Downtown Newsmagazine | Birmingham/Bloomfield

OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL / 28-32 | METRO INTELLIGENCER 90-91

JANUARY 2022

DEMENTIA THE HEAVY TOLL FROM MEMORY LOSS ON PATIENTS AND FAMILY MEMBERS INTERVIEW: OAKLAND'S ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER ENDNOTE: EDUCATING THE BIRMINGHAM CITY COMMISSION ECRWSS Postal Customer EDDM

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The Interview: Oakland’s first environmental sustainability officer Erin Quetell, Oakland County's first environmental sustainability officer, sat down with Downtown Newsmagazine News Editor Lisa Brody for a one-on-one interview to explain her responsibilities, what sustainability means for the county and local municipalities.

LONGFORM

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Dementia is a term used to describe symptoms like loss of memory and intellectual functions, often leading to death. Here’s one family’s experience with Alzheimer’s and what’s happening in this field of medicine.

CRIME LOCATOR

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

OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL

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John James redux; Manoogian toxic text court decision; Rinke’s past problems surface; Yob exits Craig campaign; Rakolta-Tudor alliance; party politics in non-partisan realm; plus more.

MUNICIPAL

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THE COVER Cover design: Chris Grammer

District court budget challenges; Birmingham outdoor dining; new city commission policy; 2040 Plan update; wall art comes to the city; Valente takes plea deal; plus more.

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William Seklar, President and CEO of The Community House, updates followers about the need for financial support for this important member of the community.

METRO INTELLIGENCER

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Gigi Nichols provides readers with quick takes on what is happening in the world of food and drink in the metro Detroit area.

FACES

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ENDNOTE

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Our thoughts on the new Birmingham policy to keep elected city commissioners in their own lane and how it is now time for guardians of the children to fulfill their role.

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PUBLISHER David Hohendorf NEWS EDITOR Lisa Brody NEWS STAFF/CONTRIBUTORS Hillary Brody Anchill | Tracy Donohue | Kevin Elliott | Stacy Gittleman Austen Hohendorf | Jennifer Lovy | 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 DOWNTOWN NEWSMAGAZINE 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 political gossip/news.

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.

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.

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CRIME LOCATOR

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Murder

Robbery

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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, 2021.

Placement of codes is approximate.

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There are lessons to be learned from our last local election, but the ones I see are different from those seen by Downtown Newsmagazine (Endnote, Dec. 2021).

Downtown sees the divisiveness characteristic of national politics suddenly arriving at Birmingham's doorstep. But divisiveness, and all that it entails, has been with us for decades.

What’s new here, and unsettling, is what the Aspen Institute recently dubbed Information Disorder — “a crisis of trust and truth” in which “bad information has become as prevalent, persuasive, and persistent as good information, creating a chain reaction of harm.”

Downtown doesn’t help our understanding of this problem when it draws a false equivalence between those who spread disinformation and those who call it out. “This year, sadly, a new low has been breached between individuals involved in the Birmingham City Commission election,” it wrote, “with one side alleging the spreading of lies and big money involvement and the other asserting anti-Semitism.”

I see it another way: One side — with a history of sowing discord, a propensity for alleging conspiracies, and no winning ideas on which to campaign — spread disinformation about the city’s master plan. Videos published online by two candidates for commission were demonstrably false. The goal was to generate fear and anger, and exploit those emotions for campaign contributions and votes.

Downtown could have exposed this disinformation but did not. I did -– in characteristically and justifiably stark terms – and most of what I said was supported by four other commissioners and an array of others, not all “on my side.” We did have one thing in common, though: a regard for the truth. For my efforts, I was rewarded with a charge of antiSemitism from political rivals and a scolding from Downtown.

I appreciate the support of Downtown and the city’s ethics board in rejecting the charge of antiSemitism. I also appreciate the forum that Downtown provides for discussion and debate of local issues.

We’re blessed to have it continue to inform our democracy.

DOWNTOWN

But as the press in general declines, others must step in. So real estate agent and planning board member Stuart Jeffares, for example, publishes the excellent quarterly, Burb; the city sends out more news through a variety of channels, and I send out email blasts that are occasionally opinionated and more than occasionally informative. We need more, not less, of this kind of stuff.

Yet Downtown thinks I should give thought to shutting down my newsletter. Well, let me say this about that: Elected officials do not forfeit their First Amendment rights when they take office. Au contraire. They have an obligation to communicate frankly with constituents. And they have an obligation to correct the record and call out mis- and disinformation and those who spread it.

If Downtown doesn't like my emails, there's an unsubscribe link at the bottom of each. Click it and ye shall be free.

Clinton Baller City Commissioner Birmingham (Publisher's note: It was the responsibility of other candidates in the election to challenge the disinformation of the two candidates who put out falsehoods about the developing city master plan, which we would have gladly covered, as we did when Baller and other city commissioners at a public meeting just prior to the election called out the two candidates.)

Veiled political attacks Commissioner Baller's October email (December Downtown) is a textbook example of political speech intended to be taken figuratively not literally, as many have mistakenly done. This misconception precipitated the anonymous ADL accusations, by Baller's political opponents, which were veiled political attacks masquerading as charges of antiSemitism.

Baller's accusers (see 11/16 Ethics Board video) relied on emotional arguments and even resorted to attacking the board's credibility and objectivity. Clearly their collective goal was/is to eliminate Baller as a political rival, using a false claim of anti-Semitism, to bolster their myriad complaints against his rhetorical 01.22

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style. Ask yourselves why his accusers chose not to file a complaint directly with the ethics board and/or the city commission?

This episode is merely one more in a long list of recent accusations reflecting the national scourge of opportunistic politicians, with the tacit cooperation of some in the media, labeling their political opponents as racists in order to "cancel' them and delegitimize their ideas; the goal being to tar the targeted politician as a pariah rendering him/her unelectable in the future. This is politics by character assassination.

The ethics board, refusing to partake in these political fads, in a reasoned and unanimous decision, concurred that Baller's words are simply commonly used political speech. The board did us all a favor by forcefully defending free speech and returning this battle of ideas to its rightful forum – the ballot box where it belonged from the beginning.

Marc Baker Birmingham

Ethics board got it right

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I am writing to express support for the Birmingham Ethics Board's unanimous decision on November 16, 2021 that a recent email from commissioner Clinton Baller did not contain anti-Semitic tropes.

I do not believe that commissioner Baller's comments were motivated by anti-Semitism, and I think the city should now consider the matter closed and move forward.

Jake German Birmingham

Anti-Semitic verdict correct Your publication is better than this area should expect, and I say that as someone who was once editorial director of The Michigan Daily in A2, famed there for getting arrested in the fall of 1957 when I snuck inside Little Rock Central High to get news when Eisenhower integrated the first southern school. And I was arrested again in the spring of 1958 when I was caught by Batista's secret police as I tried to get to the mountain redoubt of Fidel.

So I know news and media, as an investigative reporter.

I have never met, nor supported nor talked to Clinton Baller. But his

SPEAK OUT We welcome your opinion on issues facing the Birmingham/Bloomfield communities.

Although we do not have a fixed maximum length for letters sent to us, we recommend a maximum length of 175-200 words. We also reserve the right to edit letters for length if necessary.

Opinions can be sent via e-mail to news@downtownpublications.com or mailed to Downtown Publications, 124 West Maple Road, Birmingham MI 48009.

defense against anti-Semitism charges is so convincing that, in court, he would be given a directed verdict, even before the jury deliberated.

Keep up the high-class journalism.

James Elsman, J.D. Birmingham

Lack of statesmanship Commissioner Clinton Baller published some vitriolic and damaging statements about two (candidates' supporters), who are Jewish, in a way that chilled the spines of those who recognize the history of – and may have directly suffered from – religious hatred.

He denied the charge that his words had any base in racism or bias.

And the ethics committee accepted his denial based on the absence of rules specifically regarding certain phrases.

It seems to me that rather than ranting at those who felt victimized and threatened by his remarks, he might have chosen to be a gentleman and apologize for any hurt feelings he may have inadvertently ignited. He could have still maintained his "innocence" of intentional discriminatory language while he recognized the painful history that is the core of this sensitivity.

Enlist statesmanship, Mr. Baller.

Your brand of venomous contempt is not what any citizen prefers to humane and diplomatic communications.

Sandra Tessler Bloomfield Hills

Look forward to Downtown We look forward to seeing Downtown and appreciate your

DOWNTOWN

digging and publisher David Hohendorf's outspoken perspectives.

So what if we don't always agree – isn't that the point to listening and learning from others?

We recognize your contribution to civil discourse and to educating our citizenry.

We are info hounds, reading the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Freep, The Week, Bloomberg, The Economist.

My husband says: "We have no way of knowing some of this guy's stuff."

Thank you.

Susan S Bloomfield Township (Editor's note: Full name withheld on request)

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In a huge step toward addressing this issue, Senator Stabenow, Senator Peters, and bipartisan leadership from our congressional delegation passed the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act – legislation that includes wildlife-friendly infrastructure. By constructing wildlife crossing bridges, tunnels, and culverts, roughly 90 percent of these collisions can be prevented.

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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.

TURNING TIDES: With all the talk of a projected 2022 Republican Congressional sweep, it has local political wonks wondering what can potentially happen to current congressional folk, especially those who were elected in the Democratic wave of 2018. The increasing buzz in Republican corners is that twice-failed GOP candidate John James of Farmington Hills may finally find his ticket to the big top by running against Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Troy, western Oakland and Wayne counties) in whatever reconfigured Oakland district she runs in.

JAMES One top Republican said he believes James “could take out Stevens.” As a reminder, James came within six points when he challenged Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow in 2018, and within two points against Democratic Senator Gary Peters in 2020. The third time could be the charm – or the death knell to his political ambitions. As for fellow Congresswoman Elissa STEVENS Slotkin (D-Rochester, Rochester Hills, northern Oakland, parts of Livingston and Ingham counties), who has announced she will run in a Lansing-based district, state Sen. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte) is looking to flip her seat. Like Slotkin, he’s a veteran – but unlike Slotkin, who is considered a Washington centrist and is a former CIA agent, Barrett has been a vocal opponent of Biden’s COVID vaccine policy and mask efforts and Whitmer’s COVID closures. There are differing opinions on Barrett among Republicans, with one in leadership claiming, “Barrett is a boy scout. He’s a clean as it gets. He could take down Slotkin.” But local clerks around the state, some of whom are Republicans, are not fans. One Republican clerk, who declined to be quoted, upon hearing he was running, said, “Really?!” and noted he had not been supportive of election changes clerks had requested.

TEXTS TELL THE STORY: In early December, Ingham County Circuit Judge Lisa McCormick terminated the personal protection order (PPO) state Rep. Mari Manoogian (D-Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township) had obtained against fellow state Rep. Steven Marino (R-Harrison Township) after a love affair went south, and she alleged he harassed and threatened her with text messages. Manoogian, who said she is not commenting, has said she was afraid of Marino following their breakup, pointing to texts where he said he hoped “her car explodes,” called her expletives, and wrote MANOOGIAN it would be his “life’s mission” to destroy her. Sounds frightening. Problem McCormick said she had with the over 8,000 text messages between the two were that both “often engaged in offensive, and sometimes violent, vulgar language when talking with each other and discussing other individuals, including co-workers.” Word around town is that some of that offensive language by Manoogian included dissing the governor, attorney general and other top Democrats, which one in leadership said, “showed her age (29). She screwed up. She is done.”

Unknown if voters in her district, where she has overwhelmingly prevailed in her past two elections, will agree – or remember – next November.

WHAT MONEY CAN’T BUY: Back in August, we referenced the writings of Bill Ballenger, former state lawmaker and Michigan dean of political newsletters, when he cryptically noted “personal issues” could gum up the works for then-rumored 2022 GOP gubernatorial candidate Kevin Rinke of Bloomfield Township. Yep, he has finally announced and appears to be 28

DOWNTOWN

01.22

Lyudviga Shneyders is not your typical Birmingham clothing store owner. She is a fierce and fashionable woman from a small town in the Soviet Union. A graduate from the Dnipropetrovsk College of Technology and Design, “Viga” has been in the United States since the late 1990’s making her mark in the fashion world and calling Michigan her home.

She began her American journey doing custom tailoring and alterations. Always, sketching designs, always creating one of a kind fashion pieces, Viga was able to take her visions and build her way up to her first store front in 2010 Lyudviga Couture. Her high fashion gowns and tailored suits put her on the map for fashion success. As Viga began to expand her couture designs her next creative vision was named the“10 piece perfect collection.” This collection was designed to never go out of style, easily ready to wear and will forever be in your closet as that “classic piece.”

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In June of 2021 Lyudviga downsized her Maple Ave. store front to 152 N. Old Woodward and expanded her retail selections to include comfy “covid clothing,” fun shoes and boots as well as many types of fashion accessories. Viga will ALWAYS continue to be a custom tailor and alterations maven, and maintain a continued focus with her RED flare to create you a perfect fit and memorable one of a kind designer piece.

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making good on his claim that he is willing to spend $10 million of his own wealth to defeat Gretchen Whitmer, as evidenced by a November nearly quarter million-dollar commitment for digital and broadcast ads to make an announcement splash. But the glow of that introduction faded just a bit when past lawsuits were dredged up (Detroit News and West Michigan Politics blog) from his time as part of management and ownership of the Rinke Automotive Group. The lawsuits, two of which were settled out of court (we assume for money), alleged a toxic work environment, rife with “relentless” racial slurs and sexual harassment attributed to Rinke, not to mention a RINKE supposed quote that puts him in the class where the outdated but still prevailing belief is that women belong in the kitchen.

Have voters heard it all? Fat chance. “There’s more to come,” said one bigwig familiar with sentiments circulating in the state Republican party which we hear is divided on the candidate.

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ROAD WORK AHEAD: Republican gubernatorial contender James Craig has had a rocky start, to say the least. First there was an embarrassing initial announcement on Belle Isle where protesters got as much, if not more, ink than the former police chief. Any follow up public appearances have not ignited much press enthusiasm which is probably why Craig continues to seek the safe haven of FOX tv shows to reach the party base in Michigan. The campaign hit another speed bump in late November, when veteran political consultant John Yob announced he was leaving the Craig camp where he had served as a key advisor. Yob has many notches in his belt, including working on the 2010 campaign of former Gov. Rick Snyder. Published reports suggest that Yob did not agree YOB with the direction the Craig effort will take next year. Yob has said he looked forward to some family time and will decide after the start of January whether to hitch his wagon to another campaign in 2022. The rumor mill has it that Troy millionaire Perry Johnson could still get in the race and that would be home for Yob next year, probably at a better pay rate than the Craig gig. One GOP prognosticator still insists Craig has the best name recognition in the cluster of 11 hopefuls announced so far, but adds that although Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is vulnerable, none of the current field can beat her.

LET’S GET TOGETHER: It’s billed as a friendly meet up – no financial ask, just an introduction to a relatively unknown Republican gubernatorial candidate by a big Oakland County name. That’s what took place preholiday at Oakland Hills Country Club, when Lauren Rakolta, niece of Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and former presidential candidate (who grew up in Bloomfield Hills and went to Cranbrook), and first cousin of Ronna (don’t call me Romney) McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee, invited local ladies to attend a “get to know you” breakfast or lunch with Tudor Dixon, who is running for the Republican nomination for governor. “Lauren is a force,” said one Republican who knows her, noting she is now the finance chair for the Michigan Republican Party. She’s the RAKOLTA daughter of John Rakolta, who was named ambassador to Morocco by former President Donald Trump. The same Republican has noted that Dixon, who has visited Trump at Mar-a-lago, has a strong chance at getting his nod.

BOOTS ON THE GROUND: After coming this close in his race in 2018 to become attorney general, former state Speaker of the House Tom Leonard (R-DeWitt) is doing it all again in 2022. Attorney general and secretary of state candidates from each party are chosen at state party conventions, and not at the primary election, so it’ll be interesting to see if Leonard can prevail among the base of the party, considering it has gone full-on Trump, and the former president has already knighted Kalamazoo attorney Matthew DePerno, who filed a suit following the election in 2020 in

DOWNTOWN

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Antrim County. Also running for the Republican nod is state Rep. Ryan Berman (R-West Bloomfield, Commerce Township). But what Leonard has, and the other candidates lack, is the endorsement of Right to Life, which for over 50 years has been a Republican kingmaker and force in local elections, putting boots on the ground going door to door to help candidates. Local Republicans who want to see traditional GOP values back in the party, are hopeful Leonard gets the party nod, and believe he will, “but it won’t be easy. The convention is where the crazies are.” The Michigan GOP convention is LEONARD April 23, 2022.

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NOSE IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES: There is a long – long – history of local political parties staying out of primaries and local non-partisan elections, where their influence could sway a race. Their impact has always been reserved for general elections, where their power and authority is utilized against the other party. This has long been viewed as the appropriate use of influence. Yet – it seems all bets were off in 2021, and not for good. Take, for example, an email from the Oakland County Republican Party chair Rocky Raczkowski on November 22, where he weighed in – in exultant terms – over a recount for a Northville school board election. A non partisan school board election!!

“Remember when the Democrat Leftists told us that we need to get over the 2020 election?” Rackowski wrote. “As a matter of fact, a Leftist Candidate for Northville School Trustee, named Mrs. Campbell, lost her election by one vote to OCRP RACZKOWSKI Executive Committee Member Jim Mazurek – affectionately called ‘Landslide Mazurek.’” Both political sides seem to have dirt on their hands, as it seems Campbell hired a former Democratic Party chair – who was no longer affiliated with the local party – to represent her in a lawsuit in a recount. After three recounts, she still lost by one vote. But how the Oakland GOP write up ends is controversial – “Congratulations Jim Mazurek! We know that you will not represent ‘special interest groups,’ but work for what is BEST FOR OUR CHILDREN’S FUTURE!” If this is for a school board seat, how excited will Rocky be if a Republican wins a state House seat?

QUACK, QUACK: Last month we were forced to eat crow, as the colloquial expression goes, after we sent out to a few thousand followers our email blast of Oakland Confidential in which we chided the Oakland County Republican Party for involving itself in the non-partisan Birmingham election for city commission because they sent out an email recommending four candidates of a seven-person field for voters to consider when casting ballots. An official with the local Democrat club told us that they did not endorse in the race. But we later learned that their skirts were not so clean when we were alerted to an online club announcement in favor of three candidates in the city election. The online missive showed a picture of the three candidates with a headline that read (and still reads:)“Attention Bimingham voters..In the upcoming Birmingham City Commission race, please support ...” We recently heard from a club official saying the club had not “voted” to endorse, so it was really not an endorsement. Really? But it walks like a duck...

