Downtown newsmagazine | Birmingham/Bloomfield

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INSIDE: FOR THE HOLIDAYS SECTION ON BIRMINGHAM SHOPPING

DECEMBER 2020

BAIL SYSTEM REFORM RACE, CLASS PLAY INORDINATE ROLE NOW

LEAD THREAT TO WATER: HOW LOCAL COMMUNITIES ARE RESPONDING OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL POLITICAL GOSSIP ECRWSS Postal Customer EDDM

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Cash or jail: Age-old bail system awaits reform While bail is defined as a set of pretrial conditions imposed to ensure an accused individual will show up to court, that often means some type of cash bond, impacting those who can least afford it, hence pretrial jail. But things may well change.

LONGFORM

34

The 2015 water quality crisis in Flint brought to the forefront the issue of lead in drinking water and while efforts are now underway to address this across the state, officials explain vast infrastructure projects take planning and budgeting time.

CRIME LOCATOR

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A recap of select categories of crime occurring in the past month in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills, presented in map format.

OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL

27

James joins Trump chorus; Nash Salami will be back; Ronna Romney McDaniel anointment; Stevens, Slotkin already 2022 targets; Levin cabinet speculation; Matt Maddock's latest; plus more.

Cover design: Chris Grammer.

MUNICIPAL

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THE COVER

New township board installed; Markus return details hammered out; Boutros mayor once again; schools go back to remote once again; French Lady, Luxe expansion approved; plus more.

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THE COMMUNITY HOUSE

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President and CEO of The Community House, William Seklar, writes aboiut the annual fund drive, the Bates Street Dinner and upcoming events at this local institution.

ENDNOTE

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State lawmakers should listen to local municipal clerks when it comes to what is needed to improve even further on elections; the question of parking in Birmingham should be tops on 2021 list for Birmingham city manager.

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PUBLISHER David Hohendorf NEWS EDITOR Lisa Brody NEWS STAFF/CONTRIBUTORS Hillary Brody Anchill | Stacy Gittleman Austen Hohendorf | Jeanine Matlow | Gigi Nichols | Bill Seklar PHOTOGRAPHY/CONTRIBUTORS Esme McClear | Laurie Tennent | Chris Ward Laurie Tennent Studio ADVERTISING DIRECTOR David Hohendorf ADVERTISING SALES Mark Grablowski GRAPHICS/IT MANAGER Chris Grammer OFFICE 124 W. Maple, Birmingham MI 48009 248.792.6464 DISTRIBUTION/SUBSCRIPTIONS Mailed monthly at no charge to most homes in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills. Additional free copies distributed at high foot-traffic locations in Birmingham/Bloomfield. For those not receiving a free mail copy, paid subscriptions are available for a $15 annual charge. To secure a paid subscription, go to our website (downtownpublications.com) and click on “subscriptions” in the top index and place your order online or scan the QR Code here.

INCOMING/READER FEEDBACK We welcome feedback on both our publication and general issues of concern in the Birmingham/Bloomfield community. The traditional “letters to the editor” in Downtown are published in our Incoming section and can include written letters or electronic communication. Opinions can be sent via e-mail to news@downtownpublications.com or mailed to Downtown Publications, 124 W. Maple Road, Birmingham MI 48009. If you are using the mail option, you must include a phone number for verification purposes. DOWNTOWN GOALS/MISSION The personnel at Downtown newsmagazine bring a special commitment to the publishing effort, reinvesting in the local communities and working to make sure the Birmingham/Bloomfield area reaches its highest potential. Our mission dictates that we strive each month to provide a solid news and advertising product that local residents look forward to reading. Our goal is to build a community of informed citizens through the efforts of our passionate team. We are innovators producing products that go well beyond what others offer. Downtown newsmagazine captures life in the local communities through coverage of major municipal and school issues, personality profiles, the latest news from the business community and the all important social non-profit circuit that makes these communities unique. We also devote considerable effort each month to address major issues facing local residents through our longform story-telling efforts, further setting us apart from others competing for readers' attention. WEBSITE downtownpublications.com

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CRIME LOCATOR

NORTH

Map key

Sexual assault

Assault

Murder

Robbery

Breaking/entering

Larceny

Larceny from vehicle

Vehicle theft

Vandalism

Drug offenses

Arson

These are the crimes reported under select categories by police officials in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills through November 25, 2020. Placement of codes is approximate.

INCOMING Great racism article Thank you so much for the great article (Racism/November Downtown). I hope it serves to not only spur on important conversations, but more importantly, helps to drive people to take action toward addressing the systemic issues that continue to support the multifaceted layers of racism in and around us. Mark A. Moreno Executive Director Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Ferndale

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We welcome your opinion on issues facing the Birmingham/Bloomfield communities. Although we do not have a fixed maximum length for letters sent to us, we recommend a maximum length of 175-200 words. We also reserve the right to edit letters for length if necessary. Opinions can be sent via e-mail to news@downtownpublications.com or mailed to Downtown Publications, 124 West Maple Road, Birmingham MI 48009.

Covered all angles Just read Lisa Brody’s article, “Racism impact: No longer a Black/White issue” (NovemberDowntown). Great job doing in-depth reporting on the issue of race. I rarely see an article that covers all of the angles the way this did. Jeff Martin Director of Communications/Public Affairs The American Anthropological Association

Thanks for Voter Guide I want to thank you for the level of information provided on the candidates in the Voter Guide contained in the October 2020 issue. As in previous elections, it was a great help in deciding who all to vote for. Thomas VanDeGrift Birmingham

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OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL BIRMINGHAM Oakland Confidential is a periodic column of political gossip/news, gathered both on and off-the-record by staff members at Downtown newsmagazine. We welcome possible items for this column which can be emailed to: OaklndConfidential@DowntownPublications.com. All sources are kept strictly confidential. The gossip column can be viewed at OaklandConfidential.com where you can sign up to receive updates via email.

BEHIND THE CURTAIN: We gained further insight into one general election candidate as a boisterous gaggle of Republicans tried to bumrush the TCF Center in Detroit during vote tabulations the day after the November election. You know, the moblike crowd – demanding entrance to the building as votes were counted – that was stopped by local police because the building was already overcapacity with election workers and poll watchers from bottom political parties. Those gathered hung around and banged JAMES on windows while shouting “Stop the count.” Crain’s Detroit Business cited one man who claimed the U.S. Senate campaign of Farmington Hills Republican John James had called him and asked him to head to Detroit to help “watch over” the vote counting. This from the same campaign that earlier had sent out a PETERS tweet declaring victory in the race against incumbent Senator Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Township) when there was still 100,000 or more votes to count. Said a reporter on MSNBC: “John James doing the same thing Donald Trump did last night.” Then things got even worse. On Thursday of election week, after vote totals showed Peters had won the contest, James refused to concede. Taking a page from the authoritarian playbook, James called for an “investigation” (by whom we are not sure) and bemoaned how “millions” in Michigan had been “disenfranchised by a dishonest few who cheat.” In the following days he would join the Trump chorus calling for vote state-level certification to be delayed. Quite the swan song from a candidate who has now tried twice to claim the mantle of a U.S. Senator from Michigan, and failed both times. SYSTEM AT WORK: Here’s a life lesson for those who buy into the conspiracy theories that our elections are rigged. Incumbent Oakland County Commissioner Adam Kochenderfer (R-Rochester Hills, Rochester), after the votes were reported on Tuesday, November 3, thought he had lost by 104 votes to Democratic challenger Melanie Hartman. Two days later he got called by Oakland Director of Elections Joe Rozell (from the office of Democrat Oakland Clerk Lisa Brown), who informed him that a computer glitch in the office of Republican Rochester Hills Clerk Tina Barton (who lost her 2020 run for county clerk against Brown) had led the city to report some duplicate figures to the county on the night of the election. The county clerk’s office had canvassed voting returns and caught the error in seven precincts and made the necessary adjustments. The final tally – Kochenderfer actually won by 1,127 votes or 51.67 percent of ballots cast. YOUNGBLOOD: It would not surprise us to hear more from Nash Salami in the future. He’s the 19-year-old former Birmingham Seaholm High School graduate (2019) who nearly won a seat on the Birmingham Public Schools Board of Education. Oakland Confidential spoke with Nash a couple of days after he lost his race by only 41 votes on Tuesday, November 3. The Bloomfield Township resident exudes a sense of maturity far beyond his age, whether SALAMI on his decision not to file for a recount, or his assessment that COVID-19 personal contact limitations, as well the factor his age downtownpublications.com

DOWNTOWN

HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES 2020

EXPERIENCE DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM AGLOW FOR THE HOLIDAYS! The Birmingham Shopping District welcomes visitors to downtown Birmingham, the place where people come from near and far to enjoy a picturesque atmosphere during this magical time of year. With nearly a million holiday lights on display, it is truly a majestic sight! Whether it’s a stroll through Shain Park or shopping at our many unique and locally owned retailers, we invite you to enjoy all that Birmingham has to offer this holiday season.

APPOINTMENTS WITH SANTA • WEEKENDS On weekends throughout the holiday season, children are invited to make an appointment with Santa at the Santa House in picturesque Shain Park. Select weekends will feature live reindeer and complimentary goodies and treats. Appointments are required for socially distanced visits with Santa, however the other festivities are first come, first serve. Visit AllinBirmingham.com to schedule an appointment.

SCAVENGER HUNT • WEEKENDS Presented by Chief Financial Credit Union, on select weekends throughout the season, families are invited to participate in a scavenger hunt throughout downtown Birmingham. Participants will use their mobile device to independently complete and compete in the scavenger hunt. A winning participant from each Saturday and Sunday will be eligible to win a $500 gift card from the Birmingham Shopping District to be used at participating retailers and restaurants downtown!

THE GREAT DECORATE • 11/27 – 12/24 Starting November 27th, visitors can view beautifully decorated trees in restaurants and retail locations throughout downtown Birmingham and vote for their favorite tree by donating online. 100% of donations go to help local foster teens through the Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange. Information: visit thegreatdecorate.com.

Enjoy free parking options throughout the season Visit AllinBirmingham.com/calendar for event details All activities are in accordance with the City of Birmingham & Oakland County COVID-19 health & safety guidelines.

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may have played with some voters, despite his campaign’s phone bank efforts, lit drops and direct mail pieces to potential voters. A political science major at Oakland University, Salami anticipates (“absolutely”) another run for some office in the future. He ranks his current attempt as a “tremendous achievement” and hopes that it has “encouraged young people to be part of the process.” COLLECTIVE EXHALE: Making the rounds among the national political scribes – Ronna (don’t call me Romney) McDaniel is expected to seek a third term as Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair when members meet this coming January. Plucked from her position after two years as the chair of the Michigan GOP once Donald Trump took the state in the 2016 election, McDaniel has been endorsed by the outgoing president for another term, which is akin to an anointment. The Northville resident is the granddaughter MCDANIEL of former Michigan Governor George Romney and Sen. Mitt Romney’s niece, although she eschews her maiden name as to avoid upsetting Trump, who’s not a fan of the Senator. 2022 OUTLOOK: Depending on how congressional districts in Michigan get recarved or eliminated in reapportionment prior to 2022, Oakland Democratic Congresswomen Haley Stevens (11th District) and Elissa Slotkin (8th District) could find themselves facing some pretty strong headwinds in two years if they seek to remain in Congress. Both faced tough election challenges this year. Unprecedented sums of outside money. Door-to-door shoe leather campaign plans restricted due to the pandemic. Less of the blue wave luster than in 2018. These two districts are surely in the sights of RNC Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Emmer, who has already called out slim-margin districts in Michigan and other states as his target for 2022. In the case of Stevens, there’s also speculation that twice-failed U.S. Senate candidate John James could decide to seek this House district – but we heard that before when he lost to Democrat Debbie Stabenow in 2018. LABOR OF LOVE: Bloomfield Township Congressman Andy Levin (D) has a long history – and passion – as a union supporter and activist, having worked as a former AFL-CIO assistant organizing director, organizer for the SEIU, Michigan chief workforce officer under former Governor Jennifer Granholm, and a clean energy business owner before running for the House of Representatives in 2018, where he has been a strong union advocate. His hard work may see rewards with a cabinet post in the new Joe Biden administration LEVIN as labor secretary. Several – but not all – labor leaders are gung ho over the idea, encouraging the incoming president to take a hard look at the freshman congressman, who handily won re-election of the 9th District this year. While AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka isn’t pushing any one candidate, UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada said she encouraged Levin to seek the position, as he’s from the labor movement and “understands the fight that working people are up against.” “A labor leader should lead the Labor Department,” said American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten. Another mentioned favorite for the position is Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, a former union leader who has a close relationship with Biden. Levin said he hasn’t spoken to Biden or anyone in the administration, but he is honored that leaders who he has worked with over the years want him to serve. Levin added he is happy to “serve a term with a Democratic president. It’s just an honor to be discussed and considered by union groups and economists. My life’s work has been about lifting up working people.” downtownpublications.com

DOWNTOWN

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Fabulous home built in 2019. Why buy new construction? Everything has been done! Automated blinds on first floor, Lutron lighting controlled by phone 1st floor, 2nd floor windows w/ room darkening top down/bottom up blinds, professionally landscaped with sprinkler system (drip irrigation for beds), paver front walkway, rear composite stairs from Dining Room and paver patio. Spacious Great Room has walls of windows that lets the light shine in plus a gas fireplace. Kitchen w/quartz counters, double oven, gas cook top w/pot filler, walk in pantry, mud room, Library has decorative wainscoting, wide hallways. Amazing master suite w/ spectacular bath and 2 walk in closets, 3 additional BR’s, 2 baths and Laundry on 2nd floor. Basement ready to finish (studs and insulation done) plus plumbed for full bath. 2 Car attached garage, fenced on 3 sides, nothing left to do but move your furniture in. Close walk to downtown Royal Oak.

