Birmingham/Bloomfield

ENDNOTE: VOTE NO ON BIRMINGHAM CHARTER CHANGE QUESTION

PROTECTING SCHOOL ATHLETES CERTIFIED TRAINERS AVAILABLE AT MOST COUNTY SCHOOLS TO FOCUS ON PLAYERS THE INTERVIEW: OAKLAND COUNTY POLITICAL PARTY LEADERS POLICE RECORDS: HOW THE MEDIA FARES WITH ACCESS ECRWSS Postal Customer EDDM

J. MARCH: FOREST IN BIRMINGHAM • FRONT/BACK: PAGE 96

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ROYAL OAK, MI 48068 PERMIT #792

26

DOWNTOWN02.16

22

The role of the high school athletic trainer Certified athletic trainers have become an integral part of high school athletic programs to both maximize student athleticism and and prevent student injuries.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

14

The state's handling of both the toxic water problem in Flint and likely new permits allowing increased pollutants in the air from a Marathon Petroleum plant in southwest Detroit should be a wake up call on long-running environmental injustice in Michigan.

CRIME LOCATOR

19

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

MUNICIPAL

69

Baldwin ethics question dismissed; Cosi leaving Birmingham; Bloomfield treasurer appeals to keep lawsuit complaint alive; bistro applicant drops out; long-range planning for Birmingham; plus more.

FRONT/BACK

96

The latest on what’s happening in the front and the back of the house in metro Detroit area restaurants with a series of short takes on the latest news and gossip for the industry.

AT THE TABLE

99

Our reviewer returns to Forest, now under new ownership, but finds that execution is still a problem when it comes to what she concedes is a talented chef, Nick Janutol.

THE COVER An iconic street scene in downtown Birmingham at the intersection of Merrill Street and S. Old Woodward.

Downtown photo.

Jeff & Matt Barker From generation to generation our commitment to exceed your expectations continues.

Our experience of having sold over 900 homes is your greatest advantage.

A selection of the streets we have sold homes on: Abbey St., Birmingham Alexander Dr., Bloomfield Twp Apple Ln., Bloomfield Twp Arlington St., Birmingham Ayrshire Rd., Bloomfield Twp Baldwin Rd., Birmingham Banbury Cir., Hills of Lone Pine Bates St., Birmingham Bent Tree Trl., Bloomfield Twp Bird Ave., Birmingham Bloomfield Ct., Birmingham Bloomfield Cross., Bloomfield Twp Bloomfield Knoll, Bloomfield Twp Blue Heron Ct., Upper Long Lake Boulder Ln., Bloomfield Hills Brafferton Dr., Bloomfield Twp Breer Ct., Bloomfield Twp Brent Tree Trail, Bloomfield Twp Brookside Dr., Bloomfield Twp Brown St., Birmingham Burnham Rd., Bloomfield Twp Catalpa Dr., Birmingham Cedar Dr., Birmingham Cederholm Rd., Bloomfield Twp Chapin Ave., Birmingham Chelsea Ln., Bloomfield Twp Chesterfield Ave., Birmingham Chestnut Run Dr., Bloomfield Twp Chewton Cross, Bloomfield Twp Circle Ct., Bloomfield Twp Club Dr., Forest Lake Cragin Dr., Bloomfield Twp Cranbrook Ct., Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Cross., Bloomfield Twp Cranbrook Rd, Bloomfield Twp Denbar Rd., Bloomfield Hills Derby Rd., Birmingham Donegal Ct., Bloomfield Twp Dowling Rd., Bloomfield Twp Duval Ct., Bloomfield Twp

East Valley Rd., Bloomfield Hills Echo Rd., Bloomfield Twp Emmons Ave., Birmingham Fairfax St., Birmingham Forman Dr., Bloomfield Twp Franklin Rd., Bloomfield Twp Glengarry Rd., Bloomfield Twp Glenhurst Dr., Birmingham Greensted Way, Hills of Lone Pine Guilford Rd., Bloomfield Hills Hartford Ct., Bloomfield Twp Hazel St., Birmingham Henrietta St., Birmingham Heron Place, Heron Bay Heronwood, Heron Woods Hidden Lake Dr., Bloomfield Twp Hillside Dr., Birmingham Humphrey Ave., Birmingham Indian Mound, Bloomfield Twp Indianwood Trl., Bloomfield Twp Kellen Ln., Bloomfield Twp Kenwood Ct., Birmingham Kingsley Manor Ct., Bloomfield Hills Lahser Rd., Bloomfield Hills Lake Park Dr., Birmingham Lakeside Dr., Birmingham Leyland Ct., Bloomfield Twp Lindenmere Dr., Bloomfield Twp Lincoln St., Birmingham Lone Pine Ct., Bloomfield Hills Long Pointe Dr., Upper Long Lake Longmeadow Rd., Bloomfield Twp Malibu Dr., Bloomfield Twp Martell Rd., Bloomfield Hills Meadowlake Rd., Bloomfield Twp Meadowlane Dr., Bloomfield Twp Merrill St., Birmingham Midmoor Rd., Bloomfield Twp Morningview Terr., Bloomfield Twp Nantucket Dr., Bloomfield Hills