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BLIND LEADING THE BLIND: In another example of political overreach, state Sen. Jim Runstead (R-White Lake), along with seven other state senators, sent a letter urging the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) to withdraw its membership and affiliation from the national organization for its urging of the U.S. Justice Department “to investigate and prosecute parents as ‘domestic terrorists.’” It appears it’s all over parents out-of-control protests at school board meetings over purported teaching of “critical race theory” – or more realistically, RUNSTEAD the ability of schools to teach about different races, nationalities and historical perspectives. His office did not return phone calls.

DOWNTOWN

01.22

FACES Danny and Jen Martinez hen Danny and Jen Martinez met over 15 years ago while working at the iconic Fox and Hounds restaurant in Bloomfield Hills, Danny waited until he stopped working at the restaurant to ask her out. Since that time, the Detroiters have not only become partners in life but in the restaurant business as owners of Alley Cat Café in downtown Pontiac.

Jen grew up in West Bloomfield and attended Andover High School, and was immersed in the restaurant industry as her parents owned the former Fox and Hounds restaurant. She started working in the restaurant at an early age “answering phones, working the coatroom,” and saw firsthand how a couple can successfully run a restaurant business together.

Danny grew up in southwest Detroit, and started cooking as a teen. He graduated from Oakland Community College’s Culinary Arts Institute and is certified both as an executive chef and pastry chef. He has worked in Boston and Washington, D.C. and, locally, at the London Chop House and Meadowbrook Hall.

He has also been teaching in the culinary arts program at Dorsey College in Pontiac since 2010.

“I’d pass through downtown Pontiac on my way home from teaching and think ‘what a great little town’ – it was full of vacant gems, and I could see the possibilities,” said Danny. In 2015, the couple acquired one of those gems – a character-rich, century old property on North Saginaw Street, and Alley Cat Café was born.

Alley Cat Café encompasses a variety of offerings. The café is open for coffee, breakfast, and lunch while the restaurant focuses on evening fare. The venue also includes Paissa Wine Cellar, which hosts wine dinners and private events as well as a catering division called Moonlight Catering & Events.

“Each area has a different feel with lots of wood and brick,” says Jen. “The café has a laid back, comfortable, welcoming vibe. The bar downstairs has a bit of a speakeasy feel. And the wine cellar area was previously a wine club with wine lockers, so it has a unique look and feel.”

While Danny focuses on the creative culinary aspects of the business and teaches, Jen focuses on the café and much of the business end of the partnership. Jen says, “Even though Danny is my husband, I am still constantly blown away by his talent. It amazes me that he really can do anything with food and events.”

Danny adds, “Jen holds everything together. She has encouraged me to keep going with our restaurant business during the low points. There have been a lot of challenges recently that cause you to rethink your business, especially the service end of it.”

Of course, the pandemic has caused many obstacles for the restaurant industry and Alley Cat Café has not been immune from the effects of the initial shutdown, slow restart, and continued staffing shortages.

“Pontiac is such a great downtown community, and everyone is trying so hard to succeed. We see positive signs that the downtown is coming back,” says Jen. “It’s a hard, demanding industry, but we are in love with our business. So much of yourself goes into the business, but our regular customers and staff are like family and keep us going,” explains Danny. “In a restaurant environment, you are dependent on each other to have a good night and succeed.”

Alley Cat Café (alleycatcafepontiac.com)

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Story: Tracy Donohue

Photo: Laurie Tennent

akland County Executive Dave Coulter in September 2021 took the forward step of appointing a new environmental sustainability officer who is responsible for integrating social, financial, and environmental sustainability perspectives and best practices into everyday operations not only for the county, but also for local city, township and villages. Erin Quetell, Oakland County’s first environmental sustainability officer, sat down with Downtown Newsmagazine News Editor Lisa Brody for a one-on-one interview to explain her responsibilities, what sustainability means for the county, local municipalities, and what individual homeowners can easily do to help achieve climate goals and carbon neutrality – and what it all means in simple, easy-to-follow terms.

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Before you came to this job in Oakland County, you served as environmental sustainability planner for the city of Ferndale. What did that entail?

QUETELL: So, very similar to this role. I was housed in the Community Economic Development Department. So part of my role was to look at our planning and zoning and development projects, work with developers, as well as look at the sustainability efforts for the city as a whole. So things like water conservation, energy conservation, waste management, green spaces, everything that has to do with sustainability.

In Ferndale, you added solar array for the city, converted all the streetlights to LED, did a stormwater infrastructure vulnerability assessment and downtown waste management plan, greenhouse gas emission inventory, and did a mobility plan update. How did that prepare you for your work at the county, and what lessons and perspectives are you taking forward?

I have used that experience to integrate different practices into my current role such as looking at everything really holistically and comprehensively. I think about sustainability as a system, communities as a system. And there’s all these different parts that are integrated. And the position in Ferndale really prepared me for interacting with a lot of different types of stakeholders, a lot of different community groups, internally and externally.

And thinking about how municipal operations work and what we can do to improve them, how we can serve our community members, how we can serve our communities, thinking about what does it mean to be conservative with your energy and water? What does it mean for different waste management items and such like things like that. So, it really prepared me for this because I understood everything from a hyperlocal community level. And then I can think about that now of how to serve all communities in Oakland County.

Downtown photos: Laurie Tennent

GREEN STANDARD A CONVERSATION WITH OAKLAND COUNTY'S NEW ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER

Oakland County, and county executive Dave Coulter, has made a commitment towards environmental sustainability. The county says its mission is to “provide information, plans and options to promote conservation of Oakland County’s natural environment while supporting sustainable economic growth, development and redevelopment.” What really is “sustainability,” and what are practical climate goals for people just trying to go to work, take care of their kids, and pay their bills?

I always think of sustainability in these main three buckets: energy, waste, and water. Certainly, there’s other aspects to sustainability. But I think that a lot of people really understand those three items.

And when we’re thinking about how that relates to maybe personal efforts, or actions that people can take as thinking about are your lights in your own home converted to LEDs. We know that LEDs emit a lot less energy, a lot less heat. And so they’re a conservation way that you can implement in your own home.

Thinking about low flow toilets, low flow faucets – there’s different criteria that you can do. There’s Energy Star rated appliances, there’s WaterSense rated shower heads – things like that, that really are very tangible for somebody to think about, as well as even just thinking about different ways for transportation, or thinking about the products that they buy. There’s a lot of different ways that folks can think about sustainability and how it relates to them. And I think that it is affordable. I think that sometimes there are certain things that might seem expensive on the onset, but those savings that you have is really where you get the payback. You will significantly see your energy bill go down, your water bill go down, by implementing these types of efficiencies.

So it can be an investment at first but down the road, it’s the savings.

Sure. And then some things are actually now in the market are more affordable as far as sustainability because there are different products that you can buy. Maybe it’s thinking about the shampoo you use or the laundry detergent that you use. A lot of companies now are looking at that and how they can be more sustainable. What are the chemicals that they’re using – or not using – different natural products like that.

Too often, thanks to political gridlock in Washington D.C., states have had to take the lead on some issues, especially when it comes to addressing concerns about the environment. The same applies when counties are basically forced to take the lead when state lawmakers or an administration fails for whatever reasons to address issues of concern. So when Oakland County says it will “provide information, plans and options” – that is all well and good.

But does the county have the legal muscle to implement countywide policy for local communities to move the sustainability effort along quicker?

I think that that’s a really good question. An immediate example that kind of comes to mind is the thinking about our water stormwater standards that the county has been working on, recently released some updated standards for development and what that looks like. And that’s something that the county can have direct influence on of what this development do as far as sustainability for stormwater mitigation. How can we integrate more green infrastructure? And that’s just one way that the county can provide resources and support for things that are happening on the ground today.

Can you elaborate? Could there be mandates upon individual municipalities to follow through on the that?

I think that it’s more about collaboration, and thinking about the context of what municipalities are working on right now. The environment doesn’t realize municipal boundaries, right? Climate change doesn’t realize municipal boundaries. So what are those efforts that we can put in place that help everybody in Oakland County, all of the CVTs (cities, villages and townships). And it’s really thinking about those different ways that we can help support the efforts maybe that are already happening on the ground.

What could it cost communities, though? Individual CVTs?

Not quite sure. You know, I think cost is always one of those topics that is very tricky. Sometimes it can be something that is more affordable, sometimes there is a cost. I mean, certainly like every other operation or item that you implement, there’s some sort of financial element to that.

So it just kind of depends.

All right. So you’re not thinking that there could be unfunded mandates, that if the county passes something that there might be funding that would be available.

I don’t think that’s a very sustainable way to think about policy. I know that it’s been very frustrating when other unfunded mandates have been forced upon our communities, and that’s not something that I am interested in pushing forward.

Is the county prepared to lobby in Lansing for legislation to dictate state-wide policies to reach environmental goals? A good example would be the law recently adopted in California that over a couple of years will ban the sale and use of so-called gasoline fueled small offroad engine items like chain saws, weed trimmers, golf carts and similar items – all of which create emissions equal if not greater than gas-propelled autos.

Sure. I think that there’s been a lot of conversations and what sort of support we could provide in that realm. There are things specifically within the energy sector that I think that Oakland County can be part of those conversations and what it means for our communities. I think that innovative policies such as that of thinking about our vehicles, and thinking about our small machines is really interesting. And it’s something that we can see would make sense for here in Michigan or here in Oakland County.

Has there been any discussion with executive Coulter and his administration as you’ve begun your work to think about that lobbying work to promote sustainability?

Yeah, absolutely. We have leadership conversations and discussions all the time where we’re really trying to focus on especially the infrastructure bill, and what that can provide and how that can support sustainable goals. And so we’re definitely talking about that. And I’ve had a few different ideas and nothing yet – I’m still new on the job, but certainly I’ve had those conversations.

If part of the county’s effort is to help local communities move toward environmental sustainability, shouldn’t there be some sort of assessment of current standards in the communities so plans can be developed? In the most recent past administration in Oakland County, when there were county-wide efforts of this nature involving local communities, the county would help fund part of the expense of achieving goals. Has that been under discussion with county executive Dave Coulter? Does the county have earmarked funding for your effort or is it expected that the county will benefit from the recently passed federal funding initiative?

Yes, we have thought about what that looks like for sustainability, externally facing. What we’re doing internally right now is conducting our sustainability plan for our operations and facilities. And we’re hoping that through that we can have a little bit of a model and show how we are leaders in sustainable ability and climate resiliency – and then how that translates to communities. We’ve thought of different innovative things like, perhaps it’s a package of ordinances or resources, and so on and so forth.

We have a lot of really great staff at Oakland County, and they’ve been thinking about this for a long time. And now that I have my role here, I can start to lead them a little bit and lead the county and to think about how we’re serving our communities. So we’re definitely looking at that. As I start to learn more from our different departments, and amplifying and supporting everything that they’re already doing, and then looking at the opportunities of where we can serve them as well.

Does the county have earmarked funding for your effort or is it expected that the county will benefit from the recently passed federal funding infrastructure bill that was just signed into law?

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The environment doesn't realize municipal boundaries, right? Climate change doesn't realize municipal boundaries. So what are those efforts that we can put in place that help everybody in Oakland County, all of the CVTs (cities, villages and townships).

I think it’s a little bit of everything, kind of all of the above. It’s really looking at what’s the work that we’re already doing, and how can we amplify it. I’m a department of one, it’s just me for right now, so I’m working really hard.

Is there money earmarked for you?

We have been talking about that, and discussing that. Right now, what we have so far is working on the sustainability plan. And then a lot of that will help guide what we’re going to be doing for our facilities and operations specifically, and what sort of budgets we need to put in place for that.

And then certainly looking at the recently passed infrastructure bill as well as ERP funding and how we can leverage that and sustainability and climate resiliency.

Do you have any idea how much money the county will be receiving from the feds at this point from that legislation?

Not sure yet. We just had a conversation earlier today. I think that’s kind of on our to-do list to figure out exactly what that would look like. I think everyone’s really excited about it. So we’re hopeful that we’ll have something pretty significant coming to our communities.

In September of 2020, Gov. Whitmer ordered EGLE’s Office of Climate and Energy to coordinate the state effort to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 through development and implementation of the Michigan Healthy Climate Plan. That office is supposed to provide guidance to local communities in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting renewable energy and generally moving to a clean energy economy. Although that was just a year ago when the executive order was issued, did you interact with the state when you were in Ferndale? What role do you see the state playing in your efforts?

Yes, we kept an eye on all of that in the city of Ferndale. We passed our own climate emergency ordinance and resolution, talking about where we played and how we fit into that. I know that there have been commitments for Oakland County to become carbon neutral by 2050, as well – thinking about our internal operations.

The state has a lot of really great programs so far, and really thinking about this funding opportunities. There’s also this group that they started called the catalyst communities, which where communities can listen into some interactive webinars and listen to some subject matter experts about what they can do for their communities, or individual municipalities. Counties as well. Anyone in municipal government to think about how they’re serving their local government for the sustainability goals. That’s something I’ve been involved with.

I think another opportunity for the state is really to provide is what you mentioned – a guidance, a framework. What are the critical things that we collectively need to do together because it’s that notion of thinking about it regionally – because the environment doesn’t know municipal boundaries, so if we think about it more regionally – how are we serving the Great Lakes? How are we serving our residents here and our businesses? That’s something that the guidance from

EGLE and the state of Michigan could provide and help, similar to Oakland County.

I think we play a role in that, as well as guiding.

In terms of cooperation among the various units of government, there is currently in place a general understanding among counties, at least in this area, that when major developments in an adjacent county are proposed, neighboring counties are notified and given an opportunity to assess the impact on such infrastructure items, like roads, etc., that may be affected. Should that approach be expanded to include environmental sustainability impact issues or issues such as emissions?

Absolutely, absolutely. I think that one easy thing to think about is EV (electronic vehicle) infrastructure. You know, when you’re traveling through different municipalities or different counties or on your way to the airport, you know, or wherever you’re driving – how can we be more connected with our EV infrastructure and thinking about that more regionally. Stormwater standards, how we’re managing our stormwater and how that is impacting our communities with either with the flooding or even just the process of trends transporting that water.

As you said, water doesn’t know any boundaries, as we saw from this summer of flooding.

Absolutely, absolutely. And when you think about the watersheds of something starting at the top and kind of draining to the bottom, that’s where we need to think about the resiliency to that as well, and how our different infrastructure systems can manage all that from how they travel underneath our roads that move from community to community. And so I think that that would be very helpful and coordinated efforts, in that, for us to kind of move together with that.

At some point, should there be more of a regional approach to the effort of achieving environmental sustainability or is that concept too far off the rails at this point?

I think that that’s the critical part. I definitely think more regionally, just because I’m working in Oakland County doesn’t mean I’m not talking to the other counties and figuring out what are they doing? What are their best practices? How are they tackling the climate emergency?

And I think that that’s the only way that we can move ahead and serve our communities and really make a dent in our greenhouse gases.

So you are talking to Macomb or Wayne or Washtenaw are the other counties?

Exactly.

Let’s return for a moment to specific Oakland County efforts to address sustainability and the issue of global warming. Do you envision the county leading by example on such things as moving to EV vehicle purchases, moving away from use of small off-road gas driven items, solar panels on county buildings for electrical power, for example?

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Absolutely. That’s part of what we’re doing for our sustainability plan that we’re working on right now is what are those policies and practices that we need to put in place really taking a look at what we’re doing well, and what are those opportunities; a fleet management policies for electrification; thinking about our buildings; thinking about our renewable energy in our energy portfolio that we have – where we’re purchasing our energy and so forth. So yes, that has been what I’ve been working on over the last month and continue to work out.

Is the lack of supporting infrastructure like EV charging stations or yet to be developed longer-life batteries going to hinder some of those policy changes?

No, we just have to think about things a little bit differently.

In what way? Can you elaborate?

I think that it’s thinking about our infrastructure – thinking about how we can collaborate a little bit more collaboratively on how we’re developing projects maybe on either in Oakland County or on our campus specifically.

When we’re repaving a road, that’s the time to put in the infrastructure for EV charging stations. When we’re thinking about renovations on our building, how can we make our buildings more efficient? Is there an opportunity to include solar on our rooftops – putting those things into practice. Some of those items have been thought about, but not as comprehensively as we would hope. And so that’s why I’m here. That’s what I’m working on.

What role does mass transit play in the plan for environmental sustainability to address global warming? Do we need to begin reorienting our thinking in terms of not just expanding our road and highway networks, but forcing more of our energies and funding to mass transit to take more cars off the roads?

Mass transit is definitely part of it. The more the more we utilize mass transit, the less cars that would be on the road. And thinking about what that mass transit is like – using electric buses, for example, thinking about that, are there different technologies, maybe elsewhere throughout the country or throughout the world that folks are using that we can implement here? It’s definitely a sustainability tool, and something that we need to think about for our regional transit system within southeast Michigan.

On a related tangent, does the move to remote working due to the pandemic – which is expected to have a major lasting impact on work habits – help at least somewhat on reaching emission reduction goals?

I think that’s really interesting, and something that we’re talking about internally right now, too. How are we using our space? What space do we need?

I think that the pandemic has really shed a light on how we are interacting with our workspaces and our home spaces a lot differently. And that certainly, you know, if we’re not using buildings or not using them in the same manner that we were, we can definitely reduce our energy use. And that, you know, clearly has greenhouse gas emission impacts.

How are you looking at that? What’s the discussion like on that? You said you’re talking about it, but explain to people what that conversation really is like.

We’re really looking at department by department and how people are using the buildings that we have – taking inventory of our buildings. That’s a big part of the AECOM sustainability plan of how people are using that space.

Simultaneously, we’re looking at the different capital improvement projects that we have, you know, that we’ve been discussing, and that have been part of our, our planning processes.

So maybe some of those plans have shifted, maybe you don’t need those because people aren’t coming back to work?

Exactly, and in that same way – actually, that’s what we’re looking at. You know, it kind of shook us up a little bit. And so we’re having discussions about what’s the best and highest use of our facilities and how do we need to kind of adapt and change.

Water, water issues, lakes – they dominate the narrative in Michigan as

the Great Lakes State. Sadly, in the last decade, that has taken an ominous tone with the Flint Water Crisis and more recently, the discovery of lead in the water in Benton Harbor. But we know that many older communities in the state, including in Oakland County, have had water and sewer issues, lead service line connector problems, and other water-related infrastructure headaches. How can they be discovered before more children and other vulnerable populations are further negatively impacted, and as the environmental sustainability officer, how do you and Oakland County move to aggressively tackle them once they are discovered – or is that not even part of your assignment in this new position?

