MARCH 2020
COSMETICS
CONTAMINATION LITTLE OVERSIGHT FROM THE FDA
PLUS:
SCHOOL SHOOTINGS SHOOTING DRILLS STUDENT STRESS
OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL ENDNOTE: BALLOT CHOICES ECRWSS Postal Customer EDDM
DOWNTOWNPUBLICATIONS.COM
SOCIETY NOTEBOOK METRO INTELLIGENCER
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ROYAL OAK, MI 48068 PERMIT #792
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Newer Build on All Sports Lake Orion $1,149,000 | Lake Orion Village
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DOWNTOWN03.20
46
More than a pretty face: chemical contamination in makeup As a consumer, you would assume that makeup products on the stores shelves must meet certain criteria, but that is not the case. Guidelines followed by the FDA actually provide more about what the department cannot do than what is should do.
LONGFORM
33
Experts are now beginning to assess the added stress on students from practice drills to prepare for a possible shooter at the school, let alone the stress that comes after an actual shooting.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
16
If you are voting in the Democratic presidential primary this March, Mike Bloomberg, with his self-funded campaign for president, rises to the top of the field as the person who can beat Trump in November.
CRIME LOCATOR
21
A recap of select categories of crime occurring in the past month in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills, presented in map format.
OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL
27
Search for Dave Potts replacement; Martin Brook for township clerk; Dillaha takes on Moss; MIA John James; campaign donation numbers; Jones challenging Sheriff Bouchard; plus more.
MUNICIPAL
53
May ballot school bond; repairs at Old Woodward parking deck; Hunter House site plans sent back; move to delay contract negotiations fails; city long-range planning session; plus more.
THE COVER Cover design: Chris Grammer.
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Rare Opportunity To Build On A 1.3 Acre Lot On All-Sports Orchard Lake! $1,950,000
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Soft Contemporary Home Situated On ~.5 Acre Lot In The Desirable Wabeek Golf Community $649,000
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Luxurious Top Floor Condo Located In The Skylofts Development $375,000
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30
Tim Yanke
METRO INTELLIGENCER
77
Writer/reporter Dana Casadei helps us provide quick takes on what is happening in the world of food and drink in the metro Detroit area.
SOCIETY NOTEBOOK
83
Society Notebook reporter Gigi Nichols provides the latest news and snapshots from the society and non-profit circuit major fundraising events.
ENDNOTE
90
Downtown is recommending voters support two local millages on the March presidential primary ballot but reject the tax sought for the DIA so that it can be placed on the November ballot.
FACES
30 40 51 71 79
Tim Yanke Erica Peresman Jacob Blumenstein Dey Young Clare Cooney
TEMPERLEY PETER PILOTTO MARNI
NO 21 HENRY B EGUELIN
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FROM THE PUBLISHER “Know the enemy, know yourself, and victory is never in doubt.” Sun Tzu (Master Sun), The Art of War Sixth century general/military strategist The standing family joke in recent weeks has been the surprise pre-dawn discovery one day of a delivery to our front door of a Mike Bloomberg campaign lawn sign (with lapel buttons attached) days after he opened in early February a campaign office on Woodward in Bloomfield Hills. Not sure how the sign arrived on our doorstep, although I had hoped to attend the local office opening, so maybe someone at the event who knows me thought they would do me a favor. (Thank you.) Yes, as one of my sons aptly described it, I am a “Bloomberger.” I preface this admission with my view that there is no such thing as a perfect candidate in any election. There are just practical, logistical realities when it comes to winning electoral races or wars, which is the best way to describe election campaigns. That said, I have previously admitted in this space that I am seeking change from Donald Trump. No secret there. Time to stop the name calling, lies, offensive tweets, restore the integrity of the office of President, our role in the international community, the now politicized departments and the rollbacked programs (think environment, for starters) under Donald Trump that threaten the fabric of the democracy and the quality of life now and for future generations. For me, the overriding question is who can defeat Trump while still providing a solid campaign platform that is progressive yet pragmatic. For a variety of reasons, I am placing my bet on Mike Bloomberg, despite a sketchy performance in the recent Nevada debate. My short analysis: Joe Biden seems to be suffering in fundraising and in the polls, including in the black community (Bloomberg has nearly matched him there); recent polling shows lukewarm support for a gay president (sorry, Mayor Pete); Klobuchar's recent success in New Hampshire has no staying power and she has her own skeletons in the closet which we will hear more about if the moderate field starts to coalesce around her; Elizabeth Warren has lost her momentum and shares less of the far left contingent of the party; and Bernie Sanders, with his socialist name tag, is eliciting fear from a large portion of the party concerned he will not only lose to Trump but could cost the party the House and destroy any hope of flipping the Senate. The result is a less-than-thrilling standard carrier for the Democratic party in November. Most important, Bloomberg is already taking the fight directly to Trump and is rising in the polls – number two nationally in some polls at this writing. That's how I arrived at Mike Bloomberg, who got in this race because he saw a problem developing early on in this primary that would leave the Democratic party with no path to victory in November. Yes, I had to wrestle with the issue of “stop and frisk,” which seems to haunt Bloomberg from his NYC mayoral days, although an increasing number of non-white voters seem to be accepting his recent apology. Most recently we have the allegations of how he treated women at his firm in the past, although I can only assume he has turned over a new leaf on this front based on his long-standing financial support of women's groups and causes, let alone the women candidates he backed in 2018 to help flip the U.S. House. Then there's the claim that as a billionaire he is attempting to buy the election.
The issue of money in electoral politics has been a concern of mine for decades. And it’s been on the radar of Congress for over a century. Back in 1907, Congress prohibited corporations from giving to candidate campaigns and in 1943 extended that restriction to unions. That same year the first Political Action Committee (PAC) was formed by a union to skirt the federal restrictions. Campaign money from PACs increased dramatically in the 1970s when Congress passed a number of campaign reform laws which also ushered in freer spending by PACs for labor unions, trade groups and corporations. Jump next to 2010, when two U.S. Supreme Court decisions, among them the often-cited Citizens United case, opened up even further the flow of campaign money from PACs. We now have what are known as connected PACs; non-connected PACs; leadership PACs for elected officials and parties; and Super PACs which can make expenditures independent of candidates, taking money from corporations, unions and individuals. The result of all this? Campaign donations – the currency for gaining access and influence with those in power – have exploded, thereby indirectly increasing the cost of elections. Now comes the internet as a source of campaign donations, first employed in any impactfull way by Howard Dean when he ran for the office of president in 2004 and honed to perfection by the Barack Obama campaign in 2008. Online contributions from individuals have been hailed as the way to restore citizen involvement in elections to offset PAC influence on campaigns, but don't kid yourself. Big money, and often times what is called “dark money” for lack of donor transparency, is still a major influence in elections and on public policy once candidates get into office. Enter Democrat candidate Michael Bloomberg, who is self-funding his own presidential run. Curriculum vitae: Former mayor (12 years) of New York City, population nearly 8.5 million. Successful, self-made billionaire in the field of media. Leading philanthropist ($8 billion so far in lifetime donations to nonprofits), underwriting for years the efforts to address climate change, environment issues, women's reproductive rights, health care, income disparity, gun control. Pragmatic, calm, collected. Understands government. Knows the value of international allies. Proven skills at building coalitions. Strong enough to respond to the bullying of Trump on the campaign trail. Best of all, Bloomberg won't be influenced by special interests because he is beholden to no one. While he may be running a slightly unorthodox campaign, if you listen to the chin-stroking experts, by skipping the primaries in some early states that don't offer many delegates, the normally data-driven Bloomberg would not have entered this race without a strong sense that the goal of winning is within reach. David Hohendorf Publisher DavidHohendorf@DowntownPublications.com
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PUBLISHER David Hohendorf NEWS EDITOR Lisa Brody NEWS STAFF/CONTRIBUTORS Hillary Brody Anchill | Dana Casadei | Stacy Gittleman Austen Hohendorf | Gigi Nichols | Bill Seklar PHOTOGRAPHY/CONTRIBUTORS Esme McClear | Laurie Tennent | Chris Ward Laurie Tennent Studio ADVERTISING DIRECTOR David Hohendorf ADVERTISING SALES Mark Grablowski GRAPHICS/IT MANAGER Chris Grammer OFFICE 124 W. Maple, Birmingham MI 48009 248.792.6464 DISTRIBUTION/SUBSCRIPTIONS Mailed monthly at no charge to most homes in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills. Additional free copies distributed at high foot-traffic locations in Birmingham/Bloomfield. For those not receiving a free mail copy, paid subscriptions are available for a $15 annual charge. To secure a paid subscription, go to our website (downtownpublications.com) and click on “subscriptions” in the top index and place your order online or scan the QR Code here.
INCOMING/READER FEEDBACK We welcome feedback on both our publication and general issues of concern in the Birmingham/Bloomfield community. The traditional “letters to the editor” in Downtown are published in our Incoming section and can include written letters or electronic communication. Opinions can be sent via e-mail to news@downtownpublications.com or mailed to Downtown Publications, 124 W. Maple Road, Birmingham MI 48009. If you are using the mail option, you must include a phone number for verification purposes. DOWNTOWN GOALS/MISSION The personnel at Downtown newsmagazine bring a special commitment to the publishing effort, reinvesting in the local communities and working to make sure the Birmingham/Bloomfield area reaches its highest potential. Our mission dictates that we strive each month to provide a solid news and advertising product that local residents look forward to reading. Our goal is to build a community of informed citizens through the efforts of our passionate team. We are innovators producing products that go well beyond what others offer. Downtown newsmagazine captures life in the local communities through coverage of major municipal and school issues, personality profiles, the latest news from the business community and the all important social non-profit circuit that makes these communities unique. We also devote considerable effort each month to address major issues facing local residents through our longform story-telling efforts, further setting us apart from others competing for readers' attention. WEBSITE downtownpublications.com
FACEBOOK facebook.com/downtownpublications TWITTER twitter.com/downtownpubs OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL oaklandconfidential.com METRO INTELLIGENCER metrointelligencer.com Member of Downtown Publications DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM/BLOOMFIELD
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Ted Edginton Mortgage Loan Officer 248.991.9390 ted.edginton@usbank.com NMLS #: 502442 0GGJDF 8PPEXBSE "WFOVF 4UF #MPPNGJFME )JMMT .*
Mark Webberly Mortgage Loan Officer 248.991.9385 mark.webberly@usbank.com NMLS #: 139326
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Loan approval is subject to credit approval and program guidelines. Not all loan programs are available in all states for all loan amounts. Interest rates and program terms are subject to change without notice. Visit usbank.com to learn more about U.S. Bank products and services. Mortgage and Home Equity Products are offered through U.S. Bank National Association. Deposit Products are offered through U.S. Bank National Association. Member FDIC. ©2019 U.S. Bank c /19
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over $60 million Sold in 2019
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325 Keswick - Bloomfield Hills - $2,150,000
Stunning Quarton Lake Estates newer construction home. Gorgeous custom finishes throughout. Three car garage. Finished basement with wine cellar.
Wonderful estate home on almost an acre of gorgeous grounds. Beautiful large white kitchen with center island. Stunning first floor master suite. 6 bedrooms, 4.3 baths.
955 S Bates - Birmingham - $1,499,900
4955 Stoneleigh - Bloomfield Hills - $1,499,900
Gorgeous 2018 built in-town 5 bedroom, 4.2 bath newer construction home. Beautiful white kitchen with large island. Amazing master suite. Finished basement. Walk to downtown.
111 Guilford - Bloomfield Hills - $1,100,000
Four bedroom cape cod in the city of Bloomfield Hills on a 3/4 acre picturesque lot backing to a stream. New kitchen with large center island. First floor master.
4145 E. Golf Ridge - Bloomfield Hills - $675,000
Five bedroom, 4.1 bath colonial overlooking Wabeek Country Club golf course. Move in ready condition. Three car garage. Finished basement. Bloomfield Hills schools.
590 Riverside - Birmingham - $399,900
Last vacant site remaining in Riverside Place - exclusive development of 8 detached condos steps from downtown Birmingham.
Extensively renovated and expanded home in 2018 from top to bottom. 5 bedroom, 5.2 bath sprawling ranch on 1.5 acres. Fully finished lower level.
711 Kennebec - Bloomfield Hills - $1,050,000
Beautiful ranch home in desirable Rudgate sub. 3 bedrooms, 3.1 baths. Gorgeous remodeled kitchen, 4 fireplaces, 2 ½ car garage on a great corner lot. Bloomfield Hills schools.
3641 Winding Brook - Rochester Hills - $449,900
Completely remodeled 3 bedroom, 3.1 bath condo in the Sanctuary in the Hills. Beautiful kitchen with center island opens to great room. Screened porch and patio. Finished basement.
2719 Alveston - Bloomfield Hills - $314,900
Four bedroom quad-level home in Hugo Hills sub. Newer roof, heating, HWH, electrical, plumbing and windows. New kitchen in 2009. Bloomfield Hills schools.
CRIME LOCATOR
NORTH
Map key
Sexual assault
Assault
Murder
Robbery
Breaking/entering
Larceny
Larceny from vehicle
Vehicle theft
Vandalism
Drug offenses
Arson
These are the crimes reported under select categories by police officials in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills through February 20, 2020. Placement of codes is approximate.
INCOMING Politics above water quality
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124 West Maple Road BiRMinghaM 48009
22
Unfortunately, sometimes I must defend Birmingham and other Oakland County communities against baseless attacks on our commitment to protect our water resources. In January a green sludge impacted the shores of Lake St. Clair in Macomb County. Joining public speculation, Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller suggested it contained raw sewage and stated to local newspapers and others that it was “highly likely… (Oakland County) played a role in the sludge” and “these (Oakland County) CSOs are having a direct, negative effect on the lake.” These statements are reckless and have no basis in fact. My office operates the George W. Kuhn Retention Treatment Basin (GWK), which commissioner Miller has falsely blamed for this occurrence and other pollution. The GWK plays a vital role in protecting water quality. Like the three CSO basins in Macomb County, the GWK operates under federal permit to treat the gravity-fed combined sewage flow before it enters the environment. Containing the largest screening system in America, the GWK removes and collects any solids over half an inch, ceiling baffles skim floating waste, the large underground tanks (124 million gallons total) slow flow to allow solids to settle out, and all those solids are collected and sent to Detroit’s sewage plant for treatment. The remaining flow contains no solids and is treated with chlorine to kill the remaining bacteria. About 85 percent of storms never leave the GWK and are treated in Detroit, only the largest 15 percent cause treated overflows. The GWK water flowing into the Red Run Drain and destined for Lake St. Clair is cleaner than the water already in the drain or lake. Experts, like Oakland University Professor Dr. Scott Tiegs, told me this year’s lake sludge was natural lake turnover of dead weeds, with an invasive cyanobacteria called Lyngbya bringing much more volume. It had unprecedented impact because of lack of ice, high winds, heavy rain and 100-year record high lake levels. Climate change and invasive species impacts like this will only grow over time.
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.
Macomb County Health Department testing showed plant matter with minor animal and human e. coli bacteria, but no raw sewage. Recent studies by the Department of Environment, Great Lake and Energy, the US Geological Survey, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments and the Great Lakes Water Authority have all shown human and animal bacteria and nutrient loads are expected in these waters but that there is no correlation between GWK releases and Lake St. Clair contamination issues. Most of the nutrient load comes from the St. Clair River, not the watershed. In fact, this shallow lake has a water turnover rate (travel time of water through the lake) of only seven days, compared to 40 years in Lake Superior. A 1984 National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration report points out that 97 percent of the flow into Lake St. Clair comes directly from the St. Clair River, while only three percent of the lake’s water comes from the entire watershed (US and Canada). Of the watershed’s three percent, the GWK flow accounts for a fraction of one percent. This treated flow has an insignificant part to play, considering all the untreated separated stormwater systems, agricultural runoff, animal/bird shore waste, failing septic systems across the watershed and loss of water purifying wetlands on the lake. To continue addressing the issues facing our water resources on a regional basis we must foster collaboration, but this kind of unjustified finger-pointing does not help. If commissioner Miller produces new evidence that Oakland
doWntoWn
County plays a role, I will consider other actions, otherwise she is putting politics above water quality. Jim Nash Water Resources Commissioner Oakland County
Lower chemical footprint We are nano scientists and we are attacking the problem of the chemical and carbon footprint here in the USA – anywhere where manufacturing is happening. Manufacturing takes chemicals for cutting and drilling of auto parts, for example. These manufacturing fluids are full of chemicals and some are toxic. Some have over 40 chemical in them which effects all of us. A lower chemical footprint is available by switching over to nano technology. We are the first to do this, and we removed more than half the chemistry in this manufactured fluid. The nano material is safe and will not harm humans or the environment. You would think the car companies would want to change over to this new technology but that's not what is happening. They are dragging their feet or refuse to even look at this technology. The UAW needs to get involved to help protect their workers and help protect us from chemical spills like the one on I-696. We need to put the environment and people first and money and greed second. James English President of Tool-X Michigan/Florida
Devine's ongoing influence I am so sorry to see that the former treasurer and his friend (on the board) still haven't gotten over the fact that Dan Devine was not appointed supervisor when my husband retired, because in my opinion, that's what is still going on here. I have heard some of the bad things that were written on Facebook and Next Door. It saddens me because I know what hard working, honorable people the full-time elected officials are. It is often a thankless job of long hours, meetings, and just doing what has to be done. When I heard trustee David Buckley accused my late husband of a crime, I had to step up and say something. My husband worked for the township for 40 plus years. He earned a reputation that was beyond 03.20
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reproach. He was a man of integrity. Buckley accused Dave Payne and Wilma Cotton of a crime. This is an outright lie. I can't believe a former friend would spread that kind of a lie about a deceased person who is not around to defend himself. Buckley owes a written apology to both Wilma Cotton, and Dave's family Bloomfield Township was never about "politics," it was just hard working people doing what was right to make Bloomfield a great place to live. There has only been one person that enjoyed being a politician. Fortunately he is no longer on the payroll, but he still has influence over his friend on the board. It is just plain sad to see all the tension caused by a handful of people. Debbie Payne
Buckley's lie, defamation As most of you may recall, I retired from my position as Bloomfield Township Clerk in November, 2004, some 16 years ago, after having served the residents for nearly 25 years. I still live in the township and have many dear friends and good neighbors. I recently learned that board member David Buckley posted on the social media site Next Door, and perhaps other sites, a spurious statement that the "last clerk" (and that would be me) was given a car from the township when I retired. This is absolutely a lie and I am aghast that any of my friends and neighbors may have seen Mr. Buckley's post. At the time of my retirement there was a policy in place requiring board approval for expenditures over $5,000, so a gifted vehicle would have required even Buckley's approval as he was on the board at that time. I have asked myself, why now after all these years would Buckley post such a lie about me on social media when he knows very well that it is false – could it be that because this is an election year for the township officials Buckley wants to discredit and quiet my voice to the township residents in my support for the current administration? I am currently chairperson of the Oakland County Board of Canvassers, having been appointed by the Oakland County Commission. Buckley has knowingly and willingly harmed my good name, my reputation of integrity and my downtownpublications.com
probity, my adherence to the highest principles and ideals. I request that Buckley immediately post on all the social media sites where he originally posted the lie, that it is untrue, that I did not receive a car from the township. Should there be any further posts defaming my name, Buckley will hear from my attorney. Wilma S. Cotton Retired Township Clerk
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Hunter House plan Leave the Hunter House alone. Developers have destroyed Birmingham already. Take a drive (if you dare) down Old Woodward – it is like a prison. Four tall walls and a ridiculously jammed middle. Matthew Joseph Fasang Troy
County exec Coulter Didn't I just read that (Coulter) paid past due water bills from 2018 only recently? And that he forgot? How do you do that and not have your water turned off? Notices sent? On your door posted? Patricia Kane Rochester
Parking deck repairs Too bad those haters turned down the bond. Now we have to deal with emergency repairs. Those haters were paranoid and now we also have two trolls on city commission who were leading the screaming about the deck. Donna Dee Birmingham Lol, wasn’t this structure in the plans that got voted down? They were right, so much better to have a crumbling eyesore. Amy Kasianowicz Birmingham Hardly trolls and hardly an “emergency” when that parking deck has needed repairs for years. Now we are paying 600K for repairs instead of building a 57M new project. As far as I’m concerned, the new commissioners are good stewards of our tax dollars. Mandy Fishburn Birmingham I live right across from the structure and would have loved to see it torn down. Voted for the proposal too. Jules Justine VanHellemont Birmingham doWntoWn
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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 each month via email.