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FILLING THE VOID: With Democratic Rep. Andy Levin likely on the shortlist for Labor Secretary, the question is who would fill his congressional seat in the 9th District, which winds from Bloomfield Township to Royal Oak, Huntington Woods, Ferndale to Macomb County. The governor would need to call a special election to fill the vacancy, and while the district leans Democratic, there will be no shortage of Democrats or Republicans likely filing to run. On the Democratic side, it would be no surprise if outgoing Oakland County Treasurer Andy Meisner, a Huntington Woods resident, MEISNER ran. Meisner is currently without another political platform, having lost to county executive David Coulter in the August primary, and remains a popular political figure with friends on both sides of the aisle. Meisner’s first gig, who also is a former state representative, was as a legislative aide to former Rep. Sandy Levin, Andy’s dad. Another highly touted figure is Michael “Mickey” Switalski, a former state Senator representing Sterling Heights and Roseville from 20032009, as well as state Representative from 1999-2003. Switalski ran against Sandy Levin in the 2010 Democratic SWITALSKI primary, where Levin prevailed. This may be his opportunity, and the district is 64 percent in Macomb County. On the Republican side, GOP leaders say don’t look for the party to give much support to Eric Esshaki, failed challenger to Haley Stevens this year. “He’s a lightweight. He doesn’t connect with people and he doesn’t have any empathy. He’s arrogant and belligerent,” said one GOP insider. Some Republicans like Daniela Davis of Beverly Hills, who recently lost to state Rep. Kyra Bolden (D), 83 percent to 16 percent. “She’s a sharp business woman who knows her stuff. But she was in a Democratic district,” a Republican official said. One recently re-elected local Republican official said he’s seriously looking at it, figuring it’s better to be an incumbent when redistricting takes effect in 2022. Michigan is sure to lose at least one, possibly two, congressional seats during the upcoming redistricting. SEEKING SPOTLIGHT: Oakland County state Rep. Matt Maddock, owner of a bail bonds company and one-time occasional fugitive hunter, has established himself as quite the far right conservative with a purist view of how Republicans should adhere to their party platform. After winning this year his second term from the 44th District, encompassing Milford, White Lake, Highland Township, Springfield Township and the southwest corner of Waterford, he no doubt felt emboldened to call for impeachment hearings to remove Gov. Gretchen Whitmer from office after she tightened down on parts of the economy for a three-week period to stem the raging COVID-19 infections. If we are to believe Maddock’s MADDOCK Facebook posting, other members of the legislature are on board with the effort, including Republican state Rep. Ryan Berman from the 39th District that includes West Bloomfield, Commerce Township and Wixom. House and Senate leaders are not rushing to support legislation calling for the hearings. Not familiar with Matt? He and wife Meshawn, both noted Trumpsters, co-founded the Michigan Conservative Coalition that helped organize the anti-lockdown mass demonstration at the state Capitol earlier this year and members of which have infiltrated the Oakland GOP hierarchy. Said a former director of the Michigan GOP (Bridge), “folks like them used to hide from the light like cockroaches now feel enabled to come out and do what they do.” ‘Nuff said. downtownpublications.com

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FACES

Diane Orley t’s been 18 years since Diane Orley first started churning out nut recipes in her basement while raising three kids. But a fortuitous partnership and national launch of Daily Crunch Snacks would lead the founder and co-owner of Diane’s Kitchen to new and remarkable growth. Her sister, who lives in Austin, Texas, where Orley grew up, learned about the nut sprouting technique in India that would inspire her original recipes. The multistep soaking and dehydrating process leaves nuts with a hollow core that gives them a uniquely crunchy texture and taste. Orley knew she was onto something. “I started making them for myself and my friends went crazy when they tried them,” she said. Through the years, between her website and word of mouth sales, the concept just wouldn’t go away. “I always knew there would be a sign when it was time for a bigger business,” said Orley who got the signal two years ago when her niece, Laurel Orley, a marketing and brand expert with an impressive track record, suggested they collaborate and expand. Now Laurel, who lives in Nashville, oversees the marketing and strategy for Daily Crunch Snacks. They’ve also brought on a third partner with a finance background, Dan Stephenson, who brings a different skill set to the table, along with four interns from Vanderbilt University. Their expanded distribution that began earlier this year would lead to national recognition and accolades like the Sprouted Almonds – named one of the best healthy snacks in 2020 by Good Housekeeping. Locally, Daily Crunch Snacks are available at Plum Market, Papa Joe’s, Hollywood Market, Lori Karbal, Zieben-Mare and more. The nuts are also sold online through their website (dailycrunchsnacks.com) and Amazon. Orley, who lives in Birmingham, adds recipes to the website. “I’m a foodie and I love to cook and share them with people to get them engaged,” she said. In November, there was more growth to celebrate as two new flavors joined the ranks: Golden Goodness with turmeric and sea salt and Cacao and Sea Salt. The original selection includes Spouted Almonds, Cherry Berry Nut Medley and Coffee-Soaked Almonds. All of the products are gluten-free, keto- paleo- and vegan-friendly and non-GMO. A portion of all proceeds goes to The Support Network, a non-profit organization that advocates for mental health awareness in high schools and colleges. Orley lost her son George to mental illness in 2013, while he was attending the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Her strength and compassion will likely help others with similar struggles. With entrepreneurship, she continues to learn the many aspects of running a business, like the power of the internet and social media and marketing. Her mission is simple. “My passion and goal is to see people enjoy eating, eat healthy and enjoy the products as much as I do,” she said. Even a pandemic can’t stand in her way. “We launched at a really difficult time, but it’s a little bit of a blessing,” said Orley. “People need food.” Besides, it turns out sprouting has health benefits like aiding in digestion. At this stage of her life, she appreciates the experience. “I feel lucky to have, at 60 years old, a new sense of purpose and meaning,” she said. “I’m using my brain in a different way and working with such a young, vibrant and smart team.”

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Story: Jeanine Matlow

Photo: Laurie Tennent

LEAD IN WATER ADDRESSING PIPE REMOVAL IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES INVOLVES PLANNING AND MAJOR FUNDING EFFORTS BY STACY GITTLEMAN

Zero. That is the only acceptably safe level of lead in parts per billion (ppb) that should exist in our drinking water. Yet, the federal action level threshold for lead in drinking water is 15 ppb. At the height of the 2015 Flint water crisis, the residents living there were using water that contained lead levels as high as 13,200 ppb. Elin Warn Betanzo of Franklin had 16 years under her belt working on water safety issues in Washington, D.C., including her work in at the EPA conducting studies on local children who were exposed to lead in their drinking water. Now the founding principal engineer of Royal Oak-based Safe Water Engineering, LLC, Betanzo helped uncover the Flint Water crisis and considers herself a “stakeholder” in Michigan’s revved-up 2018 Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) – part of the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act that will drop the action threshold for lead to 12 ppb by 2025 and mandate the removal of all lead service lines (LSLs) – the pipes that connect a home to the city’s water main, as well as the lead soldered pipe fixtures and plumbing lines in the state by 2041.

Twenty-one years may seem a long way off to meet a deadline for removing pipes, but environmental and municipal officials explain vast infrastructure projects take planning and budgeting time. According to Great Lakes Environmental Law Center Executive Director Nick Leonard, the 2041 deadline for LSL removal is largely a product of two factors: cost and lack of knowledge about where lead service lines exist. Regarding costs, Leonard said the rough estimate is that the removal of each service line costs $5,000, but can go as high as $10,000 in some areas where private homes are set far back from a municipality's main line. Michigan rules require public water systems to pay for this in its entirety. “That's great, but it can also mean that water systems have to charge more in rates for water service to cover the costs. Giving water systems 20 years means they can spread this cost over a longer period, which should help prevent large increases in water rates. Regarding knowledge of the location of the pipes, many water system authorities simply don't know where lead service lines are,” Leonard said. The good news is that our water sources are safe, according to Michigan's Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) officials. The trouble begins when municipal water collects particles as it moves through lead pipes found in older public municipal systems, pipes that have been soldered with lead, and lead faucets and fixtures. In October 2014, under the authority of an emergency city management council, Flint switched its water supply from the Detroit water system to a system based in the Flint River and stopped treating the water with anticorrosive chemicals in order to save money. Betanzo said it was not until the spring of 2015 that state and federal officials began sampling water in Flint. But sampling from only the first liter of water in homes – which is not highly susceptible to lead exposure – distorted the findings and minimized the severity of the situation. Flint residents, therefore, were continually told the water was fine to use.

“What happened in Flint made it obvious that the federal lead and copper rule was not providing the drinking water protection that people needed,” said Betanzo. “True detection of lead-contaminated tap water can only be captured from the fifth … or even seventhliter sample. So that's why (the Flint emergency management council) was able to cover up what was happening for quite some time. It was not until Marc Edwards, (a civil and environmental engineering professor at Virginia Tech University) came in and did additional sampling did we finally see the most concerning levels of lead. That is because the contaminants were originating from pipes outside the homes from a lead service line.” Four years into one of the largest water infrastructure projects in the nation, Flint expects to remove its last lead pipe by the end of 2020. The project cost an estimated $55 million to replace all the lead pipes in the city. But lasting, damaging health effects on Flint’s children remain. Though exposure to lead in Oakland County may not be as dire as what happened in Flint, Betanzo cautions that water authorities and residents here should take a lesson and think hard about the lead that still exists in the infrastructure that sourced water traverses to get to their taps. In a hard-earned lesson from the nation’s most botched and deadly mismanagement of a municipal water system, Governor Rick Snyder in the summer of 2018 through the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), now known as the Michigan Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), introduced a multi-pronged approach to ridding the state of lead in water. In addition to lowering the lead action threshold by 2025, the LCR mandated that starting in 2019, municipalities begin targeted testing for lead, compile an inventory of estimated and known pipes within their jurisdiction, called a Distribution System Materials Inventory (DSMI), to EGLE. The first DSMI was due in January 2020, with the next due in January 2025, with subsequent updates every five years.

The 2018 LCR mandates that all inventoried lead service lines will all have to be removed at a rate of five percent per year until 2041. If the lead in water exceeds the action level, communities must increase the rate of replacing lead lines to seven percent a year. As a show of transparency, tests and inventory taking are made available to the public through EGLE, water authority and municipal websites, and other communication channels. This information, as well as consistent messaging to the public about how to prevent lead exposure, is provided by the guidance of another mandate of the LCL: statewide and municipal water systems advisory councils (WSAC) for populations exceeding 50,000. As the communications arm of the LCR, it was mandated that the state form a Water System Advisory Council (WSAC) to provide consistent messaging and information across municipalities to help the water customers become more aware of lead in drinking water and the associated health risks. Water systems that serve a population greater than 50,000 are required to create a WSAC. etired water engineer Keith McCormack presided over the first year of the statewide WSAC and helped to establish advisory councils in 36 municipalities in Michigan. WSACs are comprised of volunteers with backgrounds ranging from public works administrators, medical professionals, public health educators and engineers. It also keeps municipalities and water authorities on compliance track by reminding them of upcoming deadlines. After a year in operation – mostly meeting virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic and the news of PFAS contamination in source waters, McCormack said the concern about lead has somewhat slipped from the public’s eye. Going forward, he said the biggest challenge will be keeping lead safety in the spotlight by posting updates and educational information on websites to mailing fact sheets in water bills. “After doing this for a year, the biggest challenge that lies ahead is getting the information out to the public,” said McCormack, “After all the attention lead got because of Flint, who could have imagined it would not be the main topic in the last year because of source waters getting tainted from PFAS compounds and the pandemic? It is the job of the advisory councils to keep informing the public and keep raising awareness about the issue.” With all the talk about lead, many are surprised that copper is lumped into the same law. Lead in the body is unsafe at any level, especially to children, infants, and pregnant women, but copper is an essential nutrient at acceptable levels, except in infants or those with Wilson’s disease, a genetic disease where copper builds up in the body. Scott Dean, strategic communications advisor for EGLE, said the federal LCR is designed to limit the corrosivity of drinking water in general. Also, there is no mandate in the LCR to remove copper pipes. Lead removal is where all the focus is. “Copper remains an approved and preferred plumbing material so the rule does not target copper pipes for removal,” said Dean. Ultimately, the 2018 changes to the Michigan LCR aim to build back the public’s hard-earned trust in the water that comes out of their tap. A 2016 American Water Works Association study estimated that there are 460,000 lead service lines in Michigan. Malleable enough to bend and withstand Michigan’s temperature swings without bursting or requiring joint components, lead reigned as the plumbing material of choice through the 1950s. And thanks to decades of spotty record keeping, it’s anybody’s guess exactly where the lines are located. Complying to Michigan's strictest lead and copper rule will now be a very tall glass of water.

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Some municipalities and water authorities, viewing the new state ruling as an unfunded mandate, tried unsuccessfully to challenge the ruling in court when it was instituted. The Michigan Supreme Court decades ago, under the Headlee Tax Limitation Amendment to the state Constitution, had ruled mandates had to be underwritten by the state. When it comes to regaining the public trust in the water they drink, water authority and municipal officials understand that the issue of removing lead pipes has moved to the forefront of the public mindset after Flint. However, some cash strapped municipalities and the Oakland County Water Resources Commission (WCR) that manages water systems balked at the possibility of putting the cost of compliance on the backs of populations already suffering from high water rates. Others argued that lowering the action level threshold by three ppb is something not set by science. University of Detroit Law Professor Nick Schroeck said that the new state LCR has made “baby steps” in reducing the action threshold by three ppb. “It is true that Michigan’s LCR standards are the toughest in the nation, but there is no safe level of lead,” said Schroeck. “There must be a complete removal of all lead piping soldering and fixtures. After Flint, we see that we really need to see people protected long term. Even if you have anti-corrosion in the treated water, it is still taking a chance with lead contamination. As long as these lead pipes are in the ground, it still poses a risk.” Schroeck added that Michigan’s lead problem did not “spring out of nowhere,” and that municipalities should have been working on getting the lead out for decades. Still, the relatively rapid acceleration of putting the law into place to pay for the removal and replacement of the LSLs – which can cost between $5,000 to 10,000 per pipe – may put a financial strain on municipalities and water rate consumers alike. “The Flint water crisis shone a huge light on this problem and now the new LCR is telling the state ‘let’s hurry up and get this done and over with.’ The problem is at the municipality level, there are already so many budget restraints and many residents feel their water bills are high enough,” Schroeck said. “To add more water surcharges or hike water rates would be tough to folks who already cannot afford their water bills.” In the past, a municipality would remove a lead pipe that was part of the public utility but leave in place the lead lines that ran from the easement in the public road to the homeowner’s water meter. Schroeck said these incomplete removal practices put the homeowner at an even greater risk of exposure to lead as remnants of that removed and disturbed lead pipe or solder could break off and find its way into homes. “Most people do not have the resources to replace that line from the foundation of their home to the street,” said Schroeck. “There is a need for more grant money and support for municipal water utilities to be able to thoroughly do this work.” any cash-strapped municipalities were eager to remove all the lead pipes in their systems but questioned the ruling’s constitutionality. They also feared the potential litigation of using public funds to replace LSLS on private property. That is why in August 2018, the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA), which provides drinking water to much of southeast Michigan, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD), and the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner (WRC) filed a request for a declaratory ruling with the DEQ. The DEQ in October 2018 denied the request. The plaintiffs appealed and brought the case to the state Court of Claims, which subsequently dismissed the case in July 2019.

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Communities that signed on to the challenge include Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills, as well as Allen Park, Bay City, Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms, Boyne City, Brownstown Township, Canton, Center Line, Claire, Clawson, Clinton Township, Dearborn, Detroit, Douglas, Elk Rapids, Farmington, Ferndale, Gibraltar, Gladstone, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Woods, Hamtramck, Hart, Hazel Park, Huntington Woods, Huron Township, Inkster, Jackson, Jonesville, Kingsley, Lake Orion, Lapeer, Lincoln Park, Livonia, Montague, North Muskegon, Northville, Oak Park, Plymouth, Riverview, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Romulus, Rogers City, Royal Oak, Saginaw, the Southeastern Oakland Water Authority (SOCWA), Sumpter Township, Taylor, Warren, Wayne, and Westland. The Michigan Court of Claims dismissed the case because the court ruled that the water suppliers’ complaints regarding the rulemaking process reflected more discontent with the eventual rules that were implemented, more than a flawed procedure to arrive at the rules. Also, the court stated there are no rules that prohibit the state from working on mixed public and private service lines. According to Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash, one of the leading voices in the lawsuit, lowering the lead action threshold to 12 ppb was not based on science. Although the challenge was denied, Nash said the WRC will not file for an appeal. He is somewhat pleased that EGLE established some grant funding for LCR compliance beginning this fall. Governor Gretchen Whitmer in March of 2019 estimated that fulfilling the LCR by 2041 will cost a total of $2.5 billion. Some funding relief came in October 2020 when Whitmer announced the MI Clean Water Plan, providing $500 million to improve Michigan’s water infrastructure. The funding included the $37.5 million Lead and Copper Drinking Water Asset Management Grant, offering municipalities up to $1 million in funding. Fifteen million dollars will be set aside to serve municipalities with populations serving 10,000 or less. Applicants must be in good standing with EGLE and grant funding is restricted to asset management program updates or DMSI related activities. “It's a good start,” said Nash. “But unless we keep going, we're still going to have to hit people with rate increases. In communities like Pontiac, 35 percent of the people live under the water affordability rate as set by the EPA. Only two percent of your income should go to pay for water. If we have to raise water rates in Pontiac (and other communities), it’s going to harm them.” Nash said the work to remove pipes in the municipalities under WRC management is already underway and will continue into 2025 and beyond. Though some testing and removal has slowed due to the pandemic, Nash is confident to be on or ahead of schedule in cities like Pontiac. While residents wait for lead pipe removal, he said it is crucial to simultaneously educate residents on how to properly use their water if lead was detected, such as flushing pipes with cool water before using, and never using hot tap water for cooking. ash said sampling and inventory conducted through 2019 revealed that Pontiac had 8,000 lead service lines. The entire project, expected to take 20 years, will cost between $45 and $60 million. The WRC applied for $8.97 million in grant funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help replace 1,160 lead service lines from 2021 through 2024 at a cost of $9.97 million. This four-year project will impact 3,500 to 4,000 Pontiac residents. Nash said there are enough funds within the Pontiac municipal system to cover costs for now, but Pontiac water rates may have to be raised come 2024. Other municipalities are already taking advantage of the new grant money. According to Kaitlyn Thrush, analyst at EGLE, the