This is a very good question and a very important one. We’ve had conversations with WRC (water resources commission) and how they’re handling everything. I think that the nice thing about this is even though there are some unfunded mandates with those water requirements from the state that a lot of communities are taking this very seriously and are required to report on the status of their lead service lines, and fix them. And so that’s really important.

It’s also education, too. There’s more ways that lead gets into the water that I don’t think people realize. So if you think about your faucets in your home, you have a little thing called an aerator. It’s recommended that you that you clean them very regularly, because different debris can get caught in there.

How do you do that?

You just unscrew at the point where you have your faucet – you unscrew that little part, open it up, it’s kind of like a little screen, rinse it underneath the water and then replace it – it’s pretty easy.

And just thinking about your fixtures in general, if it’s fixtures that were made, I think it was something like before 2014 or something like that, could still have potential parts made out of lead. And that was permitted. So think about replacing your faucets, if you’re able to, and having your water sampled, if you haven’t had it sampled, that’s just an easy way and it’s free.

It is free? How can people go about getting that done?

There are different locations that you can pick up water sampling bottles, like Home Depot or Lowe’s. You can just go to a big box hardware store. And then you can always contact the Water Resources Commission as well. And you can also see what water sampling efforts are happening in your community as well.

There are lots of older homes in the county that have built a long time ago. How dangerous is older paint?

Lead paint has definitely been around for a while as far as as an issue, and there’s different reporting requirements, depending on how old your house is.

It’s definitely something to be concerned with, especially if you live in an older home that’s, you know, older than 1970’s or so. And that’s just something to be really cognizant of, especially if you’re buying a new home, learning about it, making sure you’re using safe good products in your house.

Climate goals are the new buzz words – but many of us don’t really know what that translates to in everyday practice. What can residents do to work towards sustainability while being mindful of climate change?

I think that related to climate, specifically, it’s thinking about things like what type of vehicle are you driving and what are your driving habits? Do you have to drive your car to the store in that way?

You know, I know that not everyone lives in a downtown area, but even thinking about when you go into a shopping area, do you have to move your car from Target to Meijer or whatever, within the same shopping center – you could walk instead. Think about that. And I know that not everyone’s able to do that. And certainly that’s for able-body folks who can do that and have the luxury of that.

Other things are just thinking about your spending habits. It’s so easy to buy from Amazon, and then it shows up the next day if you’re a Prime member. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but just being a little bit more cognizant of it – are there ways that you can minimize the amount of boxes. there’s different things that different companies are doing now to kind of consolidate some of that,

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What we're doing internally right now is conducting our sustainability plan for our operations and facilities...through that we can have a little bit of a model and show how we are leaders in sustainable ability and climate resiliency – and then how that translates to communities.

So many of us had gotten into the habit of bringing in our own shopping bags to the grocery store, and then the pandemic hit, and they wouldn’t let us. So should we be doing that? Is it okay to use their plastic bags?

What should we be doing?

First and foremost, it’s completing the sustainability plan for our campus facilities and operations, that’s going to be completed by mid-next year. And that will really help guide and provide actions to what we do next. And that will be just for the Oakland County campus. We’re doing a greenhouse gas emission inventory of all of our facilities, including our parks as well. Every facility that the county owns and operates – making sure that we are leading by example. And cleaning up some of the things that we need to and supporting the opportunities that we have.

And then at the beginning of next year, really looking at how I can serve the communities. Maybe that’s a climate action plan, maybe that’s a sustainability plan. We’re really thinking about what does that mean for us to support the CVTs. How can Oakland me be a partner in that, and looking externally at that. And then, ideally, meeting some sort of interim goals of our carbon neutrality. So if we have this goal of 2015, to be carbon neutral, what can we do?

I think that’s a really good point. Now that we know a little bit more of the science, especially depending on your comfort level, using reusable bags, as long as you’re washing them and keeping them hygienic, which you should have been doing anyway, before the pandemic. But that’s certainly something to think about too. And that’s going to be an interesting challenge for the sustainability professionals, is those single-use plastics and that single-use mentality, because we’re so fearful, rightfully so, of spreading any sort of germs or viruses. And that’s going to be one of our challenges over the next few years, I think, what does that waste management look like?

What does carbon neutral mean?

It’s thinking about how to reduce the amount of carbon that we are emitting.

So that’s implementing renewable energy sources that don’t use coal or natural gas or gasoline or anything like that. Any kind of carbon source. And if we are using that carbon source, how are we offsetting it by those renewables. So then when you have kind of like a net zero carbon neutral, so it’s not putting more carbon into the environment. It’s staying kind of status quo, and even reducing the amount of carbon that we’re putting into the environment.

Any other tips for residents on sustainability and climate everyday practices?

Should people be considering buying EV automobiles yet without a lot of EV charging stations? Or do you think that’s going to be coming?

What about five years from now?

As well as supporting our local merchants, which is so critical, which is to shop local.

Shop local. Absolutely. And just really thinking about that. What are the products that you’re using? What are the products that you’re buying? How are you spending your money, because that really contributes then to putting a pressure on those businesses, on the business community to have more sustainable practices. If they know that you’re interested in recycled content or low chemicals, or what have you, there’s a lot of different ways that have those ancillary benefits to the climate goals that we have.

I think that’s coming. It’s not an if but when, and a lot more of the big automotive companies are creating a lot of EVs in their portfolio. Certainly, it’s something that helps. I know that sometimes it’s not as accessible for everybody. And so I think that that’s something that business needs to consider is how they can make it more accessible to the everyday user.

I think that it’s very exciting for developments, such as the F 150 Lightning – that will be the first truck that’s a little bit more available for the masses. I know that there’s a lot of range anxiety for the EV charging stations. But I think that that’s where Oakland County and others can think about how to make interconnectivity corridors for that.

So what do you propose for Oakland County? What do you see happening on that?

I think it’ll look like something some sort of strategy on appropriate placement. The state of Michigan has already done a lot of work on our major right-of-way corridors, such as I-75, or 96, or 94. And then it’s really thinking about what are those other right-of-ways. How do we make Telegraph more connected? How do we make Grand River more connected? What about the Woodward corridor? And I think it’ll look like some sort of strategy of where those are placed, working with the CVTs (cities, villages, townships) for that placement and coming up with something to help support that.

You’re relatively new in this job. You’ve got your future here in front of you. What do you hope to realistically accomplish in one year? Five years? Ten? Please elaborate.

So focusing on the science-based targets of what we find out from our greenhouse gas emission inventory, and what are those big items that we can focus on for reducing our greenhouse gases. That might look like really thinking about our fleet, thinking about our transportation. Buildings are some of the highest emitters. For our buildings to be more efficient, it’s because they use electricity, they use gas, a lot of our buildings are 24/7, especially for our emergency management. And so really making sure we’re having the highest-efficient buildings that we can, and then introducing some sort of renewables. So that’s what I see in the five-year range of really making our buildings very efficient, our operations really efficient, thinking about what that means and targeting those high emitters to really start those reductions. And part of it too, honestly, is just culture. It’s building a sustainable culture, it’s infusing sustainability to everyday practices and operations. Making it tangible, making it easy making, it relatable.

Ten years down the line, hopefully, you’re still in this position. What do you hope to achieve?

Ten years down the line would get us to about those 2030 goals. I know that a lot of the effort is to reduce our emissions by 50 percent. So it’s really thinking about pretty aggressive Scan for audio of Erin Quetell work towards what that means – similar to what I was talking interview. about earlier is like what that means for involving some sort of renewable energy systems, but then maybe even tackling it at a bigger scale of thinking about how can Oakland County be partners with our utilities, with our business community, really making transformational change for our region. And that’s what I see happening, but who knows, who knows?

Something new could come up.

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Taryn Asher ver since she was a kid, Taryn Asher knew she wanted to be a broadcast journalist. The award-winning FOX 2 News anchor grew up in Fenton and attended Powers Catholic High School in Flint before earning a degree in journalism from Michigan State University, where she also studied political science.

Asher has been at FOX 2 since 2007, where she anchors the 5 p.m. news with Roop Raj. Throughout her career, she has won six Emmy Awards, including Best News Anchor and multiple awards from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters and the Associated Press.

She got her start as an anchor/reporter at Lansing’s CBS station before heading to ABC12 in Flint, where she met her husband, Jason Carr, who now works at WDIV Channel 4. The couple, who live in Bloomfield Township, have a 10-year-old daughter. “She is the light of our life,” said Asher. “She is a joy.”

When balancing parenthood and their profession – she works nights and her husband works mornings – she said, “I try to make it work, but it’s a challenge for any family. We look forward to the little things in between, like summer, weekends and vacations to make it count.

“During the pandemic, everyone has their ups and downs. For me, it’s about taking it one day at a time,” said Asher, who worked from home for eight months during the pandemic, when she won an Emmy for her coverage of the Black Lives Matter protests in Detroit.

“From my basement – we call it the lounge – I used my phone as my camera and I had no script,” she explained. “It was all happening live. That’s when work experience really counts, like our experience with police departments. Things like that allow you to be able to cover these events in a knowledgeable and compassionate way.”

She and her family also had COVID toward the end of 2020, when she and her husband had to work from home. “You can’t just put on your pajamas. We are the first people turn to when they need the news and there is a lot of preparation,” she said.

When it comes to the competitive nature of her profession, she feels Detroit is unlike other markets. “People really do enjoy all the news stations. They feel like they know us,” said Asher. “I only compete with myself. I have so many female friends in the business and I’ve only worked in Michigan markets where we are rooted in the community.”

Asher clearly has a passion for what she does. “I love being on the desk and anchoring the news,” she said. “I want to give people a voice and bring change and resolution.”

Current events, like the recent school shooting, can be especially hard to handle. “Any story we tell involving children or the most vulnerable is really the most troubling,” Asher explained. “You have to learn how to compartmentalize, but we really do care about the people in our communities.”

She also supports local organizations including Lighthouse of Oakland County and COTS homeless shelter through fundraising events. “We turn them into date nights as well,” she said. “That means a lot to us to try to teach our daughter that same message and pass along the importance. She gets to see it up close through different charities where people really need their services.”

So, what’s next for this talented anchor? There have been reports that Asher may replace Fox-2's Monica Gayle, who is said to be considering retirement, but there is no official word on that yet.

“I love what I do and I’m excited for the future to see what it holds,” said Asher. “I’ve learned in the last 25 years how to take it a day at a time, and how to deal with the now.”

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Story: Jeanine Matlow

Photo: Laurie Tennent

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DEMENTIA: THE HEAVY TOLL ON PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES, NO MATTER THE AGE

BY JENNIFER LOVY

Suzy Plaskey suddenly decided she no longer felt like driving. When she did get behind the wheel, she consistently took the same route to and from the Berkley middle school where she worked as a substitute teacher.

On the days she went to her catering job, she got lost on the way home. Her family could not understand why this was happening. She’d been to the venue dozens of times.

In retrospect, these were the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease. The diagnosis shocked her and her family. After all, who would think that a woman in her early 50s could develop Alzheimer’s disease, a condition where the greatest risk factor is old age.

“You never think Alzheimer’s or dementia, especially when someone is so young like Suzy was,” said her husband, Mike Plaskey, who at the onset of her symptoms, lived and worked in North Dakota while she and their youngest son remained in Berkley.

Plaskey knew something was really wrong when his wife came to visit and couldn’t navigate through the airport. He tried to get her on the plane back to Michigan, but she was in tears, paralyzed with fear over getting lost in the airport. A subsequent appointment with the neurologist and some tests confirmed that at the age of 53, Suzy Plaskey was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s.

“That was like the biggest punch in the face you could ever get. We knew nothing about Alzheimer’s or dementia. We knew nothing about what was involved and what was going to happen,” said Plaskey, who moved back to Michigan in 2013 to care for his wife. At the time, two of their three kids were away at college. Their youngest son, a 16-year-old high

DEMENTIA IS AN UMBRELLA TERM USED TO DESCRIBE SYMPTOMS SUCH AS LOSS OF MEMORY, JUDGEMENT, AND OTHER INTELLECTUAL FUNCTIONS. AFTER ALZHEIMER'S, AMONG THE MORE COMMONLY DIAGNOSED FORMS OF DEMENTIA ARE LEWY BODY DEMENTIA, VASCULAR DEMENTIA, AND FRONTOTEMPORAL DEMENTIA. school student, was at home, helping to look after his mom.

For a good three years, Plaskey assumed the role of Suzy’s sole caregiver. At first, he could comfortably leave her at home while he worked. She didn’t need constant supervision and could do some tasks independently, including taking regular walks with their dog Dusty.

However, Plaskey had to bring in outside help as the disease progressed. For the last four years of Suzy’s life, someone stayed with her during the day while he went to work. After putting in full days as a salesman in the building products industry, Plaskey went home to spend nights and weekends caring for his wife.

“We were in our 50s, a time when we should have been planning our retirement. Instead, I was a caregiver who felt so isolated,” he said.

Although Plaskey had the support of family and friends, he still felt lonely, especially when his wife could no longer communicate. While others looked forward to weekend plans, Friday nights marked the start of a long weekend of looking after his wife.

“The silence was deafening, and there was nothing really to do but care give, and that made it really difficult to live a normal life,” he said.

Suzy Plaskey had early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, a less common form of Alzheimer’s. Roughly 6.2 million Americans age 65 and older live with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a 2021 study published by the Alzheimer’s Association, and that number is expected to more than double by 2050. Between 60

and 80 percent of dementia cases are Alzheimer’s, making it the most common type of dementia.

Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe symptoms such as loss of memory, judegment, and other intellectual functions. It impairs one’s ability to plan and conduct self-care activities such as feeding, dressing, and bathing. After Alzheimer’s, among the more commonly diagnosed forms of dementia are Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, and frontotemporal dementia.

Lewy body dementia occurs when clumps of abnormal protein particles accumulate in the brain. This can affect mood, behavior, and thinking and cause hallucinations and Parkinson-like movements. Vascular dementia is caused by damage to the vessels supplying blood to the brain.

Frontotemporal dementia is a brain disorder that mainly affects the areas of the brain typically associated with behavior and language.

According to Dr. Henry Paulson, a University of Michigan neurologist, dementia is when some cognitive abilities are lost, and an individual can no longer fully function independently with some tasks.

“That’s a pretty vague concept. There are many different cognitive domains. There’s memory, language, attention, behavior and spatial navigation. All are domains of cognitive function. When two or more of those domains are affected significantly, it can lead to functional impairment, and that is for us clinically the definition of dementia,” said Paulson, a professor of neurology at the University of Michigan, the director of the Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center, and the interim director of the Michigan Neuroscience Institute.

The flip side to the clinical definition of dementia is the emotional toll it takes on the individual and on family members. The degenerative nature of the disease steadily steals memories and dignity, leaving the person unable to care for himself or herself, while draining financial resources and emotionally depleting family members.

Alzheimer’s is a slowly progressive disease. Most experience the underlying pathological process for more than 10 years before they show symptoms, which would include memory loss and difficulties making decisions, according to Paulson.

As the disease advances, neurons in other parts of the brain are damaged or destroyed, impacting the parts of the brain that enable a person to walk and swallow. With no cure for the disease, it’s ultimately fatal, and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

“With dementia, things will be okay for months and months and months, and then, all of a sudden, you’ll see a drop. Then you can go another six, seven months and then another drop in some little things like, ‘Oh she can’t drink out of a regular cup anymore, or she’s incontinent,’” said Plaskey.

As her Alzheimer’s progressed, Suzy refused to shower, suddenly perceiving the running water as painful. She went through an angry stage, where she’d yell at those who came into the house. She stopped brushing her teeth, started sleeping more during the day, and stayed awake at night.

Slowly, she stopped talking and didn’t recognize people outside certain family members. Her husband described it as heartbreaking.

Brandi Becker-Wright is a care counselor with the Alzheimer’s Association Michigan Chapter and Henry Ford Health System Collaborative, which helps families navigate their challenges in looking after a loved one with dementia.

Most of the time, people with dementia will start to live in their own reality, said Becker-Wright, who likes to use the analogy of keeping a journal to explain what memory loss can look like.

“Our brains act like we’re writing down everything that we do and say, everyone that we see, and all the places we go. In people who are in the early stages of dementia, it’s as if the pen they are using to write in the metaphorical journal is running out of ink. This explains why some of the earliest stages of memory loss seem to be forgetting very recent

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information,” according to Becker-Wright.

“You could say to someone, ‘What did you do this morning?’ and they can’t remember, because when they go back to reference that journal and they look at that page from today, that page is blank. So even though they wanted to write down what they did, nothing came out because that pen wasn’t working,” she explained.

When they get to the middle stages, it’s as if the pages of the journal have started to fall out, and they fall out in reverse order. Therefore, the things that happened more recently in their life fall out to where they have several years of their life now missing, she continued.

“So now, if you were to ask them ‘What did you do yesterday?’ and they flipped to their journal, and they look at the last page, which in theory should be yesterday, it could have things written on it from what they did 20 years ago, but it feels incredibly real because it’s the most recent page in the journal,” said Becker-Wright.

As a loved one goes through the stages of dementia, Becker-Wright recommends keeping them engaged as much as possible.

“We’re so busy making sure they have their meals, their meds, they’re showered, that we forget about making sure they’re having fun and doing things that are important to them. It’s also very healthy for their brain to be doing fun activities,” she said.

Brain health is a part of what professionals advocate to try and slow the progression of the disease. Lifelong learning could be beneficial in reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s because anything that is mentally stimulating

AS THE DISEASE ADVANCES, NEURONS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE BRAIN ARE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED, IMPACTING THE PARTS OF THE BRAIN THAT ENABLE A PERSON TO WALK AND SWALLOW. WITH NO CURE FOR THE DISEASE, IT'S ULTIMATELY FATAL, AND IS THE SIXTH LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE UNITED STATES. may slow memory loss.

Dr. Marina Novikova, a Henry Ford physician who is boardcertified in neurology and behavioral neurology, said staying cognitively engaged does not mean doing jigsaw puzzles because they are more about pattern recognition. Instead, she advises finding something more creative and outside the person’s comfort zone.

“When you try something new, you start to use different parts of the brain, making new connections between brain cells, and that’s, so to speak, creating a buffer. If something is to happen, you have extra layers of connections in the brain,” explained Novikova, who also serves as the program director of the behavioral neurology fellowship at the hospital.

Other factors beneficial to brain health include participating in aerobic exercise, getting enough quality sleep, and following a heart-healthy diet. Social engagement is also important, which is why adult day service programs are beneficial. Not only do these programs offer much-needed respite for caregivers, but they also address social needs through mentally and physically stimulating activities.