NEW DAY: Former state Rep. Chuck Moss (R-Birmingham) has seemingly been running for the 12th county commission seat (Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills) for years – but now that commissioner Shelley Goodman Taub (R-Bloomfield Township) is officially retiring, Moss is out knocking on doors, holding fundraisers and other gettogethers. But there are no gimmes in politics. Birmingham resident Kelly Dillaha (D), whose twins will graduate from Seaholm High School this MOSS year, has decided it is time to take on the Republicans after working behind the scenes the last couple years with Fems for Dems, and her first target is Moss and the county commission seat. Dillaha said she became motivated after caring for her mother when she suffered from Alzheimers, as well as her aging in-laws, and is looking DILLAHA to help find solutions for others dealing with aging, illness, mental health issues, as well as youth and education, as a member of the “sandwich population.” She is also passionate about transit possibilities for the region. ONE FOR THE TEAM: The gossip mill is still heating up with who might be willing to be the sacrificial lamb for the Republicans in a run for county executive. While no one has filed yet to take on the winner of the Dave Coulter-Andy Meisner Democratic slug fest, various local Republicans are passing on scuttlebutt they’re hearing, starting with the buzz that former state Rep. Klint Kesto (R-Commerce Township) may skip running for county commission as rumored earlier and go for the top spot, which many acknowledge would be a KESTO death march. There’s still whispers and hopes among local GOP faithful that state Sen. Ruth Johnson (R-Holly), a former county commissioner, then county clerk and Secretary of State, will seek to return to the county complex as head honcho. One Republican politico said Oakland County Republican chair Rocky Razckowski, the perennial candidate, is interested in running for Brooks Patterson’s old seat, but cautioned that “would be just like handing it to the Democrats.” THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM: Former Oakland County Commissioner Dave Potts (R-Birmingham) can’t seem to catch a break. Potts announced last fall he would be running this November against Democrat state Rep. Mari Manoogian (D-Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills, western part of West Bloomfield) to be the state representative for the 40th District, a seat Manoogian flipped blue in 2018. That is, if Potts can get out of the starting gate and he doesn’t have a primary challenger in August. It’s looking like Potts quest is mirroring Don Quixote’s – chasing windmills, dreaming the impossible dream. In the last quarter, ending January 31, while Manoogian raised over $40,000, Potts raised only $1,450, for a cumulative total of $6,300 this election cycle, versus Manoogian’s $90,000. Worse, Potts spent $5,788 this quarter, leaving him with only $512 cash on hand. Word is Oakland County Republicans are looking to have him get out of the race, and have turned to Malissa Bossardet of Bloomfield Township, who ran in the Republican primary in 2018 for the position, asking her if she would consider running against Manoogian. Sources say Bossardet is concerned the party won’t provide enough support to help her take on the incumbent, even though the party wants a woman to go mano a mano against Manoogian. Bossardet does want to get in the action, and some say is considering runs for township trustee or clerk, with longtime township clerk Jan Roncelli retiring after 16 years in the position. Former Bloomfield Hills Schools trustee Martin Brook, an attorney, announced on Sunday, February 9, that he is running to fill Roncelli’s shoes as clerk. In 2018, Brook ran in the Democratic congressional primary for the 9th District, losing to Rep. Andy Levin. POTS OF GOLD: For candidates seeking to take on an incumbent, or an open political seat, it takes a big ol’ pile of money – especially for anyone looking to unseat Congresswomen Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham, downtownpublications.com
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PUT UP THEM DUKES: Another race battling for the bucks – and local supporters – is for the Democratic nominee for Oakland County Prosecutor – not often a hot battle. Incumbent prosecutor Jessica Cooper has no intention of stepping down after her third term, but that has not stopped former Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Karen McDonald from getting in the ring. McDonald asserts she has more contributions, more contributors, more fundraisers – and that she has raised more than anyone previously for a prosecutor’s campaign. She did raise more cumulatively this election cycle – $195,578 to Cooper’s $156,785, but for the quarter, Cooper held the flame, raising $55,650 to McDonald’s $41,480 – although Cooper loaned her campaign $19,500 of that total. Heading into this quarter, they had similar cash-on-hand, with Cooper’s cash at $144,442, and McDonald’s at $146,020. ROLLING IN THE DOUGH: While consistently MIA (missing in action), Republican Senate candidate John James has maintained very good friends in very high places. Take, for example, Grand Rapids’ influential DeVos family – as in, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, whose father-in-law was a co-founder of Amway products – every candidate would like friends like these. Six members of the DeVos family – although not Betsy, who as a member of the administration cannot contribute – have given a total of $800,000 to Better Future MI Fund, a super political action committee that was formed, according to the Federal Election Commission, on October 31, and has donated to James. Irony of ironies, Tori Sachs, James’ campaign manager during his unsuccessful 2018 attempt to unseat Senator Debbie Stabenow, is now a consultant for Better Future MI Fund. While the money helps, according to a new poll by Target-Insyght, James only enjoys 14 percent African American support in Michigan, versus Senator Gary Peters (D) at 69 percent. The survey found that although Peters has been in the Senate for six years, and Congress before that, only 54 percent of voters knew who he was – meaning he better hope to ride the coattails of whoever is the ultimate Democratic presidential candidate to win Michigan.
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Bloomfield Hills, Troy, western Oakland and Wayne counties) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Rochester, Rochester Hills, northern Oakland County, parts of Livingston and Ingham counties). Both incumbent freshman congresswomen, who flipped long-time Republican seats blue, are sitting on lots of bucks. Slotkin raised more than any other Michigan member of congress or congressional hopeful in the last quarter of 2019, raking in $1.15 million between October 1 and December 31, which gives her $3.064 million for 2019, with $2.875 million in the bank. Republican challenger Paul Junge is in Slotkin’s rear view mirror, having raised just $148,418 the same quarter – $129,500 from himself. Stevens raised a healthy $573,485 for the last quarter, for a total of $2.59 million for the year, with $2.073 million in the bank. Republican challengers Eric Esshaki raised $117,716 for the quarter, of which $50,000 was a personal loan, and Whittney Williams raised $57,023 in 2019, but only has $18,455 cash on hand. Congressman Andy Levin (DBloomfield Township, Royal Oak, Huntington Woods, and parts of Macomb County) brought in $175,553 for the quarter, with $497,485 for the cycle, and has over $300,000 cash on hand. Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Southfield, West Bloomfield, Farmington Hills, Detroit) raised $138,178 for the final quarter of 2019, bringing her to $546,639 for the year. Her campaign has $854,843 cash on hand.
AND THE CHALLENGER IS: Regardless of demographic changes, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, currently the lone Republican in Oakland County hierarchy, maintains strong popularity – to the point that his last couple of elections, he received the most votes of anyone running for office, including former Executive L. Brooks Patterson, winning 59 percent of the county’s vote in 2016, while Patterson had 53 percent. But that doesn’t mean he runs unopposed – and he won’t in 2020, either, with the announcement that Democrat Barnett Jones, chief security and integrity officer for the Great Lakes Water JONES Authority (GLWA) , is running to take Bouchard on. Jones, a resident of Lake Orion, has 19 years in the sheriff’s department, retiring with the rank of captain, and served time as police chief in Ann Arbor and Sterling Heights. HELLO? ANYBODY THERE? You know you have a widespread problem with your image – or, in fact, being seen at all – when radio hosts who back
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you are wondering where in the world you are. It’s a U.S. Senate version of Where’s Waldo? – local conservative radio personality Frank Beckmann recently appeared on the Paul W. Smith show on WJR to voice his criticism of Republican U.S. Senate candidate John James invisibility as far as Michigan voters and media are concerned. Both conservative radio hosts agreed with Beckmann’s assessment that James appeared to be hiding from questions from both sides for the last several months, and wondered why he seemed so afraid to talk to anyone in Michigan, noting he has been visible in out-of-state BECKMAN fundraisers. James unsuccessfully ran for the Senate in 2018 against Senator Debbie Stabenow – and both hosts wondered if he was trying a different tactic – like a cloak of invisibility – this time.“We really haven’t thought about him very much because he’s not out there,” said Smith. Beckmann agreed it didn’t make much sense to him. Ouch. SWORD FIGHT: Oakland County Treasurer Andy Meisner (D), running in 2020 for county executive in the primary against current county executive Dave Coulter (D), is feeling pretty, pretty good these days, with a new poll and fundraising numbers looking strong for him. But we politicos know we have to look at the long game. First, the money. Right now, no question, Meisner is in the lead against Coulter, raising over $110,000 this quarter and $680,142 since announcing his run in March 2019. Coulter, who was appointed the day after late exec L. Brooks Patterson’s funeral in midAugust, only decided he’d run for re-election in October; for two months of fundraising in the last quarter, he raised $216,571. Meisner is also touting an early poll which shows he has an early 33 percent-to-19 percent lead over Coulter – with 53 percent never having heard of Meisner and 61 percent never having heard of Coulter. Meisner keeps calling it an “independent” poll, but in actuality, the poll, conducted by Celinda Lake of Lake Research Partners, was done on behalf of the Carpenter’s union, which has given money to Meisner, although it hasn’t endorsed. The poll was done using cell phones. While it’s definitely better to be up than down, with almost six months until the August 4 primary, it’s still anyone’s primary to win – or lose.
SPRING 2020
ON THE RADAR: Four Michigan Republican congressional candidates have been added to the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC)’s Young Guns program out of a total of 31 Republic congressional candidates around the country who the committee added to the program. The NRCC’s Young Guns program requires candidates to work toward specific goals and meet fundraising benchmarks throughout the election cycle. Put on the radar and receiving mentorship is Lansing’s Paul Junge, a former Lansing TV anchor who recently worked in the Trump administration at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “to stop illegal immigration and secure our borders,” he said. He is running in MI-8’s Republican primary to face off against Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly). Birmingham attorney Eric Esshaki, who specializes in litigation with Royal Oak firm Howard & Howard, is running in the Republican primary in MI-11 with a goal to take on Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Rochester Hills). Other “young guns” are state Rep. Shane Hernandez (R-Port Huron) and Doug “Odie” Slocum, a former Selfridge Air National Guard commander, both of whom are candidates in the 10th District, after Congressman Paul Mitchell (R-Dryden) announced he is retiring in 2020. LOOK WHO’S BACK: No, it’s not Eminem’s Slim Shady – but former Bloomfield Township Treasurer Dan Devine, out of his self-imposed purgatory following loss of his re-election campaign in 2016 after officials and residents outed him for working on a very part-time basis while earning his full-time salary, making salacious and false accusations against other officials, and not keeping his eye on financial concerns in the township. As one township worker said after Devine appeared at a recent township board meeting during public comment, wearing a suit and decreeing his legal opinion upon the township providing residents with material on the upcoming millage renewal, “He’s back again without all the facts and he’s just as dangerous. Either he doesn’t know the facts, or he’s telling them just enough to get people going. He gives just enough to confuse the issue. It’s the same Dan Devine as it always has been.” Current speculation has Devine running for township supervisor this election year, as supervisor Leo Savoie’s term is expiring and it is uncertain if he is going to seek re-election. Stay tuned. This one won’t be pretty. downtownpublications.com
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FACES Tim Yanke ative American headdresses, coyotes, and other imagery evoking the American Southwest are not the subjects one would expect from a metro Detroit born-and-raised artist. But Tim Yanke’s artwork is deeply personal. At the age of 13, he lost his sister, then a student at Northern Arizona University. “It laid a major imprint on me,” he says of this life-altering event. “The Southwest, the colors, the brilliance of the blue, the sky, the mountains – it tattooed into my spirit, and I started to paint it more and more.” Other frequent subjects for Yanke are dragonflies, which are a tribute to his mother, and the American flag, which he evokes in his “American Yanke” series, and began painting after September 11, 2001. Despite the easily recognizable subjects, Yanke’s paintings, which he creates in his Birmingham studio, are anything but ordinary. “I get to paint something no one has ever seen before. I go deep into the psyche and put it on canvas,” he says of the way he uses “nontraditional colors… I may know it’s an elk or a bear, but I have no idea what colors I’m going to use. It’s not sketched out. It’s the thrill of the journey.” This creative energy is fueled by music. “The most important tool in my entire studio is music. It’s insane. I don’t know what my paintings would look like if I painted in silence.” With recent exhibitions ranging in locale from Nashville to New Zealand, and frequent travels on cruise ships thanks to representation by Park West Gallery, Yanke’s artwork may be better known outside of Michigan. But he’s hoping that all will change soon. With a studio in Birmingham and a second on the way on northern Michigan’s Torch Lake, Yanke finally sees opportunity to work more locally thanks to an infusion of arts activity in Detroit. “I feel like I’m a product and son of Detroit, but I’m on the outside looking in, and I want to play.” Yanke holds a degree in graphic arts from the University of North Texas, and spent almost two decades working in corporate America. Yet he says he was always painting, spending his weekends and vacation days creating inventory to participate at local art fairs. With the encouragement of his wife, he left his job and has been a full-time painter ever since. “We all grew up as artists, and over the years, people put the crayons and pencils down. Over the years, we’re told to stay between the lines and unbeknownst to everyone, that dampens everyone’s creative outlets. I kept going with that.” Yanke continues to innovate. His recent work incorporates augmented reality into his paintings. Through the help of a phone app, viewers can hold up their phones to his paintings and butterflies will fly out towards them. “As an artist, you have to keep evolving.”
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Story: Hillary Brody Anchill
Photo: Laurie Tennent
school shootings shooting drills student stress For students, teachers, staff and first responders, stress, anxiety and depression are by-products of school shootings, and schooting drills. by lisa brody t two minutes before noon on Friday, December 19, 2019 – the last day of school before winter break – a BluePoint alert was sounded at Bloomfield Hills High School in the building's G-Wing, near the rear of the main building by the courtyard area. The alarm, which looks like a blue fire alarm which can be pulled in case of an emergency, is equipped with a cover to prevent it from being pulled accidentally. The system sounds an audible alert of a male robotic voice repeating, "Lock down! Lock down!" to let those in the immediate area know there's a danger. The system also alerts the police department that the alarm has been pulled. Students and staff had been trained to "run, hide, fight" in the case of an active shooter situation inside the school, and they successfully implemented their training, with hundreds of students fleeing the school, which has approximately 50 exits, flooding the parking lot, many running to neighboring Bloomfield Township Hall, to nearby LifeTime Fitness, Brooklyn Bagel, Starbucks, Kirk In The Hills Church and other local businesses and community facilities.
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In the seconds and minutes following the alarm, students, teachers, first responders and local residents believed Bloomfield Hills High School may have become the next statistic in an increasingly grim and growing data column of schools which have been targeted by an active school shooter. It is still unknown as to how the BluePoint alert was triggered, if it was a false alarm, if students did see a weapon, or if some holidaygiddy students somehow managed to pull it, which experts say is near impossible. What is known is that no one – student, faculty or first responder – was shot or injured, and save the stress and trauma of fleeing a presumed school shooter and drilling for the possibility, everyone is fine. “The community really rallied together,” said Bloomfield Hills Schools communications director Shira Good. At the time, school liaison Officer Dave VanKerckhove was already in the school. "Within seconds he was in the G-Wing and reported what he had heard," said Bloomfield Township Police Chief Phil Langmeyer said. "The building was already starting to evacuate. The students and staff are trained to either run and getaway; to hide and lockdown if they can; and fight if they have to. It's a very simple thing to remember. When this happened, the kids were on lunch. "Once they started running, they were running." While no weapon was found by police, there was a gun reported inside the school. Langmeyer emphasizes, “It was not a drill. “We've trained and trained for years, but when you get in a real life situation – and we went in thinking there was an active shooter, it's all different. It was stressful on my officers. We were under the impression that there was a shooter in the school.” “We were fortunate there was no loss of life or injury that day – but there was real trauma for our kids and staff, and probably families and officers,” Good pointed out. “They've trained. But it's a real moment to run into what they thought they were running into. For staff, many had never seen a police presence before. Some students and staff members were hidden and locked down in the building, some for the totality of the building search – that was an hour-and-a-half. That's a trauma that does not go away easily. We're still rallying for kids and staff who need support. It's given us a different perspective.” or students, teachers, staff and first responders, stress, anxiety and depression are by-products of school shootings, false alarms, and even the school shooter drills that have become part of school curriculums since the first large scale school shooting of the modern era, in 1999 at Columbine High School, when two students murdered 12 other students and one teacher in Columbine, Colorado, critically injuring 15 others before committing suicide. Columbine, now 21 years ago, ushered in an era of school shootings, known by one or two words– Parkland, Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech. They have paralyzed students, parents and educators, leading to fear and anxiety over who can enter schools, new safety and security measures, and endless drills as preventative measures. Since Columbine, and by December 2019, at least 245 elementary and high schools in the U.S. had experienced a shooting, killing 146 and injuring 310 students and faculty. But even more than those directly injured, more than 240,000 students have been exposed to school shootings in America since the Columbine shooting. According to a study released in December 2019, by Stanford University's Institute for Economic Policy Research, researchers have found that local exposure to fatal school shootings increased antidepressant use among students. The study points out that the average rate of antidepressant use among teens under age 20 rose by 21 percent in the local communities where fatal school shootings occurred. The rate increase sustained itself into the third year after a school shooting.
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“There are articles that suggest school shootings are the new norm – they're happening so frequently that we're getting desensitized to them – and that maybe for the people who survive, they just go back to normal life because this is just life in America,” said May Rossin-Slater, a faculty fellow at Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. “But what our study shows is that does not appear to be the case. There are real consequences on an important marker of mental health.” esearchers found a marked increase in the rate of antidepressant prescriptions for youths who were exposed to school shootings, but only for ones which had a fatality. They did not see a significant effect on prescriptions for youths exposed to non-fatal school shootings. The researchers also found no evidence that the rise in antidepressant use was caused from mental health conditions that were previously undiagnosed to the shootings. According to James Alan Fox, professor of criminology, Northeastern University, there is an exaggeration in the statistics of the actual number of school shootings, which leads schools to overdo school shooting drills. “What is a school shooting? There might have been a shooting, but it could have been a suicide, an accidental shooting, a (gun) discharge, and no one may have been at school at the time,” Fox said. “Most high schools have thousands of students. Is it a shooting against a student, or a number of students? “Between 2013 and 2018, there was an average of 6.7 students killed per year, and that includes the Parkland and Santa Fe school shootings,” he pointed out. “Yet, there are aggressive drills, parents are buying their kids bullet-resistant backpacks and bullet-resistant hoodies. It all creates unnecessary fear and stress. But the reality is, the fear is high and the risk is low. The fear of it (school shootings) is magnified.” “Active shooter drills are so stressful. In the traumatic moment – for all senses, if you're seven, or 15, or whatever age – and you're looking at a guy with a gun, it doesn't matter if it's not a real gun,” said Susan Benson, director of community programs, Oakland Schools, of active shooter drills, some of which simulate shooters with guns. “They're designed to be like a gun. The training is designed to throw you off. Was it driven home because we practiced? Sure. But I shudder to think how a child reacts. “Our kids are really, really stressed. I can't imagine having the responsibility to disarm an adult with a gun when I was a child,” Benson continued. “We're saying part of the responsibility of staying alive is theirs.” “Schools are planning for worst case scenarios and are practicing the protocols necessary to ensure their students, staff and visitors are safe in the event of a tragic event. These drills are necessary, but it is very important to do the proper planning and preparation with the kids prior to holding a drill. We need to help students understand that we are doing this in order to help them stay safe,” said Nancy Buyle, school safety/student assistance consultant, Macomb Intermediate School District. “Just like fire drills in the wake of some deadly fires that were killing our students. We continue to have fire drills but very rarely ever have a school fire. It was becoming aware of the threat and learning all we could about it that allowed us to prepare, respond and ultimately prevent them. This is the same thing we are going through now.” “It's never been easy to be a student, now, adding this on too, it increases the stressors,” said Melvin McInnis, MD, director, Heinz Prechter Bipolar Research Program, University of Michigan. “It undermines the sense of security the individual has in their own security. In our research, we've found it is undermining their perceived
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role in not being provided with adequate tools or adequate access to complete the task (of feeling secure). From the way I look at it is the susceptibility and vulnerabilities of the individual. “The thing I fear most in dealing with the gun situation is how it undermines the sense of student security in their school situation,” Dr. McInnis continued. “Our role as a society is to provide a safe environment to go to school – or the perception that it's safe, with all the drills… The child's job is to go to school and feel safe. These drills would not have been considered in previous generations. That is the malignancy of society, in how to deal with guns and the Second Amendment people – the right to shoot.” Some question if there needs to be a balance, and how many shootings or drills are too many. ox, who served on former President Bill Clinton's Advisory Committee on School Shootings, said between 1996 and 2001, there were eight multiple victim school shootings – and then in the four years following the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania, there were no school shootings in this country at all. “People were obsessing about terrorism and Al Qaeda instead of school shootings,” he stated. Fox asserts that the more we – parents, educators, the media – talk about school shootings, the more we remind children about them, thereby elevating their fear that there could be one. “Sixty-two percent of kids believe there will be a school shooting – a statistic that is way out of proportion with the actual risk,” he pointed out. “It's one of those things that's constantly on their minds – they know a school shooting can happen at anytime,” said David Schwartz, PhD, director of the counseling center at Oakland University. “It's unfortunate that we now have a generation where it's just a part of life. There are a lot of reasons why students have this increased stress – and this is one.” Schwartz, in his 13th year at Oakland University, said he is seeing “a tremendous increase in anxiety on the part of students. For about the last 10 years, we used to see depression first, anxiety second. Now, anxiety is the clearcut number one concern, with depression number two. “Depression hasn't gone down – it has also increased,” he said, “but anxiety has really increased as the number one issue students are showing and feeling. One of the things we've seen, and research has shown, with national studies of incoming freshmen every year, each incoming class has lower levels of coping skills and lower levels of empathy. What we see is how that plays out on campus. They go from zero to sixty in no time. Many students have no coping skills, and they come ill-prepared to deal with various issues facing them without help, so they very quickly go to the brink.” Schwartz, like many other experts, feel the repetitive coverage of school shootings by the media, and its immediacy and easy accessibility, play into students' increased feeling of anxiety. “How easily information is available plays a role (in students' anxiety and depression),” Schwartz said. “School shootings are not a new thing, unfortunately, but as soon as it happens, it's on social media, in the mainstream media, and it's played over and over again. They're aware instantaneously, with a deep increase in fear and anxiety. How can that not cause someone to feel unsafe and insecure?” “We look at kids who are exposed – whether they've experienced it, read about it or seen it on social media or TV, and through what filter – we know with less sleep, less play time, less free time, it adds to their anxiety level,” said Oakland Schools' Benson. In the aftermath of the deadly shooting on February 14, 2018, at
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GRADING THE RESPONSE Following two failed proposals, Bloomfield Hills High School came about after residents in the district overwhelmingly voted in favor of a $58 million bond millage in May 2012 to unify the district's two high schools, Andover and Lahser, into one school facility on the previous site of Andover High School. The school, with a capacity for 1,650 students, opened in fall 2015, utilizing a portion of the previous school, but with an open, collaborative design, reflective of newer thinking in education and teaching styles. Bloomfield Hills Schools Communications and Community Relations Director Shira Good said that school safety was always a top concern. “When we were considering redoing the high school, we had had Columbine, Sandy Hook was the year of the bond (December 2012), when we were in the very early phases of the design, so it gave us time to pause about open spaces, collaboration,” she said. “We knew we wanted to keep collaborative spaces, openness, and glass. “We have to be mindful of not just the safety and security risk, but all educational issues,” she continued. “When you think of safety and security risks that present themselves in a school building, a lot of them stem back to the culture. When we talk about mitigating risk, a lot of it starts with our culture. We believe strongly in the power of restorative practices – many believe they repair relationships. If we want to build a culture, we have to look each other in the eye, speak to one another, see each other, see each other's body language. True collaboration is connection. Not all teaching and learning is going to be done in rows or in circles. “Teaching and learning is messy – hopefully we're engaging the five senses,” noting that years ago, classrooms were built for learners to receive content rather than to be engaged with content. “Teaching has shifted from delivering to facilitating.” That meant designing the high school in a way that permitted flexibility and adaptability. Bloomfield Township Police Chief Phil Langmeyer said the openness of the building does present some challenges for law enforcement, which they recognized during the incident on December 19, 2019, but one they understand and anticipated as the district had come to them when it was being designed. “It was the beginning of our security measures,” he said. “That big open concept does present some issues for us – but it is a school first,” Langmeyer said. “We want safety and security integrated. It's a learning institution first – that's the goal.” Both the district and law enforcement recognize certain protocols which went extremely well during the incident in December, and areas that need to be worked on. The design of the school isn't the problem, Langmeyer said, but having exit routes and a map of the school available to police is a necessity, as is having a set of keys to all of the classrooms. “Access to the school is really important,” he said. “We thought we had keys to all of the rooms, and we didn't. We couldn't get into all of the rooms, so we could, and did, sweep the school (looking for an active shooter), and while many students and staff evacuated, some locked down. We told them to stay in place – and then we couldn't immediately get keys to get them out. We did after a while.” Langmeyer also said he recognized the needed to set up an independent incident command. He said he made the mistake of setting up a command center inside the school, which would have be problematic in the event of a shooter situation. He said they had 31 officers, as well as officers from Oakland County Sheriff's Department, Berkley, Royal Oak, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Milford, South Lyon, and Troy and Waterford covered other Bloomfield Township situations, so they had to have a clear cut command structure at an incident command. The biggest issue uncovered by all sides was communications, Langmeyer and Good said, noting that there were too many voices in the mix, whether on social media, speaking to mainstream media, to parents, staff, students, law enforcement and the community. Langmeyer was emphatic that “as a team we need to have one voice. It's been discussed.” Good agreed. “The biggest thing to learn from is clear lines of communication. Our organization is one entity. You have the high school team, the school team, police and fire, separate law enforcement organization, and all these outside partners. We debriefed the district crisis team with the police crisis team, and we had a detailed list to learn from.” Good noted that before the next school year, they will be collecting student cell phone numbers for emergencies, in case they need to text them important information, such as where to meet parents in case of an evacuation. Hopefully, it's a list that will never be needed.