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city of Auburn Hills applied for a grant amount of $180,000. The Byron-Gaines Utility Authority applied for a grant amount of $192,350. In September 2019, Birmingham collected samples from 32 sites with known lead service leads out of approximately 8,870 total water customers in the city. Of the 8,870 water customers there are approximately six percent (roughly 550 customers) with lead service lines. Five of the 32 sites tested exceeded the action level of 15 ppb. In early 2020, Birmingham submitted its DMSI to EGLE and updated its numbers, reporting that 730 out of nearly 9,000 residential water customers had a portion of either public, private or both of their service lines containing lead material. To quell the concern of residents after the 2019 findings, the city boosted communications and transparency efforts. It had a town hall meeting with EGLE officials and on its website residents can use an interactive database to see if any lead service lines are near their address. ccording to Birmingham City Manager Joe Valentine, the city is well ahead of schedule in meeting the state-mandated deadline for replacing its LSLs. Valentine also noted that many lead service lines were removed during the city’s Old Woodward and Maple Road reconstruction projects. Regarding further testing, Valentine said the city is working with contractor HydroCorp and has concluded sampling water in more than 700 homes serviced by lead service lines. By the end of November, he said 73 more homes will be tested. Overall, Valentine said Birmingham plans to be ahead of schedule with LCR compliance and hopes to complete the entire project in five to seven years. “We are in a position that we have the resources to do this ahead of schedule,” said Valentine. “We realize this is a priority to the community and expect to have our lead lines removed far ahead of the 2041 deadline.” Bloomfield Township Director of Public Works Noah Mehalski said the township in 2019 reported 13 lead service lines and estimated that it will cost an average of $10,000 to remove and replace each line as well as resurface the affected properties. But he said residents should not be worried about water rate hikes to pay for compliance, even with lead lines that fall on private property. This cost was placed in the township’s operational budget, and at this time, the township will not apply for grant funding. After two rounds of sampling in 2019, there was no detection of lead action levels, and another round of samples to additional households commenced in late November. When asked to inspect water lines or take a water sampling, Mehalski said township residents were happy to cooperate. “After Flint, residents are more than willing to have their water and pipes tested for lead.” Mehalski said he agreed with the challenge to the LCR. “We agreed with the lawsuit. We wanted the question asked before a court, where is the dividing line between public and private responsibility, We wanted to stand in solidarity with larger, poorer cities like Livonia and Pontiac, which have a far larger lead problem and with less budget to pay for testing and removal. Bloomfield will be using operational funds and the cost for us will be so small. We do not see a need to raise rates or apply for grant funding.” Aaron Filipski, director of the Department of Public Service for the city of Royal Oak, said he applied for $1 million in DWAM funding after the city identified approximately 1,400 lines containing lead out of a total of 23,741 water service lines in its initial DMSI. Also in October 2019, Royal Oak sampled water from 30 sites with known lead service lines and concluded that eight of

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the 30 tested exceeded concentration levels of 15 ppb. Because of last year’s lead exceedance, the city has already removed 108 lead service lines, ahead of schedule of the required removal of five percent of a municipalities LSLs per year. Filipski said the city had no opposition to remove the LSLs but the sudden nature of the mandate “came as a shock.” “As far as staying in compliance, we have been since the LCR was updated,” said Filipski. “But to stay in compliance, it has taken away funds that would have been used for other projects and infrastructure improvements. While we are certainly anxious about getting all the lead out, the mandate was a little bit of a sudden shock. It was as if EGLE was saying, ‘We are going to tell you to remove all the lead service lines, we are just not telling you how to fund it.’ So that is why there was opposition as demonstrated by the lawsuit challenge. Now, we are pleased that EGLE has worked out some grant programs to fund our compliance efforts.” The city of Ferndale estimates that 30 percent, or 3,000 of its 10,031 service connection lines, are constructed with lead or leadcontaining materials. Ferndale in October 2020 reported it collected samples from 31 properties with known lead services lines and five had lead levels above 15 ppb. In response to these results, Ferndale will increase both the frequency of monitoring and the number of sites tested. This additional information will provide important data for state and city officials to determine what additional actions may be required to bring the 90th percentile value below 15 ppb. Ferndale is also working its way through building the DMSI and expects to replace seven percent of lead service lines per year beginning in March 2021. To offer more transparency about lead, the city launched an online interactive map that is part of the nationwide map created by National Public Radio that allows residents to learn the location of inventoried lead and lead soldered pipes searchable by address. The map is being built by the city’s meter replacement program. There is also an online materials identification and reporting form that instructs residents how to identify if they have lead pipes by using a coin and a magnet. In 2019, the West Bloomfield Water Utilities Department reported that a total of 11,085 out of 18,830 service leads on private property are comprised of unknown materials. d Haapala is West Bloomfield utilities director and heads the township’s water system advisory council. His township is comprised of newer subdivisions but also contains older lake cottages, farmhouses and other older structures that were built in the age of lead plumbing. Haapala had hoped to inspect 500 homes this year for lead, but because of COVID, his team was only able to inspect 125 homes. While Haapala understands the importance of removing lead pipes, the LCR is unclear as to why municipalities need to pay for removal and replacement of LSLs that fall on private property. “In the past, there was nothing as a township we could do about lead lines that lead from someone’s water meter to the main utility line,” he said. “But if one suspected they had a lead line, we could leave educational pamphlets and literature to educate the customer about the harmful effects of lead. Now, we are charged with removing that lead line at the municipality’s expense, not the homeowner’s expense. The municipal utilities are under the belief that the LCR is an illicit subsidization of public funds.” This story ends where it begins, with a concern for levels of lead in water, especially knowing the damage lead exceedance at any level poses to children. For all the intricacies in the revised LCR for municipalities, it does not cover lead testing or lead remediation in schools. Schools do not fall under the jurisdiction of municipal water

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authorities. According to EGLE, sampling for lead or other possible drinking water contaminants is not currently required for schools served by a community water system. EGLE has taken the initiative to provide guidance and tools regarding communication, plumbing assessments, sampling plans and collection, interpretation of results, risk reduction actions, and water programs for school personnel. In July of 2020, the U.S. EPA awarded EGLE a $1.9 million grant for lead testing of drinking water at schools and child care facilities across the state. EGLE has partnered with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and prioritized the funding toward the protection of children in areas where blood lead levels in the state were higher, and where schools were unable to pay for testing. The funding is expected to last until 2023. What is now most concerning is the state of our school buildings as they sit dormant and shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic and water is not flowing regularly in them. he Bloomfield Hills School district kept all water fountains closed when the buildings were open to staff and students. BHS participates in the state’s School Drinking Water Quality Reimbursement Program, which is a program jointly administered by the Michigan Department of Education and EGLE. Testing for lead was last conducted in the summer of 2017 by the Detroit Water Authority, according to Brian Goby, director of physical plant services for Bloomfield Hills Schools. Most water testing came back "normal" with no action required or cause for concern. The few water fixtures and fountains that had lead action levels that exceeded 15 ppb, such as a water fountain at West Hills Middle School that tested at 30ppb, and a water fountain at the Lahser building, at 36 ppb, were removed and replaced. “After that, we had everything retested and all tests came back clean,” said Goby. ”Now, because of COVID, we are flushing our pipes on a regular basis, even if no one is in the buildings. We may go back to a random sampling of lead, but with the buildings mostly using filtered water fountains with the latest bottle refill technology, we do not expect a problem.” Normally, when schools are filled with people, pipes get flushed with regular use. But the sporadic, on-again, off-again nature of face-to-face learning this year has caused water to languish in unused pipes. This raises not only the potential for elevated levels of lead or copper, but also potential outbreaks of legionella. In November, Birmingham Public Schools took proactive steps in preventing and testing for legionella after the microbe was detected in both the district’s high school buildings. Emails went out to all student families in the district saying that all high school and middle school locker room showers had been shut and, when inperson school was still in session, all were encouraged to bring drinking water from home. According to Anne Cron, Birmingham Schools spokeswoman, testing is now being conducted at Pierce, Quarton, Pembroke, Beverly, and Harlan elementary schools. Though legionella was detected at Groves and Seaholm high schools while students were in attendance, all school water fountains have been shut since COVID. Cron said students either brought water from home or drank water supplied by the school from water bottles, and the water was safe to use for hand washing “to maintain good hygiene to mitigate COVID spread.” “We will flush our pipes and retest,” said Cron. “If testing continues to show issues, we’ll treat with a biocide. Then we repeat this process until it is remediated. We are working with local water experts for guidance.”

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FACES Suzy Farbman survivor of cancer and her husband's extramarital affair, Suzy Farbman is no stranger to life’s adversities. Her books, Back From Betrayal (2004) and GodSigns (2012), are memoirs that have been warmly received by readers because they are guides of how to heal and renew one’s life after a crisis. Farbman shared her stories to help other women find their strength and self-worth as she stepped into the role of honorary chair and keynote speaker for “Trade Secrets 2020,” a fundraiser for Jewish Vocational Service's Women to Work program on Thursday, November 19. Now at 76, Farbman is embarking on a forthcoming photography book with her publisher, David Crumm Media, LLC, that documents the Cass Corridor avant garde art movement in the 1970s and '80s. Back in those days, she was an avid art collector and helped this art scene in Detroit get off the ground. Throughout her life and career that began as a writer and editor for industry and fashion magazines such as Women’s Wear Daily and Better Homes and Gardens, Farbman said working helped her maintain a positive sense of identity. “I know that for some women, working out of the home when one’s children are young is not for everyone,” said Farbman from her home in Sarasota, Florida. “But for me and for many, work fulfills and defines us. It was an honor to be selected to be the keynote speaker for the Trade Secrets event.” Farbman enjoyed a lifelong career as a journalist. A 1966 graduate of the University of Michigan, she began writing and editing with Fairchild publications in trade magazines such as Women’s Wear Daily and Home Furnishings Daily and continued to write about fashion and design for The Detroit News and the many iterations of Detroit Monthly magazine. She had her first child at 27, and continued to work as a contributing editor and writer in Detroit as well as for Better Homes and Gardens while raising her children. "I worked at a time when women stayed home to raise the children and the husband was the income provider," Farbman said. "But my husband and I agreed, five months after our first child was born, that I was a happier person when I worked outside the home." Farbman and her husband Burt, who is a retired real estate developer, now spend their winters in Sarasota and summers at their farm and homestead complex outside of Charlevoix, which has become a magnet for their grown children and seven grandchildren, who range in ages from two to 16. After GodSigns was published, Farbman heard from many readers who shared their own stories of their own battles with cancer or marital problems. The book’s conversations continued with readers in a weekly column she pens for the online magazine Read The Spirit. Her secret desire is that one day, GodSigns will be a clue in a New York Times crossword. “Then I’ll know I’ve really made it,” said Farbman. “Until then, I look forward to working on the Cass Corridor Book – I was an avid Detroit art collector in the '70s – and listening to people tell me their stories. Now that I spend a lot of my time in a golf community in Sarasota, it keeps me connected to what is happening in the world."

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Story: Stacy Gittleman

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ANNA CASTALDI The face of Style and Fashion For over two decades Anna Castaldi has been the stylist and adviser to countless brides and women looking for a very special, glamorous look for their special event. With an enviable European flair and fashion expertise due to her upbringing in Rome, Anna specializes in revealing her clients inner radiance and personality through the perfect gown. She has been called a genius for her ability to transform and translate the dreams of every bride, mothers of the wedding or clients with a special occasion to attend. “Sometimes I have to introduce a vision perhaps not considered before” she says and this is her strength. Anna Castaldi consults with major designers from all over the world giving her clients the chance of an unique experience in wedding and evening gown shopping. “We may bring in stylists and experts who specialize in accessories and jewelry to add glamour and panache.” “Walking into Roma Sposa Bridal Atelier or Castaldi Evening Atelier is not only about purchasing a gown” Anna Castaldi adds, “it is about an interpersonal experience with the dress you are going to wear and the confidence it gives you.” Castaldi Evening Atelier on 245 Maple Rd, (downtown Birmingham) moved. The same designer selection of gowns is now by Roma Sposa Bridal on 708 Old Woodward – Birmingham For any event from weddings, communions, bar or bat mitzvahs to black tie, red carpet or any special occasion parties, Anna Castaldi can complete your look with style and fashion. You can be sure that your experience will be a memorable one! – ADVERTORIAL –

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Mary Kay Henry ith her roots galvanized by the union breakthroughs in the automotive industry that created Detroit’s middle class, Mary Kay Henry, the first woman president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), is now fighting hard to raise wages and the quality of life for thousands of Michiganders who are on the front lines of the pandemic. “Being raised in Michigan taught me about the power of the union,” said Kay, referring to the UAW’s decades-long history of securing better pay, benefits and working conditions for employees of the Big Three automakers. “When people come together for better pay and working conditions, it lifts up the standard of living for many.” Now, on the 2020 Time100 list as one of the world’s most influential people for fighting for a $15 minimum wage, she is at the helm of energizing two million SEIU members across the country that are saying loudly that their vote is essential to leave the world a more equitable place for coming generations, she said. Henry’s family moved from Detroit to Arizona in 1960 before returning to the northwest suburbs in 1967. Her mother was a teacher in Detroit Public Schools and then in a private suburban Catholic school and her father was in sales. As she grew up in the suburbs and graduated from Marian High School in Bloomfield Township in 1975, admittedly as part of Detroit’s white flight, Henry said she saw with her own eyes how the segregation of communities impeded many from receiving quality education and jobs. Henry adds that it was fitting that Time100 was released on September 22 – National Voter Registration Day. In Michigan, the organization represents 55,000 healthcare workers and partners with other labor movements such as Michigan United. To get the vote out, Henry said SEIU members helped register 250,000 voters in the Detroit metro area and delivered 7,000 “Fight for $15” union signs in Detroit, Pontiac, and Flint. Someday, she hopes legislation will be restored to allow healthcare and other essential workers to unionize just as automotive workers have in the past. “Our healthcare workers, especially those working in home healthcare and in nursing homes, are bearing the brunt of (COVID) infections and deaths and they deserve to be able to organize and unionize just as our automotive workers have done,” said Kay from her Washington, D.C. home. “It is also outrageous that many of these workers do not have access to affordable healthcare or sick time through their jobs, or have to strike to get hazard pay or personal protective equipment (as they did in October in Westland). If healthcare and other essential workers can unionize to bargain for a fair wage and working conditions, it can lift 55,000 Michiganders and their families out of poverty and can improve the economy for the entire state.”

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Story: Stacy Gittleman

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GET OUT OF JAIL FREE CARD: THE CONTROVERSY OVER BAIL REFORM BY LISA BRODY

or the classic board game of Monopoly, players can end up in “jail” by landing on the jail site or if they are unable to pay the fine when they land on another player's property. Players can languish in the jail location for a round or two as other players rack up more cash and property unless they have a coveted “Get out of jail free” card, or manage to borrow or mortgage their own property to raise cash to pay off their debt to another player. In that case, they're often left broke or behind in the game devoted to the rise of capitalism. While the game of Monopoly was patented in 1904 as “The Landlord's Game” to illustrate the economic consequences of taxation, rent and economic privilege, it remains particularly relevant today, and continues to be played and enjoyed. It also has parallels well beyond its basic premise of real estate, as in the case of monetary use of bail being used as a determinant for release from jail as just one other example.