Before the pandemic, Bloomfield Township ran an adult day program where qualified adults 50 and older with a diagnosis of dementia could participate in therapeutic activities and structured socialization, such as gardening, games, crafts, exercise programs and group discussions.

Christine Tvaroha, the Bloomfield Township director of senior services, is optimistic that the program will resume this year and encourages interested families to reach out through the

senior services page on the township website.

Tvaroha advises families to get their loved ones in an adult day service program as soon as possible. Too often, she said, families come to her when they are in crisis mode because the caregivers are overwhelmed and desperate to find help. “So many people tell us they wish they would have initiated services sooner,” she said.

While mental engagement, diet, sleep and exercise are beneficial, there are also a handful of drugs that can help treat the cognitive symptoms of the disease, particularly as they relate to memory and thinking. However, researchers are still looking for a “home run” medication.

Last June, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to Aducanumab (sold under the brand name Aduhelm), a medication aimed at slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s by removing amyloid proteins found in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s. Amyloid is an abnormal protein that binds to and destroys central nervous brain cells, eventually rendering these cells less effective or ineffective.

However, many physicians and hospitals, including the University of Michigan, say they will not administer it until there is more evidence that the drug is beneficial.

“I absolutely know that this antibody will clear plaques from the brain, and that could be a good thing, but we don’t yet have good clinical data to show that it is beneficial,” said U-M’s Paulson. “Do I believe that Aducanumab might be beneficial for a subset of people who have amyloid in their brain? Yes, I do. But I don’t think we’ve yet figured out how large that group is and how best to give them that medication.”

Aducanumab is a monthly infusion therapy that can be used by patients with mild cognitive symptoms to potentially slow the progression of the disease. To determine whether a patient is a candidate for Aduhelm, testing is required to ensure that Alzheimer’s is the cause of the person’s cognitive decline. This is done through a physician’s assessment, MRI studies and blood work. But, most important, a patient must have amyloid in the brain, a determination that is made based on results of a spinal tap or an amyloid PET scan.

As soon as Aducanumab became available, the Michigan Institute for Neurological Disorders (MIND) administered the very first dose in Michigan – and possibly the nation.

Since the drug’s approval, the Farmington Hills-based clinic has treated six patients with it. Dr. Jonathan Fellows, director of the Alzheimer’s disease clinic at MIND, said the main reason only a half-dozen patients have gotten the medication is that widespread insurance approval is lagging.

The drug costs $56,000 per year and requires frequent monitoring through MRIs to check for brain swelling or hemorrhaging, both potential side effects.

“I tell my patients, as long as you tolerate it, this treatment is forever. And forever has a little asterisk next to it. What I mean by forever is – until the next great thing comes along,” said Fellows. “It’s by no means the home run drug. But, it’s a wonderful thing that we now have at least something else in our toolkit to offer patients while we are basically awaiting the next best thing. We don’t know what the next best thing will be. It might be a similar drug that has fewer side effects.

It might be a similar drug that has more defined data. It might be a completely different class of medications, but at the very least, there’s a great deal of money and a great deal of research that’s being thrown at this horrific neurodegenerative disease.”

Dr. Novikova, from Henry Ford, agrees Aducanumab could be a precursor to other medications, particularly ones that will be easier to administer and more effective in treating Alzheimer’s.

Researchers, she said, are not even sure if amyloid is the protein that needs to be targeted to treat Alzheimer’s. Tau is the other primary protein implicated in the disease, and antitau therapies are being tested as well, according to Novikova.

“We’re trying to figure out what’s the chicken and what’s

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the egg between this amyloid protein and the tau protein. We know both proteins change in Alzheimer’s disease. That’s where a lot of research is happening. They are trying to determine which one starts the process that causes symptoms and where we need to intervene. Which protein do we need to target; maybe both. I think this is the most promising pathway we have right now,” Novikova said.

Another avenue being pursued in the fight against Alzheimer’s is a nasal vaccine designed to prevent and slow the progression of the disease. The vaccine is designed to activate white blood cells in the lymph nodes that travel to the brain and clear the amyloid plaques. The study, conducted at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston, consists of 16 participants between 60 and 85 years of age with early symptomatic Alzheimer’s.

While it’s not a treatment, Paulson of U-M is excited about a blood test being developed to help diagnose Alzheimer’s. He anticipates it being available within a year.

“It will be a test that will say yes, we do believe that you have the Alzheimer’s process going on, or not,” he said.

“When I do a brain image of someone, it does not tell me that it is or is not Alzheimer’s. It just gives me indications that it might or might not be Alzheimer’s, whereas a blood test might be definitive. It might say yes, this person has the biomarkers of Alzheimer’s, and therefore their memory loss is almost certainly due to the disease.

“That to me is an important game-changer. This will allow us to more precisely diagnose, which will help us help families understand what they’re facing, what the future might be, and what kind of medications they might want to take.”

THE BURDEN OF DEMENTIA ON FAMILIES, AND THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, IS STAGGERING BECAUSE OF THE LONG DURATION OF THE DISEASE AND THE INCREASING LEVEL OF CARE REQUIRED AS IT PROGRESSES. ACCORDING TO THE ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION, THE LIFELONG COST OF CARING FOR AN INDIVIDUAL PATIENT IS $373,527.

The burden of dementia on families, and the healthcare system, is staggering because of the long duration of the disease and the increasing level of care required as it progresses. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the lifelong cost of caring for an individual with dementia is $373,527.

The financial burden of caring for Suzy Plaskey increased significantly as her family watched her health deteriorate. To help offset expenses, Plaskey’s brother and sister-in-law organized a golf fundraiser.

The Team Suzy Golf Outing was so successful that it is now an annual event to support other families impacted by Alzheimer’s and dementia. Last year marked the seventh year of the fundraiser, which was attended by 180 participants. To date, they’ve raised more than $250,000.

Following Suzy’s death, Plaskey and his nephew met for a brainstorming session. They jotted down ideas and goals on a whiteboard about taking Team Suzy to another level. The question they kept coming back to was, “How do we help the caregiver.”

In 2021, the Team Suzy Foundation was established to help those affected by Alzheimer’s by granting financial aid to caregivers. They also educate others about the disease and partner with local non-profit organizations offering services to those affected by Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

“If I didn’t do this (Team Suzy), then I think, what was this truly about?,” Plaskey asked. “Why did I suffer? Why did I sit

in that house alone for so long, by myself, crying and hoping? Someone today is in tears because they don’t know what to do.”

In 2020, approximately 463,000 people in Michigan were caring for a loved one with dementia. They provided an estimated 491 million hours of unpaid care, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

As more people age and at-home care isn’t always an option, the need for affordable assisted living and nursing home care is rising, leaving some industry professionals worried about meeting the anticipated demand.

Lee Karson runs SKLD Bloomfield Hills, a skilled nursing home, and thinks that while the need for affordable placement is growing, the industry still isn’t doing much to meet those needs.

“To some degree, they were talking about it before COVID-19, but the demands from COVID – the reporting requirements and challenges of finding staffing – I think that has completely sidetracked everybody, and it’s a shame. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life, and can’t even predict what’s going to happen moving forward,” said Karson.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, those ages 65 and older have a 70 percent chance of needing long-term care, which can carry a hefty price tag.

The average cost for assisted living in the Bloomfield Hills-area can range between $3,000 and $10,000 per month, depending on whether the facility is low-income senior housing or a private-pay facility, according to Morgan Schilling, the business development director for the Avalon Communities of Michigan, which includes the Avalon of Bloomfield Township, a private pay community.

Eric Lenz is a sales executive with Emerald Coast Building Company, a Clinton Township-based business that does the interior finishes in assisted living facilities throughout the midwest. He offers a different perspective, reporting growth in the number of high-end assisted living facilities being built.

“We’ve noticed many of these places are just going above and beyond, raising the bar in terms of interior quality and design, almost turning them into something resembling a Las Vegas resort. Not quite to that magnitude, but they want to attract a certain clientele over their competitor down the road,” he noted.

Lenz said this is particularly true in Bloomfield, Rochester, Lake Orion, Clarkston, Novi and Northville because these are areas where some of the people maturing want to maintain their standard of living.

Lenz is surprised by the market for these high-end facilities and asks, “How many is enough? They wouldn’t be building if there wasn’t the demand, but the prices to live there have to be through the roof.”

“Many members of the Health Care Association of Michigan (HCAM) have units dedicated to memory care. The staff on those units typically have additional training on working with residents that have Alzheimer’s, dementia or other memory care issues. HCAM received a multiyear, comprehensive grant from the state of Michigan for specialized training for dementia residents to order to provide a more person-centered care experience. As more people are impacted by these diseases it is important to continue to provide a local, high-quality care option in skilled nursing facilities,” said Melissa Samuel, president and CEO, Health Care Association of Michigan.

With the widespread impact of Alzheimer’s and dementia, the Michigan chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association is dedicated to seeking changes in how resources are allocated to increase awareness, diagnosis, and management of the disease and addressing its impact on families and communities.

“I think the level of awareness and the level of impact that Alzheimer’s disease has had is really started to emerge.

With our efforts to ramp up legislative involvement, there’s a

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greater awareness that Alzheimer’s disease is not just a condition of aging, but it’s a public health problem. I think policymakers are getting that message,” said Colin Ford, public policy director for the Michigan chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

Ford talked about how the most recently approved state budget allocated a one-time funding of $400,000 to create a dementia unit within the government. However, the legislation lacks guidance in terms of program implementation.

Because of the absence of specificity, the organization’s advocacy efforts have shifted to building the dementia unit within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), “In a way that fulfills the vision of what this can mean in terms of leveraging the resources within state government in a way that can make a positive impact on the lives of people living with dementia, as well as caregivers.

Our focus in the longer term is to assure that funding for the dementia unit continues into the future,” said Ford.

The Alzheimer’s Association Michigan Chapter is also advocating for legislation that would improve access to neurologists and geriatricians in underserved areas.

Under the Michigan Essential Provider Program, some medical providers qualify for a loan reimbursement program if they practice in underserved parts of the state. Physicians specializing in neurology and geriatrics, two key specialties in diagnosing and managing dementia, are not included.

“This bill is an attempt to over time help build out that infrastructure in the state of Michigan so that wherever you live, you would have access to a neurologist or a

ON A NATIONAL LEVEL, U.S. SENATOR DEBBIE STABENOW (D-MICHIGAN) IS THE LEAD AUTHOR OF A BILL THAT WOULD ALLOW THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO TEST A DEMENTIA CARE MANAGEMENT MODEL TO PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE CARE TO MEDICARE BENEFICIARIES WITH ALZHEIMER'S OR DEMENTIA. geriatrician,” said Ford.

On a national level, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (DMichigan) is the lead author of a bill that would allow the federal government to test a dementia care management model to provide comprehensive care to Medicare beneficiaries with Alzheimer’s or dementia. The bill also allows a similar model to be designed under Medicaid.

Called the Comprehensive Care for Alzheimer’s Act, this proposed legislation would provide care management services, including monitoring other health conditions, medication management, and care coordination. It would eliminate cost-sharing for patients and pay providers based on the complexity and quality of the patient’s care, ensuring that caregivers are supported and able to participate in the coordination and management of care.

According to Stabenow’s office, the bill would establish high standards of care by evaluating the quality of care, clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and utilization of care and requiring outreach to underrepresented populations and culturally appropriate care.

“The needs of someone with Alzheimer’s disease and their family members who are caring for them are unique and especially challenging. This bill takes a comprehensive approach in addressing these special health care needs. It creates a model for innovative planning, high standards of care, and support for caregivers while reducing costs through better coordination,” said Senator Stabenow in a written release.

Caregiver support is arguably the most pressing need for those with a loved one impacted by the disease. The Alzheimer’s Association Facts and Figures Report, published in 2021, found that 59 percent of caregivers have chronic health conditions. Healthcare professionals said they often find that family members are so consumed by caregiving that they frequently neglect their own health.

“Burnout is real, and you definitely cannot be a good caregiver if you are not well cared for yourself,” said the Henry Ford social worker, Becker-Wright. “A lot of people don’t start thinking about respite until they are at a stage of needing it immediately.”

People often assume that if their loved one doesn’t need intense care, they don’t need respite. “You hire someone to give yourself a break so you can recharge,” advised BeckerWright.

Plaskey, who now lives in Auburn Hills, said he thinks about caregivers all the time because it’s a very stressful and lonely way to live, particularly when the person you’re with can no longer communicate.

“You have to think, what are they looking for, what do they want? You become their voice, particularly with the doctors and the people coming into the house,” he said. “But you also have to live. There’s still life after this. I wasn’t even 60 years old when she passed. You have to accept what it is and then keep living. It’s so important.

“One of the most important things in my caregiving journey was when I accepted death. I realized that no matter how much money or what doctor I went to, they could never change the outcome of Alzheimer’s. Suzy was going to die, and I would be a single man one day. As sad as that was to accept, it’s the brutal reality of the illness.”

A diagnosis is challenging for some to accept because of the stigma associated with cognitive diseases. The reasons vary, but Becker-White speculates that one explanation is that in the past, as people aged and showed signs of cognitive decline, they were institutionalized, and families often became reluctant to talk about it.

Becker-White often attends health fairs, representing the Alzheimer’s Association. She finds herself standing in front of the organization’s display table, waiting to talk to attendees. Some stop, but far too many walk by and whisper loudly, “I don’t want to talk to them because I don’t want to know about it.”

“I understand that it’s scary, but not knowing about it doesn’t make it go away,” said Becker-White.

Suzy Plaskey’s battle with Alzheimer’s ended in January of 2020. She was 62. When she stopped eating and couldn’t swallow, her family knew it was almost time to say goodbye.

A hospice team helped them get ready for her final days.

“There were no more tears to give. So I prepared myself by saying this is okay. This is going to be fine. Everyone is going to be fine. I was calm, super calm, along the way,” recalled Plaskey.

On a cold January night, Suzy’s oxygen machine began making loud noises, waking her husband up at around 2 a.m.

“I’m looking at her, and she’s taking her last breath, and I said to her, ‘You’re not dying, are you?’ I put my hand over my mouth and went, ‘Oh my, you just died, didn’t you?’

“I had this incredible smile on my face. Like the world lifted off my shoulders, and I sat there, and I’m like wow, wow. That was special. I was holding her hand. I don’t know how long I was sitting there looking at her. I had no more tears. I just knew the journey was over for us. I can cry now.

She’s at peace. I’m at peace. It was comforting to know that I gave everything I could give, and so did our family and friends, and see it end so peacefully.

“It was worth everything to go through that pain because I lived to tell about it, and I’m here on the other side, living a great life right now. And that’s okay. It’s not that I don’t miss Suzy or think about her daily, but it’s about life. It’s not about Alzheimer’s and dying. It’s about having your life and living that life the best you can.”

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FACES

Nisha Singhi hen Bloomfield Hills resident and International Academy sophomore Nisha Singhi attended a birthday celebration for her uncle several years ago, she didn’t expect it would lead to developing a passion for saving wildlife through proposed state legislation to ban balloon debris.

As Singhi explains, part of the celebration involved the release of balloons which became caught in a large tree, causing her to be concerned for nearby wildlife. Later that month, she picked up a Pure Michigan magazine in her dentist’s office and read how Lara O’Brien, a graduate student at University of Michigan’s School for the Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), was championing the issue of environmental dangers caused by balloon litter through her Balloon Debris Citizen Science Survey website.

“I found her website easy to understand and decided to pursue this issue further. It bothered me that harm was being done to the environment and balloon debris was killing marine life and birds,” Singhi explains. She reached out to O’Brien for information on this issue, then continued education and collaboration efforts with her and another SEAS graduate student, Maria Dabrowski, over the next two years. Singhi’s parents, Amit and Usha Singhi, have also been “super supportive” of her passion for this cause.

According to Singhi, the statistics are startling – while balloons make up only a small portion of plastic pollution, they are among the deadliest for wildlife. Between 2016-2018, 18,000 pounds of balloon debris were found in the Great Lakes. Balloon debris is non-biodegradable and 32 times more likely to kill marine birds than hard plastics because it breaks apart and many wildlife species mistake it for food which can cause choking, digestive problems, or death. She also notes the economic

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impact to plastic pollution, as cleanup efforts cost Great Lakes coastal communities about $500 million each year.

“The unique thing about this issue is that it is narrow but can make a huge impact,” she says.

Last summer, Singhi contacted her local legislators, Sen. Mallory McMorrow, and Reps. Mari Manoogian and Padma Kuppa, to discuss the environmental harm caused by balloon releases. In September, she was invited to shadow Rep. Manoogian for a day at the state Capitol in Lansing, and was surprised and delighted when Rep. Manoogian and Sen. McMorrow introduced identical bills in the Michigan House (H.B. 5373) and Senate (S.B. 675) banning the intentional release of balloons outdoors.

In October, Singhi was asked to testify in front of a state legislative committee in Lansing.

“I have always been interested in public policy and government. It was amazing sitting in front of experienced committee members. I was nervous, but as soon as I started to speak, the words flowed out.

Afterward, I appreciated the kind words of encouragement and support…It was an experience of a lifetime.” Both bills are currently in legislative process.

As for the future, Singhi hopes the bills pass and people find more environmentally friendly alternatives to celebrate the moment or milestone. She plans to continue her research and involvement in environmental issues and public policy and looks forward to starting college in two years. She encourages those who want to make a difference to “find an issue you are passionate about and start small.”

Balloon Debris Citizen Science Survey website, balloondebris.weebly.com.

Story: Tracy Donohue

Photo: Laurie Tennent

MUNICIPAL Budget upheaval for 48th District Court

By Lisa Brody and Kevin Elliott

The 48th District Court, located in Bloomfield Township, presented its 2022 budget to Bloomfield Township and Birmingham at local meetings on Monday, December 13, and while both communities unanimously approved the spending plan, there is disagreement among the municipalities about continuing to fund it, with Bloomfield Hills opting to discontinue its funding, and Birmingham planning to withdraw from the inter-local agreement by 2023.

The 48th District Court serves the communities of Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, Sylvan Lake, Keego Harbor and Orchard Lake. Of the seven communities, Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills and West Bloomfield are considered “funding units,” as they provide funds to the court to operate. The inter-local agreement was put in place between Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, West Bloomfield and Bloomfield Hills in 1985. With the Bloomfield Hills withdrawal, Bloomfield Township, Birmingham and West Bloomfield remain as the three funding units for the court in 2022.

