Downtown newsmagazine | Birmingham/Bloomfield

JANUARY 2021

THE INTERVIEW:

OAKLAND COUNTY HEALTH OFFICIALS COVID-19 PANDEMIC, TESTING, VACCINES, THE FUTURE ORPHANED OIL, GAS WELLS CLIMATE IMPACT OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL DOWNTOWNPUBLICATIONS.COM

ECRWSS Postal Customer EDDM PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ROYAL OAK, MI 48068 PERMIT #792

KATHY BROOCK 4 TH G E N E R A T I O N R E A L T O R ® M I C H I G A N ’ S # 1 R E A L T O R ®. 1 1 C O N S E C U T I V E Y E A R S

248.318.4504 | kathy@maxbroockhomes.com SO

LD

Private Setting with Modern Amenities

Award-winning Designer In-town Estate

Prime Position on Private Lake Angelus

$4,990,000 | Bloomfield Hills

SOLD | Birmingham

$3,850,000 | Lake Angelus

Modern Masterpiece on All Sports Walnut Lake

2+ Acre Lakefront Across from OLCC

Updated Designer Home on 1.42 acres

$3,499,999 | West Bloomfield Twp.

$3,290,000 | Orchard Lake

$2,950,000 | Bloomfield Twp.

The Ultimate Private Oasis on 1.17 Acres

New Construction in Holy Name Community

Spectacular Floorplan on Cass Lake

$2,299,000 | Bloomfield Hills

$2,295,000 | Birmingham

$2,240,000 | West Bloomfield Twp.

Completely Renovated Landmark Property

Tranquil Lake Views & Sparkling Pool Setting

Stately Colonial Updated to Perfection

$2,199,000 | Bloomfield Twp.

$1,899,000 | Bloomfield Twp.

$1,595,000 | Bloomfield Twp.

Visit www.kathybroock.com for Property Details EQUAL HOUSING

OPPORTUNITY

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248.318.4504

Updated on Prime Lot in Quarton Lake Estates

Newer Construction Walk to Town

Remodeled Overlooking FLCC Golf Course

$1,595,000 | Birmingham

$1,139,000 | Birmingham

$995,000 | Bloomfield Twp. O

p pB u O iL R D T in u g n iT Y

Canal Front Living with All Sports Lake Access

Completely Redone, Blocks from Downtown

Seasonal Paradise on 9.25 Acres

$889,000 | Orion Twp.

$885,000 | Birmingham

$799,000 | West Bloomfield Twp.

Completely Renovated Mid-century Modern

Custom Detached End Unit Condo

2.9 Acre Lot with Birmingham Schools

$699,000 | Bloomfield Twp.

$599,000 | Bloomfield Twp.

$569,000 | Franklin Village

Updated Downtown Condo with Fabulous Views

Well Maintained Colonial on 0.84 Acres

Updated 3 Bed, 3 Bath with Fenced Yard

$529,000 | Birmingham

$429,000 | Bloomfield Twp.

$359,000 | Beverly Hills

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New Build Opportunity on Over Half an Acre

1.39 Acre Homesite in Bridge Valley Neighborhood

Build on 2.56 Acres in Country-estate Setting

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$50,000 | Independence Twp.

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DOWNTOWN01.21

37

The plight of Michigan's orphaned oil, gas wells Starting as early as 1859, prospectors drilled wells for oil and gas in Michigan. Once the wells no longer produce sufficient profits, they are abandoned but if they are not properly remediated, they can leak methane gasses into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.

LONGFORM

50

In a wide-ranging interview, news editor Lisa Brody talks to Oakland County Health Officer Leigh-Anne Stafford and Medical Director Dr. Russell Faust about COVID-19 and what county residents can expect in the future.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

16

Publisher David Hohendorf offers a look back at the impact on the publishing group from the 2020 pandemic and what readers can expect from Downtown newsmagazine in 2021.

CRIME LOCATOR

23

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

THE COVER

OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL

28

Michiganders promoted to Biden administration; Slotkin and the Pelosi vote; contest for state GOP chair; Rocky back from COVID-19 attack; electoral college lemming march; plus more.

Cover design: Chris Grammer.

3URÆ„OH Sofa, designed by Roberto Tapinassi & Maurizio Manzoni.

GENEROUS DISCOUNTS ON ALL CLEARANCE AND EX-DISPLAY MODELS BIRMINGHAM, MI - 394 S. Old Woodward Ave. - Tel. (248) 833-0300 - birmingham.mi@roche-bobois.com

Photo Michel Gibert, photograph used for reference only. TASCHEN. *Sale prices valid in the USA from January 9 to 24, 2021, not to be used in conjunction with any prior offer.

From January 9 to 24

$57 2)

'(6 , *1

65

Pat Andrews

MUNICIPAL

67

Township 2021 safety path plans; BSD director takes key county position; Markus taking over as city manager; free parking extended through March; new city library director; plus more.

ENDNOTE

90

City must be more sensitive to impact on business community when managing future road projects; and county commissioners have their priorities wrong in seeking raises and approving some during the pandemic.

FACES

34 49 65

Siobhรกn Cronin Dr. John Cooke Pat Andrews

Winter Sale Begins Thursday, January 7th 50% Off

T E N D E R

271 West Maple

•

Birmingham

•

248.258.0212

tenderbirmingham.com

•

@TenderBham

FROM THE PUBLISHER he first issue of a new year is certainly an appropriate time to give a status report to the community on Downtown newsmagazine and what we see for the coming year.

T

It goes without saying that 2020 has been a year of challenges for everyone in the general community. In the case of those who work to bring you Downtown newsmagazine each month, we were able to weather this past year with the support of the business community that pushed ahead against all odds and continued advertising.

Some publications in this market either folded up operations or had to make the decision to publish less frequently as the impact of the pandemic took its toll on businesses we all rely upon for support. In the case of Downtown newsmagazine, we adjusted our publishing schedule to come out closer to the mid-month period and restored our normal start-of-the-month schedule late in 2020.

In late March, as we all started to grapple with the arrival months earlier of the novel coronavirus, we had to make the decision to move to a remote work situation with staff working from home.

With the exception of the one week each month when we produce physical pages of the publication, and key staff members appear for short stints at the office, most days I am the only person in our office on West Maple in downtown Birmingham. We are fortunate that we can gather news and contact businesses by email, text and phone to sell advertising space.

Early on when the pandemic was first declared, one of our key staff members contracted COVID-19 and was laid up for weeks. She now is part of the group referred to as “long-haulers” – those with long-term health issues that still linger long after the infection has supposedly subsided. There are also a couple of other staff members who are considered in the risk pool so we are not taking any chances.

Just in the last couple of weeks the decision was made to continue working remotely until the end of February, at which time we will reassess the situation based on a number of factors such as the COVID19 positivity test ratings in Oakland, ICU capacity at local hospitals and the death rate.

Should you need assistance in coming weeks you can still reach us by email or leave a phone message at our office, which is then automatically forwarded to each person as an audio packet through our email system.

Thanks to support from the community, we have continued to publish, producing issues that number anywhere from 92 pages upwards to 156 pages in our October edition.

For the most part we have maintained our regular content during the past 10 months of the pandemic. We still produce our longform features on key topics of concern in the community, and we attend – albeit by Zoom – municipal meetings to bring you weekly coverage through our website and then our monthly printed newsmagazine. We have also been able to continue with our popular Faces personality profiles each issue and our political gossip news (Oakland Confidential).

Lost during the pandemic, however, has been our coverage of the important social circuit surrounding the critical non-profit groups hosting fundraising events in the metro area. As it stands now, it will more than likely be next fall before it's considered safe to resume gathering in larger crowds, at which time we will resume coverage.

Also falling victim during the past 10 months is our coverage (Metro Intelligencer) of the news and gossip connected with the restaurant industry which has been battered severely. At some point this spring we hope to bring that column back to the pages of Downtown newsmagazine when restaurants are allowed to resume inside dining.

We did respond early on this year when the novel coronavirus first made national headlines and we created The COVID-19 Diary, contents of which appear on our website and has served as an email newsletter to nearly 4,000 followers who have signed up for the various newsletters we produce as part of our news organization.

The COVID-19 Diary consists of the latest information on the coronavirus that we curate from about 12-18 online and print news sources each day, along with county and state health department data, as well as a couple of COVID tracking projects that operate from a national perspective.

When we first launched The COVID-19 Diary, we were emailing that out on a daily basis while we now send the newsletter out once or twice each week. All told, I estimate that we have put out close to 200 editions of The COVID-19 Diary.

If you wish to receive this or any of our email newsletters, including our weekly news update each Friday, you can sign up on the home page of our website – downtownpublications.com Lastly, we had good support for Downtown newsmagazine when we launched in late spring a funding drive to allow us to continue bringing our news product to the community at no charge and plan for some new offerings we had hoped to present before the pandemic hit. More on the funding drive in our February issue.

On balance, we are looking forward to 2021, despite the fact that the pandemic is not going away anytime soon.

FOOTNOTE: I must end this month by reminding local residents of the importance of supporting local businesses and not just during the holiday season. Of particular concern is the restaurant segment of the business community which has been singled out, justly or not, for added lockdown time in recent weeks. If nothing else, place a carry-out order or buy a gift card now which you can use later when dine-in options are allowed.

The businesses are an integral part of the fabric of our local communities and deserve our support now more than ever.

As always, I welcome your comments and feedback.

David Hohendorf Publisher DavidHohendorf@DowntownPublications.com

PEACE & JOY

Elaina Ryder REALTOR®

Warmest Holiday Wishes from our Home to Yours!

Cindy & Elaina Cindy Kahn REALTOR®

248.568.7309 | Cindy@CindyKahn.com CindyKahn.com 442 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, MI 48009

Elaina Ryder REALTOR®

Cindy Kahn REALTOR®

An Extraordinary Agent Providing Extraordinary Results #1 TOP PRODUCER FOR 2020 AT HALL & HUNTER REALTORS

248.568.7309 | Cindy@CindyKahn.com | CindyKahn.com 2020 SOLD/PENDING SALES OF $70+ MILLION

WEST BLOOMFIELD 2810 Long Lake Road | Private Sale

BIRMINGHAM 553 W Frank Street | $2,949,000

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP 1484 Inwoods Circle | $2,750,000

BIRMINGHAM 277 W Brown Street | $2,495,000

BIRMINGHAM 550 S Chester Street | $2,098,000

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP 1640 Standish Court | $1,999,000

BIRMINGHAM 346 W Brown Street | $1,899,000

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP 2368 Heronwood Drive | $1,575,000

BIRMINGHAM 1595 Fairfax Street | $1,499,000

BIRMINGHAM 386 Westchester Way | $1,495,000

BIRMINGHAM 341 W Brown Street | $1,399,000

BIRMINGHAM 1692 Washington Boulevard | $1,329,000

WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP 6940 Kirkway Court | $1,299,000

BIRMINGHAM 1011 Kennesaw Street | $1,295,000

FRANKLIN VILLAGE 27200 Ovid Court | $1,225,000

BIRMINGHAM 1773 Washington Boulevard | $1,199,000

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP 5600 Brookdale Road | $1,095,000

BIRMINGHAM 1004 Brookwood Street | $999,000

BIRMINGHAM 1259 Ruffner Avenue | $899,000

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP 2418 Heronwood Drive | $849,900

Your Home Here!

BLOOMFIELD HILLS 965 Bloomfield Woods | $799,000

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP 7463 Duval Drive | $799,000

BIRMINGHAM 1600 Fairway Drive | $725,000

WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP 4335 Middleton Drive | $699,900

442 S. Old Woodward Avenue Birmingham, MI 48009 HallandHunter.com

EVERY PRICE POINT, SAME SUPERIOR SERVICE

CINDY OBRON KAHN 248.568.7309 | Cindy@CindyKahn.com | CindyKahn.com

Thank you for a record breaking 2020 Warm wishes for a healthy & prosperous New Year!

Selected Sold/Pending Properties Include:

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP 4720 W Wickford | $699,000

FRANKLIN VILLAGE 26475 Woodlore Road | $675,000

WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP 4736 Wendrick Drive | $639,000

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP 476 Steeple Chase Court | $629,000

ROYAL OAK 613 W Houstonia Avenue | $620,000

Your Home Here!

BIRMINGHAM 748 Southfield Road | $599,000

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP 1675 Standish Court | $449,000

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP 3675 Berkshire Drive | $425,000

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP 5123 Woodlands Drive | $329,000

Selected Additional Sales (as Buyer’s Agent) 2810 Long Lake Road, West Bloomfield | Private Sale* 553 W Frank Street, Birmingham | $2,949,000* 550 S Chester Street, Birmingham | $2,098,000* 1640 Standish Court, Bloomfield Hills | $1,999,000* 1015 S Bates Street, Birmingham | $1,859,000 875 Vinewood Ave, Birmingham | $1,750,000.00 1136 Norminister End, Bloomfield Hills | $1,850,000 1595 Fairfax Street, Birmingham | $1,499,000* 3438 Westchester Road, Bloomfield Township | $1,375,000 411 S Old Woodward Avenue #810, Birmingham |$1,225,000 1440 Lakewood Road, Bloomfield Township | $1,145,000 551 Provencal Pl, Bloomfield Township | $1,100,000 6596 Valley Spring Road, Bloomfield Township | $850,000

TOP AGENT 2012-2019

1092 Bird Avenue, Birmingham | $840,000 130 Guilford Road, Bloomfield Hills | $825,000 723 Windemere Court, Bloomfield Hills | $749,000 1028 Suffield Avenue, Birmingham | $740,000 1252 Smith Avenue, Birmingham | $735,000 4335 Middleton Drive, Bloomfield Hills | $699,900* 26475 Woodlore Road, Franklin Village | $675,000* 1023 Bennaville Avenue, Birmingham | $659,000 1875 Stanley Boulevard, Birmingham | $649,000 507 Overbrook Road, Bloomfield Hills | $525,000 168 Hamilton Road, Bloomfield Hills | $519,900 684 Puritan Avenue, Birmingham | $511,000 31745 Auburn Dr, Beverly Hills| $414,900

AREA TOP PRODUCER 2008-2020

TOP 1% OF REALTORS® NATIONALLY

26900 Crestwood Drive, Franklin | $462,500 4085 Willoway Place Drive, Bloomfield Hills | $460,000 1350 Forest Lane, Bloomfield Hills | $375,000 5123 Woodlands Drive, Bloomfield Hills | $329,000 7444 Sherwood Creek Court, West Bloomfield | $300,000 3063 Alden, Sterling Heights | $215,000 400 Old Woodward #208, Birmingham | Lease 856 N Old Woodward Avenue #401, Birmingham | Lease 1951 Holland Street, Birmingham | Lease 375 S Eton Street, Birmingham #205, Birmingham | Lease *Represented Buyer and Seller

PUBLISHER David Hohendorf NEWS EDITOR Lisa Brody NEWS STAFF/CONTRIBUTORS Hillary Brody Anchill | Kevin Elliott | 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

FACEBOOK facebook.com/downtownpublications TWITTER twitter.com/downtownpubs OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL oaklandconfidential.com METRO INTELLIGENCER metrointelligencer.com Member of Downtown Publications DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM/BLOOMFIELD

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A s s o c i a t e B r o k e r

cgPEro@yAhoo.com 248.797.0784

275 S. Old Woodward Downtown Birmingham

The #1 IndIvIdual agenT In MIchIgan by SaleS voluMe - www.realtrends.com g

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514 chase lane – bloomfield hills - $1,650,000

Gorgeous 2005 built custom home on over an acre in gated Bloomfield Hunt Club Estates. 5 bedrooms, 5.2 baths.

Gourmet kitchen, walkout basement. Beautiful grounds.

1779 Woodgrove – bloomfield Twp - $1,549,900

Wonderful 2004 built 4 bedroom, 4.2 bath home on a private .85 acre lot in the Birmingham school district. Amazing new kitchen in 2017, finished walkout lower level with 2nd kitchen.

1650 henrietta – birmingham - $1,250,000

Quality built exceptional brick and stone 4 bedroom, 4.1 bath home. Gorgeous kitchen and custom woodwork throughout.

Finished lower level and studio above garage.

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4381 chisholm Trail - bloomfield hills - $799,000

Mid century modern feel in this spacious 3 bedroom, 3.1 bath ranch on a beautiful 1.09 acre lot. Finished walkout basement. Inground pool and detached pool house.

5078 chain bridge – bloomfield Twp - $549,900

Desirable Nantucket Green 4 bedroom 2.1 bath colonial lovingly maintained over the years. Beautiful .42 acre lot.

Partially finished basement. Birmingham schools.

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1250 Miami Path - orion Twp - $424,900

One of the best locations on private Indianwood Lake with .88 acres of property and about 255 feet of frontage. Renovate existing home or build your dream home. Lake Orion schools.

5464 crispin Way - West bloomfield - $549,900

Extensive gorgeous renovation of this 3 bedroom, 2.1 bath colonial with Birmingham schools. Open concept main level, kitchen w/premium appliances, finished walkout lower level.

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3522 e Pond - lake orion - $419,900

Four bedroom, 2.1 bath move-in ready colonial on a gorgeous lot with views of the pond. Large kitchen with island opens to family room. Association pool and tennis courts.

590 Riverside - birmingham - $399,900

Last vacant site remaining in Riverside Place - exclusive development of 8 detached condos steps from downtown Birmingham.

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 December 23, 2020.

Placement of codes is approximate.