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The definition of bail is a set of pretrial conditions that are imposed to ensure an accused individual will comply with the judicial process. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with their promise they will return and appear in court when required. In the United States, as in several other countries, bail usually means bail bond – an amount of money deposited with the judicial system, in part or whole, which the defendant will receive back when they return to court. If they don't return to court, the bond is forfeited and they may be brought up on further charges, such as failure to appear. “The goal of cash bail is to act as an incentive for people who are not in jail to get them to return pretrial,” said Aurélie Ouss, assistant professor of criminology, University of Pennsylvania. “There are a lot of issues for people being in jail pretrial – they have a greater chance of conviction (at trial), there are greater inequities of who is in jail, because some can't pay bail, and it is difficult for people of color and those who are poor.” There can be a variety of criteria to determine the amount of bail: is the defendant accused of a violent and/or dangerous crime? Do they have a history of violent crimes? Is the individual considered a flight risk? Is the suspect accused of a felony or a misdemeanor? “I believe jails and prisons are for people we are afraid of and not just we are mad at,” said Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon. “If we are afraid of them, we incarcerate them.” Unfortunately, Napoleon said, “Americans are in love with incarceration. We over-incarcerate.” “We have a lot of people in jail because they don't have $500 or $1,000, but they're not a flight risk to leave the community, and they're not a danger,” pointed out Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. “A whole bunch of people are not a physical risk or a flight risk, and for those folks we ought to craft legislation to change that.” Bouchard noted that the issue surrounding bail reform is both a social issue as well as a law enforcement threat, because unless courts “look at their history, some will make bail for sure” who are dangerous, he said. Experts point out $1,000 bail for someone who couldn't afford to renew their driver's license and therefore is driving without a valid license – a misdemeanor offense – can be unsurmountable and cause that individual to languish in the county jail for days or weeks. On the other hand, a $25,000 bail request for a defendant charged with a violent offense who has a high-paying job, access to credit cards and savings and investment accounts will likely be out on bond within a day. In early November, Detroit Police Chief James Craig stated that bail reform is causing crime to skyrocket in big cities like Detroit, Chicago and New York, citing October 2020 figures for homicides and non-fatal shootings in Detroit that are up over 2019. While Craig said he supported bond reform for nonviolent offenders, he was seeing people in Detroit with violent histories being arrested with illegal guns and other offenses released as nonviolent offenders, and said he did not considered people arrested with illegal guns nonviolent offenders. “Often we arrest people illegally carrying a firearm who are already out for carrying a firearm. They clearly have the intent to illegally conceal the use of the firearm. Often they're stolen,” Bouchard asserted. “These weapons are not clothing accessories and they're there in case they want to use them.” Napoleon disagreed. “From my perspective, the criminal justice system has been broken for a long time. There is a desperate need for reform, including bail reform,” he said, noting he has been in law enforcement “46 years next April,” and is a lawyer and educator as well as a county sheriff. “We've

been doing the same thing in this nation for all that time. We've had the War on Drugs, get tough on crime, three strikes you're out – and they haven't worked and they're not going to work. In my opinion, we haven't gotten to the root of the problem – you're not getting to better education and early education. We know that is the root of the change for a kid who comes from a poor school system. We can tell they're going to fall through the cracks by third grade. So they turn to something else and we have never addressed that. “We know the problem for the people in jail and prison are disproportionately people of color, disproportionately people who are poor, and disproportionately people with bad education,” Napoleon continued. “I can't help that you're born Black or Brown. I can't help that you're born poor. But we can help to insure you're given a good education. It will lift you up from circumstances and change your life. It can help you get a job and lead you to success. It changes your world forever – it breaks the cycle of poverty.” New York state passed a reform bill in 2019, effective January 1, 2020, which completely abolished bail for many misdemeanors and nonviolent crimes, reserving cash bail and pretrial detention for those accused of felonies. In April 2019, when it passed, Gov. Andrew Cuomo called it, “the most historic criminal justice reform in modern history in the state.” However, like Craig, the New York Police Department claimed the changes were responsible for a significant spike in crime, asserting the streets were being flooded by dangerous repeat offenders. In April 2020, New York state lawmakers, under Cuomo's direction, passed a bill reversing the bail reform, while still giving judges more discretion, an expanded list of charges and situations, more options for ordering nonmonetary release conditions, new public reporting conditions and knowledge about a defendant's history. “When New York City instituted supervised release in all five of its burroughs,” said Watoii Rabii, professor of criminal justice at Oakland University, “there was between 85 and 92 percent court appearance rate. And for those not getting further arrested, it was between 91 and 92 percent.” “Even amended, the bail law will continue to sharply reduce pretrial detention when compared to the pre-reform era,” stated a summary from “Bail Reform Revisited: The Impact of New York's Amended Bail Law on Pretrial Detention” by the Center for Court Innovation. “Approximately 84 percent of New York City criminal cases arraigned in 2019 would have been ineligible for bail under the amended statute; and the amendments still allow for an estimated 30 percent reduction in the city's jail population when compared to the absence of any reform.” “I know of no credible research showing that bail reform has led to an increase in violent crime,” said criminology professor Richard A. Berk at University of Pennsylvania. “The recent increases in homicides in some cities may have far more to do with COVID-19 hitting disadvantaged communities especially hard (making inequality even worse), public health interventions such as quarantines, and changes in police and prosecutorial practices.” Rabii concurred. “There is no data supporting an increasing of the crime rate of low level offenders re-offending and increasing the crime rate,” he said. “A lot of no shows (to pretrial) are people who cannot afford to take off from work. A lot of people have medical issues, and people forget about court dates.” Rather, he said, “race and class play an inordinate role. In the United States criminal justice system, there is a long history of discrimination against people of color and people who are poor. Because the costs of bail are often high, it tends to fall disproportionately on people who are poor, and people of color tend to be less likely to be released on their

In early November, Detroit Police Chief James Craig stated that bail reform is causing crime to skyrocket in big cities like Detroit, Chicago and New York, citing October 2020 figures for homicides and non-fatal shootings in Detroit that are up over 2019.

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Increases in homicides in some cities may have far more to do with COVID-19 hitting disadvantaged communities especially hard, public health interventions such as quarantines, and changes in police/prosecutorial practices – criminology professor Richard A. Berk. own recognizance. Twenty-five percent of Black and Brown people are more likely to be held in jail pretrial than their White counterparts. So poor people of color tend to be saddled with these costs. Black and Latino individuals without a record fare worse than their White counterparts with a record, and people of color with a record fare much worse.” Rabii said there is research which shows that there is evidence in some cases of implicit bias, which are the attitudes or stereotypes which influence and affect our understanding, actions and decisions in an unconscious manner, in use of bail. “African Americans and Latino individuals are more likely to be perceived as a danger to citizenry,” he said, and therefore, receive an amount for bail they cannot afford. They then sit in jail pretrial, with jobs, health, rent, car payments and family relationships all at jeopardy. “About 41 percent of inmates in the state's county jails, or about 15,000 people, are in jail because they can't pay their bail, not because of the nature of their crime or because they're a flight risk. It's simply because they can't pay their bail,” said Alex Rossman, external affairs director, Michigan League for Public Policy, an organization whose mission is advocating for people with racial and financial inequities. “A growing body of research suggests we do much more harm than good by holding individuals pretrial,” said Sandra Susan Smith, professor of criminal justice, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. “Pretrial detention has been shown to dramatically increase the likelihood that individuals will reoffend in the short and long term. This is true even for low-risk defendants held on low level offenses. In other words, through pretrial detention, the state is essentially creating recidivists out of a not insignificant number of individuals who would likely not have further criminal justice involvement were it not for detention.” “It's a huge concern of ours – holding people who have yet to be found guilty,” Rossman said. “It's a modern iteration of debtor's prison, which was ruled illegal years ago by the Supreme Court. So many people are kept away from their families, their jobs, where they can't earn money to pay their bail.” The Michigan League for Public Policy is part of the Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration (MI-CEMI), said league president and CEO Gilda Jacobs. MI-CEMI is a local collaborative of over 50 organizations, from the ACLU, Michigan Women's Justice and Clemency Project, Safe and Just Michigan, Public Action Committee for Justice, churches and other advocacy groups, working to reduce the number of people entering jails and prisons; reducing the length of their sentences and stays in prison and jail; ensuring conditions of confinement are conducive to genuine rehabilitation; increasing the number who are safely released from jail and prison; adequately preparing and supporting those who are released so they can be successful; helping to reduce the stigma that prevents many who have been incarcerated from securing housing and employment; and reinvesting any savings from reductions in incarceration back into the most impacted communities. Rossman noted that “every aspect of the criminal justice system breaks down on both racial and economic lines. We see Black and Brown people receiving not just more punitive bail, but more severe penalties at sentencing, and it's why we want to make these changes, to make it a more equitable system. It starts with Black and Brown people being more likely to be pulled over by a police officer, Black and Brown people are more likely to get some kind of a ticket, and then more likely to be detained. Bail is just another part. It's not that they are more likely to be victims, but there is an overrepresentation of Black and Brown individuals held with bail.” In Massachusetts, private charities such as the Massachusetts Bail

Fund, which opposes cash bail on principle, has raised significant funds since the May 25 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis by a police officer kneeling on his neck for almost nine minutes. Floyd was apprehended for the misdemeanor of uttering and publishing – he had allegedly passed a counterfeit $20 bill. Within two weeks of Floyd's death, Minnesota's largest bail fund, Minnesota Freedom Fund, a community-based non-profit that said it seeks to combat the harm and discrimination of incarceration by paying bail, received more than $31 million in donations so that arrested protestors could be bailed out. The fund has used the funding to help other nonviolent detained defendants as well. The Massachusetts Bail Fund shows up at jails across the state and posts bail for pretrial prisoners. The fund's fundamental premise is that bail discriminates against the poor by keeping them locked up until their day in court, thereby interfering with their ability to work or prepare for their trial. The only purpose of bail, they point out, should be to make sure defendants show up for trial. And they said the people they bail out overwhelmingly do. On November 3 of this year, Californians failed to pass Proposition 25, which would have affirmed a 2018 California law to end cash bail throughout the state, with 55 percent of the electorate opposing the measure. Proposition 25 was considered a referendum on a law that former Gov. Jerry Brown had signed in 2018, which would have replaced the cash bail system with a risk-based algorithm. While advocates for the campaign were heavily subsidized by a group of billionaires, as well as current Gov. Gavin Newson, the main opposition came from the American Bail Coalition, a trade association of national bail insurance companies. Civil rights advocates were also very wary of an algorithm determining the fate of individuals. “Computer models may be good for recommending songs and movies, but using these profiling methods to determine who gets a loan has been proven to hurt communities of color,” wrote Alice Huffman, president of the California State Conference of the NAACP. Algorithms involving artificial intelligence, or AI, have had a recurring issue throughout the country recognizing and differentiating persons of color. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a federal class action suit against judges in the 36th District Court in Detroit in April 2019, because “Tens of thousands of people in Michigan are locked up in jail, before being tried or convicted of any crime, because of cash bail. Throughout the state, it is common for judges to require people who have been arrested to post cash for their release – in other words, to buy their freedom – or else remain incarcerated while they await trial, even for very minor charges. This practice is unconstitutional because it creates a two-tiered legal system in which the freedom of a person who is presumed innocent depends entirely on their ability to afford bail, a clear violation of due process and equal protection.” The judges filed a motion to dismiss the case in June 2019, and in August 2019, it was put on hold to allow both parties to engage in settlement talks. The suit currently remains on hold. In Michigan, the release and detention decision and bail determination is decided by local judges, with little guidance or uniformity. As noted in the Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration report, issued January 10, 2020, “Money bail may be imposed for any criminal offense, and courts receive little statutory guidance on which pretrial conditions to impose. This has led to release and detention procedures that vary widely among counties. People who may pose no danger to the community can be detained before trial on bond they are unable to post, even for relatively low amounts. Conversely, defendants charged with more serious or violent crimes, or

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who otherwise may pose a significant risk to the public pending trial, can be released if they can post the bond set by court… These courts are further concluding that when money is the deciding factor between those released and those detained, defendants without access to resources are deprived of equal protection of the laws.” “We're holding a lot of people because they missed a court date, they didn't have a valid driver's license, or owed money, were in a contempt category,” said Tom Boyd, state court administrator, Michigan Supreme Court. Boyd served on the Michigan Joint Task Force in his previous capacity as a district court judge. “The vast majority of people in district court are for misdemeanors. Some people though are evil – there are horror stories out there. But that is infinitesimal. The data screams we're not protecting anybody from anyone. But what damage did we do to their life? The correlation between danger and wealth only protects us from the poor.” The Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration was led by Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist and Michigan Supreme Court Judge Bridget McCormack and included 19 others, from county sheriffs, county commissioners around the state, state senators and representatives, judges, prosecutors, Attorney General Dana Nessel, correction officials and a social work college dean. The task force was established by executive order by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in February 2019 with the goal of developing ambitious, innovative, and thorough recommendations for changes in state law, policy, and appropriations to expand alternatives to jail, safely reduce jail admissions and length of stay, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Michigan’s justice systems. “What we've seen over the last 30-plus years, even as Michigan has been a national leader in terms of reducing the number of people in state prisons, we've seen a significant increase of people who are at county jails as we've seen the number of crimes decrease for violent and nonviolent crimes,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist. “Jail is the front door to the system of mass incarceration in our state and our country. We can safely reduce the jail population in a way that maintains public safety and also prepares people to be successful in life, that actually serves them better than the jail cell serves them.” He said the task force took a comprehensive look to safely reform the system, top to bottom. “There's never been a deep dive – who's there, how they got there, for how long and what measures can we enact to keep them safe for public safety,” Gilchrist said. Gilchrist said they started by looking at the populations in local county jails, which are basically holding cells for local municipalities and county sheriffs, and for district and circuit courts prior to sentencing after being found guilty at trial, when they head to state prison. “We found that 50 percent of people in jail are there for something like a suspended license,” Gilchrist said. “It's somewhat overlapping, but about 50 percent are there pretrial or awaiting trial. We're seeing all these people in jail because they have had a failure to pay. Jail is not a way to get people to pay a fine. They cannot go to work. This is insane. There were many things we were able to see and understand. It was alarming. That really guided the task force.” “If you put them in jail for six days, and they lose their job and car, then you've defeated the whole purpose of helping the person,” Boyd pointed out. “In bail reform, we spend a lot of time holding people who are not dangerous. If you only use money as a barometer, then often times you release the wrong people, only because they have money.” In the task force report, it stated that traffic offenses accounted for half of all criminal court cases in 2018, and “driving without a valid license was the third most common reason people went to jail in Michigan. Other common reasons ranged from theft, drug possession,

and probation violations to more serious charges like domestic violence, drunk driving and drug sales.” In less than 40 years, it stated, the number of people held in Michigan's county jails have almost tripled – while at the same time, crime rates have dropped to 50-year lows. The daily average population in 1975 was 5,700. In 2016, the daily average population of Michigan jails was 16,600. “The state's jail growth did not track with crime trends, increasing both when crime was going up and when it was going down,” the report said. “In the last decade, index crime rates have fallen to the lowest levels experienced in more than 50 years, yet jail populations remain high. The state's jail growth was driven equally by incarceration of pretrial defendants and those serving a sentence postconviction.” Of the demographics, the report noted, “Black men made up six percent of the resident population of the counties included in the task force's sample of jails but accounted for 29 percent of all jail admissions… Driving without a valid license was a more common reason for jail admission among Black people compared to White people, and the opposite was true for operating under the influence.” While men had outnumbered women nearly six to one in Michigan jails across the state, over time the female jail population has been growing at a much faster rate. Members of the task force found great concern with the number of people admitted to jail with mental health disorders, the report said, with screenings of jail admissions estimating that 23 percent of those entering jails had a serious mental illness, with higher percentages in rural counties where community-based services are scarce. This population also tended to stay in jail longer. The report found that average length of stays in jail in Michigan between 2016 and 2018 was 45 days for felony offenses and 11 days for misdemeanor offenses. There was a wide range within that, with almost half spending a day or less in jail, 65 percent staying less than a week, and 17 percent remaining longer than a month. The task force ended up with 18 different recommendations they then submitted both to the governor and the state legislature on how to reform the state's jail population. “It varied from how to decrease people in contact with jail to begin with, to how do we treat them humanely – how do we treat them like human beings,” Gilchrist said. Then, when they're ready for release, “how do we position people for success once they're done with the system. We made a number of recommendations, from changing the kinds of things people are arrested for to giving officers discretion, such as diversion courts and treatment courts, rather than jailing people. Rather than putting them in jail, which is wrong in the United States. Then there are things to make sure people comply (to return to court). In February 2020, Whitmer added a proposal to the state budget for $7.2 million to support their upcoming recommendations. “By investing in crisis intervention training for law enforcement, Governor Whitmer is taking a key step forward in implementing the recommendations of the Jail and Pretrial Task Force,” McCormack said in a statement, noting the money would help with mental health and substance abuse treatment. “Experts nationwide tell us that this training will save lives and help individuals with mental health and substance abuse problems get the treatment they need. Helping law enforcement better understand what to do in a crisis situation is the first step to a smarter justice system that successfully diverts offenders with behavioral issues away from jail and to a path back to health.” Since the release of the task force's report and recommendations, the state legislature has been working cooperatively, in a strong bipartisan

It is common for Michigan judges to require people who have been arrested to post cash for their release – in other words, to buy their freedom – or else remain incarcerated while they await trial, even for very minor charges. This practice is unconstitutional – ACLU lawsuit.