Keego Harbor, Sylvan Lake, and Orchard Lake don’t provide budgetary monies to the court, instead receiving one-third of the revenue generated from court cases each year. Funding communities instead front the money to the court, then split the remaining revenues, minus expenditures. As a result, the amount provided to the court by funding units varies annually, with communities receiving as much as $50,000 or paying more than $100,000 other years.

Bloomfield Hills' opt out from the funding “was a shock,” said Bloomfield Township Supervisor Dani Walsh at the township board of trustees meeting, noting revenue shortfalls at the court were COVIDrelated.

“We tried to use old (prepandemic) numbers, rolling numbers, but it just became clear that Bloomfield Hills no longer wanted to participate… This is four decades of history. Most of us do not see why they did this,” Walsh said.

Bloomfield Township trustees unanimously approved the $4.7 million budget for 2022 presented by court administrator Patrick Dunn, of which Bloomfield Township is downtownpublications.com

Political sign theft case ends in plea deal

By Lisa Brody

on Valente, 2020 Republican candidate for Bloomfield Township trustee, agreed to a plea deal for disorderly conduct and pleaded guilty on Thursday, December 2, as a trial for larceny of campaign sign theft for property less than $200 was scheduled to begin before Judge Kimberly Small at 48th District Court.

According to witnesses in the courtroom, as the trial was set to begin and the jury was waiting, the assistant prosecutor from the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office and Valente's attorney held a number of conversations and meetings with Small. Eventually, the original plea, larceny of campaign sign theft for property less than $200, was dropped and replaced by a charge for disorderly conduct.

Small explained the charge and his rights to Valente, and he voluntarily accepted the plea. A member of Small's staff confirmed the court action.

Sentencing of up to 90 days in jail and/or a fine is scheduled by the end of the year.

Valente, a retired attorney, had been accused of stealing political signs during the 2020 primary election. The crime is a misdemeanor, punishable by 93 days in jail and/or $500, or three times the value of the property stolen, whichever is greater. The signs stolen were for township candidates Bloomfield Township Supervisor Leo Savoie, Brian Kepes, trustees Neal Barnett and Michael Schostak and clerk candidate Thomas Smyly. Kepes, Barnett and Schostak all won their primary and general elections. Township police records indicate that about three dozen signs were found outside the garage on Valente's property.

A complaint was initially filed with the Bloomfield Township Police Department by a citizen who recognized Valente and saw him taking campaign signs for Savoie and Kepes in the vicinity of Long Lake and Telegraph. Bloomfield Township police initially investigated the complaint. They then expanded their surveillance review to other locations along Telegraph. The case was eventually turned over to the county sheriff's office because one of the candidates was a township police officer. A sheriff deputy confirmed to Downtown Newsmagazine in 2020 that at least three dozen signs and quite possibly more were found on Valente's property.

Both Savoie and Kepes gave victim impact statements in court on December 2, discussing Valente's impact on the political system and the residents of Bloomfield Township.

Noting the acceptance of the plea, Barnett said, “It's something, and it will be on his record.”

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expected to fund 43 percent, or just over $2 million. West Bloomfield is projected to fund 23 percent of the budget, or $1.1 million.

“We did open our doors on August 1 to the public,” Dunn said. “We are continuing a hybrid model where some things are still remote… There are two components to our budget.

The pandemic has been driving everything. Our revenue has bounced back, it's not all the way, but it's better. We're 38 percent of our caseload. There were a number of cost cutting items we undertook in 2020, and now we're confronting things like staff shortages. We have lost a number of court staff to other courts. As for expenses and our operating costs, we have applied for a number of grants.”

Birmingham Finance Director Mark Gerber told commissioners at their meeting that the city paid about $828,620 to the court in 2021, and projects court revenue paid to the city to total about $695,542, a shortfall of about $133,000. The city projects contributions to the court in 2022 to total about $1,584,892.81.

Birmingham commissioners unanimously approved funding the 2022 48th District Court budget.

However, as court expenditures are expected to rise, and revenues to trend down, commissioners expressed a strong desire to exit the agreement in the future.

“Diversionary programs may expand, and there may be more costs to the court and less fines, depending on the direction of the court,”

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Birmingham City Manager Tom Markus said.

“I think that’s true,” Birmingham Attorney Mary Kucharek said. “There will be some increase in costs unless there are grants in federal or state dollars that come along with that.”

Following the budget approval, commissioners approved a new interlocal agreement with Bloomfield Township and West Bloomfield to continue to act as funding communities to the court. Kucharek said the existing agreement would expire in January.

“If there isn’t a new agreement reached come January 1, we will automatically revert to the statutory guidelines and requirements,” she said, which she said provides that two-thirds of revenues of the court are returned to the municipality where the court is located.

Markus recommended the commission approve a new agreement among the three remaining funding communities, and consider announcing its intent to opt out in January 2022, with a withdrawal from the agreement at the end of 2022. However, commissioners Clinton Baller and Brad Host questioned whether it would be better to reject the new agreement and be done.

“I suggest we abandon this right now,” Baller suggested. “It’s a bad deal. It’s costing us a lot of money.

It’s a sure thing that if we are not a funding community (we receive a portion of revenue).”

Kucharek said the agreement allows the city time to look at the matter, while still following the stipulations of the agreement, which requires communities opting out to provide notice to the member communities in January for removal the following year.

“Bloomfield Hills didn’t meet that stipulation,” Markus said. As such, he said he didn’t believe it was appropriate for Birmingham to withdraw from the agreement.

“Their attorney (Derk Bekerleg) disagrees with us, and their attorney also represents Bloomfield Township and West Bloomfield,” Markus noted.

“It’s the same law firm, so it’s unlikely the other two jurisdictions would come to the same conclusion as us.”

Markus and Kucharek said the new agreement provides better returns to funding communities than the state’s law, which the court would be required to follow if another agreement isn’t in place.

“If we argue that Bloomfield Hills 69

New restaurant, Sybil, planned for Palladium

By Lisa Brody and Kevin Elliott

estaurateur Aaron F. Belen of AFB Hospitality Group, owner of The Morrie in downtown Birmingham and Royal Oak, plans to open a new restaurant, Sybil, at 211 Hamilton Row in the Palladium Building this summer, pending city approvals.

Belen said Sybil, named for his late grandmother, is designed to be an intimate establishment serving small plates and cocktails, ideal “to go to before dinner for appetizers or after dinner for drinks, or for a small plates meal.”

The new boutique restaurant, which, if approved, will utilize one of Birmingham's Class C liquor licenses, is located on Hamilton Row in a former cryotherapy location, next to the Emagine Palladium entrance.

“We're activating the building and the street in a 1,000-square-foot spot,” Belen said. “Hamilton is dead at night.”

He said plans are to open for a limited number of days in the evenings, and then in a short period of time open for Saturday and Sunday brunch.

“It's named for my late grandmother, Sybil Fenkell. She was the first resident of Birmingham Place (condominiums on S. Old Woodward), and a longtime resident of Birmingham,” Belen said. “It'll be really, really unique.”

He said he has designed the interior with Birmingham architect Kevin Biddinson to create an intimate space, in a palate of blues and pinks which will remind residents and customers of the Polo Lounge at Beverly Hills Hotel. “I'm paying homage to my grandmother,” he said. “She was well-traveled and had great taste. It's a place she would be proud to put her name on.”

Belen is excited to expand his hospitality offerings, which he said he had planned before the pandemic, but was temporarily put on hold. “This is a quintessential project that moves the needle to stay in Birmingham – craft cocktails and small plates. It'll have a Birmingham feel. I'm hyperfocused on Birmingham residents and businesses.”

Planning board members reviewed site plans and designs at their meeting on Thursday, December 16, as well as a special land use permit for the proposed restaurant. The plans and permit will go before the Birmingham City Commission for final approval.

According to the plans before the planning board, Sybil would take up the former Cryobalance space, utilizing 1,194 square-feet of interior space and a proposed 192 square-foot patio for a total of 30 indoor seats and 12 outside. The restaurant would share kitchen space with the adjacent restaurant, The Morrie, 260 N. Old Woodward. The restaurant proposes using an existing Class C liquor license that is in escrow with AF Jonna, owner of the Palladium building.

The dozen outdoor tables proposed would require closing one set of the four double-doors located at the front of The Palladium, projecting into the sidewalk and behind a set of planter boxes. The proposed outdoor seating would project into the public right-of-way, and require a lease with the city.

Birmingham Planning Board Chair Scott Clein questioned whether the proposed outdoor dining would potentially interfere with any nearby pedestrian crossings or ADA complaint facilities.

“Not to be negative, but I’m not sure I see a good ‘existing conditions’ plan, and am concerned about ADA in the right-of-way and the pedestrian crossing, and making sure it’s not in front of that,” Clein said.

“You’re forcing all pedestrians to move six feet toward the road, and we want to make sure they aren’t moving into the ADA ramp in that crossing.”

Board member Robin Boyle said he was in favor of the project.

“This, if done well, would bring some life to the street,” he said.

“There’s a pedestrian crossing there… it’s a bit of an obstruction on the sidewalk, but you’re still leaving over five feet, which is good. I think it will bring some life to this area. This area needs to be softened up a bit, and despite the modest scale, it will be good to bring some life to that part of the street.”

Board members recommended approval by the city commission, with the conditions that AF Jonna supply specifications of proposed chairs and tables; a sign plan be submitted; and the applicant meet all requests of city departments. The motion was approved by a vote of 5-1, with board member Daniel Share opposed, and member Janelle Boyce absent.

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should have made a resolution last January, and we did make that argument, I don’t feel it’s honorable for me to jump in now and force the issue,” Markus said. “You rely on me to interact with these people.”

Bekerleg, speaking at the Bloomfield Township trustees meeting, said, “We've worked really hard. Birmingham almost opted out, but we all came to an agreement.”

Walsh said the three funding municipalities have agreed to have quarterly meetings with the court, coming together to have public meetings.

Kucharek said rejecting the agreement would likely put an end to the discussion and any advantages the city may see in the future.

“If we let it die, we will probably never achieve an agreement with other entities,” she said. “Also, Bloomfield Township did accept the agreement. We made changes to the agreement, and they accepted. It’s been going on and we’ve been discussing this for four to six months.

Today was the first day they heard we were considering opting out.”

Birmingham city commissioners approved the inter-local agreement with the unwritten provision that it would provide notice of opting out in January, and likely leave the agreement at the end of the year.

Bloomfield Township trustees unanimously approved the inter-local agreement. “We're a community. I commend Birmingham and West Bloomfield for working with us,” said township treasurer Brian Kepes.

No problems found in township audit

By Lisa Brody

Bloomfield Township received an unmodified opinion on each of its financial statements, the highest form of assurance, for its fiscal year 2020-2021 independent audit by financial services firm UHY, LLP, and township trustees unanimously accepted the audit at their meeting on Monday, November 22.

Michael Santicchia, CPA and partner, and Marlene Beach, CPA, principal, presented a summary of the independent audit of the overall government activities, every major fund and business-type activities for the year ending March 31, 2021.

Santicchia said for the first time they had to go through a single audit in addition to auditing several funds, because the township had received a government expenditure of more than

$750,000 in a given year, which had been for COVID-19 relief funds, part of the CARES act.

“We gave an unmodified opinion for the audit, the highest opinion we can give,” he stated. “As detailed in our independent auditor’s report, for each entity issued an unmodified opinion on each of the financial statements.”

He explained it is up to management to develop accounting policies, and they make sure the township is following the policies. He said there were no audit adjustments, difficulties or disagreements with managment during the audit.

“We did conduct fraud interviews with management and a trustee.

There were no instances of fraud reported,” he emphasized.

Beach said the only negative fund balances were caused by OPEB and pension fund liabilities.

“Your policies you have in place are working sufficiently,” Santicchia said.

Year-round outdoor dining plans reworked

By Kevin Elliott

Amendments to Birmingham’s outdoor dining ordinance were forwarded to the city commission on Wednesday, December 8, by the city’s planning board in order to allow for outdoor dining, sans enclosures, through the 2021-2022 winter season.

Birmingham Planning Board members voted unanimously to approve amendments to the ordinance, which ends temporary outdoor dining in the city on November 15 each year. Board members were tasked by the city commission to rework the ordinance to allow year-round outdoor dining.

The December 8 motion is intended to provide a temporary expansion of outdoor dining while the planning board completes a permanent ordinance.

Birmingham Planning Director Nick Dupuis said the city sent all permit holding dining establishments a letter in October that a study to eliminate the November 15 deadline was underway and that the city would be pausing enforcement of the deadline while the study progressed.

Planning board chair Scott Clein said the board expects to have a permanent ordinance complete in early 2022 to forward to the city commission for final approval.

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MUNICIPAL Commissioners told to stay in their lane Birmingham city commissioners seeking information from or influence on various boards and commissioners are being asked to restrict their requests and appearances under a proposed city policy presented to them at their meeting on Monday, December 13.

Birmingham City Attorney Mary Kucharek said the question was posed whether it’s advisable for city commissioners to personally attend meetings of various boards and committees of the city.

“In order to analyze this issue, we must be cognizant of not only impressions and unintended consequences of the presence of commissioners, but the Open Meetings Act as well,” she said in a memo to commissioners.

In looking at case law, court opinions and the state attorney general’s opinion on the matter, Kucharek said it’s best practice for city commissioners to refrain from attending various board and commission meetings outside of the city commission.

“When you have appointment power over those that serve on the boards, your presence carries with it the weight of your appointment powers, and your presence could be causing duress or seen as causing influence or pressure to those at these meetings,” Kucharek said, citing the attorney general’s opinion.

Kucharek drafted a resolution for the commission which she recommend be approved that sets forth a policy regarding such attendance by commissioners. Among the measures in the resolution are refraining from attending meetings in person, or in an online setting that would indicate their name or presence.

“It’s hard to be a commissioner and citizen at the same time, but when you sign up to be a commissioner, you take a step up, and you leave some of your personal freedoms and choices on the side,” Kucharek pointed out. “I think all of you take that very seriously, and it’s the blessing and the curse at the same time. It’s the honor to serve the community in this capacity, and part of the honor is you have to sacrifice and you give up some of those personal freedoms. I would think that’s hard to do, but it’s honorable and honored, at the same time.”

Some commissioners questioned how they could be better informed while adhering to the policy, as it 74

Murals, other wall art okayed for city

By Kevin Elliott

ainted wall art and murals may soon be popping up in Birmingham following the city commission’s approval on Monday, December 13, of a zoning ordinance and review process for exterior art.

Birmingham Senior Planner Brooks Cowan said the city has received many inquiries from property owners about potential murals on the outside of their buildings. However, the city had not previously permitted murals, based on the city’s sign ordinance that prohibits painted signs on buildings.

Cowan said the issue was brought up by city staff at a design review board meeting in August of 2020, when Griffin Claw Brewery requested to have an artist paint a mural on its building. The city’s sign ordinance states that “no sign may be painted directly onto any building surface.”

The new ordinance differentiates wall art from signage, and creates a definition and review process for wall art.

Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the ordinance.

Under the approved ordinance, the city’s public arts board would first review the proposed art. That board would then forward the decision to the city’s design review board with a recommendation to approve or deny.

“Wall art applications would start with the public arts board and go to the design review board for final approval,” Cowan said.

Commissioner Clinton Baller voiced some concern about whether the commission would have any determination in individual art applications to the city. “We should be cognizant that we are ceding authority in this,” he said.

“I don’t think you want to get involved,” Markus answered. “There is a distinction between this governing board and commissions. Authority was ceded years ago for design issues on these private structures. Does the commission really have time to take up all these issues, on top of what you’re dealing with now? I don’t think so.”

Markus also said both the other review boards have specific roles regarding aesthetics in the city, and permitting the city commission to intercede could be problematic.

Commissioner Andrew Haig agreed that the city commissioners shouldn’t judge art applications itself.

Cowan said there are three businesses in Birmingham that have asked to be notified when an ordinance is approved, suggesting interest on behalf of owners.

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limits interaction.

Newly-elected commissioner Andrew Haig – who was an active participant at many meetings prior to being elected – asked how best to gain extra information without being a presence.

“This tells us what not to do, but what do we do to be more informed,” Haig asked.

Birmingham City Manager Tom Markus said questions should be directed to him, at which point he can answer questions himself or direct appropriate staff. He also urged commissioners to refrain from contacting city staff directly with questions, as it can cause confusion or unintended influence on staff.

“Your role isn’t the management of the city,” Markus said. “You can ask (me) any question or send any email,

and I will find out what I can. But we are all limited in time, so let the process work.”

Markus urged commissioners to be patient.

“Certain commissioners think they know who should answer the question,” Markus said. “Certain commissioners will send off a question and add all sorts of people to the list.

They have no idea if that’s the staff expert or the person I would assign. So, you’re presuming you know who I would assign to answer the question.

Send it to me, and that’s why I ask it be sent in an email. I have a record of it, and can respond to it or direct it to staff and have a record.”

Markus said he scheduled time during the city’s long-range planning meetings in January to discuss commission priorities.

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“Collectively, you have to decide what the priorities are and what you want me to accomplish, and I will do that. But I can’t be treated with a shotgun approach to all sorts of stuff from all seven of you individually,” he said. “You have to decide amongst yourselves what the priorities of this place are and what you want me to accomplish. If you think about it, you’ll come up with a reasonable number of those things and I’ll be able to accomplish it, but I can’t be doing 100 things at the same time. You won’t get the best of me on any of them.”

Commissioner Brad Host said the policy won’t permit him to attend other board meetings, even if he wants to show his support to the board.

“I feel these boards are unappreciated and they have no connection to the city commission,” Host said.

Birmingham Mayor Therese Longe said boards could view support or participation as an attempt to influence members, and that the potential problems of that outweighs the benefits. Further, she said other board members aren’t responsible for informing city commissioners in their time outside of board activity.

Commissioners voted 5-2 to approve the policy with commissioners Host and Haig voting against it.

Township adopts county's hazard plan

By Lisa Brody

After maintaining its own hazard mitigation plan, Bloomfield Township trustees unanimously approved adopting Oakland County's hazard mitigation plan at their meeting on Monday, November 22, when Bloomfield Township's expires in September 2022, on the recommendation of Bloomfield Township Fire Marshall Peter Vlahos.

Vlahos explained Bloomfield Township has a mitigation plan in place for fire and other hazards which will expire in September 2022. “It is the recommendation of the fire department, engineering and environmental services department, and department of public works, that the township adopt the current Oakland County Hazard Mitigation Plan and not renew ours at this time,” he said.

Of the 62 communities in Oakland County, Vlahos said, only Bloomfield Township and Royal Oak do not currently participate in the county plan.

