
Committee, I supported jail population
management. It’s foolish to keep a nui-
sance offender in jail for $95/day because
they lack $100 bond. Real-time GPS-
based home tethering addresses this.
Also, untapped cooperation yields
major results. Example: $3 million from
Oakland/Genesee autopsy arrangement.
Success is always a blend of cuts and
enhancements, but structural improve-
ments loom larger.
PAY RAISES: I voted to waive these 1
percent raises, because I thought the
gesture would be appreciated, with tax-
payers struggling, as we are.
I don’t want any special credit for this
vote. This token “sacrifice” was designed
only to earn credibility with voters for it’s
sponsors, substituting for real effort. It
was announced by press releases, before
it was introduced, making it more of a
political ploy than anything else.
PAGE 19/C,WB
This saves us about $10,000. Token
gestures only achieve token results. Let’s
keep our eye on real responsibilities.
NIGHT MEETINGS: I would prefer to
have all night meetings if they were not
so potentially costly and disruptive. Staff
overtime, and the disruption of daily
work by professional presenters, depart-
ment heads, and others needed to
answer questions, run security, etc.,
would be significant, for minimal benefit.
Also, most full Board of Commis-
sioners’ meetings are a recap of deci-
sions made in committees, where the
real work is done and input needed.
Unless cost and operations issues are
solved, I’d confine night meetings to
those likely to raise public interest, and
put others on cable when possible. But,
I’m open to persuasion on this. I’m
accessible, and often meet constituents
at their home, or a coffee shop. A better
reason for night meetings would be to
help working folks serve on the board.
TOP ISSUES: No. 1 is the budget and
taxes. Quality of life and fiscal restraint
go hand in hand. Lower taxes, bond
rates, and efficient services attract pre-
mium jobs and development, building
the tax base without tax hikes. We’ve
made “forward leaning” budget adjust-
ments and reduced runaway health
costs. Budget changes were managed
without layoffs or service losses.
No. 2 is law enforcement and public
safety. Maintain low crime rates, sup-
port law enforcement. Manage jail pop-
ulation to hold violent offenders and
provide alternative custody for low-risk
offenders. I’ve pushed information and
police technologies, keeping cops on
the streets and criminals off.
No. 3 is quality of life. I’m a proven
supporter of senior and youth services,
parks and “greenspace,” and was a key
organizing partner of the Huron Valley
Trail system. I’ll work for even more
outside grants for features which make
Oakland a great place to live and invest.
WHY YOU? I enjoy what I do, I’m very
passionate about it, I’m accessible, and
know the job is important to people.
Over 15 years’ recognized successes
finding ways to do “more for less” has
earned the endorsements of nearly
every leader in the district. I spent my
adult life working a “regular job” (Ford
Wixom plant) which I lost through the
plant closing, so I understand what our
residents are dealing with. Retirement
allows me more time for the job.
I secured over $20 million in previ-
ously-denied DDA funding, and won
county approval of Wixom’s “landmark”
Village Center. I’ve cut real budgets;
helped bring jobs and roads; and pro-
moted major cooperative savings while
neighboring counties struggle with
overruns, tax increases, and layoffs. ❏
PAGE 20/C,WB
Orchard Lake, West Bloomfield
County Board/16th
Incumbent Democrat Karen Spector
is being challenged by Republican
Shelley Goodman Taub in the Tuesday,
Nov. 4 general election race for the
Oakland County Board of Commis-sion-
ers 16th District seat. County commis-
sioners serve two-year terms and are
currently paid about $33,000 a year.
The following are questions our staff
recently posed to the candidates, and
their responses to those questions.
BUDGET: Please explain what county
spending reductions, if any, you would
like to see in the future. What revenue
enhancements, if any, do you advocate?
Finally, state why you believe the budg-
et can be balanced by addressing only
one side of the ledger or the other, or
why both spending cuts and increased
revenues are the solution.
ROAD FUNDING: Several bills were
recently introduced to give counties the
ability to seek voter approval of new
taxes and/or fees that would create rev-
enue for road construction and mainte-
nance in that county. State why you do
or don’t support such legislation. If it’s
approved, state why you believe it’s
time for Oakland officials to consider
putting such a question before voters. If
you do, what’s your take on Oakland
County partnering with one or more of
its neighbors to raise money for roads?
PAY RAISES: County commissioners
recently were asked to consider
approval of pay raises for county
employees, including county commis-
sioners and the four-year, countywide
elected executive officials. Please state
why you do or don’t support pay
increases for the elected officials?
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the county, and
how do you propose to address them?
WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should
voters choose you over your opponent?
KAREN SPECTOR
BUDGET: Problems started in 2008
when we were notified there was going
to be a budget shortfall. Subsequently,
each department in the county was
given a budget task. A lot of them
were met by offering an early buyout to
the retirees, which 159 people took.
We didn’t fill a lot of the jobs when
people retired. We also initiated a pro-
gram where we’re using interns from
different schools in the area at a
reduced rate to fill a lot of the holes
that were left.
As of now, we’re OK through 2010;
2011 through 2014 we’ll begin to
work on next year. It’s a rolling budget
and you look ahead at least two years.
As far as revenue enhancements,
it’s not necessary to raise taxes to
make our budget work.
ROAD FUNDING: I’m really not 100
percent familiar with this, but I believe
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Karen Spector has served on the Oakland
County Board of Commissioners for the
past two years. She is a retired elementary
school teacher and the former owner of
two businesses.
if it was thrown to the voters and they
voted on it, I would certainly support it.
We are a donor county, and we get 66
cents of every dollar that is spent, and I
believe the formula needs to be reworked
so that we get more tax dollars back to
the road commission.
I don’t have a problem with partnering
with neighbors. I think any area that has
two communities or counties working
together always works better. You have
more resources and more funding.
PAY RAISES: Considering the way the
economy is and the number of people
that were out of jobs, it was up to us to
set the example and not take a pay raise,
hold it at zero for two years and we did
that for all the elected officials. However,
we still granted the 1 percent raises for
the employees, which was lower than
what’s given in other counties.
TOP ISSUES: No. 1 is jobs and the econo-
my. To bring jobs here, we have the Emer-
ging Sectors program. We’ve brought 900
jobs and almost $1 million into the county
through that. We’ve tried to enact Buy
Oakland, which would put Oakland busi-
nesses first on any spending in the county.
The second issue is our roads and
infrastructure, which is getting old. In
West Bloomfield, we started with the
roundabouts. Orchard Lake Road is a
mess, and funding for that should start
next year and we’ll have a six-lane boule-
vard. We’re supposed to have two round-
abouts on either end, but it doesn’t look
like the funding is coming for that.
The third issue is seniors. We began a
resolution to set up a council of 13 peo-
ple to study how we can keep our seniors
here and not lose our revenue. How can
we make it so that the senior homes are
available for them and we have the prop-
er transportation and walkways?
WHY YOU? I’ve been visible before I
became a county commissioner and to
this day, I still pass out my cards. My
phone numbers and my e-mail address
are visible to any of my residents.
I have worked on various committees,
and I’m extremely active in all three of my
Shelley Goodman Taub served on the
Oakland County Board of Commissioners
from 1992 to 2002. She was a state repre-
sentative from 2003 to 2006. She is a for-
mer teacher and business manager.
townships that I represent. I’ve worked
bipartisanly to get things done.
My district has quite a few senior
homes. I’m the first commissioner who
has gone in on a monthly basis and
brought all the county services to them.
I’ve worked with people who were in
foreclosures and found the county’s
answers for them.
I’m a retired teacher and business-
woman. I owned two businesses, one for
25 years in Orchard Lake and one for four
years in Birmingham. I know how to do
budgets, I know how to go down to paper
clips.
I’m the people’s commissioner. I work
for them to get things done. They can
reach me 24/7.
SHELLEY GOODMAN TAUB
BUDGET: Because this is a revolving budg-
et and we’re now at 2010 and the county
executive is working on 2011 up to 2014,
a lot of the budget cuts have been made
this year. They’ve cut about 44 in staff and
next year they plan to cut 138.
One of the places that has to be cut is
the Oakland County Board of
Commissioners. It’s way overstaffed. A
lot of money can be saved in that area.
The second thing I would look at is
travel. There are commissioners who are
spending an ungodly amount on it. I
think there should be a travel budget on
the board so that people have “X”
amount of dollars to spend, and they
can’t take it out of state unless it’s to
Washington for a specific project.
I think the car budget has to be
looked into for the entire county. I’m very
concerned that we have gone from driv-
ing what is necessary to bigger vehicles.
I always think of revenue enhance-
ments as taxes and I don’t think raising
taxes is fair to the people.
ROAD FUNDING: (This bill is) a patchwork
quilt approach on Public Act 51, which is a
transportation act written in 1951 when
Oakland County had 17 people and a mil-
lion cows — there was no need for road
expansion. On the other hand, Wayne
SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY
County, which has fewer miles of road,
gets more money. It needs to be revised.
As far as raising taxes and making it
a tri-county deal, no. The only way I
would ever support that is if we had
total tri-county governance for the
water and sewer system.
I believe it’s 92 cents we get back
on the dollar and the problem is when
you go to Lansing or Washington and
say we need 96 cents to fix our roads,
somebody’s going to have to give up a
few cents. We need to get someone in
there to rewrite Public Act 51, throw
the lobbyists and special interests out
the door, and get some thoughtful leg-
islators working on this.
PAY RAISES: It sets a good example for
the elected officials and directors not to
take a pay increase. Cut it across the
board, let’s just do it the fair way.
TOP ISSUES: Jobs and the economy
are very important. I believe with
Automation Alley, which I helped draft
as county commissioner, we are doing
better than most.
Another thing we’re going to have
problems with is fighting blight. As our
county ages and Proposal A keeps sen-
iors in their homes or as homes are
vacated because of foreclosures, I
intend to form a group with the home-
owners associations in this entire coun-
ty to help us fight the blight when
there is a vacant home and no one is
caring for it.
The third thing is our aging popula-
tion. I suggest eliminating the pop-up
tax for seniors as they move from that
large three- or four-bedroom home into
a small condominium. A lot of them
can’t afford to move, because when
they do, the pop-up tax rises real high
in that condominium and they’re back
again paying high taxes.
WHY YOU? No. 1, I have 10 years as a
county commissioner, and four years as
a state representative.
No. 2, I have far more experience in
budgeting. I worked for eight of my 10
years on the Finance Committee in
Oakland County and four years in
appropriations at the state. I don’t
believe in going line-by-line in a budget,
you count down to the paper clips and
the pencils and the rubber bands and I
don’t see that being done. I believe my
experience in running a business for 30
years, a school teacher for four years,
working in the community on various
projects, that I have the know how and
the ability where it counts the most.
I get things done. Pine Lake Road
waited for 25 years to get paved, I had
it paved by May of my first year of my
first term as a county commissioner.
I will hit the road running. I’m listed
in the phone directory. I answer phone
calls 24/7. I relish helping people and
I’m very good at it. ❏
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
West Bloomfield
County Board/17th
Republican Jeanne Blake is challeng-
ing incumbent Democrat Marcia
Gershenson in the Tuesday, Nov. 4 gen-
eral election for the Oakland County
Board of Commissioners’ 17th District
seat. County commissioners serve two-
year terms and are currently paid about
$33,000 a year.
The following are questions our staff
recently posed to the candidates, and
their responses to those questions.
BUDGET: Please explain what county
spending reductions, if any, you would
like to see in the future. What revenue
enhancements, if any, do you advocate?
Finally, state why you believe the budg-
et can be balanced by addressing only
one side of the ledger or the other, or
why both spending cuts and increased
revenues are the solution.
ROAD FUNDING: Several bills were
recently introduced to give counties the
ability to seek voter approval of new
taxes and/or fees that would create
revenue for road construction and
maintenance in that county. State why
you do or don’t support such legisla-
tion. If it’s approved, state why you
believe it’s time for Oakland officials to
consider putting such a question before
voters. If you do, what’s your take on
Oakland County partnering with one or
more of its neighbors to raise money
for roads?
PAY RAISES: County commissioners
recently were asked to consider
approval of pay raises for county
employees, including county commis-
sioners and the four-year, countywide
elected executive officials. Please state
why you do or don’t support pay
increases for the elected officials?
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the county, and
how do you propose to address them?
WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should
voters choose you over your opponent?
JEANNE BLAKE
BUDGET: Oakland County has had
budget shortfalls. The budgets for
2009 and 2010 have been balanced by
taking some of the fund equity, less
than 5 percent, and 2010 is going to
be a real issue.
I don’t think we should raise taxes
to balance the budget. We have to look
at our efficiencies in how we manage
the jail and the court system and the
other law departments, because our
property values are declining and 67
percent of the revenues are from prop-
erty taxes and they will continue to
decline. In this kind of economic situa-
tion, we need to look at everything
that’s on the table.
Brooks Paterson has been very good
at increasing revenues through the
Emerging Sectors program, Automation
Alley, and his economic development
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Jeanne Blake is an attorney and mediator
in the county's circuit and district courts.
She previously worked as an internal audi-
tor at Michcon for eight years.
team, and keeping a handle on the budget.
ROAD FUNDING: I do support it. It’s giv-
ing local communities the taxing authority
and that would come down to a millage
and the voters would vote for it. It should
definitely be before the voters.
I think you can find efficiencies in part-
nering with other communities.
PAY RAISES: I don’t support pay raises
for county officials during this tough eco-
nomic time. It’s not appropriate for the
commissioners or those in the adminis-
tration to take a raise.
I could see employees more than elect-
ed officials getting raises.
TOP ISSUES: I think the biggest thing is
the budget. I’ve been an internal auditor
for eight years and I have an MBA and an
attorney, so I would love to look at some
of the departments and see if some effi-
ciencies can be created.
The second would be public safety. I’ve
talked to Sheriff (Michael) Bouchard about
the tent city and how we used to have it
and took it down, so I would like for us to
talk about a tent city again. It costs $100
a day to feed and house an inmate, so
there’s got to be a better way of doing
that.
The third most important issue would
be education. I’m a strong advocate of it.
WHY YOU? I’m an attorney, I was an
internal auditor at Michcon for eight
years, and I’m a mediator in the circuit
and district courts.
This election is all about the budget
and you need somebody that has a good
handle, who loves numbers. I have an
MBA. Brooks Patterson has endorsed me.
He said I have the credentials to be a part
of his team. Sheriff Bouchard has
endorsed me, so the ticket is Brooks,
Bouchard, Blake.
MARCIA GERSHENSON
BUDGET: The county has been very suc-
cessful in balancing the budget and we are
balanced up until 2010 and are already to
Marcia Gershenson has served on the
Oakland County Board of Commissioners
for the past four years. She is a teacher
and a founding board member of Gilda's
Club of Metropolitan Detroit, and founder
of the Women's Commission for Oakland
County. Gershenson has served on the
Michigan League of Conservation Voters
board.
start working on 2011. There are cuts I
would like to see, such as the helicopters
in the Sheriff’s Department and the fleet
cars that the executives have.
There’s also discussion about finding a
new lobbyist, which I’ve never supported.
I’m a big supporter of the Emerging
Sectors program, which has brought in
over $1 billion worth of revenue into the
county, over 9,000 jobs and $25 million
in tax revenue. I have a lot of faith in our
Department of Economic Development
and will continue to support their endeav-
ors. I’m also a supporter of Automation
Alley, which has also brought in $125
million dollars in revenue to the county.
I would hate to see programs cut
without making every effort to increase
revenue. I don’t think it’s fair to balance
the budget crisis on the backs of the
employees exclusively. I think we need to
work harder as elected officials to secure
new revenues.
I don’t support raising taxes under any
circumstance.
ROAD FUNDING: I definitely support the
county’s ability to seek new taxes and
fees for roads. I think voter input is criti-
cal since they’re paying for it. If the data
is presented and it shows this is what
the voters and community want, I would
support it 100 percent.
I would consider partnering with other
neighbors.
PAY RAISES: I don’t support pay raises
for county officials, and I didn’t support it
the last time it came up. It’s uncon-
scionable for me or any one in the admin-
istration to take a raise.
The employees are the ones I would
like to see get a raise more than elected
officials. They are the ones that are suf-
fering with the increased prices for gas
and food and schooling, so I would be
more supportive of them getting a raise.
TOP ISSUES: The economy and bringing
more jobs to the county is the most
PAGE 21/C,WB
important issue. I think we need to
replace the declining revenue and help
revitalize our state. We need to reinstil
that sense of security in our citizenry.
The second issue is roads. I repre-
sent a community that has suffered
greatly (West Bloomfield) over their
roads. They are very emotional and
committed to doing something. There
was just legislation introduced to make
road commissions accountable to the
Board of Commissioners. I think that’s
a great idea. The road commission has
no accountability. How do I know that
they’re going through their budget and
making cuts? The road commissioners
are not necessarily experts in roads. I
would like to see tax dollars come back
to Michigan. We’re a donor state and
we’re not getting enough money back.
The states surrounding us have roads
that are so much better than ours and
it’s time for our legislators to start
walking the walk.
The third for me is public safety,
which incorporates health. I have
worked a lot with our Health
Department in making sure our lakes
and waters are clean and making sure
we have vaccines available for our con-
stituents. I started the dental discount
plan with Commissioner Eileen Kowall
in an effort to be bipartisan. I’ve also
been a big supporter and initiator of
the prescription drug plan.
The other big issue is jail over-
crowding. We spend more money per
prisoner than we do per student in our
state. It’s a horrifying situation and I
think that alternative sentencing needs
to be stressed. I will continue to fight
for it.
WHY YOU? I’m an experienced policy-
maker and I have worked enormously
hard over the last four years. I’m very
accessible to my community. I also rep-
resent five communities, and I’m one of
the few commissioners that actually
attends my council meetings. I also
started a women’s commission for
Oakland County that I’m very proud of.
It’s been very successful and lets
women talk about issues that aren’t
being addressed. I also started a
Healthy Golden Heart Restaurant desig-
nation which publicizes restaurants
that offer healthy solutions. I’m chair-
ing the Childhood Obesity Conference
to promote healthy lifestyles. Michigan
has one of the largest numbers of
obese children in the country. I’m
always looking to work both sides of
the aisle; I’m a non-partisan person and
have many Republican supporters and
friends. I’m trained in conflict resolu-
tion and feel that has served me well.
I look forward to continuing all the
work I started and doing more good
things. ❏
PAGE 22/C,WB
Commerce Trustees
Republicans Debra N. Kirkwood,
Robert J. Long, Daniel P. Munro, and
Rick Sovel; and Democrat Randy Ston
will face off in the Tuesday, Nov. 4 gen-
eral election for four township trustee
positions. Township trustees serve
four-year terms and are currently paid
$150 per meeting.
The following are questions our staff
recently posed to the candidates, and
their responses to those questions.
PROUD LAKE REC. AREA LAND: The
township and the state Department of
Natural Resources have reached a ten-
tative agreement to prevent the sale of
nearly 600 acres of Proud Lake
Recreation Area property. How would
you like to see the township come up
with the funding to initially lease and
potentially purchase the land so that it
remains in public ownership and isn’t
developed? What, if any, changes
would you like to see the township
implement on the property, be it devel-
opment of recreational facilities or
other improvements?
LIBRARY: Township voters previously
authorized a millage to create and
operate a new township library. Are
you satisfied with the progress on the
current library at the former El Dorado
Golf Course clubhouse and the services
offered?
BUDGET: What changes in township
budgeting priorities or processes do
you advocate to deal with recent budg-
etary challenges?
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the township, and
how do you propose to address them?
WHY YOU? Why specifically should vot-
ers choose you over your opponent?
DEBRA N. KIRKWOOD
PROUD LAKE REC. AREA LAND: I
would like to see us pursue our agree-
ment to work on purchasing this prop-
erty. It’s my belief that the township
would benefit with the entire 600
acres under our control. As far as the
funding for that property, we do have
the open space millage and, if neces-
sary, we could go for bonding.
I would like it to stay recreational
strictly for the residents’ benefit, and
possibly developed with pathways.
There’s been a lot of ideas thrown out
lately about use for target practice,
and bows and arrows, and softball.
I definitely wouldn’t want to see the
natural beauty of the area taken away.
LIBRARY: I am ecstatic with the servic-
es that are being offered by the library.
I think this has turned out to be one
of the best things we’ve ever done in
the township.
We put that library together in
three months originally, its circulation
stats are one of the top in the area,
they do have some plans for expansion
which we’re mulling over.
I think anyone who visits will be
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Debra N. Kirkwood has been a Commerce
Township trustee since 2004.
very impressed.
BUDGET: Budgeting has always been a
concern and, in these times, it’s more so
than ever. I’m hoping we can find ways to
cut costs — items other than staffing. We
have been fortunate that we’ve had some
key staff leaving this year, which has freed
up some budget line items for us.
TOP ISSUES: I would have to put the
budget first, seeing that we keep our
budget in line and that we make the nec-
essary cuts to keep us on stable ground.
Secondly would be the completion of
Martin Parkway to benefit the residents
of Commerce so they can get from one
end of town to the other in the least
amount of time. By doing so, the road
will give us the opportunity to develop
the (DDA) property and repay the debt
we have incurred.
The third item is public safety —
keeping the fire department staffed and
equipped in a manner they are accus-
tomed to and maintaining services the
residents are accustomed to receiving. As
far as the Oakland County Sheriff’s
Department, we must maintain them
under contract. I would really like to see
more emphasis put on shutting down
the drug use in our high schools, which
has become a major issue in our area.
WHY YOU? I feel that my position on the
board is unique because I do bring with
it the history and experience of being a
township employee. That gives me
insight to the day-to-day operations of
the township. I try to share that with
the other board members.
I am very open to the residents of
Commerce Township. I received phone
calls from neighbors, friends, acquain-
tances; and, quite frankly, I get a lot of
questions, sometimes from people I
don’t even know. But I always try to
answer them openly and honestly.
Probably my greatest asset and biggest
flaw is that I’m brutally honest. I take my
job very seriously. I do try and keep the
responsibilities foremost in my mind.
Robert J. Long is owner and operator of the
Long Family Orchard and Farm. He has
been a Commerce trustee since 1996, and
has been a member of the township's Parks
and Recreation Committee since 1998. He
is past director of the Oakland County Soil
and Water Conservation District.
Above all else, I will vote with my con-
science. If I can’t go home at night after
voting and sleep, I don’t feel I’m doing a
good job and I can say I have not had
that problem.
ROBERT J. LONG
PROUD LAKE REC. AREA LAND: I’m
delighted to see that the property will
not likely be developed. The township
and the state are currently awaiting
appraisals to see what the fair market
value may be. Hopefully, the purchase
price will come in at what we can afford
through our open space and parks mill-
age. If not, I would be interested in part-
nering with an entity like Oakland County
that perhaps would have adequate fund-
ing to purchase a portion of the property,
or the township could purchase another
portion to preserve as open space.
A good portion of that property at
one time had a lake on it. There was a
dam that was created 80 or 90 years
ago, which would be at the south end of
that property where the Huron River
flows through just north of the Commerce
Cemetery. If that could be recreated, it
would be a delightful opportunity for the
residents of Commerce Township.
LIBRARY: The Commerce Township
Community Library has turned out to be
something that we can be proud of. As
we move forward the library will continue
to grow and expand. The dilemma at
hand is how to grow and expand in the
short term.
The full-time staff, architect, and con-
struction manager are meeting along
with the library and are committed to
come up with some recommendations on
how to move forward under these cir-
cumstances and I look forward to review-
ing their recommendation and assisting
the library in moving forward.
BUDGET: As budget uncertainty contin-
ues, I think it’s imperative that the town-
ship take a look at staffing and the num-
ber of vehicles on the road, particularly
SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY
the Building Department when the
number of inspections is down signifi-
cantly and inspectors are making
salaries. In the past, we paid inspec-
tors by inspection and it may be time
to revisit that.
We have a staffed Assessing
Department, although assessing is
done at the county level. It may be
time to revisit that. There’s opportuni-
ties to go out for bids from consult-
ants for planning, engineering, and
attorney services.
I’m very committed to maintaining
our low 1.41 millage rate, and I will do
everything I can to convince the board
into looking at tightening the budget.
TOP ISSUES: No. 1 would be the
budget and fiscal responsibility and
continuing to actively maintain the bal-
anced budget without raising taxes,
doing so by providing quality services
at our current millage rate.
No. 2 would be debt. I will continue
to press to see that principal is paid
down on our debt. The DDA situation
is without any principal. The property
value is diminishing and that causes
great concern if property isn’t divested
within the next few years.
Third is to continue to seek more
uses for our residents in the parks. It’s
been more difficult since the parks and
open space millage was passed. Capital
improvements have been eliminated
from the general fund and everything
that the parks committee has recom-
mended for improvements has to come
out of the millage, and it makes it chal-
lenging for the committee to find uses
for the parks that we can afford. But
we’re very proud of the improvements
to Dodge Park and hope that they can
continue.
WHY YOU? I’m a lifelong resident of
Commerce Township, a fifth-generation
resident here and I have a sincere pas-
sion for the future of Commerce. I
make decisions with anticipation that
my children and grandchildren will be
lifetime residents of Commerce.
I bring a unique problem-solving
ability to the board and look at things
for the long-term impact of those deci-
sions.
I successfully operate the last full-
time farm in the township and seem to
have the ability to make dollars go a
little bit farther than some. I’m com-
mitted to continuing to provide quality
services to the township at a low tax
rate.
DANIEL P. MUNRO
PROUD LAKE REC. AREA LAND: I
think the Department of Natural
Resources has offered Commerce
Township a once in a lifetime opportuni-
ty to acquire 600 acres of open space,
and we all know there’s no more land
being created for us. I would also like
PAGE 23 ❯ ❯ ❯ ❯
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
Commerce trustee
❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ PAGE 22
for the township to acquire and control
the entire parcel that’s been offered to
us. I think the way we’re going to fund
that is (in line with) the original intent
of the open space millage, and I would
encourage the township board to
secure as much of that millage as pos-
sible to set it aside for the acquisition
and for whatever development that may
be required from the DNR to finalize the
deal.
I would like this land to be used for
low-intensity uses — not that I object
to partnerships, but I’m very cautious
about entering into any, especially with
the county, where they would intro-
duce very high-intensity uses.
LIBRARY: I’m extremely pleased with
how the library has turned out for
Commerce residents. I think this was
a classic Commerce project, and I say
that because we asked the residents
first for their approval in the direction
through a library millage that got the
funding started. I think that we’ve
found creative ways to get a building
in place in cooperation with the DDA.
Although people were dissatisfied
with how quickly we got the library in
operation in five months, we did it on
time and under budget. The usage
from the onset has been extremely
high and the way we’ve been able to
deliver the service has been very eco-
nomical.
The value we’ve been able to offer
with the low cost is also classic Com-
merce, that we’re able to get the high-
est value for the lowest amount of
money.
I couldn’t be any happier with how
all this turned out. We have some
decisions to make and we again need
to go back to our fundamental ways in
which the Commerce board chooses to
do business, and that is not to spend
money foolishly on a building that may
only have a life span of only three to
five years.
I think you’ll continue to see library
services offered to residents within
the normal fiscal responsibility that we
do everything else.
BUDGET: We will hold the township
supervisor accountable for mid-year
evaluations that were promised to us
when the budget was enacted. We will
make adjustments, if we need to, as
we go into our budgeting cycle.
Instead of looking at a lump sum
budget like we have in the past, I think
with reduced property values, reduction
in state-shared revenues and with an
overall eye of saving the Commerce res-
idents some money, we need to do a
line-by-line review of the revenues and
expenditures of the township.
We need to do some contract evalu-
ation and take a look at professional
services, which is something that we
haven’t done in quite awhile, although
I believe we get good value with the
group we do employ and from our
attorney and our engineering services.