Norminister End., Hills of Lone Pine Oakland Dr., Bloomfield Twp Orange Lake Dr., Bloomfield Twp Pembury Ln., Bloomfield Twp Pierce St., Birmingham Pine Ridge Ct., Bloomfield Twp Pine Ridge Ln., Bloomfield Twp Pineway Cir., Bloomfield Twp Provincial Dr., Bloomfield Twp Purdy St., Birmingham Raven Rd., Bloomfield Twp Rudgate Rd., Bloomfield Hills Ruffler Ave., Birmingham Saint Johns Ct., Bloomfield Twp Satterlee Rd., Bloomfield Twp Sheffield Rd., Birmingham Shellmarr Ln., Bloomfield Twp Stanley Blvd., Birmingham Stoneleigh Rd., Bloomfield Twp Stony River Dr., Bloomfield Twp Stuyvesant Rd., Bloomfield Twp Sunningdale Dr., Bloomfield Twp Sutters Ln, Bloomfield Twp Sycamore Ct., Bloomfield Twp Townsend St., Birmingham Tuckaway Dr., Bloomfield Twp Valley Spring, Bloomfield Twp Wabeek Lake Dr., Bloomfield Twp Watkins St., Birmingham Water Cliff Dr., Bloomfield Twp Westlake Ct., Wabeek Lake Westman Ct., Bloomfield Twp Wimbelton Ct., Birmingham Windermere Rd., Birmingham Wing Lake Rd., Bloomfield Twp Wishbone Dr., Bloomfield Hills Woodlands Trl., Bloomfield Twp Woodcreek Way, Bloomfield Twp Woodway Ct., Bloomfield Twp Yarboro Dr., Bloomfield Hills

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25310 Canterbury Rd, Franklin Vlg Don Paul Young Design 5 BR, 5.1 BA, 4,385 SF, 1.6 Acres Birmingham Schools $749,900 or $4,750/Month Lease

26795 Captains Ln, Franklin Village 3 BR, 3 BA, 3,868 SF, 1.4 Acres Walkout LL, Birmingham Schools $725,000

26900 Crestwood Dr, Franklin Village Vacant Lot. 1.4 Private, Wooded Acres Birmingham Schools $599,900

18321 Saxon Dr, Beverly Hills 4 BR, 2 BA, 1,742 SF, 2 Car Att. Gar Birmingham Schools $369,900

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Trust our proven track record of consistent results and ethical reputation for your real estate transactions. www.jeffbarkerhomes.com ! 275 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham 48009

34

Oakland County political party chiefs The heads of the Oakland Republican and Democratic parties talk about changing political trends in the county, and the role of the party this year.

51 Access to police information The methods of disbursing public safety information have changed, as have the means by which the news media gather material for stories.

20

Shawn Ley

THE COMMUNITY HOUSE

101

The Community House is charting a course to bring some fun events back and President and CEO William Seklar announces the first annual SIP vent, blending fine cuisine with craft cocktails.

SOCIAL LIGHTS

103

Society reporter Sally Gerak provides the latest news from the society and nonprofit circuit as she covers recent major events.

ENDNOTE

114

We tell Birmingham residents why they must vote NO on the proposed amendment to the city charter in March and how Birmingham must help minimize the impact on the business community from planned road projects.

FACES

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Shawn Ley Alicia Stillman Joris Soeding Ziggy Klett Liz Cohen Chris Nordman Pattie Breen

PUBLISHER David Hohendorf NEWS EDITOR Lisa Brody NEWS STAFF/CONTRIBUTORS Allison Batdorff | Rachel Bechard | Hillary Brody Katie Deska | Kevin Elliott | Sally Gerak | Austen Hohendorf J. March | Kathleen Meisner | Bill Seklar PHOTOGRAPHY/CONTRIBUTORS Jean Lannen | Laurie Tennent Laurie Tennent Studio VIDEO PRODUCTION/CONTRIBUTOR Garrett Hohendorf Giant Slayer 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 downtown Birmingham.

For those not receiving a free mail copy, paid subscriptions are available for a $12 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.

WEBSITE downtownpublications.com

FACEBOOK facebook.com/downtownpublications TWITTER twitter.com/downtownpubs

Member of Downtown Publications DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM/BLOOMFIELD DOWNTOWN ROCHESTER/ROCHESTER HILLS

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FROM THE PUBLISHER risis of confidence. That probably captures best what many in the state of Michigan are experiencing as we watch the drama unfolding around the tainted water controversy in Flint.