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23 Hidden Ridge Bloomfield Hills - $4,500,000

2756 Turtle Bluff Drive Bloomfield Hills - $10,550,000

5339 Trillium Court Orchard Lake Vlg - $5,100,000

3955 Lake Front Street Waterford - $2,750,000

4359 Oak Grove Drive Bloomfield Hills - $2,250,000

30815 Wendbrook Lane Beverly Hills - $1,999,000

700 E Square Lake Road Bloomfield Hills - $1,999,000

4810 Mandale Court West Bloomfield - $1,899,000

1914 Long Lake Shores Drive Bloomfield Hills - $1,825,000

3425 W Long Lake Road West Bloomfield - $1,790,000

1738 Fairview Street Birmingham - $1,399,000

6700 Colby Lane Bloomfield Hills - $1,399,000

3057 Heron Pointe Drive Bloomfield Hills - $1,399,000

1788 Cass Lake Front Road Keego Harbor - $1,299,000

4664 Kiftsgate Bend Bloomfield Hills - $1,125,000

6455 Bloomfield Glens Road West Bloomfield - $999,000

6087 Oak Trail West Bloomfield - $899,000

8 Vaughan Bloomfield Hills - $829,900

1729 Heron Ridge Drive Bloomfield Hills - $799,000

280 Canterbury Road Bloomfield Hills - $799,000

6072 N Creek Court West Bloomfield - $775,000

6302 Branford Drive West Bloomfield - $749,000

1778 Alexander Drive Bloomfield Hills - $575,000

702 Seabiscuit Drive Troy - $499,000

4109 Foxpointe Drive West Bloomfield - $349,000

LOOKING FOR A

real estate agent?

LUXURY REAL ESTATE. REDEFINED. 4173 Noble Road Oxford Twp - $3,900,000

248.289.0660 tushar@tvahomes.com www.tusharvakhariya.com 1439 Kirkway Road Bloomfield Hills - $4,500,000

210 S. Old Woodward Suite 200.

Birmingham, MI 48009

OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL 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.

MITTEN CONNECTION: Michigan Democrats continued to get their fair share of attention on the national stage as President-elect Joe Biden worked his way through building his cabinet to lead the 15 executive departments prior to formally taking over after the January 20 inauguration. Last month we noted how the name of Bloomfield Township Congressman Andy Levin was being bandied about for possible appointment as labor secretary, a post still open. Add to the mix Oakland Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, whose LEVIN name has been circulating as possible director of the CIA, where she worked under two past presidents as a CIA analyst prior to running for the 8th district that takes in part of north Oakland, along with parts of Livingston and Ingham counties. Post also still open at this writing and word is that House leadership is concerned that its narrow margin of control of that chamber would be razor thin if more members leave for the administration. Also SLOTKIN getting some notice, progressive Democratic groups (Justice Democrats and the Sunrise Movement) were petitioning on behalf of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel for U.S. Attorney General, along with former gubernatorial candidate Dr. Abdul El Sayed, a Bloomfield Hills Andover grad, for Secretary of Health and Human Resources. He lost out to California Attorney General Xavier Becerra.

Likewise, the groups were lobbying for Detroit Democrat Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib for the top spot at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which was ultimately given to Congresswoman March Fudge, a six-term Representative from Ohio.

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SLOTKIN/BIDEN/PELOSI: Oakland Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin was back in the headlines the past two months for a variety of other reasons, first in November for saying right after her re-election that she would not be voting for Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to have another term as Speaker of the House. National publications quoted her as saying she felt it was time for a change in leadership, especially since Democrats barely hung on to their majority control of the U.S. House in the 2020 balloting. Really nothing new here for Slotkin, who first raised the Pelosi issue when she ran and won PELOSI this seat in the 2018 election. She was noted as “present” when the vote on Pelosi was taken two years ago. In mid-December, Slotkin made the news again, this time by challenging Biden’s announcement of his appointment of retired General Lloyd Austin as defense secretary. Slotkin objected on the grounds that the department housing the branches of the armed forces was designed to be headed by a civilian, not persons from the military, as a safeguard to keep the military under control of the citizenry.

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REPUBLICAN DUAL: Now that the tea leaves have been sorted and the sludge filtered out and even the most die hard Republicans have finally accepted the election results the rest of us have known since November 7, the next battle state Republicans are facing is who will lead them forward in 2021. Word around political quarters is that former Michigan GOP head Ron Weiser – who is a regent at University of Michigan and was ambassador to Slovakia under former President George W. Bush from 2001-2006 – wants to take the reins of the state party back from

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current party chair Laura Cox. After all, under Cox, a former state rep from Livonia, who has been state chair since 2019 – and did not deliver the state for the party – ie, Donald Trump or John James. Weiser previously was state party chair first in 2010, and then again from 2017 to 2019, when he stepped down he said, to battle cancer. In recent interviews, he has said he is doing well. Look for the two at center ring February 20, 2021 when the vote on the position takes place.

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ANOTHER ROUND: Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes announced she’s going for another two-year term, which outgoing Oakland County party chair Vaughn Derderian said is “unequivocally a good thing. I don’t think there is anyone better who could replace her.”

Barnes is the first Black woman to hold the state’s top Democratic job, and was the chief operating officer under prior chair Brandon Dillon, helping to elect the slate of Gretchen Whitmer, Jocelyn Benson and Dana Nessel to the three top jobs, as well as helping flip the congressional seats now held by Reps. Haley Stevens (MI-11) and Elissa Slotkin (MI-8). “If you want to talk, you can call anyone, if you want to win, you call Lavora,” Dillon said. While Dems credit Barnes with helping Joe Biden and Kamala Harris turn Michigan blue again and making sure Senator Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Township) return to the Senate, the goal of flipping the state House wasn’t achieved in 2020, Derderian noted, “MDP can’t run the races – the candidates are on the ground doing the work.”

COVID CURSE: In Oakland County, GOP politics are stable, with Oakland County Republican Party Chair Rocky Raczkowski earning a “do-over” from the party faithful for another two-year term. “I have some things I want to accomplish – while I respect the electorate, I don’t feel comfortable with the inexperience and spendthrift leadership of (Oakland County Executive) Dave Coulter and (county board chair) Dave Woodward. I will not rest until we make it right.” We send our best wishes for another term along with ‘Get well wishes’ to Raczkowski, who recently battled back RACZKOWSKI COVID-19. “I’m 100 percent now. It was five days I was down for the count.” Raczkowski said he “always wore a mask. I sometimes got ridiculed about it, but I wore my mask.” The county party chairman said he was able to contact trace his exposure back to interaction with President Trump’s outgoing HUD Secretary Ben Carson.

Carson reported he tested positive following an election night event at the White House.

NO DRAMA, NO DEBATE: There was no drama with the Oakland County Democratic Party, as chair Vaughn Derderian announced he was not going for another term. The slate presented, with Jody LaMacchia as the incoming chair for a new term was endorsed by Derderian, who said on Facebook, “Serving as OCDP Chair has been one of the highlights of my life… I am 100 percent endorsing the Unity Slate and Jody.” LaMacchia ran unsuccessfully against incumbent Republican state Rep. John Reilly in 2020 for the very red 46th District seat, covering Addison Township, Brandon Township, Oxford and part of Oakland Township. While she wasn’t able to flip the seat, she did show her fundraising mettle, outperforming Reilly on the money front almost two-to-one, with a total for the fundraising cycle at over $92,000 to Reilly’s $50,000. The rest of the Oakland County Democratic slate is filled with a who’s who of potential party up-and-comers who didn’t quite make it in their races this year – including Kelly Dillaha of Birmingham who ran unsuccessfully for county commission, Nash Salami, who at 19 ran just a few votes shy of making it onto the

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Birmingham Public Schools board, who are members at large, and Ray Wert, the other half to state Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills), a party vice chair.

MARCH OF THE LEMMINGS: The attempted autocratic coup by President Donald Trump to overturn the results of the November election, aided by the Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s last gasp effort with a lawsuit charge at the Republican-dominated U.S. Supreme Court to throw out the November vote results from four states, including Michigan, drew the backing of a number of GOP members of our state’s Congressional delegation and some Republican state Representatives from Oakland County. Signing onto the legal action were Michigan’s U.S. House members Jack REILLY Bergman (District 1/Watersmeet), Bill Huizenga (District 2/Zeeland), John Moolenar (District 4/Midland) and Tim Walberg (District 7/Tipton). Fifteen state lawmakers also asked to join the lawsuit, which the Supremes rejected in a one-page unsigned opinion. Among them, John Reilly of Oakland Township and Matt (Mad Dog) Maddock from Milford. Maddock, according to some reports, took it one step further by joining a group that tried (but failed) MADDOCK to enter the Capitol as an “alternate” slate to give the state to Trump during Electoral College voting in mid-December. #sedition or #votersmustremember.

CHUTZPAH: With many residents struggling with business closures, layoffs, unemployment, food insecurity, and other issues related to an economic downturn related to the COVID-19 pandemic, some would say it was the definition of chutzpah – or audacity – for Democratic members of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners to propose a pay raise for themselves, to take place in the new year, but that is what they recently tried. The proposed hike was to be three percent on their $37,000 annual salary (plus health care) for part-time work; for chairs of minority and majority caucuses to have their pay increased by 10 percent – WOODWARD and for board chair David Woodward (D-Royal Oak) to receive a 30 percent increase. Currently, Woodward receives a 20 percent stipend over his base pay for the extra work that goes along with being a board chair. The board vice chair and caucus leaderes were to get an increase in their stipends. All this dough at a time when county officials are proposing buyouts or voluntary retirements of county employees to decrease payroll. The county commission raise was voted down, with all the Republicans and one Democrat voting no.

Outgoing commissioner Shelley Goodman Taub (R-Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills) pazzsaid, “I keep thinking about one percent that the single mother doesn’t have for her car payment, or the one percent she doesn’t have for rent or the one percent she doesn’t have for groceries or for food.” As for the stipend for Woodward, commissioner Mike Gingell (R-Lake Angelus), himself a former board chair, broke with his fellow Republicans in supporting Woodward receiving a 30 percent pay bump, to $53,042, noting that “It’s focused on leadership.” He also said he had done the job before and knew how much work it entailed. GOP county chair Rocky Raczkowski said, “It’s unfathomable when people are hurting economically. This is not leadership by example but leadership by personal greed.” He said he would resign as party chair “if Dave Woodward would resign and give back his pay raise because he doesn’t represent the people of Royal Oak.” DOWNTOWN

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Siobhán Cronin iobhán Cronin wears many hats in the music world. As a classically trained violinist, she performs regularly with top talents and touring shows, from TransSiberian Orchestra to Michael Bublé.

As a solo performer in the genre of classical crossover and rock violin, she’s performed in renowned venues nationwide, from Lincoln Center in New York City to the Fox Theatre in Detroit.

A few years ago, Cronin joined the cinematic rock band Starset as their touring violinist, taking her across the globe. As a studio musician, she’s been a recording artist for film and TV projects and can be heard as the solo violinist on the smash hit Netflix miniseries, “The Queen’s Gambit.”

Growing up in Troy, she attended Cranbrook Kingswood Schools where she first discovered the violin in the second grade. “I was lucky to be exposed to music at Cranbrook and in the metro Detroit area that is so rich, not just with the symphony, but high-level youth orchestras,” said Cronin, who currently lives in Miami, but also spends time in Ohio and metro Detroit.

After earning undergraduate degrees in violin performance and economics from the University of Michigan, where she also received her master’s degree in violin and viola performance, she still didn’t know she would pursue music as a career. “I thought I would transition out of it and get a real job,” she said.

Her first big break came from her experience with varied performances like classical rock and pop. “I was always into different styles of music and I had to carve my own path in a lot of ways,” said Cronin.

A fusion of her diverse interests would lead to a turning point in her career when she performed with Trans-Siberian Orchestra. “It marked the first time I played a concert of that size (20,000) – and I was still in college at the time,” she said.

“Playing non-classical gigs that fuse classic rock and a huge production felt kind of liberating. I didn’t know a violinist could play with non-traditional instruments like a guitar player and a drummer.”

Known for her stage presence and classical chops, she was able to perform with Michael Bublé and other artists. “Then I picked up Starset, which is the most intensive culmination of what I dreamed about doing,” she said. That’s also how she met her husband, Brock Richards, a guitarist with the band.

When “The Queen’s Gambit” came along, the composer who wrote the score was looking for string players when working on potential film projects.

“He had me record some cues and I really liked the music,” said Cronin, who appeared in the credits. “I was involved so early on; I’m always the first one in line to do something because you never know what it’s going to turn into.”

Being a musician of her caliber may sound like a glamorous life, but it requires a great deal of discipline and hard work behind the scenes.

“You have to practice every day and learn new repertoires. It’s like being an athlete. You have to train all the time. You have to be an entrepreneur and you have to be able to put yourself out there. If you really love it, you wake up energized by it like I do.”

For her, success can be measured in different ways. “I love playing for young people that haven’t been exposed to live music,” said Cronin. “If I can make somebody’s day brighter and encourage a kid to be creative, it’s not about the money or the fame.”

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ORPHANED WELLS OLD SITES COULD BE LEAKING METHANE GAS, THREATENING ENVIRONMENT

BY STACY GITTLEMAN tarting as early as 1859, long-gone prospectors drilled wells for oil and gas in Michigan, looking to cash in to fuel the American Industrial Revolution.

When wells dried up and their drillers went bust, wells were left, uncapped, their decaying pipes plunging deep and left behind in forests, fields, or farms which as time moved on became developed as towns, cities and suburbia. Some operators left the pipes wide open while others plugged them with rudimentary methods with materials like scrap lumber or leftover construction material.

These are called orphaned wells. If not properly remediated, they can leak greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere for years to come. It is becoming increasingly understood that orphaned wells are a contributor to global warming.

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In 2019, the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission estimated that there are 56,000 documented – and as many as 2.1 million undocumented – orphaned wells in the United States. In 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that many of these abandoned oil and gas wells emitted 280 kilotons of methane per year, but because of poor documentation of these wells, the rate may actually be three times as high. Methane’s warming impact is over 30 times that of carbon dioxide over 100 years.

Responsibility for orphaned wells falls to the cash-strapped state governments to resolve and orphaned well numbers are accelerating as the COVID-19 pandemic cools demand for oil and gas. But as the incoming Biden administration gets to work in 2021, there is hope that Congress will pass the Moving Forward Act, which will help plug the nation’s orphaned oil wells at a faster rate by putting oil workers back on the job while at the same time bolstering the U.S. with greener, renewable energy.

Until a decade ago, there was little quantification of methane emissions from oil and gas wells. In addition to orphaned wells contributing to global warming, leaked underground methane migration can cause the potential for underground explosions, according to Pew Research Center.

Examples of methane hazards include explosions at a Colorado construction site in 2007 and a Pennsylvania home in 2011. That’s when Dr. Mary Kang, assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at McGill University, began studying the topic, becoming the foremost expert on the topic in North America, according to environmentalists. She studied methane emissions in the U.S.’s orphaned wells at ground zero – Pennsylvania – home to 15 percent of the nation’s orphaned wells. The state may have as many as half a million of them. Even when they are plugged, some must still be vented to let the methane escape into the atmosphere rather than potentially causing an explosion in a nearby coal mine.

“Generally, plugged wells emit less methane than unplugged wells,” said Kang. “However, there is a special category of plugged wells in Pennsylvania’s coal regions that are vented and emit as much as the highest emitting unplugged wells. Even so, many plugged wells do emit methane to the atmosphere, but often at lower rates than unplugged ones.”

When Kang began her research, she said methane from wells were not accounted for in the EPA’s greenhouse gas inventory.

“It is good that emissions from these wells are now included in the EPA’s quantifying of greenhouse gasses. I think this is a great start,” she said.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, crude oil was first produced in Michigan in the 1920s.

Production peaked in 1979, and the state ranks 18th nationally as a producer in oil and 14th in gas. To date, approximately 60,000 oil and gas-related wells have been drilled within the state of Michigan.

DrillingEdge reported that oil and gas production in Oakland County and neighboring environs has been dropping steadily and today is nearly at zero after a few spikes in 1995 and 2008. The database listed an inventory of 417 total wells countywide. Though the majority listed currently have a “plugging approved,” “permit terminated,” or “unknown” status, there are at least a dozen producing wells, as of July 2020, in southeastern Michigan in places like Island Lake Recreation Area in Brighton, Dearborn, Lyon Township, Northville, Novi, White Lake Township and Wixom.

As the pandemic wears on and oil and gas producers are at the edge of going belly up due to plunging demand, public policymakers, academics and retired oil executives believe there is an opportunity to put unemployed oil drillers back to work by plugging the wells and restoring the land around them with the right combination of private, state and federal funding.

Adam Peltz, a lawyer with the Environmental Defense Fund, said he hopes the new Congress will pay more attention and put more funding into a federal program to enable the states to accelerate remediation efforts. “The problem of methane leaking out of orphaned wells has been with us for about 170 years,” he said. “Operators drill and make money from the wells. And by the time it comes around to plugging and remediating the wells, the money's gone.”

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) defines an orphaned well as an abandoned or improperly closed well for which no owner or operator is known, or for which all owners or operators have gone out of business.

Under a different classification, temporarily abandoned wells are owned by an existing permit holder which has decided that economic conditions make it unfeasible to continue to operate the well. By staying in constant communication with EGLE, these operators may idle the well without approval for 12 months or with approval for from one to five years, provided that the permit holder can prove the

AS THE INCOMING BIDEN ADMINISTRATION GETS TO WORK, THERE IS HOPE THAT CONGRESS WILL PASS THE MOVING FORWARD ACT, WHICH WILL HELP PLUG ORPHANED OIL WELLS AT A FASTER RATE BY PUTTING OIL WORKERS BACK ON THE JOB WHILE AT THE SAME TIME BOLSTERING THE U.S. WITH GREENER, RENEWABLE ENERGY. well will not risk the environment or public health or cause waste. No more than 10 percent of the permittee’s wells may be temporarily abandoned. In 2019, Michigan counted 1,288 approved idled or “temporarily abandoned” wells.