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Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed and more than a dozen were injured, a majority of American teens said they are very or somewhat worried about the possibility of a shooting happening at their own school – and most parents of teens are equally concerned, according to a Pew Research Center survey of teens aged 13 to 17 and parents with children in that age range. Overall, 57 percent of teens say they are worried about the possibility of a shooting happening in their own school, with 25 percent saying they are very worried. Another 29 percent said they are not too worried, with just 13 percent stating they are not at all worried. There is a slight differential in school shooting fear by gender, with 64 percent of girls saying they are very or somewhat worried about a shooting happening at their school, compared with 51 percent of boys. Non-white teens expressed a higher level of anxiety than their white peers, with about 64 percent of non-white teens worried, including 73 percent of Hispanics, stating they are at least somewhat worried about a school shooting, compared with 51 percent of white teens. arents of teens indicated similar levels of concern as their teens, with 63 percent saying they are at least somewhat worried about the possibility of shooting occurring at their child's school. According to the Pew Center's survey, there are similar patterns that fall along race and gender, with non-white parents and mothers expressing more concerns. Lower-income parents indicated they were particularly worried, with 82 percent of parents with annual household incomes under $30,000 stating they are at least somewhat worried that a shooting could happen at their teen's school, compared with 64 percent of those with incomes between $30,000 and $74,999, and 53 percent who were concerned with incomes of $75,000 or more. Arash Javanbakht, assistant professor of psychiatry at Wayne State University, said that for some students, witnessing a shooting via the media increases their stress and anxiety to the point they feel as if they have suffered through the shooting, and their feelings can be similar to PTSD. “Sadly, the U.S. media gives us a skewed version of incidents and trauma,” Javanbakht said. “The media in the U.S. has a big role in exaggerating the intensity of the feeling of the dangerousness of the news, and makes it feel much more dangerous than it is. “There is the possibility that students watching the Parkland media – that emotionally exaggerated presentation can have a negative impact on people,” he continued. “But for others, from a fact-based perspective, on ways to protect yourself, it can prepare students because we know having a sense of control can have a reduction in anxiety. When we know what to do, we are less terrified.” “There are hundreds of thousands of schools in the United States. Look at how many actually have had a school shooting – and it is very few,” Fox of Northeastern University said. “Not that we should ignore them, but what we're doing is intensifying the fear, adding more drills, more cameras. And we're sending the message to potential killers that this is what you do – versus in previous generations that have vandalized the school.” “One of the most important aspects of the healthy development of a child is feeling safe and secure,” pointed out Oakland University's Schwartz. “One of the most unfortunate things in the world we live in is it is more difficult to do that because at any time their school could go on lockdown.” “How parents deal with it” makes a difference in some children's mental health, Javanbakht said. “Kids look to parents in how to view the world – we have data on that. If parents show too much anxiety, kids learn from them. If parents keep their cool, kids will have less anxiety. Drills, depending upon how they're presented, can be fine. It's
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necessary for kids to know, but on the other side, it's a reminder that a shooting could happen.” Javanbakht said that after a drill, teachers and parents should try to do something fun “to alleviate the sense of anxiety. Don't just go home after a drill.” Birmingham Public Schools and Bloomfield Hills Schools, like all schools in Michigan, practice three drills a year for active shooters, as the state requires. Shira Good of Bloomfield Hills said they practice “run, hide, fight,” which predicates students looking, listening and determining their best options in a certain situation, where you are at a certain time, and where it may be that you are best able to go. At times it might be optimal to lockdown in a classroom rather than to flee. “It teaches students to find the nearest exit and go,” she said. “Students running are being a target, if there is a shooter. But anyone could be a target. In an active shooter situation you want to protect yourself and get out. If you're in a school, if you're in the mall, and in the food court – you want to get out. Our students are incredibly intelligent individuals. They know what to do. What gets muddled is when they're given too much information. It's 'fight or flight.' 'Run, hide, fight' fits in with that philosophy.” In Birmingham Schools, they have adopted the ALICE system, a certified program that is a version of run, hide, fight. Deputy Superintendent Rachel Feder said ALICE stands for “Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate.” “We're moved from the model of a lockdown, hiding under the desk to an active shooter protocol referred to as 'run, hide, fight,'” Feder said, referring to the early school shooting days of Columbine, when students stayed in lockdown as police sought out the shooters. Feder said in their drills, they never do practice simulations of active shooters. “It's one thing to say to students, 'You have options. You could throw something, you could run, barricade or hide.' It's another thing to actually practice it.” She believes that to take that next step would increase student anxiety, and wouldn't increase the benefits. “There are students who are anxious, but we have a wonderful group of teachers who take the time to talk with them,” she said. “We make sure the teachers are open to talking. “For some kids, it can be reassuring to practice the drills, to know what to expect,” Feder said. “It can alleviate some concerns.” he week of February 10, 2020, the nation's two largest teachers unions, American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association, joined with the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, asserting that active shooter drills can harm students' mental health, that they should end unannounced drills or drills that simulate gun violence. “Everywhere I travel, I hear from parents and educators about active shooter drills terrifying students, leaving them unable to concentrate in the classroom and unable to sleep at night,” said Lily Eskelsen Garcia through a release, president of the National Education Association. Jaclyn Schildkraut, PhD, associate professor, Department of Criminal Justice, State University of New York at Oswego, said, “The fear about drills is most among adults who have never done them. The kids are fine with learning the drills. They like knowing what they have to do. Kids look to adults, and if the adults are stressed, then the kids are stressed. If the adults are calm, then the kids are calm.” For most kids, they're just going through another drill, said Gigi Colombini, MSW, Institute for Hope and Human Flourishing in Bloomfield Hills. Most of the time, “they seem more annoyed than frightened, unless they've had some personal experience in their childhood,” Colombini said. “Children believe everything is going to be okay in a community
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setting – although things can still happen behind closed doors.” She said that when there is a trauma, whether a school shooting, a death or a suicide of a fellow student, “There's more of a pause. Parents are pulled into the conversation, with more awareness – like a wildfire communication. Schools are trying to figure out how to work with and communicate with kids. But kids have a different way of dealing with big events than adults. Kids will go in and out of something as they work to find ways to deal with it. It's important for them to be together, to talk to each other, to hang out. They're best served by letting our youth have their emotions, letting them go through their own timing and normalizing that. It's not just something you move on from. “They don't want to push it under the rug. Maybe they'll suddenly want to talk about it three weeks later, when teachers and parents are trying to move on,” Colombini pointed out. Schildkraut, who is working with and studying two New York school districts for the last two years to study school shootings and drills, notably focusing on mass media, guns and mental illness around school massacres, said, “You can't take away potential tools to keep you safe (by not having drills). The reality is, as much as we hear about school shootings – statistically it's actually very, very rare.” he noted that homicide, despite its prevalence in the media dialogue, is actually only .1 of all offenses known to law enforcement. As for school shootings – “Now you're getting into a fraction of a fraction,” Schildkraut pointed out. “We're reacting and preparing for something that is very unlikely to happen.” Yet she admonishes against slacking off against performing cursory school drills. “We prepare for a plane crash every time we fly,” pointing out that we may zone out as a flight attendant drones on about using the seat as a flotation device – but we know it, or during the muster drill as you get on a cruise ship, no one gets in the lifeboat, but you learn where yours is. “We still get on the planes,” Schildkraut said. As for the fear that pervades many parents and children, she gets it. “No one prepares to send their kids to school expecting them not to come home,” she noted. “There can't be a precedent for when it (something like Parkland) is going to happen – and there had been no training, never been a lockdown drill, and the kids and teachers didn't know what to do or where to go. “Now, we tell them when a fire alarm goes off, you better make sure there's a fire. Look for a fire. Look for the indicator. See flames, look for smoke, smell smoke,” she continued. “Fire alarms go off for all sorts of reasons. People are fleeing the building, and that can be a target for shooters. The safest place for a student, if there's an active shooter, is behind a locked door. You can take them out of a safe place to an unsafe place.” As experts disagree – Schildkraut's research and perspective is diametrically opposed to “run, hide, fight,” currently taught to local students, as well as many students across the country. Regardless of the method, anyone exposed is forever traumatized. “I don't think you can take a kid who has been through a school shooting – it will last the rest of their life. The impact is profound,” said Schildkraut. “Just because they will evidence normality, it doesn't mean they will not experience triggers. I know people who were students at Columbine who still have to be careful when they hear what seems to be a gun shot, or a slammed door.”
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AFTER DRILLS: MONITORING David Schwartz, PhD, director of the counseling center at Oakland University, said, “There are a lot of reasons why students have this increased stress – and this is one,” referring to the stress incurred by school shootings around the country and active shooter drills. He, and other academics and mental health professionals have seen a dramatic increase in anxiety among teens and young adults, with a similar increase in depression. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the suicide rate among people aged 10 and 24 years old increased 56 percent between 2007 and 2017. The report also stated that homicides in that age category decreased by 23 percent from 2007 to 2014, but then increased by 18 percent through 2017 – meaning that teens and young adults have a higher chance of dying by their own hand than by someone else's. Only unintentional injuries causing death, such as car crashes or drug overdose, is higher. School-related shootings account for less than two percent of all youth homicide deaths, according the CDC report. While school shootings garner huge media attention, they likely don't influence the national homicide rate, the report stated. While experts in the report note they do not have a clear cut reason for the dramatic increase in teen suicides, there is some hypothesis that social media use is fueling the increase in anxiety, depression and sleep deprivation. In an effort to spot at-risk teens before they can self-harm, some school districts have hired an email monitoring company called Gaggle, which uses artificial intelligence and trained staff to search school emails for signs of bullying, inappropriate behavior, indications of depression, anxiety, suicide, school violence and other triggers inside students' communications. Bill McCullough, spokesperson for Gaggle, said, “What we do is analyze communications that schools can access. We're looking for kids who are in crisis – with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, could be violent towards someone else or themselves, involved in child or professional pornography. “Last year, schools using Gaggle have been able to stop 722 suicide attempts,” McCullough said of the approximately 1,400 districts nationwide who have hired them. “What's astonishing is the year before, (there were) 524 (suicide attempts stopped), so the problem is growing. Every day, over 3,000 high school students in this country attempt suicide, according to the CDC. It's frightening.” He said Gaggle has also identified about 302 cases of threats to a school which could have been potential school shootings, where it was indicated weapons were brought to school. Some civil libertarians could have issue, though, with what sounds like “Big Brother” peering through their children's privileged communications. McCullough said they encourage their schools to be transparent about what they do – and that children and staff have no expectations of privacy with school accounts. The ACLU did not respond to numerous calls for comment. “We believe that schools that give students these tools – often without parents approvals,” McCullough said, noting that most parents aren't asked first if it's all right if the school gives their child an email account, they're just granted one. “As a parent, we have no access to the account without asking… Yet when kids are bringing their phones home, they're bringing the bullies home, into their rooms. They're tormented. They're using the school tools to act out.” When Gaggle becomes aware of a potential suicide attempt or school shooting, what do they do? McCullough said in the 722 suicide attempts this past year, “We alerted the schools, and they've said we saved a life. They'd written a goodbye note. “We alert the school in real time so they can intervene,” he said. “We do not alert parents because we do not know enough about families and family dynamics. Schools set up emergency response systems to get ahold of. If we exhaust all of them and can't get ahold of anyone, we will call law enforcement. “We do it because we feel a life is in jeopardy.” McCullough said more than 31 school districts in Michigan utilize Gaggle, including some in Oakland County, but he declined to disclose them, citing privacy. “It's very comforting to hear stories of the kids that have been saved,” he said. “It's what it's all about for us, helping students.”
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Erica Peresman f you’ve submitted an absentee ballot for the upcoming March election, or are planning to do so, you have Erica Peresman to thank. Peresman is the Voter Protection Director for the Michigan Democratic Party, a newly created full-time position after the passage of the 2018 Proposal 3 ballot initiative, a constitutional amendment that increased accessibility for Michigan voters, including same-day voter registration and no-excuse absentee voting. Peresman, a former corporate attorney, was looking for volunteer opportunities back in 2000 after living abroad with her husband and young family. She ended up volunteering at a polling precinct in Pontiac through a voter protection group. “I had never been in a polling place other than my own. Why would you?” Peresman recalls. “My polling place in Birmingham is extremely calm, there’s very rarely a line. I never saw a problem there. At this polling place in Pontiac, it was a completely different story.” She describes the multi-precinct polling center with long, unmarked lines. “We did what we could to make sure that every eligible voter got to cast a ballot that day. It really opened my eyes to the fact that the voting experience can be very different depending on where you live.” This episode shaped the trajectory for Peresman’s work over the past two decades. During the 2012 presidential campaign, she volunteered as the deputy voter protection director for the Michigan Democratic Party. After the 2016 presidential election, voters’ rights became a greater priority for many organizations, including the ACLU of Michigan, and Peresman became the director for the Michigan Voting Rights Project. The central question these organizations sought to tackle was, “how were we going to solve some of these problems that plague our elections?” which included voters showing up on election day only to discover errors with their registration, or individuals who could not take time off of work on a Tuesday to cast a ballot. “I think there were people who wanted to vote, who felt it was their civic duty, but just couldn’t get it to work out in their lives,” Peresman said. This led to Peresman joining the executive committee for Promote the Vote, the organization which got Proposal 3 onto the 2018 ballot. It won with bipartisan support, demonstrating that “voters on both sides of the aisle said, we have to make it easier for people to vote in Michigan.” With the busy election year just beginning, and Peresman’s leadership within the Michigan Democratic Party, her priority is educating Michigan residents about the changes to the voting process and to help to ensure a smoother voting process than the one she witnessed all those years ago. Last year’s municipal elections were the first time voters could take advantage of the new absentee ballot, and several cities across the state saw the number of absentee ballots increase by as much as 70 percent. The expectation is that voter turnout – in person and absentee – for both the March primary and November general elections will greatly increase as well. Says Peresman, “I was so excited for these municipal elections last year because it was happening. Every time I hear people talking about how much easier it is to vote now, it’s like yeah, it is.”
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CHEMICALS IN MAKEUP BY DANA CASADEI
elissa Cooper Sargent would start every workshop on cosmetics at the Ecology Center with one question, "True or false, the FDA must approve all cosmetics before they go on the market?" It's a slightly leading question but it would get people's attention and to Sargent's point, quickly. "We make a lot of assumptions that we’re in this country and the products on the shelves must meet certain criteria, but it’s false," said Sargent, environmental health advocate, Ecology Center. If you're surprised by that fact, you aren't alone.
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) actually has very little oversight when it comes to the cosmetics industry. Out of the hundreds of pages that make up the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act – the law that governs the FDA's oversight of cosmetics – only about one-and-a-half pages are dedicated to cosmetics laws, which haven't been meaningfully updated since 1938, when it was first enacted. The list of things the FDA can't do is much longer than what it can. Currently, there are only a few laws on the books regarding the cosmetic industry. To put it simply, cosmetics must not be "adulterated" or "misbranded," and must be safe for consumers when used in an expected way. They need to be made in a clean environment and also need to be properly labeled. The only ingredient that needs FDA approval before going on the market is color additives. There are some major loopholes when it comes to the law about labeling, though. Take, for instance, some of the actual words on the label, things like BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole), coal tar dyes, parabens, sulfates, phthalates, oxybenzone, propylene glycol, and petrolatum. They might literally be on the label – but their definitions aren't. "There are general categories of chemicals that have come to the forefront as concerning," said Dr. Nicole Acevedo, PhD, founder & CEO, Elavo Mundi Solutions, LLC, a company focused on consulting with personal care and cosmetic brands to create solutions for cleaner and more sustainable product development. Dr. Acevedo also worked as the principal scientist for BeautyCounter, a skin-care and beauty company dedicated to safer, smarter products. A few of those concerning chemicals include all of those listed above, found in many cosmetics, for very legitimate reasons. Petrolatum is often used as a barrier to lock moisture in the skin in products like moisturizers and hair care. It's been around for centuries but can become a health hazard if it hasn't been refined, one of a variety of concerns to using the chemical. "The risk there, from a makeup perspective, is you’re exposing yourself to petrolatum when you really don’t need to, you really shouldn’t be. That could add up to a lifetime exposure that might add to some sort of health problems," said Nicholas Schroeck, associate dean of experiential education, associate professor of Law Director, Environmental Law Clinic, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. Phthalates are also common, found in nail polish, hairspray, deodorant, and perfume. These have been known to cause endocrine disruption, headaches, and respiratory problems. A common chemical found in hair dye, lead acetate, can impact the development and function of the brain. According to Acevedo, lead acetate is classified as a Prop 65 carcinogen, which is strictly prohibited for use in cosmetics in the European Union and Canada but can still found in certain at-home hair color restorer formulations sold in the U.S. More commonly found in hair dye is PPhenylenediamine (PPD), which may be carcinogenic. There are parabens, a preservative in skin-care products. While it
hasn't been considered fatal, the longer chains of parabens – propyl, butylparaben, isopropyl, and isopropyl parabens – may inflict disruption to the endocrine system, which then would cause reproductive and developmental disorders. Acevedo, who has an expertise in endocrine-disrupting research, said that endocrine-disruptors have been shown to interfere with the normal functions of the hormone pathways in your body. "The tricky thing with endocrine active chemicals is that they can act like hormones...their mode of action may not be as clear cut as for carcinogens, but there is growing scientific evidence that they can have long-term adverse effects on human health," she said. Harmful chemicals can be listed on a label as something else too, such as formaldehyde. Consumers will see formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, which she said have the job of breaking down to release formaldehyde, and is a known human carcinogen. Acevedo said if it doesn't say formaldehyde, consumers should look for DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea and imidazolidinyl urea, Quaternium-15. Another ingredient that's commonly seen on labels but gets around some pretty big loopholes is fragrance. "If you want to reduce your overall chemical exposure starting with things that are fragrant-free is a good place to start," said Melanie Benesh, Environmental Working Group's legislative attorney. That's because there is little to no transparency. "You have elements under this veil of secrecy," Acevedo said. On a label, it may be listed simply as "fragrance" – and that's the issue. Fragrance isn't just one thing – it could be hundreds or thousands of different chemicals, some of which could be harmful or not oroperly tested for safety. Even if manufacturers wanted to disclose everything in their product to the FDA and consumers, they might not be able to due to the fragrance supplier, who legally doesn't have to give anyone a list of what's in their fragrance blend. "It’s 2020. We can’t keep on going with this whole, 'oh, you don’t need to know what’s in that, don’t worry your pretty little head.' No, we need greater transparency in fragrance," said Mia Davis, director of environmental and social responsibility at Credo Beauty, the largest clean beauty retailer with nine brick and mortar stores and their website, credobeauty.com. Davis was also the first official hired at BeautyCounter, and served as their head of environment, health and safety. Everyone's hands are tied though, as there is no federal law in regards to companies being required to list any of the chemicals in the fragrance mix. Another area the FDA has no legal responsibility over has to do with ordering recalls of cosmetics, which they are not authorized to do. Recalls of cosmetics are voluntary and undertaken by the manufacturers or distributors. Take for instance, what happened with teen retailers Claire's and Justice. In a statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., and Susan Mayne, Ph.D., director of the Center for Food Safety and
Applied Nutrition, published last March 2019, they were able to confirm findings from 2017 of asbestos contamination in multiple cosmetic companies by the companies. But they couldn't put out a recall on the products – they could only put out an update on independent testing results and a safety alert warning about the products that had been tested positive for asbestos that were still on the market. "The FDA requested that Claire's recall the products because they should not be used by consumers. Claire's has refused to comply with the FDA's request, and the agency does not have the authority to mandate a recall," the statement said. A more recent example would be from late January 2020, when the Environmental Working Group released findings about IQ Toys' Princess Girl’s All-in-One Makeup Palette, where they found four million asbestos fiber structures in every gram of the talc-containing eyeshadow powders. "The main concern with asbestos is the fibers are very small and they get lodged in our lungs and we don’t expel them...it’s carcinogenic so it can lead to lung cancer and the most common form associated with asbestos is mesothelioma," Schroeck said. "So, the concern with makeup, which potentially has asbestos as far as the talcum powder, is that people might actually breathe that in and those small fibers could lead to, in a worst-case scenario, cancer." "The issue with makeup is when we’re mining for talc to make talcum powder, it’s not regulated, it’s not tested appropriately, you could potentially get asbestos in through the mix," he noted. Nneka Leiba, vice president of EWG’s healthy living science program, said that the product was taken down from Amazon, eBay, and the IQ Toys' website after their alert was put out January 16, 2020. According to Schroeck, if someone was to come forward and show people had been exposed to a harmful product and sickened by it, they could potentially get tens of thousands of potential class members, depending on the company and its distribution, and it would be the "perfect set of facts for a class action lawsuit." Take for example Wen, a hair care company that had cleansing conditioners that users said allegedly made their hair fall out. The company settled a class-action suit for $26 million. Johnson and Johnson has also had to deal with legal ramifications because of their products, including wide-ranging law suits over baby powder which includes talc, where they had multi-million dollar settlements to those who said they got ovarian cancer from using their baby powder for years. "I do think things are shifting, and I think it’s largely due to the fact that bad things have happened," said Mozhgon Rajaee, PhD, MPH, assistant professor, Public Health Department of Public and Environmental Wellness, School of Health Sciences at Oakland University. At the state level there are multiple bills being pushed to clean up toxins in makeup. In Michigan, Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia) introduced House Bill 5406 in late January. The bill would amend 1978 PA 368, Public Health Code, by adding part 55b, to deal with toxic chemicals in cosmetics. The bill states "a person shall not sell, offer for sale, manufacture, or transfer to any person an adulterated cosmetic in this state." Adulterated cosmetics in this bill refers to those which contain 10 different ingredients that would not be allowed in cosmetics, including asbestos, lead, and mercury and related compounds. In California, there are two bills to look out for. If any of the 13 toxic chemicals – all of which are already banned in the European Union – listed in the Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act, A.B. 495, were found in products, said product would be considered adulterated and not allowed to be sold in California. alifornia Toxic Fragrance and Flavor Chemicals Right to Know Act of 2019 (SB 574) would require cosmetics companies to report toxic fragrance or flavor ingredients to the California Safe Cosmetics Program. On the federal level, there also is a lot of movement to try to rein in the cosmetic industry. On February 4, 2020, the FDA held a public meeting on testing methods for asbestos in talc and other cosmetic products containing talc. At the hearing, they heard from government and testing experts, industry representative, and consumer advocates. It was the first FDA hearing on asbestos testing in talc since 1971.