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We all know some of the basic elements in this saga. A major city, economically distressed as the automotive industry downsized locally, with a minority population, under the management of a financial manager appointed by the administration of Gov. Rick Snyder.

I say “basic elements” because we are just getting our first look at the facts of how some of the residents of Flint ended up with lead-contaminated water coming out of their faucets. Although we don't know all the facts, we do know that the city, in April of 2014, with approval from Lansing, pulled out of the Detroit water system and opted to use the Flint River as its water source while awaiting completion of a new water system. The move was intended to save Flint millions of dollars in the interim.

We know that complaints from residents were raised about discolored, smelly water shortly after the switch from getting drinking water from Lake Huron. We also know that as early as last summer, some in the Snyder administration raised questions with both the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the state Health Department, but were assured by both departments that there was no problem with the quality of the water. We also know that the federal Environmental Protection Agency raised concerns in the spring of 2015 about the importance of corrosion controls that would mitigate lead leaching from pipes into the drinking water.

And we have learned in recent days, from the former Snyder chief of staff and e-mails that were released by the governor right at press time for this issue, that dating back to last September the governor knew there was a potential problem, brought to light by water quality testing in August that showed dangerous levels of lead in the drinking water.

No one is sure, until further testing takes place, how widespread the problem is but we do know that state officials failed to make sure that anti-corrosion chemicals were added to the water supply once the switch was made to prevent older lead delivery pipes from causing a health problem in Flint.

And now we have a more concerted response of the state attempting to supply bottled water, faucet filters, and expanded testing for the residents of Flint, months after the governor's office was made aware of the problem and many months after both the

health department and DEQ were made aware of a potentially serious problem.

We can probably thank the national attention on the Flint situation for forcing a more focused response than state officials had shown up until now.

I am not willing to write the Flint situation off like one former Republican lawmaker, Bill Ballenger, did on a news program when the issue finally hit the fan in mid-January. Ballenger, who in recent years has developed a reputation for being one of the more knowledgeable pundits (think Inside Michigan Politics newsletter), labeled media coverage of the Flint mess as “vastly overblown” and the problem “so miniscule.”

Instead, I think what we are seeing from this administration is an attitude, almost endemic, in the DEQ where environmental justice may well be influenced by race and economic class.

Sorry, but I can't help but think that a white, affluent suburban community would not have to wait five months for a response on elevated blood-lead levels in drinking water.

Let's also remember that this is the same DEQ that just earlier this year wrote to officials at Marathon Petroleum in southwest Detroit that they were inclined to approve a permit application that would allow higher rates of sulfur dioxide and other pollutants into the air in zip code 48217, already considered the most polluted area of the state. Pollution in this case, on many mornings, shows up as a white dust or film on personal property of the minority residents surrounding the crude oil and tar sands oil processing plant in southwest Detroit, an area that boasts one of the higher rates of cancer and asthma in southeast Michigan.

The same DEQ that made light of the initial complaints in the Flint fiasco has basically decided that the added particulates to be sent into the air around the Marathon plant (and if the winds move in the right direction, into parts of Oakland County and beyond) don't “violate (DEQ) rules or national air quality standards.”

When the state or federal investigations into the Flint tainted water situation are finished, someone should be reviewing the track record of the DEQ and what has all the appearances of a department where environmental policy decisions – consciously or not – are influenced by class and race or whether the impacted population has the requisite political muscle to successfully challenge the Lansing decision-makers. It's long overdue.

David Hohendorf Publisher DavidHohendorf@downtownpublications.com

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02.16

INCOMING When it’s an emergency... does your child have a Beaumont doctor?

Maple Road charter vote As former mayors of Birmingham, we want to share our collective thoughts on the inappropriateness of amending the City Charter to address an administrative issue, like Maple Road restriping, and urge that voters reject the proposed charter amendment in the March 8 election.

The preamble of the Birmingham City Charter reads: “We, the people of the City of Birmingham, County of Oakland and State of Michigan, pursuant to the authority granted by the Constitution and the Statutes of the State of Michigan, do hereby ordain and establish this Charter for the City of Birmingham.” Our charter spells out the powers of city government, its organization, how it is financed, how elections are held, how taxes are collected and what are its basic responsibilities. Since adoption in 1933, our charter has rarely been before the voters (only 30 times in 83 years!), most recently to reflect changes in state election law.

Does this sound like a place to address how to paint lines on a road? We think not.

Regardless of your position on Maple Road, you should be concerned when special interest groups attempt to hijack our charter for purely political purposes. The proposed charter amendment on the March ballot does exactly that. It proposes to take away authority from the elected city commission by mandating how the lines on Maple Road are to be painted in perpetuity.