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Daniel P. Munro is director of technology
projects for Research Federal Credit Union.
He has been a Commerce trustee since
1992, and has been appointed to the
township's Planning Commission and
Election Commission.
I think we need to consolidate buying
power for commodities — things like
paper, ink, computers, printers, copiers,
and different office commodities. We can
get together with Walled Lake and
Wolverine Lake and buy that in bulk and
save some money that way.
TOP ISSUES: The three most important
issues moving forward in the township
are prudently managing the debt that the
township has incurred for infrastructure.
We’ve incurred debt for the expansion of
the sewer treatment plant to allow for
the issuance of Part 41 permits to con-
tinue the growth and development of the
township. We have incurred debt from
the DDA to allow us to get a return on
our investment in the plans that are cur-
rently under way.
The second most important thing is
to continue to look toward smart public
services in a way that we can provide the
things that are necessary for police, fire
and other services, in the economical way
that Commerce has always been able to
offer those; and to continue to keep Com-
merce among the communities with the
lowest millage rates in the entire county.
In combination with those two things
is a close eye on budget management. As
other communities have had to cut back,
lay off and reduce services and are more
in a crisis management mode, we find
ourselves recently receiving ratings from
Standard and Poor’s that have actually
elevated our credit ratings in a tier of
municipalities that is among the top in all
the state of Michigan.
WHY YOU? I think I’m a good choice for
Commerce residents because we operate
the township like a business, where we
continually have to look at our revenues
vs. our expenses and find the best way
to provide services to our residents at
the lowest possible cost.
I have been able to assist the town-
ship over the last 16 years in maintain-
ing one of the lowest millage rates in the
county. I have assisted in the decision-
making that has resulted in one of the
highest credit ratings from Standard
and Poor’s for the prudent fiscal man-
agement of our budget.
I try to keep in mind that we truly
Rick Sovel is an independent insurance
agent and insurance counselor. He has
served on the township board since 1992,
and is a member of the community's
Zoning Board of Appeals.
work for the residents to provide them
services and spend the money that they
contribute to the operation of the town-
ship through taxes to the highest use
and give them the best for their value.
My experience on the Planning
Commission has given me an opportunity
to monitor the growth and development
within the township.
My experience working with the union
negotiations has given me a unique per-
spective into the people that we employ
to provide those services to township
residents.
RICK SOVEL
PROUD LAKE REC. AREA LAND: It’s a
top priority for Commerce Township to
purchase the entire property. We should
be able to do so with the funding we
have from the open space and parks mill-
age plus any potential credits available to
us from the state and other grants.
I would like to see the property
remain recreational with minimal devel-
opment, but using developments to meet
the state’s requirements for us to be
able to purchase that at the lowest pos-
sible price.
LIBRARY: I’m thrilled with the progress
the township has made. When we decid-
ed to create our own library and people
had to stop using West Bloomfield’s and
Walled Lake’s libraries, many people were
upset.
Now, we hear nothing but accolades
as we are moving forward with putting
together more programs for children and
adults. We’re increasing the availability of
technology and making more library serv-
ices available from your home computer.
We have now been recognized by the
state as a full-blown approved library and
now have availability with the MichiCard
to use other libraries throughout the
state.
BUDGET: If revenues are going to contin-
ue to decline, we need to make cuts to
stay within the revenues. We need to
review all our contracts, fee schedules
that we have with consultants, look to
see if there’s any duplication of services,
and look for any other consolidations
(that can be done). We have to be cre-
ative, do whatever is possible to maintain
PAGE 23/C,WB
our level of service to our residents
without increasing taxes and be fiscally
responsible, which is something I’m
committed to doing.
TOP ISSUES: No. 1 would be the
budget. With the declining revenues
and loss of state-shared funds and
declining property values, this year is
going to be very difficult to formulate a
budget to stay within the revenues.
But we will do it.
The DDA, with the extension of
Martin Road, the bonding issues and
sale of properties to start paying down
the principal on the bonds is another
pressing issue.
Public safety (is another issue).
With increasing labor costs for police
and fire, and declining revenues, it’s
going to be challenging to find ways to
maintain our level of services, but we’ll
find ways to do so without having to
raise taxes.
WHY YOU? Experience, integrity, and
common sense. I’ve been a Commerce
Township trustee for 15 years, and
I’ve served the residents on the Zoning
Board of Appeals for 14 years.
I am the board liaison for the
Commerce Township Library. I’m a
business owner running a successful
business. I want to maintain having
one of the lowest tax rates in Oakland
County while providing quality services
and maximizing our tax dollars.
I work well with the current board
and we work well together for the best
interests of all the residents.
RANDY STON
PROUD LAKE REC. AREA LAND: I
agree with all the trustees and Super-
visor Tom Zoner on this. We’ve been
working with him over the last four
years representing the township and
getting data on that area, going to
Lansing and testifying at the DNR and
the state Legislature and getting the
DNR to sell it to us. We think it should
be sold to us.
The millage for open land was
passed a number of years ago and I
think that money can be used to out-
right purchase it. The idea would then
be to protect the north side and keep
it natural. There’s natural historical
sites such as Indian trails and that
should be preserved. Maybe we can
put in a nature trail.
The south side should be cleaned
up and have some softball and soccer
fields put there to alleviate congestion
from the Dodge Park area, which I
support, so there’s not many games
going on and impacting the ability to
get around in Dodge Park.
I would work to develop a nature or
training center for things such as
archery for kids. I also think the south
side could be redeveloped where they
repair the dam and bring back the
lake. We could work with the DNR to
create a fishery and teach the kids
how to fish.
I brought that up with the fishery
people in Lansing and they think it’s a
great idea where you can do some-
PAGE 25 ❯ ❯ ❯ ❯
PAGE 24/C,WB www.spinalcolumnonline.com SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY

EXPERIENCE! The reason so many judges have endorsed David Carl Anderson to be
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WITH OVER 30 YEARS OF TRIAL-TESTED COURT ROOM EXPERIENCE!

CIRCUIT COURT JUDGES Hon. Antonio P. Viviano Hon. Dennis C. Drury, 52-4
Hon. David F. Viviano Hon. Kelley R. Kostin, 52-2
OAKLAND COUNTY
Hon. Tracey A. Yokich Hon. Michael S. Maceroni, 41A
Hon. James M. Alexander
Hon. Michael C. Martinez, 50th
Hon. Martha D. Anderson
WAYNE COUNTY Hon. Michael A. Martone, 52-4
Hon. Steven N. Andrews
Hon. Susan D. Borman Hon. Phyllis C. McMillen, 51st
Hon. Leo Bowman
Hon. Michael J. Callahan Hon. Julie A. Nicholson, 52-3
Hon. Rae Lee Chabot
Hon. William Callahan Hon. Marla E. Parker, 47th
Hon. Mark Goldsmith
Hon. Gershwin A. Drain Hon. Dennis N. Powers, 52-1
Hon. Linda S. Hallmark, Probate
Hon. William J. Giovan, Chief Judge Hon. Cynthia Thomas Walker, 50th
Hon. Cheryl A. Matthews
Hon. Warfield Moore, Jr.
Hon. Fred M. Mester
Hon. John A. Murphy RETIRED JUDGES
Hon. Denise Langford-Morris
David Carl Hon. Michael F. Sapala Hon. Edward Avadenka
Hon. Rudy J. Nichols
Hon. Richard M. Skutt
ANDERSON Hon. Colleen A. O’Brien
Hon. Daniel Patrick O’Brien
Hon. Jeanne Stempien
Hon. Harold M. Bulgarelli
Hon. Gus Cifelli
For Circuit Court Judge Hon. Isidore Torres Hon. Stephen C. Cooper
Hon. Wendy L. Potts, Chief Judge
Hon. Robert L. Ziolkowski Hon. Louis E. Fairbrother
Hon. Edward Sosnick
Vote Hon. Joan E. Young Hon. William P. Hampton
DISTRICT COURT JUDGES Hon. Barry L. Howard
November 4, 2008 MACOMB COUNTY Hon. Michelle Friedman Appel, 45B Hon. Norman L. Lippitt
for Hon. James M. Biernat Hon. Laura Cheger Barnard, 71A Hon. Francis X. O’Brien
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for
Circuit Court Paid for by the Committee to Elect David Carl Anderson
for Oakland County Circuit Court Judge
Please visit my website:
JUDGE 32400 Telegraph Rd., Ste. 104, Bingham Farms, MI 48025 www.DavidCarlAndersonForJudge.com

Rob Elect

LONG
RANDY STON
COMMERCE TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE

Randy brings a fresh face and new attitude to the

TRUSTEE
Commerce Township board.
Randy brings the experience needed to help this Township
COMMERCE TWP. through these hard times.

C Family Farmer Randy will work for you to:

•Assure that Commerce Township is a great place to live, work & play
C Integrity •Make sure every citizen’s voice is heard
C Frugal •Watch the budget so that your taxes are spent wisely, not increased
•Preserve our parks and open spaces
C Common Sense
•Support our fire, police and emergency medical services
C
RANDY STON
Long-Term Foresight
C Strong Community Ties
C Baccalaureate Degree, M.S.U. FOR COMMERCE TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE
REPUBLICAN DEMOCRAT
Paid for by Robert J. Long Committee, 1342 Commerce Rd., Commerce, MI 48382 Paid for by the Committee to Elect Randy Ston, 1034 Sherbrooke, Commerce, MI 48382
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
general election voter guide
Commerce trustee
❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ PAGE 23
thing that you normally would have to
go to a rural area to do.
LIBRARY: I really support the library.
They’re very important to the communi-
ty. It’s not just books on a shelf, it’s
about bringing our kids and our grand-
kids to a place they can help us seek out
the knowledge and information that we
want.
There has to be programs for retired
folks and and a way to bring in people
from finance and mortgages like other
centers do. It’s a place where you
exchange knowledge and ideas.
I remember being kicked out of West
Bloomfield and being told “You better set
up your own,” when there was a transi-
tion.
Our librarians should set up relation-
ships with other libraries in the area, in
the country, universities, colleges and
foreign countries.
I support it and we should expand it
and I want some stability.
BUDGET: I have quite a bit of experience
with governmental budgets. I think the
process has to be changed. No. 1, I
think we need a five-year budgetary plan
which is reviewed every year. The budget
reflects your goals and priorities.
We also need to accept the govern-
ment accounting board’s standards,
which is highly recommended. Before
you make any decisions about cuts, you
have to know how much you have and
how much it’s worth. So we need people
internally at the township with volun-
teers externally to do a very specific
audit of what we have, how much it’s
worth, what’s the life-span of every-
thing, set up a replacement schedule,
estimates of costs, and then you deter-
mine what you do.
It’s easy to say cut the budget, but
you do it under a rational approach of
what we’re trying to accomplish. The
first thing is not to cut the staff, they’re
very important in knowing what’s
involved in the daily process of what’s
going on.
The other thing we need to do when
we’re spending money is know how
much added value is there to the com-
munity? For every dollar we put in, how
much is created? Oakland County and
Oakland Community College are experi-
menting with a system to document this.
It’s an outfit called Economic Modeling
Specialists Inc., and they use about 20
different economic indicators. We know
we put about $26.8 million into the local
community, and we put in three extra
dollars for every dollar generated. We’re
going to have to work with the employ-
ees at the college who have infinite
knowledge of what’s going on.
TOP ISSUES: Ultimately, it ends up being
the budget and that is a result of what-
ever else you’re going to do.
We have to eliminate what is causing
gridlock.
The main thing we’re going to have
to do is re-establish the value of every-
body’s property; 80 percent of what’s in
Commerce is private homes and small
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
Randy Ston is a member of the Save Proud
Lake Recreation Area for Commerce Board
of Directors. He is a former Walled Lake
Board of Education member and a profes-
sor of Criminology and Sociology at
Oakland Community College.
businesses.
We have to redevelop this area to
increase the value. We can preserve our
open spaces. The Oakland County
Planning Commission said open spaces
add $2.8 billion dollars to the tax roll.
No. 2, we’re going to have to connect
people by increasing ways of getting
around this community without getting
into an automobile. Since that South
Commerce bike path went up, there’s dif-
ferent groups of people walking down it.
We have to get together with the real
estate people, small businesses and the
chamber of commerce to develop a plan
with subdivision associations and or home-
owners to increase the value of this land.
The gridlock is affecting the value of
property. The budget is an end result, not
the beginning.
Every time we build more, it’s not
increasing value for anyone, it’s adding
costs.
WHY YOU? It’s not a matter of choosing
me over the opponent. The last thing
anyone running for office should do is set
up one person over the other. Looking at
the history of all the other boards of
trustees in general, I think we have an
idea of which way we’re going.
What I’m adding is an additional per-
spective and experience across a number
of governmental areas, safety groups,
and facility groups. I helped monitor mill-
age uses for Walled Lake Schools and the
$140 million dollar millage for Oakland
Community College. I think I have a lot of
experience monitoring the use of taxpay-
ers’ money on an intimate basis and actu-
ally monitoring budgets. It’s more than
going line-by-line.
I think I have experience setting poli-
cies and the ability to not stick my nose
in daily operations as if I was a supervi-
sor. I also have the ability to deal with
people with different points of view and
have shown the ability to represent the
community in Lansing. I’ve worked with
our local legislators, Nancy Cassis and
David Law, and the DNR directors in pro-
moting our interests.
If I’m elected, I’m going to work with
the other trustees. I know what it’s like
when you have board members with dif-
ferent points of view who can’t work
together to include different points of
view.
I have over 40 years of doing this. ❏
PAGE 25/C,WB
CITY OF WALLED LAKE
NOTICE OF ELECTION
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008
TO THE QUALIFIED ELECTORS:
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an Election will be held in the City of Walled Lake, County of Oakland,
State of Michigan, on
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008
The polls will be open at 7:00 a.m. and will remain open until 8:00 p.m.
At the polling places listed below:
Precincts #1 and #2 – Walled Lake Fire Station
1499 E. West Maple Rd.
Walled Lake, MI 48390
ALL OF THE POLLING PLACES ARE ACCESSIBLE TO VOTERS WHO ARE HANDICAPPED. Voting instruc-
tions in alternative formats (Braille and audio) are available at the precincts, as well as an Automark Voter
Assist Terminal that is available for any electors who are disabled and wish to use this unit. Electors may
also request instructions in an alternative format prior to the election from the City Clerk’s Office.
An elector who is blind, disabled or unable to read or write may be assisted with his or her ballot by any
person of the voter’s choice, other than the voter’s employer or agent of that employer or an officer or
agent of a union to which the voter belongs.
THE ELECTION IS BEING HELD FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTING THE FOLLOWING:
NATIONAL President and Vice President
CONGRESSIONAL United States Senator and Representative in Congress
LEGISLATIVE Representative in State Legislature
STATE Two Members of the State Board of Education, Two Members of the
University of Michigan Board of Regents, Two Members of the
Michigan State University Board of Trustees, Two Members of the
Wayne State University Board of Governors
COUNTY County Executive, Prosecuting Attorney, Sheriff, Clerk/Register of Deeds,
Treasurer, Drain Commissioner and County Commissioner
JUDICIAL One Justice of Supreme Court, Three Judges of Court of Appeals –
2nd District (Incumbent Position), One Judge of Court of Appeals –
2nd District (Incumbent Position, Partial Term), Five Judges of
Circuit Court – 6th Circuit (Incumbent Position), Two Judges of
Circuit Court – 6th Circuit (Non-Incumbent Position), One Judge of
Circuit Court – 6th Circuit (Incumbent Position, Partial Term), One Judge of
Probate Court (Non-Incumbent Position), One Judge of District Court –
52nd District, 1st Division (Incumbent Position)
SCHOOL DISTRICT Two Board Members, Walled Lake Consolidated School District
One Board Member, Walled Lake Consolidated School District (Partial Term)
COMMUNITY Two Board of Trustees Members
COLLEGE One Board of Trustees Member (Partial Term)
AND FOR THE PURPOSE OF VOTING ON THE FOLLOWING PROPOSAL(S):
STATE PROPOSAL 08-1 A legislative initiative to permit the use and cultivation of marijuana for
specified medical conditions
STATE PROPOSAL 08-2 A proposal to amend the State Constitution to address human embryo and
human embryonic stem cell research in Michigan
COUNTY PROPOSAL A proposed modification to the Oakland County Merit System covering the
Employees of the County of Oakland that updates the system from its
original 1966 version as explained by County Resolution #08119
CATHERINE BUCK, CITY CLERK SC: 10-22-08
CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF COMMERCE CITY OF WALLED LAKE
2840 Fisher Avenue, Commerce Township, MI 48390
248.960.7020
ABSENTEE BALLOTS
ABSENTEE BALLOT
NOTICE
NOTICE
To the Qualified Electors of the Charter Township of
To the qualified electors of the City of
Commerce, the last day to apply for ABSENTEE Walled Lake, the last day to apply for
BALLOTS for the Tuesday, November 4, 2008 ABSENTEE BALLOTS for the November 4,
Election is: 2008 Election is
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2008
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2008
The Charter Township of Commerce Clerk’s Office
will be open on Saturday, November 1, 2008 from The City Clerk’s office will be open from
8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Electors who wish to receive 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. After 2:00 p.m. of
an Absent Voter Ballot for the Tuesday, November 4,
2008 Election by mail must submit Absent Voter
that date, no further mail applications will
be accepted.
Ballot applications by 2:00 p.m. on Saturday,
November 1, 2008.
CATHERINE BUCK, CITY CLERK
Sandra S. Abrams, MMC, Clerk CITY OF WALLED LAKE
Charter Township of Commerce SC: 10-22-08 SC: 10-22-08
PAGE 26/C,WB
West Bloomfield Supervisor
Democrat Michele Economou and
Republican Jeff Matte are competing in
the Tuesday, Nov. 4 general election for
the West Bloomfield Township supervi-
sor position. The township supervisor
serves a four-year term and is paid an
annual salary of $109,347.
The following are questions our
staff recently posed to the candidates
and their responses.
BUDGET: What specific changes in
township spending would you advocate
to address recent budgetary challenges?
REDEVELOPMENT: Please state why
you do or don’t believe the township is
adequately prepared to deal with various
redevelopment issues. What would you
like to see in the way of new develop-
ments on previously developed sites?
ROAD ISSUES: What road improve-
ments should be priorities in the town-
ship, and what would you do to make
sure they are addressed? State why
you do or don’t believe the township
should reassess its opposition to the
widening of Haggerty Road.
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the township at
this time, and how do you propose to
address them?
WHY YOU? Why should voters choose
you over your opponent?
MICHELE ECONOMOU
BUDGET: My focus is on revitalizing
the community and focusing on rede-
velopment of Orchard Lake Road. A lot
of the strip malls on Orchard Lake have
some vacancies and we need to attract
some nation retail chains to that area
to boost our revenue base. I’d also like
to focus on some other opportunities.
As you’ve probably noticed, HBO is
looking at filming in West Bloomfield
and that could generate $6 million to
$8 million in revenue.
Secondly, I’ve already talked to some
area township supervisors about possi-
bilities regarding cutting-edge recycling
technology that can generate up to $2
million in annual revenue. I’d like to
focus on developing a robust green ini-
tiative. I can’t get into specifics with
regard to the actual product, but the
recycling technology doesn’t involve
incineration.
There are some opportunities with
our fleet vehicles. The fuel costs in the
township are pretty high and there
would be some significant opportuni-
ties to reduce there.
REDEVELOPMENT: Redevelopment is
my focus. Since we have Old Orchard
Mall 78 percent unoccupied, we can
focus our energies there. I would like
to attract some national chains to the
area.
We have the finest staff available.
Our boards and commissions are
staffed. We have our existing Master
Plan and we’re due for another Master
Plan. We spent a lot of money on exam-
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Michele Economou is president and owner
of Professionally Yours. She is a former vice
president of Simons-White. Economou is a
member of the West Bloomfield Optimist
Club, and the West Bloomfield and
Chaldean chambers of commerce.
ining how to rezone and how to develop
a downtown area in the last five years
and it simply hasn’t happened.
ROAD ISSUES: It would be difficult to
bring in businesses and redevelop the area
unless we improve Orchard Lake Road. It’s
the major gateway to our community, the
No. 1 traveled road in the township and
the third most traveled in the county. I’d
prioritize widening and resurfacing Orchard
Lake Road. I would lobby the road com-
mission and area legislators.
I travel Haggerty Road and I think it’s
sufficient.
TOP ISSUES: I would have to say roads,
improvements to Orchard Lake Road; and
revitalization of businesses on Orchard
Lake Road to be able to create some more
movement with homes sales, as well.
Then it’s improvement internally. We
need to be able to do more with less. I
worked as as business system expert for
the automotive industry. I’ve learned how
to drive out waste and inefficiency.
Government is a large bureaucracy and
there’s a lot of room to free up capital
and attack waste. Implementing proven
business tools and techniques in the pub-
lic sector is critical. It’s ripe for a busi-
ness system expert like myself to be able
to get in and implement some process
improvements and streamline — for one
the building permit process. We’ve been
hearing a lot of complaints about the
lengthy permit process.
WHY YOU? I have proven leadership
experience and worked as a representa-
tive for the entire automotive industry,
and bent over backwards to serve all the
members of the industry in an ultra-tech-
nical capacity. I worked as vice president
of a statistical consulting company to
implement transformation programs that
saved millions of dollars. We need to use
proven business tools and techniques and
I’ve worked with clients in a four-month
consulting capacity and saved them over
half a million dollars. I know how to find
the waste internally. I excel at building
strategic relationships and partnerships. I
think a township supervisor is a leader-
ship role and it’s all about compassion,
Jeff Matte has been a West Bloomfield
police officer since 1984. He is a member
of the Oakland County Coordinated
Council on Domestic Violence Board of
Directors and a founding member of the
Oakland County Fatality Review Team.
character and willingness to work hard
on behalf of residents.
JEFF MATTE
BUDGET: We’re going to have to do a
better job controlling our budgets. There’s
a number of things I know will work in the
police and fire departments. There are
probably some other areas in building and
assessing that we can address, as well.
I would like more police officers on the
road. I’d like to see us with a parking
enforcement unit. That tends to be a rev-
enue generator. It could handle handicap
and other parking issues that officers just
don’t have time for. They’re not full-time
people, and we don’t have to do the
whole benefit package for them. Also,
with the court system, we need to talk
with the court and the other jurisdictions
about having an afternoon docket. We
spent an inordinate amount of overtime
paying our officers on the afternoon and
midnight shift to come in for court.
The fire department is another area;
the amount of fuel they go through, and
the amount of fuel the police department
goes through. We need to start turning
the township more green. We just started
doing some recycling at the township
level. I’d like to see us do more and start
looking at electric vehicles for some of
the people doing the running around, like
the assessing office.
I would hate to see us cut any of the
services. I don’t think we have any pork
barrel or fat in the township. I’m sure
there are ways to streamline some
things. The unions understand we’re in
contract negotiations. I think it would be
a huge cost advantage if the township
can get health care costs down. We want
to give our people a good package, but
we also want to be fair to the residents.
REDEVELOPMENT: We have the Plum
Market coming into the Old Orchard cen-
ter. That’s going to be a big boost, but
there are still other spaces that need to
be filled. We need to find out why these
people are leaving.
I think the township as a whole isn’t
conducive at all to a downtown area. If I
see on the plans how they are going to
SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY
do it and it makes sense, then that’s
fine.
We need to get stores like Target
and Costco in our area. We need to
support what we have. We need to look
and see if we can get another auto
dealership, maybe.
ROAD ISSUES: Orchard Lake Road is
our main thoroughfare and Maple is
our main east-west thoroughfare.
Maple needs to be widened. We also
need more north-south roads widened,
be it Drake or Farmington Road. We
need to be on top of the the road com-
mission. They need to fix the drains
along Orchard Lake and other roads.
They’re usually totally clogged with
leaves, sticks, and all kinds of things.
That usually causes water to back up
and it undermines the roads. That’s
usually where we see holes is by one of
those grates.
Haggerty Road should probably be
looked at it. We should do some traffic
studies there. With the connector going
in a lot of the Haggerty traffic has
slowed down but it’s still very busy.
TOP ISSUES: No. 1 is crime. We need
to get more patrolmen on the road. We
need to put our arms around communi-
ty policing. If you feel comfortable
going home, you talk to people about it
and then you talk to other people about
it and West Bloomfield is known as a
wonderful place to live.
The second issue is roads. All of that
has to do with how we address the peo-
ple that are controlling that. We need to
be hands-on with the road commission.
Could we take care of our own roads and
deal with it in a better fashion than the
road commission? If it’s not cost-effec-
tive, then we won’t do that.
The third thing is going green. We
do have two recycling events a year. If
you’ve ever been to one you know peo-
ple are turned away. We need to maybe
have four a year. We maybe need to
have some other dropoff areas. We
need to look at electric vehicles for
some of the day-to-day stuff, more flex
fuel, or going to hybrids. If we can put
solar panels on top of town hall, if it’s
cost-effective, then we should do that.
If we can put a wind mill out there, we
should do that.
WHY YOU? If either of us gets in,
there’s going to be positive changes.
My mantra is not just change, but posi-
tive change. We need to move forward.
I think where I have more experience
than Michele is in the police and fire
and water department and the building
department. I know the infrastructure.
I’ve worked with these people for 24
years. I know where we need the
changes. Michele is going to have a lot
more experience in some of the statisti-
cal things. If I were to win, I would
probably try and get Michele on my
team to do something because I like a
lot of the things she’s said. ❏
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
West Bloomfield Treasurer
Republican Jason Feld and Democrat
Teri Adelberg Weingarden will face off
in the Tuesday, Nov. 4 general election
for the West Bloomfield Township
treasurer position. The township treas-
urer serves a four-year term and is cur-
rently paid $106,224 annually.
The following are questions our staff
recently posed to the candidates, and
their responses to those questions.
RATE OF RETURN: What kind of
investments is the township currently
using? What’s the township’s current
rate of return on short and longer term
investments? How, if at all, can those
returns be improved?
CDARS PROPOSAL: Michigan lawmak-
ers are considering a Certificate of
Deposit Account Registry Service
(CDARS) bill to make changes in the
way public funds are spread around
various depositories. What’s your take
on the need for changes in that sys-
tem, and on the CDARS proposal itself?
BUDGET: Oakland County is projecting
declines in taxable property value over
the next few years. What specific
changes in township spending would
you advocate to address the revenue
dilemma?
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the township, and
how do you propose to address them?
WHY YOU? Why should voters choose
you over your opponent?
JASON FELD
RATE OF RETURN: We’re investing in
CDs, treasuries, agencies, and commer-
cial paper. The last board report I
believe was around 3.75 (percent) net.
The treasurer doesn’t control the rate
of return. We’re guided by Public Act
20, which restricts the types of invest-
ments a treasurer can use. Really, the
most important aspect of the treasurer
job is safety and that’s what my goal
would be as treasurer, to invest in
investments that are safe.
CDARS PROPOSAL: I support the
CDARS program. It’s a very effective
tool. It’s a program that allows us to
put money into local banks and divides
those funds among other banks. So if
you put $1 million dollars in, it divides
that by 10 banks so it’s fully insured.
It’s a great resource for us to use local
banks and allows those banks to rein-
vest it into the local economy.
BUDGET: By 2011, we’re expecting a
$2 million budget shortfall. I have a lot
of experience in accounting and finance,
working at the Farbman Group as a
corporate controller for the last five
years, working in accounting and
finance for the last 16 years. We can’t
add an additional tax burden on our
taxpayers. We need to look at ways we
can lower costs and make sure our
services are at where they currently
are.
I wouldn’t support any changes in
our police and fire. For our non-essen-
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Jason Feld has been a corporate con-
troller for The Farbman Group for the last
five years, with a total of 16 years of expe-
rience in finance and accounting.
tial services, we need to look at how we
should re-engineer that so they fit our
new needs as a community for potential
redevelopment opportunities.