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Since the release of the task force's report, the legislature has been working in a bipartisan fashion on a packages of bills to change the state's criminal justice laws. What has not yet been taken up fully by either the House or Senate, outside of committee hearings, is bail reform. fashion, on packages of bills to change the state's criminal justice laws. “Fixing our broken criminal justice system is a top priority for the Michigan House,” Speaker Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) said in July. Along with Senate Leader Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake) and a group of Democrat leaders at a press conference, they signaled the bipartisan support of the package of legislative bills aimed at reducing the number of people in county jails while improving public safety and ensuring accountability, reported the Pew Charitable Trust. Among the recommendations that state legislators moved forward with have been bills to eliminate driver's license suspension as a penalty for offenses unrelated to dangerous driving; increasing the use of arrest alternatives at the front end of the system, such as permitting law enforcement to issue citations to appear in court for low level violations rather than writing misdemeanor tickets or making arrests. They are looking at prioritizing alternatives to jail when sentencing people for low level offenses, and looking to get rid of many mandatory minimum jail sentences. Jail admissions for people on probation and parole for nonviolent offenses are being discussed as another way to find alternative options. In October, Gov. Whitmer signed House Bills 4980-4985 and 5120 into law. The bills included allowing for expungement for certain convictions if certain conditions are met; making most traffic offenses eligible for expungement; treating multiple felony or misdemeanor offenses arising from the same transaction as a single felony or misdemeanor conviction; allowing someone to petition to set aside one or more marijuana offenses if the offense would not have been a crime if committed after the recreational use of marijuana by adults became legal by the state. “This 'Clean Slate Act,' I worked on that personally. Now, Michigan is a leader,” said Lt. Gov. Gilchrist. “We were the first state in the nation with that. I want Michigan to continue to be a leader and demonstrate that kind of leadership.” House Bill 4846, concurrently introduced in the Senate but not yet passed by either, would eliminate driver's license suspensions that are unrelated to dangerous driving and prevent future suspensions from taking place. Senate Bill 1006 would permanently end the lifetime ban on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food assistance to people with more than one drug felony. House Bills 4488-4492, known as the 'Good Moral Character Reform Package,' has passed the House, and is awaiting Senate approvals. It would allow someone with a criminal record to obtain an occupational license, with the goal to get former felons gainfully employed. Mandatory sentencing reform legislation bills have passed the House and the full Senate Judiciary committees, and are awaiting being taken up by the full Senate during the lame duck session. Senate Bills 1046-1051, which deal with probation and parole reforms, have passed the Senate Judiciary committee and await passage by the Senate before heading to the House. What has not yet been taken up fully by either the House or Senate, outside of committee hearings, is bail reform. It's believed it's just a matter of time, however. “All of the criminal justice reform issues have had bipartisan support, even down to bill sponsorship and introduction,” said Rossman from Michigan League for Public Policy. He said most of the debates over policy were done during the task force, so the first bills sailed through. There is hope the others will be done during the lame duck session this year, although the bail reform bill he said, “from a logistical point of view, is a little behind.” If it's not done during the rest of this legislative session, he said it will need to be re-introduced in January as it will be a whole new session.

“It is a positive because there is a lot of support for this, so I think there will be a lot of support in the new session so it will move quickly,” he said. Rep. David LaGrand (D-Grand Rapids), a strong proponent of bail reform, has a package of bail reform bills pending since March 2019. “They're the same package I introduced (in my first term) in 2017,” he said. “The cash bond package is fairly sensible and modest,” LaGrand said. “When someone is arrested – don't look at their manicure or iPhone. That is their past – they've already spent that money. Look at what actual cash they have right now.” He noted that for too many individuals, there is no cash-on-hand or credit cards available for them. “It's always the nice White people who get personal recognizance, and not the people who most need it,” LaGrand asserted. “Half of America can't meet the minimum bond of $500. We don't have a mechanism to look at (individual's) backgrounds and see what they have on hand. No one is setting a $500 bond if they're worried you're a flight risk. They just want you to come back.” He said he is proposing courts develop a “How much cash do you have on you” form that defendants can fill out and judges can look at before setting bail. The only strong adversaries? Bail bondsmen, including state Rep. Matt Maddock (R-Highland Township), himself a bail bondsmen, who LaGrand said was assisted in getting elected by an infusion of around $100,000 from the bail bond lobby. “Europe does day bonds, based on how much you earn in a day,” explained Eric Lambert, department chair, department of criminal justice, University of Nevada, Reno, noting bail “should be designed for someone who is supremely predatory.” The benefit of doing day bonds, he said, is determining “how much is it going to impact them. If I'm a drug dealer, $10,000 means nothing to me. But if I'm a day worker, working at McDonald's, I can never post $1,000. But if it's $20 or $30, you've got my attention. Twenty-five dollars makes a difference over whether I can buy food for my kids at the end of the month. If I owe more money than I ever make, why should I ever change or ever show up?” He recommended releasing suspects on their own recognizance or on tethered supervision. University of Pennsylvania's Ouss noted there is success in sending texts to remind them of their date in court. “It is very effective,” she said. “They'll show up. If they don't, then next time, sorry,” Lambert said. “There's no indication that releasing non-violent offenders increases the crime rate. The U.S. property crime rate is the same as Europe's. It's not a wise use of resources. If they're jailed, it costs taxpayers more, as well as the ability for them to keep their job. So then we as taxpayers keep paying more.” In Wayne County, Sheriff Napoleon said he has had enormous success with electronic tethering. “It's much more cost effective. I can tell where they are 24/7. We can restrict where they are – they can go to work, but you got to go home,” he said. Napoleon said that instead of incarcerating someone for $45 to $50 a day, “we can put someone on a tether for $10 or $15. We know where you are and control your movements. Before COVID, we had 6-700 a day on tethers, and we saved $35 million to $40 million a year. Now, with COVID, we have 1,000 to 1,200 a day on tethers. If a serious crime is committed, and if we want to know if a tethered individual is involved, we just have to get the date and time and we can check to see if anyone on our tethers were involved. The absconder rate is about one percent. It's phenomenal and I think it should be expanded.”

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FOSTERING HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS THE BIRMINGHAM SHOPPING DISTRICT PRESENTS THE GREAT DECORATE, a holiday tree decorating contest to raise awareness and funds for local foster teens aging-out of the foster care system. The foster teen recipients will be selected through a partnership with the Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange (M.A.R.E.). Each year in the United States, more than 250,000 children are placed in foster care and over 26,500 age-out, including 1,700 in Michigan alone. STARTING NOVEMBER 27TH, visitors can view magnificent, beautifully decorated trees in restaurants and retail locations throughout downtown Birmingham and vote for their favorite tree by donating online. 100% of donations will go directly to local foster teens to use toward their future when they turn 18.

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All Activities Are In Accordance With The City of Birmingham & Oakland County Covid-19 Health & Safety Guidelines

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Noah Arbit n less than two years, the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus has become a force to be reckoned with throughout the state, hosting events with Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, former Senator Carl Levin, Congresswomen Haley Stevens, Elissa Slotkin and Brenda Lawrence, and the United States’ first “Second Gentleman” to be – and first Jewish spouse – Doug Emhoff. After working as a field organizer for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and then as a staffer for Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2018, MDJC’s 25-year-old founder, Noah Arbit, observed that “there really wasn’t a platform for Jewish Michiganders, Jewish voices, to have a platform and voice of our own.” In March 2019, with acts of anti-Semitism rising throughout the country, he formed the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus in part to serve the more than 100,000 diverse members of the Jewish community throughout the state. “My organization has been, from day one, about getting candidates on the record speaking about things the Jewish community actually wants to know about. That was critical for me. I wasn’t hearing what I needed to be hearing as a politically active Jew from my political candidates.” For decades, Democrats and Republicans have courted the Jewish vote based on their support for Israel, which Arbit says is no longer enough. Arbit, of Bloomfield Township, grew up “steeped in Jewish communal life,” attending Temple Israel and high school at the Frankel Jewish Academy, and participating in Jewish youth groups as a teen. His family, however, is not politically active, and, he notes, “is not necessarily uniformly

I

Democratic.” He reflects on Clinton’s 2016 concession speech, remembering her telling the young people who worked on her campaign not to give up. “I think about that sometimes, and it just goes to show that you have to be resilient, and you have to pick yourself up and create something new.” Arbit sees the results of the 2020 election, with the Democratic vote in Michigan helping secure President-elect Joe Biden’s and Kamala Harris’ win, as an indicator of the MDJC’s need. “For the first time, we had the largest single investment in Jewish voter mobilization in the state of Michigan. This was an existential election for the Jewish people.” This is also reflected in the fact that the MDJC out-funded all other statewide organizations in the country related to Jewish Democrats. “We’re so engaged, so involved. We’re not the largest community by any measure, and we’re certainly not the most liberal. But we have a very unique community here that is so close-knit.” Arbit sees his work as only having just begun. Arbit and the MDJC are actively working to help elect Democratic senators in the Georgia runoff races in January. Re-electing Michigan leaders like Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in the midterm election two years from now is the next priority. “We still have a great amount of work to do, and if we’re complacent, we’ll be right back where we started.” Story: Hillary Brody Anchill

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MUNICIPAL Birmingham gets highest audit opinion The city's auditors from Plante Moran presented the fiscal year 2019-2020 audit at the Birmingham City Commission meeting Monday, November 23, giving it an unmodified opinion, which is the highest form of assurance. Douglas Bohrer, Timothy St. Andrew, and Aaron Sarver gave a presentation of the city's fiscal year which ended June 30, 2020, noting that there were changes in some numbers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however the city remains in sound financial shape. Sarver said the general fund continues to be financially sound, with a fund balance that increased by $2.4 million. Approximately $11 million was invested into city infrastructure in the last fiscal year, he said. As of June 30, 2020, the pension system was 78 percent funded, and the retiree health care system was 75 percent funded. The city has maintained its AAA bond ratings from both Standard & Poor's and Fitch's rating services. Commissioner Stuart Sherman noted that about five years ago, the pension and retiree health care systems had been fully funded, and the auditors concurred, but that they had fallen as there have been more retirees and investment income has not kept up with expenses. Sarver noted that COVID “definitely had an impact on fiscal year 2020,” with a $500,000 decrease in building permits, $1 million decline in parking revenue and other lost revenues. The outlook for fiscal year 2021 shows general fund revenues expected to be under budget by $800,000 to $1 million, with water and sewer funds the only ones likely to not be impacted. The parking system is expected to have an operating loss of $600,000 to $700,000, and state revenue sharing and state transportation fund having small increases in the budget. St. Andrews said the city has had increased and steady levels of taxable values since 2013. City finance director Mark Gerber, reflecting upon first quarter finances, said the city will likely receive $1 million in CARES Act and FEMA revenue which was unbudgeted. “It will offset a lot, but not all, of the revenue shortages,” he said. downtownpublications.com

Markus city manager contract okayed By Lisa Brody

irmingham city commissioners approved the employment agreement with former city manager Tom Markus to be the new city manager, beginning January 1, 2021, at their meeting on Monday, November 23. A verbal agreement had been approved between the two parties at the last commission meeting on November 9. Commissioners had directed their labor counsel to work with Markus to finalize the agreement. The employment contract is for 30 months (two-and-a-half years), at $160,000 a year. Attorney Gouri Sashital of Keller Toma had added a clause for severance “with cause,” which Markus had objected to, requesting “with or without cause,” other than a felony or other illegal action, noting the definitions for “with cause” were lengthy and could be arbitrary. “My agreement with the city over 10 years ago had less reasons for cause than this one,” Markus said. “The list for causes is quite lengthy in the city's proposal. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to preclude cause. By the way, I was here for 22 years and the city didn't have to pay me severance. This is a two-and-a-half year arrangement; there's an investment beyond (moving) – I want every assurance I can be there for that time without being summarily dismissed.” “I don't want to quibble over this. This is a short-term contract,” commissioner Clinton Baller said. “I am excited we have engaged such an eminent individual. I just feel this is too long a contract,” commissioner Brad Host said. Commissioners approved the contract to retain Markus 6-1, with Host dissenting.

B

Outgoing officials honored for service By Lisa Brody

The Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees presented proclamations honoring supervisor Leo Savoie, clerk Jan Roncelli and trustee David Buckley at their meeting on Monday, November 16, for their lengthy service to the community. All three retired from their township positions after over 20 years of service on Thursday, November 19. Trustee Michael Schostak said, “This is a bittersweet moment. It is not often that a small community loses over 60 years of institutional wisdom. To quote Leo, 'A society grows great when men plant trees in whose shade they know they will never sit.' Thank you for your leadership.” He first presented Buckley with a proclamation honoring his service to Bloomfield Township, which began in the late 1990s when he served on the solid waste review committee and chaired the Citizen Waste Review Committee to Preserve police, Fire and EMS Services. Buckley was elected a Oakland County Commissioner to represent Bloomfield Township in 2000 and 2002 before being appointed a township trustee in 2002.