Again, regardless of your feelings on the issue, this is a patently absurd way to address it. Why? Because four votes from the elected City Commission are all that is required to determine how Maple Road (or any other) is to be designed. Why on earth would anyone think that changing the charter was an appropriate way to address this issue?

The city of Birmingham is a representative democracy where the voters elect people to make informed, thoughtful and intelligent decisions on a wide variety of issues that impact our daily lives. Last November, we elected a majority of new city commissioners who have no equity in previous decisions on Maple Road. These people, along downtownpublications.com

SPEAK OUT

Childhood emergencies never seem to happen between nine and five. That’s why we offer specialized Pediatric Emergency Care at the Beaumont hospitals in Royal Oak and Troy – 24/7.

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

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

with the three incumbent commissioners, are committed to making a final decision on Maple Road this spring only after all the data from the trial period is available. Let them do the job they were elected to do.

If you want Maple Road to be four lanes, call your commissioners. If you want Maple Road three lanes, call your commissioners. In either case, don’t mess with the charter – Vote NO on March 8.

Tom McDaniel George Dilgard Scott Moore Gordon Rinschler

And if your child needs to be admitted to the hospital, you’ll be right where you want to be.

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Publisher’s column I really enjoy reading David Hohendorf’s column/editorial each month. His point of view and insight are both appreciated.

Continue bringing us stories and editorials like you've been doing.

Tony Gallucci Bloomfield Village

Artificial turf story Katie Deska's article on artificial turf (Downtown/December) was interesting.

She surely must know that a leading producer and installer of artificial turf is based in Rochester.

Unless I missed it somewhere in the text, there was no comment from AstroTurf or General Sports. I would have expected an otherwise excellent article to have provided an opportunity for the manufacturer to comment.

P. Lewis Oakland Township DOWNTOWN

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MAX BROOCK BIRMINGHAM... ADVANTAGE YOUR SALE 2200

2000

1800

Market Share**

38% 1720

1600

1400

2015

1200

19%

1000

925 800

18% 868

15% 707

12%

600

570 400

200

0

MAX BROOCK BIRMINGHAM Market share: 38% Total: $619,572,560

HALL & HUNTER

Market Share: 19% Total: $453,053,571

COLDWELL BANKER WEIR MANUAL - BIRM

Market Share: 18% Total: $302,215,103

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HWWB

Market share: 15% Total: $224,029,447

SIGNATURE SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY

Market share: 12% Total: $242,373,898

TOTAL HOMES SOLD IN OAKLAND COUNTY*

275 S Old Woodward Ave, Birmingham

*All data gathered from Brokermetrics for units sold for the last 12 months as of 1/8/16. **Respective market share for the 5 companies listed in graph.

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 January 15, 2016.

Placement of codes is approximate.

FACES

Shawn Ley elevision news reporter Shawn Ley was introduced to the world of broadcast news when he was just four years old.

Today, he and his wife, Sandra Ali, work opposite schedules at WDIV-Channel 4 while raising their children in Birmingham.

Raised in Dayton, Ohio, Ley got his first glimpse of a television studio in his hometown well before starting his professional career.

"My dad did a radio show there, and as a kid – like four-years old – I went and checked things out. There was a TV station attached. I watched them do the news in the studio. I always wanted to get into journalism in some form or fashion."

Ley attended Dayton University and landed a part-time job writing news. Twenty-seven years later, his work has taken him around the globe, covering wars, reporting from an F-16 fighter jet, and has earned him multiple Emmy awards. Today, Ley can be seen on WDIV's Local 4 News Morning, Local 4 News at Noon & Local 4 News starting at 5 p.m.

While his career has led Ley to move several times, it was during a one-year stint in Detroit that Ley met Ali while working at WDIV. The couple ended up moving to Cincinnati before returning to Detroit in 2010. “The best place is Detroit," he said. "Everything we do here is the most rewarding because so much is happening here. It's the most exciting city to do journalism.

"I've never thought about doing anything else. It's what I always wanted to do," he said. "My role is to write news every day. Breaking news, wherever it is in the area, and also to find investigative stories and dig those up and present them every day. On Saturday and Sunday, I anchor the news in the morning, which is a totally different way of covering the news."

In the field, Ley said he has become more involved with the subjects he covers. It's a process, he said, that makes him a better journalist.

"I get more involved as the years go by because I really care about the stories we cover. I care about the people I'm meeting with every day. People are trusting me with their stories and their facts and what happened to them," he said. "I keep in touch far more with people, and it makes you a better journalist. There's a lot more connection with their lives and what happened. When people are in need or have gone through a tragedy, there are more ways to help them."

In addition to the efforts he makes with sources in the field, Ley said social media has changed the way he connects with people.

"I'm a verified Twitter user," he said. "I can directly connect with people that follow me and give them realtime news. It's a great help every day."