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Currently, there are five bills that have been introduced, one that has to do with asbestos, specifically in cosmetics products for children. Introduced last March by Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn), H.R. 1816 – also called the Children's Product Warning Label Act of 2019 – would "amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require that children’s cosmetics containing talc include an appropriate warning unless the cosmetics are demonstrated to be asbestos-free, and for other purposes." "The studies that have been done have found asbestos in children’s cosmetics, and I think that’s where we have to target it the fastest because children are the most vulnerable," said Dingell. "Even small levels of asbestos exposure...can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma." The congresswoman is optimistic that they can get this done in the calendar year. "I think if we get it through the Senate, the President will sign it," Dingell said, who noted she hasn't had any resistance from those she's spoken with. Many of the cosmetic bills circulating are being considered bipartisan issues, with sponsorship coming from both sides of the aisle. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the Personal Care Products Safety Act (S726) last March. The bill would give the FDA the power to ensure that the chemicals used in cosmetics and other everyday personal care products are safe. H.R. 5279 – the Cosmetic Safety Enhancement Act of 2019 – was introduced by Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and would "amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to improve cosmetic safety, and for other purposes." wo bills, H.R. 4296 and H.R. 5017, do multiple things none of the others do. Rep. Janice Schakowsky (D-IL) introduced the former, the Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act of 2019. Janet Nudelman, director of program and policy, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, director, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, said they are considering Rep. Schakowsky's bill to be "the gold standard of federal cosmetic safety legislation." According to Nudelman, H.R. 4296 is the only piece of federal cosmetic safety legislation that calls for full fragrance ingredient disclosure and transparency along the entire supply chain. It's also the only bill that addresses the overexposure of women of color to toxic chemicals in the harmful products marketed to them. Then there's H.R. 5017 from Rep. Sean Maloney (D-NY). The bill is intended to address the misuse and abuse of marketing claims purporting to be “natural.” It would create a federal definition of the term "natural" to mean the product has at least 70 percent of its ingredients coming from natural substances and the other 30 percent have to be naturally derived, with definitions of both those given. It also doesn’t allow for the processing of the natural ingredients that produce toxic chemicals. "The word ‘natural’ on a product doesn’t mean anything because there is no legal definition of natural," Nudelman said. "Consumers want to be able to trust that natural means something." Much like how consumers want to believe when a product is defined as “clean” that it actually means something. "Just because a product says that they’re clean doesn’t actually mean that they are," Leiba, of EWG’s healthy living science program, said. Acevedo, of Elavo Mundi Solutions, even went so far as to say that the "free from" or "free of" terminology may be unintentionally doing more harm to clean beauty than good. "It almost gives a false sense of security as 'okay, this product is being marketed as safe and clean. It’s non-toxic, it’s free of these chemicals, it’s great.' But then you look at the label," said Acevedo, who mentioned once you look at the label there could be a list of chemicals of concern on it. Plus, not all natural products are good for you. Cosmetic chemist Ginger King said that poison ivy is the classic example of a natural product that's still harmful. In the same vein, not all chemicals are bad. "Someone makes a noise about something bad, and consumers start to check ingredient listings," King said. "I’m very clear to say a chemical in and of itself is not necessarily harmful. There are a lot of times that word gets thrown around to mean synthetic or bad," Acevedo said. "Water is technically a chemical." Credo Beauty's Davis agrees.
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"I'm always careful to make the point that this is just one exposure...it’s not like I think, ‘God, if you use x, y or z product it’s going to give you cancer,'" Davis said. "We’re very careful not to be anti-chemical. We’re just trying to take a very rational, logical, and precautionary approach here." Unlike the United States, the European Union tends to be more cautious and take that precautionary approach when it comes to their cosmetic standards. The EU has been working and looking closely at toxicity in chemicals for nearly two decades, and has banned over 1,300 different chemicals compared to the U.S., which has banned only around 30. Why is that though? Why hasn't the U.S. banned more chemicals? Well, there are a few reasons. "The cosmetic industry has aggressively fought and advocated for maintaining the status quo," said Patrick Celestine, federal relations counsel, American Association for Justice. "These companies and their surrogates have no real interest in being regulated in a meaningful way." The lobbyists from groups like Johnson and Johnson and their trade association, the Personal Care Products Council, which many multi-national companies are a part of, have been known to give pushback on regulations at both the state and federal levels. There's also the Fragrance Creators Association, which Nudelman said lobby at the federal level against having fragrance disclosure. "This is a problem that they argue very passionately on behalf of, but it’s a problem that they also created," she said. "They argue that if the chemicals in an individual fragrance formulation were to be disclosed that it would crush their industry. That by disclosing the ingredients of Chanel No. 5 perfume that anyone could go in to a laboratory and could create a replica." Another issue is cost. Sargent, environmental health advocate with Ecology Center, said if things were to change, companies would have to think more about the ingredients they were using in products. Harmful chemicals, like phthalates, are cheaper. With higher quality ingredients they would have to invest more money. While better ingredients could cost more, it could potentially also save companies money in the long run. Davis brought up "real cost accounting," the cost to your consumers' health and litigation risks, like the millions Wen and Johnson and Johnson have had to spend in litigation and to settle cases. The cost for consumers would also lower. Acevedo made the point that when more companies are going along the clean beauty philosophy that the cost of goods would drop so everyone would be working off a lower cost of material. In regard to just replacing the harmful products with new ones, that's where things get a little tricker. "It’s about the expectation of how your product is going to look and function," Acevedo said. "It might be a little different but there are some choices you can make to make sure those aren’t in there." Acevedo said that when you look at it from an ingredient category perspective, you can find replacements, like with the preservative, paraben. Makeup needs easy ingredients so it doesn't grow things like mold or bacteria, but there are other preservatives that don't have the same health concerns. ake sunscreens. Acevedo said that different chemical ultraviolet filters, like oxybenzone and octinoxate, have similar modes of action and can carry similar risks to human health and the environment that include interference with normal hormone function, toxicity to aquatic species, and persistence in the environment. It's safer to use mineral-based sunscreens to avoid these risks. She does think we'll reach a point where all the harmful chemicals will be replaced in makeup. Clean beauty it still a young industry and has already made a lot of strides. "You have formulators in these manufacturing labs for the products. They’re formulating chemists, they’re working with what they know functionally works and everyone has been telling them for years to use it and now, all of a sudden they’re like, these are problematic ingredients," she said. "So, they’re having to reinvent the wheel," Acevedo continued. "It’s a bit uncomfortable in the short term but as the movement continues to grow – and I sincerely believe we’re not going back on this – you’re just going to
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find that raw material suppliers are going to be more innovative and take a lot more care and attention in how they create these materials to make sure they don’t have these hazards. And formulators are learning to work with new materials better." Until then, there are a lot of educational tools out there for consumers. The EWG has their Skin Deep guide to cosmetics, which rates over 70,000 personal care products, and its EWG Verified program. Credo Beauty has their Clean Standard, which Davis said is a 26-page operating document that brands have to comply with, sign, and get trained on. BeautyCounter has The Never List, full of more than 1,800 questionable or harmful chemicals that they never use as ingredients in their products. The Campaign for Safer Cosmetics website also has a wealth of information. With programs like those, the consumer is becoming more educated and therefore not content with products that don't stand up to their new standard of clean beauty. "Once you, for lack of a better term, pull the wool from over somebody’s eyes, they can’t unsee that phthalates are associated with endocrine disruption or that formaldehyde is a well-known carcinogen," Leiba, of EWG’s healthy living science program, said. hat started as a niche market – where products could lean more towards the expensive side – has now grown into a much bigger industry and more large companies are starting to join the fight against toxic chemicals. EWG's Verified program now has popular, mainstream brands like Herbal Essences, which has over 200 products with the verified mark. In January, the EWG made a big announcement that Revlon became the first global brand with an EWG verification to mass retailers with Revlon's PhotoReady Prime Plus Perfecting + Smoothing Primer. Leiba said that more and more companies have reached out about becoming EWG Verified. They've also seen a lot of companies who didn't meet the standard go back and work to reformulate their product. "Companies are looking for a third-party verification to prove they meet higher ingredient and manufacturing standards, and at the moment, the verified mark is being held to a high standard in that regard so more companies are reaching out to us," she said. Other movement is happening in the big-box store category, such as beauty retailer Sephora, which now has their Safer Chemicals Policy. Target has more and more clean beauty options gracing the shelves, and CVS announced in 2017 that they would be removing parabens, phthalates, and other ingredients from their store brand CVS Health, Beauty 360, Essence of Beauty, and Blade product lines by the end of last year. So there have been changes happening quietly and not-so-quietly in the cosmetic industry – but where does clean beauty go from here? "So, what are the most important next steps?" Nudelman said. "There’s three ways I would answer that question." One would be for consumers to become smarter shoppers. This leads to her second point, how companies need to step up to the plate, be better corporate citizens, and make the kind of voluntary changes that consumers are demanding, to sell safer products, provide more and better ingredient disclosures and have transparency. Lastly, it has to do with the government. "At the end of the day, we also need and deserve a government that protects us," Nudelman said. "We need the U.S. Congress to enact more health protective federal cosmetic safety policy reform. We need more strong FDA oversight in regulation to the cosmetics industry, but in order for that to happen we need a better and stronger federal law in place to guide them." Acevedo has more specific goals. She wants to reach a point where there are more refined standards and to get materials benchmarked to be working off those standards. She knows it's a lofty goal to create a standard template to have all companies working from, but she's extremely hopeful of making it happen. "There’s always going to be ways brands can differentiate from each other, but it shouldn’t have to be because one is safer than the other," Dr. Acevedo said.
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FACES Jacob Blumenstein or years, Jacob Blumenstein, 17, of Bloomfield Hills, struggled to read. As he described it, when he looked at the page of a book or text on a computer, words would jumble together. Letters bounced around the way a cursor would on an old desktop computer screensaver. Reading comprehension and decoding would take many times longer than his elementary school classmates. Worst of all were classroom times when teachers required students to read aloud. "I really struggled with reading and dreaded going to school," said Blumenstein. "I hated when I had to read aloud to the class, but I loved being read to. Some of my favorite childhood memories were when my mom or dad would read children's novels to me." It was not until Blumenstein was tested in middle school that he discovered he had dyslexia, a learning disorder that impacts up to 15 percent of the population nationwide. Blumenstein also copes with dysgraphia, which can hamper a person's abilities with handwriting and putting one's thoughts on paper. Now a senior at Detroit Country Day School, Blumenstein followed his entrepreneurial passions along with his desire to help kids struggling with dyslexia by creating the website kidsread2kids.com. Working with friends and his younger sibling Reuben, 13, Blumenstein creates YouTube videos of young volunteers reading classic children's novels. Kidsread2kids.com has a growing roster of volunteers and has won the accolades from organizations such as Points of Light and the International Dyslexia Association. The website also includes links to online e-book and e-reader libraries, a text-to-speech app that translates text into spoken word, and resources from dyslexia support groups. The website's blog focuses on interviews with children's book authors who share their joys and travails with writing and reading when they were growing up. Blumenstein said that his website is being used by children in almost 80 countries, and he is in the process of creating an online book club for kids with dyslexia and other learning challenges. Access to all this is completely free. Though his early years in school were tough, life for Blumenstein improved once he was diagnosed and received support and accommodations. Once he developed coping and learning skills, he was able to catch up academically with his peers and was able to take more advanced courses in high school. Blumenstein said he wants his website to reach kids who have struggled like him to help them understand that "everyone has the capability of greatness." "Once you understand your own limitations, you can find tools to work around it," Blumenstein said. "Now that I've regained my selfconfidence, I want to help other people with dyslexia, people who had negative memories trying to read. I want them to know that reading can give them joy and knowledge. Active listening is an important skill everyone needs to have.â&#x20AC;? Looking to the future, Blumenstein hopes to continue to develop his entrepreneurial and business skills. Last year, he attended a summer program created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology held at Northwestern University. He hopes to pursue business in college. He is also working with the International Dyslexia Association to work on programming for youth and young adults to raise awareness about dyslexia. Blumenstein wants parents of children struggling with reading to know that "for kids with dyslexia, trying to cope with a reading disability in school is like running a marathon every day. They are really trying as hard as they can and if they are given the right supports and resources, they can succeed."
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MUNICIPAL Idea of postponing contract talks dropped By Dana Casadei
Bloomfield Township Trustee David Buckley introduced a resolution on Monday, February 10, to postpone contract negotiations with union and non-union employees until the new board of trustees is sworn into office in November after the general election but it failed for lack of support after other trustees pointed out the flaws in his argument. Buckley read his statement into the record, which said that "...it is patently unfair, fiscally imprudent and unjust to strap the new board of trustees with decisions made in haste by the outgoing administration which would subject all employees and all taxpayers to unsustainable financial burden going forward." All union and non-union contracts in Bloomfield Township are set to expire March 31, 2020. Buckley stated he brought up the issue at this particular meeting after not receiving response from a message sent to township supervisor Leo Savoie regarding an update on the upcoming contract negotiations. Savoie questioned why he hadn't just called him if he hadn't received an email response. Buckley's proposal also stated that "...as a showing of good faith by the current elected officials and department heads in the meantime, the tax-funded company cars being enjoyed by said persons, despite the financially troubled times being experienced in Bloomfield Township, shall be relinquished immediately and sold in an independent and transparent procedure at auction to the highest bidder from the public." From the get-go there was disagreement amongst the board. "I can't support this at all," said trustee Neal Barnett. Multiple trustees had issues with the language Buckley used in his resolution and said it was riddled with opinion. A few board members noted that his resolution suggested, and assumed, an entirely new board would be in place come November, which many didn't agree with, as some could run for reelection and be re-elected. "I guess I have problems with your likely 'we'll be a new board'...likely somebody could die, likely somebody could move, but likely that the whole board is going to turn over. I don't know that. And that is not something substantial you put in a resolution," said clerk Jan Roncelli. "The key word is entirely new board," added Savoie. Trustee Dani Walsh asked if there downtownpublications.com
Budget amendments wipeout fund deficit loomfield Township Finance Director Jason Theis presented township trustees with budget amendments for fiscal year 2019-2020 which indicated that rather than having an almost $2.8 million public safety deficit, cuts to the budget indicate that not only will there be no deficit, there will actually be a budget surplus, but trustees tabled the amendments in order to get more information. The fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31 each year. Theis said the March 31, 2020 budget was approved in March 2019 with a deficit that would reduce the public safety fund balance by $2.8 million, and rather than having a deficit, after approximately $4 million in cuts the last several months, the “public safety fund is projected to be under budget, with no reduction to its fund balance, and will be able to make a $1.5 million contribution to the OPEB (other post employment benefits) trust. There will be no reductions to fund balance.” He said the road fund is also projected to be well under budget. The budget amendment recommendation was for $1 million from the general fund balance to the general fund. “This will allow the general fund to provide additional support to the public safety fund. It will also allow both the general fund and public safety fund to make OPEB contributions totaling $2 million,” Theis said. “I need more information on this. I can't vote to spend $2 million on OPEB if I don't know what jobs were put on hold,” trustee Dave Buckley stated. “We've done that several times the last few weeks. If you had asked, we would have been able to give you the information,” supervisor Leo Savoie said. “I have no problem tabling. We will not have a budget study session until after the election (March 10), so we know what money we have to work with (for the next fiscal year).” Trustees voted unanimously to table the budget amendments to get more information on the potential savings.
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was room for negotiations about the contract negotiation issue, and said that she thinks it would be a waste of over $100,000 being spent on a study where the results aren't scheduled to come back to the board until June. Said study being done compares Bloomfield Township employee benefits to other communities which are similar. Further, Savoie said union contract negotiations are expected to be done by their expiration. The conversation veered off into some of Buckley's more controversial social media remarks about his fellow board members, both past and present, before getting back on track. A few said comments being discussed had been brought up earlier during the evening's public comments, where it was noted that Buckley had erroneously maligned former township supervisor Dave Payne, now deceased, and former township clerk Wilma Cotton, on the social media site NextDoor. After much debate, Buckley asked to have his resolution removed, but was informed he had already introduced it. The motion to postpone contract negotiations for all township employees, union and non-union, until after the November elections, failed for lack of support.
Religious school proposes church The Bloomfield Township Planning Commission on Monday, January 20, recommended approval to the township board of trustees for a site plan and special land use request to construct the Detroit Meeting Room at the Sterling Academy South School campus at 1050 E. Square Lake Road. Sterling Academy South School is proposing building a 16,778-squarefoot meeting room/worship space at the rear of its property behind the existing school. The plan calls for enhanced landscaping, including preserving 23 legacy trees and planting 120 new evergreen trees to shield headlights and reduce outdoor lighting spillover. Places of worship are considered special land uses and require approval from the township board. Plans for the building go back to 2017, when a public hearing was held to consider an initial site plan and special land use proposal. At that time, there were questions about allowing two principal uses to be used at the same site. The plans were also opposed by some neighboring
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residents, who voiced concerns about whether a house of worship belongs in a residential neighborhood, as well as concerns about disturbing nearby wetlands, trees and impacting homes. The township's zoning board of appeals (ZBA) in June of 2019, heard the request to allow the existing school to occupy 6.78 acres of land when 10 acres are required, and thereby allowing a proposed place of worship to occupy 3.22 acres. The ZBA approved the variance subject to conditions on a revised site plan that would include the proposed landscaping and tree plan. Bloomfield Township Planning Building and Ordinance Director Patti Voelker said the public hearing on Monday, January 20, ended with the planning commission forwarding both the site plan and special use request to the township board of trustees with the recommendation to approve both. "The primary concerns were regarding site engineering and water management and runoff identified by residents in that the area which, in general, has a high water table and they have had flooding issues," she said of the current objections by residents. "That being a very critical issue, they were concerned about how the proposal would address that and if there would be any impact on adjoining properties." The updated plan, including a water management plan, was reviewed by the township's engineering consultant, Hubbell, Roth & Clark, as well as the township's engineering department, and both approved the plans as a viable approach. The plans will now be forwarded to the board of trustees for consideration at a future meeting. Students and families at Sterling Academy South are members of Plymouth Brethren of Ireland, a conservative, non-conformist Evangelical Christian movement whose history can be traced to Dublin, Ireland in the 1820s, and originated in Anglicanism. Members follow a rigid code of conduct based on strict Bible teaching, which provides a firm moral framework and is focused on a strong family unit. There are about 40 congregations in the United States. The church and school were previously located in Royal Oak, prior to purchasing the property in Bloomfield Township from the estate of inventor Stan Oshinsky. There are about 75 families in the congregation, with about 40 to 50 attending the academy. 53
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City wants health study of 5G tech Following resident concerns regarding the installation of 5G technologies in the public right-of-way and questions regarding the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulation and oversight, at their meeting on Monday, February 10, Birmingham City Commissioners unanimously supported a resolution urging state legislators and the federal government to initiate a study of the health effects of small cell towers built to accommodate the technology. The resolution also seeks to have the state and federal governments develop installation guidelines to protect the health and welfare of residents. “We have been contacted by residents, and are in the first stages of being contacted by providers to install this new technology,” city manager Joe Valentine said. On March 12, 2019 the Michigan Small Wireless Communications Facilities Deployment Act took effect, mirroring the FCC's Small Cell Order.