In 1994, EGLE’s oil, gas, and minerals division established the orphan well fund as regulated by parts 615 and 616 of the 1994 Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. Revenue for the program comes from two percent of a severance tax collected from the oil and gas industry. With allocations from the state capped at about $1 million per year, EGLE has plugged almost 400 wells in 27 years.

If this appears to be a slow rate of progress, it is. Plugging a well requires highly skilled workers and it's slow, oftentimes dangerous and methodical work. It is also expensive. The average in-state cost to plug a well is at $100,000 – way higher than the national Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission average of $15,000. The money does not go far, so the backlog grows.

According to Mark Snow, EGLE’s permits and technical services manager, many of Michigan’s oil and gas wells are dry – meaning that they were drilled but are unfruitful. Those that do leak liquids to the surface or groundwater levels, such as methane and brine. are the ones that garner prioritization to be plugged.

Each year, the oil, gas, and minerals division inventories and prioritizes an inventory of orphaned wells that pose the

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most imminent danger to the environment or public health because of visible seepage of brine or methane. Most of these problematic wells are outside Oakland County. In its 20172018 Orphaned Well inventory report, Michigan plugged six wells at a total of $1,000,358. As of May 2020, Michigan documented and prioritized 116 wells as orphaned.

“In 2020, we plugged two orphaned oil wells that cost $300,00 apiece,” said Adam Wygant, oil, gas, and minerals division director. “We may have the dubious distinction of having the most expensive wells to treat. This is because, unlike other states where wells may be located in remote deserts or fields, in Michigan, we may find wells in places that were once remote but are now located in developed suburbs, towns and cities.”

One of these wells was located in the central part of the state that endured extreme flooding this spring. The other was located beneath the construction site of the $20 million Muskegon Convention Center. The Muskegon area, including suburban neighborhoods, is littered with underground orphaned wells leftover from a boom in the 1920s. Geological experts say in that area there may be up to 1,000 orphaned oil wells lurking below the surface.

In January 2020, the city of Muskegon had broken ground on the Lakeshore Convention Center when construction workers unearthed a pipe leading to Mason Lumber Well #1.

Dating back to 1872, it was plugged to the standards of its day – with a wooden, hand-carved mechanism fastened with rope and stuffed with materials like old rope and construction scraps. Disturbed from the construction, it began to belch crude oil. Not only was it holding up the construction project, but the well was located just three feet from the outer wall of a Marriott Hotel.

Muskegon officials quickly contacted EGLE to plug the well so construction could continue. EGLE's remediation and redevelopment division directed $200,000 in cleanup and redevelopment funding to the project to offset the costs of cleaning up and plugging the old well. The orphan well fund contributed another $82,546 toward the plugging.

“Normally we do not go out and plug wells in the dead of winter because contracting prices are higher and equipment can freeze up,” said Wygant. “But we worked quickly with the Muskegon first responder community and all the construction contractors on that project. The project was complete in a month. Because of the risky nature of the project, we were in constant contact with Muskegon emergency responders and kept the hotel constantly updated.”

These are two examples of wells that required immediate attention that caught the state by surprise. As a whole, Wygant said, compared to other states like Pennsylvania, Michigan has oil drilling records that stretch back to the early 1900’s, so they know the location of the bulk of its orphaned wells.

“Our well-inventoried database puts us in a unique position,” said Wygant. “It gives us a high level of confidence in well location and how the wells were drilled, constructed, and if they were plugged. We also have a highly-skilled and dedicated team that oversees oil and gas operations with field staff representing each county, responding to any complaints and concerns, and most importantly, ensuring that the oil and gas industry is conforming to Michigan’s laws and rules.”

On EGLE's orphaned oil list for 2019, four out of 93 nonleaking wells were plugged and of 23 of the lowest-priority wells, three were plugged and seven were being monitored for methane emissions.

When existing oil developers deem that a boring hole is dry

or no longer lucrative, state regulations require them to notify EGLE and pay to plug the well themselves at a rate of about 300 wells per year.

Michigan requires conformance bonding for all active oil and gas permittees to cover the costs associated with final well plugging.

In Michigan, blanket bonds range from $100,000 to $250,000. This is higher than the federal level, as the Bureau of Land Management regulations sets minimum bond values at $10,000 for an operator’s wells on an individual lease, $25,000 for all of an operator’s wells in a state, and $150,000 for all of an operator’s wells nationwide. According to the Congressional Natural Resources Committee, these bond rates have not increased since 1960.

According to guidelines set by the EPA, modern plugging methods can prevent a well from emitting methane by 97 percent for the next 100 years.

That is why state officials argue that when a well is properly sealed, it is truly at the end of its life and there is no obligation to further monitor it for emissions.

EGLE officials say orphaned wells in Michigan are decommissioned through a series of cement plugs that are set at different zones along the well bore, including a minimum of 25 feet cement plug in the surface pipe. A steel plate is then welded across the top of the wellhead four feet below grade.

EGLE's Oil, Gas, and Minerals Division administers specific plugging instructions for each well that is plugged, inspects

PLUGGING A WELL REQUIRES HIGHLY SKILLED WORKERS. IT'S SLOW, OFTENTIMES DANGEROUS WORK, AND VERY EXPENSIVE. THE AVERAGE IN-STATE COST IS $100,000 – WAY HIGHER THAN THE INTERSTATE OIL AND GAS COMPACT COMMISSION AVERAGE OF $15,000. THE MONEY DOES NOT GO FAR, SO THE BACKLOG GROWS. sites during plugging operations and requires operators to provide a final record of the well plugging 60 days after plugging operations have been completed. Afterward, no state or federal regulations are called to monitor these plugged wells for potential future methane leaks.

Michigan has created a somewhat ironic symbiosis between the oil and gas industry and its environmental and natural resources. According to the Michigan Oil and Gas Association, the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF), established under the Kammer Recreational Land Trust Fund Act of 1976, has contributed over $1.1 billion for the public acquisition of land for resource protection and public outdoor recreation. This money comes from royalties on the sale and lease of state-owned oil, gas, and mineral rights.

This November, voters in Michigan approved and passed Proposition 1, a Constitutional amendment to the Michigan National Resources Trust Fund that will change how revenue in the state's park-related funds can be spent. Changes include making projects to renovate recreational facilities eligible for grants and require that at least 20 percent of the parks endowment fund spending be spent on park capital improvements. The proposition also removes the cap on the size of the natural resources trust fund.

Conan Smith, president and CEO of the Michigan Environmental Council, said natural resource funds Proposal 1 amends in the Michigan Constitution do not in any way

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"What Proposal 1 does do is expand the way funds generated by those minerals can be used to better protect our natural resources and connect people to them. That's why 84 percent of voters supported it."

Scott Huber of the Michigan Oil and Gas Association said he, his children, and grandchildren are hunters who have long enjoyed Michigan’s natural resources and wish to safeguard it for future generations. He said that enhanced, less invasive exploration and drilling techniques and stricter regulations mean that oil and mineral holders will continue to explore and pump oil in Michigan as long as there is a demand for this fuel.

Retired from the oil production industry, Huber sees a better working relationship between Michigan’s oil producers and EGLE’s Wygant in better managing the state’s current inventory of orphaned wells and believes there are greater incentives to assure they do not fall into an orphan status.

“Sometimes, when I look at drilling activities in the 1930's and 40's, I ask myself, ‘What were they thinking?’” Huber said.

“Now, we are not like John Wayne coming through on horseback, acting recklessly to be able to get oil and gas from the ground. While many things are driven by the bottom line, we must do things safely and securely and under the guidance of the state. When a well has lived out its productivity, oil producers must leave the well behind and meet that with the conditions and rules and regulations of the state. And the way EGLE’s regulations are now, operators are not free to walk away from wells they drill.”

While some in the oil industry believe they are acting responsibly and balancing the right to drill for minerals within regulations set by the state, other politicians see the industry’s actions in the state as “out of control.”

Five years ago, there was a flurry of permit requests from oil and gas companies wishing to explore in densely populated southeast Michigan. Newer seismic imaging technology and relatively shallow depths of oil reserves in metro Detroit at first enticed drillers. But less than fruitful gains and a drop in demand for fuel because of the pandemic has caused a slump in new permit requests.

There were permit requests in Scio Township, a 2015 lawsuit started by a Rochester Hills citizen’s group called “Don’t Drill in the Hills,” against proposed drilling in that community, and most notoriously, the start-stop venture of Jordan Development, when in 2016 it successfully won a bid to drill on the property of One World Faith Church in Southfield. . “Ever since Jordan Development explored for oil on the property of the World Faith Church, we may as well all be at the corner of Nine Mile and Evergreen,” said state Senator Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield). “There has been a disconnect between state policies and the needs in local communities.

That’s why my colleagues from both sides of the aisle and I have continually introduced legislation that allows for local municipalities to have more control of what kind of drilling happens in their neighborhoods. Right now, it’s anything goes.

We are still cleaning up and dealing with wells drilled 70 years ago (such as brine leaching from a well found in a Southfield residential area). We do not need to create future drilling that will be abandoned only to pollute the Rogue River and emit methane into the atmosphere.”

However, EGLE maintains that to issue a permit, the supervisor of wells, a regulatory agency around since the

1930s, mandates that drilling must happen on a prescribed size of land. A drilling unit is considered the maximum area that may be efficiently and economically drained by one well.

Drilling unit sizes range from 10 to 640 acres. A typical drilling unit size is a 40-acre unit.

In recent years, state lawmakers passed legislation that puts more restrictions on drilling in southeast Michigan – but also made it clear that municipalities cannot pass local zoning restrictions to limit mineral rights owners. Before it was renamed EGLE in 2019 by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) in 2015 passed more stringent drilling regulations in counties with populations of 750,000 or more. In residential zones where 40 or more homes or public occupancy buildings exist, a proposed well location must be more than 1,320 feet away.

A township supervisor or city manager and residents within 1,320 feet of a proposed well location must be notified before work starts. Permit applications must include an analysis showing why alternative drilling locations farther from homes aren't feasible. Lastly, actions must be taken to reduce overnight noise.

Moss and state Senator Peter Lucido (R-Shelby Township) do not think these laws go far enough and want to see easements between wells and properties be increased to over 2,000 feet. Both senators have been vocal proponents against drilling in both their communities. They also feel like Michigan should walk back zoning laws which prohibit

ACCORDING TO EPA GUIDELINES, MODERN PLUGGING METHODS CAN PREVENT A WELL FROM EMITTING METHANE BY 97 PERCENT FOR THE NEXT 100 YEARS. THAT IS WHY STATE OFFICIALS ARGUE THAT WHEN A WELL IS PROPERLY SEALED, IT IS TRULY AT THE END OF ITS LIFE AND THERE IS NO OBLIGATION TO MONITOR IT FOR EMISSIONS. municipalities from creating their own regulations on oil and gas drilling.

Amendments to the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act of 2006, passed in 2019, prohibit municipalities from creating exclusionary zoning to prevent drilling and extraction of natural resources unless “very serious consequences would result from the extraction of those natural resources.”

As far as encountering any brine leaks from orphaned wells, outside one in Southfield which leached brine into the Rogue River in 2016, there have been few local incidents, according to Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash.

“We have not seen much in the way of new drilling in Oakland County in the past few years, mostly because the low cost of fuel means it’s not as economically justified to start new wells,” Nash said. “The drilling in Southfield failed and they didn’t find anything to justify a permanent well.

Generally speaking, EGLE does all regulating of those facilities and we have no actual role. In fact, we often don't even know about new permits until they've been authorized and we are only notified as a formality.”

Though Wygant of EGLE said the state is not obligated to monitor a properly plugged well for emissions, as part of its fugitive emissions monitoring program, the oil, gas, and minerals division works with EGLE's air quality division and deploys a forward-looking infrared camera at active oil and

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gas sites to search for fugitive emissions during routine inspections. Emissions have been detected this way from wells in Ingham, Gratiot and St. Clair counties.

Other methods of creating techniques to monitor methane are being researched at Oakland University. Recognized for their work on studying methane emissions building from the warming permafrost in the Arctic Circle, the National Science Foundation awarded a two-year, “10 Big Ideas” Award of $294,536 to professor Xianqun Zeng and assistant professor Ziming Yang of Oakland University. The pair developed a low-cost, low-power multimodal sensor that will help researchers address the challenges of measuring carbon dioxide and methane emissions across the Arctic soil. From an industrial standpoint, Zeng said these same sensors can be used by the oil and gas industry to monitor methane emissions from orphaned and abandoned wells.

“Methane has been detected by techniques that are expensive and limited which prevents them from being widely deployed in mines, industrial factories pipelines … or wherever methane and natural gas are used,” said Zeng.

As Michigan grapples with cleaning up the wells of its past, it must also put regulatory mechanisms in place to prevent wells from becoming orphaned in the future.

The Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission reported that six states, excluding Michigan, are creating incentives for private landowners to plug orphaned wells. The incentives include offering states grant money for current landowners to remediate orphan wells they find on their own land to landowners getting reimbursements from the state and thereby reducing their state income taxes. In neighboring Ohio, the state directly pays a contractor who voluntarily plugs a well, as well as resulting in state income tax savings to the landowner.

However, Peltz of the Environmental Defense Fund said Michigan does have one of the nation’s most progressive preventative regulations because of its scrutiny of proposals to transfer well ownership, especially when an operator wishes to acquire a well at the end of its life.

"In many cases, at the end of an oil well’s life, the original operator of one – or hundreds of wells – may find a buyer that will try to eke out those final hydrocarbons to make money,” said Peltz. “Once the wells dry up, they can declare bankruptcy, and plugging and cleanup of those wells will become the responsibility of the state. And when that second company finds those wells are no longer lucrative, they will attempt to sell it to a bankruptcy-proof entity to slough off their liability.”

Peltz added that Michigan’s orphan well program gives the regulator more authority to analyze the transferee’s assets to see whether they have the liquidity and infrastructure to manage the wells they want to take on beyond the amount of that blanket bond.

“Alaska is the only other state I am aware of that puts a transfer of wells under such comprehensive analysis,” Peltz said. “So good on Michigan for having that policy. EDF would like to see other states consider policies of this sort.”

Out west, continuous downward trends in oil production are putting a spotlight on how quickly oil companies are going under. This leaves many wells at risk for becoming orphaned but also makes way for an opportunity to put out of work skilled oil drillers that are needed to remediate and plug the nation’s growing inventory of orphaned wells.

For example, in 2020, North Dakota saw a jump from zero to several dozen orphaned wells in just a few months. In a

controversial move, the state used relief money from the CARES Covid Relief Act to put unemployed oil drillers back to work plugging wells.

This notion is getting attention from the federal government as well as private entities. This spring, the House of Representatives introduced House Resolution 2.

Known as the Moving Forward Act, it is a more than $1.5 trillion plan to rebuild American infrastructure and includes allocations for cleaning up abandoned coal mines and orphaned oil and gas wells, putting drillers, miners and engineers to work clearing the way for new infrastructure and economic redevelopment. While it was received in the Senate July 1, it has not yet moved forward.

Out in Montana, former oil executive Curtis Shuck in 2019 created the Well Done Foundation. It is a non-profit organization that relies on donations and the sale of carbon offsets, called climate benefit units, to fund awareness, plugging and land-resurfacing work for orphaned oil wells.

Shuck said he also works with Montana environmental officials, as well as researchers, to formulate advanced plugging techniques and even has a program for people to adopt an orphaned oil well in Montana for cleanup and is branching out to form partnerships in Texas, Kansas, Colorado, California and Wyoming.

“The vision of the Well Done Foundation is to become a national organization,” Shuck said. “We are super excited at the attention orphaned wells are receiving, including

AS PART OF ITS FUGITIVE EMISSIONS MONITORING PROGRAM, THE OIL, GAS, AND MINERALS DIVISION WORKS WITH EGLE'S AIR QUALITY DIVISION AND DEPLOYS A FORWARD-LOOKING INFRARED CAMERA AT ACTIVE OIL AND GAS SITES TO SEARCH FOR FUGITIVE EMISSIONS, WHICH HAVE BEEN DETECTED THIS WAY IN SOME COUNTIES. increased interest in the oil and gas industry. We are hoping that, through the development of a carbon finance strategy, it will allow others to enter into this endeavor to plug the overwhelming number of orphaned wells.”

Daniel Raimi, a lecturer at the University of Michigan Gerald Ford School of Public Policy and senior research associate for the non-profit environmental research organization Resources for the Future said it would be a “win-win” opportunity if Congress can get behind the Moving Forward Act and put thousands of oil drillers back on the job. Raimi said the program could be scaleable at the state level, but issues would need to be worked out concerning government contracts and beefing up state oversight of spending federal dollars.

Raimi said the Moving Forward Act has the potential to support workers while benefitting the environment. Each year, these wells unleash 280,000 metric tons of toxins per year. It would cost $1.4 billion to plug the nation’s documented 56,000 orphaned wells. That could equate to creating jobs for 13,000 workers who could make upwards of $100,000 per year.

“The legacy of the oil and gas industry has left behind plunging tax revenues, but putting federal dollars to use to plug orphaned wells has the potential to support workers, our communities while helping the environment,” Raimi said.

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John Cooke s many anxiously await a COVID-19 vaccine, one native Detroiter, John Cooke, MD, PhD, is actually working on one.

Growing up in East Detroit (now Eastpointe) as the eldest of six kids in a blue-collar neighborhood, Cooke fondly recalls his modest childhood home on Nine Mile Road that only had two bedrooms until his dad built one in the attic for the boys. “It was a semi-industrial area with trucks transporting supplies for the auto industry. We went to sleep at night with the roar of the trucks going by. It was like a lullaby for us,” he said.