But for all the effort he puts into his work, Ley said his true career is now being a father to his children, ages six and three.

"Being a father is the best," he said. "I get to walk my son to school almost every day. It's a beautiful walk at the end of summer and in the fall. I take my daughter to preschool most days. We walk to downtown (Birmingham), we walk to the park and enjoy the neighbors. Time off is family time and being together."

T

Story: Kevin Elliott

Photo: Jean Lannen

T

raining a student athlete, such as a football player, in the old days, consisted of heading to the school's weight room and pumping iron to the coach's specifications. But not anymore. Today, athletic training is a specialized field, the result of a fouryear college degree, national certification and state licensing. As both a move to prevent injuries and an effort to rehabilitate athletes, many local public and private schools have added certified athletic trainers to their athletic departments.

Like rare prized orchids, student athletes are treated very carefully, with many schools' fears of concussions, ACL tears, and other injuries now front and center.

Athletic trainers are different from both coaches and physical therapists, educated and trained in injury and illness prevention and strategies which focus on optimizing a student athlete's quality of life, not only while they are in high school, but over the long term.

Today, they are considered both health care professionals and part of the athletic department, a bridge that ties the two together to maximize a student's athleticism while protecting their minds and bodies. Hiring athletic trainers can also provide protection for a district against liability if the student is injured.

“About 37 percent of high schools have athletic trainers available to athletes for practices and competitions, and about 60 percent don't have anyone available if a student has an injury or problem,” said Steve Broglio, professor of athletic training in the School of Kinesiology at University of Michigan, who has been certified as an athletic trainer for the last 15 years. “Some coaches, if we're lucky, are CPR-trained. But it's not their job. Their job is to coach their teams. Trainers work to prevent injuries, like to the ACL, heat stroke, lacerations, cervical spine injuries and concussions. It's a frontline defense against these injuries, especially in contact sports like football, ice hockey, lacrosse, and cheerleading.”

PROTECTING STUDENT ATHLETES ATHLETIC TRAINERS IN HIGH SCHOOLS

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442 S. Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, MI 48009

In Oakland County, many schools either have an athletic trainer on staff, or have contracted with a health care system which provides a trainer directly to the school. The National Federation of High School Athletics (NFHS) chooses not to take a position on the matter. “We leave that in all of our 51 member state agencies,” said Bob Colgate of NFHS. “Some schools may not have the money for a certified athletic trainer, but we ask if they have an emergency action plan.

Most use a combination of certified athletic trainers and health professionals. We recommend that all schools have an emergency action plan that is going to get coaches, the administration and athletes involved.”

He said they have e-mailed a copy of their recommendations, which include the athletic director's responsibility, what the in-person coach should do, what the online coach advisor and trainer should do, what an event coach and trainer should do, and set up protocols for events, to every high school in the country. “It's very general, but it's very well done,” Colgate said.

Y

our student athlete, if they attend West Bloomfield High School, Bloomfield Hills High School, or Groves High School in Birmingham, and they have a sports injury, or suffer heat stroke during two-a-days in football practice, the first person taking care of them will likely be the athletic trainer hired by the school's athletic director. But, if your child attends Seaholm High School in Birmingham, and he or she suffers a sprained ankle or torn ACL, there isn't an employed or contracted athletic trainer, but rather, a personal first responder, a man who has been with the school since 1982, “with many similar duties,” said athletic director Aaron Frank, yet lacks the skills and accreditation.

A certified medical first responder is a person who has completed a course and received certification in providing prehospital care for medical emergencies beyond basic first aid and CPR, but is not trained for more advanced medical care.

“The first thing we always do if anything is questionable is dial 911,” said Frank.

“We're fortunate that we rarely don't have a physician in the stands because of our parents.”

“What happens in the time between calling 911 and their arrival? What do you do when a kid is in serious pain?” asked a Birmingham resident who had a child who used to attend Seaholm. “There can be longterm ratifications. What happens when they

travel? Are these coaches supposed to be trained in being first responders when kids get hurt? This man is certified at the lowest level. Kids are faster and bigger than ever.

Girls play just as much, and just as hard as boys.”

Bill Watson, Seaholm's first responder, graduated from Seaholm in 1977, and Western Michigan University with a physical education degree in 1983, according to his LinkedIn profile. Frank asserts that Watson predates athletic training certification.

However, the Michigan legislature passed a law, Public Act 368 of the Public Health Code, determining licensing requirements and creating the continuing education rules in 1978, when Watson was still in college.

“There is a specific scope of work that is appropriate for his limitations as a state medical first responder by state licensure,” Frank said. “He doesn't do any medical procedures, or any evaluations within the scope of a medical trainer.” Frank said Watson works in consultation with a sports medicine practice that works with the school, immediately sending them students when there are any concerns.