“He has always been an outspoken and impassioned champion for the well-being of all Bloomfield Township residents,” Schostak said, noting Buckley chose to not run for re-election after serving for 18 years. “I'd like to thank the residents of Bloomfield Township. It's been an honor to serve the community I've lived in all my life,” Buckley said. Schostak then presented the proclamation to Roncelli, who is retiring as clerk after 16 years. He noted she was first elected to the board of trustees in 1996, and re-elected in 2000 before running for clerk in 2004. “As a trustee, Jan was a champion of the safety path program that enables residents to more easily and safely walk and hike around town; and, under the direction of clerk Roncelli the township became a passport acceptance facility, introduced all new voting equipment, and implemented digital board packets. She also reorganized central document storage and digitized township books and records dating back to its founding in 1827 for the public to review on the township website, a massive project that allows current residents to connect with our town’s history,” Schostak said. He noted she earned professional certification of master municipal clerk

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from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, was appointed by then Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson to be one of two state of Michigan representatives on the Standards Board of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, “and in 2012 clerk Roncelli was recognized as township clerk of the year by the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks, and in 2016 Jan was presented the Wonder Woman Award by the Women Officials Network Foundation, a tribute to her distinguished public service career and lifetime of devoted community service.” Noting that at times Savoie's administration had come under criticism, Schostak said he believes it will be looked back on as one that was transformational. “Leo has earned the respect and admiration of the hundreds of employees for his strong and steady leadership in uncertain times and exemplary work ethic,” Schostak said. “Township-wide, the supervisor's office has been a place where residents know Leo is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” He noted Savoie began his service to Bloomfield Township with a 1997 appointment to the board of review, and was first elected to the board of trustees in 2004. “Leo was appointed on July 25, 2011, as supervisor to complete the term of Dave Payne,” he said. “Some of Supervisor Savoie’s more prominent accomplishments are the successful re-development of the Villages at Bloomfield (formerly known as Bloomfield Park), a record of balanced and surplus budgets in the face of lagging revenue growth, and the implementation of a clear plan with a trajectory to fully fund our legacy costs, all while maintaining a AAA credit rating and proactively making capital improvements to our roads, and water and sewer infrastructure.” “Bloomfield Township is a much better, a much stronger place because of your service. Thank you for everything you've done for Bloomfield Township,” said trustee Neal Barnett. “We all want the best for the community because Bloomfield Township is the best,” Savoie responded. Then in an unexpected, and emotional, presentation, Savoie presented Roncelli with a proclamation naming the township's safety path program, which she had long spearheaded, as the Jan Roncelli Safety Path program. “Now more than ever, the safety program has been valued and this year has brought residents and neighbors together,” Buckley noted. 75

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MUNICIPAL Salaries approved for officials, trustees The Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees unanimously approved compensation for the incoming supervisor, clerk, treasurer and trustees, effective at noon Friday, November 20, at a special meeting of the board on Monday, November 16. None of the outgoing members of the administration will receive the increase in salary. “Dani Walsh, Martin Brook and I had a discussion, and we all agreed not to take a vehicle or a vehicle allowance,” said treasurer Brian Kepes, who was re-elected for a fouryear term. Walsh is the incoming supervisor and Brook the incoming clerk. They had been offered an $8,000 annual car allowance. The approved supervisor's salary, reflecting a 2.5 percent annual pay increase, will be $164,316.23. The approved clerk and treasurer's salaries also reflect a 2.5 annual pay increase, and will both be $143,290.01.

The four elected trustees will receive $250 per meeting through the end of the trustee's term. Current trustees Neal Barnett and Michael Schostak are continuing on the board, to be joined by newlyelected trustees Stephanie Fakih and Valerie Sayles Murray. All were to be sworn in on Friday, November 20.

The French Lady eatery gets approval A new Birmingham restaurant, The French Lady, serving authentic French cuisine, received unanimous final site plan, design review and special land use permit approvals from the Birmingham City Commission on Monday, November 9. The French Lady, located at 768 N. Old Woodward, owned by Claude Pellerin, is in a location which previously housed LY Sushi, Cucina Medora and the Old Woodward Deli. City planner Nicholas Dupuis explained to commissioners that the restaurant is currently open for carryout only as a specialty food

store, but has proposed to open with 28 chairs at six tables in the front for full service dining. There is a kitchen in the back and a service counter with select baked goods and desserts. Pellerin plans to open serving authentic French cuisine daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. No liquor is proposed to be served. “There is no outdoor dining proposed right now, but there is a deck in the back over the river if the owner chooses,” Dupuis said. “All you have to do is drive around and see how much outdoor dining enhances the experience of diners. If you improve your back porch and make it inviting and make access to it, it would be a great thing,” commissioner Clinton Baller advised. “I'm in support of this establishment. I would strongly advocate for outdoor seating, but I wouldn't mandate it given the financial implications,” said commissioner Mark Nickita. “I was planning to open the patio (in the rear) in the spring, and I can have four tables,” Pellerin said.

Mayor of Birmingham back for second year In a year of unprecedented firsts, include that the city of Birmingham has re-elected its mayor, commissioner Pierre Boutros, and mayor pro tem, commissioner Therese Longe, for another year. While Longe's vote was unanimous, Boutros was the deciding vote in a 4-3 squabble between commissioners at their meeting on Monday, November 9. The annual election of mayor and mayor pro tem is a rotating selection of who will be first among equals to lead the city commission meeting, perform ceremonial functions, and work with staff to help direct the city. Birmingham is a city manager form of government rather than a strong mayoral form of government. At the beginning of the meeting, Longe nominated Boutros for the position of mayor. “In the early months of the pandemic, mayor Boutros was a calming presence… If ever there was a time for continuity, I

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MUNICIPAL call for mayor Boutros for a second term.” Commissioner Mark Nickita noted that in at least 70 years of record keeping, there had never been sequential years of a commissioner performing the duty of mayor, and he, along with commissioners Rackeline Hoff and Stuart Sherman objected. “While I agree with much of what mayor pro tem Longe said, I have worked with Mayor Boutros for the last five years, with his strengths and weaknesses, as I enter my 20th year as a commissioner, this is unprecedented to have the same person as mayor. This is an unprecedented time in Birmingham. In my opinion we need someone with more experience who can give assistance to the incoming staff members. I like mayor Boutros – he is my friend. But I don't think he is the right person and I will not be supporting his nomination.” “I share commissioner Hoff's comments that you are a very personable individual, but as the mayor pro tem said, the mayor is the CEO of the city, and during this year, we have seen unprecedented turnover – it is a direct reflection of what has happened over the last year. We have lost that stability. We need more experience than Pierre Boutros.” “That key experience of searching for a city manager, negotiating with a city manager – all of which commissioner Boutros does not have, and we do have commissioners with that experience,” Nickita said. “I feel this is a challenge that we can do better. I am concerned because of one thing – what is best for the city.” However, the three did not offer up a nominee, and when the vote came, it was 3-3, with Longe, commissioners Clinton Baller and Brad Host voting to retain Boutros as mayor versus Nickita, Hoff and Sherman. Boutros then cast the final 'yes' vote for himself, giving himself the title for another year. Commissioners then voted unanimously for Longe as mayor pro tem.

Valentine resignation accepted for year end Birmingham City Commissioners on Monday, November 9, formally accepted city manager Joe Valentine's resignation, which he submitted on October 2, unanimously appointed police chief Mark Clemence as interim city manager designee, and appointed mayor pro tem Therese Longe and downtownpublications.com

commissioner Rackeline Hoff to determine how the commission should recognize Valentine for his years of service at their meeting on Monday, November 9. Commissioners had previously discussed Valentine's resignation, notably in terms of how to proceed in filling the position. However, they had not formally accepted the resignation, and they unanimously did at their November 9 meeting, along with moving to appoint Clemence as the interim city manager designee if a city manager is not hired prior to Valentine leaving his position on December 31, 2020, or if there is a vacancy at any point. Hoff asked Clemence if he is interested in the position, and he responded, “At this stage of my life, I have three grown children and I have the gumption to take on a challenge like this, and I have staff support.” Clemence assured commissioners that the police department would be well prepared, with commander Scott Grewe in charge in his stead. “We have a plan of attack that in the near future we will share with the commission,” he said.

Budget reviewed, upcoming year shown By Lisa Brody

Bloomfield Township Finance Director Jason Theis provided an overview of where the township is currently at with its fiscal year 20202021 budget in light of the COVID19 pandemic, and provided a preliminary budget for fiscal year 2021-2022 at a special board of trustees meeting on Monday, November 16. Theis said while the township has been impacted by the pandemic, it is proving to be less than initially expected. Taxable value is about $4 billion, which is a 3.6 percent increase to taxable revenue after the effects of Headlee rollbacks. He said there has been a decline of 1.5 percent in state revenue sharing, which translates to about $57,000. “That is much better than what they were saying at the beginning of the pandemic,” he noted. The township is 10 percent under budget for investments as the market has been affected by COVID, he said, and pharmacy rebates exceed the budget. On the plus side, there have been new agreements with other municipalities, such as the animal control agreement with DOWNTOWN

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Birmingham and dispatch services with Sylvan Lake, which is providing new revenue. Health care costs are the greatest expenditure for the township, along with a contractual 2.5 percent increase in wages for all employees other than water and sewer employees. “The total full-time employee count is at 222 compared to a budgeted number of 235,” Theis said, which is the lowest is over 30 years. Other impacts of COVID he said, is that passport revenue, which is typically about $45,000 through the clerk's office, “is almost nonexistent.” Revenue from the 48th District Court is down about 50 percent, and expenditures there are down 10 percent. There has been a decline in public service revenue of about $275,000, from a decline in EMS transportation fees, drunk drivers, and preliminary breath tests. About $135,000 in hazard pay was paid to first responders. The Senior Center, which has been closed and has lost revenues of a half million dollars, but has saved about $660,000 in costs. “Overall there has been an addition of labor costs of $298,000 due to the pandemic,” Theis said, of which the township has been reimbursed $225,000 from the CARES Act. The township is waiting for $15,000 from FEMA. The Senior Center received $58,000 from the CARES Act. “We submitted for over $700,000 to the county under the CARES Act,” he said. In the township's preliminary 2021-2022 budget, which will change before it will be resubmitted and approved in March for the township's April 1, 2021 beginning of its fiscal year, Theis estimated a projected deficit of over $1 million, with $800,000 in the public safety fund and $250,000 in the roads fund. “The general fund is balanced but that can change on adjusting transfers in and out.” He sees a projected taxable value of $4.169 billion, which is only a .9 percent increase to taxable value. “That is a significant and unexpected decline in the trend, and the lowest projected taxable value since 2012,” he said. He also sees an additional decline of 4.5 percent in state revenue sharing and investment income, and only a partial recovery of revenue from the 48th District Court. “We are assuming EMS turns back to normal, bringing in $1 million versus $750,000.” downtownpublications.com

Township to apply for drinking water grants loomfield Township trustees unanimously agreed to apply to the Mi Clean Water Plan drinking water infrastructure grant program, which provides low interest funds to assistant municipalities in the construction or improvement of public water systems, at their meeting on Monday, November 23. Olivia Olsztyn-Budry, director of engineering and environmental services, explained The MI Clean Water Plan has been developed to address infrastructure issues for drinking water and wastewater systems. Overall, the MI Clean Water Plan aligns $500 million in federal dollars, state bonding authority and existing/prospective state revenues into a comprehensive water infrastructure program providing $207 million for drinking water investments and $293 million for wastewater management investments. The state has decided to offer low interest funds, she said, in five programs: disadvantaged community lead service line replacement program; drinking water asset management grants; drinking water infrastructure grants; consolidation and contamination risk reduction grants; and affordability and planning grants. “The township has not applied for low interest loans before,” she said. What makes this program of interest, she said, is that it allows for 30 percent principal forgiveness, up to $2 million. An intent to apply is due by January 31, 2021, and does not obligate the township, she said. “If they determine the township's program is applicable, then we would develop a program report. Then there is an agreement.” A project needed to be identified for a water asset project, and while Olsztyn-Budry identified a few, she recommended a large project in the Birmingham Farms subdivision. “It is rated higher (in need) and in our asset management plan,” she said. “It's not going to cost much to put the application in, and it will allow us to do a subdivision in need of repair,” noted trustee Neal Barnett.

B

School district back to remote learning By Lisa Brody

Due to the skyrocketing number of COVID-19 cases across the state, including in Oakland County, an emergency meeting of the Bloomfield Hills Board of Education was held on Friday, November 6, with a determination to pause in-person education and return all students to distance, at-home learning. In a communication to families, superintendent Pat Watson said that on Thursday, November 5, Oakland County reported an increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases to over 25 per 100,000 residents. “This metric now places Oakland County and Bloomfield Hills Schools in the RED phase,” he said. School was held on Friday, November 6, and students were encouraged to utilize it as an opportunity to bring home any materials needed for distance learning in anticipation of the board decision, which was held remotely at 9:30 a.m.

Earlier in the week, Watson and Bloomfield Hills High School Principal Charlie Hollerith had determined that the high school would go all virtual for the time being due to the district's ability to appropriately and safely staff the building given the COVID-19 statistics. Watson said the district will continue to offer technological services to students, parents and staff while buildings are closed, as well as social-emotion support. In addition, food service distribution is available every Monday and Thursday at Bloomfield Hills High School. There have been positive cases reported throughout the district. On Wednesday, November 4, two positive COVID-19 staff cases were reported at Bloomin' Preschools, Fox Hills; one positive student case was reported at the International Academy; and one positive staff case was reported at East Hills Middle School. On Monday, November 2, the district notified families there had

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been one positive COVID-19 student case at Bloomfield Hills High School; one positive student case and one positive staff case at Bloomin' Preschool, Fox Hills; one positive student case at East Hills Middle School; three positive student cases at International Academy, Okma Campus; one positive student case at Lone Pine Elementary School; and two positive student cases at West Hills Middle School. District superintendent Watson wrote, “If you do not receive a specific quarantine notice from a district official or an Oakland County Health Division case investigator, your child can attend school as scheduled. The schools will be deep cleaned once again this evening and all areas will be thoroughly disinfected.” All reported cases are available on the district's website, and family's are required to report probable and positive cases. “We greatly appreciate the partnership with our families in reporting suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 so we may best protect the students and staff in our schools. Please continue to connect with your school principal regarding any concerns you may have regarding your child’s symptoms or possible exposure to someone with COVID-19,” Watson said. In Birmingham Schools, high school students at Groves and Seaholm have not yet returned to inperson learning, now delayed by state executive order. Middle school students at Derby, Berkshire and BCS were to have begun in-person on Thursday, November 5, but on Wednesday, November 4, the BPS Central Leadership Team recommended a delayed start for middle school students. “This does not change learning plans for our elementary schools or BCS grades 3/4. Middle school students and BCS 5-8 students will begin in-person hybrid following further discussions with the Oakland County Health Division (OCHD). We do not expect this to be a long delay, but will communicate when we have an estimated timeline,” the district posted on their website. Positive COVID cases were reported at Covington on Wednesday, November 4; a case at Harlan Elementary and another at Berkshire Middle School on Sunday, November 1; and a probable cause on Tuesday, October 27 at Quarton Elementary. 87

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Subdivisions move forward with township Bloomfield Township trustees approved tentative preliminary plats for two residential lots at 7010 Franklin Road, and for a nine-lot subdivision to be called Franklin Woods at 7141 Franklin Road, at their meeting on Monday, November 9, as required by the Land Division Act. Patti Voelker, township director of planning, building and ordinance, explained, “Terry Nosan of Wing Lake Village, LLC has made application to commence with the state platting process as prescribed by the state’s Land Division Act to create two residential lots on the 1.7 acre parcel to be known as Bloomfield Mill subdivision. The subject property fronts on Franklin Road and abuts Franklin Woods Manor subdivision to the north and Franklin Ravines subdivision to the south and west.” The site is currently vacant. It was previously a single family lot on Franklin Road. She said it met all of the township's ordinances and that the Land Division Act is lengthy for both the applicant and the board. “This is the first stage,” she said. “If the board grants approval, the next stage is preliminary plat,” with more engineering and approvals outside of the township. The applicant must return within a year for preliminary plat approval, then follow up with sequences prescribed in the state act Voelker said. Township attorney Derk Beckerleg said, “If those conditions have been met for tentative preliminary approval, and the board determines that the standards have all been met, which it appears they have been, the board is obligated to approve this.” “So it says if the standards have been met, the board must approve this?” asked supervisor Leo Savoie. Beckerleg answered yes. “One of the questions is being compatible to the area. Is there a way to put conditions?” asked trustee Dani Walsh. “When you look at compatibility, the key thing you look at is lot area and lot width in the Land Division Act and the plat process,” Beckerleg said. “But the history of many builders is to get approved for this and then downtownpublications.com

Birmingham a top city for business support n the annual eCities study, Birmingham was honored as a five-star community for entrepreneurial growth and economic development. The annual eCities study is conducted by researchers at iLabs, University of Michigan-Dearborn's Center for Innovation Research. The 2020 eCities study analyzed publicly available data from 277 communities from 54 counties in Michigan. Birmingham was honored as a five-star community along with 110 other communities across the state. Researchers at iLabs focused on five-year changes in property values, community assets and tax rates, which can demonstrate the growth, investments and the cost of doing business within the community. For example, they pointed out, over the five-year period of 2015-2019, these communities increased their capital assets by an average of 2.4 percent per year by investments such as library equipment, building, water and sewage improvements, and street renovations, while property tax rates increased by less than one percent on average per year. Although accounting for less than 20 percent of the state’s cities and townships, the 277 communities analyzed are home to 70 percent of Michigan’s population and 87 percent of the state’s commercial property, the study pointed out. “The city is pleased to be named among the state’s best communities for fostering economic development in the state. Over the years, the city has strived to create an environment where businesses can thrive by providing outstanding governmental services and reinvestment in the city’s infrastructure,” said Mark Gerber, city of Birmingham Finance Director. “During the five-year period of the study from 2015-2019, the city of Birmingham has seen an average increase in taxable values of 5.1 percent. The city has used these resources to decrease the overall property tax rate by .7 percent per year, while increasing the capital assets of the city by an average of 2.8 percent per year. It is this kind of re-investment in roads, sidewalks, water, sewer and parking system that makes Birmingham a premier place to live, work and play,” said Gerber.