TOP ISSUES: My goal is to set the town-
ship up for success so it’s a smooth tran-
sition. (Current Treasurer) Denise
Hammond has done a wonderful job;
she’s one of the best treasurers in the
state, if not the country. I’m very happy
both Denise and Susan Hawkinson have
endorsed me.
The second issue is our continuing
budget deficit in 2011. We need to look
at what we can do to continue our high
quality services for residents without
increasing the financial responsibilities.
Our budget is not that high and this is a
significant deficit. This is not acceptable.
My third major issue is we can work a
lot more with electronic transactions,
including electronic banking. This would
help us decrease costs and increase serv-
ices. We need to act as an advocate for
the people, make sure the tax dollars are
used wisely and make sure we get the
maximum benefit for every dollar.
WHY YOU? I’m not going to make any
secret promises that can’t be discussed. I
believe in an open government. I’m not
going to have office hours once a month.
I’m going to have office hours everyday.
I’m going to be 100 percent accessible. If
someone wants to reach me today, they
can call me. My phone number is 248-
302-3377. They can also contact me at
my website at votefeld.com. You can also
e-mail me at jason@votefeld.com.
I have the experience for this job. I’ve
been working in accounting and finance
for over 16 years. The last five years, I’ve
been the corporate controller with the
Farbman Group, the largest privately held
real estate company in Michigan. Our rev-
enues exceed $25 million a year. I have a
bachelor’s in public administration and a
master’s in accounting. I close our
monthly financials. I do cash forecasting,
and monthly projections. I’m very dedi-
cated to the community.
Teri Adelberg Weingarden has worked as a
European pricing coordinator for the
UNISYS finance department, and a change
management and knowledge manage-
ment consultant for EDS and Andersen
Consulting. She has been president of the
Cumberland Common Homeowner
Association since 2001.
TERI ADELBERG WEINGARDEN
RATE OF RETURN: Actually the answers
Mr. Feld gave were correct. Mainly what
we’ve been investing in is CDs because
they are very liquid. We need to make
sure money is liquid so we can pay our
bills and our salaries. The rate of return
is not something we can really affect.
Luckily, Ms. Hammond has done an amaz-
ing job on her investments and outper-
formed portfolios that have every avail-
able option to them. It shows if you’re
smart with the way you invest while
you’re being safe, you can make some
pretty good revenues.
CDARS PROPOSAL: It’s important that
we’re investing in very safe banking insti-
tutions and we know that they’re going
to be there in the future. Banks haven’t
been very safe as of late. Now we’re see-
ing the government get involved. You
want to make sure you have some diver-
sity and the institutions you’re dealing
with are local and sound.
I’d have to sit down and speak with
people that knew every single detail, but
on the larger scale it sounds like it makes
sense.
BUDGET: People are worried the answer
is going to be raising taxes or severely
cutting services. I have a different
approach. I’ve been brought into billion-
dollar companies to help them make
changes that improve efficiencies, cus-
tomer service and generate revenue. In
West Bloomfield, the departments are
very siloed. We have all these depart-
ments that at one point weren’t even
allowed to speak to each other. As you
work together and do a process flow and
see how departments integrate, you’re
going to find the ways people work
together. There’s going to be some dupli-
cation that can be cut, which saves time
and eventually money. You will improve
customer service.
We’ve also been talking about moving
the township to a computer software
package. The Treasurer’s Office is already
using it, but other departments are talk-
ing about moving to that package which
PAGE 27/C,WB
means we’ll have an easier flow of
information across the board. That will
also improve savings.
I’ve been looking at moving the
township toward group purchasing
power. It’s a little early in the process
to talk about. Some of it is confidential.
The bottom line is I’m looking at differ-
ent ways to take some things we’re
already paying for and improve service
without increasing cost. I’m not looking
to raise taxes.
TOP ISSUES: No. 1 is fiscal responsibil-
ity and safety. We want to make sure
we’re using safe local banks and dis-
persing money in manners that protect
our assets. The main goal is to keep
our money liquid and safe. We need to
make sure we have process improve-
ment in town hall, share recourses,
work together, find inefficiencies and
improve the processes.
Another area that’s important is the
environment. I’m already looking into
some innovative ways to continue to
save West Bloomfield’s natural
resources. That’s one of my confidential
things — I had to agree on some (non-
disclosures) on some things I’m investi-
gating, so I’m not at liberty to talk in
great detail. We need to look at keeping
West Bloomfield a clean and safe envi-
ronment. We also have to make sure
we’re recycling in an intelligent way.
No. 3 is the reason I ran, which is
customer service. I think it’s really
important for people to understand that
when you run for office you’re a civil
servant. You serve the public. It’s not
the other way around. I will make sure
I’m knowledgeable and continue train-
ing and challenge myself so I can pro-
vide the best service and I make sure
I’m saving money. I’m probably going to
have a Tuesdays with the Treasurer so
people can meet with me. I want people
who are having problems to feel com-
fortable coming to me.
WHY YOU? I’m very committed and
entrenched in West Bloomfield. I’ve
been here since age 5. I went and
worked abroad for a while came back
here and got a master’s from Wayne
State University. I’ve done volunteer
work in the community for many years.
I have a track record of excellence.
I’ve always been an overachiever. When
I worked for Unisys in the Africa-Europe
Division, I was in the marketing depart-
ment and an opening came up in the
finance department. I went to the head
of our department and said “I can do
this job.” I ended up becoming our pric-
ing coordinator for all of Europe and
Scandinavia.
I will go beyond the call of duty
everyday. I know I have the experience to
do this. I have a deep understanding of
finance and I’ve also worked in every
other area. I’ve done marketing, busi-
ness consulting and training and devel-
opment. ❏
PAGE 28/C,WB
West Bloomfield Trustees
Democrats Larry Brown, Gene
Farber, Steve Kaplan, and Howard
Rosenberg; and Republican John
Cyrus Mohyi will square off in the
Tuesday, Nov. 4 general election for
four West Bloomfield Township
trustee positions. Township trustees
serve four-year terms and are current-
ly paid $125 per meeting attended.
The following are questions our staff
recently posed to the candidates, and
their responses to those questions.
BUDGET: What changes in township
budgeting priorities or processes do
you advocate to deal with recent
budgetary challenges?
ROAD MILLAGE: It has been suggest-
ed that the township explore the col-
lection of a road millage so the town-
ship can maintain its own roadways,
rather than depend entirely on the
Road Commission for Oakland County
(RCOC). What’s your stance on the
need for a township property tax to
tackle road maintenance chores?
BOARD RELATIONS: The township
board has been deeply divided and
become notorious for members engag-
ing in uncivil confrontations. Do you
see the divisiveness as cases of parti-
san politics or personality clashes?
Please explain how you plan to effec-
tively serve the township when you
find yourself and other board mem-
bers on the opposite side of an issue?
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the township at
this time, and how do you propose to
address them?
WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should vot-
ers choose you over your opponents?
LARRY BROWN
BUDGET: What needs to happen is
you turn to your department heads
and tell them, “Here’s X number of
dollars you have to spend and you find
the best way to spend it.” It’s difficult
for a board to determine what the
most critical services are to maintain. I
can’t tell you what their manpower or
their equipment needs will be.
Budgeting is about dollars and sense.
You have to let the department heads
and their people figure out what is
important and what the necessary
services are to be maintained for the
community.
ROAD MILLAGE: There are a lot of
people out there who have lost their
jobs and their benefits, so putting
another tax on them is not what I
want to be doing.
Many of the subdivision and condo-
minium associations have agreed to
pay assessments for their own roads.
(A road millage) would be unjustly
levied against people who have already
paid to have their roads taken care of
in their subdivisions, and they would
be paying twice on taxes.
The main roads are really some of
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Larry Brown was a certified public
accountant for 25 years, and was an
owner and managing director of Burnstein,
Morris & Brown, PC (now Morris, Kalish &
Walgren). He served as a West Bloomfield
Planning Commission member from 1996
until 2002
the problems, especially Orchard Lake
Road, which was promised to be fixed
for decades now. We need to be more
stern with Oakland County and negotiate
better with them because the condition
of Orchard Lake Road is having an effect
on the businesses there.
BOARD RELATIONS: We’ve all been
watching the TV and it’s sometimes
deplorable to see what is happening
within our board. The board really needs
to have more respect for each other and
the community and try to bring some
professionalism. I’m not sure if it’s parti-
san all the time. I think there are things
that happen that seem to be partisan. I
think a township board member outside
a meeting being disrespectful to any res-
ident is inexcusable behavior.
I think that with some of the issues,
the edge could be taken off before the
meeting even starts. There are times
when I feel these board meetings go way
too long and people get tired and tem-
pers flare. They need to address the
issues, stay focused, give short answers
and respect the people who come in
there to say their piece.
TOP ISSUES: I think the first issue is
the roads. It needs to be addressed
sooner than later, especially the condi-
tion of Orchard Lake Road and the con-
struction of other main arteries within
our community.
The second is when we are talking
about issues, we need to look at how peo-
ple approach our board and have them
feel comfortable to bring issues and feel
that they not going to be attacked or
ridiculed and told that their issue isn’t
important enough or that their voice does-
n’t have any impact at all. We all need to
have an open mind and be respectful of
our citizens at all times.
The third issue is bringing business
to this community. We talked to many
businesses and many people young and
old would rather have their businesses
here locally.
Gene Farber is a West Bloomfield planning
commissioner and a private-practice attor-
ney. He has been a member of the town-
ship's Amendment Committee.
WHY YOU? I’ve been a resident here for
22 years and I have four generations of
my family living here.
One of the things I’ve done in the
over 15 years I’ve volunteered for this
community is I’ve tried to help out
where there have been problems
between factions. I’ve received the vol-
unteer service award from the Greater
West Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce.
I’ve been serving on numerous other
boards within the community. I’ve been
involved with Temple Israel, B’nai B’rith,
juvenile diabetes, and I’ve been on many,
many boards and continue to be a mem-
ber.
Being a retired CPA with over 35
years of experience, I bring a multitude
of reason to the board. I know how to
do budgeting and negotiating, and I’ve
sat on boards of directors for many
years. I think that with my life experi-
ence I will hopefully bring a positive
position to the board and help the com-
munity I love and will continue to live in
until the day I die.
GENE FARBER
BUDGET: There are processes that we
can look at. For example, I get a lot of
mail while serving on the Planning
Commission; and maybe that could be
sent by e-mail. We could consolidate
services with Orchard Lake and Keego
Harbor, but I want West Bloomfield in
control because we are the largest com-
munity. If we can save money by provid-
ing services for them, I’m all for it.
We have to review everything in the
budget from top to bottom.
ROAD MILLAGE: The biggest problem is
Orchard Lake Road. Everyone knows that.
Even if we wanted to have a road millage,
there’s no way we can raise enough rev-
enue. The voters are not going to approve
a wider-scale tax in this economy.
BOARD RELATIONS: I’m concerned about
what the new board does, so can I work
with other board members who disagree
with me? Based on my history with the
SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY
Planning Commission, my answer would
be yes. The commission is split with
Republicans and Demo-crats; we have
men, women, and all religions. We are
all civil; that’s how I run the commis-
sion and that’s how I would be as a
board member.
TOP ISSUES: I think revitalizing the
Orchard Lake/Maple area is very impor-
tant. If we have mixed-use there, we can
bring in new residents and help stabilize
the tax base if the properties improve.
We’re aggressively seeking out develop-
ers for those parcels and the downtown
development area.
The second major issue is the
budget crunch that is ongoing because
of the structure of how townships and
cities are financed. There are lots of
items we can look at streamlining and
work on with other cities.
The third issue is the roads. We
should do whatever we can as town-
ship officials to bring pressure to bear
on the Road Commission for Oakland
County.
WHY YOU? I have lived in the com-
mun-ity for 30 years and have partici-
pated. I have been on the Planning Com-
mission for the past seven years. I have
ideas such as implementing the DDA
and the overlay district. I have served as
the liaison for the township to the
Huron River Watershed Council. Based
on my experience — what I’ve done and
what I plan on doing — I would ask for
people’s support in the election.
STEVE KAPLAN
BUDGET: There are really three main
issues. First, with declining revenues,
a municipality needs to spend less
without cutting essential services.
Secondly, it has to be more effective in
terms of money not being used waste-
fully; and thirdly, potentially generating
additional revenues.
There might be building naming
rights where revenues could be gener-
ated, or joint ventures with other
municipalities like Keego Harbor or
Orchard Lake with the building depart-
ment or the environmental depart-
ment.
ROAD MILLAGE: Bloomfield Township
has its own Department of Public
Works that maintains the roads, and
it’s my understanding that the resi-
dents are very satisfied with those
services because it’s a local govern-
ment that is accountable.
Had this question been posed five
to 10 years ago, I think all of us would
be in favor of that suggestion. But at
this juncture, I don’t think the public
can deal with increased taxes.
We can be more efficient in dealing
with petitioning and lobbying the
RCOC, and asking our state legislators
to help accelerate the process. The
township has tried Tri-party funding in
PAGE 29 ❯ ❯ ❯ ❯
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
Trustee race
❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ PAGE 28
terms of accelerating the schedule for
maintaining and repairing roads.
BOARD RELATIONS: I served on the
board from 2000 to 2004. I had 100-
percent attendance at the regular
board meetings. I was able to interact
well with all board members, regard-
less of partisan leanings. When there
was a vacancy after (former Trustee)
Larry Horn died, I was supported by
the three Republicans on the board,
despite the fact that I’m a Democrat.
That shows that I can get along with
anyone on the board.
In my view, there is excessive bick-
ering, pettiness, and divisiveness on
this board and it affects the perform-
ance. When you have personality prob-
lems and difficulties, you’re not making
the best decisions. It’s a bad reflection
on the township. Many people watch
Channel 18 because they find the board
meetings to be entertaining. I don’t
think people in our community should
be talking about the board meetings
being entertaining.
We need to treat people courteous-
ly and respectfully. When disagreeing
with a resident, a board member
should listen carefully, honor that per-
son’s thoughts and if so, disagree in a
respectful way. We are there to listen
and to let that person know that his
concerns are at least being under-
stood. If we vote against that person,
we can do so in a courteous way.
TOP ISSUES: The global issue is of
course the budget. I see three sub-
issues in terms of passing a budget
which enables us, with less money, to
provide essential services in a capable
and efficient way.
No. 1 is the way the board meet-
ings are run. We have waste at the
board level in terms of inefficient
meetings, and poor decisions being
made because meetings are too long
and too divisive.
The second issue is the roads.
Orchard Lake Road is the gateway to
West Bloomfield. It’s the third most-
used road in Oakland County. When
you have it full of potholes, where
people are afraid to drive on it out of
fear of wrecking their vehicles and
needing new tires and wheels, it
means you have less traffic and fewer
people patronizing our stores. I think
we can do a better job in terms of
maintaining those roads in a prompter
fashion with longer-lasting results.
The third issue would be property
values throughout the county. We
have vacant buildings, just like every
municipality, but we have some
restaurants in prime locations which
have been vacant. We have other
buildings that are eyesores, that are
blight. Our township can do better at
working with developers and the
chamber of commerce to find tenants.
When you have a vacant building for a
long period of time, you’re not gener-
ating any revenue, taxes or business
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Steve Kaplan is an assistant prosecuting
attorney in the Macomb County Prosecu-
tor's office. He is a former West Bloomfield
Township trustee, and a former trustee for
the Southfield Public Schools Board of
Education.
and it looks bad. I’m not an expert on
urban planning, but why not bring a P.F.
Chang’s to West Bloomfield? Why not
bring some other national chains?
People would talk about it and it would
create more vibrancy in our community.
WHY YOU? I enjoy public service and my
background exhibits that. (I have) 21
years of experience as a prosecutor, a
job that I continue to hold and love. I’ve
been a professor at Michigan State’s law
school the past 11 years, served on a
school board for eight years and served
on the township board for four years.
My wife is the director of Kids in
Charge at West Bloomfield High School.
We enjoy, love and want to contribute to
this community in a positive way. And
therefore, I would relish the opportunity
to once again serve as township trustee
for this very fine community.
JOHN CYRUS MOHYI
BUDGET: The first thing that comes to
mind is one of my newest views —
applying or migrating to new technolo-
gies which would reduce the cost expen-
ditures in the township and greatly help
us in improving productivity, efficiency
and everything overall.
Migrating to a cloud computing plat-
form could theoretically save the town-
ship about a million dollars.
It’s things like this that are critical in
this day and age and by looking at this
for the township, we don’t have to
worry about having our own servers and
we can actually have another company
manage everything from a long distance
away, so it decreases costs a ton.
We have to be very cognizant with
the way we’re taxing the people of West
Bloomfield. The more we raise our taxes,
the more people that are unable to pay
and they move out of West Bloomfield,
so we in turn decrease our tax base.
Our No. 1 priority should be making
West Bloomfield the most attractive
place for a company to start up so we
can increase our tax base and have more
funds to work with in the township.
ROAD MILLAGE: Initially when I was
approached with a question similar to
this, I said absolutely not. The township
is not in a position where it can handle
it. Then I also thought we could create
John Cyrus Mohyi served as class president
during his sophomore and junior years at
Andover High School. He is a precinct del-
egate.
something where we can interact with
Oakland County, maybe a joint board of
people who make decisions.
The main thing I’m concerned about
is competitive bidding on contracts. If
we can make a road much cheaper by
allowing a private company to build
them instead of the road commission, I
think that’s an option we should defi-
nitely explore. By having the power of
our own to make that decision, I think
we would be able to focus our attention
on the roads that need to be focused on.
Let’s face it, Oakland County is a
huge area and they don’t have enough
people to say this and this needs to be
fixed up. By being in the township, we
would have a more personalized under-
standing of what needs to be fixed.
BOARD RELATIONS: To be honest, I
think it’s a combination of both. I did
observe, because I’ve been to a few of
the meetings and I’ve watched them on
TV, that it’s a power struggle. The indi-
viduals in power have gone on a little
power trip, they think that they are in
charge of everything and that no one
has anything to say that’s important.
As a leader, it’s your job to listen to
the people that you represent and find
the optimal decision you could possibly
make in these situations.
I don’t think that some of the individ-
uals were best suited for the position
and I think a major problem is that not
enough people are really running for our
local government and thus not giving
the voters a good, high-quality selection
of people. This has been demonstrated
by the primary when every single incum-
bent got kicked off the ballot. Some call
it a miracle. It’s completely ridiculous
how they’ve been treating each other
and a lot of the community members in
West Bloomfield, and the people are sick
of it. They got kicked off and they have
no one to blame but themselves.
We’re always going to find ourselves
on the opposite side of an issue, and I
think it comes down to being able to
make compromises and really not seeing
what is beneficial to me or them but to
our community as a whole.
If something is becoming too frus-
trating as a subject, I think it would be
PAGE 29/C,WB
wise to cool down and delay the mat-
ter until another day so that we think
with a cool head.
When it comes down to it, we can’t
be concerned with ourselves, we have
to think of others. I know a lot of dif-
ferent people and made a lot of
friends, and you’ll definitely have con-
flicts. But there’s different ways to
resolve a dispute and I think with this
group of people, the disputes we had
in the past will not be as common.
I will do my best to serve the com-
munity and look out for them.
TOP ISSUES: One would be taxation.
From the community, I’ve been hear-
ing from a lot of people concerned
about how the houses are being
appraised and a lot of people are tak-
ing it to court and are very angry,
because they believe their houses are
assessed far more than they’re worth.
A house five years ago worth
$500,000 is not worth that today, and
that’s something we definitely need to
take a look at. We can’t burden the
citizens of West Bloomfield, otherwise
we’re going to lose more and more of
our tax base.
The second thing we definitely
need to assess is runaway spending.
We have to effectively spend our
money. The township just can’t go
ahead and not competitively bid con-
tracts and expect the voters to pay for
it. We have to get the best price for
anything we do. We have to upgrade
to technologies that are going to
decrease our expenditures and make
everything function more efficiently at
the township level.
The third thing would be increasing
the standard of living for the citizens
in West Bloomfield. That is the sole
purpose of the board, to make sure
the standard of living for its citizens is
at its highest. We always have to be
looking for new and innovative ways
to address issues in the community
and satisfy the citizens and make it
the most attractive place for anyone to
go to. I want West Bloomfield to have
the best reputation around and hon-
estly be the place to be if someone
wants to move, which would raise
property values because we’re in such
demand.
Those are the three major issues
that come to mind and I hope to effec-
tively address them in the best way
possible.
WHY YOU? I am a different breed of
candidate. I have a pretty good tech-
nological understanding and I will be
able to take approaches that they
haven’t even considered.
Cloud computing, my opponents
probably would say “What is that?”
although it could potentially save us
over a million dollars.
We have to take new and innovative
ways to solve problems and I’m a very
good critical thinker, that’s my
strength. I think as an elected official, I
can use that skill to make the communi-
ty progress in ways it has never
PAGE 30 ❯ ❯ ❯ ❯
PAGE 30/C,WB www.spinalcolumnonline.com SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY

CITY OF WIXOM general election voter guide

NOTICE OF ELECTION
NOVEMBER 4, 2008 Trustee race
❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ PAGE 29
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to the Qualified Electors that a General Election will be held in the City of Wixom,
County of Oakland, State of Michigan, on TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008. dreamed of and we would be a leader in
The polls will be open from 7 o’clock a.m. until 8 o’clock p.m. All polling places are handicap accessible and have the state of Michigan by taking on various
Braille and audio versions of voting instructions available. Polling places are listed below: aspects that haven’t really been taken into
Precinct 1 Wixom Community Center 49015 Pontiac Trail consideration.
Precinct 2 Wixom City Hall (Police Department Entrance) 49045 Pontiac Trail For instance, Google Township was
Precinct 3 Wixom Community Center 49015 Pontiac Trail one of my ideas that I actually took from
Precinct 4 Wixom City Hall 49045 Pontiac Trail Peachtree City. It’s where they took a
The election is being held for the purpose of electing candidates of all participating political parties for the fol- Google API plug-in and put it on their
lowing offices: city website and they were able to use
GSI data to create layers where citizens Howard Rosenberg is a chiropractor, and
PRESIDENTIAL President and Vice-President of the United States
could be able to see where all the has been the executive director of Sinai
CONGRESSIONAL United States Senator, Representative in Congress (11th District) schools were, where maybe all the yard Hospital's physician organization and chief
LEGISLATIVE Representative in State Legislature (38th District) sales in West Bloomfield are, maybe see operating officer of the Carelink Health
STATE BOARDS Member of the State Board of Education, Regent of the University of Michigan, where all the foreclosure houses are, see Plan. His has also been a Parks and
Trustee of Michigan State University, Governor of Wayne State University where all of this different information is. Recreation Commission member for the
That would definitely get us more past four years.
COUNTY County Executive, Prosecuting Attorney, Sheriff, Clerk/Register of Deeds, Treasurer,
Drain Commissioner and County Commissioner (8th District) involved with the community and would
allow citizens to search for businesses the park staff.
JUDICIAL Justice of the Supreme Court, Judge of Court of Appeals (2nd District – Incumbent
Position), Judge of Court of Appeals (2nd District – Incumbent Position, Partial Term
and restaurants through the plug-in. I don’t see partisan issues at the
Ending 01/01/2013), Judge of Circuit Court (6th Circuit – Incumbent Position), Judge of These are the technologies and inno- township level. We are required at the
Circuit Court (6th Circuit – Non-Incumbent Position), Judge of Circuit Court (6th Circuit – vative approaches that are needed for state level to run partisan elections, but I
Incumbent Position, Partial Term Ending 01/01/2013), Judge of Probate Court (Oakland the future. The world is changing at a prefer they be non-partisan. I think the
County – Non-Incumbent Position), Judge of District Court (52-1st District – very rapid pace. We need to keep up and fact that I will be on the board along
Incumbent Position) I’m the man for the job when it comes with new people will change the charac-
LOCAL SCHOOL Walled Lake Consolidated School District Board Member, Walled Lake Consolidated to keeping up and being the most pro- ter of the board such that we will be
DISTRICT School District Board Member (Partial Term Ending 01/01/2013) gressive candidate available. able to find ways to work together and
COMMUNITY Oakland Community College Board of Trustees Member, HOWARD ROSENBERG strongly advocate our positions without
COLLEGE Oakland Community College Board of Trustees Member (Partial Term Ending 01/01/2011) attacks or loud, uncivil disagreements.
BUDGET: One of the single biggest TOP ISSUES: The two most important
And for the purpose of voting on the following Proposals, the full text of which can be obtained from the Wixom areas of budget costs are legacy costs
City Clerk’s Office: issues are the budget and home values.
for employees, which involve retiree You have to consolidate services, look at
STATE PROPOSAL 08-1 health care and pension plans. Retiree legacy costs and have more efficient use
A Legislative initiative to permit the use and cultivation of marijuana for specified medical conditions health plans are something that can be of services.
STATE PROPOSAL 08-2 looked at for a lot of savings. It’s diffi- In regard to home values, there are
A proposal to amend the State Constitution to address Human Embryo and Human Embryonic Stem Cell cult, because you’re talking about peo- limited amounts that a township can do
Research in Michigan ple’s health care and that’s not an easy in terms of stabilizing them. But, we can
COUNTY PROPOSAL project, but it needs to be looked at in work on cooperating with our various
A proposed modification to the Oakland County Merit System covering the employees of the County of Oakland coordination with the board, the unions, agencies and commissions in the town-
that updates the system from its original 1966 version as explained by County Resolution #08119 and management staff. ship. There are many things that can
CITY OF WIXOM PROPOSAL The other main area of savings is help — community gardens and compost
A Charter Amendment Proposal to Reauthorize Millage in the amount of 1.15 mills for 15 years (2011 through coordination of services — not just with piles, little things that will help to reduce
2025) for routine and ongoing maintenance of local roads and streets under the jurisdiction of the City of the other local municipalities, but with our carbon footprint, which is a local
Wixom Walled Lake, Farmington, and Pontiac. issue, and help to increase the desirabili-
CITY OF WIXOM PROPOSAL We may be able to go as far as sharing ty of the area to live in.
A Charter Amendment Proposal to authorize the levy of .30 mill for 15 years (2009 through 2023) for con- certain backroom operations while main- The Marshbank Park improvement
struction, maintenance, repair and rehabilitation of bike paths and sidewalks under the jurisdiction of the City of taining control and doing what is in the project is going to raise the property val-
Wixom best interests of our residents. ues of all the homes surrounding it. It’s
County Treasurer’s Statement as Required The only way to really increase rev- going to be a jewel that real estate
by Act No. 92 of the Public Acts of 1933 enue is to find a way to stabilize home agents are going to show their clients
as Amended values. That happens by making your before looking at homes in that area.
I, Patrick M. Dohany, County Treasurer of the County of Oakland, State of Michigan, do hereby certify that community a desirable place to live by There needs to be better communica-
according to the records in my office, as of October 13, 2008, the total of all voted increases in the tax rate coordinating with parks, libraries and tion between the township, schools,
limitation above the 18 mills established by Section 6 of Article IX of the Michigan Constitution of 1963 schools for programs and economic parks, libraries and other communities
affecting taxable property in the City of Wixom, in said County, is as follows: development coordination to bring in so that all services and efforts can be
Local Unit Voted Increase Years Increase Effective businesses to fill up the stores that are coordinated.
City of Wixom 1.15 7-1-1996 to 7-1-2010 empty and help the stores that are There needs to be either a DDA or a
1.08 2007 - 2016 (Library) already here. devoted staff person to help economic
Walled Lake Consolidated School District .50 2004-2013 Incl. ROAD MILLAGE: Any additional taxes development and bring in new business-
18.0 2006-2015 Incl. are unacceptable and the RCOC hasn’t es.