“Ultimately, it's the coach's decision,” on when to put a student back in, other than with concussion protocol, which Watson is trained in, along with all athletic department staff, which is now a requirement codified in state law. “We're not going to override what a physician says,” Frank said. “Whatever we have in writing is the gold standard.”

A Bloomfield Township parent with two children at Seaholm, including a senior daughter who plays varsity volleyball, and will play college volleyball, was appalled to learn Watson is not a certified trainer. “We're all under the assumption he's the trainer.

They've introduced him as the trainer, and the kids all call him the trainer. The coaches refer to him as the trainer,” the woman said, who asked to not have her name used as she has a younger student playing contact sports at the school. “We've never been told he's a first responder. My daughter sees (Watson) before every game and every practice to have her hand wrapped. My daughter feels the trainers at other schools during tournaments at other schools are much better. Often, the girls are hoping he's not at a game, and that another trainer will be there.

“As a parent, it makes me concerned,” she continued. “I would think most people think he's a trainer. He's dealing with football players.”

Groves, under athletic director Tom Flynn, has a full-time athletic trainer, Kelly Salter, working with their students. Flynn did not return repeated calls for comment.

“Kelly is wonderful, and Tom is a former trainer,” said John Johnson of the Michigan High School Athletic Association. “It's one of our best testing schools for us.”

“Groves has gone through three or four trainers. Kelly Salter is very, very good,” Frank said. “The person we have here is respected by our physicians, and he also helps out with lots of other jobs, like filling the water jugs, repairing equipment. There's so many other issues to the jobs. And kids love him. They follow him on Twitter. I'm sure when Bill retires, we'll post for a full time athletic trainer or go through a health care system.”

B

ut Frank is not ready to do that now, and it's not a requirement for the Michigan High School Athletic Association. “We don't mandate, because we don't force funding,” Johnson said. “We can have requirements, but schools that don’t adopt the requirements can participate in our tournaments. In a perfect world, we'd like every school to have a trainer, but it's not going to happen because of financial realities. It's a staff person. You're talking about a personnel issue.”

Rochester Community Schools contracts three athletic trainers through Crittenton Hospital, one for each of their three high schools, who each work full-time at the school, providing 1,400 hours for the entire school year. Chelsey Bonney arrives at Rochester Adams High School each school day between 1 and 2 p.m., and works until 7 to 10 p.m., depending upon games and practices. Saturdays she is also on as well.

She works on hundreds of athletes each day, depending upon the season.

“After school, I know I will tape for athletes who have practices or games. After that I will do evaluations for injuries that are not emergency,” she said. “Then, after that, if anyone has rehab, I will go over that, unless there's a game to go to. After that, there's a lot of parent phone calls to return.”

Bonney is a licensed athletic trainer in Michigan, having received her bachelor's degree from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids in athletic training and pre-physical therapy.

Rochester High School and Stoney Creek High School each have a dedicated athletic trainer also employed by Crittenton.

Farmington Schools contracts through University of Michigan MedSport, employing four athletic trainers. “We have one trainer at each school and one float,” along with occasional students from universities doing their internships, said Jamie Franklin, one of the trainers, who said they average about 25 hours a week at the high school. All of the

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trainers are college educated and BOC certified and licensed. “We cover all home athletic events, away varsity football, and then practices as hours allow.”

“We are always at games that are considered contact sports, but also at games that are not considered contact,” added Kristi Lewis-Keatts, another Farmington trainer.

“Many days, especially in the spring and fall, there are multiple games going on, we are onsite, but have to determine which sport has the highest risk of injury. That is typically what takes priority.”

Lewis-Keatts said the scope of their daily responsibilities “range from lacerations and other wounds that may or may not need stitches, to fractures of many different types, to ligaments sprains, muscle strains, tendonitis, concussions, heat illness, unknown heart conditions, the list goes on.

We're typically involved in rehabbing athletes.

Sometimes they go to physical therapy first, and sometimes we are instructed by an MD on what they want us to work with the athlete. Sometimes they just need strengthening in order to stay injury-free.”

Most schools have trainers working on both male and female athletes. “With only one athletic trainer at a school, it's impossible to separate. In school, we were taught that we would have to evaluate an injury on a male or female,” said Lewis-Keatts. “I will speak with the parents first, and then assess as need be. If the athlete or parent is not comfortable, I will refer to a doctor. I always make sure there is another person with me.

For example, an athlete with a groin injury may benefit from a hip spica by an ace wrap.

I always make sure I am not alone wrapping them since it can be considered a sensitive area.”