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hazard mitigation plan would result in a cost savings to Bloomfield Township, as the township spent approximately $15,000 in consulting fees for the 2017 township hazard mitigation plan.

“We don't have a dedicated hazard mitigation team to do it, and the county does,” Vlahos said.

“What would this provide so our residents don't feel at risk?” asked treasurer Brian Kepes.

“We'll demonstrate it through meetings,” Vlahos answered.

“Oakland County is only asking for our participating, not any financial participation. If there is ever any problem with it, we can always revert back to doing it on our own.”

Funding would be through FEMA and the federal government, he said, and the township would not lose anything by going through Oakland County. “They're bigger, so they have a bigger voice,” Vlahos pointed out.

“We can learn through other municipalities and what they're going through.”

Preliminary 2022-23 budget presented

By Lisa Brody

A preliminary fiscal year 2022-2023 budget for Bloomfield Township was presented by finance director Jason Theis at the board of trustees meeting on Monday, November 22, with the expectation there will be changes and adjustments before final adoption by the end of March 2022.

“This is preliminary. There are a lot of things that may or may not be

included in March,” township supervisor Dani Walsh explained to fellow trustees.

Theis first gave an update on the current fiscal year 2021-2022 budget.

“We're currently about five to six months into the current fiscal year, and the three funds, general fund, road fund and public safety fund, are very intertwined because of interfund transfers,” Theis said. “Because of that, it's possible this year that revenues could exceed expenditures by about $1.5 million, with a lot of caveats. Health care alone could wipe that out if we had two bad months.

This can also change because some budgeted, but unfilled positions, about 12, that we're actively trying to fill, have not been.”

He said revenue this fiscal year is estimated to have a taxable value of $4.224 billion, equating to a 2.5 percent net increase to tax revenue after Headlee rollbacks.

“There was an unexpected nine percent increase in state revenue sharing of $400,000, and net investment earnings are on track with the budget,” Theis said. EMS transport fees, which plunged during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, are now projected to be over budget.

Current projected expenditures include contractually mandated two percent wage increases, a defined benefit pension payments of almost $4.7 million, making it 93 percent funded, and OPEB contribution of $1.25 million, bringing it to 21 percent funded.

In the preliminary 2022-2023 fiscal year budget, total anticipated revenues total $23.7 million in the general fund, compared to $22.66 million in the

Plans approved for former Junior League location

By Kevin Elliott

lans to construct a new three-story, mixeduse building at the site of the former Junior League Building, 460 N. Old Woodward, were moved forward for approval on Thursday, December 16, by the Birmingham Planning Board.

Plans for the site include razing the existing building and constructing a new three-story building with first-floor retail, second floor office space, two residential units on the third floor, and an activated rooftop. The site also contains a new single-access drive, and four parking spaces in an off-street parking facility.

Because the proposed building is in the city’s parking assessment district, additional parking more than what is provided isn’t required.

The first floor would feature a new bistro

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current fiscal year. Revenues into the public safety fund are projected at $37.7 million, versus $36.3 million for 20212022. Road fund revenues are predicted to go down, from $5.2 million currently to $4.7 million next fiscal year. Current property taxes are $9.1 million; they are projected to be $9.4 million in the next budget, with a projected taxable value of $4.406 billion, a 3.5 percent net increase after Headlee rollbacks, Theis said.

“The increase in state revenue sharing from 2021-2022 is projected to be extraordinary, and should decrease for 2022-2023,” Theis said. There will be contractual wage increases of 2.5 percent, defined benefit pension payment of $4.9 million, and an OPEB contribution of $1.25 million.

He also anticipates a further decrease in investment earnings.

He said he anticipates increases in fuel costs in the next year, and next year is an election year, with the costs for two elections to be budgeted, with the potential for one or two township millage renewals.

“The largest public safety millage is coming due, and possibly the safety path millage,” he said.

New fire department cardiac monitors

By Lisa Brody

Bloomfield Township trustees on Monday, December 13, unanimously approved the purchase of seven new cardiac monitors by the Bloomfield Township Fire Department, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant paying for 90

restaurant proposed by Samy Eid, who operates Phoenicia and Forest. The Birmingham City Commission in November approved Wilder’s Supper Club to move forward with the city’s bistro review process in 2022. Eid described the bistro as a “throwback to the glory days of American dining.”

Birmingham Planning Director Nicholas Dupuis said office use is limited to one floor in the D-2 zoning district, with office use planned for the second floor only. The third floor would be used for residential, which is permitted with a 10foot setback from any building facade. The rooftop terrace would include potted plantings.

Planning board members inquired about access to the rear parking area and dumpster enclosure, which is narrow and partially obstructed by the building’s overhang of the upper floors.

Alex Saroki of Saroki Architecture, which is working on the project with developers with Boji Group, said they have obtained an agreement

percent of the purchase.

Bloomfield Township Fire Chief John LeRoy explained they had applied for a FEMA grant, and were awarded it in August, to purchase new cardiac monitors. “Our monitors are 11 years old,” he said.

LeRoy said the federal funding is a “90-10 grant,” meaning that FEMA pays for 90 percent of the purchase, leaving Bloomfield Township to pay for the remainder of the purchase, which he said had been budgeted.

The total budget for seven new Stryker cardiac monitors is $283,752, with FEMA funding $257,956.36, and the township's share $25,795.64.

“These seven cardiac monitors/defibrillators are like 'docs in a box,'” LeRoy said. “They have all the required accessories we need in the field. It transmits all the information to the doctor at the hospital so the doctor has it when we arrive at the hospital.”

The purchase price includes all the required accessories, a data plan to transmit to the doctors and hospitals and a service plan for maintenance.

LeRoy said there are three manufacturers for cardiac monitors; Stryker, Zoll and Phillips. Bloomfield Township currently has Stryker cardiac monitors, he said, and for 11 years, “we have had no issues. They are built to last. When we evaluated all of them, we came down to Stryker and Zoll. For what we came down to what we were looking for, we came to the conclusion Stryker was what we should keep with.”

Trustees voted 7-0 to approve the purchase.

with the adjacent neighbors at 450 N. Old Woodward for a shared easement to allow for more access to the parking area behind the building. He said dumpsters at the site are small and can be wheeled to the front of the building for pickups.

“When the restaurant comes back (for review), my guess is that property to the south will have concerns about trucks in the driveway area,” board member Bryan Williams said. “That’s not before us tonight, but probably will be. I suggest talking to the neighbor. We will tell you to go back if you haven’t.”

Planning board members also discussed a lack of streetscape in the area, and asked Saroki if they would be willing to adhere to additional streetscape requirements in the future, to which Saroki expressed consent.

Board members unanimously recommended the city commission approve the site plan and design review, with board member Scott Clein recused from the discussion and vote.

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77

New District Lofts project moves forward

By Kevin Elliott

Plans for a four-story, mixed-use apartment building at the District Lofts campus in Birmingham’s Rail District were recommended for approval on Thursday, December 16, by the city’s planning board.

The 59,077-square-foot building proposed at 325 S. Eton will be the third and final phase of the District Lofts apartments at the campus, which spans from Villa Street to E. Maple, between S. Eton and the Grand Trunk Railroad. The overall campus consists of five buildings, including The Reserve, a private parking structure, two existing District Loft apartment buildings, and Big Rock Chophouse, 245 S. Eton.

Big Rock Chophouse, which permanently closed on December 18, is housed at the historic Grand Trunk rail depot building, which will remain unchanged, said architect Victor Saroki of Saroki Architecture.

“The building is a historic structure and it’s the crown jewel of the campus,” Saroki said. “It can’t go anywhere. It has to maintain its historic designation.”

The new proposed building will house commercial business on the first floor, with 50 apartments on the top three floors. All except three of the proposed apartments will be smaller one-bedroom units, with an estimated price point of $2,100 per month. Saroki said the apartments will have handsome, open floor plans, and all will include five-foot, metal balconies.

“It will be about $3 or $2.75 per square foot on the high end, so if you have a 700-square-foot apartment unit, it’s $2,100 per month,” Saroki said.

“That’s probably realistic. We are seeing higher numbers in the downtown, but in the Rail District, I don’t think you can command that.”

Planning board member Robin Boyle commended the plans for smaller apartments in the city.

“We need this. This is what we are struggling to do in the master plan,” Boyle said.

Building plans include a separate side entry and space for deliveries and packages, which allows drivers to leave food deliveries and other packages but provides limited access to the rest of the building or apartments. The building also includes a fitness room and community room for gatherings and events.

The plans also include an outdoor park/gathering area between the building and parking structure, which 78

Bakery opening French bistro next door

By Lisa Brody

he owners of an authentic and classic French patisserie in Bloomfield Township, Chez Pierre et Genevieve, will be opening an adjacent French restaurant, Bistro Pierre, in the next few months.

Owner Moni Ghosn said the new establishment will feature true and classic French dishes, “things you can't get here, that are more typical of France,” such as fondue like in the Alps, savory and sweet crepes, and French pizza, which he explained is thin-crusted, made with French flour, and has a different texture and taste. “(The bistro) will have more Parisian flavors and food, not like other places here that have the typical steak frites,” Ghosn said.

Bistro Pierre will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with shared access between the two spaces.

While he and partner, personal injury attorney Joumani Kayrouz, had hoped to open the new restaurant in December, Ghosn said a difficulty in finding workers to finish building the space has held up their opening.

He now anticipates a March opening.

Chez Pierre et Genevieve, located at 6525 Telegraph Road at Maple Road, by Leo's Coney Island and Roland Optics, opened in fall 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering classics that include croissants, palmiers and brioche; breads, including olive bread, rustic sourdough and country bread with fig; a wide range of French pastries, ranging from tarts – apple, lemon, blueberry and linzer, eclairs, and mille feuille; and savories which include Quiche Lorraine and onion tart. Kayrouz said the patisserie is named after her two french bulldogs.

Ghosn said they import all of their ingredients from France, “like the butter, four different kinds of flour, the chocolate, and we imported the kitchen from France. The butter is from Normandy. The chocolate is the best in the world. The ham we use is from France.

He explained they imported a French kitchen, installed here, because “The kitchen plays a big role, You could have the best chef and the best ingredients, but without a good kitchen, it will not taste right. You need all three – a good chef, good ingredients, and a good kitchen.”

Their chef has also been imported from France.

Kayrouz said the only thing not imported from France is their coffee, illy, a line of gourmet coffee and espresso imported from Italy, “just like in Paris,” she said.

Once they open, Ghosn said they plan to apply to Bloomfield Township for a wine and beer liquor license. “We do not plan to serve hard liquor, since our food is best with wine or beer,” he said. “We plan to have brunch with champagne.”

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will be partially screened by trees. A fountain at the campus will be relocated near the new building and act as a centerpiece for the park.

Additional park amenities include a grill, a fire pit and benches.

“We wanted to create an amenity space for all three of the buildings to share,” Saroki said. “I think the park is going to be fantastic, with a grill and fire pit. It’s a community space that can be used by all the buildings’ residents.”

Board members unanimously recommended final approval of the plans to the Birmingham City Commission with seven conditions: that a formal easement agreement be reached with the city to accommodate trees and lights consistent in the area; to provide specifications of all lights,

rails, benches and bike racks; to provide floor plans for apartment units; a revised photometric plan; providing screening on transformers on site; that first floor heights meet city requirements; and that the applicant comply with all city department requests.

City gets clean audit on 2020-2021 period

By Kevin Elliott

Auditors with Plante Moran on Monday, November 22, presented the Birmingham City Commission with an unmodified statement of the city’s 2020-2021 fiscal year budget, considered the highest form of assurance.

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The audit, which covers the fiscal year ending June 30, included an additional single audit of federal grants the city received related to coronavirus relief funds. The city received $1.1 million in federal funds, including about $700,000 related to coronavirus.

Timothy St. Andrew, with Plante Moran, said there were no issues with the general fund audit or the single audit related to federal grants, with both receiving unmodified opinions.

St. Andrew noted several highlights in the audit contributing to the city’s maintenance of its AAA bond rating from Standards and Poors. While the city’s general fund balance decreased about $600,000 from the previous fiscal year, he said it is “still financially sound,” with a current fund balance of $24 million.

“The fund balance still does fall within the city commission’s target policy,” St. Andrew said. “That’s a target range of 70 to 40 percent of annual expenditures.”

He said about $15.8 million from the general fund was invested in the city’s infrastructure, including roads, sidewalks, machinery and equipment.

The city also collected about $4.75 million for the city’s parks and recreation bond, most of which is unspent and restricted. The city has also funded 96 percent of its pension system, as of June 30, 2021.

“The pension system was 96 percent funded at year end,” St. Andrew said. “That’s up from 78 percent last year. And the retiree healthcare system is 95 percent funded at year end, and that’s up from 75 percent last year. To have both of these systems 95 percent funded really puts the city in very rare company.”

Spencer Tawa with Plante Moran said taxable values on properties in the city have continued to rise since 2014.

“The city has regained all the taxable value lost during the Great Recession period where taxable values decreased, starting in 2011, and in 2012 and 2013,” Tawa said. “As of 2021, the city’s total taxable value was $2.6 billion. And taxable value is growing at about five to six percent each year for the past five years. This growth is because of the continued redevelopment in the city – that is really keeping the city on a solid financial plate.”

Conversely, the city’s millage rate has decreased, due to the state law.

However, Tawa said, the city is still assessing at a rate below that approved by voters and allowed under law.

Commissioners voted unanimously to accept the audit findings, with commissioner Pierre Boutros absent.

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79

Birmingham struggles to embrace growth

By Kevin Elliott

A planning board review of Birmingham’s 2040 Master Plan on Wednesday, December 8, pointed out a lack of embrace of an integrated approach to managed growth in the city’s residential neighborhoods, downtown and mixed-use areas.

Birmingham Planning Board members met to review the second draft of the city’s long-range planning document prepared by consultants with DPZ CoDesign. The plan outlines planning and land use in the city and acts as an overall guide for the city’s development. The planning board's study session focused on the second chapter of the plan: Embracing Managed Growth.

Overall, the chapter encourages housing in mixed-use districts, particularly the downtown area, Haynes Square in the Triangle District and the Rail District.

However, planners reduced the amount of multi-family housing proposed in areas where different districts and land uses connect, or what they consider “seams.” That reduction was made following reviews of the first draft of the plan, which received significant opposition from residents and planning board members concerned with increasing densities in their neighborhoods.

Matt Lambert, a consultant with DPZ, also pointed out several key recommendations included in the chapter, all of which related to parking issues in residential, commercial and mixed-use districts.

A large obstacle to addressing the issue remains the price of property needed to construct additional parking in the city.

Board members asked if there were incentives or requirements that could be used to encourage parking facilities in mixed-use areas.

Board member Robin Boyle said the plan shows a larger issue at play in the city, which is the overall resistance to managed growth, with most density increases planned for the edges of districts, rather than integrating them through zoning and planning strategies.

“We have a chapter here entitled 'Embrace Managed Growth,'” he said.

“An outsider might walk in, look at this chapter, read it, look at the maps and think: ‘really? Is this embracing managed growth?’ I could suggest other titles to this chapter, but it would be offensive to this board and to the author.”

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Toast cuts dinner service, shortens hours

By Kevin Elliott

irmingham city commissioners on Monday, December 13, gave final approval to a special land use permit for Toast, 203 Pierce Street, to allow it to reduce its hours of service and cut dinner service without losing its special bistro liquor license.

Toast owner Regan Bloom has operated the popular downtown breakfast and lunch spot since 2008 under a special land use permit (SLUP) from the city. As one of the early bistro license holders in the city, the SLUP states specific hours that the restaurant must be open for service. According to the original bistro ordinance, bistros are required to be open for dinner to activate city streets.

Toast owners in October went before the city’s planning board to request a change in service hours, focusing solely on breakfast, brunch and lunch menus. The new hours would be 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The planning board recommended city commissioners grant final approval at its December 13 meeting.

“The hour change is that we don’t have as many people working (in offices). More are working from home,” Bloom said at the October planning board meeting. “We don’t have the demand. People are living a different lifestyle. If they came at 7 a.m., we would open at 7 a.m.”

Commissioners discussed whether the reduction of hours would impact activity on the street, as it has been held that the intent of the city’s bistro license process was to help activate particular commercial areas.

Birmingham City Manager Tom Markus said Toast still helps activate the sidewalk and area, rather at a different time of day than other restaurants in the area.

“Some people think the only time to activate is in the evening,” Markus said. “Some have service at night and the only time they are activating the area is in the evening. Some that have nighttime service don’t have any in the morning or afternoon hour.”

Commissioner Elaine MdLain said the hours of operation are included in the SLUP agreement with the city, and therefore should remain. She also said she personally enjoyed the dinner service.

Commissioners voted to approve the SLUP amendment and allow for the reduced hours of operation. Commissioners voted 5-2, with commissioners McLain and Katie Shafer voting against it.

B

Boyle said the board and city is missing an opportunity to force its leaders to answer how it “actually” embraces managed growth, rather than pushing it to the edges of districts.

“To be honest, thinking at the edges is what we’ve got here,” Boyle said. “Literally the edges. That’s what we’ve done. I’m not being negative, I’m just trying to push the machine down the road.”

Board member Bryan Williams said growth will require additional parking.

“I don’t see how we can anticipate growth, for example, in the Triangle District, without a parking structure,” he said. “We are kidding ourselves … if we don’t get a parking structure there, it will never develop properly.”

The chapter also revisits the possible use of accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, such as detached

carriage houses that may be used as dwellings. While the board and many residents voiced opposition to allowing such units, Lambert said there was enough interest from the public to warrant further study in the future.

Lambert cited a survey of 116 residents in which 43 percent were in favor of accessory dwellings, 43 percent opposed them, and the remaining were undecided.

The board will review the third chapter of the plan, Retain Neighborhood Quality, at its January 12 meeting.

Greenwood Cemetery national designation Birmingham’s Greenwood Cemetery is one of the oldest resting places in the state, but the lives of

DOWNTOWN

two men buried there may help earn it a national designation as part of the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

At the Birmingham City Commission meeting on Monday, November 22, Birmingham Museum Director Leslie Pielack said staff and volunteers have recently located several significant points of reference that support that two individuals buried there were connected to the Underground Railroad. She said findings allow the city to nominate the cemetery to the National Park Service for designation to the “National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.”

“It’s relatively rare to have that circumstance because most underground railroads were, by pure nature, secret,” Pielak said.

“However, we have significant evidence that we think gives the city an opportunity to apply for designation of those tombs.”

Pielack said George Basil Taylor was a former slave who escaped Kentucky in 1855 and settled in Birmingham. He and his wife, Eliza, were the first African Americans to own property in the city. She said there aren’t currently any markers at the grave, but funds have been raised to erect one.