Other positive memories remain. “My mother was a saint,” said Cooke, who earned his MD at Wayne State School of Medicine. “She was a stayat-home mom who spent so much time with each of us to help us to be successful in school and aim high.”

She even found an ad for a Cranbrook Schools scholarship competition that he would go on to win.

Cooke seemed destined for success even before his high school years at Cranbrook. “I always wanted to be a scientist. I really was fascinated by life and living things,” he said. “In second grade, my father bought me an encyclopedia set and half of one volume was on microscopic animals.

Paramecia were my favorite.”

He remembers the nuns at St. Veronica School asking students to make a sculpture of their favorite animal. While other kids presented cats and dogs and the occasional goldfish, he made paramecia.

Later, he would train in cardiovascular medicine and obtain a PhD at the Mayo Clinic and teach at Harvard Medical School and Stanford University School of Medicine.

Today, his passion continues at the Houston Methodist Research Institute, where he takes on multiple roles as professor and chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences; Director of the Center for

A

Cardiovascular Regeneration; Director of the RNA Therapeutics Program; and member of the board of Houston Methodist Research Institute.

“It’s been really fun to bring in brilliant young scientists,” he said about his team currently collaborating on a COVID-19 vaccine with GeneOne Life Science known for DNA vaccines. “They learn from us how to manufacture RNA therapeutics that essentially are a working copy of the DNA encoding a protein. It’s like writing code, which is why RNA vaccines are becoming the new norm.”

Though some vaccines are expected sooner than others, they are in the early stages. “We’re not going to be the first. We’re in primates right now and we’re new to this arena, but we’ll be ready for the next pandemic,” he said. “One of the things we’re doing is making a better RNA vaccine.”

In the meantime, improved treatments include steroids and convalescent serum.

He said there are strategies to employ to keep the lining of the blood vessels healthy to help resist potential complications. “People with diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity are more likely to get more serious symptoms, the reason being that they already have endothelium (membrane lining the heart) that is somewhat abnormal,” he said.

“What we can do is address the conditions that need to be treated, be on a good diet like the Mediterranean diet, and exercise. Just a small amount of walking can have a beneficial effect.”

On another hopeful note, Dr. Cooke said, “We are all working together on a vaccine. It’s an international effort. To see that common goal is inspiring.”

Story: Jeanine Matlow

OAKLAND COUNTY ON COVID-19, TESTING, In a wide ranging interview, Downtown news editor Lisa Brody spoke to the two leading health experts in Oakland County, health officer Leigh-Anne Stafford and medical director Dr. Russell Faust, to help readers figure their way through the current COVID-19 pandemic, understand testing numbers and policy determinations, why the virus is more dangerous indoors than out, how long to quarantine for now, and how soon vaccine help will be on the way for Oakland County residents.

Let’s first talk about the goals set by the medical community in terms of positivity rate from COVID-19 testing, which seems to be the basis for public policy in terms of lockdowns or determining when certain categories of business can reopen. Without a national standard or goal, there seems to be a variance among the states. Michigan, from what we can learn, has a five percent positivity test rating as a goal, while some medical authorities suggest it should be three percent. In the state of New York, for example, the governor there has a goal of nine percent while the mayor of New York City has set a goal of three percent as a measure that the infection rate is under control. What is the test positivity rate goal in Oakland County and how was that goal determined early on in the pandemic?

FAUST: The positivity rate is based on the World Health Organization (WHO) which says five percent. So based on global data, it speaks to or it relates to the transmission rate. It relates to infectivity. Without getting into the epidemiology of this, positivity relates to the amount of transmission you can expect in the community. Obviously, lower is better. But the World Health Organization and CDC have determined that five percent in a community is a great goal to get control over our transmission through the community. Obviously, we’d like it to be zero. But in Oakland County, when we had good control in the two and three percent positivity rate kind of level. Right now, we’re just barely above 13 percent.

But I think across the state, I think Dr. Khaldun (State of Michigan Chief Medical Director) mentioned that we’re about 15 percent across the state of Michigan right now. And shockingly there are states that are in the 70, 80 and 90 percent positivity rates. We’re talking about the Dakotas.

But we really should talk about how accurate that notion of a positive rate is.

That is over the number of positive results and negative results. And the problem is that we really don’t get the negative results reported. Now the CARES Act mandated that all diagnostic test results be reported to the health department.

And they’re just not. That’s a legal mandate, but we don’t get those results. And in fact, if we did, the actual positivity number would be lower. That would be a wonderful thing. We use the numbers that we are able to collect, and we calculate the rate.

HEALTH OFFICIALS VACCINES, THE FUTURE Presumably, the proportion of negatives that we don’t get has been relatively steady. There’s so many urgent cares and pharmacies, physician’s offices, that don’t have the history to report test results because the things they test for aren’t reportable diseases. They’re just not used to it – they don’t have the mechanism.

It’s the doctor’s offices?

DR. RUSSELL FAUST

FAUST: It’s the urgent cares really.

So if you go out to get a test today, chances are you’d go to urgent care or maybe even the pharmacy. You’d get a rapid antigen test. And that’s a diagnostic test – not particularly sensitive of a diagnostic test. But that diagnostic test is rapid. You get the result in less than 30 minutes, and go on your way. But if that result is negative – chances are very high it would never get reported to us. Very often, the only way we get even a positive result is not being reported by your computer, but by a patient, or by their employer, or by their school, if it’s a student, or their college if it’s a college student .

There seems to be some legitimate debate as to whether testing rates are truly reliable. What do the daily numbers really mean? Do people who have a rapid test as well as a standard COVID test count as one test or two tests?

What if they’re both positive – does that count as two positives? If multiple tests by the same individual are mixed in with test results, how does the medical community accurately determine where the community is at on the infection rate?

FAUST: No, then it’s considered a confirmatory. But it depends on whether or not they have symptoms. If they don’t have symptoms, and they’re just curious, or they had an exposure, and they’re not symptomatic. And they go and get one of these rapid antigen tests, and that’s negative, and they follow up with the gold standard molecular PCR test – polymerase chain reaction test – and that’s positive, then that’s one positive result, and that one is negative. One negative result.

If multiple tests by the same individual are mixed in with the test results.

How does the medical community accurately determine what and where the community is at on the infection?

FAUST: Our epidemiologists do a pretty good job and screening for repeat testers.

There’s a small number of people out there, who are let’s just call them the ‘worried well’, continue to go back for more tests, and we basically screen them out of the database.

LEIGH-ANNE STAFFORD

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52

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STAFFORD: We have a wonderful dashboard with maps. We look over maybe a 30-day period, because, although people tend to get tested, they might get tested every two weeks. That way we can really look at a set number of days over the last 30 days to see what the most recent cases are. So, yes, it may have duplicates in there, where they might have one negative and then come back and be positive. Our epidemiologists, they go in and make sure there’s no duplicates.

FAUST: Some of the day-to-day accuracy is not 100 percent, which is why we set it on the dashboard as the running seven-day average. What happens is that we’re not the only people doing the testing. If we relied strictly on the testing of our drive-thru test sites, we would have accurate day-to-day data.

What happens is there’s a number of labs testing within Oakland County. A huge number, like 15 or 20 different labs test throughout Oakland County. Many of them don’t report on a daily basis. They will, quote, “batch” the results, and then dump them on a certain day. So we’ve had days where we’re just cooking along on a daily average of 50 cases a day. And suddenly, we’ll have 400 the following day. That’s because one particular lab, or maybe a couple labs, have just dumped into the database, all of their cases for Oakland County.

In terms of testing data, one area of concern is that test results are taking too long to be returned, which therefore skews the average daily test numbers upon which public policy is set. Further, if there is going to be a valid contact tracing efforts, wouldn’t that effort be hampered by delayed return on test results? For example, my boss and his family, they just found out yesterday, nine days after they had been exposed and went for tests. Thankfully, they were negative – but nine days. If there is going to be a valid contact tracing efforts, wouldn’t that effort be hampered by this delayed return on test results?

STAFFORD: The state actually added this to their data set, because they found this to be a problem. There are many labs that are able to return results in 36 to 48 hours. For instance, the lab we’re currently using here, we’re 48-hour turnaround, generally. We may have one or two, they get extended out maybe an extra day. There are many labs out there that are still running a quick turnaround, but then there are other labs that get overwhelmed quickly. And instead of saying, okay, we have too many samples, they just keep running them and trying to catch up.

And I know, early on, we ran into this quite a bit. It got better. But now as this spike in the increase has occurred – I think the labs are just sometimes overwhelmed. And sometimes the urgent cares are able to take more patients and are pushing onto the labs when they get overwhelmed. It definitely hampers contact tracing. And I know, that’s why it’s important that as we talk through our media, and our top points is that if you’re ill, or you had traveled, or you’ve done maybe a high risk behavior, like traveled on an airplane, or visited to a restaurant that was extremely crowded, and maybe the precaution is that until I get that test result, I’m going to stay home. If I’m ill or I’m sick, I’m going to stay home, because COVID is very real. It’s in the community. And so people taking that little bit of responsibility to say, Yes, I want to get tested.

And it’s important that we get test results back quickly. That’s definitely part but also that knowing that COVID is in the community.

And if I’m participating in those activities that I also need to maybe stay at home for a few extra days to see if result or symptoms are going to just show up. That’s why the state added that to their data.

What other factors do health officials rely on when setting public policy during a panedemic, such as available ICU capacity?

FAUST: Absolutely. Hospital capacity, ICU capacity. Even though we recognize that percent positivity in the community is inaccurate, we also understand that the trend reflects what’s happening in the community with regard to transmission. So we consider that. We have our own numbers that are direct through our own laboratory at Oakland County Health, from our drive up and in testing that we perform, so we have a fairly good sense of what’s going on in the community, because we get all the results we give ourselves. So we get a true percent positivity.

I think our true percent positivity at the drive thru, I think it’s somewhere between eight and nine percent right now. Certainly lower, because we have all the negatives as well as the positive, so we have an accurate rate.

We have a very accurate sense because we have such great partnerships with hospital systems within the county. We have a very good ongoing sense of what they’re seeing in the emergency rooms.

How many are ending up in the ICU; how many end up on ventilators.

Do you think there is an amount of undercounted individuals who’ve been afflicted with COVID, who were never tested or never went to see their doctors?

FAUST: Always a possibility. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that there’s some number of people that are infected and not tested.

STAFFORD: Another piece to that, too, is that early on in the pandemic, the testing was so restrictive. I believe early on there were a lot of people who were not tested and diagnosed with COVID-19.

FAUST: And frankly, we still don’t have ready access to testing. We don’t have all the tests we would like to have. You name the test machine and I can tell you which supplies are in limited supply.

Do you feel like you have a realistic estimate of the number of COVID cases in Oakland County or Michigan?

FAUST: No, I don’t think they are substantially different from the numbers that are reported. Again, that would not be surprised if there were people that are infected but are not being tested.

My hope is that they’re not out in the community – that they’re staying home if they feel like they have the flu or a cold.

There has been a lot of dissension and disagreement over the best way to deter spread of the disease. From a strictly health and medical point of view, what do you and other experts recommend?

Why is that? Why are masks so important? Should people still stay six feet – or farther – apart?

FAUST: Let me let me just jump in and say, I disagree with your premise. I don’t think there is any controversy or dissension in regard to the transmission of this disease. Every single health expert out there is very clear and how we can do this. It isn’t rocket science. You can do it with masks, distancing, washing your hands, not collecting in large groups of people. I don’t think there’s any dissension or controversy in that. Those recommendations have been pretty clear from the very beginning. Unfortunately, I think some of those have been politicized.

And that’s unfortunate, but I think the medical experts are very clear on how to prevent transmission.

Are there certain kinds of masks that are better for non-medical folk?

FAUST: You don’t need a N-95. To clarify, the masks are to protect those around. Even the simplest mask helps filter out some respiratory droplets, potentially, if you’re exposed, but they’re mostly there to protect those around you. You have COVID-19 infection; you’re not aware of it.

But if you’re wearing a mask, it captures, it prevents spread of those respiratory droplets while you’re speaking, or coughing, or singing or whatever, it catches those respiratory droplets out to that natural limit of about six feet, sometimes more if you’re yelling, less if you’re just mumbling, but overall, upper respiratory droplets from humans drop off at about six feet. But the mask is to capture those droplets. It’s mostly for those that are exposed to them while they speak.

The CDC recommends if you’re going to wear one of those cloth masks that’s it’s triple layer mask. If it’s one of those neck gators that people pull up over their face as a mask that it’s is triple layered cotton.

The paper or polyester surgical masks are great masks to wear. And they will protect those around you.

Why do some people test positive and remain fairly asymptomatic and yet others take a terrible turn and get very, very sick?

FAUST: We’ve had this discussion in the medical community now for months – for the whole length of the pandemic. There are multiple theories. The facts that we do know is that early on the people who are really severely affected and were reasonably young – 40s, 50s, and otherwise healthy, intact immune systems, they seem to be the ones

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that ended up on the ventilators, and really struggled and even potentially died. And you’ve heard about this so called cytokine storm that they described and that became the cause of their demise for these otherwise healthy people. In the hospitals now, the medical community is getting really experienced, and getting really good, in managing that, and you don’t really hear about in the last few months, because when somebody with an intact immune system enters the hospital, they suppress that cytokine storm, they reduce that risk and that potential with some fairly simple and common inexpensive medications, and keep people much healthier and off the ventilators.

In addition, the antivirals early on were unavailable, and have become increasingly available. Now, as soon as you’re hospitalized, and it appears that you know you’re positive for COVID-19, they start that immediately. So those are a couple explanations.

Other theories in the medical community really have to do with two things. Firstly, the viral load early on – we just didn’t have any PPE. There were no masks to be had. And I think the EMS and fire rescue folks that were being exposed, to the physicians that were being exposed, the family members who were being exposed to somebody who was positive, had a very large viral load when they did become infected, and it was much more challenging for their bodies to fight that off. And now, I’m heartened to see, the majority of our community in masks when they’re out and about. So now when people do become infected by a coworker at the lunch table or something, most of them have a very low viral load when they show up positive. That’s fantastic.

And the other thing is, we haven’t reached, quote, ‘herd immunity,’ but there’s some number of people that’s clearly been infected, and clearly recovered. And that helps keep the viral load down as it’s passing around out there.

Once someone has had COVID, are they immune for life?

FAUST: That’s clearly not the case. There are published cases of reinfections now. It’s obviously way too early to know about the for life issue. The CDC, its early data suggests that natural immunity, once you’ve been infected, wanes over some period of months. We won’t know for some time. They’re doing antibody follow ups on some people who have been infected, and now we’ll be doing antibody follow ups on people who have been vaccinated. We won’t know for some time now. Years.

There are now pending legislative proposals in Lansing that would allow the 83 counties in Michigan to determine how to manage the pandemic, rather than using the zone or regional approach the state has taken in the early days of this pandemic. Do you favor one approach over the other? Please explain your preference.

STAFFORD: I think it’s important that we look at things in a statewide basis. I think it’s important that we look at local epidemiology. But I also think that we have to take a common practice across all counties, because if one county is doing something very different than another county – as a health officer if I decided to say, we’re not going to do sports anymore in Oakland County. However, another county around us in southeast Michigan decides but you can do sports in my county, you know what, the parents are going to pick up and head to another county.

So I think there has to be an agreement across the state or it doesn’t work. Because what’s going to happen is the pandemic is going to continue, and that virus is going to continue to spread, because they’re just bringing it back. That’s for anything. I’m not pointing out parents – I’m a parent myself. I think there has to be some consistency. If in a certain county we have statewide regulations and recommendations and shut downs, and then in our own county, we have some very specifics that we need to maybe really hone in on – for instance, if we have a real problem in a certain school, or we have a certain problem at a certain business or a gym, then that would provide the local the ability to say, ‘Okay, now we’re going to shut down this to try to stop the virus from spreading.’ I think it’s very important, though, that we continue to have it statewide, and then also have the local authority to modify or change or be more restrictive, if needed in our own counties.

FAUST: Let me just jump in and say, I think it’s always helpful to have guidance at a national or federal level, from, for example, CDC, or even the president. It could have been radically different if there had have been good, cohesive leadership on the federal level.

The CDC is now saying seven to 10 days for quarantine if you

have been in contact with someone who is positive for the virus as opposed to 14 days which has been the standard. How long should someone quarantine if they’ve been exposed to COVID? How long should they isolate if they have tested positive? Once positive, how long are actually they contagious? Why do recommendations change?

STAFFORD: With the virus being new, regulations and recommendations were put in place. Fourteen days – you sometimes become symptomatic between day two and day 14. Things are going to change as we get better data. But the 10-day quarantine – the recommendation, the standard is still 14 days. They’re still suggesting that because they’ve seen cases for symptoms start on day two, and go on all the way to day 14. So it’s really important that we emphasize that the standard is 14. But the majority of the individuals that will generally get sick after exposure – it’s somewhere between an average of seven and nine days. What they find is they’re pretty sure the majority of the cases at day 10 have started to show some type of symptoms. However, that doesn’t mean you stop watching for symptoms. And so those additional four days, days 11,12, 13 and 14, you still need to be very vigilant while watching for symptoms.

FAUST: That’s an important thing to tell people.

The CDC did put seven days out as an official option. That seven-day piece requires testing. If we think about the person that wants to reduce their quarantine period to seven days, in Oakland County, or even Michigan, the most readily available test right now is them going out to an urgent care or their doctor’s office or a pharmacy and getting a rapid antigen test. And they’re trying to reduce their quarantine – they don’t have symptoms yet. If they have symptoms, well, that’d be a different story – they’re not reducing their quarantine.Those rapid antigen tests are not very sensitive. In fact, they’re not designed to test anybody without symptoms. I mean to emphasize that. These things were not designed to test someone without symptoms, none of these rapid antigen tests.