A

ccording to the 2010 Overview of Skills and Services of the National Athletic Trainers' Association, a professional membership association serving and advocating for certified athletic trainers, “Athletic trainers are the only health care professionals whose expertise in prevention ranges from minor sprains to catastrophic head and neck injuries, and from minor illnesses to exertional heat syndrome. Nutritional and wellness also play an integral role in the athletic trainers' work in preventing injury and illness. Athletic trainers recognize when consultation with other health care providers is necessary and refer accordingly.”

Among the description of athletic trainers' services include their ability to assess for potential injuries and illnesses through pre-

participation physical exams; to design and implement conditioning programs; design and implement emergency action plans to ensure medical personnel are prepared in an emergency situation; educate students, coaches and parents; to inspect facilities to ensure they are free of hazards, are sanitary, and that the equipment is maintained properly; and refer the students to appropriate medical professionals when necessary.

Unlike a coach or a medical first responder, athletic trainers are educated and trained to examine patients and determine injuries and illnesses and diagnose them. Part of their job is to perform assessments and to do the appropriate care for concussions; open and closed wounds; seizures; asthma; shock; bone breaks; diabetic reactions; allergies; and drug overdoses. They are also trained to provide certain rehabilitation protocols, from exercises and agility training to manual therapy, like massaging certain muscles and helping restore range of motion to joints.

“High school athletics can be hazardous, and high school athletes have evolved – they're big, they're strong, and they're fast,” said Dr. Jeff Kline, director of sports medicine at Beaumont Sports Medicine. “Athletic trainers are the most trained individual to make qualified medical decisions on the field – more than a doctor or nurse. The experience they have on programmatic completion is based on their education.”

Today, athletic trainers must hold a bachelor's degree, with many universities offering specialized programs in athletic training. Once an individual has that bachelor's degree, they can then sit for the national certification, called BOC, and then obtain licensing in the state of Michigan as a health care professional.

“There is only one certification, the BOC,” Dr. Kline said. “You cannot sit for it without having been to an undergrad program from start to finish. Then you pass your board exams, and can be licensed in the state of Michigan.”

According to the “BOC Standards of Professional Practice,” the mission of the Board of Certification (BOC), which has been responsible for certification since 1969, is to “certify athletic trainers and to identify, for the public, quality healthcare professionals through a system of certification, adjudication, standards of practice and continuing competency programs...and is the only accredited certification program for athletic trainers in the United States.”

It also indicates a compliance with a code of professional responsibility.

All licensed Michigan athletic trainers

must participate in continuing education, which Dr. Kline said now follows the BOC requirements, which is 50 credit hours every two years. “Ten of those credits have to be evidence-based credits, which means the content has to be based on current practical research. For example, using the best current research on how to treat a sprained ankle,” he said.

U

niversity of Michigan's Broglio said today, there are no poor quality athletic trainers. “It's all certified and regulated in Michigan. It's standardized across the United States, and Michigan has state licensure, which insures standard of care,” he said, which should alleviate concerns on the part of parents and schools. Broglio, Tom McAllister of Indiana University, and Mike McCirea of Medical College of Wisconsin, in conjunction with the NCAA and Department of Defense, are doing a 30 to 50-year study of of 17,000 athletes at 21 universities, male and female, in sports from football and hockey to cross country to golf, to study the long term effects of concussion on current 18-22 year olds.

John Ciecko, athletic trainer for Bloomfield Hills High School, became interested in the field of athletic training when he was playing football at Albion College. “I got hurt my freshman year, and spent so much time in the athletic training room, I took an intro class,” he said. “I really excelled in it and was interested in it.” He received his bachelors in athletic training from Albion, and has a master's degree in the field from California University of Pennsylvania, along with his BOC. Along with concussions, he said he sees a lot of overuse injuries, especially in shoulders, knees, elbows and wrists, from students specializing early in one sport. He said high school athletes think they can immediately bounce back, but often he has to hold the student back to protect them from re-injuring themselves.

“It's about applying the right amount of rest and conditioning, and getting the student back as a part of their team,” Ciecko said. “That's what it's all about being a high school athlete. We always want them to be a part of the team, especially in practices, as much as possible. Then our goal is to get the student back in play.”

Ciecko is a full-time employee of the Bloomfield Hills School district, and when possible, he is aided by one or two interns in their final semester from Central Michigan University, who work as his assistants. “They get 12 credit hours. It's a full semester, a full

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course load,” he said. “They spend 40 hours a week. We have 17 teams right now in 11 sports, from freshman sports to varsity, male and female, so it helps us give the athletes here at BH the best possible care.”

Ciecko said they have a trainer at every single home game, and try to have someone at every away boys' and girls' basketball game. In the fall, when there are more sports, “It's dictated by the schedule. We always travel with football. I cover varsity, and I always send an intern with the JV team. It's a nice thing to give the intern an independent work environment to get ready for when they graduate.”