County School District of Oakland County 3.6483 Unlimited
been as responsive as it should be to WHY YOU? The reason I’m asking for
County of Oakland .25 2002 to 2011 Incl. the township’s needs. They have not people to vote for me and that I would
Oakland Community College 1.00 Unlimited done a good enough job of managing make a good township trustee is I’ve
.80 2002 to 2011 Inc. Orchard Lake Road while waiting to do demonstrated the ability to be a good
Patrick M. Dohany, Treasurer, Oakland County the major work they’re waiting to do. decision-maker and that I understand
Dated: October 13, 2008 BOARD RELATIONS: I’ve shown over how the decisions I make regarding
Absentee ballots for this election can be obtained by contacting the Wixom City Clerk’s Office to request an appli-
the past three years the ability to be spending public funds have current- and
cation for an absent voter ballot or by sending a written request for a ballot to the Wixom City Clerk. Written demonstrate respectful conduct to oth- long-term impact.
requests must include the reason you are requesting an absentee ballot, as well as your name, the address where ers at all times and a high level of per- I believe that the experience I’ve
you reside, the address to which the ballot is to be sent if different than your home address, and your signature. sonal integrity. I’m proud of that. I developed over the years of working with
The deadline to obtain an absentee ballot is 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 1, 2008. believe there hasn’t been one commis- boards in the private sector and the last
Linda Kirby, City Clerk, City of Wixom sioner that I haven’t disagreed with on four years in the public sector have
49045 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, MI 48393 the Parks and Recreation Commission, trained me in how to think short- and
(248) 624-4557 yet we’ve still found a way to bring long-term, and how to work with people
SC: 10-22-08 together an agreement that works for of different opinions to create a consen-
everyone, including the commission and sus for the public good. ❏
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
Orchard Lake Council
Stephen Briggs, Ann Hartzell, and
incumbent James Talpos will compete
in the Tuesday, Nov. 4 general election
for two three-year terms on the
Orchard Lake City Council. Council
members receive no payment for their
service.
The following are questions our
staff recently posed to the candidates,
and their responses to those ques-
tions.
BUDGET: What changes in city budg-
eting priorities or processes do you
advocate to deal with recent budget-
ary challenges?
TRAFFIC/ROADS: Traffic congestion
and road conditions are perennial
issues for the city. What do you see as
the city’s most pressing road infra-
structure and traffic control needs?
FIRE SERVICES: Please state why you
are or aren’t satisfied with the merger
of the Tri-city Fire Department and
West Bloomfield Township Fire
Department. What changes, if any,
would you like to see to improve serv-
ices?
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the city at this
time, and how do you propose to
address them?
WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should
voters choose you over your oppo-
nents?
STEPHEN BRIGGS
BUDGET: One of true priorities is
declining property values and how it’s
effecting the budget. What it takes is
a coordinated effort among the council
members to look at this very closely.
My experience as a financial advisor at
Merrill Lynch with budgets and being
a member of the Tri-city Fire
Department board would lend itself to
understanding city finances, but it’s a
very well run city as is. There’s not a
lot of fluff. We have to depend a little
on what the property values are so we
can get a step up on the budget.
TRAFFIC/ROADS: We have to face the
fact that we are a commuter or bed-
room community. We have lots of
communities to the west of us that
are going to use our beautiful city to
get into work. The police have done a
great job in keeping the speeds down.
There’s a certain amount of patience
that needs to be exercised for those
morning commutes. Anyone that is
west of the light at Commerce and
Hiller, which doesn’t include Orchard
Lake, can count on another 10 min-
utes during the evening rush hour.
That doesn’t affect our city but it is a
concern for others. Let’s look at it this
way. I think traffic is good. If we had
no traffic then there’s a lack of eco-
nomic activity in this part of Michigan
and that’s not a good thing. Those
mornings that I get up and zip right
through Old Orchard Trail to Pontiac
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general election voter guide
Stephen Briggs has served on the Tri-city
Fire Department Commission and is a
member of the Orchard Lake Planning
Commission. He is a financial advisor with
Merrill Lynch.
Trail to Orchard Lake Road make me
concerned that there’s a lack of econom-
ic activity.
The council has done a super job of
setting aside money for economic
improvements. They have a ranking sys-
tem of what roads are in the worst con-
ditions. Last year they did West Shore
Drive. Elmgate was done a year before
that. They are staying on top of it.
They’ve made it a priority and it’s paid
off. I know there’s a lot of talk of round-
abouts tossed around, with moving
Pontiac Trail to Orchard Lake and chang-
ing the layout. I’m not involved with
those decisions, but it’s exciting to see
that questions are being asked and
progress is going to be made.
FIRE SERVICES: Several years ago I was
one of the commissioners for the Tri-city
Fire Department and what I learned was
how well the department was managed.
It had a fine history, it was a tight group
of both volunteers and paid on-call peo-
ple. It was quaint. What I found was it
didn’t have the size and heft to be the
best fire department that our cities
deserve. As a result, this merger was
the best for the city. Dave Boerger
deserves full credit for his leadership and
insight to bring this together. I know
there are a few issues so it’s in our best
interest to handle that very carefully to
make sure that unity stays in place. I do
know their response time has dropped
and that’s a key measure of success.
TOP ISSUES: The budget - that’s a big
one. We touched on that already with
housing prices falling and what are we
going to about it.
Second is zoning for both residential
and commercial properties. The unique-
ness of each property and setting needs
to be considered. If there isn’t any lati-
tude in the rules, then we don’t need a
Ann Hartzell represents Orchard Lake
Village on the Greater West Bloomfield
Michigan Week Committee, and has
served on the city's election board for sev-
eral years. She previously served as chair-
woman of the West Bloomfield High School
Communication Governance Committee.
council or ZBA. This source of sensitivity
is important and my experience on the
Planning Commission I think would help.
Lastly, we have a beautiful community
but we can’t see it. You can hop in your
car, but you’re supposed to keep your
eyes on the road; you can sit in your
yard and if you’re lucky enough to have
a lake view that’s great, but what if you
want to get on your bike or walk some-
place? I’m on a subcommittee looking at
the parks and recreation document and
we’re updating it for 2009. When you
talk about parks and recreation for
Orchard Lake its unlike most cities.
We’re talking about pathways among the
different neighborhoods. We’ll start off
with a questionnaire to the citizens and
find out what their support is. You have
to have inter-neighborhood connections.
Several are in place. Some might be a
dirt path. Some are more formalized, like
from Shady Beach to LaPlaya, but you
have the one at Elmgate going into
Shady Beach. Right now it’s dirt and
there are property issues. Do we want a
road extension that would create a bike
lane? Or would rambling paths separate
from the road be more appropriate?
You’ve got an older city. The roads are
denser. It’s not going to be easy. If you
go over some old documents, this is
something that has been going on for
25 years. This initiative is gaining sup-
port. We have a beautiful community, but
the enhancement for people, young and
old, to get out there and walk, to experi-
ence the community is something impor-
tant.
WHY YOU? I think Orchard Lake is a
pretty special to live and work and I’m
running for City Council because I want
to keep it that way. I’ve been a resident
for 15 years and know first-hand that
it’s an ideal place to raise a family. I’ve
PAGE 31/C,WB
served in leadership committees in the
pasts, first as commissioner for the
Tri-city Fire Department and recently
on the Planning Commission. I believe
I would provide some youthful per-
spective, some energy and enthusi-
asm. That combined with the posi-
tions I’ve held in the city gives me
valuable experience and prepares me
for the council member duties.
ANN HARTZELL
BUDGET: I think that the thing we did
in combining fire services (with West
Bloomfield) was a way of saving some
dollars. I do think the budget is some-
thing we need to study closely. I think
that the council has been fiscally
responsible. I would assume they
would continue to be. It’s a question
of looking at staffing and program-
ming and such if dollars decline.
TRAFFIC/ROADS: The Orchard Lake
Road right-turn lane extension at Long
Lake Road and the Indian Trail project
were the big ones. We hope that
solves a lot of the problems. I live on
Old Orchard Trail. I see a lot of traffic
on it. We need to continue to monitor
and see if the traffic-sensitive traffic
lights could perhaps allow more cars
to go through at busy times through
the day. I do think it’s a continuing
issue and one that I would assume the
council would continue to study as it
they see the changes that have hap-
pened on Orchard Lake Road and
Indian Trail. Then see what the next
step or areas of concern are.
FIRE SERVICES: I’ve been very
pleased. We’ve had to use the emer-
gency service more than once and they
were there very promptly. I think it
has worked well. It’s been an item
that has helped the city with its budg-
et. Based on my experience, there’s no
need to change anything, other than
to be mindful of the citizens and how
they feel about it. Are they satisfied?
We have to be aware of any concerns
and make adjustments if necessary.
Overall, it was a wonderful move to
make.
TOP ISSUES: No. 1 is to remain fiscal-
ly responsible, to live within our budg-
et, to deal with the drop in revenue
and do whatever we have to do to live
with that.
No. 2 is roads. I would add that it’s
not only the traffic volume, but the
speed, as well. Our police chief is very
conscientious about that and I think
that maintaining the road conditions,
the amount of traffic and the speeds
all go together.
No. 3, I believe in maintaining con-
sistent zoning regulations. I think they
must be interpreted within the con-
fines. That’s what has kept Orchard
Lake the way it is. I would like to pre-
serve what keeps our city special.
PAGE 32 ❯ ❯ ❯ ❯
PAGE 32/C,WB
Endorsements Include:
State Senator Nancy Cassis
House Republican Leader
Craig DeRoche
Oakland County Executive
L. Brooks Patterson
Oakland County Sheriff
Michael Bouchard
Oakland County Prosecutor
David Gorcyca
Oakland County Treasurer
Patrick Dohany
Oakland County Drain Comm.
John P. McCulloch
Oakland County BOC Chairman
Bill Bullard, Jr.
Lyon Township Treasurer,
Patricia Carcone
Northville Mayor Chris Johnson
Novi Mayor David B. Landry
South Lyon City Councilwoman,
Patti Maida
South Lyon School Board,
Douglas Curry
Walled Lake City Councilwoman,
Angie Maher
REPUBLICAN Wixom City Councilman,
Richard Ziegler
for State Representative - 38th District Wixom Planning Commissioner,
248-349-5079 Nick Kennedy
National Rifle Association
e-mail: hugh@hughcrawford08.com
Right to Life of Michigan
For a more complete list of endorsements and
additional information, please visit my website at:
Paid for by the Friends of Hugh D. Crawford,
P.O. Box 11, Novi, MI 48376
Endorsed by Michigan Chamber of Commerce
Endorsed by County Executive Brooks Patterson
Eileen
Kowall
FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE
REPUBLICAN
Endorsed by the Michigan Education Association
Paid for by Friends of Eileen Kowall • 2333 Cumberland Dr • White Lake, MI 48383
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Council race
❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ PAGE 31
Another thing I’d like to see is more
recycling on the part of the citizens. We
seem to be pretty lax on that. Very few
take advantage of it. That’s part of
maintaining our environment is to be
more environmentally conscious and
conscientious about recycling. I’d like to
see more.
WHY YOU? I came into this race because
I was asked. At first I didn’t know if it
was a good fit for me, but then I
thought about the fact that I’ve lived
here since 1970. I’ve raised all of our
children here on Upper Straits Lake. We
moved away for six years but fortunately
we were able to find another home here.
I have a real love for the city and what it
represents and I would like to share
what I’ve learned by living here by serv-
ing on the city council.
JAMES TALPOS
BUDGET: Revenue dollars are definitely
declining. The state revenue sharing is
lessening every year. The property values
are declining every year. I’ve sat on the
Finance Committee year after year. We
review the budget, and (Clerk) Janet
(Green) prepares the budget for us.
There’s no line item veto. The whole
budget is really fair game and we go at
it that way. We cut where we can. I’m
proud to say that the general fund mill-
age has dropped for 12 years in a row,
even with declining shared revenue from
the state. A lot needs to be attributed to
our excellent staff, like our clerk, Janet
Green, along with our police chief, Fred
Rosenau, and our DPW Director, Gerry
McCallum. They do an excellent job and
when we ask them to cut back where
they can, they do.
TRAFFIC/ROADS: We’re wrapping up the
Orchard Lake Road lane extension. I don’t
refer to it as a widening, but prefer to
refer to it as an extension because we’re
extending that turning lane. I’ve been an
advocate for that since the early 1990s —
my first term on council — along with
improvements to the major intersections.
You mentioned Old Orchard Trail. The traf-
fic backups you would see going south-
bound all way not only on Old Orchard
Trail and Pontiac Trail but all the way
down to Orchard Lake Road and Pontiac
Trail. We have those three main intersec-
tions now on FAST-TRAC, which can
adjust signal timing and shift from green
to red, and so forth. That helps
immensely. All the experts tell us that
the turn lane extension on Orchard Lake
Road won’t be a panacea. We’re looking
for maybe a 30 percent increase in
speeding up the traffic. This improve-
ment will help substantially.
Every year we include in our general
fund budget $260,000 for our city roads
that we’re responsible for and that the
county does not pay. So every year we
have an ongoing repair fund for our own
city roads.
FIRE SERVICES: I too say its been a fan-
tastic move. The only thing I hope for is
that we can get it renewed. With the
SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY
James Talpos has served a total of 12
years on the Orchard Lake City Council,
including a stint as the city's mayor and as
a member of several committees. Talpos
has been a practicing CPA for 37 years.
new township board, I have nothing but
optimism that we will get the contract
renewed. It’s been a win-win situation.
West Bloomfield needed a new fire sta-
tion in the north end of the township.
We either had to spend money to get a
brand new station or work out a deal
with that had a new station up already.
All kudos goes to Dave Boerger, current-
ly on City Council and chairman of the
Tri-city Fire Commission. He led the
charge for getting that agreement
signed and put in place. The only thing
we want to do is get the contract
renewed once it expires.
TOP ISSUES: First is continuing to
decrease taxes, have a budget that pro-
vides safety and health to the citizens
that we provide services to in a timely
and efficient manner.
Second is the ongoing traffic conges-
tion. Probably 75 percent of the traffic
that goes through Orchard Lake is non-
resident traffic. So we have to have
roads that handle that flow and make
improvements where we can. We must
keep our eyes and ears open to how we
can improve traffic congestion without
diminishing safety.
Third is to keep the ecology the way
it is. I think we have one of the most
beautiful cities in the United States given
our lakes and our tree canopy. It’s beau-
tiful. I feel like I’m Up North all the time,
so maintaining that beauty is essential.
WHY YOU? I’m wrapping up my 12th
year on the council. I have a considerable
knowledge base with respect to what’s
going on in the city. Being the mayor for
the last year has brought a new light for
me, a knowledge base. I think that’s
irreplaceable. I feel that there is a lot to
be said for a knowledge base. I’ve been
a member of the Personnel Committee.
We finished union negotiations with the
police department for the last 12
months. I’m on the Traffic Committee to
improve traffic congestion and the Roads
Committee. I’m very much involved in
those committees and there’s a lot to be
said for that. ❏
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
Oakland Circuit Court
David Carl Anderson, Mary Ellen
Brennan, Lisa Gorcyca and Thomas E.
Kuhn will compete in the Tuesday, Nov.
4 general election for two seats on the
Oakland County Circuit Court bench.
The two candidates that receive the
most votes will serve six-year terms.
Circuit court judges are paid approxi-
mately $140,000 per year.
The following are questions we
posed to the candidates, and their
responses to those questions.
JAIL: The Oakland County Jail has
experienced chronic inmate over-
crowding for months, leading to the
early release of scores of non-violent
prisoners. A citizen survey indicated
overwhelming opposition to a tax
increase to pay for a new jail. What do
you see as a circuit court judge’s role
in addressing the jail inmate popula-
tion issue? What, if any, alternatives
would you support to deal with the jail
overcrowding issue?
ALTERNATIVE SENTENCING: When is
it appropriate for you, as a judge, to
use alternative sentences rather than
impose a traditional jail term? What
sentencing alternative proposals, if
any, would you suggest upon being
seated as a judge?
JUDICIAL DISCRETION: As a judge,
how faithful do you feel the bench
should be in accepting a prosecutor’s
recommendation for sentencing? At
what point would you stray from the
recommended sentence, either in favor
of or against a defendant? Please pro-
vide examples.
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the circuit court
at this time, and how do you propose
to address them?
WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should vot-
ers choose you over your opponents?
DAVID CARL ANDERSON
JAIL: In order to alleviate the jail over-
crowding situation, Oakland County
Circuit judges must utilize alternative
sentencing when dealing with non-vio-
lent criminal offenders. Alternative
sentencing approaches that should be
used include supervised probation,
monitored work release programs, and
drug court programs. In addition to
alternative sentencing approaches,
reasonable bonds need to be set by
both district court judges and circuit
court judges involving individuals
charged with non-violent crimes.
ALTERNATIVE SENTENCING:
Alternative sentencing is a cost-effec-
tive way of keeping the jail population
at a manageable level, and without
having to incur huge costs for the
construction of new county jail facili-
ties. The cost for a new Oakland
County Jail is estimated to be over
$100 million, and the additional
expense associated with the operation
of a new jail is approximately $20
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
David Carl Anderson has his own law
practice in Troy. He currently serves on
the Oakland County Bar Association's
Board of Directors.
million per year.
Alternative sentencing approaches
such as supervised probation, monitored
work release programs, and drug court
programs are all positive and cost-effec-
tive ways of sentencing non-violent crim-
inal offenders. Alternative sentencing
approaches should be used on a regular
basis by circuit court judges to keep the
prisoner population at a manageable level.
Violent criminal offenders should remain
incarcerated in the Oakland County Jail
until their case is fully adjudicated.
JUDICIAL DISCRETION: When a person
pleads guilty to, or is found guilty by a
jury of a criminal offense, that individual
is sent to the probation office for the
preparation of a pre-sentence report and
sentencing recommendation. The pre-
sentence report gives the judge crucial
background information regarding the
person to be sentenced. While the pros-
ecutor’s recommendation and defense
counsel’s recommendation for sentenc-
ing are factors the court may listen to,
the judge needs to sentence a defendant
based upon the overall protection and
safety of the citizens who live in the
community.
Individuals who commit violent crimi-
nal acts need to be incarcerated for the
protection and safety of the community.
Individuals who commit non-violent
criminal offenses such as property
crimes or drug offenses, are good candi-
dates for alternative sentencing options
such as monitored work release pro-
grams, supervised probation, and drug
court programs.
TOP ISSUES: The three most important
issues facing the Oakland County Circuit
Court at this time are jail overcrowding,
increasing the utilization of alternative
dispute resolution programs, and
increasing the use of computer technolo-
gy in the court system.
Both the circuit court judges and the
district court judges in Oakland County
need to work together to set reasonable
bonds and sentences for non-violent
criminal offenders. Incarceration is most
Mary Ellen Brennan is currently the judicial
attorney/case coordinator for the 44th
District Court. She has worked in various
divisions of the Oakland County
Prosecutor's Office.
appropriate for violent criminal offenders
to keep the community safe.
Since 97 percent of all Oakland
County Circuit Court civil cases settle
before trial, increased emphasis on early
civil intervention conferences, media-
tions, and arbitrations should be pur-
sued by the court. This will help keep
the length of litigation and the cost of
litigation to a minimum.
Lastly, with the great increase in com-
puter usage, e-filing programs and the use
of other computer technology to keep the
cost of litigation and the time individuals
must spend in court to a minimum need
to be aggressively pursued.
WHY YOU? I have been a litigator for my
entire 31-year legal career. The position
of Oakland County Circuit Court judge
requires a person serving in this role to
be a person with broad based litigation
experience. I’m the only candidate run-
ning for the Oakland County Circuit
Court who has over 100 completed
criminal and civil jury trials. In addition,
I’m the only candidate running for the
Oakland County Circuit Court who has
broad based experience in family law,
criminal law, civil law, equity law, arbitra-
tions, and mediations. This is the exact
experience I will be called upon on Jan.
1, 2009 to perform as an Oakland
Circuit Court judge. All the other candi-
dates running for Oakland Circuit Court
judge will need six to 12 months to
learn the entire job, and they will do so
at taxpayer expense. Due to my broad
based experience as a litigator, I will be
able to perform this job on day one, at
no expense to the taxpayers of Oakland
County. I respectfully request your vote
in the Nov. 4, 2008 general election.
MARY ELLEN BRENNAN
JAIL: I will impose alternative sentences
whenever appropriate. The programs I
will consider are placement in adult
treatment court, work release and home
tether.
Adult treatment court is appropriate
for individuals who have substance
PAGE 33/C,WB
abuse issues that impact their deci-
sion-making. Work release and home
tether are appropriate for the non-vio-
lent offenders. Both restrict the defen-
dant’s freedom but allow him or her to
stay employed. These programs cost
the taxpayers less than jail housing.
Adult treatment court holds people
accountable while also providing the
tools and support to change their
lives.
ALTERNATIVE SENTENCING: I will
look at each case individually to decide
when to impose traditional jail time vs.
an alternative sentence. Factors I will
consider are the nature of the offense,
the attitude of the offender, the life
experience of the offender, and the
input of the victim (if there is one).
Jail is appropriate for a repeat
offender who takes no responsibility
for his/her behavior and has no desire
to change the way he/she makes deci-
sions. In other cases, the goal is reha-
bilitation. A first-time offender who
seems to understand what went
wrong and shows genuine remorse
and an understanding of the harm
he/she caused would be a candidate
for alternative sentence.
Some alternative sentences I will
consider are intense substance abuse
counseling, work release programs
and volunteering at facilities where a
person can obtain a sense of perspec-
tive about his/her life and role in the
community.
JUDICIAL DISCRETION: When impos-
ing a sentence, a judge should consid-
er (but not necessarily agree with)
input from all participants in the sys-
tem — victim, prosecution and the
defense. However, in doing so, a judge
should at all times remember that a
primary purpose of sentencing is to
protect law-abiding citizens from crim-
inals. Sentences exceeding guidelines
and recommendations are appropriate
in cases of violent crimes or when the
victims are more vulnerable, such as
with children or senior citizens.
TOP ISSUES: The top issues facing the
circuit court are jail overcrowding
(addressed above); docket manage-
ment; and lack of a mental health
court.
I will address docket management
issues by running an efficient court-
room. I will be on time and prepared,
set a high standard of professionalism
and expect lawyers to be on time and
prepared, as well. I will have a good
working knowledge of the files on my
docket. I will adhere to the case flow
management guidelines set forth in
the Supreme Court Administrative
Order.
I would support a pilot program for a
mental health court. A mental health
court functions much like adult treat-
PAGE 34 ❯ ❯ ❯ ❯
PAGE 34/C,WB
Circuit Court
❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ PAGE 33
ment courts by sentencing non-violent
offenders to mental health evaluation,
intense counseling, and medication
compliance assistance. All of this takes
place within the community.
WHY YOU? I have been an attorney
for 18 years. For the past six years,
as the judicial staff attorney/case
coordinator I have been responsible
for all aspects of docket management
for civil and criminal cases. I conduct
pre-trial and settlement conferences,
review files before trial or hearing,
identify evidentiary issues and assist
the court in making rulings. I’m in the
courtroom every day. I have served in
that uniquely neutral position, allow-
ing me to evaluate files from a judge’s
perspective.
I’m most qualified for this position
because of the broad experience, skills
and temperament that I will bring to
the bench. In addition to having sig-
nificant criminal and civil courtroom
experience, I possess the common
sense, humility, and life experience
that comes with being a married
mother of three children. I’m commit-
ted to creating a courtroom that is
efficient and productive and where
justice is served.
LISA GORCYCA
JAIL: My role as a circuit court judge
in addressing the jail overcrowding
issue is to mete out sentences that
balance the protection of the public
against fashioning an appropriate sen-
tence for the crime committed.
Sentences must take into account
defendants who are repeat offenders,
seriousness of the offense and those
who prey on elders and children.
There currently exist a number of
jail alternatives I support and some
that I would encourage expanding. GPS
tether systems are a useful and suc-
cessful jail alternative I support and in
appropriate cases should be utilized
more frequently. Use of tether is also
more cost-efficient than the price of
daily incarceration. Work release pro-
grams also free up jail beds and allow
defendants to continue employment
while paying their debt to society.
Lastly, drug courts are successful pro-
grams that boast a low recidivism rate
and free up jail space.
ALTERNATIVE SENTENCING: The most
appropriate factors in the determina-
tion to utilize alternative jail sentences
are the seriousness of the offense, past
criminal history of the defendant and
likelihood of rehabilitation.
As a sitting judge, I would encour-
age expansion of GPS tethering.
Mental health courts should be
explored since the jails have neither
the resources nor expertise in dealing
with the mentally challenged in our
criminal justice system. I would also
utilize programs supported by the
Department of Community Corrections
such as Step Forward and alternative
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Lisa Gorcyca has been an assistant
Oakland County prosecutor since 1993
and is currently the chief of the domestic
violence division. She is a former major
crimes prosecutor and has been an
instructor at the Oakland County Police
Academy.
incarceration centers.
JUDICIAL DISCRETION: A prosecutor’s
sentencing recommendation is but only
one factor in the sentencing equation. A
judge should hear and consider informa-
tion from the defense regarding mitigat-
ing circumstances as well as information
from the probation department who
conducts a lengthy pre-sentence report.
Due to the passage of statutory sentenc-
ing guidelines there is little room for
arbitrary sentences. The court may
depart from the mandated sentencing
range, but only if there exists a substan-
tial and compelling reason. Substantial
and compelling reasons only apply in
exceptional cases. The reasons justifying
departure should keenly and irresistibly
grab the court’s attention and be recog-
nized as having considerable worth in
determining the length of the sentence.
TOP ISSUES: Jail overcrowding is a per-
petual problem. With limited county
resources it is vital the justice system
appropriately addresses the difference
between violent and non-violent offend-
ers and balance the protection of society
against holding offenders accountable.
Docket congestion is another major
issue facing the court. Due to the high
volume of cases, it’s important that the
courts are efficient as possible. Litigants
want and should have their cases decid-
ed on an expeditious basis. I would con-
sider implementing “rocket dockets” and
utilizing more alternative dispute resolu-
tions.
The alarming number of youthful
offenders appearing in court must be
addressed. It’s my goal to keep youthful
offenders from entering the adult crimi-
nal system via a combination of punish-
ment, deterrence, rehabilitation, mental
health treatment (when necessary) and
education. I would create a partnership
with schools so that students could see
first-hand the ramifications of criminal
behavior and drug and alcohol abuse.
WHY YOU? The circuit court is common-
ly referred to as the trial court and trial
experience is what I would bring imme-
diately to the bench. Having tried over
Thomas E. Kuhn is a former Royal Oak City
Commissioner and currently a trustee for
Oakland Community College.
150 trials and handled over 10,000
cases, my courtroom experience is
unmatched. I have dedicated my entire
15 year legal career to public service and
to protecting victims of crime as an
Oakland County assistant prosecutor. My
vast experience in trying murder, rape,
domestic violence, and elder abuse
cases, where families and victim lives are
torn apart and emotions run deep, have
provided me a training ground for the
development of an even-handed but firm
temperament. I have an avid grasp of
courtroom procedure, rules of evidence
and protocol. I am accustomed to work-
ing long hours on case preparation and
research, both of which are habits that
will transfer to the bench.
THOMAS E. KUHN
JAIL: We need to assure that violent
criminals are in jail. The safety of our cit-
izens, their families and their neighbor-
hoods is the highest priority. In recent
years, a number of Oakland County
courts have successfully established
drug courts to address non-violent sub-
stance abusers. Drug courts utilize
intensive, community-based treatment,
rehabilitation, and supervision for drug
defendants to cut high recidivism rates.