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to go ask for variances almost immediately because they can't build what they thought without variances,” Walsh contended. “From reading Ms. Voelker's report, both the lot area and the lot width exceed the ordinance requirements and the building setback so really in terms of compatibility the only objective standards you have is to approve it,” Beckerleg responded. Trustees unanimously approved the tentative preliminary plat for Bloomfield Mill. Voelker then explained that previously Nosan and Buzz Silverman had submitted a planned unit development (PUD) for 16 detached homes for 7141 Franklin Road. At a meeting of the planning commission, they had received several conditions in order to move forward, and subsequently “they withdrew their application to pursue other development options. “Presently, Buzz Silverman of Red

Equities, LLC in conjunction with the property owner, George R. Pickering Revocable Trust, have made application to commence with the state platting process as prescribed by the state’s Land Division Act to plat the 10.02-acre parcel to create nine residential lots, known as Franklin Woods Subdivision. The subject property fronts on Franklin Road and abuts the St. Owens Catholic Church to the north, Hill Top Subdivision and Orchard Valley Subdivision to the east, and Franklin Village County Estates Subdivision to the south.” She said the nine lots are only accessible from Franklin Road, and the property has an iconic red barn on it, which will be preserved or sold to be moved to a site in the township. Existing vegetation along Franklin Road will be maintained. “The only criteria you're left with is does this meet the lot area and the lot width criteria, and it does,” Beckerleg said.

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Trustees voted 6-1, with Walsh voting against.

Bloomfield Library board has opening The Bloomfield Township Public Library has announced there is a vacancy on its six-member library board of trustees. According to library director Carol Mueller, a library trustee recognizes the importance of the community and oversees the funding of all aspects of library services, including traditional media and computer technologies. Trustees attend monthly meetings held on Tuesdays of each month at 7 p.m. Each trustee also serves on committees and is invited to be an active participant in the library's activities. Applications for the position of trustee can be obtained from the library’s website, btpl.org, or by request via email or curbside service. Completed applications must be received by 7 p.m. Wednesday, December 2. The applicant must be a Bloomfield Township resident. The library board of trustees is working to have this vacancy on the board filled before the December 15 library board meeting. For more information about this position and the application procedure, contact Mueller at 248.642.5800 or muellerc@btpl.org.

Birmingham back to virtual education As the number of COVID-19 infections continue to rise, Birmingham Public School officials announced on Thursday, November 12, they would return to an all virtual format beginning Monday, November 16. Currently, only the district's elementary schools had in-person hybrid learning. In coordination with the Oakland County Health Department, district leadership shared with families that their safety status level had shifted to red. In red status, they stated, all schools and programs are to be moved to a virtual environment. In order to allow families to prepare, school was in session on Friday, November 13, with schools sending home materials and supplies to prepare for in-person learning. 89

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THE COMMUNITY HOUSE THE SEASON OF GRATITUDE Over the years, I have written about gratitude as a virtue every man should cultivate. Yet gratitude means nothing if you haven’t mastered the art of expressing it. “A man should use every opportunity to express to those around him how much he appreciates their love, support, and generosity.” As our “community” heads into the sacred season of counting our blessings and giving back to others, so too are all of us at The Community House our leadership, staff and TCH beneficiaries – counting our blessings. For it is without all of our cherished supporters, our donors, corporate sponsors, class takers, child-care families, event guests, community partners, dancers, seniors and our dedicated corps of volunteers – that our work would not be possible. Saying “thank you” never seems to be enough, but it is a place to start.

2021 Pillars of Vibrancy Honorees include: • Honorable Dave Bing — Business & Culture • Dominic DiMarco — Education • Barry Franklin, Ph.D. — Wellness • Lila Lazarus — Wellness & Education • Duane Mezwa, M.D. — Education & Wellness • Rabbi Daniel B. Syme — Culture • Linda Schlesinger-Wagner — Business & Philanthropy • S. Evan Weiner — Business & Philanthropy • Jessie Beld Elliott and Ed Welburn — Business & Philanthropy

Bill Seklar

As a 97-year old non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, The Community House relies solely on the kindness and generosity of others – to deliver on our mission – and to provide the community critical programs and services, programs and experiences which benefit and enrich the lives of others in our great community – some, without the ability to pay. It is during this time of thanksgiving and extreme uncertainty that The Community House pauses to humbly acknowledge and remember the many kindnesses and extraordinary generosity from those that have been entrusted with much...and to offer all of you, from all of us – a big “Thank You.” Be safe, stay well. Happy Holidays! END OF THE YEAR GIVING – THE COMMUNITY HOUSE ANNUAL FUND The end of the year is almost here and the last chance to support our critical 2020 Annual Fund Drive is upon us. Given COVID, it is hard to overestimate how important this year’s end of the year Annual Fund appeal is to the historic Community House. Our situation remains dire. Except for our Early Childhood Centers, by order of the Governor, our building/facilities remain closed. Many staff remain furloughed or laid off. For the last nine months (and counting) we find ourselves, like so many, continuing to navigate through a perfect storm. By making an end of the year tax-deductible gift to The Community House now, your gift will ensure that we continue to navigate through this terrible world-wide pandemic, and that post-COVID we remain the important educational and community resource that thousands of individuals have relied upon for nearly a century. To make an end of the year gift now, you can send your donation in by mail at: TCH 380 S. Bates Street, Birmingham, Michigan 48009, give online at communityhouse.com/donate or by calling The Community House Foundation at 248.594.6417. SAVE THE NEW DATE – THE 2021 BATES STREET SOCIETY DINNER The Bates Street Society was created to help recognize donors who make significant charitable contributions to support the work and mission of The Community House. New members are acknowledged annually at The Bates

Street Society Dinner, an extraordinary evening hosted by The Community House Association and Foundation Board of Directors. In 2021, the Bates Street Society and the Bates Street Society Dinner will be moved to Saturday, April 17, 2021. To help lead this extraordinary gathering, Huel Perkins, Iconic Broadcast Journalist and American News Anchor, will once again assume the role of Master of Ceremonies. The Bates Street Society Dinner will also recognize TCH/TCHF’s annual Pillars of Vibrancy in Business, Education, Culture, Wellness and Philanthropy.

Save-the-Date: Saturday, April 17, 2021. Seating is limited. Tickets (reservations) on sale now. Our gratitude and special thanks to founding sponsor, PNC Wealth Management and to Beaumont, TCF Bank, Oakland University, Metalbuilt and Hall & Hunter Realtors for their lead sponsorships of the 2021 Bates Street Society Dinner as well. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. For more information, contact Christopher Smude, AVP, The Community House Foundation at csmude@communityhousefoundation.org. Note: The Community House and The Community House Foundation shall continue to monitor the pandemic throughout the next few months, only if necessary, out of an abundance of safety and caution, the Bates Street Society Dinner and Awards Ceremony would be moved to a later date. CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS Volunteers have been involved in the every-day life of The Community House for over 97 years. They give the “House” a face, a voice, helping hands, and a heart. Even though our doors remain closed for now, much work continues behind the scenes. The Community House invites you to consider joining our esteemed volunteer team – and by doing so, you can be assured that your precious donation of time and talent will be greatly appreciated and will positively impact the lives of those we serve . For more information about volunteering at The Community House, please visit our website at communityhouse.com to download a volunteer application or call Kathie Ninneman at 248.594.6403. For reservations, sponsorships or more information about booking gathering and meeting space for Spring 2021 and beyond - please go to www.communityhouse.org or call 248.644.5832. William D. Seklar is President & CEO of The Community House and The Community House Foundation in Birmingham.

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PLACES TO EAT

The Birmingham/Bloomfield area is filled with discriminating diners and an array of dining establishments. Make sure the message for your restaurant reaches the right market in the right publication—Downtown.

Contact Mark Grablowski for advertising rate information. O: 248.792.6464 Ext. 601 MarkGrablowski@downtownpublications.com

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The Places To Eat for Downtown is a quick reference source to establishments offering a place for dining, either breakfast, lunch or dinner. The listings include nearly all dining establishments with seating in the Birmingham/Bloomfield area, and then some select restaurants outside the immediate area served by Downtown.

Birmingham/Bloomfield 220: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday- Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 220 E. Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.646.2220. 5th Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2262 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.481.9607. Adachi: Asian. Lunch & Dinner daily. Liquor. Reservations. 325 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham 48009. 248.540.5900. Andiamo: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6676 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301. 248.865.9300. Bangkok Thai Bistro: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 42805 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Township, 48304. 248.499.6867. Beau's: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 4108 W. Maple, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.626.2630. Bella Piatti: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 167 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.494.7110. Beverly Hills Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Liquor. No reservations. 31471 Southfield Road, Beverly Hills, 48025. 248.642.2355. Beyond Juice: Contemporary. Breakfast & Lunch daily; Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. 270 West Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.7078. Big Rock Chophouse: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 245 South Eton Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.7774. Bill's: American. Lunch & Dinner, Daily. Reservations. Liquor. 39556 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.646.9000. Birmingham Sushi Cafe: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 377 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.8880. Bistro Joe’s Kitchen: Global. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Sunday brunch. Liquor. Reservations. 34244 Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.0984. Bloomfield Deli: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 71 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.645.6879. Brooklyn Pizza: Pizza. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Liquor. No reservations. 111 Henrietta Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.6690. Café ML: New American. Dinner, daily. Liquor. Call ahead. 3607 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Township. 248.642.4000. Casa Pernoi: Italian. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 310 E. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009. 248.940.0000. DOWNTOWN

Churchill's Bistro & Cigar Bar: Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 116 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.4555. Cityscape Deli: Deli. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Beer. 877 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.540.7220. Commonwealth: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 300 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.9766. Dick O’Dow’s: Irish. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 160 West Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.642.1135. Eddie Merlot's: Steak & seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 37000 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.712.4095. Einstein Bros. Bagels: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 4089 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.258.9939. Elie’s Mediterranean Cuisine: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Liquor. 263 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.2420. Embers Deli & Restaurant: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 3598 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.645.1033. Flemings Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar: American. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 323 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.723.0134. Forest: European. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 735 Forest Avenue, Birmingham 48009. 248.258.9400. Greek Island Coney Restaurant: Greek. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 221 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.646.1222. Griffin Claw Brewing Company: American. Dinner, Tuesday-Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday and Sunday. No Reservations. Liquor. 575 S. Eton Street, Birmingham. 248.712.4050. Honey Tree Grille: Greek/American. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, daily. No reservations. 3633 W. Maple Rd, Bloomfield, MI 48301. 248.203.9111. Hunter House Hamburgers: American. Breakfast, Monday-Saturday; Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 35075 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.646.7121. Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse: American. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 201 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.4369. IHOP: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2187 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301. 248.333.7522. Joe Muer Seafood: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner daily; Sunday brunch. Reservations. Liquor. 39475 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.792.9609. Kaku Sushi and Poke': Asian. Lunch & Dinner. Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations. No Liquor. 869 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Township, 12.20

TWO IMPORTANT HOLIDAYS CELEBRATE WITH FABULOUS FOOD PARTY TRAYS • HOT DINNERS • TERRIFIC HOLIDAY TREATS STEVE’S GOURMET TURKEYS & HAMS 48302. 248.480.4785, and 126 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.885.8631. Kerby’s Koney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2160 N. Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.333.1166. La Marsa: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner daily. Reservations. 43259 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.858.5800. La Strada Italian Kitchen & Bar: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 243 E. Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.480.0492. Leo’s Coney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 154 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.9707. Also 6527 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.646.8568. Little Daddy’s Parthenon: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 39500 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.647.3400. Luxe Bar & Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily; Late Night, 9 p.m.closing. No reservations. Liquor. 525 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.6051. Mandaloun Bistro: Lebanese. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, Daily. Reservations. Liquor. 30100 Telegraph Rd., Suite 130, Bingham Farms, 48025. 248.723.7960. Market North End: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 474 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.712.4953. MEX Mexican Bistro & Tequila Bar: Mexican. Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily. Liquor. 6675 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301. 248.723.0800. Nippon Sushi Bar: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2079 S. Telegraph, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.481.9581. Olga’s Kitchen: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2075 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.451.0500. Original Pancake House: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 33703 South Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.642.5775. Phoenicia: Middle Eastern. Lunch, Monday-Friday; Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 588 South Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.3122. Qdoba: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 795 East Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.988.8941. Also 42967 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Township, 48304. 248.874.1876 Roadside B & G: American. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 1727 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.858.7270. Salvatore Scallopini: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 505 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.8977. downtownpublications.com

Social Kitchen & Bar: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations, parties of 5 or more. Liquor. 225 E. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.4200. Stacked Deli: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Delivery available. No reservations. 233 North Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.5300. Stateside Deli & Restaurant Deli. Breakfast, Lunch, Sunday-Monday. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. No reservations. 653 S. Adams Road, Birmingham, 48009. 248.550.0455. Steve’s Deli: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 6646 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield, 48301. 248.932.0800. Streetside Seafood: Seafood. Dinner, daily. Liquor. 273 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.645.9123. Sushi Hana: Japanese. Lunch, MondayFriday; Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 42656 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.333.3887. Sy Thai Cafe: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 315 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.9830. Tallulah Wine Bar and Bistro: American. Dinner. Monday-Saturday. Sunday brunch. Reservations. Liquor. 55 S. Bates Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.731.7066. The Franklin Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 32760 Franklin Rd, Franklin, 48025. 248.865.6600. The Gallery Restaurant: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & wine. 6683 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.851.0313. The Moose Preserve Bar & Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2395 S. Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.858.7688. The Morrie: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 260 N. Old Woodward, Birmingham 48009. 248.940.3260. The Rugby Grille: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 100 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.642.5999. Toast: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily; Reservations. Liquor. 203 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.6278. Tomatoes Apizza: Pizza. Lunch & Dinner daily. Carryout. 34200 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham 48009. 248.258.0500. Touch of India: Indian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 297 E. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.7881. Townhouse: American. Brunch, Saturday, Sunday. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 180 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.5241. Vinotecca: European. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 210 S. Old Woodard, Birmingham, 48009. 248.203.6600. Whistle Stop Diner: American. DOWNTOWN

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Breakfast & Lunch, daily; No reservations. 501 S. Eton Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.566.3566. Zao Jun: Asian. Lunch Monday-Friday; Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6608 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301. 248.949.9999.