DHHS after really careful consideration and consultation with the medical directors across the state and the health officers across the state, and their own outstanding epidemiology team at state, elected to wait on the seven-day option, continue assessing and make the 10-day option available for people, and I think that’s reasonable.

It’s close to 90 percent will be captured by day 10 once they’re exposed. It’s something like 98, or 99 percent, out of the 14 days, inside the incubation period. As long as those people continue to practice safe precautions.

Explain why the air indoors is more dangerous with the virus than outdoors, and how that affects things like restaurants, movie theaters, exercising, shopping, socializing, and all the other activities we enjoy.

STAFFORD: This is a respiratory virus. So when we’re indoors, we tend to be closer together. Once we go indoors, we’re in closer, usually tighter knit places. And so the virus can easily travel when somebody is closer together. That’s why we talk about the six feet, social distancing. What people tend to do when they’re outside a little bit more is they have more space to spread out. It’s more about the virus traveling between people and when you’re outside it has more ability to not travel as quickly or, you’re not standing as close to someone else.

FAUST: It’s about the respiratory droplet risk and transmission and when you’re outside, if you don’t feel a breeze – there’s a breeze wafting those droplets away and you’re much, much less likely to become infected within the six foot distance when you’re outdoors, and that’s the problem when we bring everything indoors with cold weather. I will tell you the other problem is the influenza risk. So everybody needs to get their flu shot this year. It’s not good to become infected with influenza and COVID. I don’t care what your age bracket is, it doubles your mortality risk.

There have been conflicting reports as to whether younger children can get COVID-19, whether they are carriers, and whether it is in their best interest to be educated in-person at the elementary level, rather than virtually, as some are falling behind academically, socially and emotionally. Some recent studies have shown that the feared major spreader event as a result of schools

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opening has not proven to have taken place. From a health department point of view, what do you recommend?

STAFFORD: What the data has shown us as kids are in the classroom, sitting beside one another, wearing masks the following social distancing, at least six feet, or trying to maximize the space, parents keeping their kids home when they’re sick, hand washing hygiene, the inside of the classroom – we are not seeing the transmission. It’s when the other social aspects of school – lunch time when people are maybe not wearing their masks and eating and talking to one another. And when they’re outside playing if the masks are not enforced, we see some transmission there. So the data has shown us that early age kids, elementary and middle school, are not transmitting it in that type of situation.

However, there are a lot of school districts that have decided to go virtual, and we support the school districts that decide either way.

There are many situations in which a school district has to look at the situation. We have been meeting with superintendents since June. We meet with them weekly now since August, and we have worked through all of these situations that they’re going through. It’s not just about whether or not a child in the classroom is transmitting it. There are so many activities outside of schools that cause teachers, kids, other staff to be exposed and therefore have to be quarantined outside of school. So there’s an operational situation and problem that these superintendents in the school districts have to deal with. We support school districts knowing about their community, and what their school district can do.

The one thing I would like to say is that, although we haven’t seen the data, and so we haven’t said everybody should shut down, if you have more space to spread their kids out. And if they have a problem in their school, at least the ongoing transmission in the school, that is when we will step in and say, ‘we need to pause in person learning, because there’s transmission.’

At the beginning of the pandemic, last March and April, we were all wiping down our groceries and packages. Now we’re being told we don’t need to do that, that COVID is an airborne virus.

Explain what that means. Should we still wipe everything down?

When I go into Kroger should I still wipe down my cart? What about my packages and groceries before I put them away?

FAUST: We know that COVID-19 is transmitted by respiratory virus, that is we inhale it into our nose or mouth droplets that are in the air to become infected. Now, that doesn’t mean that we should be cavalier about touching the surfaces that somebody has sneezed or coughed on and then touching our nose or mouth or face. We still need to be vigilant about those issues. But early on, we just didn’t have the science, we didn’t know that it’s not transmitted by inanimate objects that have been touched. This is not measles – this is strictly respiratory droplet transmission. We used to have groceries delivered and let them sit on the porch for three days before. Not necessary – but it’s still a good idea to practice good hygiene, with regard to washing your hands, wiping down the cart before you use it.

Not touching your nose and mouth, trying not to touch your mask – I know that that’s a tough one. They keep getting the adjusted. If you just touched the doorknob or the car, the elevator buttons and now you’re touching your mask. We still need to be vigilant about routine hygiene because guess what, this is not the only infectious agent out there. There’s still measles, there’s still other things that we need to be cautious about.

Some people who have recovered from an initial bout of COVID, whether they had a severe or minor case, continue to report disturbing symptoms – from heart and lung issues, fatigue problems, blood clots, and numerous other health issues. Some call these post-COVID symptoms “long haulers” disease. Is this real? How long does it last? What can you tell readers about this, and what should individuals do if they find themselves experiencing some or all of these symptoms?

FAUST: It’s real. The surveys that are being done, not only here in the U.S., but overseas, Europe, UK, reveal that anywhere from 50 to 80

percent of those that had recovered from their infection continue to report symptoms at three months after their infection, even after they no longer are shedding virus – they can be tested negative by an antigen or PCR viral test. They’re not shedding virus anymore, but they continue to have some of these chronic complaints. They should work with their health care provider, they should see their physician and work through this.

We have don’t long term data to be able to know how long these things will last. We don’t have long term data to know what percent of people this is going to affect long term beyond three months. And it’s still too early to be able to know or predict which people are more prone to these kind of so called ‘long haulers’ chronic symptoms after recovery after a COVID infection.

So now on to the good news – there are potentially three vaccines that are going to be approved, maybe tomorrow or very soon by the FDA (by Pfizer, Moderna and Astrazeneca). Do you know yet which one Michigan will be given? Or will we receive more than one? And will the state or the county distribute them? And who will get them first? How soon will most residents have access to them? And do you think there will be reluctance to getting vaccinated and by certain populations?

STAFFORD: The state is estimating that they will receive both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine. They’re still waiting to hear from the federal government what the quantity will look like for Michigan. What the state has worked on is a plan – and they’re still working on this – is that It will be an effort between many, many providers, health departments, pharmacies, to provide the vaccine. What we’re hearing currently is health care workers, frontline health care workers that have direct contact will be the first to receive a vaccine. That includes EMS. But again, it’s all going to be based on quantity and how that that rolls down to the health condition. We’re working with hospitals and we’ll be working with pharmacies to roll that out. But the county is and does have a plan, ready to implement once we’re provided either a quantity or we’re told we’re getting vaccines. We’re going to be using drive thrus that are mirroring the testing sites we’re using right now.

FAUST: We’re ready.

How long do you think it’ll be before most residents, most of Oakland County is vaccinated?

FAUST: I think that’s way too early to be able to even be able to estimate right now. I mean, I don’t even think the federal government has a sense of how many doses they can get from Pfizer and Moderna right now, or the AstraZeneca down the line, I don’t think they have a sense of how many yet. I’m hearing or reading that these companies are now facing supply chain shortages for various components to provide vaccines, whether that’s pharmaceutical grade glass or other components to deliver.

So at this point, Dr. Faust, do you like, Dr. Anthony Fauci, believe we will experience a dark winter first?

FAUST: (Chuckles) I would like nothing more to say that I concur with Dr. Fauci. There are very few times I don’t. But I think I have a little bit more optimistic view than he does about this winter, at least here in Oakland County. This is actually under our control. We know what can stop the transmission of this virus. We were able to do it after the first surge back in March, April, May. We did a great job.

Many factors have caused this surge now, but we can control this.

This relies on masks, distance, minimize gathering and washing hands regularly.

The vaccine that we’re expecting – this is not a magic cure. It’s not here yet. And even when we do receive it, its effect will not be immediate, we still need to be vigilant. We still need to continue to practice these cautionary measures of minimize gathering and washing hands. And if we do these things it will make the job of the vaccine easier.

Scan for audio of Health Officials And we just need to do what we know interview. works. This s not an unknown.

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FACES Pat Andrews at Andrews first moved to Birmingham in 1943 when she got a job as a teacher at Pierce Elementary School. At 99 years of age, she has never left the city.

In 1948, Andrews and her new husband Edward built a home on a parcel of land on Chesterfield Road in the Quarton Lake Estates neighborhood. She continues to live in that same home today. The Birmingham fire station at the end of her street wasn’t there when they first moved in, and she recalls neighbors complaining about this noisy service moving into a residential space.

Andrews taught at Quarton Elementary School in the 1960s, and Midvale in the 1970s, until retiring in 1986.

As a teacher, imparting history lessons, including that of early Birmingham, was part of her curriculum. She became a member of the city’s historical society and served on its board, and has been known for decades as Birmingham’s de facto historian.

It is these remembrances of how the city and her neighborhood have evolved over more than 60 years that has made Andrews the city’s go-to historian. To further illuminate these stories, she created a museum in her garage.

“I gave up driving, and I looked one day and I thought, well here is this space.” She has since filled it with posters documenting each of the neighborhood’s homes, a project she began in 1991.

“I decided to go from the very early houses, and I documented those. I got so excited about seeing what I didn’t know about them, I thought, well, I guess I can go on. So I started and did the [19]20s and then the ‘30s.

Now I have a page for every home in our neighborhood,” a task she completed in 2015. However, she is quick to note that she still makes updates as people move into new homes, showing that a historian’s work is never truly done.

Each of these homes has their own display in her museum, and if residents want a copy of their home’s history, she will gladly go to her computer and print off a copy. “If I’m out for a walk, I may drop it off and invite them to see my museum,” she says of those new to town. She has welcomed nearly 1,000 visitors to date.

Her neighbors give back to Andrews as well. She says the children on her block regularly play in her yard, where she could still be found raking leaves throughout the fall, and they help decorate scarecrows outside her home for the holidays. And she makes sure to keep the neighborhood businesses afloat, despite changes over the years.

“Our new market [Holiday],” which replaced the generations old Quarton Market, “said that anytime I want anything, just to call them up. I walk down when I don’t have a lot to carry back.”

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MUNICIPAL Officer, city sued following accident A Birmingham police officer who allegedly rear-ended a passenger vehicle on May 11, 2019, on Woodward Avenue, was sued, along with the city of Birmingham, by a passenger in the vehicle, who alleged he received injuries due to the accident, had medical bills, pain and suffering, emotional distress and other damages in excess of $25,000, exclusive of cost, interest and attorney fees.

The city commission met in closed session Monday, December 7, to discuss the lawsuit. They did not disclose any discussion or decision, citing pending litigation.

Luke Patrick Lyons, represented by attorneys Geoffrey Feiger and Donald Dawson, filed suit against the city of Birmingham and Birmingham officer Yacoub Nimer Iseid on May 21, 2019, alleging that on May 11, 2019, at approximately 10:05 p.m., Iseid, while driving a city-owned patrol vehicle and “while in the course and scope of his employment as a city of Birmingham police officer” hit the vehicle Lyons was in while driving southbound on Woodward in Royal Oak, causing Lyons “serious injuries.”

Lyons was a passenger in the second row, right side of the vehicle which was also traveling southbound.

The lawsuit alleges Iseid “negligently failed to pay attention to the roadway” and “was engaged in a non-emergency trip… and at no time did he activate the overhead lights and sirens.”

In the complaint, it stated that as a result of the accident, Lyons, a resident of Dearborn, was treated at Garden City Hospital following the accident “due to the severity of the accident.” Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital is within a mile of the accident site.

The lawsuit claims “plaintiff suffered serious and permanent injuries and damages, including but not limited to the following: torn rotator cuff; back injury with severe pain; neck injury with severe pain; rehabilitation and/or physical therapy; medical bills and equipment; excess replacement services; excess economic loss; conscious pain and suffering; denial of social pleasures and enjoyment; embarrassment, humiliation, mortification; emotional distress, anxiety, mental anguish, downtownpublications.com

BSD director Tighe resigns for county job

By Lisa Brody

irmingham Shopping District (BSD) Executive Director Ingrid Tighe has tendered her resignation to the board of directors, BSD president Geoffrey Hockman announced at its monthly board meeting Thursday, December 3, as she has accepted a job as Oakland County Economic Development Director.

Tighe's last day with the BSD was December 31, 2020. The city of Birmingham posted for a new executive director on the city's website on Monday, December 7.

Tighe's new position at Oakland County as director of economic development oversees a combined budget of $10 million, a total number of employees of 65, with five directly reporting to the director.

In her new position, Tighe will lead and work collaboratively with various county departments and programs as well as local, national, and international community partners to achieve immediate development needs, while establishing forward looking goals. She will answer directly to Sean Carlson, deputy executive director to Oakland County Executive David Coulter.

Tighe has been BSD executive director since April 2017. Prior to the BSD, she was the business development manager for Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and employment analyst for Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, promoting Michigan as a competitive place for business investment and job growth, managing company growth and expansion projects, and implementing a veteran hiring implementation program.

The BSD is funded through a special assessment on all commercial, non-residential property in areas of downtown and other business districts of Birmingham. Besides special events, Tighe worked with merchants, business owners, retailers, landlords, and commercial real estate brokers, and had the added challenges of two large road reconstruction projects which impacted merchants and businesses, the Old Woodward and Maple Road reconstruction projects, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.

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fright and shock; serious bodily impairment; other damages that may become known through the passage of time and/or the course of discovery; and any and all other damages allowed under Michigan law.”

Return to classrooms set for January 11 Full-day in-person learning is scheduled to return for K-8 students in Birmingham Public Schools on Monday, January 11, followed by the return of high school students on Monday, January 19, provided there are no drastic COVID-19 spikes or state restrictions, the Birmingham Schools Board of Education announced at their meeting on Tuesday, December 15.

In a presentation from interim superintendent George Heitch, a recommendation was made to continue in its hybrid educational form of some in-person learning

combined with some virtual, with a shift from a.m./p.m. cohorts, where students went half-days, to students attending two full-days a week and having one day each week being virtual for all elementary, middle school, BCS and high school students. The presentation said this format will increase instruction time, cohort alignment, solve transportation challenges, and longterm transition planning.

Families continue to be able to choose an all-virtual learning option.

Board members said their decision-making was aided by survey data that reinforced the need to consider other factors outside of COVID-19 only health statistics in back to the classroom decisions, while still keeping that vital. Other considerations involved were students' emotional and mental wellbeing; consistency of learning; academic support and growth of students struggling with virtual learning; food and childcare needs;

DOWNTOWN

and adult supervision challenges around at-home learning.

State of emergency declared for meetings Strictly for compliance with the Open Meetings Act, Bloomfield Township trustees unanimously approved a resolution declaring a state of emergency through December 31, 2021, at their meeting on Monday, December 14, which permits them to hold board and other meetings virtually.

The previous administration had declared a state of emergency in March 2020, in accordance with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's statewide state of emergency. When the Michigan Supreme Court curtailed her ability to renew her declaration beyond April in early October, it nullified municipal states of emergency as well, explained attorney Mark Roberts. In order to protect members of the board and the public, the state legislature amended the Open Meetings Act to allow municipal meetings to be held virtually through December 31, 2021, “but it requires a declaration of a state of emergency.”

“We felt it was advisable to have a local state of emergency, mostly related to COVID,” Roberts said.

“This resolution is to bring the township in compliance with the Open Meetings Act.” “We have been under a state of emergency locally since March 16,” said supervisor Dani Walsh. “It was very broad, so I'm glad to have some limitations and an end date. We can always end it earlier.”

Trustee Michael Schostak asked if they should set an end date of June 30, 2021, with the ability to vote to continue the state of emergency, or December 31, 2021, and vote to repeal. “My personal belief is we should set it sooner,” he said.

“Considering what we've been through under a state of emergency, I like that the state has this until the end of December. I would like to keep it there,” said treasurer Brian Kepes.

“I'm comfortable leaving it at December 31,” agreed clerk Martin Brook.

Trustees voted 7-0 to declare the state of emergency, ending December 31, 2021, knowing they can always end it earlier if applicable.

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Safety paths approved for 2021 construction

By Lisa Brody

Bloomfield Township trustees unanimously approved the safety path routes proposed for the 2021 construction season at their meeting on Monday, December 14.

Engineering and environmental services director Olivia Olsztyn-Budry said that each fall the board of trustees is presented with the proposed routes for the following season. The routes for the 2021 season were identified in the 2008 safety path master plan, she said.

Proposed for 2021 are the east side of Telegraph Road between 14 Mile Road and Lincoln Road, for a probable cost of $460,000; the west side of Lahser Road between 14 Mile Road and Lincoln Road, for a probable cost of $535,000; the north side of Maple Road between Inkster Road and Westmoor, to be done as part of a cost-sharing agreement with a reconstruction project of Maple Road by the Road Commission of Oakland County (RCOC), for a probable cost of $115,000.

In addition, she said that in September 2019, the board of trustees approved proceeding with a transportation alternative program (TAP) grant application for the construction of a pedestrian crossing at Square Lake and Telegraph roads, which would require a 20 percent match. Olsztyn-Budry said the grant was awarded to the township in August 2020, but with a few modifications.

“It now requires a match from the township of 45 percent, and MDOT will allow a six-foot wide path rather than an eight-foot path,” she said, which would cross at Square Lake at Franklin Road, go south on Franklin and around the commercial property at 2555 Franklin Road, and then cross Telegraph along the south side of Square Lake Road to connect to the existing safety path on Telegraph.

A pedestrian crossing is also to be installed in front of the Villages of Bloomfield, on the west side of Telegraph at Bataan Drive.

Total proposed grant funding, she said, is $1,725,509, with the township providing $770,804 in match funds, Olsztyn-Budry said, but the township can have design control.