Attorney Jane Awdish, from Beier Howlett, explained, “The act encourages the deployment of small wireless infrastructure in the right-ofway and sets a regulatory framework for municipalities to process applications from wireless providers… Congress has conferred jurisdiction to the FCC to regulate telecommunications. Thus, despite any state law relating to the deployment of this wireless infrastructure, local municipalities wishing to prohibit the deployment of 5G infrastructure are preempted by the FCC and its recent orders.” While there is a federal lawsuit challenging both the act and the small cell order, Awdish said neither are likely to be decided any time soon. “We can't prohibit them (the installation of 5G),” Awdish said. “What can be done is adopt a resolution to urge the state legislature and federal government to initiate further studies of the health effects of 5G technologies to develop and protect the health and welfare of residents.” Valentine said the resolution would be sent to both U.S. Senators and all of the state's members of Congress, as
well as the state Senators and Representatives.
Electric scooters, bikes must ride in roadway An ordinance to update where electric scooters, skateboards and other mobility devices can be ridden was unanimously approved by the Birmingham City Commission on Monday, February 10, where they determined that in the city's central business district they must be ridden in the street, while throughout the other parts of the city, including neighborhoods, they can be ridden on sidewalks. Birmingham Police Commander Scott Grewe had introduced the ordinance on Monday, January 27, but commissioners requested legal clarification, boundaries and to have devices explained. Grewe explained that there were two options; one, to keep the boundaries as the central business district, and the second to expand to the Birmingham Shopping District (BSD) boundaries, which go up and
down Old Woodward and across Woodward to the Triangle District. After discussion, commissioners felt the central business district boundaries made the most sense and were less arbitrary. As for definitions of electric devices, they now mirror state law, Grewe said. It refers to “self-balancing, nontandem, two-wheeled devices intended to transport one person. For an electric skateboard, it can include something with handles; an electric bike,” he said, “is a bicycle with a motor. They cannot go more than 15 mph, and must be in areas with a speed limit of 25 mph or less. “State law says they can be operated in the roadway, no more than two abreast, no more than 15 mph, a rider must be 13 years older, with a rider under 19 required to wear a helmet, and not at night without a light,” he said. The electronic devices can be used on the sidewalk, but if on the road, they must obey all traffic laws. “It's a safety issue, that's our priority number one,” said commissioner Mark Nickita, as commissioners vote 7-0 to approve the ordinance.
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City departments plan for coming year By Lisa Brody
City department heads came before the Birmingham City Commission on Saturday, January 25, to present updates and what they would like to accomplish in the upcoming year at the commission's long-range planning session. Every department, from finance, planning, public services, engineering, police, fire, building, Birmingham Shopping District, Baldwin Library, Birmingham Museum and the city manager's office, made presentations to commissioners at the all-day session. While commissioners asked questions and commissioners and the public could comment on proposals, no decisions were made. Individual resolutions will come before the city commission throughout the year. Mark Gerber, finance director, along with Timothy St. Andrews from Plante Moran, presented the five-year financial forecast, with St. Andrews explaining that the “forecast can see a snapshot of the future and allows the city to plan,” although he cautioned it is just estimates. Seventy percent of the city's revenues come in the form of property taxes, with taxable value projected to grow six percent in 2020, but just 3.5 percent in 2021. The city is projected to use some of its general fund balances in 2020 and 2021 because of planned expenditures, including the Maple Road reconstruction project, but St. Andrews said it will build back up in 2022 and 2023. “The general fund is helping to subsidize the major and local street funds,” he noted. “The city of Birmingham, Michigan continues to be an example of strong fiscal management. With careful planning and investing, the city will be able to remain a positive model to other communities and to maintain the strong bond rating that results.” Lauren Wood, public services director, provided a parks and recreation improvement funding update, noting in June 2018, the city commission directed the parks and recreation board to review their master plan's five-year capital improvement plan to identify facility needs and to look at bonding opportunities. Ten categories of potential improvement projects, with their associated costs, were identified, and public meetings and surveys were held, indicating priorities. In November 2019, they recommended to the commission a $12.2 million recreation bond priority list, to be done in two phases. downtownpublications.com
Water bill assistance program approved t their meeting on Monday, January 27, Bloomfield Township Trustees unanimously approved a new water bill assistance program developed during the formation of the Great Lakes Water Authority, called WRAP. The Water Residential Assistance Program ("WRAP") is a universal service delivery model to help residential customers of the Great Lakes Water Authority access bill assistance, water conservation measures, and navigate resources and supports on a pathway toward self-sufficiency. Township Public Works Manager Katie Fotherby explained the township just has to opt in. “Our participation is limited to providing information,” she said. For qualifying customers in a participating WRAP community, GLWA offers a maximum of $1,000 for arrearage and bill assistance along with other benefits such as minor plumbing repairs and home water audits. By agreeing to participate in WRAP, the township agrees to accept the WRAP delivery model, to be run by Oakland Livingston Human Services Agency and Wayne Metro Community Action Agency, the project administrator. The township needs to provide them with a main point of contact who will be responsible for receiving and reviewing reports on enrolled residents on a regular basis, someone to answer questions, as needed, to attend WRAP meetings, and to act as a liaison to wholesale customer billing department regarding payments made by the alliance. “We believe participation in WRAP represents a win/win scenario for the township and water customers alike. The township will receive payment it is owed for commodities it delivered and qualifying water customers who are behind in their bills may receive much needed assistance,” Fotherby, township supervisor Leo Savoie and director of public works Tom Trice wrote in a memo.
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Wood said it would be best to have the bond done in two phases, but authorized once, because there are too many projects to accomplish in a three to five-year time period, which is the time limit required by the bond. “You need to spend the money in three years,” she explained. “The phasing would be based on project readiness, necessity, poll results, the master plan project list, community priority, facility condition and age, and parks and rec priorities.” The first phase of the parks and rec priority list includes $5.1 million for a needed refrigeration system and locker room expansion/facility upgrades at the Birmingham Ice Arena; $700,000 for implementation of the concept plan for Adams Park; $300,000 for Booth Park Phase III corner feature; citywide playground improvements, including accessibility and inclusive play, Springdale playground, $300,000; Crestview playground, $250,000; Howarth playground, $150,000; a pickleball court, location to be determined, $150,000; and $300,000 for improvements to the Rouge River Trail, for a total of $7.3 million for the first phase. The second phase, for a total of $4.9 million, includes more inclusive playground improvements, at Lincoln Well and Pumphouse park playgrounds,
$350,000; Linden Park, $150,000; Pembroke playground/park shelter, $400,000; and St. James playground, $300,00; a splashpad, $500,000; $1 million for a new inclusive playground area and drainage improvements at Poppleton Park; an inclusive playground, ballfield developments and walking paths at Kenning Park, $1.2 million; $525,000 for new irrigation at the golf courses; and $450,000 for the Rouge River Trail, to include new trail entry plaza/ trailheads, signage, and connectivity to connect Willits to Maple. Wood said they are looking at grants, donations and public/private partnerships in addition to bonds. “We have the capacity to bond for 10 percent of debt,” city manager Joe Valentine explained. “We're in a unique capacity. Our last bonding for parks and rec was in 2001. In 2020-2021, our sewer bonds will be paid off. In 20232024 our parks and rec bonds will be paid off. So the opportunity is good to replace debt with new debt without replacing the tax rate and having improvements.” He said they were looking at the August or November elections if they want to do the bonding. Wood provided an update on Maple/Eton Road bridge enhancements, which the city did in
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cooperation with CN railroad. “I'm happy to say we got it done in about a year, a feat in itself dealing with CN,” she said. “CN had to do the work, we had to pay for it. They did it underbudget and on time.” The city had budgeted $114,000 for the project, and it cost $75,930. Lighting and final landscaping are being completed. Austin Fletcher of DPS presented the lead service action plan, noting the city was required by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy (EGLE) to complete a preliminary materials inventory of all water services within the city by December 31, 2019. “Of the 7,979 water service lines in the city, 731 were determined to have lead service lines,” Fletcher said. The city created a link on its homepage for additional information on testing and directing them to more information. “The city is launching a pilot program next month to remove known lead services, including the six highest known,” he said. Valentine said they are working along with other communities to reduce costs. Jana Ecker, Birmingham Planning Director, said the planning board is in the midst of an update of the 2040 master plan, looking at the city, neighborhoods, parking analysis, community vision and interactions. The first two phases have been completed; they are in the midst of the third phase, with an expected completion of the fourth and final phase in fall 2020. Public engagement continues throughout the spring and summer. City planner Nicholas Dupuis said the planning board is continuing to look at alley regulations in an effort to boost walkability, with its focus on cleanliness, signage and wayfinding, noting “there's no such thing as too much signage,” and to step up the city's code enforcement. “The next step is the planning board would like to survey alleys again,” he said. Ecker said the next training they are looking to incorporate is with green infrastructure, “how we can incorporate green infrastructure into our developments, how do we help shift uses of transportation?” DuPuis said many other communities are doing the same thing, and the planning department has begun writing a green newsletter to inform residents of things such as “that the city is making it easier to put solar panels on your home. Historic preservation prevents waste and preserves walkablility. We're beginning to dip our toe into green infrastructure.” 57
Planner Brooks Cowan said the department has received repeated requests for three things in the downtown overlay district: quality materials not fit under the category of any materials listed in zoning ordinances; boutique fitness studio, specifically related to yoga and pilates. Currently, uses such as yoga, pilates and pure barre are classified as a health club/studio use, or “big box” gyms. “Specialty studios such as yoga and pilates tend to be much smaller than commercial gyms and have less capacity to create the same amount of traffic as a big box gym,” Cowan said. “Another issue is that the ordinance does not allow flexibility for mixed-use uses that combine a health club/studio with retail or a food and drink establishment. Applicants have requested to place athletic wear clothing and a smoothie bar in the front of the space to meet their retail requirement while hosting yoga classes in the back. This experience-based concept of retail, food and yoga was denied because health club/studios are not permitted downtown. A third issue is that building owners have requested
to occupy smaller spaces in their basement and upper floors with a health club/studio use but have been denied due to the ordinance use standards. The first floor retail was occupied by a premium paying retail tenant but the owner had to find a different tenant for the smaller basement and upper floor spaces due to the ordinance.” He noted New York City recently dealt with the same issue, of fitness gyms versus yoga studios, and amended its zoning ordinances. The third issue they are facing is building lobbies, what qualifies as a building lobby, and how big they have to be. Assistant city engineer Austin Fletcher gave an update on the second phase of the Maple Road reconstruction project, scheduled for this spring and summer. Maple Road will be reconstructed between Chester Street and Woodward Avenue with the exception of a small section on either side of Old Woodward, which was completed in 2018. In addition, Maple Road between Southfield Road and Chester Street will be resurfaced and the Southfield/Maple
Road intersection will be re-aligned to make in perpendicular to Maple Road. “During construction, Maple Road between Chester Street and Pierce Street and between Old Woodward and Park Street will be completely closed for the duration of the project,” Fletcher said. Traffic will be re-directed north and south utilizing the ‘Ring Road System’ – Oakland/Willits and W. Brown. Pierce Street and Old Woodward will remain open and accessible for the duration of the project. At some point during the project, Southfield Road at Maple Road will be closed for several weeks, the timeframe is unknown until a project schedule is provided by the selected contractor. During the closure, Southfield Road traffic will be redirected to Chester Street and W. Brown Street with two-way traffic maintained on Maple Road.” Completion is anticipated to be late July or August 2020. Birmingham Fire Chief Paul Wells said, “In 2019, the Birmingham Fire Department set a long-range planning goal of achieving a reduced ISO rating. The Fire Department has identified several areas of improvement in order to reduce the risk of injury or loss of
property. These areas for improvement are emergency preparedness, fire prevention, injury prevention, and early CPR/AED administration. The department has assigned a firefighter to help oversee a new Community Risk Reduction Program that will address some of the hazards that have been identified for needed improvement.” He said with the increased amount of extreme weather emergencies, the community needs increased awareness in order to prepare for a long-term shelter-in-place situation, noting large scale emergencies will use up a majority of the fire department and city's resources. For fire prevention, firefighters check each business and home they visit to confirm the occupants have the recommended amount of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. If needed, the fire department will install a detector or two for residents. Injury prevention, especially for seniors, continues to be a focus. Birmingham Police Chief Mark Clemence reported that in 2019, the department began the process of investigating how to become an accredited department through the
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Parking structure to get emergency repairs By Lisa Brody
ollowing concrete falling off the N. Old Woodward structure in downtown Birmingham and damaging a vehicle attempting to leave the north exit of the structure on Tuesday, January 28, Birmingham City Commissioners met for an emergency meeting on Saturday, February 1, to authorize approximately $591,00 in emergency repairs, and another $25,000 to engineers and architects to design a barrier cable system. Assistant city manager Tiffany Gunter reported that a portion of the concrete façade surrounding the N. Old Woodward structure fell from the first floor, damaging the hood of a vehicle attempting to exit the structure at the gates on the north side of the structure on January 28. Since that time, staff, along with engineers and contractors, have worked to establish a plan and proposal to make sure that no further incidents occur at the site. “The area surrounding the structure has been secured to mitigate that chance of further incidents until the repair work can be completed. The engineers and contractors have confirmed that the façade system provides no support for the concrete slabs within the structure that handle vehicle traffic. The existing façade system serves the purpose of being both a design feature and vehicle barrier system,” Gunter wrote in a memo. Commissioners voted 6-0, with commissioner Mark Nickita not in attendance, to authorize an agreement with contractors to replace the barrier façade system surrounding the parking structure and install a new cable barrier system for an amount not to exceed $591,000, and to authorize the agreement to have engineers and architects design the barrier cable system as well as to provide construction services, for $25,000. As of Monday, February 3, work had begun, with the entrance off N. Old Woodward closed, parking spots on N. Old Woodward blocked off, and approximately 120 parking spots in the structure lost to construction, which is expected to take approximately three months. The city said permit parkers interested in moving to Chester Street to avoid construction should call 248.540.9690. The N. Old Woodward parking structure, located at 333 N. Old Woodward Avenue, had been identified in 2016 by the city of Birmingham as having outlived its lifespan, having been constructed in the 1960s. It became part of the Woodward Bates parcel, approximately four acres in the city’s central business district, consisting of the current N. Old Woodward parking garage, an adjacent parking lot and adjacent parcels. The city solicited creative and innovative development plans from qualified developers to extend Bates Street from Willits to N. Old Woodward, connecting the north and south parts of Birmingham, to redevelop the remainder of the site by constructing a new parking structure that would have provided a minimum of 400 parking spaces in addition to replacing the 750 parking spaces currently on the N. Old Woodward/Bates Street site, plus adding residential, commercial and/or mixed uses in order to create an activated, pedestrian-oriented urban streetscape while also providing public access to the Rouge River and Booth Park to the north. The project would also have included the national retailer RH. In August 2019, a parking structure bond proposal in the amount of $57.4 million to secure financing for demolition and rebuilding of a new parking structure to replace the N. Old Woodward structure and an extension of Bates Street, the first phase of the Woodward Bates project, failed, after activist/residents asserted the project was too expensive, the structure was not in need of rebuilding, and the architect chosen had written the proposal. Gunter said in July 2019, a preliminary visual observation of the façade system was conducted by WJE Engineers and Architects, PC. They identified pillars that had excessive corrosion and identified 13 pillars that required “immediate attention.” Approximately $6 million in repairs were determined to be immediately required if the bond was not passed, based upon preliminary observations. “The pillar that failed on Tuesday, January 28, was not one of those pillars that had been identified,” Gunter reported. “They determined that the failure occurred due to corrosion of the steel components embedded within the precast panel that are not visible from the outside. It is not possible to know the extent of the corrosion without assessing each individual pillar by testing samples of the concrete.”
F Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police (MACP) Accreditation Program. In February of 2020, the police department will formally apply for admission. Once approved, the police department has 24 months to complete the process. “Accreditation acknowledges the implementation of written directives, policies and procedures that are conceptually sound and operationally effective,” he said. Part of the effort includes converting all current policies and procedures from written to electronic form within a new program designed to facilitate a move to an all-electronic management system for the police department. “It is no secret that the issue of active shooter response (ASR) has been and will continue to be a primary concern for our country and for law enforcement. Active shooter situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly,' Clemence said. “The police department must remain vigilant regarding prevention efforts and aggressively train to better respond to ASR incidents.” In 2020, he said, the department will conduct at least two ASR tabletop exercises, one with the fire department command staff. Bruce Johnson, city building official, said the building department continues to issue anywhere between 5,000 to 6,000 permits per fiscal year. In 2018, the department implemented online inspection scheduling, allowing permit holders the convenience of 24-hour scheduling on their computer or smart device. For 2020, he said, to expand on these efficiencies, and in response to a multitude of requests, the building department would like to broaden the scope of services it provides and add online permit acceptance. The third phase of Baldwin Library's long-term building project will improve the front entrance and circulation area, upgrading a space that has been largely untouched for 40 years and “helping Baldwin to offer amenities that are competitive with other local libraries that already have a café space and an accessible entry,” Doug Koschik, library director, explained in a memo. “To support this project, we are asking for a continuation of the library’s existing millage.” Baldwin is in the midst of the second phase of its building project, expanding and improving the Youth Services spaces. Koschik said the third phase is anticipated to cost approximately $2 million. The Birmingham Museum will focus on updating its strategic plan for 20212024, museum director Leslie Pielak said. “Through public programs and other active engagement, the Birmingham
Museum has developed a broader reach, which has increased our physical visitation and visibility as well as donations of artifacts and funds,” she said. She said public program attendance and site visits have increased by 20 percent, and donations of historically valuable artifacts and documents are up significantly. The final stages of detailed design for the Heritage Zone Landscape Plan is in process, Pielak said. The plan would restore elements of the historic landscape and enhance the area around the Allen and Hunter Houses, which is the most heavily used by the public. The last presentation was from the manager's office, with assistant manager Tiffany Gunter providing an update on unimproved streets, noting 30 percent, or 26 of the city's 90 miles of streets, are unimproved. An unimproved road is a gravel road, with or without curbs, that has been maintained with chip or cape seal to provide a relatively smooth and dustfree driving surface. The city is addressing the growing senior population with a continued interlocal agreement with NEXT, whose membership is approaching 2,000, Gunter said. Valentine said the city is looking at an enhanced public notification system. “Over the past few years the city has made considerable enhancements with public communications through improvements to various electronic tools. The effort has involved social media applications and the enhancement of the city’s website to include email and text notifications for various initiatives. A direct engagement approach has proved beneficial, but we are limited to those that sign up,” he said. “With the ability to directly communicate with the public on timely and relevant issues, we have explored a new approach that will allow the city to directly target the public for public notices, emergency alerts, special events, neighborhood projects and numerous other information residents may find helpful.” He said they're working to collect further email addresses in order provide for more effective communications. Looking at the future of the longterm parking situation in the downtown is being continued by the advisory parking committee, Gunter reported. “Staff is currently working to develop a draft survey for review by the committee in February. The survey will inquire as to whether the six key focus areas are still relevant and the level of priority to be placed on each of the proposed action steps,” she said.
Hunter House site plan needs more work By Lisa Brody
A completely revised preliminary site plan for 35001 Woodward at Maple, currently consisting of empty parking lots and Hunter House, was reviewed by Birmingham's Planning Board on Wednesday, January 22, for a five-story mixed use building, and sent back for revisions, noting parking and access problems as well as disputes between the property owner and the owners of Hunter House. Previously in 2019, the property owner, Hesham Gayar of Grand Blanc, had proposed a five-story hotel to be called The Maple for the site which would have included a spot for a new Hunter House in a corner. However, design encroachments on the site, parking, driveway and circulation issues forced planning board members to postpone approvals of its preliminary site plan in March, with board chair Scott Clein stating at the time, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The number of variances requested here is staggering.â&#x20AC;? Rather than returning with revisions
in April, as previously scheduled, Gayar and architect Kevin Biddison of Biddison Architecture in Birmingham presented a new preliminary site plan, for a five- story mixed use building, also to be called The Maple, with two levels of underground parking, three retail spaces and the Hunter House restaurant on the first floor. The plan also includes a residential lobby, an office lobby and a small parking area with three parking spaces in an interior driveway space for Hunter House, a second floor of office space, and 42 residential units on floors three, four and five. An outdoor terrace is also proposed on the rooftop. Residential units range in size from 920 square feet to 2,220 square feet. While planning board members liked the preliminary site plan for the mixed use building much more than for the proposed hotel, there were significant issues with the new one, including the three interior parking spots for Hunter House, as well as parking and circulation concerns on Hamilton and Park streets. The major concern dealt with an ongoing conflict between Gayar and the owners of Hunter House, who lease
the property in an unusual deal which gives them oversight on development. Gayar bought two of the parcels, with the third owned by the city. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel this is a profound waste of your time and your expertise because this building is never going to be built,â&#x20AC;? Hunter House co-owner Kelly Cobb said to board members. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are deed restrictions on the Hunter House property, to be included on the development of this site. The developer is in violation of multiple deed restrictions on how they're using our property. He's supposed to get my approval before he even submits it. I found out because a reporter called me.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is really a tragedy we're seeing right now,â&#x20AC;? Clein said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Clearly, this is not the use that anyone in the city of Birmingham would like â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in totality for the site â&#x20AC;&#x201C; of this prime piece of real estate to reflect for a gateway into the cityâ&#x20AC;Ś I was thrilled to see three stories of residential. Residential units at 920 square feet. We have been wanting this since the 2016 Plan was considered. We're now in the position where we're struggling over this site because of one small corner. I am truly sympathetic to
the owners of Hunter House. They're being pulled from a 20th century graband-go model to an urban center model, and you heard, they're being pulled against their will. The urban center model is one that we, as a community for more than 25 years, have been promoting.â&#x20AC;? Board member Bryan Williams said he did not like the access to the three parking spaces on Hamilton, and would never approve it because â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think it creates more problems than it solves. To approve a preliminary site plan with a restaurant we know won't comply with the law, I wouldn't approve that either.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;It's clearly in everyone's interest to work these issues out,â&#x20AC;? said board member Dan Share, while noting the site plan was deficient regarding Hamilton and access to the restaurant, as well as traffic on Park Street. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Park Street is a heavily travelled street â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it's a bypass, and we can't just say, 'it'll all work out.'â&#x20AC;? The board, with a consensus to not approve the preliminary site plan, urged Gayar and Cobb to meet and work out their differences, and come back with revisions on February 27.