“The other individual was Elija Fish, who was an abolitionist, which we always knew, but we recently discovered that he was in fact doing fundraising activities and some other very direct support for Underground Railroad activities.”

Fish was an early settler to Birmingham, where he founded Birmingham’s First Presbyterian Church. Pielack said staff found Fish worked to help bring slaves to freedom by working politically and financially behind the scenes, helping to relocate and organize other abolitionists.

Pielack said listing the cemetery under a national historic designation would provide opportunities for preservation and promotion of the city’s history.

Commissioners voted unanimously to approve applying for the designation, with commissioner Pierre Boutros absent.

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FACES Fred Lessing his is the point in my story, where my memory starts,” described Fred Lessing, a Birmingham resident and 85-year-old Holocaust survivor. “My mother put her arms around [me and my brothers] and she said, 'you are Jewish boys, but if anyone finds out, they will kill you. And we are now going to walk out of the house pretending to take a walk. Don’t take anything with you. Don't draw attention to yourselves. Just put on your coat,' and that’s what we did. We walked out of the house. Only I immediately disobeyed and took my little teddy bear with me. At that point, that was the end of my childhood. I now became part of the grown up world in which we were criminals.”

Lessing was barely six years old on October 23, 1942, when his family abruptly left their home in Delft, Holland and became one of the 1.6 million children who spent their childhood in hiding. His mother, who he describes as a strong matriarch, “took over. She said we have to hide, but we cannot hide together. If one of us is caught, then the whole family is caught.”

Over the next few years, Lessing moved throughout Holland and the Netherlands, with his mother periodically showing up to make sure he was all right.

“My job was to become a Christian child as best as I could. I stayed with different families and always my mother would say, 'don’t ever tell anything about who you are or your family. Just try to be nice.'”

He describes this period of his life as that of an actor in a play. “I became very aware of everything. I did whatever I could do to maintain my hidden identity.”

Towards the end of the war, Lessing was reunited with his father and brothers in a rural cottage that lacked water, electricity, and a toilet. They were supposed to stay for two weeks, but ended up there for nearly a year until the war ended. They did not know if Lessing’s mother had survived; she had been taken to the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen and eventually ended up in Algiers before returning to Holland after the war ended.

The Lessing family immigrated to the United States in the late 1940s, and after receiving his PhD from Yale University, Lessing became a professor at Oakland University (which was then the Michigan State University Oakland) in 1962, and had a family of his own.

For almost 40 years, Lessing recalls, no one discussed the Holocaust. Then, in 1991, there was the first international gathering of hidden children in New York City.

“I went to that and it completely changed my life. It’s not that I had forgotten anything, but nobody talked about it.”

Since then, he has become a regular speaker at the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills, speaking to thousands of visitors over the years. Despite a pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lessing has recently returned to tell his story in person, ensuring that his story, and the atrocities of the Holocaust, are never forgotten.

“I always took my bear with me,” Lessing said of his early speaking engagements, “because he had been the only thing I had during all those years that I lived with other families.”

For nearly 30 years, the bear has been on loan from Lessing to Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Memorial Center, in Jerusalem.

T

Story: Hillary Brody Anchill

Photo: Laurie Tennent

Beauty

(SALON)

by J. Lyle Ltd. 235 Willits Alley Birmingham, MI

WELCOME BACK! At Beauty we have gone above and beyond CDC and Michigan regulations to ensure we are implementing extensive health-related safety precautions to protect our clients and team members during the COVID-19 pandemic. So make your appointment now!

248:: 540:: 0046

BUSINESS MATTERS 50 years of design Award-winning and noted Bloomfield Hills architect Lou DesRosiers is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his architecture firm, DesRosiers Architects, 36330 Woodward Avenue, Suite 100, which he opened in 1972. DeRosiers, who has designed many homes in Birmingham, Bloomfield and southeast Michigan, among other locales around the country – winning 200 awards along the way – believes he was destined to be an architect – following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father, who was noted for building the stone chapel at St. Hugo of the Hills. His first project, his own 6,400 square foot residence for his wife JoJo in Bloomfield Hills, was built in 1972 after he graduated with his degree from Lawrence Technical Institute. From classic to traditional homes to the most modern, DesRosiers and his staff say they envision residences around the homeowners’ individual needs, desires and lifestyles while incorporating the most up-to-date technologies and finest materials. “Our homes are created to enhance and highlight their natural surroundings, seamlessly blending the indoors and outdoors,” he describes. “The philosophy of our firm is to design structures that are refined, aweinspiring and timeless.”

PR firm moves Noted boutique public relations, creative and marketing agency Identity is starting the new year with a new home. After making their corporate home in Bingham Farms for several years, and almost two years of working remotely, they are making the move to downtown Birmingham, to the 300 Park Building. “Our lease was up in Bingham, and we felt it was time for a fresh start to accommodate our great people,” said managing partner Andrea Trapani, who leads the agency along with president and founder Mark Winter. She is proud that downtownpublications.com

the firm, with about 35 employees, many of them in leadership, noting “many of them have been with us for 10 or 15 years.” A release announcing the move said, “2021 has been our best year yet, and we’re not slowing down. Major campaigns and creative storytelling moments are ahead for our team and our clients. Our client portfolio continues to expand with new and exciting verticals. Combined with the growth on our team, we’re proud to be one of the leading PR and marketing agencies in the Midwest.” Trapani said the new office space, which is in the midst of construction and should be open around February 1, will offer open and collaborative spaces, spaces for training and meeting with many of their 60 long-term clients. It’s “a physical location with more opportunity to be part of a bustling and energetic community, with better options for extending our time together with each other and our clients beyond an office setting to a great happy hour or new dinner destination.”

Art and creativity What could be better than entertaining kids while they learn?

That’s the mission of Hasna Abohomos, owner of Kids Design Cafe, 725 S. Adams Road, Suite 185, in Birmingham. “It’s not academic. It’s about creativity and fun,” Abohomos said of the programs she offers for ages three to 17, who are looking to learn arts and design in a comfortable, casual environment. She offers everything from one-on-one private classes to group offerings as well as birthday parties and other events. An interior designer by training with degrees in business, marketing and fine arts, Abohomos said she loves working with children and teens, noting they need to “get off their phones and Xboxes and explore their creativity. It’s important for their brains and mental health. I feel so proud of them as they hold their finished products.” Classes include

instruction in drawing, painting, pottery, clay, glass and other arts and crafts, as well as interior design training for teens. “I can teach them, or they can do whatever they want,” she said.

Pizza, pizza After a devastating fire in March 2021at Primo’s Pizza, 996 S. Adams Road, Birmingham, they are happy to announce they have reopened. Primo’s Pizza, located on Adams between Woodward and Lincoln, was occupied at the time of the fire, with employees immediately evacuated. There were no injuries reported. Primo’s offers pizzas with fresh ingredients, including with dough made fresh daily and homemade sauce. They also have a large wine and beer selection, school and church discounts, and offer delivery. Primo’s has been a Birmingham staple since 1978.

25 years in Birmingham Ethan Allen, 275 N. Old Woodward Avenue at Willits in downtown Birmingham, has just completed a full renovation of its furniture store – just in time to celebrate its 25th anniversary of being located in Birmingham.

The high-end home furnishings chain specializes in stylish and traditional furniture, home accessories, space planning, as well as design services. “It’s been a privilege to serve the Birmingham community for 25 years; it’s my home Design Center, where I started with the company years ago,” said Ethan Allen Great Lakes Territory Leader Pam Bemus. “We invite people to stop by and check out our new look – we just completed a full redo – and to meet our awardwinning interior design team.

They do exceptional work.”

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85

THE COMMUNITY HOUSE Beyond its black lacquered doors, just past its crystal chandeliers and down its century old corridors lies a charity, an age-old nonprofit organization gifted to the community by those who had been entrusted with much, and by which much was expected.

These selfless visionaries rose and marshaled their time, talent and treasure to address the cultural weaknesses and societal challenges of the day; socially, civically and philanthropically. History tells us that The Community House was conceived in the transition period between a world war and the start of Birmingham’s surge in population. Programs and services were created with a keen awareness and a certain sensitivity to the new social trends, challenges and attitudes of the day.

By 1925, men, women and children were spending less time at home than ever before. Based upon the social changes of the day, the founders believed that the establishment of a “Community House” could become a home away from home for the changing community – children and adults “gathering, meeting others; to dance, laugh, to sing and to hear someone discuss things that interest and educate.” The founders believed that “people were not made to live alone…the nature of man demands social intercourse.”

Bill Seklar

Space would also be provided for private parties and for community-based activities. And by unanimous vote, the founders deemed the new Community House to be the “hub” in the region for charitable endeavors.

Almost a century later, The Community House carries on that same mission, vision, and tradition of its founding leaders.

While delivering high quality classes, enrichment, arts, culture, programs, space to gather, compassion, education, and charity – it is what we do – it is not who we are.

Who we are – a nonprofit, charitable organization, gifted to the community by others, uniquely positioned and qualified to identify, recognize, and react to the challenges facing ordinary people living throughout extraordinary times. We are fillings the gaps and the voids in the community that profoundly test, challenge and impact society, community, families, children and adults, generation after generation.

Many of the gaps and voids we filled in 1923, we continue to fill today (what we do) by providing programs and services to those simply seeking knowledge, or more importantly, to those longing to connect or needing help navigating through today’s social changes and challenges including loneliness, tech disconnect, loss of togetherness, cultural disparity, youth engagement (to name a few) – filling critical gaps and voids in the community and connecting and celebrating others in a safe, nonthreatening and creative environment (who we are) – for the betterment of others.

Our founders called us to a higher calling, a higher standard. We rise to that calling every day. It truly does take a village. We believe that The Community House is at the center of that village – metaphorically and literally.

COVID-19, Delta and Omicron is testing us now. More than eighteen months in – we are fighting the battle of our lives. The fight is not over.

As the historic Community House in Birmingham struggles to secure a “transformational” lifeline or two some have suggested that perhaps the days of a Community House in Birmingham has passed. “It shouldn’t be this hard to raise funds and support” they tell me. Some tell me that the only other Community House in Michigan, The War Memorial (aka Grosse downtownpublications.com

Pointe Community House), part of the Affinity Group of Community Houses (38) across the country, just received an unrestricted gift of $20 million from folks in their community to tend to the operations and care of their historic building and grounds. Another tells me of a recent $1 million gift to the Rochester Community House from the City of Rochester, Michigan. Not a member of the Affinity of Community Houses. To care for operations and members of their community. Some opine “maybe our days are over”. Nonsense. We must resist such thinking.

It is true, as we begin 2022, The Community House in Birmingham is facing the same capital needs/crisis as the War Memorial and dozens of other Community Houses across the nation. Most Community Houses were former mansions, historic properties, important buildings donated to the community decades ago through the generosity of those that had much. Many of these properties are now approaching nine or ten decades old, such as The Community House in Birmingham, and need upgrades, repairs, and renovations according to today’s needs, standards, and the community’s expectations.

After a two-year exhaustive study, commissioned by The Community House in Birmingham to address these capital challenges, outside experts have advised us that TCH needs up to $10 million dollars to accomplish the goals identified above and to establish a modest endowment for longterm building/grounds maintenance and care. I recognize that some of you reading this may be in the position to help transform the Birmingham Community House – just like supporters did for the War Memorial. A single gift. A multi-year pledge. An estate gift. Regardless of size – every gift is needed. With capital continuously draining our operations, delivering our much sought-after programs and services to the community remains in jeopardy. As we near our 100th anniversary in 2023, please help us prepare and stabilize the historic Community House for its next century. Now is the time.

I’m a Birmingham boy. This is my community. This is my Birmingham.

Seaholm is my alma matter. And we are the most blessed and kind community I know. Though these numbers and statistics may be daunting, I’m also an eternal optimist. I believe in the unrivaled generosity, the random acts of kindnesses, the notion that “those that have been given much, much is expected.” I believe in Birmingham and Bloomfield, and I certainly believe that the “west siders” are just as noble and as generous as the “east siders.” I happen to think more…

During this period in our world where we find some tearing down our institutions, our strong held beliefs, our treasured history and legacies created generation after generation – let us join together as a community to protect this age-old cherished nonprofit charitable organization, remember those that built it 99 years ago, and those that have been called upon to be its faithful stewards since its inception.

For more information on how you can help, please contact The Community House or The Community House Foundation at 248.644.5832 or via communityhousefoundation.org.

As we enter this new year, my heartfelt wish for all of you is good health, much happiness, and continued blessings. Happy New Year!.

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

DOWNTOWN

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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. 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.

Bill's: American. Lunch & Dinner, Daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 39556 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.646.9000.

Birmingham Pub: American. Lunch and Dinner, daily. Weekend Brunch.

Reservations. Liquor. 555 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham.

Birmingham Sushi Cafe: Japanese.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 377 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.8880.

Bistro Joe’s Kitchen: Global. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Sunday brunch. Liquor.

Reservations. 34244 Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.0984.

Bloomfield Deli: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 71 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48304.

248.645.6879.

Brooklyn Pizza: Pizza. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Liquor. No reservations. 111 Henrietta Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.258.6690.

Café ML: New American. Dinner, daily.

Liquor. Call ahead. 3607 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Township.

248.642.4000.

Casa Pernoi: Italian. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 310 E. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009.

248.940.0000.

Churchill's Bistro & Cigar Bar: Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

downtownpublications.com

116 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.4555.

Cityscape Deli: Deli. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations.

Beer. 877 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302.

248.540.7220.

Commonwealth: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 300 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009.

248.792.9766.

Dick O’Dow’s: Irish. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 160 West Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.642.1135.

Eddie Merlot's: Steak & seafood.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

37000 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.712.4095.

Einstein Bros. Bagels: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 4089 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.258.9939.

Elie’s Mediterranean Cuisine: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations.

Liquor. 263 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.2420.

Embers Deli & Restaurant: Deli.

Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 3598 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.645.1033.

Flemings Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar: American. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 323 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.723.0134.

Forest: European. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 735 Forest Avenue, Birmingham 48009.

248.258.9400.

Greek Island Coney Restaurant: Greek.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 221 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.646.1222.

Griffin Claw Brewing Company: American. Dinner, Tuesday-Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday and Sunday. No Reservations. Liquor. 575 S. Eton Street, Birmingham.

248.712.4050.

Honey Tree Grille: Greek/American.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, daily. No reservations. 3633 W. Maple Rd, Bloomfield, MI 48301.

248.203.9111.

Hunter House Hamburgers: American.

Breakfast, Monday-Saturday; Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 35075 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.646.7121.

Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse: American. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 201 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.4369.

IHOP: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2187 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301. 248.333.7522.

Joe Muer Seafood: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner daily; Sunday brunch.

Reservations. Liquor. 39475 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.792.9609.

Kaku Sushi and Poke': Asian. Lunch & Dinner. Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations. No Liquor. 869 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.480.4785, and 126 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009.

248.885.8631.

DOWNTOWN

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

Contact Mark Grablowski for advertising rate information.

O: 248.792.6464 Ext. 601 MarkGrablowski@downtownpublications.com

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METRO INTELLIGENCER Metro Intelligencer is a monthly column devoted to news stories, tidbits and gossip items about what's happening on the restaurant scene in the metro Detroit area. Metro Intelligencer is reported/created each month by Gigi Nichols who can be reached at GigiNichols@DowntownPublications.com with news items or tips, on or off the record.

The Art of Dining Art and wine aficionados won’t want to miss a perfectly paired event at Birmingham’s Daxton Hotel on Wednesday, January 19. The event kicks off with a tour of the hotel’s art collection, where guests will be welcomed with champagne and an in-depth introduction to the art that inspires the evening.

The Daxton houses more than 400 original pieces of cutting-edge art curated from around the world by renowned Saatchi Art, including works by notable artists such as Andrew Weir and Melanie Arcand, as well as Adrian Landon’s Golden Mechanical Horse. During the tour, guests will get a chance to see and learn more about the select works of art that have served as the inspiration for the evening’s menu. After completing the tour, attendees will be welcomed into the Wine Room where executive chef Garrison Price and director of beverage and service Liz Martinez join forces to walk the attendees through a one-of-a-kind culinary experience with a full menu starting off with an amuse-bouche, followed by three courses, and concluding with a decadent dessert. Each item on the menu is paired with a wine selected by Martinez. Tickets are $200, plus tax and gratuity. Space is limited to 12 guests. 298 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, reservations@daxtonhotel.com.

Chicken dreams & love and fertility Detroit’s Freya and Dragonfly are the latest ventures from business partners Sandy Levine and chef Doug Hewitt, who also own Detroit’s popular Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails. Freya is an intimate, upscale 12-table restaurant while the adjacent Dragonfly is a bar serving small bites with seating for 35. The two share a kitchen but have separate entrances. The prix fixe menu at Freya rotates monthly and includes six courses with three options for diners – one with no dietary restrictions, one that includes seafood and vegetarian dishes and a third that is strictly vegan. The price is $75 plus a 22 percent gratuity. “Doug and I are big fans of Eleven Madison Park in New York and Smyth in Chicago,” said Levine. “These restaurants inspired us to go with a fixed-price menu. Customers get to try different plates and it gives Doug and I the opportunity to run the restaurant in an intentional and deliberate way. It also provides great value for the customer.” If you’re wondering about Freya’s unique name, its inspiration came from a chicken, of all things. Freya is the goddess of love and fertility in Norse mythology and Levine says the Icelandic chickens, which are 100 percent lean and raised specifically for the restaurant, inspired not only the name of the restaurant but also the interior’s Nordic minimalist design aesthetic. 2929 E. Grand Boulevard, Detroit, Freyadetroit.com

Reimagined Chinese New Year No day is ever the same at Frame in Hazel Park. The establishment offers everything from chef residencies, art workshops, live acoustic sessions and cocktail pairings. From January 27-30, Frame invites guests to ring in the Chinese New Year by getting rid of last year’s energy and welcoming in the new. Los Angeles-based Chef Josie Clemens will be the guest chef for this Vegan Chinese New Year Celebration. Some may remember Clemens as the first vegan chef to compete on Hell’s Kitchen Young Guns. Clemons will prepare age-old dishes that have stood the test of time yet are reimagined in completely plant-based recipes. The five-course menu includes spring rolls, turnip cakes, longevity noodles, zongzi, and tangyuan in ginger syrup. For the event, Frame will be transformed with origami lanterns and red peonies.