The total probable costs for the 2021 safety paths, to be paid from the safety path millage fund, is $1,362,500. Maintenance and repair costs, which are done each season, downtownpublications.com

are estimated at $440,000 for 2021.

Olsztyn-Budry said one project was approved and leftover from 2020, a safety path on Club Drive between Square Lake and the Forest Lake Country Club parking lot entrance.

“Design is completed, but the project was not constructed during 2020. Temporary and permanent easements are necessary to construct the path. Several properties have granted easements, and the township will be reaching out to the remaining property owners for the rest of the needed easements,” she said. “The costs for the Club Drive safety path have been rolled over and included in the 2021-2022 preliminary budget in addition to the costs for the proposed 2021 program.”

The cost for the Club Drive project is estimated at $1.3 million.

City outdoor dining standards reviewed In an effort to continue assisting restaurants in Birmingham, the city commission on Monday, December 7, directed the planning board to review and potentially revise the city's outdoor dining ordinances to allow restaurants to offer outdoor dining in the fall and winter on a permanent basis.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on indoor dining, in late August 2020, the city commission allowed a temporary extension to its outdoor dining ordinance, permitting restaurants to offer outdoor dining in temporary enclosures or other structures from October 1, 2020 through April 1, 2021.

City planning director Jana Ecker said the new outdoor dining ordinance review would extend outdoor dining for establishments annually from November 15 through April 1, permitting enclosures, but unlike this year, only on the sidewalk, not on the street or dining platforms in parking spaces. She said the ordinance would require the restaurant to be responsible for snow removal around their dining enclosure.

“I would want it to be clear that those structures have to come down during the regular season. I think there are concerns about blurring the lines between (the size) of bistros and regular Class C liquor license establishments,” said mayor pro tem Therese Longe.

“What I'm hearing from a lot of the establishments is about making investments that could be used for

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next year, and if it's only for this year, so they may not be willing to invest (this year). I do think there is some sensitivity to timing,” said commissioner Mark Nickita.

Commissioners Stuart Sherman and Rackeline Hoff noted that the planning board would not be able to address it in time to help establishments determine their needs for this season, and the planning board should not rush.

Commissioners voted 6-0, with Clinton Baller not in attendance, to have the planning board review the ordinance and recommend how the commission should proceed.

Markus contract as city manager set

By Lisa Brody

Birmingham 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.

City to recognizes outgoing manager

By Kevin Elliott

Outgoing Birmingham City Manager Joe Valentine was recognized by city commissioners at their meeting on Monday, December 21, for his more than two decades of service to the city with the unanimous approval of a park bench dedication in Valentine’s honor, which will be placed on the west side of city hall, facing Shain Park.

Valentine, who started in 1997 as an intern with the city and was appointed city manager in 2014, submitted his resignation in October to “explore new opportunities.”

During his 24 years with the city, Valentine has served in eight different positions, including management specialist, human resources director, assistant city manager and two stints as interim city manager prior to becoming city manager. Former city manager Tom Markus will replace Valentine on January 1, 2021.

Valentine’s departure is one of several recent resignations this year in the city. Valentine, for his own part, thanked the commission and staff, and gave his respect to those he worked with over the years, including former mayor Eleanor “Coco” Siewert, who has been lauded for her ethics and civility in local government.

“As a community, we are lucky to have so many talented individuals working in support of the city, and I’ve had the privilege of working with dozens of elected officials, hundreds of staff members and thousands of residents and community stakeholders that have all contributed to the success this community shares,” Valentine said. “First, I’d like to thank and acknowledge former mayor and commissioner Coco Siewert, whose encouragement to look at Birmingham for opportunities turned into a career.

Thank you Mayor Dimples.”

Valentine also expressed his appreciation to former city manager Tom Markus, former assistant city manager Dan Schulte, city attorney Tim Currier, and commissioners Mark Nickita and Stuart Sherman. Lastly, he thanked his staff, as well as his wife Sarah.

“With so many nights receiving text messages requesting if I’m coming home for dinner or not, I do appreciate all of her support during those long nights and long weeks,” he said.

M Market bistro – standing for “Employee Meals,” received approval from the Birmingham City Commission on Monday, December 7, after debate over the number of outdoor seats requested and where they were to be located, allowing Joe and Kristen Bongiovanni, owners of adjacent bistro Market North End, to proceed with opening.

The new bistro, to be located at 470 N. Old Woodward, came before the commission for final site plan and design and special land use permit. The commission had unanimously approved the concept in April 2020 for a potential 2020 bistro license, sending it forward to the city's planning board for final site plan and design and special land use permit reviews. The planning board recommended EM for approvals in October.

Birmingham Planning Director Jana Ecker said the applicant met the requirements for a bistro, which requires a full service kitchen, no more than 65 seats, with no more than 10 at a bar, tables in the storefront window, at least 70 percent glazing in the window, and outdoor dining. She said it has a small but full service kitchen, although it was proposing to share restrooms with Market North End, which caused a great deal of discussion and concern amongst the commissioners and public who spoke at the meeting.

The plans, which Ecker said had been resubmitted right before the meeting, initially had 44 indoor seats. The updated plans had 52 seats with 10 around the bar. Plans indicated 28 outdoor seats adjacent to the building under a suspended steel pergola, similar to an awning over the sidewalk, as well another 32 seats on an outdoor platform in the street, on one to two angled parking spaces, for a total of 112 seats.

Hours would be 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. seven days a week, with the outdoor dining closing at midnight.

The menu is to be eclectic Mexican, inspired by the coast, with an emphasis on fresh seafood.

“We've worked on creating a restaurant that complements the north end and the city,” said Joe Bongiovanni. “It will most definitely be a separate restaurant from Market North End and will feel completely different from a guest effect. It will be small, intimate and the blueprint of what a bistro should be.”

A long corridor will separate the two establishments.

“To have 64 seats outdoors is to have a large operation,” objected commissioner Rackeline Hoff.

“We have the shared bathroom, with one male and one female at Market. Where are they going to queue people for the restrooms and where are they going to queue people for the restaurant?” asked commissioner Stuart Sherman.

“We're good for an occupancy up to 300 with those restrooms,” said designer Roman Bonislawksi.

“I want to go back to the intent of the bistro ordinance as a standalone establishment. Looking at the relative size of Market and the relative size of EM, EM Market does not appear to have the infrastructure to be an independent space. If you took the wall out, you'd have a 250-some restaurant,” said mayor pro tem Therese Longe.

“I'd be more comfortable without the outdoor dining platform.”

Commissioner Mark Nickita, who was part of the planning board when the bistro ordinance was developed and has helped approve every bistro in the city so far, said it was exactly what the city had in mind for bistros. “This falls directly in line with the criteria.”

Hoff noted that while she enjoys the Bongiovanni families restaurants, which include Luxe and Salvatore Scallopini, she objected to the idea of taking parking spaces, and would not support the bistro.

Sherman agreed, and suggested lowering the intensity of use, as has been done with other applicants in the past, and not take up parking, just utilizing the sidewalk. Longe concurred.

A motion to approve keeping the street platform failed with a tie vote and commissioner Clinton Baller absent.

A subsequent motion to approve without the outdoor seats on a platform passed 6-0.

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MUNICIPAL New Baldwin Library director decided

By Lisa Brody

Baldwin Library Associate Director Rebekah Craft has been selected as the library's new incoming director upon the retirement January 16, 2021 of current library director Doug Koschik.

The Baldwin Public Library Board of Directors announced they had selected Craft as its new director following its October 27 meeting, and sent out an announcement in late November. Upon Koschik's retirement announcement this year, the library board's personnel committee worked with Birmingham's Human Resources Manager Ben Myers and City Attorney Tim Currier to develop a job posting, which was advertised throughout the United States. They received 10 applications for the position, and after two publiclynoticed meetings, the committee narrowed the search to two candidates, who were both invited to be interviewed by the board. One candidate withdrew from consideration; the other, Craft, was interviewed on October 27.

Library board President Melissa Mark said, “In talking with Craft’s references and Baldwin Library department heads, and reading surveys from library staff, it was an amazing experience. Across the board, people praised Rebekah’s leadership, communication skills, calm manner, professional reputation, collaborative nature, thoughtful listening skills, and empathy.

Rebekah is thoughtful, a great leader in a crisis, an excellent problem solver, and a good manager.”

Craft has worked as associate director at Baldwin Library since July 2015, and has been involved with the $2.2 million renovation of the adult services area, $2.7 million youth room expansion and renovation as well as the Grand Hall update.

She earned a bachelor's degree in business communications from Calvin University and a master's degree in library and information science from Wayne State University.

Prior to working at Baldwin Library, she worked as an Outreach & Bookmobile Services librarian and as the Adult Services manager at the Rochester Hills Public Library.

“I have spent the last five years working to learn the ins and outs of the Baldwin Public Library. In that time, I have developed relationships with BPL staff, board members, downtownpublications.com

Friends of the Library, city of Birmingham employees, community members, and leaders of local organizations,” Craft said. “I am confident that I can seamlessly step into the role of library director and I want nothing more than to continue providing Baldwin’s stakeholders the quality of service and level of excellence they have come to expect under Doug Koschik’s leadership.”

“I had the opportunity to interview Rebekah five years ago when she applied for the associate director position. She was an outstanding candidate at the time. However, when I look at her today and what she has done in that time period, compared to the very competent person she was five years ago, her growth is amazing,” board member Bob Tera said. “I have no doubt that Rebekah will continue to be on top of national library trends and will do a wonderful job of outreach to the community and bringing more patrons into the increasingly welcoming environment of the library.”

Museum designs, collection policy set The Birmingham Museum received unanimous approval from the Birmingham City Commission at their meeting Monday, December 7, to develop a formal collections policy as well as approval of their final designs for its Heritage Zone and implementation for primary signage, fencing and gates.

Museum director Leslie Pielak explained their board had updated its strategic plan for 2021-2024, with an important goal to begin work on the Heritage Zone enhancements of the 2018 landscape master plan. These include installation of primary signage and fencing modifications in the area around the Allen and Hunter Houses which face Maple Road. She said the project will also raise awareness of the museum's planned landscape restoration and help with future fundraising efforts.

Pielak said conservation experts anticipate the first phase to cost approximately $19,000, and they have raised $15,000. “Additional funds are available in the museum budget and as additional donations from the Friends of the Birmingham Museum become available if needed. The remainder of the Heritage Zone improvements consist of relocation of utilities, garden bed preparation, planting materials, and construction of a vine support at a cost of DOWNTOWN

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approximately $21,500. These project components would be planned as additional funds become available,” she said.

As for a formal collections policy, Pielak explained it is an integral document utilized by museums, libraries and archival institutions to specify the nature of the organization’s collection and the policies needed to provide for its management, care, and intended use.

“The Birmingham Museum lacks a formal collections policy to provide clear guidance on matters relating to its artifact collection for the benefit of the city and the public,” she said.

She noted the artifacts in the museum belong to the city. “A clear policy that establishes the objectives for collecting, tracking, storing, exhibiting, loaning, and removing artifacts is needed to ensure that collection activities are being conducted in the best interest of the city and the public and to provide continuity in museum operations,” Pielak said.

Commissioners agreed, voting 6-0, with commissioner Clinton Baller not in attendance.

Court budget set, more info needed

By Lisa Brody

Bloomfield Hills Commissioners unanimously approved the adoption of their portion of the 48th District Court 2021 budget despite reservations that the funding model needs updating, at their meeting on Tuesday, December 8.

The 48th District Court serves the communities of Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Birmingham, West Bloomfield, Sylvan Lake, Keego Harbor and Orchard Lake Village, and is funded, per an agreement drafted in 1984 and adopted in 1985, by the four municipalities. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, volumes of cases have dropped while costs have continued. At their November commission meeting, Bloomfield Hills Commissioners objected to budget requests for 2021 from the court which did not appear to take into consideration the continuation of the pandemic and its lingering impact, and requested more information.

The 48th District Court operating budget request for 2021 was just under

$1.389 million, up from $1.374 million in 2020 and $1.195 in 2019.

At their December meeting, commissioners looked at the breakdown of the percentage of actual case numbers for the four funding units, noting Bloomfield Hills had increased from 9.6 percent of cases at the court in 2018 to 10.2 percent in 2019, to 15.13 percent in 2020.

“Commissioners understand there is a statutory requirement to fund the court and want to, but want to make it more equitable, and make sure what the agreement says is happening by updating the agreement,” said city manager David Hendrickson. “They feel all of the communities should get together, look at it again and make the funding more equitable.”

Parking structures free through March Birmingham's parking structures for both monthly passes and those who just use them as they visit shops, restaurants and businesses, will remain free through March 31, 2021, as the city continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic.

At its meeting on Monday, December 7, Birmingham city commissioners voted 5-1 to approve the continuation of free parking in all city parking structures. Commissioner Brad Host voted against and commissioner Clinton Baller was absent.

Birmingham Police Commander Scott Grewe said the city had instituted free parking at all five of its parking decks, effective April 1, 2020 as a relief effort to support local businesses and restaurants.

“At the August 5, 2020 Advisory Parking Committee (APC) meeting, the APC recommended that the city continue free parking at all five parking decks through December 31, 2020. On August 24, the city commission agreed with the APC and passed a resolution providing free parking in all its parking decks through December 31, 2020,” Grewe said. “As the end of the year is approaching, the APC again examined the issue of parking in all five parking decks at their November 4 meeting. The APC discussed several options and passed a recommendation to extend free

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parking until the end of March. They noted concerns in lost revenue, reduced store hours, holiday shopping and traditionally low sales in the months of January, February and March as reasons to extend free parking.”

The city's unrestricted parking fund, which is completely funded by monthly parking passes and user fees, without any taxpayer monies, had unrestricted net assets of $20,632,305 as of April 1, 2020, Grewe said. “The parking fund balance as of September 30, 2020 was $19,256,606 – a reduction of $1,375,699.”

During this same time, capital improvement costs, including emergency repairs at the N. Old Woodward structure, cost $1,457,996, greater than the lost income due to free parking.

“This is a great opportunity to help the businesses in the downtown area for the three months, if this helps the business survive the downturn,” said commissioner Stuart Sherman.

Host objected. “By not having the gates down we don't have the data. It is costing us all money, all the taxpayers.”

Mayor pro tem Therese Longe wondered why cities like Royal Oak and Ferndale haven't made their parking decks free. “I understand there would be a cost to charging a nominal fee.”

Commissioner Mark Nickita clarified that Birmingham has a large business base which neither of those cities have, and much larger retail concerns.

“We have to do whatever it takes to enhance our downtown. Keep in mind the surface parking is still charging. But our downtown is so critical to our entire city, including the residents who don't use the downtown,” Nickita pointed out. “We have $20 million in our bank account for parking. The amount we have lost is not so significant in comparison to what we have gained.”

“We have to understand what the funds are in the parking fund. It is from the monthly parkers, people paying for parking, people using the parking system,” Sherman said. “It is not from taxpayer's money. We are assisting the people who have supported the system. I don't see a downside.”

Mayor Pierre Boutros noted, “We are still going through a very, very difficult time, whether it's retail or office. If we were not okay, it would be maybe we should charge something. But we are doing more than okay, and it's the least we can do for our business community.” downtownpublications.com

Lot combo request for parking delayed he Fred Lavery Porsche car dealership sought to reschedule a public hearing at the Birmingham City Commission on Monday, December 21, until late January in hopes of being able to demolish a building at Haynes and Woodward to make room for additional parking, which is currently against city ordinances in the city's Triangle District.

“There are a number of moving pieces relative to these parcels, including for example, the Worth Street realignment project, which may run through the Haynes property,” said attorney Jason Canvasser, representing the dealership. “We would like an adjournment until January 25 to not only serve to allow the commission time to review the application, but also ask the commission to direct the city manager to meet with us so we can talk about different options and work on both short-term and long-term plans as we look to the current and future master plan.”

City planning staff recommended denying the request, as it was found to be inconsistent with the city’s zoning ordinance and wasn’t applicable to the master plan for the Triangle District.

Specifically, the request was to combine two parcels in order to accommodate additional parking. The dealership is located at 34350 Woodward while a two-story commercial building is located at 907-911 Haynes Street. Lavery is hoping to combine the two parcels and demolish the two-story building to make way for a surface parking lot.

In 2016, Lavery received a special land use permit for the Haynes property to use as an office for one year while renovations were made to the main dealership. That approval required that cars parked for sale couldn’t be on the Haynes Street property. In January of 2020, Lavery requested an amendment and the proposed lot combination to expand parking. That request was subsequently withdrawn on January 22, and is expected to go before the commission again on January 25, 2021.

Commissioner Stuart Sherman recommended pushing the hearing into February in order to ensure the city’s long-range planning priorities are incorporated into any meeting, as well as to allow incoming city manager Tom Markus time to address any issues.

Outgoing city manager Joe Valentine said working with property owners on long-range planning is key to healthy development.

“The question is, ‘how do you incorporate these (long-term) plans with what they want to do so it’s mutually beneficial,’” Valentine said.

“The only way to incorporate these plans into properties we don’t own is to have these meetings with property owners.”

T

Unimproved streets report delivered

By Kevin Elliott

It will cost roughly $118 million to improve nearly 26 miles of unimproved streets that have never been fully paved throughout the city of Birmingham, according to a report accepted by the city commission on Monday, December 21.

“This is critical,. Once a plan is implemented for unimproved streets, it will be the largest and most expensive infrastructure plan in the city,” said Scott Moore, chair of the ad-hoc unimproved streets committee, which began studying the issue in 2018.

About a third of the city’s streets are considered unimproved roads, which are essentially gravel roads with

coats of sealer applied on top.