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New ordinance for recreational structures By Dana Casadei
The Bloomfield Township Planning Commission on Monday, February 17, unanimously recommended for approval to the township board the adaption of a zoning ordinance for basketball apparatuses and play structures, to allow residents to pull a permit rather than going before the zoning board of appeals. "The planning commission, at the conclusion of their public hearing, made a motion to forward on to the township board a favorable recommendation to consider adaption of the ordinance as presented," said Patti Voelker, director of planning, building and ordinance for Bloomfield Township. The new language would affect site standards for basketball apparatuses and play structures, amending the current ordinance states that for those who want a basketball apparatus, such as a basketball pole or garage mounted backboard with a hoop, or a play structure, they must get approval
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by the township's zoning board of appeals (ZBA). Under the proposed amendment, residents would no longer need approval from the ZBA, but could instead pull an ordinance permit. "That would just allow us to confirm that it met the locational standards that are in the zoning ordinance," Voelker said. The specific standards are based off of polling the department did in adjoining communities, like Birmingham and West Bloomfield, Voelker explained. Both basketball apparatuses and play structures are currently considered accessory structures, just as sports courts are. Sport courts would remain as accessory structures under the new zoning ordinance. Not regulated under the current zoning ordinance are seasonal and/or sports equipment or play toys, like sports nets and trampolines. Those are considered temporary since they are portable. According to a memo to the planning commission, Voelker said upon review of the last several years, the ZBA has generally granted
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approval for basketball apparatuses and play structures. Voelker was set to introduce the ordinance at the township board meeting on Monday, February 24, for purposes of setting a public hearing date at a future board meeting.
Roncelli reviews rules for public at meetings By Dana Casadei
In response to the interruptions and residents speaking out of turn at recent board meetings, Bloomfield Township Clerk Jan Roncelli issued a statement on decorum at the Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees meeting on Monday, February 10. Roncelli read the statement in its entirety and the public was able to follow along via printed copies made available at the meeting. "Township board meetings are scheduled for the board to do its business in public," she read. "People can observe the process, but not interrupt the board in their deliberations. However, the public is entitled to express their opinions and
questions at a board meeting during the public comment section and a public hearing." After finishing the prepared statement from a Bloomfield Township Newsletter dated Fall 2017, Roncelli had one more thing to add before the meeting moved on to public comments. "So, just to remind you that it is one thing for the board to handle the meeting through parliamentary procedure and call for a point of order, it is not part of the audience to interject point of order or say something out loud,” she admonished certain members of the public who had been doing just that at several recent meetings. “It has to be conducted in a business-like manner, and that's just what we want to remind you of tonight, and at all nights at township board meetings."
Tri-party road work for year introduced At the Monday, February 10, Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees meeting, director of public works Noah Mehalski introduced a
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recommendation from Oakland County and the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC), which along with Bloomfield Township, would pay for improvements on three streets. Bloomfield Township Supervisor Leo Savoie said the proposed road maintenance would consist of three township roads, Wing Lake Road, between 14 Mile and Maple roads; Exeter Road; and Wabeek Lake Road South, up to the West Bloomfield border. The work would be paid for via triparty funds with Bloomfield Township, Oakland County, and the Road Commission for Oakland County all paying one-third, approximately $242,299.10 each. The budget for the 2020-2021 proposal was $726,879.30, a two percent increase from 2019 that has been approved by risk managers. All of the trustees were in favor of supporting the roadwork and the triparty funding, which will return at a later meeting for a vote of support.
School district places bond on May ballot Billed as a bond that will transform the district and shape its future, on Thursday, January 30, the Bloomfield Hills Schools Board of Education voted to place a $200.155 million bond proposal to support school renovation, additions, security and the movement of some school populations on the May 5 ballot, a 1.85 mill increase from current levels. District Superintendent Pat Watson, who joined the district January 6, said in a letter to Bloomfield Hills School families, “An incredible amount of work has occurred to reach this decision. Nearly six years of research, community engagement, and consultations with field experts have led to this $200 million proposal,” which will include safety and security upgrades at all schools; three middle schools combining into two middle schools, including re-opening the former Lahser High School and renovating it as a middle school, with Bloomfield Hills Middle School as the other site; significant renovations at Conant and Way elementary schools; the movement of Lone Pine elementary to West Hills Middle School, which would become the new Lone Pine, with renovations and updates; Eastover would move to East Hills Middle School, which would become Eastover, also with renovations and updates; Bloomin' Preschool would be housed and expanded at Eastover and Conant; and Bloomfield Hills High downtownpublications.com
School would receive health and wellness upgrades, among other improvements. “Between the two middle schools, the community would enjoy a new pool (with open hours for community use), STEM and robotics spaces, and areas for collaboration and critical thinking,” Watson said. “Our school district is a source of community pride,” said board of education president Paul Kolin. “Voter approval of this bond proposal will vastly improve educational programming and assure that Bloomfield Hills remains one of America’s premier school districts. The proposed enhancements to the school district will benefit our students and our community for decades to come.” However, the improvements, which were introduced at the board's December 19, 2019 meeting, do not come cheap. Approximately $33 million in costs are immediate needs, Brian Goby, director of physical plant services for the district, told board members. If approved by voters, the school district’s tax rate is projected to increase by 1.85 mills. A mill is equal to $1 in property tax per every $1,000 in taxable value, which is typically about half of a home's market value. Improvement and renovation costs were driven by findings of the scope and design committee. Educators, staff, current, former and future parents worked together to look at various options and to provide feedback on options. District spokesperson Shira Good acknowledged there were concerns in the district about putting the bond proposal on the May 5 ballot, when it likely will be the only thing voters will be asked to vote on, rather than waiting until the August primary or November general election. “It was a hard decision to go (for the bond) in May,” Good said. “We didn't want it to be seen as a stealth election.” However, she said, Barton Malow, the contractor who is anticipated to perform the construction renovations and improvements, informed the district it will be about $2 million in construction savings by going on the May ballot instead of the August ballot, presuming the bond is approved. “We share the concerns, but all the experts say you'll lose a year of improved education because of lost construction,” Good said. “We feel if we can traverse the May election by showing our transparency, in order to get the best for our students and save some money, knowing it is a tax increase, we have to do that. We owe it to our kids to invest in them.”
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FACES Dey Young rom far away in her West Hollywood home, actress and sculptor Dey Young recalls fond memories of growing up in Bloomfield Hills. It was during her school days on the sprawling Cranbrook Kingswood campus where she first developed a love of performing and the visual arts. At Cranbrook, not only did she participate in theatrical productions, but she also got to try her hand at a weaving loom and ceramics. She recalls how her years there introduced her to a love of all arts. Some weekends and afternoons were spent doing her homework beneath the Rivera murals at the Detroit Institute of the Arts while her mother led tours there as a docent. “Cranbrook School was instrumental in instilling in me a love of the arts in all their dimensions,” said Young, who has returned to the campus for class reunions. “When you are an artist, you find many paths and channels for your creativity.” It is these two expressions of art – one extraverted and the other more introverted that has given this sculptor/actress staying power. At 17, Young left Michigan and headed to the coast where her older sister Taylor Young was working as an actress. She got her BFA from Scripps College, with theater, dance and sculpture credits under her belt – and continued training at London Academy of Music and Dramatics Arts. “My parents believed in the importance of gaining as much training in my craft as possible and having a fall back plan, such as teaching acting or theater. I was very grateful for my time studying in London. “ When she returned to LA at age 22, she got her first break starring in the 1979 cult classic Rock N Roll High School, that launched the career of punk band The Ramones. She’s had dozens of movie and TV credits. But perhaps none is more memorable then playing the uppity Rodeo Drive saleswoman in Pretty Woman. Young recalls how she landed the part when she met director Garry Marshall on a tennis court at a party being thrown by the late actor Alan Thicke. “We wound up being tennis partners in a match of doubles, and we actually did quite well,” said Young. “Afterwards he said, ‘I think I have something in my next movie for you.’ And that movie was Pretty Woman. I never in 100 years thought I would be in a scene in a movie that was so iconic.” In addition to her acting projects, Young is a commissioned sculptor whose works appear in galleries in Beverly Hills, Carmel and San Francisco. Though most of her career is based in the West Coast, Young got a taste of the New York theater life starring in Georgette Kelly’s off-Broadway production I Carry Your Heart. Now in her sixties, Young admits that there are less strong roles for older women. However, she keeps her skills sharp by constantly meeting new people and is a lifetime member of The Actor’s Studio in New York and Los Angeles. Right now, she is working on a few sculpture commissions and there is a possible theatrical production in Los Angeles on the horizon. “In order to be successful in acting, you must maintain that love and joy of it to get you through tough times, and you get that by constantly honing your craft in classwork where you get to play roles to expand your craft and push your boundaries. As actors, we must be constantly exploring and learning about ourselves. An actor’s job is never done.”
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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, MondaySaturday. 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. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Liquor. No reservations. 31471 Southfield Road, Beverly Hills, 48025. 248.642.2355. Beyond Juice: Contemporary. Breakfast & Lunch daily; Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. 270 West Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.7078. Big Rock Chophouse: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 245 South Eton Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.7774. Bill's: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Daily. Reservations, lunch only. Liquor. 39556 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.646.9000. Birmingham Sushi Cafe: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 377 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.8880. Bistro Joeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kitchen: Global. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Sunday brunch. Liquor. Reservations. 34244 Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.0984. Bloomfield Deli: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 71 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.645.6879. Brooklyn Pizza: Pizza. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 111 Henrietta Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.6690. CafĂŠ ML: New American. Dinner, daily. Liquor. Call ahead. 3607 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Township. 248.642.4000. China Village: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 1655 Opdyke, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.758.1221. Churchill's Bistro & Cigar Bar: Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 116 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.4555. Cityscape Deli: Deli. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Beer. 877 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield
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Hills, 48302. 248.540.7220. Commonwealth: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 300 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.9766. Dick Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Dowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s: Irish. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 160 West Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.642.1135. Eddie Merlot's: Steak & seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 37000 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.712.4095. Einstein Bros. Bagels: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 4089 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.258.9939. Elieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mediterranean Cuisine: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Liquor. 263 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.2420. Embers Deli & Restaurant: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. Dinner, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 3598 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.645.1033. Flemings Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar: American. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 323 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.723.0134. Forest: European. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 735 Forest Avenue, Birmingham 48009. 248.258.9400. Greek Island Coney Restaurant: Greek. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 221 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.646.1222. Griffin Claw Brewing Company: American. Dinner, Tuesday-Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday and Sunday. No Reservations. Liquor. 575 S. Eton Street, Birmingham. 248.712.4050. Honey Tree Grille: Greek/American. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, daily. No reservations. 3633 W. Maple Rd, Bloomfield, MI 48301. 248.203.9111. Hunter House Hamburgers: American. Breakfast, Monday-Saturday; Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 35075 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.646.7121. Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse: American. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 201 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.4369. IHOP: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2187 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301. 248.333.7522. Joe Muer Seafood: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner daily; Sunday brunch. Reservations. Liquor. 39475 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.792.9609. Kaku Sushi and Poke': Asian. Lunch & Dinner. Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations. No Liquor. 869 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.480.4785, and 126 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.885.8631. Kerbyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH H stevesdeli.com H Go To Our Website For H H H H DELIVERY H H H H H H H H DINE-IN/CARRY-OUT/CATERING H H 6646 Telegraph Rd. (At Maple Road) H H Bloomfield Plaza H H 248.932.0800 â&#x20AC;˘ Fax: 248.932.1465 H The BEST Place to Celebrate St. Patrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day! H H H H H H H of $29.95 or more H H Must present printed coupon when ordering. Not valid with other offers. No digital coupons accepted. Exp. 4/17/20 DT H H H H H H H H H H of $69.95 or more Must present printed coupon when ordering. Not valid with H H other offers. No digital coupons accepted. Exp. 4/17/20 DT Specializing In H H Award Winning H H Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinners H H & Fabulous Overstuffed H H Corned Beef H H Limit 1 Free Per Person Sandwiches Must present printed coupon when ordering. Not valid with H H other offers. No digital coupons accepted. Exp. 4/17/20 DT H H HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
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73
Come Together: When the 60s Met the 70s
Carole J. BUFFORD
“
Performance Sponsored by Marcie & Rob Orley
? AŊ;>0p? <1>2;>9-:/1? ->1 r A@@1>8E /;:@19<;>->E 1D<>1??5;:? ;2 - C;9-: 01ŋ-:@8E 9-75:3 41> C-E C5@4;A@ -<;8;351? s – Stephen Holden, The New YorkTimes March 28, 2020 The Players Club Playhouse Shows at 6:30 and 8:45 p.m. Carole Bufford returns for this brand-new show in tribute to the monumental music from the mid-60s to mid-70s. She will be performing pieces made famous by artists such as The Beatles, Cher, the Rolling Stones and Otis Redding. For more information or to order tickets, please call 313.405.5061 or visit cabaret313.org
This activity is supported in part by an award from the MICHIGAN COUNCIL FOR ARTS AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS and the NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS.
Sunday, April 12, 2020
Easter Brunch
Seatings at 10:00AM, 12:30PM and 2:45PM $44.95 Adult / $25 Children (ages 4-12 years) Children 3 & under free
Special Visit by the Easter Bunny
Reservations required www.communityhouse.com • 248.644.5832
380 South Bates Street Birmingham, Michigan 48009
74
DOWNTOWN
03.20
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. Mad Hatter Cafe: Tea Room. Brunch, Lunch & Dinner. No reservations. Liquor. 185 N. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.540.0000 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. Panera Bread: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2125 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.253.9877. Pernoi: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 310 E. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009. 248.940.0000. Phoenicia: Middle Eastern. Lunch, Monday-Friday; Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 588 South Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.3122. Pita Cafe: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 239 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.645.6999. Qdoba: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 795 East Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.988.8941. Also 42967 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Township, 48304. 248.874.1876 Red Olive: Middle Eastern/American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 42757 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.481.7767. Roadside B & G: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 1727 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.858.7270. Rojo Mexican Bistro: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 250 Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.6200. Salvatore Scallopini: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 505 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.8977. Sidecar Slider Bar: Burgers. Lunch &
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Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 280 E. Merrill Street, Birmingham 48009. 248.220.4167. 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. Steve’s Deli: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 6646 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield, 48301. 248.932.0800. Streetside Seafood: Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday; Dinner, daily. Reservations, Lunch only. Liquor. 273 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.645.9123. Sushi Hana: Japanese. Lunch, MondayFriday; Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 42656 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.333.3887. Sy Thai Cafe: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 315 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.9830. Tallulah Wine Bar and Bistro: American. Dinner. Monday-Saturday. Sunday brunch. Reservations. Liquor. 55 S. Bates Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.731.7066. The Franklin Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 32760 Franklin Rd, Franklin, 48025. 248.865.6600. The Gallery Restaurant: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & wine. 6683 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.851.0313. The Moose Preserve Bar & Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2395 S. Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.858.7688. The Morrie: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 260 N. Old Woodward, Birmingham 48009. 248.940.3260. The Rugby Grille: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 100 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.642.5999. Toast: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily; Dinner, Wednesday-Friday. 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. Triple Nickel Restaurant and Bar: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Liquor. Reservations. 555 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham 48009. 248.480.4951. Vinotecca: European. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 210 S. Old Woodard, Birmingham, 48009. 248.203.6600. Village Coney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 653 S. Adams. Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.7964. Whistle Stop Diner: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily; No reservations. 501 S. Eton Street, Birmingham, 48009.
248.566.3566. Zao Jun: Asian. Lunch Monday-Friday; Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6608 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301. 248.949.9999.
Royal Oak/Ferndale Ale Mary's: American. Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 316 South Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.268.1917. Anita’s Kitchen: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 22651 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.548.0680. Assaggi Bistro: Italian. Lunch, TuesdayFriday. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 330 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220. 248.584.3499. Bigalora: Italian. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. No Reservations. Liquor. 711 S. Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067. Bistro 82: French. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 401 S. Lafayette Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.542.0082. The Blue Nile: Ethiopian. Dinner, TuesdaySunday. 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. GreenSpace Cafe: Vegan. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. No reservations. Liquor. 215. W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220. 248.206.7510. 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. Pronto!: American. Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.
DOWNTOWN
Liquor. 608 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.544.7900. 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. Town Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 116 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.544.7300. 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. Cantoro Italian Trattoria: Italian. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1695 E. Big Beaver Road, Troy 48083. 248.817.2424. CK Diggs: American & Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 2010 W. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.853.6600. O’Connor’s Irish Public House: Irish. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 324 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.608.2537. Kona Grille: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 30 E. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48083. 248.619.9060. Kruse & Muer on Main: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 327 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.652.9400. Loccino Italian Grill and Bar: Italian. Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily. Liquor. Reservations. 5600 Crooks Road, Troy, 48098. 248.813.0700. McCormick & Schmick’s: Steak & Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. Somerset Collection, 2850 Coolidge Hwy., Troy,
75
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 Dana Casadei who can be reached at DanaCasadei@DowntownPublications.com with news items or tips, on or off the record.
Food from Two James “Well, we just put a roof on,” laughed chef Brendan McCall about Supergeil, his upcoming restaurant with Two James Distillery owner, David Landrum. Needless to say there is still quite a bit to be done at 2442 Michigan Avenue, Detroit – an empty warehouse now getting a very significant remodel – before their late summer/early fall opening. The new establishment is just across the way from Two James Spirits tasting room in Corktown. Berlin slang for “super cool,” Supergeil will have döner kebabs as the menu’s anchor, with their flavors leaning towards Spain, Turkey, and the Balkans. “We want to make it really good, make it very crave-able, and make it affordable,” McCall said. “We want to be a part of everyone’s daily lives rather than a special occasion.” The drink menu will naturally feature Two James spirits, and will be heavy on gin and tonic selections.
Creative, imaginative dining “Today is showtime,” said Omar Mitchell in early February about the opening of his new restaurant, Imaginate, inside the Ramada by Wyndham Southfield, 28100 Franklin, Southfield. While the modern American restaurant is new, Mitchell said he came up with the concept years ago and described it as fun and interactive. What does interactive mean? Well, all of the food comes with props. What does that mean? For example, the popcorn shrimp comes in a popcorn machine, the cowboy steak is served with a giant dinner fork, and the salmon is smoked right at the table. The ice cream cart, full of different flavors and toppings, comes directly to your table. “We’re putting the fun in fine dining,” said Mitchell, who also owns Table No. 2, 18925 Livernois, Detroit. There are plans to launch a weekend buffet in March, and Mitchell’s Great Lakes Burger Bar has opened inside the courtyard of the hotel as a companion to the fine dining locale.
Time for brunch Instead of the classic eggs and toast brunch. 220 Merrill – 220 E. Merrill Street in Birmingham – guests will soon find an infinitely more creative menu. Planned to launch in mid-March, the restaurant’s new concept is focused on having a festive and party atmosphere, with food to match. Executive Chef Zach Crane said there will be a lot of whimsical items, with a strong mix between items that are sweet and savory. “There’s a really good balance between fresh and healthy and hearty, as well as simple things,” he said. Items include an acai bowl, Wagyu hash and eggs, breakfast pizza, an entire lobster section, and sharables, like the waffle tower and champagne punch. There are plans for guests to enjoy a DJ playing at the restaurant as part of the Sunday Brunch Party vibe. Anything Crane is excited for guests to try? “All of it actually...I think a lot of the food is going to be geared towards being ‘Instagram worthy,’” Crane said… Ivy Kitchen and Cocktails, 9215 E. Jefferson, Detroit, also launched a new brunch menu in February.
Cider, donuts & cupcakes It’s a match made in heaven for two east-side Michigan companies. Cupcake Station and Blake Farms have teamed up to form Bakehouse46, with all five Cupcake Stations around metro Detroit being rebranded. The Birmingham location, located at 136 N. Old Woodward Avenue, next to the former Panera’s – and the first Cupcake Station to open its doors in 2006 – was the first opening for the rebrand in mid-February and has key selections from both brands. Be on the lookout for fresh cider doughnuts, apple cider, and those infamous cupcakes. Todd Gildersleeve, managing partner, Cupcake Station and Bakehouse46, said there would be some Bakehouse46 signature items as well, such as muffins, additional coffee offerings, ice cream, and plans for bagel sandwiches and breakfast selections. Gildersleeve also said that the menu will eventually incorporate seasonal ingredients from the people at Blake Farms. The hours are now quite extended from the Cupcake Station’s previous hours. The food wasn’t the only thing to change – so did
48084. 248.637.6400. The Meeting House: American. Weekend Brunch. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. 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, Monday-Friday. 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. Steelhouse Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1129 E. Long Lake Rd., Troy, 48085. 248.817.2980. Too Ra Loo: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 139 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.453.5291.
West Bloomfield/Southfield Bacco: Italian. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 29410 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, 48034. 248.356.6600. Beans and Cornbread: Southern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 29508 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, 48034. 248.208.1680. Bigalora: Italian. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. No Reservations. Liquor. 29110 Franklin Road, Southfield, 48034. The Bombay Grille: Indian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 29200 Orchard Lake Rd, Farmington Hills, 48334. 248.626.2982. The Fiddler: Russian. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Thursday-Sunday. Reservations.
Liquor. 6676 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.851.8782. Mene Sushi: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 6239 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.538.7081. Meriwether’s: Seafood. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 25485 Telegraph Rd, Southfield, 48034. 248.358.1310. Nonna Maria’s: Italian. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2080 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48323. 248.851.2500. Pickles & Rye: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 6724 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.737.3890. Prime29 Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6545 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield, 48322. 248.737.7463. Redcoat Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Liquor. 6745 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.865.0500. Shangri-La: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. Orchard Mall Shopping Center, 6407 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.626.8585. Sposita’s Ristorante: Italian. Friday Lunch. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 33210 W. Fourteen Mile Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248. 538.8954. Stage Deli: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 6873 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.855.6622. Yotsuba: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 7365 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield, 48322. 248.737.8282.
West Oakland Gravity Bar & Grill: Mediterranean. Monday – Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday, Dinner. Reservations. Liquor. 340 N. Main Street, Milford, 48381. 248.684.4223. It's A Matter of Taste: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2323 Union Lake Road, Commerce, 48390. 248.360.4150. The Root Restaurant & Bar: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday - Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 340 Town Center Blvd., White Lake, 48390. 248.698.2400. Volare Ristorante: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 48992 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393. 248.960.7771.