These courts divert non-violent, sub-
stance abusing offenders from jail into
treatment: They help break the cycle of
criminal behavior, alcohol and drug use,
and incarceration. They also play a criti-
cal role in helping families and teens deal
with youthful drug addictions. Drug
courts reduce crime by lowering re-
arrest and conviction rates, improve sub-
stance abuse treatment outcomes, and
reunite families; as an important side
benefit, they also assure measurable
cost savings for the taxpayers.
ALTERNATIVE SENTENCING: I support
tough, fair sentencing for criminals. The
state sentencing guidelines help to set
out the parameters for sentencing:
Certainly violent criminals need to be in
jail. In addition to the violent criminals,
our courts have been inundated with
non-violent substance abusers, and with
SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY
the mentally ill. Previously, these
groups weren’t a major responsibility
of the courts; however, the mental
health support system in our state
has been shredded in recent decades
forcing many of these individuals into
the criminal justice system. We need
to get non-violent substance abusers
into intensive, community-based
treatment, rehabilitation and supervi-
sion programs to cut the number of
repeat offenders. We need to get the
mentally ill into community-based pro-
grams that address their illnesses.
JUDICIAL DISCRETION: A judge is
required to be independent. Because
citizens have the opportunity to vote
for the judges who reflect their com-
munity, neighborhood and family val-
ues, judges should use their own
independent judgment in sentencing
criminals. The state establishes guide-
lines for sentencing, and prosecutors,
and probation officers give their rec-
ommendations; however, in our sys-
tem of separation of powers, the final
decision on sentencing reasonably
rests with an independent judiciary.
TOP ISSUES: Case Management: I will
address delays in our justice system
by being hard-working. I will be at
court every day and use extended
hours. I will work to settle cases
promptly, and utilize alternative dis-
pute resolution when appropriate.
Prison/Jail Overcrowding: Public
safety must never be compromised;
however, we must reserve prison
space for violent offenders and expand
boot camps to prevent young, non-
violent offenders from graduating to a
life of crime.
Integrity: We need to have judges
with the highest integrity and dedica-
tion to hard work. A judge must also
have great legal ability, fair-minded-
ness and excellent judicial tempera-
ment. I believe that I’ve demonstrated
these qualities during my 23 years of
private practice as an attorney, and
through my 16 years of service as an
elected official in Oakland County.
WHY YOU? I will serve the citizens
with the highest integrity and com-
mitment to justice. I’m committed to
treating attorneys, parties and all
other citizens coming before the court
fairly — with respect and dignity.
I will do everything possible to effi-
ciently use the time spent at court by
attorneys, parties and other citizens,
creating longer and more flexible
hours.
I will expedite decision-making. I
will make judicial decisions promptly
while displaying a high level of com-
petence and knowledge of the law.
I will continue to be greatly
involved in the community. I’m aware
of the values of our citizens. My
extensive public service makes me
knowledgeable about Oakland County,
and its community, neighborhood and
family values. I will reflect those val-
ues as an Oakland County Circuit
Court judge. ❏
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
Oakland Probate Court
Mark Frankel and Daniel A. O’Brien
will compete in the Tuesday, Nov. 4
general election for a non-incumbent
seat on the Oakland County Probate
Court bench. Probate court judges
serve six-year terms and are currently
paid approximately $140,000 per year.
The following are questions our
staff recently posed to the candidates,
and their responses to those ques-
tions.
CASELOAD: The Oakland County
Probate Court’s annual caseload sta-
tistics indicate steady growth in the
number of new cases filed over the
past four years. Please state why you
do or don’t believe the probate court
has adequate personnel and financial
resources to accommodate the
increasing caseload. What changes, if
any, do you advocate to help handle
the growing caseload?
MEDIATION: Those involved in cases
handled by the probate court can seek
a resolution outside of court through
mediation. Please state why you are or
aren’t satisfied with the probate
court’s mediation program. What
changes, if any, do you advocate in the
program to better serve the public and
ease the court’s caseload?
CHILDREN’S ADVOCATES: Volunteers
are appointed by the probate court to
represent the best interests of a minor
on a minor guardianship case by
investigating and reporting on the
child’s and the proposed guardian’s
situation. Please tell us what changes,
if any, in the child advocate program
you would support.
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the circuit court
at this time, and how do you propose
to address them?
WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should
voters choose you over your oppo-
nents?
MARK FRANKEL
CASELOAD: Recently enacted probate
statutory law has helped ease the bur-
den on the court by streamlining the
administration of simple estates. I will
work with the court administration
and with the members of the probate
bar to further streamline the handling
of estates. Much of the pressure can
be alleviated by my setting an example
in the courtroom, by opening court
promptly and having my staff pre-
pared to handle matters quickly. I will
work to make sure that parties
appearing before me are heard and
that their matters are decided quickly
and decisively.
MEDIATION: I’m the only candidate
for probate court that is qualified for
both the circuit and probate court
mediation panels and the only candi-
date that regularly conducts facilitative
mediation. I’m a firm believer in the
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Mark Frankel has experience in probate/
general civil trial and appellate courts, as
well as a prosecuting attorney. He has
been a probate and circuit court facilita-
tor, discovery master, receiver, conservator
and guardian, fiduciary and trustee.
use of mediation to resolve issues in the
probate court. Many disputed probate
matters are conflicts between family
members. Mediation undertakes to get
the parties to sit down and discuss their
dispute and to devise their own resolu-
tion. I have found this process to be a
valuable tool in healing such rifts
between family members. Additionally,
mediation reduces the number of cases
that the court must try, reducing the
court’s caseload.
CHILDREN’S ADVOCATES: The attor-
neys and lay people that volunteer as
child advocates and guardians ad litem
do an excellent job. They are concerned
and dedicated. They are fearless in
reporting abuse and neglect. Their only
focus is on what is the best for the
child. They are invaluable to the court.
We do have to be vigilant and ensure
that all new volunteers, attorneys and
non-attorneys, are adequately trained so
that they appreciate their responsibility.
TOP ISSUES: The most important issues
facing the probate court are the
increased caseload occasioned by the
aging of the population, the increased
incidents of elder abuse, and juvenile
crime. I will work with the court admin-
istrator and the probate bar to further
streamline the probate docket. I will con-
tinue to work with volunteer groups
which provide important educational and
support services, such as Youth
Guidance and the Citizen’s Alliance, to
reduce elder abuse and juvenile crime. I
will be vigilant on the bench when
addressing youth offenders to reduce
recidivism.
WHY YOU? I’m the only candidate with
extensive probate litigation experience.
Judges appoint me as a personal repre-
sentative, trustee and conservator
because of my experience and integrity.
I’m dedicated to the protection of senior
citizens and incapacitated persons. As an
experienced facilitator, I understand the
Daniel A. O'Brien has a general litigation
practice that deals with commercial and
criminal law, divorce, wills, trusts, and other
areas. He is a former assistant Oakland
County prosecutor and electrical engineer,
and has worked as a magistrate.
importance of helping parties to resolve
disputes themselves, and, when a reso-
lution is not possible, I know a judge
must make a fair decision. I will ensure
parties are treated fairly and with respect
and that their rights are protected.
DANIEL A. O’BRIEN
CASELOAD: I will spend substantial time
speaking to all of the clerks and staff to
learn first-hand what their concerns are
about the increasing caseload, and their
ideas for handling it. Serious study must
also be given to determine the rates of
growth of different case types, the
judge/staff-hours necessary to handle
them, and the expected rate of growth
of the different “populations” that gen-
erate them. If projected growth would
overwhelm the current resources, I
would first hire additional clerical per-
sonnel, and then consider seeking leg-
islative authority to utilize highly-skilled
lawyers for part-time positions, who
would exercise specific judicial authority,
as I am presently doing as a judicial
magistrate. These part-time judicial posi-
tions would not appreciably increase
costs, primarily because they would not
be eligible for benefits. Since judges are
the most costly resource, I would work
to significantly increase the work I could
handle before asking for more judges.
MEDIATION: Mediation is great, if the
parties are open to mediation, the case
presents issues appropriate for media-
tion, and the parties can afford media-
tion. While some say “the best resolu-
tion is the one the parties make them-
selves,” I have seen cases where the
best resolution would have been for the
judge to make the decisions he or she
was elected to make. Almost nothing
focuses the lawyers’ minds on their
cases like knowing the judge will make
tough decisions, and is prepared to try
cases. Also, not all mediators are suited
to do the work of mediation, but have
PAGE 35/C,WB
sometimes received their appoint-
ments for political/personal reasons,
and to pad their resume. The court’s
certification of a mediator only means
that he completed the class, and is
not a certification that he is a good
mediator.
CHILDREN’S ADVOCATES: Two keys
to a successful child advocate program
are well-trained advocates, and vigi-
lant, thoughtful judges who are in
touch with the advocates and their
cases. I would make sure that I had a
good working relationship with the
advocates, and that I understood their
strengths and their limitations.
Advocates are bound to be more effec-
tive when they are placed in the prop-
er situation, so that their primary
duties are in their strengths. I would
also provide as many opportunities as
possible for the advocates to obtain
regular, quality training online and live.
I would make this training available to
the guardians, as well.
TOP ISSUES: This survey has addressed
at least three important issues: case-
load, children’s advocates, and assisted
outpatient treatment. A key ingredient
to effectively dealing with these issues,
over which I would have direct control,
would be developing a staff, working
with me, who are always at the service
of the people who come to the court for
resolution of their problems, not just
management. I would be personally
available to my staff and to attorneys to
discuss cases in a way that encourages
candor and resolution of problems.
When people walk into my courtroom, I
want them to see a judge who is work-
ing hard, and who is familiar with the
cases and people that come before me.
Recognizing that a judge needs to be
able to see issues from all perspectives,
I would provide additional time every
week for meeting with lawyers and staff
to discuss the effectiveness of the court.
WHY YOU? I have seven and a half
years of judicial experience as a judicial
magistrate, making decisions that
directly affect the safety and well-
being of the people of Oakland County.
I’ve had the opportunity to deal direct-
ly as a judge would with citizens,
attorneys and police. Mediators don’t
make judicial decisions. They simply
present compromises. Additionally, as
a research attorney for over two years
in the Court of Appeals, I analyzed the
records of hundreds of cases, includ-
ing probate matters throughout the
state. As a trial lawyer for 18 years in
criminal and civil cases, I gained a
unique insight into the role of judging.
No other candidate has had such
broad and substantial experience. I will
be ready on my first day to assume
and effectively exercise the authority of
the office. ❏
PAGE 36/C,WB
Six-year terms
Incumbent Phillip J. Abraham, chal-
lenger Shirley J. Bryant, incumbent
Sandra Ritter, and challengers Carlyle
Fielding Stewart and Timothy
Terpening will compete in the Tuesday,
Nov. 4 general election for two six-year
terms on the Oakland Community
College (OCC) Board of Trustees. OCC
trustees are not paid for their service.
The following are questions our
staff recently posed to the candidates,
and their responses to those ques-
tions. Terpening didn’t respond to our
candidate questionnaire.
BOARD DYNAMICS: A recent report by
the Higher Learning Commission criti-
cized Board of Trustees members’
behavior, and some faculty and staff
members described the board as being
“dysfunctional.” Explain why you do or
don’t agree with those assessments. If
you agree, state how you would work
to improve board relations.
BUDGET: In what ways should OCC
seek to increase revenues, cut spend-
ing, or both, to remain on solid finan-
cial ground? Please explain why you do
or don’t agree with the way the cur-
rent board has handled OCC’s finances.
FACILITIES: Explain why you do or
don’t believe OCC’s building facilities
and equipment are adequate for pro-
grams needed to prepare students for
the future. What building or equipment
upgrades, if any, would you like to see?
PROGRAMS: Explain why you do or
don’t believe OCC is meeting the pub-
lic’s needs through existing programs.
What specific program changes, if any,
are necessary at this time.
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the college at this
time, and how do you propose to
address them?
WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should vot-
ers choose you over your opponents?
PHILLIP J. ABRAHAM
BOARD DYNAMICS: The Higher
Learning Commission determined
board dynamics have been poor for
over 15 years. A big part of the prob-
lem is long-term trustee Sandra Ritter.
She has been on the board for 30
years, creating a disruptive and con-
frontational situation for board meet-
ings. Thus, an important part of the
solution is up to the voters this
November: They need to replace Ritter.
Another element of board dysfun-
tionality is the unseemly influence of
the faculty union. The Ritter faction
seems responsive only to them — not
to the public.
The Higher Learning Commission
had the same criticism of the OCC
Board over 10 years ago. Why should
we accept this? If the most disruptive
board members are replaced, it will be
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
OCC Trustees
Phillip J. Abraham has served on the OCC
Board of Trustees since 2002. A CPA, Abraham
is a managing partner with the accounting
firm Abraham & Associates, PC. He served on
the Royal Oak City Commission from 1989 to
1991 and 1996 to 1997, and the Citizen
Finance Committee for Royal Oak Schools
from 1993 to 1994.
relatively simple to address the Higher
Learning Commission concerns. The
board can meet with facilitators, provide
proper orientation for new members, and
run meetings in an orderly manner con-
sistent with Roberts’ Rules of Order.
BUDGET: The budget should reflect the
needs of our residents. More of the budg-
et should go to providing retraining pro-
grams, nursing training, online classes,
and technology-based classes. In the past
two years, too much of the budget has
gone to trustee trips out of state, and
out of the country, and to various trustee
perks; too little gets to the classroom.
It’s also important to maintain afford-
able tuitions. I oppose any increase in the
county millage; however, the renewal of
the existing millage in 2012 is critical for
maintaining OCC programs and facilities.
FACILITIES: OCC has done a good job
expanding facilities at the Highland Lakes
(Waterford) campus. In particular, the
new nursing wing, and the new medical
technology is critical for supplying our
area with needed nursing professionals.
OCC has to assure facilities have tech-
nology necessary for retraining programs,
medical, work study and other programs.
PROGRAMS: Retraining, technology,
online and nursing programs should be
the top priority for expansion. Oakland
County desperately needs strong retrain-
ing programs to retain citizens who have
lost their jobs. Extensive online courses
would allow those with work and family
obligations to get training or retraining
while balancing their other important
obligations. OCC needs to be a leader in
online courses and programs.
Technology-based employment is the
futurey. We need to assure that our citi-
zens have the skills necessary to move
this future forward with extensive and
appropriate courses and training.
Shirley J. Bryant has 35 years of experience in
public education as a teacher and adminis-
trator, including 28 years with Birmingham
Public Schools as executive director of com-
munity education/relations. She has served as
a trustee on OCC's Foundation Board; presi-
dent of the National Community Education
Association; board chair of Orchards
Children's Services; and chair of Birmingham
Youth Assistance.
The nursing needs in our area are well-
documented. OCC needs to expand nursing
training to assure we will be able to meet
the demands of an aging population.
TOP ISSUES: No. 1 is increase public
accountability. The OCC board needs to be
more publicly accountable. Board meet-
ings must be televised; trustee expendi-
tures must be brought to the board table
at each meeting; trustee credit cards
must be stopped; expensive out-of-state
trips must be severely curtailed; and for-
eign trips must be prohibited.
No. 2 is assure tax dollars are spent in
the classroom, not on wasteful adminis-
trative and board extravagances.
No. 3 is increasing technology. OCC
needs to dramatically increase online
class offerings, so that working people
have access to retraining and career train-
ing despite family and work responsibili-
ties. In addition, OCC needs to re-focus
the programs offered to provide more of
those in great demand in the community
— more technology-oriented classes,
more nursing and health care.
WHY YOU? We need to assure excellence
at OCC. My background will assure
greater accountability and responsibility
on the OCC Board: BA in accounting; over
20 years experience as a certified public
accountant; over 20 years working on
local boards and commissions, including
building authorities, audit review, asset
management, retirement boards and the
Royal Oak City Commission.
We need to stop the OCC trustee
abuse and end the OCC trustee credit
cards which have been flagrantly mis-
used; end the extravagant trustee trips
abroad, such as to China; televise OCC
board meetings so the public can see the
board in action; and assure competitive
bidding for all contracts.
OCC needs to begin extensive online
SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY
courses that people can take from
home; it needs to increase courses in
areas where there is strong demand:
nursing, technology and job retraining.
SHIRLEY J. BRYANT
BOARD DYNAMICS: The assessment is
accurate and it has been that way for
many years. The 1998 Higher Learning
Commission report described the
board’s unprofessional and unproduc-
tive behavior. Ten years has passed
without improvement, but now the col-
lege’s actual accreditation may be
endangered. It’s time for new leader-
ship. I will advocate for bringing in a
conflict resolution and board develop-
ment expert. I will work to rebuild the
board’s trust and respect within the
college community and with taxpayers.
I will support the chancellor and his
administration in developing a partici-
pative strategic plan to help students
grow into productive and contributing
citizens with the essential job skills for
a global economy. The board must do a
better job to fulfill its responsibilities.
BUDGET: OCC has a budget of $150
million annually. Of that amount, 40
percent comes from the millage passed
in 2000. A millage renewal is necessary
for the college to avoid facing facility
deterioration or even worse, the neces-
sity of cutting or reducing programs for
students. In the current economy, mill-
age renewals will be a tough sell with
the public image the board has. The
board must regain the trust and
respect of the community.
OCC should rely on the goals of a
strategic plan and tie budget needs and
staff evaluation to the plan. More atten-
tion must be paid to students who
need new employment skills through
awarding scholarships.
It’s imperative the board have com-
petitive bids on construction projects
and tuition must remain affordable.
FACILITIES: The facilities appear to be
in good shape, though constant main-
tenance is necessary to protect taxpay-
ers’ investment. There’s a need for more
classrooms that are specifically enhanced
for use of technology. A $25 million
major renovation and expansion is
planned for the Southfield Campus which
is critical because the largest population
center serviced by OCC is now in the
southern part of the county, whereas the
largest campuses are located in the
northern sectors. Some renovation and
expansion of the administration building
should be untaken to create a board
room that is larger and more welcoming
to the public … or board meetings
should be moved to a larger facility.
Accommodations must be made to
videotape or cablecast board meetings.
PAGE 37 ❯ ❯ ❯ ❯
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
OCC board
❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ PAGE 36
PROGRAMS: OCC’s nursing program
should expand because a large aging
population has created more demand.
OCC has the largest nursing prepara-
tion program in Michigan with a high
quality and quantity of offerings, but
it’s still not enough to meet the need.
Last year there were 600 applications
for 300 places in the program and the
average student had a GPA of 3.67.
Michigan will need 18,000 nurses by
2015, which OCC has a social and
moral obligation to meet.
OCC has become a transfer college
with 47 percent of students stating a
clear intention to go on for a four-year
degree. The college must expand its
best programs in health services, tech-
nology and human and public services
(such as training for firefighters and
police through the CREST program).
TOP ISSUES: We must improve the
board’s governance and ensure the col-
lege remains accredited by the Higher
Learning Commission. Without accredi-
tation, students can’t transfer their
credits to a four-year university. With
input from the staff and community,
the board should serve as policy archi-
tects while allowing staff to perform
management duties. Students deserve
board support in helping staff make
the college the best that it can be, and
constant turmoil on the board is not
helpful in reaching that goal. The col-
lege needs a clear vision for the future
achievable through a participative
strategic planning effort. Finally, the
mandate to respond to evolving needs
of students and community should
strengthen through greater participa-
tion in continuing education and
retraining for the job skills necessary in
today’s global economy.
WHY YOU? I have 35 years experience
in public education as a teacher and
administrator (28 years with Birming-
ham Public Schools as executive director
of community education/relations). I will
bring much needed professionalism and
integrity to the board. Board experience
includes: trustee of OCC Foundation
Board; president, National Community
Education Association; board chair,
Orchards Children’s Services; chair,
Birmingham Youth Assistance, trustee,
Leadership Detroit; and trustee,
Birmingham-Bloomfield Chamber of
Commerce. Awards and honors include:
Eastern Michigan University College of
Education Hall of Fame, 2007; the Anti-
Defamation League’s Women of
Achievement Award and the
Birmingham-Bloomfield Chamber of
Commerce “Athena Award” for out-
standing professional and community
service. I will work toward making OCC
our nation’s best community college.
SANDRA RITTER
BOARD DYNAMICS: I agree with the
Higher Learning Commission’s assess-
ments.
People who know me know I have a
successful history of being a consensus
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general election voter guide
Sandra Ritter has served on the OCC Board of
Trustees since 1978. She has worked as a
principal at the Burton Glen Academy, assis-
tant principal at Waterford Mott High Schools,
director of development with Metropolitan
Affairs Corp., and a teacher in the Detroit and
Waterford school districts. Ritter has also been
a statewide coordinator for the Michigan
Adult Literacy Initiative and a higher educa-
tion consultant for the state Department of
Education.
builder and mediator. It’s those skills that
I will use to help develop positive relation-
ships with other board members to bring
about a board that is mission-driven and
focused. I have confidence in other mem-
bers and their ability to come together
and be keepers of the vision and dream
for OCC and our students.
BUDGET: I agree with the way the college
is handling finances. In the face of declin-
ing property tax revenue, increased health
care and retirement costs, and poor eco-
nomic conditions, the college is in a good
financial position. Our Standards and
Poor’s AA+ rating is based on steady
trends and healthy financial reserves; our
audit was clean and revealed the college
has a strong and liquid position regarding
reserves. Per the Higher Learning
Commission, “A review of the annual
financial statements and monthly budget
reports clearly indicate that the college
successfully manages its resources.”
FACILITIES: Bricks and mortar are not
particularly flexible when new programs or
needs arise. Our facilities were built to
respond to a culture that was solely cam-
pus based. Campus life is still a priority as
the Higher Learning Commission discovered
on their visit, “physical resources, build-
ings, and grounds are well maintained with
extensive renovation projects for aesthetics,
functionality, and enhancement of the edu-
cational environment.” We are using tech-
nology and thinking beyond the campus to
provide programs and instruction. Our
value to the community hinges on our abili-
ty to keep a step ahead of changing tech-
nology, employment and economic trends.
PROGRAMS: OCC is meeting the needs of
the public through its existing programs,
continued program review and develop-
ment of initiatives that provide our stu-
dents with the skills they need to be com-
petitive. We rely on our health care, man-
ufacturing and community partners to
help us interpret their industry’s trends
and develop educational programs that
best prepare our students to meet those
needs. Additionally, as noted in the Higher
Learning Commission’s report, “The
Strategic Plan for 2008-2012 clearly
demonstrates that the college under-
Carlyle Fielding Stewart has served on the
Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary
Board of Trustees for four years. Pastor of the
Hope United Methodist Church in Southfield
for the last 25 years, Stewart founded the
Carlyle Stewart Foundation, which gives
tuition and book scholarships to needy stu-
dents. He is also co-founder of the Southfield
Education Action Committee.
stands its own capacity for program
development, emerging technologies,
demographic shifts and globalization.”
TOP ISSUES: First is restoring public
trust in the board. I pledge to work with
the other members to establish leader-
ship goals and a common agenda. I will
help bring about a focus on college values
and strategic planning; and spend more
time celebrating accomplishments of the
faculty and successes of our students.
Second is investing our resources in
the economic development of our county.
We can expand our partnerships with the
stakeholders of Oakland County; intensify
our commitment to emerging sector com-
panies, Automation Alley and other pri-
vate and public initiatives to create jobs,
train and build a skilled workforce that is
flexible and knowledgeable.
Third is dealing with shrinking finan-
cial resources. Our challenge is to protect
the college programs and services while
being challenged by declining property tax
revenue, increased health care and retire-
ment costs, and in general, poor econom-
ic conditions regionally and nationally.
WHY YOU? Those who know me and
who have worked with me acknowledge
my commitment to education. As a pro-
fessional educator, volunteer, and public
servant, I have a profound grasp of the
issues that confront education.
As an OCC board member, you can rely
on my commitment to providing quality
instruction and programs. I have 30 years
of service to the college and demonstrat-
ed my commitment to putting students
first. The college possesses a strong fac-
ulty, exemplary programs and student
development services. I pledge continued
support to work with all stakeholders to
make sure our programs continue to be
timely, relevant, accessible and affordable.
CARLYLE FIELDING STEWART
BOARD DYNAMICS: Shared governance is
an important hallmark of OCC, which
means that the Board of Trustees, faculty,
employees, students, and community col-
laborate in making decisions that will ulti-
mately affect the life, health and vitality
of the college. This process should clarify
PAGE 37/C,WB
purpose and unite decision-makers
around common goals and objectives.
For shared governance to have mean-
ing, the board should also practice it.
I would work as a harmonizing and
unifying force by helping to establish
new ground rules for interaction and
communication that will help create
board solidarity and refocus its funda-
mental purpose for being.
BUDGET: Maintaining and balancing
the budget are always important. As
prudent stewards of its various
resources, the college should increase
revenues by supporting the upcoming
mileage, by offering quality programs
that will draw students and increase
enrollment, and by developing coopera-
tive education opportunities that will
encourage industries to subsidize those
OCC programs that help train and qual-
ify their labor forces. Strengthening the
Business and Community Alliance
would also be helpful.
FACILITIES: The Board should regular-
ly review the condition of college facili-
ties and where feasible make necessary
recommendations for renewal,
improvement and new building con-
struction through capital projects.
PROGRAMS: The college is meeting the
current needs of the public but there is
room for improvement. Continuing
emphasis should insist on developing
educational programs that will prepare
students to vocationally and profes-
sionally compete and qualify for jobs in
the current job market. Meaningful
education also means relevant educa-
tion; helping students to receive the
type of training that will place them
head and shoulders above peers.
TOP ISSUES: No. 1 is getting the
mileage passed which is approximately
60 percent of the current OCC budget.
No. 2 is developing board unity and
implementing regular board self-evalua-
tions so it can move beyond its current
factionalism and work in the best inter-
ests of the college and the people of
Oakland County. No. 3 is cultivating a
unified strategic plan including policies
for establishing and perpetuating solid
accreditation; developing more top-
notch programs for students, strength-
ening faculty, clerical and administrative
support, and instituting plans for the
enhancement of all areas of the college.
WHY YOU? As former student, I have
attained the highest degree in my field,
the Ph.D., and know what it means to
be a student in a competitive academic
program. As former professor, I under-
stand the demands, needs and chal-
lenges of faculty as persons and profes-
sionals. As a board member of an insti-
tute of higher education, I have experi-
ence that gives me insight into the
ethics, expectations and operations of
board members. As a senior pastor for
25 years, I have compassion for people
and know how to negotiate and work
to achieve goals and objectives. As a
student of life, husband and father, I’m
still learning, still eager to learn and
have an open mind and sense of adven-
ture for the learning process. ❏
PAGE 38/C,WB
Partial Term
Sherry Cormier-Kuhn, Debbie
Macon, Christopher P. Maloney, and
Thomas Patrick Sullivan will face off in
the Tuesday, Nov. 4 general election
for a partial term on the Oakland
Community College (OCC) Board of
Trustees. The winner will serve a term
ending Dec. 31, 2010. OCC trustees
are not paid for their service.
The following are questions our staff
recently posed to the candidates, and
their responses to those questions.
BOARD DYNAMICS: A recent report
by the Higher Learning Commission
criticized current Board of Trustees
members’ behavior, and some faculty
and staff members have reportedly
described the board as being “dys-
functional.” Please explain why you do
or don’t agree with those assess-
ments. If you agree, state how you
would work to improve board member
relations.
BUDGET: In what ways should OCC
seek to either increase its revenues,
cut spending, or both, in order to
remain on solid financial ground?
Please explain why you do or don’t
agree with the way the current board
has handled OCC’s finances in the last
two years.
FACILITIES: Please explain why you
do or don’t believe OCC’s building
facilities and equipment are adequate
for offering the kind of programs
needed to prepare students for the
future. What specific building or
equipment upgrades, if any, would you
like to see?