Unimproved roads have no curbs or gutters, and often are subject to water pooling and uneven surfaces. Improved roads are asphalt or concrete. Further, unimproved roads aren’t able to participate in leaf collection or street cleaning.

City manager Joe Valentine said the committee looked at the history and evolution of roads in the city, as well as billing, maintenance, a funding model and other aspects that were included in the committee’s report.

“The problem is 26 miles of gravel roads with a slurry seal that don’t meet with the residents’ expectations,” Valentine said. “They aren’t engineered or designed for proper grade or drainage.”

The committee – which included two members of city commission, three

DOWNTOWN

residents living on unimproved roads, one on an improved road and one with a background in road design – found the average lifespan of an unimproved road is roughly seven to 10 years.

Improving those roads requires asphalt or concrete, as well as drainage and gutter utilities at the time of improvement.

In total, the committee estimated it would cost about $2.2 million in water main replacements and $1.2 million in sewer line replacements per mile of roadway to be improved, as well as about $2.3 million in street costs, for a total of $4.55 million per mile.

Further frustrating the issue of road replacement is the funding process.

Currently, any reconstruction must be initiated by residents living on the street through the special assessment district process, or SAD. As such, at least 51 percent of residents impacted by the work must agree to pay for reconstruction, which often leads to neighbors being at odds.

The report recommended the city initiate improvements through a ranking system of all unimproved roads. Further, it recommended the use of concrete, rather than asphalt, to reconstruct roads because of its longer durability with final decisions being left to the city’s engineering department. The assessments would be updated annually and included in the city’s capital improvement plan.

Finally, the committee recommended using general fund transfers to fund the road component of improvements, with bonds being made available for funding water and sewer components as part of the long-term plan. The cost allocation for reconstruction is recommended to remain the same, with homeowners bearing 85 percent of the costs and the city 15 percent.

Valentine said the payback period for the SAD is set at 10 years, as set by the city; however, a homeowner may use an alternative funding source on their own if they like. He said most are paid immediately or within three years of the work.

Resident Matthew Carmona, who lives on an unimproved street in Birmingham, said he was concerned the city may force some residents to improve streets, regardless if the majority doesn’t want it.

“Citizens need to have more say on what happens on their streets when the time comes,” he said.

Commissioners unanimously approved accepting the plan, but modified the motion to allow further discussion in the future before implementing any specific aspects.

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THE COMMUNITY HOUSE “I resolved to stop accumulating and begin the infinitely more serious task of wise distribution.” - Andrew Carnegie, Philanthropist On January 1, 2018, The Community House Association’s Board of Directors announced the creation of a new and separate entity; The Community House Foundation to act as a supporting organization to The Community House Association. This was a transformational announcement.

With this historic announcement we learned that the mission of the new Community House Foundation was to generate and secure supplemental philanthropic funds needed to fulfill our promise – to families and to the community – who depend on us to deliver a variety of quality programs and services throughout the region.

Robust philanthropy supports a wide range of programs and services, today and in the future, that benefit the community.

2019-2020 Community House Foundation Board Members included: • Bradley J. Wolf, Chair • Barbara Hertzler, Past Chair • Deric Righter, Treasurer • Jacob Taylor, Officer • William D. Seklar, President & CEO Their service, advice and counsel helped shepherd The Community House Association and Foundation through these uncertain times, protected its mission and assets and helped provide the Foundation a philanthropic road map for the future.

Non-profit foundations that do stewardship and fundraising well can draw upon their endowments for important initiatives, particularly as revenue declines and expenses grow. The Community House Foundation is no different.

Bill Seklar

In addition to securing supplemental funding to maintain quality programming and services at TCH, Community House Association’s leadership also mandated that The Community House Foundation dedicate itself to raising funds and awareness for the preservation and perpetual care of The Community House Association’s historic building and nearly century-old plant.

In setting up the new foundation we were reminded that historic preservation is a critical movement in planning – designed to conserve old buildings and areas in order to permanently tie a place’s history to its population and culture.

With these goals in mind, much of The Community House Foundation’s initial efforts have focused on assessing, educating, and carefully pairing passionate and caring donors with the immediate and emerging needs of The Community House Association – critical needs over and above its normal day to day operations.

Throughout 2020, the philanthropic work of The Community House Foundation became even more pivotal as the nation entered a new era of COVID-19. With half of its profit centers closed since March 2020, a third of its staff furloughed or laid off and our doors shuttered, The Community House Association leaned heavily on the Foundation, its staff and leadership to provide relief and grant support during these unparalleled times.

As a separate non-profit charitable organization, the Community House Foundation was steadily governed by a separate and independent Board of Directors, staff, and volunteers.

Fortunately, over the last 10 months, charitable donations at The Community House Foundation continued to come in – despite the pandemic. Of special significance, much of this giving occurred through several transformational planned gifts – gifts made after a donor’s death.

When establishing The Community Foundation, we learned that planned giving is key for non-profit, charitable organizations to build up their endowment funds and to fund ever pressing capital needs. Bequest programs are typically the centerpiece of robust planned giving. About one-third of foundations offer gift annuities, and many others offer charitable trusts, and donor-advised funds.

We als-o learned that legacy programs constitute an important means for all nonprofit charitable organizations to cultivate donors and a vehicle to provide some ongoing donor benefits. We learned that only 38 percent of the foundations have legacy programs. 2020 taught us that a robust legacy and planned giving program must become the centerpiece of our philanthropic endeavors going forward.

It is, therefore, timely and vital that The Community House and The Community House Foundation plan to roll out its most comprehensive Legacy and Planned Giving Program in its 98-year history – in early 2021.

Wise distribution. More details to come.

Should you be interested in learning more about estate planning, legacy and planned giving, major gifts or naming opportunities at The Community House, please contact the office of president at wseklar@communityhousefoundation.org or call 248.644.5832. Be safe, stay well.

William D. Seklar is President & CEO of The Community House and The Community House Foundation in Birmingham.

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LUXU RY S E RV I C E + I N D U ST RY E X P E RT S = Over

2020 STATS

MILLION transactions closed ranging in price from $99K-$5M

RLA represented BUYERS in 40% of sales and represented SELLERS in 60% of sales 25% of RLA Listings were sold by RLA agents 12% of RLA transactions were private/pocket sales- sold before hitting the market!

Top 1% of all agents in the MLS

“Renee is smart, honest, and extremely knowledgeable about buying, selling, designing and building homes. She is passionate about her profession and has a great reputation in the real estate community. Renee sold our existing home quickly and has worked very hard to help us find our next home. Although Renee is very busy, she makes us feel as if we are her only client. She brings a creative, yet practical, approach to her work and we highly recommend Renee and her team to anyone who is looking to buy, sell or build a home.”- Birmingham Buyer

R E N E E LO S S I A A C H O R E A L E STAT E G R O U P L U X U R Y S E R VI C E A T E VE R Y L E VE L Reneé@rlarealtors.com | (248) 310-1414 | 210 S. Old Woodward Suite 200, Birmingham, MI 48009

BUSINESS MATTERS Shoe repair closes After being a Birmingham institution for 46 years, Sebastian Deledda quietly closed the doors of Tiger Shoe Repair, 129 E. Maple Road, for the last time at the end of December. It’s a retirement he wasn’t exactly planning, but one he is embracing after he lost his lease. Deledda said the downtown Birmingham institution didn’t actually have a lease – and only discovered that after his former landlord, Bill Wetsman, sold the building to his new landlord, Ron Boji of Boji Group. “It turned out I didn’t have a lease, and only found that out when my old landlord sold the property. The new people have other plans for the property,” Deledda said. “My old landlord understood you can only generate so much fixing shoes. He was very good to me.” What the building, which also houses the former Panera, Bakehouse 46 and Boyd Beauty, will become, he doesn’t know, but he said, “I’ve had a great run here. A lot of my customers have become friends and now I service their grandchildren.” Deledda has no intention to reopen in a new location. “I’m going to try to enjoy retirement,” he laughed.

30 years on Lori Karbal et al calls itself a curated boutique. It is that – and so much more. The unique shop, located at 560 N. Old Woodward in Birmingham, is a reflection of its owner, meaning its offerings are a remarkable, edited selection of frames, home items, clothing, gifts, lingerie, pajamas, fragrances, lotions, candles, and now, games, noting with the pandemic, “We’re game central here,” including an embellished $800 Monopoly set.

“I’m always looking to find what’s up, what’s new,” Karbal said, searching from New York to Paris, including little markets. She’s tapped into her devoted clients’ psyche so well, she is now celebrating her 30th anniversary on N. Old Woodward. She began with cosmetics, lotions and candles and “you watch what’s downtownpublications.com

going on. We were doing things no one else was.” Soon, she started adding pajamas, then T-shirts from a new brand called Splendid. “It morphs. What I really love are the home items now,” Karbal said. “I don’t know if I’m so trendy – I do what I like, what’s good. It’s educating people to try new things. I’ve met wonderful people and made wonderful friends.”

All that glitters Birmingham’s jewelry selection is expanding around February 1, when Tapper’s Gold Exchange plans to open at 251 E. Merrill, suite 236, in the Merrillwood Building in downtown Birmingham. Mark Tapper, second generation president of Tapper’s Diamonds & Fine Jewelry, said the location will not be a full jewelry store, but an opportunity for those looking to buy and sell estate jewelry. “The intent is to give customers a very comfortable and confidential area to view merchandise, and to purchase and sell pre-owned and estate jewelry,” Tapper said.

Going 12 rounds Calling itself a “group fitness and boxing experience,” Mayweather Boxing + Fitness, created by legendary boxer Floyd Mayweather, has opened its first Michigan studio at 34000 Woodward Avenue in Birmingham.

The studio is led by franchisees Rod and Paloma Blanes. Rod, who previously was a commercial pilot with Delta, has a lifelong passion for fitness and boxing, and the Blanes plan to open several more franchises in the surrounding area. Paloma, who brings experience in circuit training and Crossfit, will be the studio manager. “It’s a fitness gym geared towards boxing,” Rod said, noting the studio will feature treadmills, rowers, free weights, battle ropes and jump ropes.

“Classes are circuit based, with 12 rounds. The first two rounds are warming up, the next eight rounds have boxing, with three rounds changing each day so people don’t get bored. They’re 45-minute

workouts meant for busy people who want an efficient workout.”

While boxing is incorporated into every workout, and instructors will walk around teaching proper techniques each class, the studio does not feature a boxing ring.

“There is no sparring at Mayweather’s,” Rod said. “It’s not meant for someone looking for a fight, but for someone looking to get fit.” Head Birmingham instructor is former Detroit Lions linebacker and professional boxer Alexander Lewis.

Cabinetry showroom Aaron James and his wife Sandra spent 20 years assisting homeowners design their kitchens, baths and other spaces downriver.

As their talents grew, so did their reputation, with clients from Birmingham, Bloomfield and Ann Arbor seeking them out. So they have opened James & Bloom Cabinetry & Floors at 146 W. Maple Road in downtown Birmingham, in the former Sara Campbell spot. “We’re a high-end custom cabinetry showroom,” Aaron said. “We work with homeowners as well as designers and builders to custom design and build kitchens, baths, closets and built-ins.” James & Bloom carries two lines of cabinetry, Arbor Mills from Illinois and Dutch Made from Indiana, as well as a line of wide plank hardwood flooring, Legno Bastone, that Aaron said is all milled and finished in Italy. “It features a wide range of finishes and widths,” he said. James & Bloom welcomes walk-ins, as well as arranging for in-home visits and appointments at their showroom.

Specialty hair care People facing all kinds of hair loss and hair issues now have a place to go – Sorrentia’s Salon, 588 N. Old Woodward in Birmingham.

Salon owner Sorrentia Harris said, “I specialize in hair growth and other hair issues, electrolysis, people who have lost their hair for any health issue. Right now COVID is such an issue with hair loss. We make sure your hair is healthy and we maintain it.”

DOWNTOWN

Harris said the salon takes all COVID-19 precautions, and clients with thinning hair, she and her fellow stylist are able to “get it thicker.” Her focus is not on the typical cut and color of other salons, but on hair health. “This is such a big, big issue, and no one is dealing with it. I don’t do anything painful. I tell them to stick with me and I can help them.”

Efficiency in brewing Griffin Claw Brewing Company, 575 S. Eton Street, in Birmingham’s Rail District, has found a way to recycle in a new and unique way – by capturing carbon dioxide they lose during brewing and repurposing it in their beer. It’s a cutting edge science in the world of brewing, where the yeast in brewing spews off carbon dioxide as a byproduct during fermentation. However, brewers continue to need carbon dioxide to give carbonization to beer, to create the fizz when drinkers ‘pop’ the can. Griffin Claw said the technology was created in Austin, Texas, by Earthly Labs, allowing them to recapture the carbon dioxide before it is released into the air for fermentation. Brewers are then able to carbonate Griffin Claw beer. Brewers at Griffin Claw are looking to release a special brew using their new technique, with a special name, in 2021.

It’s all ABC Talk about effective recycling. The former Hillside Furniture/Art Van store at 2300 Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Township, just north of Square Lake Road and the Target store, has just opened as a new ABC Warehouse & Hawthorne Appliance store. More than just an electronics chain, the location features TVs, phones, computers, games, as well as furniture, home appliances and mattresses.

Business Matters for the Birmingham Bloomfield area are reported by Lisa Brody. Send items for consideration to LisaBrody@downtownpublications.com.

Items should be received three weeks prior to publication.

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PLACES TO EAT 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 Joeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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.

CafĂŠ 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. downtownpublications.com

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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 Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Dowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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.

Elieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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,

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CARRY-OUT Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Enjoy Steve's Full Menu Choices From Your Home or Your Office While We Wait for Dine In Service to Resume

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2. Call For Carry-Out & Come In 248-932-0800 3. DoorDash Delivery Through Our Website

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 publicationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Downtown.

Contact Mark Grablowski for advertising rate information.

O: 248.792.6464 Ext. 601 MarkGrablowski@downtownpublications.com

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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. 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.

Social Kitchen & Bar: American. Lunch 86

& 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.

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.

DOWNTOWN

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 & 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, 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.

01.21

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 & 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 downtownpublications.com

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, TuesdaySaturday. 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, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 19416 Livernois Ave., Detroit, 48221. 313.863.1917.

Prism: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 555 E. Lafayette St, Detroit, 48226. 313.309.2499.

Red Smoke Barbeque: Barbeque.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

DOWNTOWN

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, Monday-Saturday. No reservations.

Liquor. 1500 Woodward Ave Second Floor, Detroit, 48226.

313.962.7711.

87

cucumber, chopped pickle, red onion.

Small 10 | Large 13 GREEK SALAD Mixed greens, feta, beets, tomato, olives, pepperoncini, cucumbers, House Greek dressing.

Small 8 | Large 10 HOUSE Mixed greens, tomato, cheddar, cucumber, croutons, red onion.

Small 7 | Large 10

248-550-0455

Facebook.com/statesidedeli Instagram @statesidedeli Partnered with DoorDash and Grubhub STATE DELI & RESTAURANT DAILY DEALS MELANIA MONDAY - 9.00 Fresh made tuna salad, melted cheddar, seasoned tomatoes with seasoned fries

TASTY TUESDAY HEARTY HASH - 10.00 Choose your hash, with two eggs your way and choice of toast - Corned Beef Hash, Country Hash, Happy Hash, or Irish Hash GREEK WEDNESDAY - 10.00 Your choice - Famous Greek salad, Chicken Gyro with Greek salad, Lamb Gyro with Greek salad, or Spinach pie with Greek salad BURGER-BURGER THURSDAY - 10.00 Choose your burger - All American Cheese, Super Bacon, Peetie’s Melt, Sedona Black Bean with seasoned fries FAMOUS FRIDAY THE #1 - 11.00 Get the Best seller - Corned beef, coleslaw, Russian dressing and Swiss cheese on Rye

MAURICE’S Mixed greens, oven-roasted turkey, chopped bacon, Swiss cheese, tomato, cucumber.

Small 10 | Large 13 MICHIGAN Mixed greens, grilled chicken breast, crumbled blue cheese, dried craisins, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions.

Small 10 | Large 13 CHEF’S Mixed greens, oven-roasted turkey, Virginia baked ham, American cheese, sliced egg, tomatoes, cucumbers.

Small 10 | Large 12 SOUPS HOME-STYLE CHICKEN LEMON RICE Cup 4 | Bowl 5 | Quart 13 GRANDMA’S CHICKEN NOODLE Cup 4 | Bowl 5 | Quart 13 HOME-STYLE CHILI Cup 5 | Bowl 6 | Quart 14 HOME-STYLE MATZO BALL Bowl 7 | Quart 16 BROCCOLI & CHEDDAR Cup 4 | Bowl 5 | Quart 13

FAMILY FEAST SATURDAY (Feeds Four) - 30.00 1 pound thinly sliced Corned beef or Pastrami, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, Coleslaw, Potato salad and Jewish rye

SOUP OF THE DAY Seasonal Cup 4 | Bowl 5 | Quart 13

APPETIZERS

CREAMY COLESLAW Small 3 | Medium 5 | Large 8

AVOCADO TOAST - 9.00 Avocado, feta cheese, grape tomato, balsamic, toasted sourdough

1/2 lb Prime beef, applewood bacon, cheddar, red onion.

BACON AVOCADO CHEESEBURGER - 13.00 1/2 lb Prime beef, applewood bacon, avocado, provolone, red onion.

IMPOSSIBLE BURGER - 13.00 Plant-based vegan patty.

Add cheese 1.00 SEDONA BLACK BEAN BURGER - 11.00 Black bean veggie patty, provolone, red onion.

PETEY’S MELT - 11.00 1/2 lb Prime beef, on grilled rye with Swiss cheese and caramelized onions.