North Oakland Clarkston Union: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 54 S. Main St., Clarkston, 48346. 248.620.6100. Holly Hotel: American. Afternoon Tea, Monday – Saturday, Brunch, Sunday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 110 Battle Alley, Holly, 48442. 248.634.5208. Kruse's Deer Lake Inn: Seafood. Lunch & dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 7504 Dixie Highway, Clarkston, 48346. 248.795.2077. The Fed: American. Lunch and Dinner daily, Brunch, Saturday and Sunday. Liquor. 15 S. Main Street, Clarkston, 48346. 248.297.5833
Via Bologna: Italian. Dinner daily. No reservations. Liquor. 7071 Dixie Highway, Clarkston. 48346. 248.620.8500. Union Woodshop: BBQ. Dinner, Monday – Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday – Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 18 S. Main St., Clarkston, 48346. 248.625.5660
Detroit Bucharest Grill: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2684 E. Jefferson, Detroit, 48207. 313.965.3111. Cliff Bell’s: American. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 2030 Park Ave., Detroit, 48226. 313.961.2543. Cuisine: French. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 670 Lothrop Rd., Detroit, 48202. 313.872.5110. The Detroit Seafood Market: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1435 Randolph St., Detroit, 48226. 313.962.4180. El Barzon: Mexican. Lunch, TuesdayFriday. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 3710 Junction St., Detroit, 48210. 313.894.2070. Fishbone’s Rhythm Kitchen Café: Cajun. Breakfast, daily. Sunday Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 400 Monroe Street, Detroit, 48226. 313.965.4600. Giovanni’s Ristorante: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 330 S. Oakwood Blvd., Detroit, 48217. 313.841.0122. Green Dot Stables: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2200 W. Lafayette, Detroit, 48216. 313.962.5588. Jefferson House: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2 Washington Blvd., Detroit, 48226. 313.782.4318. Joe Muer Seafood: Seafood. Lunch, Monday- Friday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 400 Renaissance Center, Detroit, 48243. 313.567.6837. Johnny Noodle King: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2601 W. Fort St., Detroit, 48216. 313.309.7946. Mario’s: Italian. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 4222 2nd Ave., Detroit, 48201. 313.832.1616. Midtown Shangri-la: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 4710 Cass Ave., Detroit, 48201. 313.974.7669. Motor City Brewing Works: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 470 W. Canfield St., Detroit, 48201. 313.832.2700. 1917 American Bistro: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 19416 Livernois Ave., Detroit, 48221. 313.863.1917. Prism: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 555 E. Lafayette St, Detroit, 48226. 313.309.2499. Red Smoke Barbeque: Barbeque. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. Trappers Alley Shopping Center, 573 Monroe Ave., Detroit, 48226. 313.962.2100.
Selden Standard: American. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. Liquor. Reservations. 3921 Second Ave., Detroit, 48201. 313.438.5055. SheWolf Pastifico & Bar: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday through Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 438 Selden St, Detroit 48201. 313.315.3992. Sinbad’s: Seafood. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 100 St Clair St., Detroit, 48214. 313.822.8000. Slows Bar BQ: Barbeque. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2138 Michigan Ave, Detroit, 48216. 313.962.9828. St. CeCe’s Pub: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 1426 Bagley Ave., Detroit, 48216. 313.962.2121. Tap at MGM Grand: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 1777 Third Street, Detroit, 48226. 313.465.1234. Taqueria Nuestra Familia: Mexican. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 7620 Vernor Hwy., Detroit, 48209. 313.842.5668. The Block: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 3919 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201. 313.832.0892. Tom’s Oyster Bar: Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 519 East Jefferson Ave., Detroit, 48226. 313.964.4010. Traffic Jam & Snug: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 511 W. Canfield, Detroit, 48201. 313.831.9470. 24grille: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit, 1114 Washington Blvd, Detroit, 48226. 313.964.3821. Union Street: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 4145 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201. 313.831.3965. Vince’s: Italian. Lunch, Tuesday-Friday. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 1341 Springwells St., Detroit, 48209. 313.842.4857. Vivio’s Food & Spirits: American. Saturday Breakfast. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2460 Market St., Detroit, 48207. 313.393.1711. The Whitney: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & High Tea, Monday-Friday. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, daily. Liquor. Reservations. 4421 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201. 313.832.5700. Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria and Cucina: Italian. Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 1777 Third St, Detroit, 48226. 313.465.1646. Wolfgang Puck Steak: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1777 Third St, Detroit, 48226. 313.465.1411. Wright & Co.: American. Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 1500 Woodward Ave Second Floor, Detroit, 48226. 313.962.7711.
the interior. “One of the things we looked to was blending a kind of modern, almost Apple store with kind of a farmhouse feel and tradition that gives homage to the stuff we do at Blake’s...we’re really excited to show the public what these new stores will look like,” said Andrew Blake, president of Blake Family Companies.
Can’t believe it’s not meat Popular Detroit vegan pop-up Street Beet now has a more permanent residence inside the 3rd Street Bar, 4626 3rd Avenue in Detroit. Their new residency began in early February, and is open from Thursdays to Mondays, and offers online orders and carryout. “I think what we’re most excited for is just consistency,” said Nina Paletta, who owns Street Beet with Meghan Shaw. For those familiar with their pop-ups, Paletta said to expect a lot of heavy hitter favorites from their previous menus, like the ‘filet no fish sandwich’ from their McDaddy’s pop-up, and their ‘Fake Chicken Sando’ from their pop-up, Kentucky Fake Chicken. New items on the menu include the Phony Cheesesteak, which has tofurky slices marinated to taste more like natural beef, a Fake Chicken Parmie, and a brownie topped with Cold Truth soft serve.
A Ferndale first Ferndale is about to get its first vegan, gluten-free bakery thanks to Safflower Street Vegan Treats, 23131 Woodward Avenue. Baker Jillian Parsell and business partner Chris Pelak hope to open the space this April. “I had no idea the brick-and-mortar would be happening so soon, but I realized once I started selling to the restaurants I definitely had a lot more demand than supplies,” she said. Parsell – who last year was baking her sweet treats for eight different metro Detroit restaurants – said after they first open, their focus will be on the treats she’s become well-known for, like her take on a Sanders Bumpy Cake and Girl Scout Samoas cookies. From there, she has plans to add a few soups and pre-packaged grab-and-go meals, such as vegan mac and cheese, vegan pad thai, and spaghetti. “Just like everyday favorites that people can buy and keep in their fridge,” she said. Both Parsell and Pelak are excited to not only be a part of the Ferndale community but have a location where people can try things they may not know can be gluten-free or vegan, but still enjoy.
Pizza in the D After much success at Fort Street Galley last year, the pizzeria, Michigan & Trumbull, is finally in its permanent home at 1441 W. Elizabeth Street, Detroit and opened in late January. The restaurant brings back two Michigan natives, Kristen Calverley and Nate Peck, who were serving the city of Pittsburgh the D’s infamous pizza before returning home. So far, Calverley said the most surprising thing is how much people have been loving their selections of sides, which have both roasted and fried sections on the menu, and the most popular pizza they have been serving has been the Long Drive Home, topped with a vodka sauce, mozzarella, parmesan, sausage, and banana peppers. They’ve recently acquired a liquor license, so a full bar menu is now available to quench that pizza thirst.
Coffee Down Under Tarun Kajeepeta, owner of Coffee Down Under, 607 Shelby Street, Detroit, hopes to bring some “really good coffee” to the city’s Financial District this spring. “I thought the Financial District was a perfect location for it, where you have a lot of offices, a lot of foot traffic during the day, and there’s not a lot of great coffee options in that area,” he said. Like the cheeky name suggests, there will be Australian cafe influences felt in the space and in the beverages, like the Flat White, Magic, and Long Black, all offered on the largely espresso-based menu. Kajeepeta, who lived in Australia in 2014, said the food offerings haven’t been finalized yet but they’re thinking about rotating items, including pastries and breakfast burritos. Inside the historic space, once the ground floor of a bank, there’s a monochrome design, and plans for a concept that would take place behind the coffee bar. Kajeepeta wasn’t ready to go in to details about that yet, but did mention an old bank vault in the space. Keep your eyes open, mate, for something special there.
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Clare Cooney ou never know when inspiration will strike – at least that was the case for Clare Cooney. Cooney, who grew up in Bloomfield Township, was on a run in Chicago and next thing she knew, she had the idea for a short film. Ok, there's a little bit more to it than that. "It was this beautiful, idyllic fall day and I turned a corner into this alleyway and I saw something kind of shady going on down the alley," said the Groves High School alumna. "Then all of a sudden I got really fearful and my gut just clenched up. All the while the same song was playing in my headphones. It was like this really happy, powerful moment followed by a really fearful and vulnerable one," Cooney continued. "I thought that was an interesting jumping off point." And that is where her short film, Runner, begins. Currently at almost 400,000 views on YouTube, the 13-minute long film was Cooney's first venture into writing, directing, producing, and editing. She also stars in the film. In total, she said it was about a nine month turnaround from idea to completion. Then she started submitting Runner to film festivals, and waited. "I knew it was good. I hoped it would do well," she said. "But it’s really hard to break into the film festival circuit." But others seemed to agree her product was good. Runner was at 15 film festivals across the country and won six awards, including Best of Fest at Windy City International Film Festival, Best Drama Short at Atlanta Shortsfest, and Best Short Film at the Best of the Midwest Awards. Cooney herself also won Best Actress at the latter festival, and was nominated for Filmmaker-to-Watch at the Atlanta Film Festival. When asked if she had been bitten by the director bug, the smile could
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be heard when she said absolutely. But from the sounds of it she had been bitten by the bug long before now. "At times I’ve caught myself on set wanting to give an adjustment to myself or others. I’ve had to hold my tongue...I think I already had a director’s brain and I finally got to use it a bit," said Cooney, who mentioned she's directed a few other projects since Runner and has no plans on stopping. Right now though, Cooney's primary focus is on acting, an obsession she's had since she landed the lead in her eighth grade production of Once Upon a Mattress. From there, she went on to do musicals and plays throughout high school. After graduating, she thought, well, that was fun, but I'm done now. But then she auditioned for a play while at the University of Notre Dame, where she received her BA in theatre and BA in psychology. She was the only freshman cast in the production. "I thought, oh, maybe I’m good at this, maybe I should keep doing it," she said. So she did, eventually moving to Chicago before her recent move to Los Angeles. Before she left the Windy City, though, she was cast in a VISA Commercial for the NFL, where she's part of a mother/daughter duo who really love the Chicago Bears. "It’s been really exciting to see it on TV so much and it was a great way to say goodbye to Chicago, to be in the most Chicago commercial ever," Cooney said. Wonder what her runs in Los Angeles will inspire her to create next. Story: Dana Casadei
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THE COMMUNITY HOUSE “If winter comes, can spring be far behind?” – Percy Bysshe Shelley As we look out the window of the venerable Community House, it’s hard to imagine that the start of spring is just days away. While it has been a cold, (not so) snowy and frigid winter here in Michigan, spring 2020 planning at The Community House is well underway. Scores of new spring classes, programs and events are set; a wide array of exciting and popular art, culture and enrichment opportunities now populate our spring calendar. To register or to purchase tickets please go to The Community House website at communityhouse.com or call 248.644.5832. If winter comes, can spring (or summer) be far behind? SAVE THE DATE Student Art Town 2020 – Student Art Town is celebrating 30 years. The Student Art Town Exhibit is part of The Community House’s “Experience the Arts” youth engagement program. This special event showcases the creative talents of young artists from elementary to high school throughout metro Detroit. A wide variety of artwork from drawings to landscapes and photography to watercolor will turn the halls of The Community House into a very special student gallery. On Saturday, March 28, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Student Art Town will be open to the community to witness the talent and dedication of young artists, as well as participate in free, community art education classes from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
LOCAL MATTERS. municipal coverage school news personality profiles crime map commentary
Bill Seklar
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ON SALE NOW Our Town Art Show & Sale 2020 – Art is coming to The Community House. Now in its 35th year, the iconic OUR TOWN Art Show & Sale will be held at The Community House on April 3rd & 4th, with the Opening Night Reception kicking off the event on Thursday, April 2. This juried art show of Michigan artists is a community event, open to the public and free of charge, fulfilling the mission of The Community House to impact lives through exceptional educational, social and outreach experiences, particularly through the arts and culture. Proceeds from each sale of artwork benefits both the artist and The Community House. NEW! FREE! OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Senior Living Series – The Community House is proud to announce its inaugural Senior Living Series presented by and in partnership with Pomeroy Living – Pomeroy Living Communities, coming this April and May. This free four-part educational series addresses topics most apt to the wants and needs of our senior community, such as: Life transitions, aging and mental health, healthy food habits, financial readiness and proactive legal measures. COMING SOON Spring 2020 Classes – Grow a new skill this Spring in one of The Community House’s many classes. Explore cooking classes, fitness options, learn a new language, create a new project, or enhance your personal or professional development – there are options for nearly every interest and everyone. For a full online list of Spring 2020 class offerings, visit https://communityhouse.asapconnected.com. REGISTRATION NOW OPEN SUMMER CAMPS 2020 – Children’s classes, programs and services at The Community House have always been at the center of our mission, purpose and vision. Our founders envisioned The Community House to be a place where young people from our community and surrounding region would gather for camaraderie, learning and enrichment. Over the years, The Community House has supplemented our fall, winter and spring children’s classes with a robust selection of summer camps. We believe that summer camps are a place where children get the experiences they need to bolster their range of coping strategies. So, it is in that spirit that The Community House is proud to present over 50 Summer Camps – Summer 2020: half day, full day, morning, afternoon, lunch optional, with before and after-care opportunities. Make sure to visit communityhouse.com to see all our camp offerings and to register. There is limited enrollment. Exciting NEW Summer 2020 Camp Series: S.T.E.A.M. Series of Youth Camps – Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Art For more information or a catalog about our 2020 summer camps or more information about our other Community House offerings, please contact us at communityhouse.com or call 248.644.5832.
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William D. Seklar is President & CEO of The Community House and The Community House Foundation in Birmingham.
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SOCIETY NOTEBOOK/GIGI NICHOLS
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Shop & Champagne BBAC
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Nearly 400 patrons packed the house at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center (BBAC) for the organization’s signature fundraiser, Shop & Champagne. The event served as a preview party for the BBAC’s annual Holiday Shop. Guests perused and shopped the artwork from over 170 artists while enjoying champagne and a strolling dinner. The revenue generated from Shop & Champagne and the Holiday Shop provides critical support for the BBAC’s ArtAccess and educational programs as well as working artists. This year’s event raised over $50,000. 1. Betsy Reich and Tom Kuslits of Beverly Hills. 2. Joe Bauman of Livonia, Linda Hatfield of Farmington Hills, Dave Weir and Bob Kupfer of Bloomfield. 3. Pat Judd and Maria Marcotte of Birmingham. 4. Allison Woll and Leslie Moskowitz of Bloomfield. 5. Jessica Woll of Bloomfield and Annie VanGelderen of Commerce. 6. Catherine Henne and Mike Lewandowski of Bloomfield. 7. Janice Degen and Robin Servo of Bloomfield, Mary Kernahan of Westland and Louise Malinowski of Redford Twp. 8. Naomi Oglesby of Bloomfield and Jennifer McManus of Huntington Woods.
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Shirley Maddalena, of Maddalena Design, Ltd., hosted a High Tea at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham to benefit Alternatives For Girls (AFG). Maddalena has graciously hosted the tea as a benefit for 31 years. The menu featured teatime delights, and a silent auction offered guests the opportunity to bid on new and gently-used treasures donated by other guests. Proceeds from this year’s event will go toward AFG programs that help homeless and at-risk girls and young women to make positive choices in life. Over 120 attended the event which raised close to $13,000 for the cause. 1. Melissa Steckel of Hazel Park, Lynn Olszewski and Laurie Tennent of Bloomfield. 2. Clara Schwyn of Bloomfield, Ella Reynolds of Bloomfield, Arden Stirling of Birmingham and Sophie Mays of Bloomfield. 3. Carol Friend of Detroit, Francoise Colpron and Robbie Reynolds of Bloomfield. 4. Linda Krupsky of Livonia and Marlene Martel of Bloomfield. 5. Jim Smallegan of Bloomfield and Suzanne Faber of Birmingham. 6. Mary Bagen of Bloomfield and Dr. Valorie Cheyne of Beverly Hills. 7. Lois Cohn of Birmingham, Janet McAuliffe of Beverly Hills, Amy Good of Detroit. 8. Kathy Richardson and Tracy Tener of Bloomfield.
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SOCIETY NOTEBOOK/GIGI NICHOLS
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Approximately 100 supporters of the Women’s Division Project HOPE attended the organization’s annual Luncheon and Boutique held at Orchard Lake Country Club. Guests enjoyed lunch and shopping at 15 unique boutique vendors. The event was co-chaired by Linda Juracek-Lipa and Contessa Bannon; boutique co-chairs included Sherry Saginaw and Tina Prevas. Project HOPE now staffs two naval hospital ships in 39 countries. The $9,200 in proceeds will benefit Project HOPE health initiatives around the globe. 1. Bonnie Foley and Patti Prowse of Bloomfield and Renee Godin of Farmington Hills. 2. Susan Willis-Reickert and Susan Oldani of Bloomfield. 3. Co-chairs Tina Prevas of Bloomfield, Linda Juracek-Lipa of Birmingham, Sherri Saginaw of Bloomfield and Contessa Bannon of Beverly Hills. 4. Ashley Gold and Patty Ghesquiere of Bloomfield. 5. Terri Murphy of Detroit and Kathy Petoskey of Bloomfield. 6. Wendy Jones of Rochester Hills and Barbara Roden of Bloomfield. 7. Joy Garber and Julie Stackpoole of Bloomfield. 8. Denise Winter, Cara Eichenlaub and Rebecca Schilling of Bloomfield.
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Kidney Ball
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Duane McLean and John Magee co-chaired the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan’s Kidney Ball at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center. Nearly 500 people attended the event which raised over $430,000 through a silent auction, donations and a live auction. The evening included dinner, dancing and heartfelt stories of courage from kidney patients. The mission of the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan is to prevent kidney disease and improve the quality of life for those living with it. 1. Myra Moreland of Birmingham, co-chair Duane McLean of Northville and Linda Smith-Wheelock of Canton. 2. Drs. Hem and Ramesh Mohindra of Bloomfield. 3. Dana and Matt Mowat of Bloomfield. 4. Grace Yount, Jason Crothers, Genevieve and Abraham Yount with Kidney Kid Honoree Jaxson Scott (center) of Ann Arbor. 5. Laurie Sall and Frank Venegas of Bingham Farms. 6. Kara and Brian Ziskie of Ortonville. 7. Andy and Laura Craig of Beverly Hills. 8. Alicia, Jeff, Morgan and Brady Chandler of Birmingham.
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GigiNichols@downtownpublications.com 248.515.6105
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Oakland County Bar Gala
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The Oakland County Bar Association held its annual celebratory Gala at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham. The evening offered festive music, plentiful hors d'oeuvres and cocktails. Throughout the year, the Oakland County Bar Association orchestrates several public service programs focused on providing low-income individuals better access to justice and on educating youth and the public on lawrelated issues. The Gala was co-chaired by Kari Melkonian and Jennifer Lord. 1. Lisa M. Neilson of Detroit, Linda S. Hallmark of Pontiac and Jeffrey Neilson of Bloomfield. 2. Emily Long, Clarence Dass and Layne Sakwa of Bloomfield. 3. Phil Phillips of Detroit, co-chair Jennifer Lord of W. Bloomfield and Donald Gasiorek of Novi. 4. Sarah Nirenberg of Huntington Woods and Thomas Davis of Rochester. 5. Board chair Dan Quick of Birmingham and Henry Nirenberg of Southfield. 6. Julie Kosovek of Rochester Hills, John Bliss of Bloomfield and Kimberly Matis of Oakland Twp. 7. Lisa Gorcyca of Troy, Julie McDonald of Bloomfield, Jacob Cunningham of Ferndale and Stuart Weiner of Franklin. 8. Kurt Schnelz of Bloomfield, Harvey Weingarden of W. Bloomfield and Kaveh Kashef of Grosse Pointe Shores.
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Christ Child Home Tour and Brunch Six hundred people attended this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual Christ Child Society of Detroitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Home Tour and Brunch. Participants had the opportunity to tour five beautiful homes in the area and partake in brunch and boutique shopping at Birmingham Country Club. The event was co- chaired by Julie Wells, Amy Gooch and Julie Hamaty. Funds raised benefited The Christ Child House as well as the Christ Child Layette and Literacy Programs. Proceeds totaled $46,000. 1. Sara Roman of Troy, Lisa Shepard and Lisa Stanczak of Bloomfield. 2. Tatum Schwartz of Birmingham, Chris Schwartz of Bloomfield and Cali Cosgrove of Birmingham. 3. Jill Barker and Karen Kearns of Bloomfield. 4. Co-chairs Julie Wells and Julie Hamaty of Birmingham. 5. Sherie Eschels of Bloomfield and Lisa Damman of Franklin. 6. Kelly Dinverno of Bloomfield, Cindy Kruse of Rochester Hills and Bernadette Cooper of Auburn Hills. 7. Rodney Wilson of Warren and Michelle Kelly of Bloomfield. 8. Janet Diaz,
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Carmen Fakhoury and Catherine Simasko of Bloomfield and Stefania Paiocco of Franklin.
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Cabaret 313 Salon
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Over 50 loyal donors of Cabaret 313 attended an intimate performance from Broadway husband and wife duo, Josh Young and Emily Pudgett. The gathering was hosted at the Bloomfield Hills home of Cabaret 313 co-founder, Allan Nachman and his wife Joy. The non-profit organization is dedicated to bringing the art form of cabaret to Detroit, while supporting and enhancing the increasing energy and vibrancy in the city. As part of its mission, Cabaret 313 also fosters the growth of the art form through master class educational programming. 1. Bruce Kridler of Bloomfield, President and Executive Director of Cabaret 313 Allan Nachman and Joy Nachman of Bloomfield, Sabrina Rosneck of Sterling Heights. 2. Ruthie and Marty Seltzer of Birmingham. 3. William Kupsky of Grosse Pointe Park, Linda Orlans and Gerry Padilla of Bloomfield and Ali Moiin of Grosse Pointe. 4. Drs. Conrad and Lynda Giles of Bloomfield. 5. Arnold Weingarden and Joanne Danto of Birmingham. 6. Paul Jacobs and Jim Stout of Royal Oak and Judy Elson of Bloomfield. 7. Doreen Hermelin of Birmingham and Bluma Schechter of Bloomfield. 8. Charlene Handelman and Linda Hayman of Bloomfield.