Royal Oak/Ferndale Ale Mary's: American. Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 316 South Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.268.1917. Anita’s Kitchen: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 22651 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.548.0680. Assaggi Bistro: Italian. Lunch, TuesdayFriday. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 330 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220. 248.584.3499. Bigalora: Italian. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. No Reservations. Liquor. 711 S. Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067. The Blue Nile: Ethiopian. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 545 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220. 248.547.6699. Cafe Muse: French. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 418 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.544.4749. Cork Wine Pub: American. Sunday

Brunch. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 23810 Woodward Ave., Pleasant Ridge, 48069. 248.544.2675. Due Venti: Italian. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 220 S. Main St., Clawson, 48017. 248.288.0220. The Fly Trap: Diner. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 22950 Woodward Ave., 48220. 248.399.5150. Howe’s Bayou: Cajun. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 22949 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.691.7145. Inyo Restaurant Lounge: Asian Fusion. Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 22871 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.543.9500. KouZina: Greek. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 121 N. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.629.6500. Kruse & Muer on Woodward: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 28028 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.965.2101. Lily’s Seafood: Seafood. Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 410 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.591.5459. Lockhart’s BBQ: Barbeque. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 202

E. Third St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.584.4227. Oak City Grille: American. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 212 W. 6th St, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.556.0947. One-Eyed Betty: American. Weekend Breakfast. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 175 W. Troy St., Ferndale, 48220. 248.808.6633. Public House: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 241 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220. 248.850.7420. Redcoat Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 31542 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak, 48073. 248.549.0300. Ronin: Japanese. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 326 W. 4th St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.546.0888. Royal Oak Brewery: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 215 E. 4th St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.544.1141. Strada: Italian. Dinner, Wednesday Sunday. Liquor. No reservations. 376 N. Main Street. Royal Oak, 48067. 248.607.3127. The Morrie: American. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 511 S. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.216.1112. Toast, A Breakfast and Lunch Joint: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 23144 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.398.0444. Tom’s Oyster Bar: Seafood. Lunch &

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Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 318 S. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.541.1186. Trattoria Da Luigi: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 415 S, Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.542.4444. Twisted Tavern: American. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 22901 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.545,6750. Vinsetta Garage: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 27799 Woodward Ave., Berkley, 48072. 248.548.7711.

Troy/Rochester Capital Grille: Steak & Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2800 West Big Beaver Rd., Somerset Collection, Troy, 48084. 248.649.5300. Cafe Sushi: Pan-Asian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1933 W. Maple Rd, Troy, 48084. 248.280.1831. CK Diggs: American & Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 2010 W. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.853.6600. O’Connor’s Irish Public House: Irish. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 324 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.608.2537. Kona Grille: American. Lunch & Dinner,

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daily. Reservations. Liquor. 30 E. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48083. 248.619.9060. Kruse & Muer on Main: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 327 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.652.9400. Loccino Italian Grill and Bar: Italian. Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily. Liquor. Reservations. 5600 Crooks Road, Troy, 48098. 248.813.0700. The Meeting House: American. Weekend Brunch. Dinner, TuesdaySunday. No reservations. Liquor. 301 S. Main St, Rochester, 48307. 248.759.4825. Miguel’s Cantina: Mexican. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 870 S. Rochester Rd, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.453.5371. Mon Jin Lau: Asian. Lunch, MondayFriday. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1515 E. Maple Rd, Troy, 48083. 248.689.2332. Morton’s, The Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 888 W. Big Beaver Rd, Troy, 48084. 248.404.9845. NM Café: American. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 2705 W. Big Beaver Rd, Troy, 48084. 248.816.3424. Oceania Inn: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. The Village of Rochester Hills, 3176 Walton Blvd, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.375.9200. Ocean Prime: Steak & Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2915 Coolidge Hwy., Troy, 48084. 248.458.0500. Orchid Café: Thai. Lunch, MondayFriday. Dinner, daily. Reservations. 3303 Rochester Rd., Troy, 48085. 248.524.1944. P.F. Chang’s China Bistro: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. Somerset Collection, 2801 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48084. 248.816.8000. Recipes: American/Brunch. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 134 W. University Drive, Rochester, 48037. 248.659.8267. Also 2919 Crooks Road, Troy, 48084. 248.614.5390. Rochester Chop House: Steak & Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 306 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.651.2266. Ruth’s Chris Steak House: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 755 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48084. 248.269.8424. Silver Spoon: Italian. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 6830 N. Rochester Rd., Rochester, 48306. 248.652.4500. Too Ra Loo: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 139 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.453.5291.

West Bloomfield/Southfield Bacco: Italian. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 29410 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, 48034. 248.356.6600. Beans and Cornbread: Southern. Lunch & 96

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 29508 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, 48034. 248.208.1680. Bigalora: Italian. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. No Reservations. Liquor. 29110 Franklin Road, Southfield, 48034. The Fiddler: Russian. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Thursday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 6676 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.851.8782. Mene Sushi: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 6239 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.538.7081. Meriwether’s: Seafood. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 25485 Telegraph Rd, Southfield, 48034. 248.358.1310. Nonna Maria’s: Italian. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2080 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48323. 248.851.2500. Pickles & Rye: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 6724 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.737.3890. Prime29 Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6545 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield, 48322. 248.737.7463. Redcoat Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Liquor. 6745 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.865.0500. Shangri-La: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. Orchard Mall Shopping Center, 6407 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.626.8585. Sposita’s Ristorante: Italian. Friday Lunch. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 33210 W. Fourteen Mile Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248. 538.8954. Stage Deli: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 6873 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.855.6622. Yotsuba: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 7365 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield, 48322. 248.737.8282.

West Oakland Gravity Bar & Grill: Mediterranean. Monday – Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday, Dinner. Reservations. Liquor. 340 N. Main Street, Milford, 48381. 248.684.4223. It's A Matter of Taste: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2323 Union Lake Road, Commerce, 48390. 248.360.4150. Volare Ristorante: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 48992 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393. 248.960.7771.

North Oakland Clarkston Union: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 54 S. Main St., Clarkston, 48346. 248.620.6100. Holly Hotel: American. Afternoon Tea, Monday – Saturday, Brunch, Sunday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 110

Battle Alley, Holly, 48442. 248.634.5208. Kruse's Deer Lake Inn: Seafood. Lunch & dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 7504 Dixie Highway, Clarkston, 48346. 248.795.2077. The Fed: American. Lunch and Dinner daily, Brunch, Saturday and Sunday. Liquor. 15 S. Main Street, Clarkston, 48346. 248.297.5833 Via Bologna: Italian. Dinner daily. No reservations. Liquor. 7071 Dixie Highway, Clarkston. 48346. 248.620.8500. Union Woodshop: BBQ. Dinner, Monday – Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday – Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 18 S. Main St., Clarkston, 48346. 248.625.5660

Detroit Bucharest Grill: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2684 E. Jefferson, Detroit, 48207. 313.965.3111. Cliff Bell’s: American. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 2030 Park Ave., Detroit, 48226. 313.961.2543. Cuisine: French. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 670 Lothrop Rd., Detroit, 48202. 313.872.5110. The Detroit Seafood Market: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1435 Randolph St., Detroit, 48226. 313.962.4180. El Barzon: Mexican. Lunch, TuesdayFriday. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 3710 Junction St., Detroit, 48210. 313.894.2070. Fishbone’s Rhythm Kitchen Café: Cajun. Breakfast, daily. Sunday Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 400 Monroe Street, Detroit, 48226. 313.965.4600. Giovanni’s Ristorante: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 330 S. Oakwood Blvd., Detroit, 48217. 313.841.0122. Green Dot Stables: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2200 W. Lafayette, Detroit, 48216. 313.962.5588. Jefferson House: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2 Washington Blvd., Detroit, 48226. 313.782.4318. Joe Muer Seafood: Seafood. Lunch, Monday- Friday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 400 Renaissance Center, Detroit, 48243. 313.567.6837. Johnny Noodle King: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2601 W. Fort St., Detroit, 48216. 313.309.7946. Mario’s: Italian. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 4222 2nd Ave., Detroit, 48201. 313.832.1616. Midtown Shangri-la: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 4710 Cass Ave., Detroit, 48201. 313.974.7669. Motor City Brewing Works: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 470 W. Canfield St., Detroit, 48201. 313.832.2700. 1917 American Bistro: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 19416 Livernois Ave., Detroit, 48221. 313.863.1917.

DOWNTOWN

Prism: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 555 E. Lafayette St, Detroit, 48226. 313.309.2499. Red Smoke Barbeque: Barbeque. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. Trappers Alley Shopping Center, 573 Monroe Ave., Detroit, 48226. 313.962.2100. Selden Standard: American. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. Liquor. Reservations. 3921 Second Ave., Detroit, 48201. 313.438.5055. SheWolf Pastifico & Bar: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday through Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 438 Selden St, Detroit 48201. 313.315.3992. Sinbad’s: Seafood. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 100 St Clair St., Detroit, 48214. 313.822.8000. Slows Bar BQ: Barbeque. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2138 Michigan Ave, Detroit, 48216. 313.962.9828. St. CeCe’s Pub: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 1426 Bagley Ave., Detroit, 48216. 313.962.2121. Tap at MGM Grand: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 1777 Third Street, Detroit, 48226. 313.465.1234. Taqueria Nuestra Familia: Mexican. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 7620 Vernor Hwy., Detroit, 48209. 313.842.5668. The Block: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 3919 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201. 313.832.0892. Tom’s Oyster Bar: Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 519 East Jefferson Ave., Detroit, 48226. 313.964.4010. Traffic Jam & Snug: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 511 W. Canfield, Detroit, 48201. 313.831.9470. 24grille: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit, 1114 Washington Blvd, Detroit, 48226. 313.964.3821. Union Street: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 4145 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201. 313.831.3965. Vince’s: Italian. Lunch, Tuesday-Friday. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 1341 Springwells St., Detroit, 48209. 313.842.4857. Vivio’s Food & Spirits: American. Saturday Breakfast. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2460 Market St., Detroit, 48207. 313.393.1711. The Whitney: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & High Tea, Monday-Friday. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, daily. Liquor. Reservations. 4421 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201. 313.832.5700. Wright & Co.: American. Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 1500 Woodward Ave Second Floor, Detroit, 48226. 313.962.7711. 12.20

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ENDNOTE

City's parking issue a victim of pandemic arking in downtown Birmingham has long been an issue, with shoppers complaining about a lack of enough on-street parking – especially in front of their favorite stores, and of a shortage of parking in the city's five municipal parking decks. The issue reached a boiling point in the last decade as commercial occupancy exploded with a change nationally in how many businesses utilize space. As recently as a year ago, all five parking garages were almost completely full during the work week, as employees of businesses, retailers and restaurants filled them, many with coveted monthly parking passes. Parking spaces were reserved on the first floor for “transient” parkers – or in everyday language, people who were coming into Birmingham to shop, visit Baldwin Public Library, Shain Park, go to a restaurant, or do business at one of the hundreds of offices in Birmingham which have revitalized the city. At most of the parking structures, there was a several month to several year wait for businesses to acquire a monthly parking pass, which cost anywhere from $55 a month for those parking at the Chester parking garage to $70 a month at Pierce and N. Old Woodward. There were about 3,800 monthly parking passes in the system prior to the pandemic. According to a Downtown Parking Strategies and Recommendations report as presented by Nelson Nygaard Consultants to the city's ad hoc parking committee in 2018, Birmingham's downtown parking system consists

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of about 4,944 publicly owned spaces, of which 3,423 are in the five public parking structures; 1,272 are metered, on street; and 391 are in five surface parking lots. Despite popular and repeated misrepresentation, the city's parking system is completely self-funded. There is no resident tax revenue in the parking system, so while it is desirable for residents and other visitors to have access to parking, there is no priority for them. The city's downtown parking is open and available to everyone coming into the city. And that is even more important today, as the parking system is undergoing a systemic change due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is too soon to know if, like other institutions, it is temporary or not. During last spring's statewide shutdown, all parking in the city was made free by the Birmingham City Commission; as of June, onstreet parking at meters was once again enforced, while parking in the structures has remained free, in a nod to retailers, who are experiencing a devastating once-in-a-centennial hit to business, and to restaurants, which are repeatedly being hit with closures and the need for access for carry-out business. But the major driver for the parking system, love 'em or not, are office workers, who largely have been working from home since the middle of March. With coronavirus numbers skyrocketing nationally, as well as locally, and experts such as

Dr. Anthony Fauci projecting the worse to come in December, January and February, the recommendation for businesses to have their workers work from home if they can will continue at least through the first quarter of 2021. At this point, the parking garages remain free through December 31, 2020, with reassessment as necessary. Through the end of December 2020, it was estimated the city was taking about a $224,000 hit a month from the monthly parking passes. At the end of September, the impact to the parking fund reserve was $1,445,580. The parking fund balance, as of June 2020, totaled $20.4 million. When offices reopen, needs may change the demands upon the parking system – it is still an unknown. Many offices nationwide, notably creative agencies, have seen several people working side-by-side in open spaces. Despite the advances of vaccines, designs of offices are changing, with less people in the same space. And the ability to work remotely may change the need for workers to always be in place on a daily basis. But these are discussions for another day. It is all the more reason why it is wise for the Birmingham City Commission to wait to make further decisions and alterations to the city's parking system, and as well as to rely on the knowledge incoming city manager Tom Markus will bring with him when he starts at the beginning of 2021.

More changes needed for future elections he tsunami of absentee ballots in this year's general election – 75 to 85 percent in many municipalities – could well be the norm for future elections following the passage of Proposal 3 in 2018, which permitted no reason absentee ballots. This year, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, a divisive presidential election driving turnout and the ease in which voters discovered they could vote and then turn in their ballots, has likely made it a whole new show. Which is great all around for the real reason we do it: democracy. The only major hiccup? In Michigan, along with a handful of other states, it became Election Week instead of Election Day, because the Republicanled Michigan Legislature prevented local and county clerks from processing absentee ballots until 7 a.m. Tuesday, alleging concerns about ballot privacy and fraud. Deluged with absentee ballots, three weeks before election day, state legislators passed a minor concession to clerks, allowing municipalities with a population of over 25,000, to open the outside envelopes the ballots

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come in, beginning to process them the day before the election – legislation sponsored by state Sen. Ruth Johnson (R-Holly), the former Michigan Secretary of State and Oakland County Clerk, who knows more than a little about elections. She had been pushing for this and other election changes for years. Clerks around Oakland County said it helped immensely – but they need much more legislative assistance. States like Florida were able to deliver their election results when their polls closed on election night. That is because Florida election officials are allowed to begin processing their mailin ballots 22 days before election day – meaning the hard work has been done on those ballots, and they can check and recheck them before it's high stakes time. Opening and processing absentee ballots before election day in other states has not compromised votes, privacy or introduced fraud into their elections. There is absolutely no reason to believe it would be any different in Michigan. But rushing to accomplish the count, coupled

with fatigue and human error, can have ramifications. The Bipartisan Policy Center Task Force on Elections recommends clerks have at least seven days to process absentee ballots prior to election day. Just as Sen. Johnson has requested election assistance for years, so too has Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who told legislators as they were approving the extra day for processing, "Ultimately, it does a disservice to the 1,500 election officials who work tirelessly for their communities and our democracy, and doesn’t do enough to bring about more timely election results.” In the new legislative session, we hope state representatives and senators listen to Benson, Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown and local municipal clerks and hear what they say they need. Only they know what is necessary to successfully conduct and process elections in Michigan without doubt or aspersions. They're our frontline workers in the fight for our democracy.

H A P P Y H O L I D AY S Wishing you a joyful holiday season & a Happy New Year!

S u p p o r t i n g Mi c h i g a n’s #1 R e a l t o r ® L e a d i n g t h e S t a t e f o r Te n C o n s e c u t i v e Ye a r s

ࢥࢧࢫाࢦࢤࢫाࢧࢨࢣࢧ৹ | kathy@maxbroockhomes.com | w w w.kathybroock.com

275 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham, MI 48009

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