PROGRAMS: Please explain why you
do or don’t believe OCC is meeting the
public’s needs — including students’
and employers’ — through existing
program offerings. What specific pro-
gram changes, if any, are necessary at
this time.
WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should
voters choose you over your oppo-
nents?
SHERRY CORMIER-KUHN
BOARD DYNAMICS: Anyone watching
the OCC Board would be appalled at
the disruptive conduct of some board
members. In the face of that disrup-
tive conduct, it’s obvious that the
OCC board chairs have been unable to
maintain orderly meetings or to
assure proper adherence to Roberts’
Rules of Order. Because the Board has
been incapable of reining in the mis-
conduct of its members, the voters
must be the ones to decide whether
they want this kind of representation
— during this year’s OCC elections.
Other than the continual disruption
of board meetings, the Higher
Learning Commission’s issues are eas-
ily resolved. Full orientation of new
board members should be instituted.
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
OCC Trustees
Sherry Cormier-Kuhn is an instructor of higher
education in Wayne State University's College
of Education. She is a former instructor at
Western Oregon University and a general and
special education teacher in the L'Anse
Creuse School District. She has been a mem-
ber of the Network of Michigan Educators
Steering Committee and the Michigan
Development Disabilities Council Education
Work Group Subcommittee. Cormier-Kuhn
served on the Royal Oak Board of Education
from 1992 to 1996.
The board should establish a facilitator
to work with board members, as they
have in the past. Finally, the board chair
must insist that Roberts’ Rules of Order
are followed during meetings, and that
trustees act with respect and civility
toward each other.
BUDGET: OCC must keep its tuition
affordable — particularly in these hard
times. If we want to retain our citizens
whose jobs have disappeared, we need
to provide retraining that is affordable. If
we want to provide training for our
young men and women just out of high
school, so that they can stay in this area
with good jobs near their families, the
tuition for that training must be afford-
able.
OCC can work within the current mill-
age level, if we stop inappropriate expen-
ditures and have proper financial over-
sight.
OCC must stop the wasteful spending
on trustee perks that has continued for
years and years with the current board.
Taxpayers shouldn’t be paying for inter-
national trips for trustees. The trustees’
frequent out-of-state trips should be lim-
ited. It’s inappropriate for trustees to be
going to all these exotic places, staying
at five-star hotels, and all at the taxpay-
ers’ expense.
FACILITIES: OCC has committed around
$15 million annually to building mainte-
nance and improvement. OCC needs to
continue to look to the needs of the
community when deciding their future
building, facility and equipment needs.
The new wings at the Highland Lakes
Campus have been important because of
the overwhelming need for additional
nurses and medical assistants in our
area.
It’s important that OCC’s buildings be
Debbie Macon has served on the West
Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees for the
past 12 years, served two four-year terms on
the Bloomfield Hills Board of Education, and
has been vice chairwoman of the Oakland
School-To-Work Partnership/Educational
Advisory Group.
properly maintained and up-to-date tech-
nology be provided for training and
retraining; however, there is no need for
expansion to new and different locations
— as suggested by some OCC trustees.
Instead, OCC should look to expanding
its online course and program selection.
Online courses and programs will allow
significant expansion while improving
accessibility for those living at a distance
from the OCC campus offering a particu-
lar course or program.
PROGRAMS: The need for online pro-
grams and courses is paramount.
Unfortunately, OCC has lagged way
behind other post-secondary institutions
in these kinds of offerings. That’s too
bad. OCC was established to provide
training for students, many of whom
have conflicting family and job responsi-
bilities. Online courses would be far and
away the most effective means of reach-
ing these students. Online courses
would provide more flexibility for those
seeking retraining and training, as well
as easier accessibility for those living too
far from a particular campus offering a
program or course. It makes no sense to
force residents of Milford, for example,
to have to go down to Southfield in the
middle of a week day to get courses only
offered at that campus.
WHY YOU? I will bring change to OCC’s
dysfunctional board. I have extensive
experience in education: BA, MA, Ed.D.
degrees in education; 17 years as a spe-
cial education teacher; four years on a
local school board; National Board of
Professional Teaching Standards certifi-
cation; numerous education seminars
and training programs.
I will stop the outrageous abuse of
credit cards by trustees who spend tax-
payer money for their own personal
SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY
expenses. This practice, which violates
state law, has gone unchecked for far
too long.
I will oppose expensive and unnec-
essary trips by trustees. For example,
just this August, trustees voted to
send one of their own to China. These
sorts of trips have nothing to do with
education in Oakland County and
everything to do with trustee abuse.
I will work to get tax dollars to the
classroom: increasing nursing, tech-
nology-oriented, and online classes.
Those are areas where the Oakland
taxpayers need their dollars spent.
DEBBIE MACON
BOARD DYNAMICS: The fact that the
board is dysfunctional can’t be disput-
ed. As a board member I will actively
work to address expectations for the
board as identified by the Higher
Learning Commission. I favor cre-
ating a distinct eight member board
leadership team inclusive of the seven
elected board members and the chan-
cellor. Improving relationships among
and between members of the board
leadership team is both a function of
the amount of time members spend
together and how their time together
is utilized. I suggest increasing the
number of meetings and workshop
sessions to allow members to work
with a leadership coach, mediator or
facilitator on the specific disciplines
necessary for building high trust rela-
tionships inclusive of listening, com-
municating, consensus building, coop-
erating, problem-solving and self
assessment. As a board member, I will
work toward creating and sustaining
the high trust environment necessary
for effective stewardship, teaching,
learning and innovation to occur.
BUDGET: OCC is currently on solid
financial ground as a result of the con-
fidence and foresight of voters to pro-
vide a charter millage in 1964 and
renewable millage authorized for 2002
through 2012. I agree with the way
OCC’s finances have been handled in
the past two years due primarily to
the existence of the college’s 2002-
2007 Strategic Plan and the follow
through by college administration and
staff to execute its objectives. The
board has to date not adopted a
strategic plan beyond 2007. I believe
it’s imperative for the board to adopt
a new Strategic Plan, moving effective-
ly to support our region’s economy by
preparing students for our future.
FACILITIES: With the very recent
adoption by the board of a major
expansion of the Southfield Campus,
planned over the next three-and-a-half
years, OCC’s facilities and equipment
will be capable of more adequately
PAGE 39 ❯ ❯ ❯ ❯
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
OCC board
❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ PAGE 38
meeting the needs of a diverse stu-
dent body for future employment in
health sciences. Continuous technolo-
gy upgrades will demand attention as
more individuals seek the flexibility of
distance learning. The emerging sec-
tors will additionally dictate expanded
emphasis in the future.
PROGRAMS: OCC meets the public’s
needs by an ever expanding array of
innovative program offerings. Campus
leaders are sensitive to the needs of a
very diverse student body. I have
observed first-hand how very effec-
tively OCC administrators and educa-
tors work with students of all ages,
local school districts and businesses
within the community. In fact, almost
everyone I’ve spoken with in the last
several weeks has a great story to
share about their relationship with
OCC. The college is a gem and I look
forward to supporting its mission.
WHY YOU? Active study and hands-
on practical application of governance
best practices as both a township
trustee and school board member
have well prepared me for the role of
OCC trustee. I’m viewed by con-
stituents as respectful, community-
minded, inclusive, an independent
thinker, a consensus builder and
skilled in dialogue and deliberation —
all disciplines honed and practiced as
a long-time leader in the League of
Women Voters and a great diversity of
non-profit and community-based
organizations.
I well understand the roles and
responsibilities of governance boards
including those that have adopted the
policy governance model, as has the
OCC board, from years of active par-
ticipation in board professional develop-
ment as both a student and teacher.
Since 1992, I have served in leader-
ship roles as part of Oakland County’s
commitment to preparing students for
the workplace, effectively leveraging my
formal education and degrees in both
education and business.
CHRISTOPHER P. MALONEY
BOARD DYNAMICS: The term “dys-
functional” isn’t the correct term to
be applied to this situation. wherefore
the current OCC Board of Trustees
members have acted unprofessionally
in a position which requires profes-
sionalism. I do agree with the fact
that our current leaders of OCC have
presented themselves unbecoming
merit the position and purpose of
their elected office. Even though polit-
ical parties have their differences and
friction naturally occurs among
diverse peoples, the primary position
and purpose of OCC trustee is that
the quality of education for students
comes first. As a trustee of OCC, it
will be my responsibility as a leader in
our community that bridges be built
to overcome these frictions. With it I
bring my experience from the automo-
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general election voter guide
Christopher P. Maloney has over 20 years
experience working in industrial leadership in
the automotive and defense industries, and
over five years entrepreneurial leadership in
small business development and manage-
ment inclusive to service to the U.S.
Department of Defense, the Pentagon, and
various defense contractors.
tive industry where such a diverse work-
force is evident and success in bridging
social issues is an everyday success.
BUDGET: I don’t agree with how the
current board has managed fiscal respon-
sibility. To being with, we must redefine
the purpose of the college. First, stu-
dents must be adequately prepared to
matriculate into four-year schools, i.e.
the University of Michigan, Michigan
State University, Wayne State University,
etc., or gain the necessary skills in order
to achieve long-term secure employment.
The current curriculum at OCC must
reflect this purpose. In doing so, there
will need to be spending cuts in certain
obsolete areas of the curriculum. This will
make the school more efficient and effec-
tive. Likewise, increased spending will
need to occur in areas which will make
students competitive in both academia and
industry. Wasteful college operational costs
will need to be reviewed and cuts will be
made, as needed.
FACILITIES: Having attended both MIT
and the University of Chicago, I’m a firm
believer that it isn’t the buildings which
constitute the physical structure of a
school, but rather the quality of the teach-
ers. It has been my experience when I
attended the University of Michigan, that
it built beautify buildings, but the quality
of education was basic, at best. It’s my
own preference that I would rather study
in a barn under the direction of a Nobel
laureate as opposed to attending a beau-
tiful campus and learn from a proverbial
nobody. At this time, with the economy
in such a depressing state, I see the cur-
rent structures of OCC being more than
adequate to do the job. With that being
said, it would benefit OCC more to invest
in our current teachers, and to hire those
better to help augment the quality of
education offered at OCC.
PROGRAMS: At this time OCC isn’t meet-
ing our community’s needs. The curricu-
lum at OCC is mediocre at best. As I have
said before, we must work together to
redefine the purpose of OCC. It’s my
direction to see that it develop students
first and foremost for the transfer into
competitive four-year institutions. If this
isn’t the ambition of the student, then
Thomas Patrick Sullivan has had a dental
practice for 40 years. He's served as president
of the Oakland County Dental Society, a
trustee with the Michigan Dental Association,
and treasurer of the Michigan Dental
Association Insurance and Financial Group
Board of Directors. Sullivan has been director
of the OCC Foundation for the last 12 years,
and treasurer of the foundation for the last
eight years.
they need to be provided with the best
vocational training that will help ensure
long-term secure employment in the
workforce. The programs that need
more development are those in math,
science, and engineering.
WHY YOU? Experience: Over 20 years
educational leadership resulting in train-
ing at both the world’s most prestigious
technical institute, the MIT Sloan School
of Industrial Management, and one of
the world’s finest scientific research uni-
versities, the University of Chicago; over
20 years industrial leadership in the
automotive and defense industries on
projects exceeding $1 billion in research
and development costs with profits in
the multiple billions; and over five years
entrepreneurial leadership in small busi-
ness development and management
inclusive to service to the U.S.
Department of Defense, the Pentagon,
and various defense contractors.
THOMAS PATRICK SULLIVAN
BOARD DYNAMICS: I agree that the
Board of Trustees of Oakland Community
College have been dysfunctional, and
have acted in an uncivil, disrespectful
manner. With over 30 years of board
experience, both on non-profit and for-
profit boards, I would work within the
board structure to change the existing
image, and increase the morale of the
college community. This would be
accomplished by treating people with
respect, dignity, plus working with the
other trustees in a collegial, collaborative
manner to accomplish the mission of
Oakland Community College.
BUDGET: There are three main sources
of revenue for funding Oakland
Community College. They are state
appropriations, approximately 13 per-
cent; tuition and fees, 24 percent; and
property taxes, 61.5 percent. With the
support of the taxpayers of Oakland
County and the passage of the millage
renewal, we can keep Oakland
Community College on solid financial
ground. I believe that the budget has
been well managed. As an aside, I don’t
think that the Oakland Community
College board needs to pay consultants
PAGE 39/C,WB
to improve respect and all-around
board relations. The people that the
voters elect to represent them should
act responsibly in the discharge of
their duties as trustees of Oakland
Community College.
FACILITIES: The Higher Learning
Commission found that Oakland
Community College is blessed with
facilities that are conducive to a pro-
ductive learning environment. There
has been $25 million appropriated for
improving and expanding the
Southfield Campus, and this shows
that Oakland Community College is
addressing the needs facility and
equipment-wise to prepare students
for the future. There are always on
going to be maintenance issues that
need to be addressed in order to keep
Oakland Community College a state-of-
the-art educational facility.
PROGRAMS: Oakland Community
College has an advisory committee on
workforce and economic development.
The goal is to address the education
and training needs of the community,
always aiming to keep more current.
There is ongoing assessment of
Oakland Community College’s educa-
tional programs, services and opera-
tions, given our rapidly changing eco-
nomic climate.
WHY YOU? It’s time for change; the
Oakland Community College board has
been plagued with problems for some
time, being labeled non-collaborative,
lacking civility, and dysfunctional.
I bring to the Board of Trustees
over 30 years of board experience. I
have served the Oakland County
Dental Society as councilman, treasur-
er, secretary, president-elect, president
(1980-1981) and past president. On
the state level, I was a trustee of the
Michigan Dental Association from
1984 to 1991, and served as a mem-
ber of the Michigan Dental Association
Insurance and Financial Group Board
of Directors, a for-profit corporation
(1989-2002). During this time I was
treasurer. I have had the opportunity
to be a director of the Oakland
Community College Foundation since
1996 to the present, plus the privi-
lege of serving as its treasurer since
2000 to present. I also serve as a
director of the Meadowbrook Center
for Learning Differences as its treasur-
er.
As a candidate for trustee of
Oakland Community College, with my
experience on both non-profit and for-
profit boards, I know my role as a
board member and would work dili-
gently to represent the people of
Oakland County.
If I’m elected trustee I would work
within the board structure to change
the existing image, and increase the
morale of the college community. This
could be accomplished by treating
people with respect, dignity, plus
working with the other trustees in a
collegial, collaborative manner to
accomplish the mission of Oakland
Community College. ❏
PAGE 40/C,WB www.spinalcolumnonline.com SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY

general election voter guide

Walled Lake School Board

Incumbent Dr. William Balestrino,
challengers Mathew Cornish and Greg
Janicki, and incumbent Kathy J. Lyall
will face off in the Tuesday, Nov. 4
general election for two six-year terms
on the Walled Lake Schools Board of
Education. School board members
aren’t paid for their service.
The following are questions our
staff recently posed to the candidates,
and their responses to those ques-
tions.
LAND ACQUISITION: Last year the
Board of Education approved spending
$4.62 million to acquire 80.31 acres
of Proud Lake Recreation Area proper-
ty for use as a future school building
site, despite projections indicating the
district’s student enrollment will con-
tinue to decline. Tell us why you do or
don’t believe the acquisition was a
good decision in the public’s best
interest. If you’re inclined to disagree
with the decision, would you go so far
as to advocate selling the land and
refunding the proceeds to taxpayers,
who provided the money for the land
acquisition by approving a bond issue?
BUDGET: Michigan’s schools face a
permanent budget crisis. In what spe-
cific areas do you believe the district
must change its spending? On the
revenue side, in what ways should the
district be looking for new funding
sources? What, if any, changes would
you like to see at the state level to
address school funding?
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: State lawmakers
have discussed legislation that would
allow public school officials to carry
concealed weapons inside school
buildings in an effort to deter the kind
of gun violence tragedies witnessed
across the nation in recent years.
Please state why you do or don’t think
it’s a good idea for school officials to
carry guns while in school buildings.
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the district at
this time, and how do you propose to
address them?
WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should
voters choose you over your oppo-
nent(s)?
WILLIAM BALESTRINO
LAND ACQUISITION: If previous
school boards had lacked the foresight
to purchase land for future school
sites, Walled Lake as a district would
not have had the capability to grow
with the expanding population.
Granted, vacant land would most likely
have been available for the elementary,
middle and high schools that we have
built. However, the cost of acquiring
the needed properties immediately
prior to construction would have been
at a significantly higher cost to tax-
payers.
At present, projections for our stu-
dent population are declining. It’s only
Dr. William Balestrino has served on the
Walled Lake Schools Board of Education
since 2004. He has a dentistry practice in
Novi.
another sign of Michigan’s economic sit-
uation. It’s wise to assume that once the
economy improves, and it shall, the
quality of Walled Lake Consolidated
Schools will attract young families to our
area again. At that time the Proud Lake
property will become a valuable asset for
our continued growth.
BUDGET: School funding is the major
issue facing all school districts. School
funding in the state has a basic structur-
al deficit: By that I mean, until there is a
change from how Michigan schools are
funded we will continually run into finan-
cial difficulties.
Proposition 11 must be altered or
eliminated so that the state is not redis-
tributing taxes from our area to other
districts. School funding must have more
local control. Walled Lake Schools area
residents have always been generous
and supportive of education.
Beyond significant legislative
changes, we as a district must continue
the “belt-tightening” and look to other
potential revenue streams. Increasing
the support of local fund raising (for
example; the Foundation for Excellence)
is one possibility. These programs pro-
vide classroom resources that might
otherwise come from the district’s gen-
eral fund.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: No.
TOP ISSUES: No. 1 is union negotia-
tions. Encourage the shared vision of
our district in working toward excel-
lence. Present solutions that do not pun-
ish our great employees and teachers
and yet give the district some breathing
room with the budget through shared
sacrifice.
No. 2 is the current funding short-
fall. In addition to requesting help from
our employees during negotiations, I
would press for more department budg-
et cutting and improved efficiencies.
Although other districts have priva-
tized certain departments and services,
it should only be as a last resort. All the
district’s employees have shown dedica-
tion to our schools and students.
Thanking them by eliminated their posi-
Mathew Cornish has worked for several
southeast Michigan financial services firms
over the past 10 years. He has also worked
in the public sector with Michigan munici-
palities and universities.
tion is just wrong.
It can’t be stressed enough that addi-
tional educational program cuts or their
elimination can only be considered in the
most desperate of situations.
No. 3 is meeting educational
needs/state requirements in the current
fiscal situation; maintaining the pro-
grams that our children benefit most
from; and minimizing cuts that directly
effect students.
WHY YOU? Having lived in the district
over 20 years, I have seen many changes
effected by the area’s growth. All three
of my children have attended Walled
Lake Schools from kindergarten through
high school. Through my children’s
school experiences and as a business-
man, I have obtained a perspective of
both the positive and negatives of our
district. I believe my view is one that is
shared with many parents and business
owners in our area.
My school board experience has been
during one of the most difficult times for
Michigan. The poor economy has been
reflected in the budget woes that we
have faced as a school district. During
the last four years I have strived to mini-
mize budget cuts to programs that
would impact on the children’s educa-
tion.
I will use my experience as a school
board trustee, a parent and area busi-
nessman to shape my decisions and
guide me, always keeping the children
and their educational experience the pri-
ority.
MATHEW CORNISH
LAND ACQUISITION: The financial out-
look for most Michigan school districts
is at best challenging. Walled Lake is no
different. While purchasing land is some-
times necessary, I must admit this pur-
chase is puzzling. I believe such purchas-
es should only be made when the need
is clear and plans for use defined.
Unfortunately in today’s economy,
undoing this purchase might not be fea-
sible. The board must determine how it
can use this land in a financially respon-
sible manner. This might include selling
the property or some other use.
Whatever the decision, it must be in
the best interest of the district both
educationally and financially. We do not
have the luxury of expansion without
strong justification.
BUDGET: It doesn’t take an in-depth
review of revenues and expenditures
to figure out that the district is facing
major challenges. Funding is flat at
best with little prospect of this chang-
ing. Expenditures are down slightly
but not nearly enough. The district
has been balancing the budget by
using its savings. Unfortunately, this
can’t last forever.
The district must be proactive to
grow revenues by capitalizing on its
reputation to attract new students. It
must also be proactive in working to
keep existing students. Further, the
district must take a difficult and
detailed review of all expenditures.
Expenditures must be brought in line
with revenues. Failing to make these
difficult decisions now could result in
decisions later that are even more dif-
ficult.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: If security is a
concern, then it should be addressed
through a comprehensive security plan
undertaken by the district in conjunc-
tion with state and local law enforce-
ment. Allowing school administrators
to carry concealed weapons inside
school buildings doesn’t promote the
overall safety of students or staff. The
district must proactively address secu-
rity concerns in a comprehensive man-
ner long before such plans are needed.
Allowing school officials to carry
concealed weapons is neither a com-
prehensive nor well thought out plan.
Allowing such action could actually
reduce the overall security by introduc-
ing other unintended opportunities for
violence.
TOP ISSUES: The most important
issue facing the district is navigating
the changed financial environment
while preserving the high educational
quality for which Walled Lake has
become known. The district must
make difficult decisions in allocating
funding across its many educational
priorities. We must focus on core fun-
damentals such as limiting class sizes
and providing proper instructional
resources to ensure the highest quali-
ty education.
We don’t have the luxury of funding
programs that may provide value but
don’t directly support the most impor-
tant priorities. The district must be
proactive. The District must not make
decisions as a response to surround-
ing school districts. Schools today
must compete for every dollar of fund-
ing. A reactive district is an uncompet-
itive district. An uncompetitive district
risks further erosion in enrollment and
PAGE 41 ❯ ❯ ❯ ❯
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
School board
❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ PAGE 40
subsequently reduced funding.
WHY YOU? I am passionate to see
that Walled Lake retains its reputation
as an outstanding place to learn. I am
driven to make sure every aspect of
the district’s operations remain finan-
cially healthy not only today but in the
future, as well. I’m focused on educa-
tional quality, financial responsibility,
and creativity. I believe these charac-
teristics will be essential for Walled
Lake to retain its reputation for edu-
cational excellence.
As a parent in the district, I want
to work to ensure that all children are
completely prepared when they gradu-
ate. We must make every effort to
give our children the greatest educa-
tional opportunities available. I will
work to make this happen.
GREG JANICKI
LAND ACQUISITION: Understanding a
complex and important action like the
one described requires research and
due diligence. As I was not on the
board at the time, I can’t evaluate a
decision out of context without the
information the board had available
and considered at that time. What I
can describe is my decision-making
process, if this issue came to the
board’s attention during my tenure,
should I be elected. Every decision I
make will begin with a thorough
analysis of all available information —
asking lots of questions of both inter-
nal and external sources. Any recom-
mendation then must be based on
whether the decision supports our
district’s mission. I will consistently
recommend decisions that serve the
best interest of district students.
BUDGET: The premise of your ques-
tion, while accurate to a point, is
quite pessimistic. I believe our state
will recover, but do understand that
school funding will continue to be a
top priority that must be addressed.
Regarding changes to the district
spending, I believe programs that
have the most direct impact on stu-
dent achievement should be support-
ed. However, school funding decisions
will never be about simple choices
that can be summarized in a brief
questionnaire. Investments the Walled
Lake School District makes must be
clearly linked to the district’s mission
to be “the best educational system in
America.” Making judgments about
revenue or expense choices now, out
of context of the issues facing the dis-
trict at a particular moment, trivializes
the complex decisions that must be
made. I will recommend decisions that
serve the best interest of district stu-
dents.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: We should con-
tinue to explore effective and proven
safety approaches and active interven-
tion strategies, as the district has
done, to address the risk of such
events occurring. I don’t believe that
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Greg Janicki is chief operating officer at
CSM Worldwide. He has served on the
Walled Lake Schools Foundation for
Excellence and the district's NCA
Leadership Team since 2007.
the current state of safety and security
in the Walled Lake Schools necessitates
arming school officials with guns.
TOP ISSUES: My top priorities for the
Walled Lake School District are to sup-
port curriculum that creates student
leaders; deliver effective resources to
ensure a safe, high-performing district;
and establish clear measures of success
in all areas.
To achieve these goals, I will recom-
mend decisions that serve the best
interest of district students. I will also
endeavor to provide the district team
with the resources necessary to deliver
curriculum and services to achieve stu-
dent success. Additionally, I believe the
district must emphasize community
involvement, encouraging parental sup-
port in and out of the classroom. Also, I
would encourage all areas to closely
examine their impact on the achievement
of the district’s mission and ensure that
every member of the district team
knows that they have a positive influ-
ence on district success.
WHY YOU? I’m running for the Walled
Lake Board of Education because I
believe in the district’s mission to be
“…the best educational system in
America.” As a parent and community
member, I believe our district can pro-
duce caring and responsible students
who will lead our community.
I’m active in the Walled Lake School
District through my current role as a
trustee on the Walled Lake Foundation
for Excellence, as a member of the
District NCA Leadership Team and as
chairman of various PTA fund-raising
committees. Additionally, my role as chief
operating officer with CSM Worldwide has
provided me an opportunity to demon-
strate that I can make mission-critical
decisions, create results with and through
other people, and lead by building a vision
that others want to be a part of. All these
skills are necessary for a school board
trustee to be successful.
KATHY J. LYALL
LAND ACQUISITION: I support the
Board of Education’s decision to pur-
chase the Proud Lake Recreation Area
Kathy J. Lyall has served on the Walled
Lake Schools Board of Education since
February 2008. She is the Loon Lake
Elementary School PTA president. Lyall is
also currently vice president of the Twin
Suns Lakes Homeowners Association, and
previously served as secretary.
property for use of a future school build-
ing site. In the year 2000 this bond was
passed because Walled Lake’s projec-
tions for enrollment continuously
increased. We didn’t own any suitable
property that could be used to build a
new middle or high school. Projections
with regards to enrollment are difficult
to predict in Michigan because of our
economy and populations shifts. For
example, we predicted declining enroll-
ment for this school year; however, our
enrollment actually increased.
This Board of Education has the
responsibility to procure building sites
within our district for future boards.
Some of our most recent construction
was made possible because of property
purchased more than 20 years ago.
Without this property, we would not
own land suitable to building a middle or
high school in the future.
BUDGET: There are several ways our
district can continue to modernize how
we spend our monies. We must continue
to look for grants to offset our general
operating budget. We must carry on
working with Oakland Schools to find
innovative ways to save money while
providing the same services our commu-
nity anticipates. Finally, we need to con-
sistently use our sinking fund to repair
and replace routinely used items; for
example, boilers, roofs, etc.
The state must guarantee funding at
the rate of inflation and consistently dis-
burse payments on a timely basis. The
state should not have the option to
make mid-year cuts. The state budget
should be adopted before schools are
required to finalize their budgets.
Sinking funds should be expanded to
include expenditures such as buses and
technology. This would allow us to
spend more funds from our general
budget on areas that directly affect our
students’ ability to achieve.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: I don’t agree with
school officials carrying concealed
weapons in schools. We have trained
administers and staff, plus our liaison
officers assigned to each of our high
schools, to handle emergency situations
safely. Our students take part in regular
PAGE 41/C,WB
drills involving a number of emergen-
cies, including lockdowns. On Sept.
18, 2008, I witnessed Walled Lake
Schools’ emergency readiness during a
Patriot Services emergency simulation
at Western High School. This simula-
tion was funded through a Homeland
Security grant. For me, it was a dis-
turbing situation to witness and one I
hope our district never faces; however,
our staff and students did a superb
job taking their responsibilities seri-
ously while focusing on several situa-
tions simultaneously. We have con-
firmed through this exercise, not only
are we prepared to work and commu-
nicate with five law enforcement agen-
cies efficiently, but our staff can utilize
their training and apply it while being
professional and sensitive.