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Detroit Historical Society Ball Tom Buhl, Detroit Historical Society Chairman of the Board 2010-2019, was honored at the annual Detroit Historical Society Ball. The event was staged at the iconic State Savings Bank in Detroit. Attendees were treated to cocktails, seated dinner with entertainment provided by Sean Blackman in Transit. Event proceeds will support key educational initiatives in 2020, including the re-imagining of the Detroit Historical Museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cornerstone educational exhibit, Frontiers to Factories. The evening raised $230,000. 1. Michael Schostak, Lena Epstein and Margi Winkelman Epstein of Bloomfield. 2. Chip and Sarah McClure of Bloomfield. 3. Mark and Peggy Saffer of Bloomfield. 4. Maria and Terry Pryor of Beverly Hills. 5. Stuart Sherr of Bloomfield. 6. Annette and John Kolon of Bloomfield. 7. Larry and Nancy Bluth of Bloomfield.
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8. Andy Norman and Mary Culler of Birmingham and Bob and Mary Ann Bury of Grosse Pointe.
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GigiNichols@downtownpublications.com 248.515.6105
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Ronald McDonald House Charities Brunch
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This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Brunch was held at The Townsend Hotel in Birmingham. The event attracted over 80 supporters and was co-chaired by Charlene MitchellRodgers and Robert Reeves. Guests enjoyed boutique shopping, brunch and a special dance performance by 3-D Dance Company. Funds raised will support RMHC Detroit, which provides vital resources and compassionate care to children and their families being served by hospitals. 1. Leann Abbott of Troy and Vicki Abbott of Wolverine Lake. 2. Carole Berry of Washington Twp., Linda Bottger of Beverly Hills and Pat Bergen of Shelby Twp. 3. Sally Smith of Chesterfield, Kathryn Narlock of Rochester, Rose Marie Acord of Shelby Twp. and Lela Grant of Rochester Hills. 4. Executive Director Jennifer Litomisky of Pleasant Ridge and board chair Jenna Greenman of W. Bloomfield. 5. co-chairs Charlene Mitchell-Rodgers of W. Bloomfield and Robert Reaves of Detroit. 6. Patty Bochenek of Shelby Twp., Mike McCoy of Dearborn, Georgia Kingsley of St. Clair Shores, Mary Ellen Case of Dearborn and Erik Liefrinck of Detroit. 7. Kim Hanson of Clarkston, Rachel and Michael Hanson-Hervy of Lathrup Village and Marilyn Steinke of Macomb. 8. Emcee Carolyn Clifford of WXYZ.
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Sanctum House Voices of Hope Luncheon
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Sanctum House is a sanctuary for survivors of human trafficking and provides housing, therapy, job opportunities, education opportunities, and much more. The organization hosted its first Voices of Hope Luncheon at The Reserve in Birmingham. The event was emceed by Karen Drew of WDIV and attended by over 155 supporters. Guests at the event heard a survivorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s story and inspiring words from Sanctum House founder, Edee Franklin. Cathy Dillon was honored with the Spirit of Sanctum House Award. The event raised over $30,000. 1. Elaine Grohman of Farmington Hills and Julie McKee of Birmingham. 2. Barbara Ruskin of Bloomfield and Mary Stewart of Ann Arbor. 3. Executive Director Karen Moore of Farmington Hills and Gail Schultz of White Lake. 4. Emcee Karen Drew of Local 4 News and Sanctum House Founder Edee Franklin of Huntington Woods. 5. Alissandra Aronow of Birmingham and Kathy Barden of Brighton. 6. Shannon Brandt of Dearborn Heights and Edee Franklin of Huntington Woods. 7. Lynn Thompson of Farmington Hills, Marti Yaquanto of Livonia, Denise Dinan-Panico of Troy, Janet Dillon of Redford and Marybeth Dillon-Butler of Livonia. 8. Paige Stocchi-Forgette of Farmington, Honoree Cathy Dillon of Farmington, Tricia Donahue of Livonia, Laurie Dalziel of Livonia and Karen Moore of Farmington Hills.
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CARE House Preview Party
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In advance of the CARE House Circle of Friends Luncheon, Roz and Scott Jacobson hosted a private preview party dinner in their Bloomfield Hills home. Seventy-five people attended the party in support of CARE House â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an organization that has been a leading community resource in the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect in Oakland County. The elegant evening featured the sounds of Detroit crooner Ben Sharkey along with dinner catered by Tallulah of Birmingham. 1. Dan Geiger and Rachel Vanhulle of Bingham Farms and President and CEO Blythe Tyler of CARE House of Farmington. 2. Co-chair Anne Weiner and Steve Weiner of Bloomfield and Gwen Weiner of Franklin. 3. Dan Gilbert of Rochester Hills and Michelle Desmarais of Bloomfield. 4. Co-chair Anna Rea of Birmingham and Nicole Eisenberg of Bloomfield. 5. Nicole and Dan Cornwell of Bloomfield. 6. Maureen and Harry Cendrowski of Birmingham. 7. Jeffrey and David King of Birmingham and Danialle and Peter Karmanos of Bloomfield. 8. Roz Jacobson of Bloomfield and Todd Skog of Royal Oak.
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CARE House of Oakland presented its 24th annual Circle of Friends Luncheon at Townsend Hotel in Birmingham. The luncheon was chaired by Tracy Nystrom, Anna Rea and Anne Weiner and featured keynote speaker Rachael Denhollander, the first woman to publicly accuse former USA Gymnastics team doctor and MSU physician Larry Nassar of sexual abuse. The non-profit organization is dedicated to the safety of children through prevention, intervention and treatment of child abuse and neglect, as well as educating community members and empowering survivors. Over $120,000 was raised. 1. Vincent Giovanni of Bloomfield and Marla Feldman of Birmingham. 2. Co-chairs Anna Rea Birmingham and Anne Weiner of Bloomfield with CEO and President Blythe Tyler of Farmington (middle). 3. Dan Mergens of Milford, Whitney Weiner of Birmingham, Kathryn and Whitney Mergens of Milford. 4. Hannah Grant of Royal Oak and Jane Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Shea of Birmingham. 5. Leslie Luciani and Murry Pierce of Birmingham. 6. Karen Kazmer of Sterling Heights, Michelle Murphy of Macomb and Jennie Cascio of Bloomfield. 7. Andrea Baetens of St. Clair Shores and Denise Abrash of Bloomfield. 8. Elise Bratley, Kathy Abrash and Kathy Blank of Bloomfield and Jane Sowers of Franklin.
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BLOOMFIELD HILLS ESTATE - $1,700,000
GILBERT LAKE - $1,500,000
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PINE LAKE - $3,700,000
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MILFORD ESTATE - $899,000
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ENDNOTE
Our choices for the March ballot issues e fully recognize we are just one of many voice in the community when it comes to offering our opinions relative to elections, including the tax issues appearing on the presidential primary March ballot. But readers should know that we provide our endorsements after careful deliberation,
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conversations and meetings with principals involved, thorough reading of documents, including some received via Freedom of Information. For each issue, we took into account the specific community or issue, constituents, and how the millage would or would not affect their operations. Along with choices in the presidential primary, on Tuesday, March 10, voters in Bloomfield Township are asked to approve a renewal of a general operating millage of up to 1.3 mills to continue to fund general services, and those living in the Birmingham Public Schools district are being asked to approve a $195 million bond proposal to address facility needs and enhancements. In addition, all voters in Oakland County will be asked to renew a 10-year tax of .2 mills for the Oakland County Art Institute Autority millage to benefit the Detroit Institute of Arts. BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP Millage Renewal Request Bloomfield Township voters are being asked to renew a 10-year, general fund operating millage that generates about $5 million a year. In 2010, voters approved a 10-year, 1.3-mill property tax to fund all general operations in the township through 2019, with its final levy in December 2019. Bloomfield Township trustees unanimously approved language asking voters in the March 10, 2020 special presidential primary election to approve a reduced millage rate of up to 1.2401 mills for ten years, 2020-2029. It is a renewal of the previous millage, rolled back each year thanks to the Headlee Tax Limitation Amendment which says governments are held to the rate of inflation when property values rise. The ballot language reads: "Shall the millage previously authorized by electors in 2010 authorizing the Charter Township of Bloomfield to levy up to 1.3 mills as reduced by requiring millage rollbacks to a levy of 1.2401 mills in 2019.” Approval will simply retain the status quo and will not increase any taxes. A mill is equal to $1 in property tax per every $1,000 in taxable value, which is typically about half of a home's market value. Therefore, a home with a taxable value of $100,000 ($200,000 market value) would continue to pay $124 in taxes annually for the proposed millage renewal. The millage renewal is to be used for general operations of Bloomfield Township, including but not limited to police, fire, emergency medical services, department of public works, and all other functions and operations of the township. It is estimated the millage will generate approximately $5.1 million its first year if approved and levied. The first levy would be December 2020. While we are not fans of putting tax issues on
primary or presidential elections, when voter turnout is lower than for a November general election, this is a crucial millage renewal request. If trustees had waited until November to put it on the ballot and it was turned down, massive slashes to public services and operations would be necessitated – and even if approved on the November ballot, it would be too late to collect the millage on December tax bills unless Lansing lawmakers approve a temporary change in state law, which they have done in some past election years. Already, residents have been faced with the repercussions of over $4 million in cuts in the township after voters in August, 2019, rejected a 15-year, 2.3-mill Special Assessment District (SAD) proposal that would have generated $9 million per year dedicated to public safety operations, including retiree benefits. If approved, the township would have terminated the final year of the 10-year general fund millage, resulting in a net tax increase of 1.05 mills, but with its rejection, it is even more necessary that Bloomfield Township residents vote YES to maintain crucial township services. BIRMINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS Bond Proposal Those living in the Birmingham Schools district are being asked to support a School Improvement Bond Proposal to permit the district to borrow not more than $195 million over three series, and issue general obligation unlimited tax bonds to pay for brick and mortar improvements and enhancements. The bond cannot be used for staff salaries or general operating expenses. The annual debt millage is expected to remain at or below the annual debt millage of 3.8 mills levied in 2019, meaning there is not expected to be an increase in taxes for homeowners. The last time Birmingham Schools did a massive renovation of its buildings was in 2003. If voters pass the School Improvement Bond Proposal, the district will do main entrance and building updates at Groves High School; building renovations and a classroom addition at Bingham Farms Elementary; Pierce Elementary would get a new cafeteria and kitchen addition; Harlan Elementary, classroom additions; Birmingham Covington School, building updates and technology services infrastructure; BPS Annex addition and building improvements; bathroom improvements throughout the district; Midvale preschool and senior center would receive building additions and increased parking; purchase of buses; critical HVAC, roofing, plumbing and electrical improvements, and high school athletic fields, interior gym and athletic entryway enhancements. The plan was developed through strategic capital planning at the direction of the board of education in partnership with Plant Moran Cresa, with input from parents and staff along the way. Once again, this bond could have been put on the November ballot, but interest rates are more attractive now and delaying building projects
generally ends up with increased costs in materials and labor. Residents choose to live in the Birmingham School District because of its high standards and ratings. We recommend a YES vote to help maintain the district. DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS Millage Renewal Request We have to emphasize we are big fans and supporters of the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), and are grateful the dazzling and revered institution is in our greater community. However, that said, we are recommending voters turn down the request to renew the .2 mill on all taxable property located within Oakland County for a period of 10 years, from 2022 through 2031. It is estimated this millage renewal would generate $13.6 million in 2022, or about $26 million from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties combined. As we explained in December, before the Oakland County Art Institute Authority approved placing the millage renewal on the March ballot, for us it's more about the timing of the ask than the ask itself, although we have some questions and legitimate concerns about that as well. Anything short of November could rightly be called a “stealth election.” The DIA originally sought what was referred to as a “one-time” 10-year millage in August, 2012, in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties. We are not going to delve into the DIA's argument for coming back for another round of financing because we think there are some questions that need to be answered beyond the explanations we have heard to date. In 2012, the DIA had a $91 million endowment, and said they needed $300 million. Today, they're at $232 million – just $68 million shy of that goal. The DIA is coming back to voters – a move officials there had said they wouldn't – two years before they need to, at an election when there is lower turnout than at a general election. As an example, in the August 2018 primary, 34 percent of Oakland County voters turned out, while in November 2018, there was a 65 percent turnout. Similarly, in the 2016 presidential election year, 72 percent of voters showed at the polls in the November general election, while only 20 percent voted in August, and 40 percent in the March presidential primary. Voters should send the DIA a message and turn this down. That will assure that a larger percentage of voters will determine the fate of this request in November. In the interim, there needs to be a more detailed public discussion by officials at the DIA and Oakland's Art Institute Authority about this proposal, against the background that DIA officials say they now need $600 million for the endowment and the art institute budget has ballooned by 50 percent since this millage was first approved by voters. Once again, the DIA will not be hurt if this tax proposal fails in March. The current tax does not expire for two years. Vote NO and force the issue to a ballot that will involve more voters.
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SOLD OVER $152,000,000 IN 2019 VISIBLE RESULTS. CONSISTENT SUCCESS. 863 Ann Street, Birmingham $1,146,500 398 Argyle Street, Birmingham $407,500 222 Arlington Street, Birmingham $1,645,000 111 Baldwin Road, Birmingham $2,900,000 111 Baldwin Road, Birmingham $2,900,000 232 Baldwin Road, Birmingham $575,000 1611 Banbury Street, Birmingham $799,000 73 Barden Court, Bloomfield Hills $337,500 7580 Barnsbury Drive, West Bloomfield Twp $620,000 4950 Birchway Drive, Orchard Lake $3,250,000 4950 Birchway Drive, Orchard Lake $3,250,000 1284 Birmingham Boulevard, Birmingham $950,000 16321 Birwood Avenue, Beverly Hills Vlg $357,500 4241 Blain Island Road, Waterford Twp $1,105,000 525 Bloomfield Court, Birmingham $300,000 2942 Bloomfield Park, West Bloomfield Twp $480,000 $470,000 150 Brady Lane, Bloomfield Hills $1,130,615 1 3515 Brookside Drive, Bloomfield Twp $1,100,000 $470,000 $470,000 Burns Street, Detroit $470,000 1 2405 1 $470,000 1417 Butternut Avenue, Royal Oak $219,000 1 26005 Carol Avenue, Franklin Vlg $885,000 567 Catalpa Drive, Birmingham $850,000 1245 Cedar Drive, Birmingham $522,500 1360 Cedar Bend Drive, Bloomfield Twp $388,160 1360 Cedar Bend Drive, Bloomfield Twp $388,160 1918 Central Street, Ferndale $377,500 609 Chase Lane, Bloomfield Hills $2,000,000 609 Chase Lane, Bloomfield Hills $2,000,000 31338 W Chelton Drive, Beverly Hills Vlg $515,000 3420 Chester Road, Royal Oak $415,000 444 Chester Street, Birmingham $2,100 444 Chester Street, Birmingham $2,100 599 Chester Street, Birmingham $1,190,000 1252 Chesterfield Avenue, Birmingham $2,995,000 340 Chesterfield Road, Bloomfield Hills $2,200,000 2294 Chestnut Drive, Bloomfield Hills $820,000 1192 Cole Street, Birmingham $619,000 7110 Colony Drive, West Bloomfield Twp $420,000 25350 Dennison Road, Franklin Vlg $1,000,000 25350 Dennison Road, Franklin Vlg $1,000,000 6568 Donegan Court, Bloomfield Twp $665,000 2950 Eastways Road, Bloomfield Twp $995,000
6921 Ellinwood Drive, White Lake Twp 3524 Ellwood Avenue, Berkley 21390 Equestrian Trail, Novi 2255 Fairway Drive, Birmingham 691 W Frank Street, Birmingham 25445 Franklin Park Drive, Franklin Vlg 841 N Glengarry Road, Bloomfield Twp 584 N Glenhurst Drive, Birmingham 655 S Glenhurst Drive, Birmingham 4113 Golf Ridge Drive, Bloomfield Twp 8564 8 Golfside Drive, Commerce Twp 388 Greenwood Street, Birmingham 728 8 Hanna Street, Birmingham 893 Hazel Street, Birmingham 8 1407 Holland Street, Birmingham 2 2265 Hunt Club Drive, Bloomfield Hills 2867 2 1 Hunters Way, Bloomfield Twp 2432 Inglehill Point, Bloomfield Twp 2 1200 1 Keelson Drive, Detroit 125 W Kenilworth Avenue, Royal Oak 1 2 2175 N Lake Angelus Road W, Lake Angelus 2006 Lake Park Drive, Birmingham 200 Lake Park Drive, Birmingham 5619 Lakeview Avenue, Birmingham 5780 Lakeview Avenue, Orchard Lake 479 9 Larchlea Drive, Birmingham 9394 Larchlea Drive, Birmingham 9 1221 Latham Street, Birmingham 4066 Lincoln Road, Bloomfield Twp 1624 Lochridge Road, Bloomfield Twp 7405 Locklin, West Bloomfield Twp 5065 Lone Pine Lane, Bloomfield Twp 460 Martell Drive, Bloomfield Hills 3 1119 Mclean Avenue, Royal Oak 3 3222 Middlebelt Road, West Bloomfield Twp 3 3222 Middlebelt Road, West Bloomfield Twp 5564 Millpointe Drive, Waterford Twp 1620 Northlawn Boulevard, Birmingham 1625 Northlawn Boulevard, Bloomfield Twp 1625 Northlawn Boulevard, Bloomfield Twp 4811 Old Orchard Trail, Orchard Lake 4524 Orchard Trail Court, Orchard Lake
$355,000 4524 Orchard Trail Court, Orchard Lake $490,000 3651 Rosewood Lane, Rochester Hills $1,177,100 1541 Scenic Hollow Drive, Rochester Hills $1,325,000 1040 Parkway Trail, Bloomfield Twp $884,500 1160 Pembroke Drive, Bloomfield Hills $1,150,000 1160 Pembroke Drive, Bloomfield Hills $4,270,000 180 Pierce Street, Birmingham $1,400,000 732 Pierce Street, Birmingham 7 $870,000 172 7 Pleasant Street, Birmingham $707,500 736 $2,050,000 77 Pleasant Street, Birmingham 7 $1,375,000 736 77 Pleasant Street, Birmingham $1,780,000 760 $2,050,000 77 Pleasant Street, Birmingham 3 Porteous Drive, Orion Twp $2,050,000 709 $2,050,000 7 $925,000 34468 Quaker Valley Road, Farmington Hills $635,000 $605,000 1855 Rathmor Road, Bloomfield Hills $455,000 1855 Rathmor Road, Bloomfield Hills $635,000 $608,000 $635,000 3 Redding Road, Birmingham 1840 $635,000 $485,000 $608,000 3067 Ridgemont Street, Commerce Twp $608,000 $608,000 252 Shirley Road, Birmingham $608,000 $2,500,000 $215,300 3463 W Shore Drive, Orchard Lake $2,500,000 $1,290,000 3463 W Shore Drive, Orchard Lake $2,500,000 883 9 Smith Avenue, Birmingham 1 $2,500,000 997 Stratford Place, Bloomfield Hills $560,000 $560,000 1045 Suffield Avenue, Birmingham 1 1 $1,800,000 1110 Timberlake Drive, Bloomfield Twp $1,813,000 1 $1,813,000 $545,000 1110 Timberlake Drive, Bloomfield Twp $1,813,000 $1,899,000 1724 Timson Lane, Bloomfield Twp $545,000 464 Townsend Street, Birmingham 2 $370,000 2716 Turtle Ridge, Bloomfield Twp 7 $1,300,000 2641 Turtle Shores, Bloomfield Twp 2 77 $1,175,000 7843 Van Dyke Pl, Detroit 272 $1,150,000 219 S Vermont Avenue, Royal Oak $212,500 2 $2,050,000 1307 Webster Street, Birmingham $212,500 9 $212,500 32845 Whatley Road, Franklin Vlg 9 $212,500 1 $2,875,000 925 N Wilson Avenue, Royal Oak 9 $2,875,000 13356 Winchester Ave, Huntington Woods $236,450 5150 Winlane Drive, Bloomfield Twp $1,520,000 2991 Woodcreek Way, Bloomfield Twp $690,550 3075 Woodcreek Way, Bloomfield Twp 3 $690,550 8335 Woods Edge, White Lake Twp $2,500,000 31265 Woodside, Franklin Vlg 8 $1,500,000 885 N Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham 8
$1,500,000 $1,660,000 $1,200,000 $646,765 $2,700,000 $2,700,000 $3,750,000 $369,000 $850,000 $369,000 $369,000 $805,000 $369,000 $36,943 $805,000 $36,943 $805,000 $36,943 $805,000 $36,943 $328,500 $805,000 $805,000 $328,500 $290,000 $3,500,000 $1,300,000 $3,500,000 $1,300,000 $1,130,000 $865,000 $2,295,000 $2,295,000 $640,000 $640,000 $1,080,000 $497,500 $1,080,000 $1,080,000 $1,080,000 $1,080,000 $855,000 $855,000 $360,000 $4,600,000 $900,000 $920,000 $4,600,000 $420,000 $920,000 $920,000 $920,000 $420,000 $420,000 $920,000 $420,000 $420,000 $469,000 $2,800,000 $735,000 $2,800,000$199,900 $2,800,000 $2,800,000 $199,900 $330,000 $1,268,500 $630,000 $685,000 $355,000 $355,000 $1,200,000 $1,200,000 $1,200,000 $260,000
K AT H Y B RO O C K
M ICHIGAN â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S #1 R EALTOR | T EN C ONSECUTIVE Y EARS
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2 275 S Old Woodward, Birmingham, MI 48009