DELI BURGER - 13.00 1/2 lb Prime beef, corned beef, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing.

DELI DELIGHT SANDWICHES Extra-lean corned beef additional 1.00 / Extra meat 3.00 Gluten-free bread additional 2.50 / Onion roll additional 1.00 / Grilled bread FREE #1 FAMOUS - 13.00 OUR #1 BEST SELLER. Hot corned beef, Swiss cheese, coleslaw, Russian dressing, twice-baked rye. #3 GINA’S CHOICE - 13.00 Smoked turkey, Swiss cheese, coleslaw, Russian dressing, twice-baked rye. #5 NY STYLE - 13.00 Hot corned beef, Swiss cheese, yellow mustard, twicebaked rye. #7 LEAN N’ MEAN REUBEN - 14.00 Smoked turkey, melted Swiss, sauerkraut, Russian dressing, grilled rye.

HALF SANDWICH & CUP OF SOUP - 12.00 Choice of Deli Delight Sandwich Matzo Ball Soup (+2)

STATE-SIDES

#2 ROMAN’S BEST - 13.00 Hot pastrami, Swiss cheese, coleslaw, Russian dressing, twice-baked rye.

SEASONED FRIES - 3.00

#4 PRICE IS RIGHT - 13.00 Hot corned beef, pastrami, coleslaw, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, twice-baked rye.

REUBEN FRIES - 11.00 Fries, corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing

AVOCADO - 1.50

TATER TOTS - 5.00

POTATO SALAD Small 3 | Medium 5 | Large 8

STATE ROLLS (Two) 6.00 Corned beef, pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese with choice of sauce

TATER TOTS - 3.00

#8 SPENCER’S REUBEN - 14.00 Hot corned beef, pastrami, melted Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, Russian dressing, grilled rye.

ASSORTED CHIPS - 1.25

CREATE A SANDWICH

FRIED CHICKEN TENDERS (Four) - 9.00 Choice of dipping sauce.

GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST - 5.00

HUMMUS PLATTER - 9.00 Homemade hummus and toasty pita chips CHILI CHEESE FRIES - 5.00 ONION RINGS - 6.00 Jumbo beer battered rings with choice of sauce CHEESE STICKS - 6.00 Served with ranch.

FRESH SALADS Add grilled / crispy chicken or seasoned lamb, 3.00 Dressings: House Greek, House Ranch, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Italian, Caesar, Honey Mustard, Raspberry Vinaigrette, Thousand Island FAMOUS CHICKEN GREEK Mixed greens, grilled chicken, feta, beets, tomato, olives, pepperoncini, cucumber, House Greek dressing.

Small 10 | Large 12 STATESIDE Mixed greens, lean corned beef, Swiss, tomato,

WHOLE PICKLE - 1.50

MEDITERRANEAN COMBINATIONS

SPINACH PIE & GREEK SALAD - 13.00 Flaky pastry stuffed with spinach and feta served with a small Greek salad.

LAMB GYRO & GREEK SALAD - 13.00 Sliced lamb, tomato, onion, and tzatziki in a warm pita.

Add lettuce/feta to your gyro, 1.00 CHICKEN GYRO & GREEK SALAD - 13.00 Marinated chicken, tomato, onion, and tzatziki wrapped in a pita served with a small Greek salad.

Add lettuce/feta to your gyro, 1.00

PRIME BEEF BURGERS

#6 D-TOWN REUBEN - 14.00 Hot corned beef, melted Swiss, sauerkraut, Russian dressing, grilled rye.

STEP 1 CHOOSE BREAD: Jewish Rye, Whole Grain Wheat, Challah, Lavash Wrap (Gluten Free Bread 2.50) STEP 2 COMPLEMENTARY ITEMS: Lettuce, Tomatoes, Red Onions, Jalapeños, Banana Peppers STEP 3 SAUCE: Mayo, Yellow Mustard, Spicy Mustard, Russian Dressing, Honey Mustard, Ranch STEP 4 PREMIUM ITEMS (add 1.00 each:) American, Cheddar, Provolone, Swiss, Coleslaw, Sauerkraut, Onion Roll Extra Lean Corned Beef or Extra Meat 3.00 HOT CORNED BEEF - 12.00 SMOKED TURKEY - 12.00 GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST - 11.00 VIRGINIA BAKED HAM - 10.00

All burgers created with lettuce, tomato and mayo on a brioche bun and served with a pickle and choice of French fries or coleslaw.

Onion Rings 3.00 / Gluten Free Bread 2.50

FRESH MADE TUNA SALAD - 10.00

ALL AMERICAN CHEESEBURGER - 11.00 1/2 lb Prime beef, cheddar, red onion.

HOT PASTRAMI - 12.00

LOX - 14.00 (Smoked Salmon)

RARE ROAST BEEF - 12.00 SUPER PRIME BACON CHEESEBURGER - 12.00

653 S. Adams Road Birmingham, MI 48009 (located in the Adam Square Shopping Center)

GRILLED CHEESE TRIPLE DECKER - 7.00

LOX PLATTER - 14.00 Nova Scotia lox, capers, eggs, tomato, onion, cream cheese, toasted bagel, choice of hash browns or pancake.

FLAKY CROISSANT - 2.00

EGGS & PANCAKES - 7.00 Two eggs, buttermilk pancakes.

Add strawberries, blueberries or chocolate chips 1.00

SIDE OF CORNED BEEF HASH - 8.00

Extra lean Corned Beef additional 1.00 / Extra meat 3.00 / Onion roll additional 1.00 / Grilled bread FREE

BISCUITS & GRAVY - 6.00 Fluffy buttermilk biscuit, sausage gravy.

PEANUT BUTTER - 1.50

#9 SHOWTIME - 11.00 Grilled chicken breast, applewood bacon, provolone, mayo, lettuce, tomato, grilled onion roll.

BREAKFAST WRAP - 8.00 Scrambled eggs, cheddar, applewood bacon, green pepper, onion, choice of classic or spinach wrap.

#11 CLUBBIN - 12.00 Smoked turkey, applewood bacon, mayo, lettuce, tomato, triple-decker toasted Challah bread.

CROISSANT-WICH - 8.00 Honey baked ham, scrambled eggs, melted Swiss cheese, croissant.

#13 GYRO - 10.00 Choice of lamb or chicken with tomato, onion, Tzatziki, grilled pita bread. add lettuce & feta 1.00

EGGS & MEAT - 9.00 Two eggs, toast and choice of meat, choice of side (tomato slices, hash browns, pancake).

Add corned beef or pastrami 2.00

#15 IMPOSSIBLE GYRO - 12.00 Plant based vegan patty, cucumber, tomato, Tzatziki sauce, toasted pita.

EGGS & HASH BROWNS - 7.00 Two eggs, hash browns and toast.

SALAMI - 10.00 (Beef) CHICKEN SALAD - 10.00

SIGNATURE SANDWICHES & LITE WRAPS

#17 ROCCO’S WRAP - 11.00 Chicken salad, applewood bacon, cheddar, mayo, lettuce and tomato, choice of classic tortilla wrap or spinach wrap. #19 BUFFALO CHICKEN WRAP - 11.00 Crispy chicken, Buffalo sauce, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, house ranch dressing, choice of classic tortilla or spinach wrap. #21 ITALIAN MELT - 11.00 Honey baked ham, pepperoni, salami, melted provolone, pepperoncini, lettuce, hoagie bun. #23 ORIGINAL CRISPY CHICKEN - 11.00 Buttermilk fried chicken, pickle, lettuce, tomato, American cheese, mayo, brioche bun. #10 MELANIA’S TUNA MELT - 11.00 Albacore tuna salad, melted cheddar, tomato on grilled rye. #12 CLASSIC BLT - 12.00 Thick cut applewood bacon, mayo, lettuce, tomato, triple decker toasted Challah bread. #14 BOSS CLUB - 12.00 Honey baked ham, turkey, applewood bacon, American cheese, honey mustard, lettuce, tomato, triple decker whole grain bread. #16 CALIFORNIA TURKEY WRAP - 11.00 Smoked turkey breast, avocado, tomato, cucumber, choice of classic tortilla wrap or spinach wrap. #18 CHICKEN CAESAR WRAP - 11.00 Marinated chicken breast, lettuce, parmesan cheese, Caesar dressing, choice white or spinach wrap. #20 VEGGIE HUMMUS WRAP - 9.00 Hummus, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, feta, choice of classic tortilla or spinach wrap. #22 PHILLY STEAK - 12.00 Thin sliced ribeye, caramelized onion, melted provolone, hoagie bun.

SOUTHWEST BURRITO - 12.00 Scrambled eggs, applewood bacon, green pepper, grilled onion, salsa, queso and hash browns.

GRIDDLE BREAKFAST JUJU HOT CAKES - 8.00 Fluffy buttermilk pancakes. Stuffed with strawberries, blueberries or chocolate chips for an additional 1.00 STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE PANCAKES - 10.00 Buttermilk pancakes, cheesecake topping, strawberries.

CHALLAH FRENCH TOAST - 10.00 Thick cut Challah bread topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon. Add strawberries, blueberries or chocolate chips for an additional 1.00 BELGIAN WAFFLES - 7.00 Buttermilk waffle.

Add strawberries, blueberries or chocolate chips for an additional 1.00

OVERSTUFFED OMELETS

Order On line

SIDE OF MEAT - 4.00 Applewood smoked bacon, turkey sausage, honey baked ham, sausage links, sausage patties HOME FRIES - 3.50 EXTRA EGG - 1.50 GLUTEN FREE BREAD - 2.50 BAGEL - 3.00 With cream cheese or peanut butter PANCAKE (One) - 3.00 SIDE OF SAUSAGE GRAVY - 2.50 SALSA - 0.75 “BEST IN THE MIDWEST” CORNED BEEF HASH - 12.00 Two eggs, home fries, chopped corned beef, caramelized onions.

HAPPY HASH - 11.00 Two eggs, home fries, broccoli, tomato, mushrooms, feta, caramelized onions.

COUNTRY HASH - 11.00 Two eggs, home fries, applewood bacon, gravy, cheddar, buttermilk biscuit.

IRISH HASH - 12.00 Two eggs, home fries, corned beef, green peppers, Swiss cheese, caramelized onion.

KID’S MENU

Includes free beverage. Ages 8 and younger.

CHICKEN TENDERS (Two) - 6.00 With seasoned fries.

HAM & CHEESE OMELET - 10.00 Chopped honey-baked ham and melted cheddar cheese.

COLD SANDWICH - 6.00 Ham or Turkey with cheese, with seasoned fries.

MEAT LOVER’S OMELET - 11.00 Applewood bacon, honey baked ham, sausage, provolone.

KID’S FRENCH TOAST - 6.00 With your choice of scrambled egg, bacon, or sausage link.

WESTERN OMELET - 11.00 Honey baked ham, green pepper, onion, cheddar.

GRILLED CHEESE - 6.00

PHILLY STEAK OMELET - 11.00 Thin sliced ribeye, sautéed mushrooms, onion, green pepper, provolone.

GYRO OMELET - 11.00 Lamb, onion, tomato, feta, tzatziki.

SEINFELD SUPREME OMELET - 12.00 Hot corned beef, pastrami, caramelized onions, Swiss cheese.

GARDEN OMELET - 10.00 Spinach, mushrooms, tomato, feta.

THE AMERICAN DREAM OMELET - 11.00 Turkey sausage, green pepper, onion, cheddar.

EGGS BENEDICT - 12.00 Virginia baked ham, poached eggs, Hollandaise, English muffin, home fries.

BREAKFAST SIDES

FRIED CHICKEN & WAFFLES - 14.00 Two eggs, fried chicken, Belgian waffles, maple syrup.

CREAM CHEESE - 0.75

Curbside Carr yout

FRESH VEGGIE OMELET - 10.00 Green pepper, mushrooms, spinach, tomato, onion, cheddar.

CLASSIC BREAKFAST BREAKFAST ALL DAY

FRENCH TOAST (One) - 3.50

With seasoned fries.

KID’S STYLED PANCAKE - 6.00 With your choice of scrambled egg, bacon or sausage link.

DESSERTS

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TOAST - 1.50 Whole grain wheat, Challah, twice baked rye, country white, English muffin, grilled pita, sourdough, gluten free (add 2.5) HASH BROWNS - 3.00

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Turkey sausage substitution available

BOWL OF OATMEAL - 5.00 Add blueberries or craisins for 1.00

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ENDNOTE

County commission raises a poor decision ost residents of Oakland County aren't really aware of the board of commissioners, and what their duties are. Established in 1969, currently there are 21 county commissioners, elected to two-year terms, representing geographic districts. Their powers and responsibilities include establishing an annual county property tax millage rate; establishing and formulating county policies; adopting the annual county budget which is usually presented to them by the county executive, as well as long range capital projects for the county; adopting county development plans; and adopting rules establishing the authority, duties and responsibilities for county departments and offices.

Commissioners have full board meetings twice a month, and sit on committees, for which they earn $37,000 a year, plus health benefits.

Until November 2018, the county commission had always had a Republican majority, and simultaneously, a Republican county executive, notably L. Brooks Patterson, who passed away in August 2019. The Republican majority county board supported Patterson's policies and interests, maintained a balanced budget and a AAA bond rating. Democrats might have grumbled about Patterson, notably about some of his off-color statements, but Oakland County's economic success couldn't be debated, and the county commission didn't debate it.

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Then Patterson died. For the first time, Democrats held the reins – but didn't quite know how to manage the horse. First, a deal between board chair David Woodward, a Democrat from Royal Oak and former board chair Michael Gingell, a Republican from Lake Angelus, to have commissioners from both parties vote for Woodward to be appointed to fill Patterson's seat as executive, fell apart in acrimony. Woodward resigned from the board, with its 11-10 Democratic majority, leaving a party stalemate as commissioners “opened” the appointment to interviews. When that failed, Woodward rescinded his resignation and Democrats quickly appointed Ferndale mayor David Coulter as the new county executive. Coulter won election for a full term in November.

Fast forward to December 2020, and Democrat commissioners decided that during a worldwide pandemic, with its economic fallout, it would be a perfect time to introduce a resolution for a three percent raise for commissioners, and a 30 percent raise for Woodward as county board chair, because the 20 percent stipend he was already receiving just wasn't enough, and 15 percent stipend increase for the board vice chair and 10 percent increases of stipends for caucus chairs for both parties. Thankfully, all the Republicans and Democrat William Miller of Farmington voted against the commissioners' raise, but the Democrats – as well as Gingell –

supported Woodward's raise, with Gingell noting he had done the job and knew it was a lot of work, and the increase in the other stipends.

Woodwward will new make $53,042, plus benefits that include health care and 401K. Timing is everything, as the old saying goes.

And the Democrats have terrible timing.

Their frequent complaint during the Patterson administration was that the board was a rubber stamp for his requests. This was their opportunity to show leadership – and so far, we would have to give them failing grades in that department. With many residents struggling with business closures, layoffs, unemployment, food insecurity, and other issues related to the pandemic, raises for themselves showed a lack of sensitivity.

During another instance of hardship in the county, the 2008-2009 recession, the board of commissioners wisely showed leadership by voting to take pay cuts and freezing county wages. We would have liked to have seen a similar effort during an economic downturn some economists liken to the Great Depression.

Rather than attempting to reward themselves in their part-time county commission job and making Woodward's a full-time job as chairman, plus increasing the other stipends, commissioners should have kept their eyes focused on the ball – their constituents and the residents of Oakland County.

Be more mindful when planning city projects s we go to press for this issue, two days before Christmas 2020 and a week before New Year's Eve, we reflect back upon what has been a very difficult year for our community's retailers and restaurants. First, the COVID-19 pandemic created physical and economic havoc and turmoil, impacting the health of friends and neighbors, literally closing down all businesses for the months of March, April and May, and more recently, for our restaurants, which are continuing to endure indoor dining closures due to state orders. On top of that, road construction projects throughout Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills, notably the Maple Road reconstruction project, made access to downtown Birmingham stores and establishments a maze of a challenge.

We applaud the tenacity of those businesses who continue to persevere and have figured out novel ways to conduct business, from providing curbside pickups to new online services, whether a restaurant which is delivering dinners to a fitness

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facility offering virtual classes. Some retailers are offering to bringing merchandise to homes or offices; others are willing to make accommodations at personally designated hours.

Their flexibility to change in the face of this oncein-a-lifetime (we all hope) challenge is admirable and we encourage customers to support our local restaurants and merchants as they continue in their fight for their lives.

Which is why we have to question planning choices – or lack thereof – made by the city of Birmingham, after Maple Road was finally opened to close it down for a week to all through traffic during the week around Thanksgiving, as shopping was ramping up for the busy holiday season, in order to add granite benches. Another morning in mid-December, all of the parking meters along Maple were bagged in order to complete paint striping. That's right – finishing touches which could have easily have waited until spring instead of during Hanukkah and the busy Christmas shopping period.

We give city staff and city commissioners kudos

for extending the free parking at all five of the city's parking structures through the end of March 2021, which is both an enticement for shoppers and diners to visit and use the structures, and very appreciated by businesses who continue to support the city but are impacted by the pandemic, and whose workers are still primarily working remotely.

We also give props to the Birmingham Shopping District and outgoing Executive Director Ingrid Tighe for the '12 Days of Takeout' promotion, where patrons who visited the city's restaurants earned Birmingham Bucks in return.

But moving forward during the dark months to come this winter before hopefully a brighter spring and summer with a vaccinated population, it's imperative that while city government continues to improve infrastructure and make other improvements they never forget how important businesses – restaurants, merchants, offices – are to the fabric of the community. And schedule work accordingly.

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