Individual yurts accommodate up to six guest or socially distanced inside seating for one to eight people are also available. Price per person is $68 plus fees and tax. Not included in the price are drink options, which feature a hand selected wine pairing by Frame’s sommelier and wine director, Sean Crenny, as well as plant packed elixirs by Frame’s mixtress, Jaz’min Weaver. 23839 John R Road #2, Hazel Park, ramehazelpark.com

Public House reopens Originally opened in 2013, Ferndale’s Public House was temporarily closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, Public House and neighboring Antihero were sold to the Hometown Restaurant Group, formerly known as

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.

Madam: American. Breakfast, MondayFriday, Brunch, weekends. Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 298 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009.

248.283.4200 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.

Planthropie: Vegan. Dessert and Cheese. 135 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.839.5640.

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.

Shift Cocktail Bar: Small plates. Dinner.

Liquor. 117 Willits Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.2380.

Sidecar: American. Lunch and Dinner, daily. Liquor. 117 Willits Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.2380.

Slice Pizza Kitchen: Pizza. Lunch and Dinner, daily. Liquor. 117 Willits Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.3475.

Social Kitchen & Bar: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations, parties of 5 or more. Liquor. 225 E. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009.

248.594.4200.

Stacked Deli: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Delivery available.

No reservations. 233 North Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009.

248.593.5300.

Stateside Deli & Restaurant Deli.

Breakfast, Lunch, Sunday-Monday.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. No reservations.

653 S. Adams Road, Birmingham, 48009. 248.550.0455.

Steve’s Deli: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 6646 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield, 48301.

248.932.0800.

Streetside Seafood: Seafood. Dinner, daily. Liquor. 273 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.645.9123.

Sushi Hana: Japanese. Lunch, MondayFriday; Dinner, Monday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 42656 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.333.3887.

Sy Thai Cafe: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 315 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009.

248.258.9830.

Sylvan Table: American. Dinner daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 1819 Inverness Street, Sylvan Lake, 48320.

248.369.3360 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.

Whistle Stop Diner: American.

Breakfast & Lunch, daily; Liquor. No reservations. 501 S. Eton Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.566.3566.

Zao Jun: Asian. Lunch Monday-Friday; Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

6608 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301. 248.949.9999.

Royal Oak/Ferndale Ale Mary's: American. Weekend Brunch.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 316 South Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.268.1917.

Anita’s Kitchen: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 22651 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.548.0680.

Assaggi Bistro: Italian. Lunch, TuesdayFriday. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday.

Reservations. Liquor. 330 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220.

248.584.3499.

Bigalora: Italian. Weekend Brunch.

Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily.

No Reservations. Liquor. 711 S. Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067.

The Blue Nile: Ethiopian. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor.

545 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220. 248.547.6699.

Cafe Muse: French. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 418 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.544.4749.

Cork Wine Pub: American. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Monday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 23810 Woodward Ave., Pleasant Ridge, 48069. 248.544.2675.

Due Venti: Italian. Sunday Brunch.

Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 220 S. Main St., Clawson, 48017. 248.288.0220.

The Fly Trap: Diner. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 22950 Woodward Ave., 48220. 248.399.5150.

Howe’s Bayou: Cajun. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 22949 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220.

248.691.7145.

Inyo Restaurant Lounge: Asian Fusion.

Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 22871 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220.

248.543.9500.

KouZina: Greek. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

No reservations. 121 N. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.629.6500.

Kruse & Muer on Woodward: American.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 28028 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.965.2101.

Lily’s Seafood: Seafood. Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No

reservations. Liquor. 410 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.591.5459.

Lockhart’s BBQ: Barbeque. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 202 E. Third St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.584.4227.

Oak City Grille: American. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 212 W. 6th St, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.556.0947.

One-Eyed Betty: American. Weekend Breakfast. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 175 W. Troy St., Ferndale, 48220. 248.808.6633.

Public House: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

241 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220. 248.850.7420.

Redcoat Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

31542 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak, 48073. 248.549.0300.

Ronin: Japanese. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 326 W. 4th St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.546.0888.

Royal Oak Brewery: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

215 E. 4th St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.544.1141.

Strada: Italian. Dinner, Wednesday Sunday. Liquor. No reservations. 376 N. Main Street. Royal Oak, 48067.

248.607.3127.

The Morrie: American. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 511 S. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.216.1112.

Toast, A Breakfast and Lunch Joint: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily.

No reservations. 23144 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220.

248.398.0444.

Tom’s Oyster Bar: Seafood. Lunch & 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.

Kramer Restaurant Group. Owner-operator Brian Kramer also owns Pop’s for Italian, One Eyed Betty’s and Rosie O’Grady’s, all located in downtown Ferndale. “Ferndale just feels like home,” Kramer said “It’s a community, and Public House is a staple in the community, and I didn’t want to see it closed.”

Focusing on high quality comfort food, craft cocktails and a rustic-chic atmosphere, the new Public House & Garden builds on its gastropub roots while branching out with a new vegan menu, focusing on gourmet burgers, sandwiches and shareable plates. Vegan and/or gluten free offerings make up much of the Public House menu, including hot n’ sweet crispy cauliflower, barbecued carrots, beet salad and crispy house-made tempeh bacon. The real stars of both menus are the burgers, both on the vegan side and carnivore side. The eatery’s planned opening was December 21. 241 W. 9 Mile, Ferndale, publichouseferndale.com

Two new spots in Royal Oak Adam Merkel, owner of Adam Merkel Restaurants, has added two vibrant restaurants to Royal Oak’s restaurant scene. Bohemia and Pearl’s Deep Dive replace Merkel’s Diamond Steak and Seafood at 11 and Main Street.

Both spots will share the main floor but will have separate concepts, menus and staff. “Pearl’s Deep Dive is a seafood restaurant and lounge with a 1920’s dinner party vibe,” notes Merkel. “It’s a sexy space with seating for 70 and a bar menu that features innovative craft cocktails and champagnes.” The focal point of the space is a custom-made horseshoe-shaped bar which will seat ten guests. Bohemia, on the other hand, is a funky Mediterranean concept with an atmosphere that is “fun and hip,” said Merkel. The menu for Bohemia, while influenced from all parts of the Mediterranean, will have a heavy emphasis on the food of Israel. “The menu at Bohemia is healthy with many vegetarian options. The craft cocktails have floral tones, and a healthier twist using turmeric and herbs.” Bohemia will have interior seating for 110 and the outdoor seating will accommodate 24 guests along Main Street. Pearl’s Deep Dive had a soft opening in mid-December, while Bohemia plans to open sometime in January or February. 100 S. Main Street, Royal Oak, pearlsdeepdive.com

Let them eat cake!

Asian/French bakery Tous Les Jours started teasing Facebook followers back in July that it would be opening up a location in Troy, which excited locals who had already experienced the popular chain in other parts of the country. The new location, which finally made its debut in late fall, is located at 1699 Crooks Road in Troy and is the first Tous Les Jours in Michigan. The bakery chain offers customers more than 300 different kinds of baked goods, including artisan pastries, gourmet cakes and desserts and handcrafted beverages. Here, guests are tempted with unique treats such as the cloud cake – a dreamy sponge cake with delicate whipped cream and fresh berries; and the tiramisu – a decadent cake crafted with layers of white cake, cream cheese and coffee syrup. The self-serve bakery has seating for about 45 and welcomes guests with a clean gold and white modern atmosphere. Currently, there are more than 70 Tour Les Jours stores in the U.S. and more than 1,650 stores worldwide. 1699 Crooks Road, Troy, touslesjours.com

New digs for Ima It’s been quite a journey for Mike Ransom, owner and chef at Ima, Detroit.

Ransom was born outside of Traverse City, raised in East Lansing, and went to culinary school at Chicago’s Kendall College. He developed a love of food from his vegetarian parents and opened Ima, in a small space in Corktown back in 2016. The cozy casual neighborhood eatery serves Japanese-inspired noodles, soups, rice bowls and small plates. The menu is designed to also offer dishes for folks with dietary limitations with a variety of vegan, vegetarian and pork-free and gluten-free options. The restaurant was met with rave reviews, with Ransom opening additional locations in Madison Heights in 2018 and Detroit’s Midtown in 2019. Now Ransom is on the move again and has announced an expansion of the Corktown location by 2,900 square feet with a move to the former Gold Cash Gold space which closed in 2020. “Our new location will have a full bar which will feature cocktails, mocktails and draft beer – curated by our Director of Operations Rob Stone.

Look for some new items on the menu as well, which will be rolled out once we settle into the new space,” said Ransom. Ima’s new space has a planned opening for February or March, 2022. 2100 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, imanoodles.com

Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 327 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.652.9400.

Loccino Italian Grill and Bar: Italian.

Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily.

Liquor. Reservations. 5600 Crooks Road, Troy, 48098. 248.813.0700.

The Meeting House: American.

Weekend Brunch. Dinner, TuesdaySunday. No reservations. Liquor. 301 S. Main St, Rochester, 48307.

248.759.4825.

Miguel’s Cantina: Mexican. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 870 S. Rochester Rd, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.453.5371.

Mon Jin Lau: Asian. Lunch, MondayFriday. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 1515 E. Maple Rd, Troy, 48083. 248.689.2332.

Morton’s, The Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 888 W. Big Beaver Rd, Troy, 48084. 248.404.9845.

NM Café: American. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 2705 W. Big Beaver Rd, Troy, 48084.

248.816.3424.

Oceania Inn: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. The Village of Rochester Hills, 3176 Walton Blvd, Rochester Hills, 48309.

248.375.9200.

Ocean Prime: Steak & Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 2915 Coolidge Hwy., Troy, 48084. 248.458.0500.

Orchid Café: Thai. Lunch, MondayFriday. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

3303 Rochester Rd., Troy, 48085.

248.524.1944.

P.F. Chang’s China Bistro: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

Somerset Collection, 2801 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48084.

248.816.8000.

Recipes: American/Brunch. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

134 W. University Drive, Rochester, 48037. 248.659.8267. Also 2919 Crooks Road, Troy, 48084.

248.614.5390.

Rochester Chop House: Steak & Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

306 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307.

248.651.2266.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 755 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48084. 248.269.8424.

Silver Spoon: Italian. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 6830 N. Rochester Rd., Rochester, 48306.

248.652.4500.

Too Ra Loo: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 139 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307.

248.453.5291.

Bigalora: Italian. Weekend Brunch.

Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily.

No Reservations. Liquor. 29110 Franklin Road, Southfield, 48034.

The Fiddler: Russian. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Thursday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor.

6676 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.851.8782.

Mene Sushi: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine.

6239 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322.

248.538.7081.

Meriwether’s: Seafood. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 25485 Telegraph Rd, Southfield, 48034. 248.358.1310.

Nonna Maria’s: Italian. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 2080 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48323.

248.851.2500.

Pickles & Rye: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 6724 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.737.3890.

Prime29 Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 6545 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield, 48322. 248.737.7463.

Redcoat Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Liquor. 6745 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.865.0500.

Shangri-La: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. Orchard Mall Shopping Center, 6407 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.626.8585.

Sposita’s Ristorante: Italian. Friday Lunch. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 33210 W. Fourteen Mile Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322.

248. 538.8954.

Stage Deli: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

6873 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322.

248.855.6622.

Yotsuba: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 7365 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield, 48322. 248.737.8282.

West Bloomfield/Southfield

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

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.

92

West Oakland Gravity Bar & Grill: Mediterranean.

Monday – Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday, Dinner. Reservations.

Liquor. 340 N. Main Street, Milford, 48381. 248.684.4223.

Volare Ristorante: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

48992 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393.

248.960.7771.

North Oakland

& 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.

DOWNTOWN

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.

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.

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.

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BLOOMFIELD HILLS - $2,100,000

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luxurious c orner P entHouse loFt witH a mazing V iews in tHe Heart oF d owntown r oyal o ak ! o Pen c oncePt i nterior w / e xPosed B rick .

l ake P oint l iVing on a ll s Ports c ass l ake w/ 83'l ake F rontage & 75" c anal F rontage . c aPe c od w/ g ourmet k itcHen .

s Pectacular c ontemPorary estate Home on a ll s Ports l ake ! elegant. 7300 s q. F t. l iVing s Pace w/5 Br, 4.5 Ba.

B rick c olonial w/ FinisHed walkout in d esiraBle oak r iVer e ast s uB ! 2-story g rand Foyer , cHerry Hardwood F loors .

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UPPER STRAITS LAKE - $689,000

COMMERCE TWP - $595,000

WALNUT LAKE PRIVILEGES - $325,000

ROYAL OAK - $525,000

c anal F ront in d esiraBle s Hady B eacH s uB w/ 110 F t. water F rontage on u PPer straits l ake . s Pacious r ancH on d ouBle lot.

B uilder's own Home on 1 acre . comPletely r emodeled in 2000. o Pen i nterior , cHeF 's k itcHen , Huge m aster s uite w/ FP.

B uild your d ream Home on tHis P rime location witH l ake V iews and l ake P riVileges on a ll s Ports walnut l ake !

s Pacious loFt in d owntown r oyal oak ! oPen interior w/ e xPosed B rick , 2-story g reat r oom , Hardwood F loors , g ourmet k itcHen .

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ENDNOTE

Time for adults to act and protect children ouston, we have a problem – in the words of NASA's doomed space flight Apollo 13.

Only today, it's America, and the nation's schoolchildren, who have a problem. And it's a monumental one, with catastrophic results.

In recent memory, there have been mass school shootings at Columbine, Newtown, Parkland, and now, sadly, at Oxford High School, among many, many more all over the country.

Students practice active shooting drills at school, in preparation for just such a possibility. Since the November 30 event in Oxford, law enforcement and school administrators have been notified of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of copycat threats.

This is no way to educate our students.

But the real threat to our school children remains the availability of unlocked and unprotected guns – and the unlimited amount of capacity semi-automatic firearms can have. We are not in any way talking about restricting the Second Amendment for law-abiding adults.

In the aftermath of the Oxford High shooting, which appears to have occurred because the 15year-old shooter's parents bought it for him as an early Christmas present, and left it unlocked in a nightstand drawer, easily accessible for him – Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald, state Senator Rosemary Bayer and Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin have all proposed making changes to laws to safely secure a firearm, and to limit “high capacity magazines.”

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Bayer (D-Beverly Hills, Bloomfield Township, Oxford, Lake Orion, Pontiac, Franklin) has authored a bill that would restrict high capacity magazines – which is a firearm capable of holding more than a standard number of rounds of ammunition, which Bayer proposed at 10 rounds.

Nine other states and Washington D.C. have similar legislation. The Republican-controlled Michigan legislature has consistently resisted imposing new restrictions on firearms, with Senate Leader Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake) stating after the Oxford mass shooting, “If we get obsessed with eliminating all risks, we will then develop and evolve into a country we won’t recognize.”

However, the U.S. had federal legislation between 1994 and 2004 which included a ban on high capacity magazines, called the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which prohibited new magazines over 10 rounds. Since the expiration of the ban, there is no nationwide prohibition against the possession of high capacity magazines, which are considered an unregulated firearm accessory. The federal Keep Americans Safe Act, which would restore the ban, passed the House Judiciary Committee in September 2019, as part of a red flag bill, but has not come before the entire House.

In mid-December, Slotkin (D-Rochester, Rochester Hills, Oxford, northern Oakland, part of Livingston and Ingham counties) introduced the Safe Guns, Safe Kids Act in the House of

Representatives, a bill to require safe and proper storage of firearms in households to prevent children and others from illegally accessing the weapon.

“I come from a gun-owning family, and I carried two firearms on my three tours in Iraq with the CIA. There are millions of responsible gun owners in Michigan, including my own dad.

This bill will require gun owners to store or lock their firearms when children are present, and will hold them accountable when they fail to do so,” Slotkin said in a release of the bill, which would impose a penalty of up to five years of prison time if a child does indeed access the gun, which they reasonably had access to, and uses the gun to injure themselves or others or uses the firearm in the commission of a crime.

County Prosecutor McDonald supports the bills, noting that there are many responsible gun owners in Michigan – but that gun owners aren't required to secure them. If Congress fails to act, then Michigan lawmakers must put something on the books here, We cannot just prepare our children on how to run from a killer with a gun. We must work to prevent that action from taking place in the first place. It can be done without imposing sacrifices on the rights of law-abiding citizens.

We are the guardians of our youth. It's time we acted as such.

Keeping commissioners in their own lane ver the years, Birmingham city commissioners have occasionally overstepped their boundaries – coming into City Hall, both literally and figuratively, requesting information that is not on an agenda or in an agenda packet, directly from staff members, whether the planning director, city clerk, treasurer, police chief or individuals in their departments, and expecting it to be reported back to them, irrespective of the city employees' other responsibilities.

Several commissioners have also, especially in recent years, taken to attending board and committee meetings, supposedly to “learn what is going on in the community.” However, commissioners appoint board and committee members, so commissioners attending meetings of boards and committee meetings creates an inherent conflict and could make those members feel beholden to specific commissioners. As it happens, commissioners receive reports on what transpires at all the other boards and committees – so they do know what is going on in the city.

Birmingham has a city manager form of government, where commissioners approve policy and related actions by the city manager. But the city

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manager runs the city on a day to day basis. Period.

Now, a new Birmingham city policy has officially stated what some city officials, staffers and board members have privately been saying for a while: city commissioners, stay in your own lane.

Birmingham City Manager Tom Markus, who knows city government quite well, having previously been city manager for Birmingham for 22 years, leaving in 2010 for Iowa City, Iowa, and then Lawrence, Kansas, before returning back to Birmingham for another stint last January 1, 2021, sought city attorney Mary Kucharek's legal opinion.

Kucharek said the question was posed whether it’s advisable for city commissioners to personally attend various boards and committees of the city.

She looked into case law and the Open Meetings Act, and determined it's best for commissioners to stay out.

“When you have appointment power of those that serve on the boards, your presence carries with it the weight of your appointment powers, and your presence could be causing duress or seen as causing influence or pressure to those at these meetings,” Kucharek noted.

Markus advised commissioners that all questions should come directly to him – not staff, not boards –

and he will prioritize them and provide answers. He especially urged commissioners to refrain from contacting city staff directly with questions, as it can cause confusion or unintended influence on staff.

Markus also advised city commissioners that it does not make for good management of the city to constantly receive special requests from individual commissioners – as a governing body, there should be consensus when the city commission wants the city manager to tackle some new issue. Basic management principle.

While commissioner Brad Host objected to the new policy, and along with new commissioner Andrew Haig, voted against it, stating he feels members of other boards feel “unappreciated and that they have no connection to the city,” there are no board incidents to validate that statement. The resolution wisely passed, and is now policy, and commissioners are on notice.

City commissioners should view themselves as board members of a public company – leaders who direct the president or CEO, but then step out of the way to allow the company to do its work.