TOP ISSUES: My focus will remain in
the classroom. I’m dedicated to mini-
mizing the impact of budget reduc-
tions in areas directly affecting our
student’s ability to achieve. I take
responsibility for budget decisions and
will work diligently to reduce the
effect on our programs, staff and stu-
dents.
I believe our district needs to pro-
vide every student with a first-rate
education, regardless of academic and
social challenges. I support interven-
tions such as Reading Recovery,
Reading and Math Essentials, Project
Rise, and Community High School. In
addition, I believe we need to maintain
support systems to ensure every stu-
dent is successful.
Our district needs to remain
focused on continuing to improve stu-
dent achievement, reflective in bench-
mark and state assessments, and
improved graduation rates. I support
giving our staff more collaborative
time to analyze individual student’s
data and implement best practices.
WHY YOU? I am passionate about
remaining on the Walled Lake School
Board because I believe in our dis-
trict’s educational standards. I’m the
proud involved parent of two elemen-
tary school children. Since my appoint-
ment (02/08), I have toured all 22
schools, met all principals, many staff,
transportation personnel and school
administrators. It has been a priority
for me to meet parents and con-
stituents to learn more about our
diverse community.
I will continue using my results-ori-
ented management strategies acquired
during professional and volunteer
experiences to make our district supe-
rior by securing long-term resources,
developing cutting-edge curriculum,
providing safe environments, and
maintaining open communication. My
highest priority will be our students.
Examples of my community service
include: Walled Lake School Board,
Lakes Area Youth Assistance, PTA
President (three terms) and Legisla-
tive Representative, vice president and
secretary for my homeowners associa-
tion, and creating the resolution to
Keep Michigan Students Safe. ❏
PAGE 42/C,WB
Partial Term
Huron Valley School Board
Challenger Sean Carlson and incum-
bent Joe Ghislain will face off in the
Tuesday, Nov. 4 general election for a
partial term on the Huron Valley
Schools Board of Education. The win-
ner will serve until Dec. 31, 2009.
Board members are paid $30 per
meeting.
The following are questions our
staff recently posed to the candidates,
and their responses.
BUDGET: In what specific areas do
you believe the district must change
its spending? In what ways should the
district be looking for new funding
sources? What, if any, changes would
you like to see at the state level to
address school funding?
SUPERINTENDENT CONTRACT: The
Huron Valley board has extended
Superintendent Jackie Johnston’s con-
tract for an additional year. Johnston
is now under contract to work from
July 1, 2008 until June 30, 2011.
Please explain why you do or don’t
support the common practice of annu-
ally extending a superintendent’s con-
tract by one year.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: State lawmakers
have discussed legislation allowing
public school officials to carry con-
cealed weapons inside schools to
deter the kind of gun violence
tragedies witnessed across the nation.
State why you do or don’t think it’s a
good idea for school officials to carry
guns while in school buildings.
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the district, and
how do you propose to address them?
WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should vot-
ers choose you over your opponents?
SEAN CARLSON
BUDGET: We need to review how well
we are leveraging the district’s spend-
ing and at what level we are involved
in cooperative purchasing programs
that help contain costs. Are we using
state (MiDEAL) and local cooperative
purchasing programs to manage dol-
lars being spent?
Regarding revenues, we should
work closely with local leaders to
encourage commercial development.
More businesses in the district is one
way to increase revenue.
Lansing needs to address the
inequity in the per-pupil foundation
allowance we receive. There’s no rea-
son our children should receive less in
state funding. Yet students in neigh-
boring districts like Walled Lake and
West Bloomfield receive a higher per-
pupil allowance than students attend-
ing Huron Valley, anywhere from $200
to $1,000 more.
SUPERINTENDENT CONTRACT: I
don’t support the current practice.
Adding extensions to contracts that
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Sean Carlson has worked as director of
corporate procurement for Blue Cross Blue
Shield Michigan, chief procurement officer
for the state of Michigan, and chief of staff
for Speaker of the House Andy Dillon.
far in advance leaves the district finan-
cially exposed and at risk. If for whatever
reason the board made the decision to
go in a different direction on leadership,
the district would be at risk of paying
two superintendent salaries. The board
shouldn’t consider extending the con-
tract until 12 to 18 months prior to the
end of the contract.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: A gun carried by
school officials won’t deter an event. If
there’s a concern about violence a better
solution would be to work with local
police to provide support and presence. I
also believe the knowledge of students
that school officials could be carrying
weapons would create an adverse effect
on the learning process.
TOP ISSUES: A quality education is
what’s needed to prepare the children of
Huron Valley for college and a competi-
tive workforce. A centerpiece to ensuring
a quality education is pursuing best-in-
class student/teacher ratios. Huron
Valley schools have a 25:1 pupil/teacher
ratio, one of highest in the county.
Critical teaching and learning can’t take
place with lopsided ratios. This is espe-
cially true in the kindergarten through
fourth-grade.
A balanced budget is equally impor-
tant. A core strategy should be an
aggressive plan calling on Lansing to
provide equity in its distribution of the
per-pupil foundation allowance. Our stu-
dents receive from $200 to $1,100 less
than those in neighboring districts. It’s
not right and needs to be changed.
Finally, we need to champion commu-
nity commitment between parents,
teachers, and administrators to promote
our students’ success.
WHY YOU? Community connection: I’m
a proud father of two young children
and want to ensure my children, as well
as the children of Huron Valley receive
an education that prepares them for col-
lege and a competitive workforce.
Experience in saving tax dollars is
another reason. At the state of
Joseph Ghislain is a former YMCA board
member and currently works for Ford Motor
Company.
Michigan, I saved in excess of $500 mil-
lion in taxpayer dollars and developed
and executed effective cost-containment
strategies.
JOE GHISLAIN
BUDGET: Michigan’s schools budget cri-
sis and the way schools are funded are
major issues for Huron Valley. All costs
need to be reviewed and reductions
made in areas that don’t adversely affect
education, like reducing energy costs.
This is where my experience in opera-
tions and maintenance and as a certified
energy manager can help.
On the revenue side, we need to con-
tinue to offer high quality education and
choice programs, like the International
Academy, to make our schools the edu-
cation of choice both in the district and
the surrounding area.
At the state level, I would like to see
Lansing do two things — continue equi-
ty increases to districts like Huron Valley
that are well below other schools in
their county, and perform a study to see
what the true cost of education to the
state standard is and adjust funding
accordingly.
SUPERINTENDENT CONTRACT: The
annual renewal of a superintendent’s
contract is common practice. While there
are always pro and cons to any method,
I oppose changing this for three rea-
sons. First, since it’s common practice,
changing it could put us in a competitive
disadvantage if we ever had to hire
another superintendent. Second, running
a school district shouldn’t be focused on
just year-to-year improvements but also
over time. The contract gives the district
stability and allows the board to give
positive feedback through renewal or
puts the superintendent on notice that
things must change. Finally, since board
members change, the fate of the district
can’t be left to the “whims” of new
board members who may not know
school operations and the governing
laws.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: I agree with the
SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY
current district policy which is to not
allow weapons of any kind into the
building. Isn’t it possible one or two
large students could overpower a
smaller teacher and take away a gun?
Carrying a gun also means the school
official may have to use the weapon.
At what point would they determine
when this type of excessive force
would be necessary? What about the
liability and the possibility of wrongful
death? These are issues that highly-
trained police face every day, not
something an untrained school district
should take on. As a district we con-
centrate on intervention and preven-
tion, and I hope we don’t get to a
point where this is necessary.
TOP ISSUES: The top three priorities
are a great education for all children,
fiscal responsibility, and collaboration.
Children are our most important
resource and as a parent of a child
with a learning disability, I know what
great education for all children really
means. We learned to be advocates for
her needs. As a board member I will
continue to be an advocate for all chil-
dren.
While providing a high-quality edu-
cation, we still have an obligation to
the taxpayers to be prudent. With my
background and experience, I will work
to make sure we reduce costs without
jeopardizing education.
Collaboration is the key in working
together to achieve district goals. I
have worked not only with the UAW
and CAW but on numerous commit-
tees, task forces, and boards. I under-
stand the importance of working
together and getting to common
objectives and goals.
WHY YOU? I have two daughters who
graduated from and one daughter still
at Milford High School, so I’m not a
politician, just a parent who cares
about the district. I care about chil-
dren, their education and well being. I
have been involved with organizations
that educate and support children,
including Junior Achievement, YMCA
Parent/Child Programs and March of
Dimes. I want to give back to the com-
munity and district using my business,
operational and energy management
experience from over 22 years at Ford.
I want return the investment the com-
munity and district made in me when I
was appointed in May 2007. I’m hard
working and have studied district
operations, school funding and the
legislation/laws that govern them,
earning the Certified Board Member
Award and Award of Merit from
Michigan Association of School
Boards; and want to use this knowl-
edge to continue to serve the Huron
Valley Schools community. ❏
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
Four-year terms
Huron Valley School Board
Incumbent Lisa L. Blackwell, chal-
lenger Lee Ann Clifford, and incumbent
Charles Dittmar will compete in the
Tuesday, Nov. 4 general election for
two four-year terms on the Huron
Valley Schools Board of Education.
Board members are paid $30 per
meeting for up to 52 meetings per
year
The following are questions are
staff recently posed to the candidates,
and their responses to those ques-
tions.
BUDGET: Michigan’s schools face a
permanent budget crisis, not merely a
temporary challenge linked to a mea-
ger economic recovery. In what specific
areas do you believe the district must
change its spending? On the revenue
side, in what ways should the district
be looking for new funding sources?
What, if any, changes would you like to
see at the state level to address school
funding?
SUPERINTENDENT CONTRACT: Huron
Valley Schools Board of Education has
extended Superintendent Jackie
Johnston’s contract for an additional
year. Johnston is now under contract
to work from July 1, 2008 until June
30, 2011. Please explain why you do
or don’t support the common practice
of annually extending a superinten-
dent’s contract by one year.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: State lawmakers
have discussed legislation that would
allow public school officials to carry
concealed weapons inside school build-
ings in an effort to deter the kind of
gun violence tragedies witnessed
across the nation in recent years.
Please state why you do or don’t think
it’s a good idea for school officials to
carry guns while in school buildings.
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the district at this
time, and how do you propose to
address them?
WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should
voters choose you over your oppo-
nents?
LISA L. BLACKWELL
BUDGET: Huron Valley is 24th out of
28 in state funding in Oakland County.
This district doesn’t have a spending
problem. Our financial challenges are
caused by a structural deficit created
in large part by the state’s
inability/desire to provide funding
increases that match the inflationary
increases seen in our expenses. This is
why a major focus of the current
school board and of this district has
been continued cost containment and
revenue generation.
Our “Schools of Choice” campaign
has been very successful. Even as
Michigan’s student population
decreases dramatically, we continue to
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general election voter guide
Lisa Blackwell has served on the Huron
Valley Schools Board of Education for the
past four years. She is currently the school
board's vice president.
exceed our schools of choice enrollment
goals. This is a substantial source of
supplemental revenue for us. We are cur-
rently working on a very comprehensive
energy audit to keep utility costs to a
minimum. We are active participants in
the Oakland Schools consortium initia-
tive. We recently formed a group that is
attempting to emulate the “Kalamazoo
Promise.”
We have had a very successful and
stakeholder inclusive “grassroots” fund-
ing campaign focused at state legisla-
tors. We will continue these efforts to
keep our local legislators in tune to what
deep budget cuts do to a school district.
SUPERINTENDENT CONTRACT: Keeping
quality staff at every level is a major
focus of this board. Our district is lucky
to have a superintendent with the quali-
ties and skills of Mrs. Johnston. The
superintendent’s performance is evaluat-
ed yearly and a decision to extend the
contract is made at that time. It’s impor-
tant to note that studies show the
tenure of a superintendent has a direct
effect on student achievement. Therefore
multi-year contracts are desirable from
the board’s point of view.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: If by school officials
you mean administrators and other staff,
the answer is pointedly no. School offi-
cials, in the capacity defined above, are
not trained professionals in the areas of
firearms, nor are they trained profession-
als in the gun violence tragedies that
have plagued our nation. Huron Valley
Schools currently has police liaisons that
do work in our schools and do carry
firearms. This is perfectly acceptable as
this is what they are trained to do. The
safety and security of our students and
staff continues to be a high priority for
the board. We routinely collaborate with
our local municipalities to analyze and
improve our processes in that area.
TOP ISSUES: No. 1 is successful imple-
mentation of the state-mandated new
graduation requirements. One of the
main goals in Huron Valley is success for
Charles Dittmar has served on the Huron
Valley Schools Board of Education for the
past four years. He is employed as an envi-
ronmental consultant.
Lee Ann Clifford served on the Huron Valley
School District's Building Utilization
Committee and District Parent Council for
the last two years. She is currently presi-
dent of the Highland Elementary Parent
Teacher Organization.
all students. The new graduation require-
ments will present challenges as we
strive for this goal. Students have very
different learning styles and some may
struggle with the new mandated class
requirements. We need to make sure we
keep these students engaged and con-
nected to the classroom. Our interven-
tion programs will be more important
than ever at the high school level.
Innovative class scheduling will be key as
we promote and include electives, arts
and athletics into the student’s year. As
class offerings become more rigorous, it
will be more difficult to find highly quali-
fied teachers in the mandated content
areas. We need to continue to attract
and retain the quality staff we have in
this district.
No. 2 is equity in funding. The dispar-
ity in per pupil funding throughout
Oakland County and the state must be
dealt with. We need to continue the
efforts to close the funding gap between
the top funded district and the lowest.
I’m not suggesting we take money away
from the top funded districts, just boost
the lower funded districts to close the
gap. The quality of a child’s public edu-
cation should not be based on where
they live or the value of their home. We
will continue our grassroots efforts to
close this funding gap, as well as work
with the Legislature to do an Adequacy
and Equity Study. Such a study will
determine the appropriate dollars needed
to fund education at a level consistent
with the content we expect schools to
deliver.
No. 3 is declining enrollment.
Declining enrollment is a state wide epi-
demic. Michigan’s current economic con-
dition is causing mass exodus of families
PAGE 43/C,WB
with school-age children. We will con-
tinue to attract new students to our
district with our dedicated staff, quality
test scores, high graduation rates and
beautiful facilities. In order to remain
fiscally responsible to our stakeholders
we will continue to evaluate the utiliza-
tion of our schools.
WHY YOU? Currently I have four chil-
dren in the Huron Valley School system
— one in high school, two in middle
school and one in elementary. I live
every decision I make as a board mem-
ber whether its revised high school
graduation requirements, changes in
middle school curriculum or changes in
elementary schools. I believe it is a
perfect time for me to be on the school
board.
Four years of experience bring a
totally new perspective to the job. It
brings confidence, knowledge, trust,
understanding, compassion, and an
overall calm to the job. I have built a
good rapport with parents, administra-
tors and teachers in the district. They
trust me to take care of our schools
and our kids.
I’m very appreciative of the oppor-
tunities given to me to strengthen my
abilities as a board member through
seminars and classes. I have achieved
Level One and Level Two certification
as well as my Advocacy Skills Specialist
certification.
I’m just a normal person granted
the privilege and honor to give back to
my community through my school
board service. I love this job and would
appreciate the opportunity to continue
my good work.
LEE ANN CLIFFORD
BUDGET: We created a building to rent
out for additional revenue. I think as a
district we should be looking to rent
out other things that might raise rev-
enue, such as buses for trips for our
senior citizen outings. If we are okay to
rent out space in our schools for out-
side programs, then we should be okay
for the buses to be used.
SUPERINTENDENT CONTRACT: I sup-
port this practice, just for the simple
fact that the superintendent won’t be
out looking for different positions. We
are secure in knowing that we have
someone to run the schools, and the
superintendent is secure in knowing
they have a job.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: If the district gets
that bad, that our principals have to
carry weapons into the schools, I
would like to see more security in the
schools. I do realize that some of the
tragic events have happened in schools
that have had security. If we did need
to put guns in the schools they need
to be put in a locked central location
PAGE 48 ❯ ❯ ❯ ❯
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Waterford School Board
Paul K. Coughlin, Stephen K. Dooley,
Heather Halls, John Himmelspach,
Karen M. Laszlo, Robin McGregor,
Aimee McKeever, Virginia Poehlman,
Michael J. Ristich, and Joan Sutherland
are competing in the Tuesday, Nov. 4
general election race for four seats on
the Waterford Schools Board of
Education. The candidates receiving the
two highest vote totals will serve six-
year terms, and the candidates with the
third and fourth highest vote totals will
serve four-year terms. Board members
are paid $30 per meeting attended.
The following are questions recently
posed to the candidates, and their
responses. Ristich didn’t respond to
our candidate questionnaire.
BUDGET: In what specific areas do you
believe the district must change its
spending? On the revenue side, in
what ways should the district be look-
ing for new funding sources? What, if
any, changes would you like to see at
the state level to address school fund-
ing?
SEX EDUCATION: Debate on whether
public school sex education curricu-
lums should be based solely on teach-
ing abstinence as the only way to avoid
unwanted pregnancy and sexually
transmitted diseases resurfaces period-
ically. State why you do or don’t sup-
port that concept. State why you do or
don’t believe the curriculum could
include both abstinence and other
methods of birth control and disease
prevention.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: State lawmakers
have discussed legislation that would
allow public school officials to carry
concealed weapons inside school build-
ings in an effort to deter the kind of
gun violence tragedies witnessed
across the nation. Please state why
you do or don’t think it’s a good idea
for school officials to carry guns while
in school buildings.
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT: Explain
why you do or don’t believe parents
are given enough opportunities to par-
ticipate in the district’s decision-mak-
ing process? Who are the school
board’s true constituents?
TOP ISSUES: What are the three most
important issues for the district at this
time, and how do you propose to
address them?
WHY YOU? Why, specifically, should vot-
ers choose you over your opponents?
PAUL K. COUGHLIN
BUDGET: The state funding formula
for education simply isn’t working at
any level — K-12, community colleges
or our universities. Such a major priori-
ty as education needs to have a fixed,
guaranteed commitment. The shock
wave sent through district budgets like
ours, causing uncertainty in curriculum
and hiring, has to stop.
To ask the state to make a particu-
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general election voter guide
Paul K. Coughlin has served on the Waterford
Foundation for Public Education for the past
12 years, four as president. He has owned
and operated the Runnin' Gear store, a tech-
nical running shop offering the latest and
best running and walking shoes and apparel,
for 28 years.
lar budget item off limits, and not ask
the school district to do the same in it’s
budget procedure seems disingenuous,
but I will again point out the priority
education represents. A full and diverse
education is always in our best interest.
When budget cuts are necessary at the
district I believe it should be done
across the board, avoiding the entire
dismantling of particular departments.
Waterford’s nationally recognized fine
arts department, for instance, repre-
sents part of teaching the whole child.
SEX EDUCATION: First let me say I
think it should best be taught at home.
Conceding that sex education needs to
be addressed in school, as well, I feel
that teaching abstinence, while possibly
the best method and thus the curricu-
lum of choice, needs to be supplement-
ed. I support at least making young
adults aware of more options. A blind
eye to the activities of our youth will not
prevent unwanted pregnancies or dis-
ease. The epidemic of incurable disease
calls for education. Whether kids take
advantage of alternatives to abstinence
to become promiscuous is again a ques-
tion I believe that is best addressed at
home, but if they are considering that
path a chance to better educate youth
on the consequences and safeguards are
realistic.
Please keep in mind, regarding any
issue, my respect for the wishes of the
community would be foremost as a rep-
resentative on the board.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: Having guns in
school is a lot like the issue of teaching
sex education — if more options are
available are you more apt to use them?
If an event occurred where force
appeared unavoidable, I would rather
leave the guns to trained professionals. I
understand that response time is of the
utmost, but an untrained response could
also lead to further tragedy. If we have
proper emergency procedures, which
Waterford has had the foresight to
ensure, the decision of deadly force
should be left to the police.
Stephen K. Dooley has worked in law enforce-
ment, including as a school liaison officer. He
also has coached local youth sports.
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT: It’s the
board’s responsibility to be open, honest
and responsive — it’s the community’s
responsibility to be involved.
A board’s constituency includes the
entire community, from students and
parents to retirees and businesses; and
as a board member the more informa-
tion and community opinion I receive the
better my decision-making process.
Waterford enjoys an involved community
but needs to continue the effort to
encourage two-way communication.
I’ve had the opportunity, through my
years on the Waterford Foundation for
Public Education, to observe the district
as an outsider on the inside. This privi-
lege convinces me that continuing com-
munication, making it clear to everyone
what we have to offer as a district, will
answer questions and encourage involve-
ment. The district currently hosts expos
and open houses, curriculum nights and
advisory groups, parent teacher confer-
ences and Internet communication, to
name just a few of the avenues open to
all of us. I say get on board.
TOP ISSUES: At the state level I will reit-
erate my opening remarks about school
funding. Much work needs to be done to
encourage our decision-makers to find a
more equitable and dependable funding
formula.
As a community, I also reiterate, we
need to make a commitment to be better
informed and involved. I believe Waterford
is a progressive district (i.e. the early
institution of all-day Kindergarten mim-
icked by neighboring districts) and we are
working hard to get our message out —
but I also believe we need to work harder.
A community commitment to the system
builds the district.
In our own homes we need to stress
responsibility and respect. Discipline
shifted from home to school when our
attitudes at home changed — time to
send it back with a more active and
open dialogue with parents.
WHY YOU? I’m a product of Waterford
Schools, Cranbrook Schools, and possess
SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY
Heather Halls is the executive director of
the Waterford Coalition for Youth. She has
been a PTO/PTSA Executive Board member
for six years, and served on the Superin-
tendent's District Advisory Council.
a BA in psychology from Albion
College. My wife, Linda, and children,
Amy, Megan, and Eric, also attended
Waterford Schools. As a business owner
I have spent 28 years in Waterford and
for the past 12 years have served on
the non-profit Waterford Foundation for
Public Education supporting fund-rais-
ing efforts to supplement Waterford
classrooms.
The foundation has allowed me to
visit every school building and given
me a direct line to our most innovative
and creative teachers. Providing fund-
ing on a grant basis, the foundation
has given me a window on the wishes
of this dedicated staff, as well as a
look at the deficiencies of public
school funding. I believe this informed
outside view and my business experi-
ence is important to the school board,
providing perspective and an opportu-
nity to introduce fresh vision.
STEPHEN K. DOOLEY
BUDGET: The Waterford School
District needs to increase its fund bal-
ance. We currently have approximately
6.3 percent in the fund balance. This
puts the district in a position where
they have to borrow around $ 6 mil-
lion to cover operational costs until
their state funding comes in. This loan
costs the district around $250,000. If
the fund balance was near the recom-
mended 15 percent, they would not
have to incur this cost.
In these difficult economic times
it’s imperative that every effort is
made to keep any cuts away from the
classroom. We need to continue to
actively pursue grants and other fund-
ing sources that are not taken directly
from community members’ pockets.
SEX EDUCATION: It’s important for
the school district to have sex educa-
tion in the curriculum. I also believe
that the schools should have an open
door policy with the parents to view
the curriculum and any literature that
PAGE 45 ❯ ❯ ❯ ❯
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
Waterford board
❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ PAGE 44
goes along with it.
The curriculum should include both
abstinence and other methods of birth
control and disease prevention. The
curriculum should stress that absti-
nence is the only sure method to avoid
pregnancy and remain free from sexu-
ally transmitted disease. It should also
supply our students with the knowl-
edge to make informed decisions. We
need to be proactive and realistic when
it comes to protecting our children as
they become young adults.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: As a former
school liaison officer, I can say
unequivocally that I’m against any leg-
islation that allows school officials to
carry concealed weapons in school.
They are not trained in defensive tac-
tics or weapon retention in the event
someone tries to disarm them. I’m a
firm believer that the liaison officers
need to be kept in the schools. This
isn’t only a benefit to the school but
also a benefit to the police to have offi-
cers who are familiar with our kids.
We won’t make our schools safer by
adding more weapons in the building.
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT: I believe
the parents in Waterford have the
opportunity to get involved in the deci-
sion-making process. There are school
board meetings that are televised and
open to the public where parents have
the opportunity to address their con-
cerns directly to the board. There are
meetings with the superintendent that
are also open to the public.
I was recently in a meeting that
was open to the public where I, along
with numerous other parents, was
able to provide input into the future
direction of the district. We were
asked for positive and negative input
and were able to prioritize those ideas
as a group.
TOP ISSUES: First is the safety and
security of our students and staff. I
intend to be involved with our school
liaison officers on a regular basis so
that I can be aware of the safety con-
cerns and other issues in our build-
ings. I will also push for training for
our staff to ensure they know how to
respond to emergencies.
Second is balancing the budget and
remaining fiscally responsible. It’s
more important than ever that we con-
tinue to make decisions that ensure
the survival of our school district. We
also need to be aware of how our deci-
sions affect the community.
Third is improving the image of the
Waterford School District. The image
and reputation of Waterford schools
have declined over the years. We have
a very good staff and student body. We
need to get past the tainted test
scores that are published in the papers
and showcase the many great oppor-
tunities that exist in our community
and our schools.
WHY YOU? I have resided in Waterford
since the first-grade. My wife graduat-
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general election voter guide
John Himmelspach has served on the
Waterford Schools Board of Education since
1992, including as the board's president, vice
president, secretary, and treasurer. He has
worked at Chrysler Corporation in Security
Services for the last year, and as a West
Bloomfield Township police officer from 1977
to 2008, retiring as an administrative lieu-
tenant. Himmelspach was the department's
first school liaison officer. He has served an
officer of several district PTAs; and was a
founding member of the Waterford Coalition
for Youth.
ed from Waterford schools and our two
children currently attend Pierce Middle
School and Schoolcraft Elementary. I
coach our children in various sports and
I’m a very strong advocate for our com-
munity. I bring a unique perspective with
my law enforcement background and
school liaison experience. I have no per-
sonal agendas and I’m not tied to either
side in bargaining. Most importantly, I
love our community and care about the
futures of our children.
HEATHER HALLS
BUDGET: Budgets everywhere are of
critical concern in our country’s econo-
my. Because salaries and benefits are 87
percent of our district’s total budget,
this is one key area in which to focus.
Re-evaluating day-to-day expenditures is
another important element for review.
What are other districts doing and how
can we remain competitive? Our district
has or may soon be implementing
changes such as reorganizing trans-
portation routes, adapting school start
times, consolidating printing venues,
and offering all-day kindergarten, for
example. Efforts to increase grant fund-
ing would be beneficial. When continuing
state funding shortfalls already exist, I’m
concerned about the long-term impact of
the governor’s 21st Century Schools
Fund. There are many items to consider
in balancing and sustaining a budget and
it takes the collaborative review of many
to be successful in addressing the
numerous needs and concerns.
SEX EDUCATION: Sex education is an
important topic which I believe should
ultimately begin at the family level. Not
all families choose to educate their chil-
dren in the same manner, nor at the
same age. Each child is unique in their
maturity and readiness to handle this
topic. One of the most important things
we can do is educate students in the
risks associated with sexual activity,
including pregnancy and disease, as well
as dating safety. We can be proactive in
enhancing comfort levels for families to
have discussions with their children by
Karen M. Laszlo has been a PTA president, a
classroom mom and coach. She previously
served as national director of education
design for Domino's Pizza, Inc. Laszlo has
served on the Waterford Foundation Teacher
of the Year Committee, and current co-man-
agers her husband's dental practice.
offering educational opportunities for
parents on this subject. In addition we
can provide an atmosphere in school
where students feel comfortable in pur-
suing their concerns. Resources are in
place in our community which compli-
ment these support systems.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: It’s critical to place
emphasis on prevention strategies which
educate and equip students, families and
community members in reducing the
risks of violence. It’s equally important to
review studies and statistics on the effec-
tiveness and safety in implementing legis-
lation which allows school staff officials
to carry weapons. I’m not convinced that
the effectiveness over the risks has been
proven. Teachers are in school to teach.
We have resources in place within our
school district, including police liaisons
and prevention specialists to respond and
assist in violence prevention and reduc-
tion. I would prefer to see an increase in
the numbers of these resources. State
lawmakers must go beyond the statistics
of school violence and confer with the
experience and training of law enforce-
ment and safety professionals before
implementing such legislation.
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT: Research
demonstrates that parent involvement in
their child’s learning experience is posi-
tively related to the child’s achievement
— at all ages. Parents frequently step
back from involvement as their children
get older for fear that they “don’t need
them” anymore. Being involved is imper-
ative to sustaining success and achieve-
ment, as well as continuing and strength-
ening the growth of family relationships.
Parents are given many opportunities
to participate in the decision-making
process, offer feedback and ideas.
Unfortunately, not all take advantage of
it. I strongly encourage more parents and
community members to attend PTSA
meetings, school and community events,
board meetings and to get involved in
school committees and elections. Talk to
your school’s teachers and administra-
tors. Parents have the opportunity to
PAGE 45/C,WB
provide first-hand perspectives of
their experiences, good or bad, and
it’s a great way to develop collabora-
tive relationships.
TOP ISSUES: Safe and secure environ-
ments encourage positive learning
experiences. Pressures are great over-
all for youth and adults, especially in
our struggling economy. Regularly
evaluating the effectiveness of current
systems in place is important. Our
community’s diversity continues to
grow, including 39 different languages
being spoken in the Waterford School
District. Increased academic mandates
and required outputs have made it dif-
ficult to create time for focus on posi-
tive social and cultural awareness and
education. Through the coalition, I
organized and collaborated with the
district in bringing Rachel’s Challenge
to all seventh through 12th-graders,
which focuses on creating kinder,
more compassionate, respectful envi-
ronments at school and in the com-
munity. Expanding on the many
awareness programs currently in place
in our schools and searching out addi-
tional venues for positive results is
important. Strained relationships exist
within the district. I offer trusting,
collaborative energy in the issues we
face and am approachable and com-
mitted to Waterford.
WHY YOU? I’m the executive director
of the Waterford Coalition for Youth.
My husband and I have two children in
Waterford schools. As a 32-year
Waterford resident and a graduate of
Waterford Mott, I have served in many
roles on the executive boards and com-
mittees at elementary and middle
school, in addition to serving on the
Superintendent’s District Advisory
Council and Safe Schools Healthy
Communities $5.7 million Grant
Advisory Board. My parents are retired
educators in the Waterford School
District (Spry) and my siblings graduat-
ed from WTI/Waterford Kingsley
Montgomery. My involvement and col-
laborative experience within Waterford
extends communitywide, including the
Waterford Area Chamber of Commerce,
Police Department, Fire Department,
Optimist Club, Youth Assistance,
Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy
Communities, Waterford New Horizons
Concert Band, Golden Age Club and
Christmas in Action. I’m committed to
Waterford, to youth and to a positive
future for our community. Please visit
www.votewaveofthefuture.com.
JOHN HIMMELSPACH
BUDGET: The Waterford Board of
Education has instituted $23 million
in budget adjustments over the past
five years. We have kept the Fund
Balance at 5.5 to 6 percent. We have
made budget adjustments without
making more than a half dozen lay-
offs. We have reduced administration
by 25 percent; secretaries by 23 per-
cent; custodial/ maintenance by 20
percent and transportation by 15 per-
cent. For the 2008-09 school year we
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general election voter guide

Waterford board
❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ PAGE 45
have hired over 70 professional
teaching staff, allowing us to keep
class sizes the same during these
times of budget cuts. We have made
$12 million in improvement through
the sale of energy bonds without an
increase in taxes. Payments through
the savings realized have reduced
energy costs. We have received a $12
million grant from the Oakland
Schools Special Education Fund to
renovate our Kingsley Montgomery
building. We have also received a
$5.7 million dollar federal grant to
increase the safety and health of our
schools.
SEX EDUCATION: The health of our
children is a vital issue to schools and
our community. Public schools are
required to teach a sex education cur-
riculum that is reviewed by parents of
our children. Each family has the
right to provide alternate sex educa-
tion to their children or work with
the district to insure that their indi-
vidual child gets the both the knowl-
edge of preventing unwanted preg-
nancies and diseases while maintain-
ing their family values. I firmly believe
that the curriculum should include
abstinence along with birth control
and disease prevention.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: In 31 years of
police work, I have been trained in
weapon use and safety. Staff that
would carry guns would not have the
hours of training that police go
through that insures safe and proper
discharge, and the safety of
bystanders is at the forefront of any
weapon discharge. This district has
maintained a strong police/school liai-
son officer program and is instituting
a $5.7 million dollar grant to improve
the safety of our children.
Weapons belong in the hands of
police professionals, not first-grade
teachers.
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT: The
Waterford School District holds numer-
ous decision-making committees at
both the school building level and the
district level. Parents enjoy participat-
ing in these efforts that allow them to
be part of educational improvement,
budget priorities, and facility use. We
have more than doubled our parent/
community “feedback” opportunities in
the past few years.
The school board’s true con-
stituents are the 11,000 Waterford
children age 1-25 working to obtain
the best education available.
TOP ISSUES: First is budget con-
straints of the state of Michigan, our
parents, and our local businesses. We
must continue to find ways to control
costs and find alternative funding
sources.
Second is high school graduation
requirements. Our students face the
toughest graduation requirements in
the country. We must work to find
options for students to meet these
Robin McGregor has served for eight years as
president of various PTA/PTSA groups. She is
chief steward for her union.
requirements outside of the normal four
years of traditional high school.
Third is new trends in education. The
Waterford School District must maintain
its position as a leader in meeting educa-
tional needs. This means looking beyond
the traditional brick and mortar of the
kindergarten through high school facili-
ties that school has been taught in for
centuries.
WHY YOU? I was first elected to the
Waterford Board of Education in 1992
and re-elected in 1996, 2000, and
2004. I have served as the board’s pres-
ident, vice president, secretary, and
treasurer, and am currently the board
vice president. I have worked at Chrysler
Corporation in Security Services for the
last year, and as a West Bloomfield
Township police officer from 1977 to
2008, retiring as an administrative lieu-
tenant. I was the department’s first
school liaison officer. I have served as a
vice president of the Riverside
Elementary School, Della Lutes
Elementary School and Pierce Middle
School PTAs; and was a founding mem-
ber of the Waterford Coalition for Youth.
KAREN M. LASZLO
BUDGET: Do you cut programs or per-
sonnel? This can only be adequately
addressed when on the “inside” where
there is access to this information. Once
there, appropriation of funds must be
looked at objectively to assess what’s
working and where to make cuts. Our
district continues to implement budget
reductions including the addition of all-
day kindergarten, a reduction in weekly
newsletters, and re-routing of school
bus transportation to include one-way
service for sports teams. Grant opportu-
nities must be sought through both the
government and corporate avenues, as
must districts of similar demographics
with successful funding programs.
As for state funding, that is one tan-
gled web. The state must carry through
on its “promised” funding so that schools
can plan their budgets. The state needs
to listen to educators currently in the field
for both funding needs and the education-
al requirements necessary to keep up with
this global economy.
SEX EDUCATION: You often hear how
kids today are growing up too fast. This
is only part of the equation: Children are
Aimee McKeever has been an educator for 23
years. She currently holds several leadership
positions within the local and state union, as
well as community leadership positions and
within the public schools as a parent.
exposed to much more earlier in life;
however, their brain development for
processing information is still where it
was for kids many years ago. Therefore,
if sex education is taught in school, it
should include abstinence and other
methods of birth control because clearly
just one or the other isn’t effective
enough. However, I think the larger
debate is whether sex education is in the
curriculum at all. Many families feel this
is of a highly personal nature and should
be addressed at home or through the
other educational programs readily avail-
able in our community. What I would
like to see addressed in a class are the
health, well-being, educational, and exer-
cise benefits to proper nutrition and how
to achieve those along with conquering
the obesity epidemic.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: I don’t think it’s a
good idea for school officials to carry
concealed weapons. This would result in
easier access for a student intending to
do harm to gain access to a weapon.
The only school officials carrying a
weapon should be highly trained to do
so, such as our police liaisons. There are
too many emotional and physical stress-
es throughout a school day that could
cause a student or teacher to make a
momentary error in judgment that would
have lasting catastrophic results due to
the easy access of a concealed weapon.
Of much greater value would be an
increase in the number of effective pro-
grams already in place in violence pre-
vention and strategies for dealing with
the social and emotional stresses our
children face at home and school.
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT: Parents have
two powerful tools that must be used
wisely: their vote and voice.
Parents must address educational
concerns and celebrations — often vent-
ed on the proverbial soccer fields of life
— with teachers and principals, continu-
ing on to the district administration and
board if need be. However, it’s too easy
for parents to give up when they feel
they aren’t being heard. Parents need to
support one another in PTA meetings
and to attend board meetings to really
discover what is happening and affect
change. Additionally, the board and
administration must provide both a
forum and approachable demeanor to
welcome these voices. Forums were
begun last year and continue; however,
the amount of parental involvement is
disappointing and parents must com-
mit to investing proactively in these
forums and wisely reacting to con-
cerns with a willingness to be part of
the solution. Our children need you
every step of the way.
TOP ISSUES: No. 1 is ensuring funda-
mentals in math and writing are
taught and strategically built upon.
Current assessments and aligning of
the curriculum must be continued but
with more timely, accurate, and correc-
tive steps along the way. We are on a
good track and must continually tweak
without reinventing the whole wheel.
No. 2 is increased, timely, and
responsive communication at all levels
to parents, students, and community
members, which is vital, as is an
approachable administration to the
needs and concerns of teachers and
students. Frequency of district and
school newsletters can be increased
with the use of Edline. The accom-
plishments of our teachers and stu-
dents must be celebrated and shared.
The community must be engaged and
valued.
No. 3 is expectations must be
raised and adhered to in academics
and citizenship. School administrators
must be held accountable and take
pride in the ownership in the continu-
ous improvement of student achieve-
ment.
WHY YOU? I have been married for 20
years and have three children in
Waterford schools. Volunteer roles
include PTA president, chairmanships,
classroom mom, and coaching, to dis-
trictwide initiatives. I’m a previous
national director of education design
for Domino’s Pizza, Inc., a current
Sprint athlete, serving on the
Waterford Foundation Teacher of the
Year Committee, and co-managing my
husband’s dental practice. I feel our
District’s glass is half full. However,
that is not satisfactory. Our kids
deserve an excellent education that
best prepares them for tomorrow. I’m
a perpetual student that listens,
learns, acts and grows. I have a repu-
tation for being approachable, trust-
worthy, efficient, and making a posi-
tive impact. I’m discerning and take
the time to assess and evaluate. Water-
ford must build on its strengths, cor-
rect its shortcomings, and continually
engage the community for a mutually
beneficial and rewarding relationship.
ROBIN McGREGOR
BUDGET: First, we need to start look-
ing at the 7 percent annuity that
administrators get every year. I believe
that these should be in line with the
raises that all other staff are receiving
rather than a raise just because.
Additionally, we need to keep look-
ing for ways to bring money into our
district. There are many grants and
company sponsorships available. For
instance, Waterford just received a
grant that is worth almost $6 million.
PAGE 47❯ ❯ ❯ ❯
OCTOBER 22-28, 2008
Waterford board
❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ PAGE 46
Finally, I believe that there are
changes that need to be made at the
state level, in terms of budgeting. The
state should allocate money and keep
this budget for an entire year. Over the
past few years, many cut backs have
been made at multiple times during the
school year, thereby stopping schools
from planning a solid budget.
SEX EDUCATION: Sex education
starts at home and it should be a
family decision. Currently, the state
sets its own benchmarks for sex edu-
cation. Under these rules, if a parent
decides that he or she doesn’t want
his or her children exposed to this
information, then he or she can
request that they not participate. This
system allows each student and their
family the opportunity for open dis-
cussion without imposing on personal
views. As a result, this provides the
most flexibility and options for each
individual and family.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: I don’t think that
allowing staff members to carry con-
cealed weapons is the answer to the
violence that we have seen in schools.
Waterford has had a very good safety
record. Bringing weapons into our
classrooms could provide more oppor-
tunity for future violent acts to occur.
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT: The
school board’s constituents consist of
the entire community, from senior citi-
zens to the single person without
children, to parents whose children
have graduated and families with chil-
dren that are still in school.
Therefore, every parent and communi-
ty member has the opportunity to be
involved in the school system and/or
their children’s education. It depends
on each individual’s personal level of
involvement. For instance, I have been
and am very involved in the Waterford
School District. Before my children
graduated from the Waterford school
system I worked full-time, contributed
to my community, and still played an
active role in the Waterford School
District. In fact, I even helped to cre-
ate changes and bring programs to
our district. Now that my children
have graduated, I’m still involved with
the school district. I’m even a parent
advisor for Kettering’s Interact group
(a student community service group).
TOP ISSUES: The three most impor-
tant issues are settling the staff’s
contract, improving our school dis-
trict’s college rankings, and improving
the building environments in our
schools. We need to consider that
before our teachers and staff mem-
bers can teach our students to the
best of their abilities, it’s important
for them to know where they stand
and have some sort of stability.
Furthermore, for our students to
move forward with the challenges
that they are facing today, they need
to be prepared. By communicating the
positive aspects of our school district
www.spinalcolumnonline.com
general election voter guide
Virginia Poehlman has served on the
Waterford Schools Board of Education since
1991, and is the board's current treasurer. She
is the owner and CEO of Troy Freight
Expediting LLC. She is a member of several
state and national school board associations,
and several community-based organizations.
we can show colleges that our students
are prepared while helping our students
to have the best possible opportunities.
Finally, to improve the environments of
our schools, we will need to remove mold
and allergens which bother both students
and staff members and stop them from
doing what they are in school for.
WHY YOU? Voters should vote for me
because I care about our schools, stu-
dents, and staff members. I have always
been a part of Waterford Schools and
still am today. Through my involvement,
I have proven myself. People know me as
someone who always follows through
and does what I say I am going to do.
Moreover, I believe that education is the
key to our community. Without good
schools our community can’t flourish.
After all, our legacy to our children is
their education and that legacy depends
on the decisions that we make today.
AIMEE McKEEVER
BUDGET: She state needs to re-examine
the formula used to fund public schools.
Most schools, if not all, will never be
able to adequately fund their districts
with the present system. Secondly, in this
county we need to examine the large fund
balance at the Oakland Intermediate
School District. With local districts in such
dire straits we should be able to get more
financial assistance from the ISD. School
districts are not for-profit, we should be
spending some of the money if we have it.
Locally, I believe the district should re-
examine the budget spending, making
sure cuts are not in the areas that directly
affect children.
SEX EDUCATION: (This) has been and
probably will continue to be a debatable
issue. That’s why it’s very important to
have the parent/community input on
these issues. Advisory committees are
always reviewing the curriculums and
making changes as society changes with
the times. What the curriculum covers is
important and should be followed up
with parental support/communication at
home.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: Absolutely not.
Guns have no business in the school
environment. Who would decide on the
officials that would carry these guns?
Who makes the decision when to use
the gun? Who makes the decision as to
Joan Sutherland has served as secretary and
vice president of the Waterford Mott PTSO,
and is a founding member and sponsor of the
Waterford Mott Junior Optimist Club. She has
over 20 years of leadership experience in
business, including roles as a supervisor and
department manager, college instructor, cor-
porate trainer, systems and business analyst.
what is constituted as an event when
weapons need to be drawn? We are edu-
cators educating and reinforcing actions
and behaviors of right and wrong on a
daily basis. We are not law enforcement
officers trained to handle volatile situa-
tions with guns.
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT: Parents are
given ample opportunities to be involved
in the decision-making processes in this
district. There are several organizations
and committees within the schools, as
well as opportunities to meet one-on-one
with administrators and staff, with the
ultimate involvement being at the school
board level, serving its constituents of
community members, parents and stu-
dents. Community members and parents
just have to choose to be active and
involved.
TOP ISSUES: The most important issue
is to settle all contracts with all units in
the district. Within my 23 years as an
educator I have served on negotiating
teams and feel I bring vital experience to
the table. Secondly, the communication
between employer and employees should
be improved upon, making sure all par-
ties receive information in a respectful
and timely manner.
WHY YOU? I have been an educator for
the past 23 years. I have worked at all
grade levels and in many areas of special
education. I have and currently hold sev-
eral leadership positions within the local
and state union, as well as community
leadership positions and within the pub-
lic schools as a parent. I have a daughter
currently attending Kettering High
School which encourages me to be apart
of the decision-making/input part of the
school community. I feel my past and
present experience in public education
demonstrates a commitment to serve on
the Board of Education and the
Waterford School District.
VIRGINIA POEHLMAN
BUDGET: Waterford has been aggres-
sively seeking ways to cut costs while
still providing full programs for the stu-
dents we serve. We have closed build-
ings; we centralize services and collabo-
rate with the township and the county
whenever possible so that tax dollars are
not spent twice. I’m proud of the system
we have of constantly monitoring and
PAGE 47/C,WB
consolidating wherever possible. We
have kept the reductions as far from
the classroom and our students as
possible.
I would like to see the state realize
that if our schools were better funded
the prison system would need less
funding. Currently prisoners are funded
at twice the level our students are. Are
they being rehabilitated? Would they be
prisoners if they were given the best
education possible? I think not.
SEX EDUCATION: I believe parents
should be allowed to review the sex
education curriculum and make the
decision on whether their student
should attend the class. I believe the
school should teach abstinence but
give options if abstinence is not cho-
sen. Schools are not a moral compass,
but the vehicle that delivers informa-
tion. It’s the family’s job to set bound-
aries and values for their children.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: This needs more
open discussion to weigh the pros
and cons. Initially I feel if an individual
is well-trained, and certified, they
should be allowed to carry. In this day
and age there are too many incidents
with students and teachers being held
hostage, when a trained, certified per-
son could diffuse the situation, and
save lives.
The answer is in the police liaison
program which we just bolstered dur-
ing my tenure.
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT: The dis-
trict continually gives parents oppor-
tunities to be involved in the decision-
making process. Currently we are
holding “stakeholder” meetings
involving every group that touches the
Waterford School District to align the
goals and mission of the district. This
was first done 17 years ago. We
involve parents as much as possible in
the decision-making process. For
example, when a student applies for
readmission to our schools following
an expulsion, a parent is on the com-
mittee that makes the decision. We
couldn’t begin to serve this communi-
ty half as well without our parents.
We have PTSA’s in every building plus
the District Advisory Council which
includes a parent and meets with the
superintendent and a board represen-
tative throughout the year.
TOP ISSUES: My top three issues are
a safe and secure environment for
staff and students; a fair contract,
also keeping the environment for our
staff free from stress and unrest by
providing good fiscal management of
the resources available to the district;
and future tough decisions in
Waterford coming with the never-end-
ing funding questions, as well as
jumping the No Child Left Behind and
Michigan Yes hurdles being thrown at
us by the state and federal govern-
ments. We have to find a way to com-
ply with guidelines while best serving
our students and employees. I intend
to be sure the voice of Waterford is
heard loud and strong at state and
PAGE 48 ❯ ❯ ❯ ❯
PAGE 48/C,WB
Waterford board
❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ PAGE 47
national levels to cease picking on
public schools and start working
together with them.
WHY YOU? I have served this commu-
nity well over the past 17 years while
building excellent facilities, combined
with good fiscal management. Hard
decisions had to be made to maintain
fiscal responsibility to keep from laying
people off, or initiating programs or
policies like pay to play. I’m approach-
able to parents, students and the
community and am available to help
them solve a problem they may have
within the district. I care deeply about
our schools and the students we
serve. I believe in public education and
I have worked hard to see us get to
where we are today. I will continue to
work to see us improve even more.
JOAN SUTHERLAND
BUDGET: In the Waterford School
District, the salaries and benefits of
staff, teachers and administrators rep-
resents almost 87 percent of district
expenditures. This is consistent with
most organizations in the service sec-
tor throughout the nation.
Benchmarking should occur to ensure
that the costs associated with admin-
istration, including contracted admin-
istrative positions, are also consistent.
I would pursue revenue increases
through a targeted and comprehensive
approach to grant writing. At the
Huron Valley board
❯ ❯ ❯ ❯ PAGE 43
and kept out of the children’s reach.
TOP ISSUES: No. 1 is overcrowding
in a couple of our elementary schools.
I would like to see equal numbers in
all our schools. Otherwise we will be
going though another Apollo situation
in a few years.
No. 2 is keeping the open enroll-
ment, Schools of Choice and year-
round programs going. Again, equal
numbers in the schools help to
ensure this. Right now there are at
least two schools that aren’t open to
enrollment, and if out-of-district par-
ents want their children to attend
these schools they would be turned
away. That isn’t acceptable in this day
and age.
WHY YOU? I would like to see the
schools equaled out. We are a large
district with lots of space to redis-
trict. I feel that with the classrooms
overcrowded the students are losing.
We need to reduce the class size to
ensure that each student has a
chance to be the best that they can
be. This would also help to grow the
school district to enable more of the
Schools of Choice and the open enroll-
ment students to go to the schools
that they want and are available to
take them. I’m not the kind of person
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general election voter guide
state level, I would like to see school
funding changes which would hold firm
the communicated foundation allowance.
The state shouldn’t be permitted to
reduce the foundation allowance or cate-
goricals after the money has been bud-
geted by school districts, and in some
cases, after it has already been spent.
SEX EDUCATION: Sex education is an
integral part of a student’s education and
is best taught at home. However, there
are a significant number of students who
never receive this very important infor-
mation that could save their lives.
Therefore, I believe that sex education
should be taught in the schools utilizing
a concise, factual and medical approach.
The current and future health of our stu-
dents is dependent on them being armed
with the necessary information to make
mature and informed decisions, and to
understand the physical, social and emo-
tional impacts. The risks are far greater
than in generations past, and disease
prevention should be paramount. The
education program should be formulated
with parental input, and include discus-
sion points which are required of the stu-
dent to solicit the opinions, views, and
values of their family members.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: I don’t believe that
school officials should carry guns while in
school buildings. While I recognize that
legislators are looking for ways to keep
students safe, allowing school officials to
carry a gun in school would be an escala-
tion of the violence. Schools should be
free from violence and threats, and there
are community officials and police officers
that votes without reason. I question
things that I feel are not right for the
students. The district would benefit with
more parents doing that.
CHARLES DITTMAR
BUDGET: I believe that the district
needs to continue the process of finding
cost efficiencies in the budget by review-
ing and improving management process-
es, evaluating energy costs, and looking
for savings in benefit costs while main-
taining benefit levels. On the revenue
side, I would like to see us maximize the
utilization of the pools, fitness centers
and field houses at both high schools,
and to look into having various depart-
ments (such as the technology or food
service) providing services for a fee to
outside organizations.
On the state level, growing the econ-
omy within the state is the best way to
get additional funding for schools with-
out cannibalizing other state services. I
would also like to see legislation pass to
expand uses for building and site sinking
fund revenues.
SUPERINTENDENT CONTRACT: I sup-
port the practice of annually extending
the superintendent’s contract by a year
because it provides a level of certainty to
the district and to the superintendent in
terms of continued leadership for a job
well done. That being said, in order to
help minimize the exposure for the dis-
trict, my personal opinion is that the
who are trained to handle a weapon, as
well as being trained to handle the ensu-
ing ramification.
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT: Parental
Involvement is paramount to the success
of a child, as well as to the success of
our schools and community. Parents
should be encouraged to participate in all
levels of their child’s education, serving
as advocates for their educational oppor-
tunities and experiences. Further,
parental feedback to the school board
(positive and negative) is a necessary
part of the democratic process. School
boards are representatives from the
community at large, and have the pro-
found privilege of representing the best
interest of the students, parents, staff,
administration and community members.
All are stakeholders in the educational
process with varying perspectives that
must be heard and represented.
TOP ISSUES: Waterford has outstanding
students, parents, teachers, administra-
tors, staff and facilities. However, the
perception of those in and around
Waterford is often negative. This needs
to change, and requires a positive
approach with improved communication
and community involvement. I would like
to implement a community website that
connects our schools and community
organizations to all parents and commu-
nity members. In addition, standardized
test scores need to improve, which
requires a strategic targeted and data-
driven approach. We are losing students
to neighboring districts and private
schools, which affects the dynamics in
contract term should be two years
instead of three years in length, regard-
less of the person in the position of
superintendent.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS: This is a topic that
requires further discussion and study. On
the surface I can see the potential deter-
rence effect of an evil person not know-
ing whether the first adult they come in
contact with when entering the school is
armed or not. However, I can also under-
stand that the numbers of armed staff in
the building would be low and the
chances are small that the armed staff
would meet the criminal. There are also
issues of training and liability to consid-
er, which should not stop the debate but
be included in it so the Legislature can
craft a good law and districts can have
adequate guidance from the state on
implementation.
TOP ISSUES: Along with providing a
quality education for all students, my
top personal priorities are:
No. 1 — Increase achievement for
“at-risk” students. I will continue to
work with district staff and administra-
tion to meet the needs of under-per-
forming students to enhance their
achievement. Helping these students
increase their knowledge and skills is
not only what is right for them but is in
the best interest of our community.
No. 2 — Continue process improve-
ments. I will continue to ensure the
administration works to identify and
SPINAL COLUMN NEWSWEEKLY
every classroom and school, compro-
mises standardized test scores and
diminishes our sense of community.
Waterford is a dynamic and diverse
community. By building on these
strengths and creating synergy
between the community and the
schools, we can expand educational
opportunities to ensure that all stu-
dents are challenged and engaged in
the learning process.
WHY YOU? I’m an enthusiastic advo-
cate for public schools and care deeply
about the Waterford community,
schools, and most importantly, our
youth. I attended Waterford schools K-
12, and graduated from Waterford
Mott High School. My husband and I
have four children, two of whom
recently graduated from Waterford
schools and attend college, and the
younger two who currently attend
Waterford schools. I have been privi-
leged to serve as the Waterford Mott
PTSO secretary and vice president, and
am the founder/sponsor of the
Waterford Mott Junior Optimist Club. I
have been actively involved in school
sports, choir, orchestra, scouts, the-
ater and PTA, holding offices and
chairing numerous events for the past
17 years. I have over 20 years of lead-
ership experience in business, includ-
ing roles as a supervisor and depart-
ment manager, college instructor, cor-
porate trainer, systems and business
analyst. I hold a master’s of business
administration degree with a concen-
tration in finance. ❏
expand effective processes and change
or eliminate ineffective ones. This
includes talking with staff and making
sure the best practices are shared
across the district.
No. 3 — Monitor the building uti-
lization/transition process. I want to
ensure that transition runs smoothly
and student achievement is monitored.
I will work with the administration,
staff, parents, and other board mem-
bers to follow these students’
progress and address issues that
arise.
WHY YOU? I believe I should be re-
elected to another term on the school
board because I have worked over the
past four years to keep the district’s
focus on our students, especially those
who are struggling to succeed at every
level. With even tougher financial
times ahead as a result of the funding
approach by the state, I will continue
to provide valuable input into the over-
sight of the district by bringing my
education, work experience, and expe-
rience as a small-business owner to
the table in subcommittee work and in
individual meetings with staff and
administration. I have the skills as an
out-of-the-box, analytical thinker with
an inquisitive mind and a collaborative
approach, but that is not afraid to ask
the tough questions of administration.
If re-elected I will continue my work on
the board in this same manner. ❏