W

est Bloomfield High School has one trainer, Aimee Neubecker, who handles all of the school's athletes, which can include about 300 students during the fall, 200 in winter, and another 200 or so in the spring. A Central Michigan University graduate in athletic training with a master's from Eastern Michigan University in exercise physiology and her BOC, she said she covers all of the school's home games. “If there are multiple home games, I'm at the highest risk sport, or the highest level – for example, if there is a varsity and junior varsity game, I'll go to a varsity boy's baseball game over a junior varsity girls' soccer game, even though the soccer game has a higher risk.”

Actually, many of the trainers, athletic directors, and experts noted that many female athletes are having higher incidents of injuries, whether from concussions or other injuries.

“Women's soccer, basketball, softball, all have higher injury rates for concussion than their male counterparts,” University of Michigan's Broglio noted, with statistics pointing women have incident rates up to five and eight times higher than males.

“There are a number of theories as to why women are more likely to have more, from that women have weaker neck musculature, and are not able to stabilize their heads; to women are more likely to report injuries to a parent or medical professional. There's less stigma for girls having an athletic injury.

That's a theory I personally agree with. On the back end, women have a longer reporting period. A guy will say after seven days, 'Put me back in.' A girl will say 'I still have a raging headache.' Both will still have the headache, but the guy will try to play.”

One of the top rates of injuries, Broglio said, is from cheerleading, both in terms of cervical spine injuries, fractures, sprains, lacerations and concussions.

“You take a 90-pound female athlete practicing on concrete, doing gymnastics in the air, and then being caught, or not, and falling,” he noted.

Private schools have also made the investment into athletic trainers. “I'm hired for a reason – it's to preserve students' health and minimize the school's risk. Part of the role is to educate those around you,” noted Ross Cooper, Detroit Country Day Schools’ associate director of athletics and head athletic trainer, who has been a trainer for 18 or 19 years at “five or six secondary schools in the metro area, and my tenth here,” and is in his third year as head trainer at the school.

While hired by the school, Cooper has two assistants hired through Henry Ford Health System, as well as a team physician. “We're also a popular intern site, with usually one a semester from Grand Valley University.”

Detroit Country Day has had trainers for the last 20 years or so, he said. “We're on the middle school campus as well, so many students grow up seeing us for a whole lot of things. We get a little pushback from some intense parents who want to see their kid play, but we explain why it's important to protect the athlete, and often defer to our judgements. We're in a position of communicating with our parents. We have our own sports medicine notes and information. Parents can view what we've done. We also strive to put someone on the phone and put the parents online. Kids see us as much as they see the coach. And our coaching staff defers to us implicitly. If anything is ever questionable, we refer out, maybe something more that a doctor should see and be referred to.”

O

ver the years, Cooper said he has seen lots of changes in the industry, notably with more standardized assessments based on knowledge. “More knowledge is better,” he said. “We've been at the forefront of concussions and the handling of neurocognitive testing for the last 10 years, doing baseline testing and post-injury comparisons. We have it coordinated by the students' physicians or our team physician, so that way the senior athletic trainer is not the only one making that assessment.”

He said that creates a safer environment for the student athlete. “That way he or she is competing when they're ready, and all the medical professionals agree they're ready.”

Steve Carter, the full-time athletic trainer at Cranbrook Schools for the last two-and-ahalf years, came to the school after he retired as the trainer for the Detroit Tigers, a position he had for 25 years. A part-time assistant is

contracted through Henry Ford Health Systems.

“I have quite a line here after school. I have about 45 minutes. In that time, fall and spring, I see about 20 to 35 kids in that 45 minutes,” he said, setting up stretching routines, taping them up, or giving them modalities to do. “I've been doing this for 30 years, so I can talk to an athlete for five minutes and get a good idea of the injury before even putting my hands on them.”

During a season, he said he typically sees one to two knee injuries, at least one knee surgery a season, an ACL tear, a ligament tear, and concussions.

“I do a lot of strengthening and conditioning with students. Besides concussions, my time is spent on knees, ankles and backs,” Carter said. “We also spend a lot of time with JV athletes, teaching them conditioning, and young female athletes, who often don't have the neck strength large males do.”

He noted that their volleyball team this fall had the same number – three – of concussions that their varsity football team had. “Science has progressed that we can diagnose it sooner than just saying 'You had your bell rung.'”

They use a variety of diagnostic tests, including the SCAT3 test, which measures balance, cognitive, memory and verbal cues, as well as subjective items, like the degree of a headache, dizziness, and nausea. Carter said he has also added the Sway balance phone app.

“It uses the GPS on a phone to see their balance, measuring it and gives a base score,” he said. He has also added the KingDevick test to his arsenal, which is an objective memory test that can be administered by trainers, coaches and parents on the sideline when a concussion is suspected. “They're two more objective tests of a head injury that makes my job easier. It makes parents feel better, too. It's a more scientific approach if their child is concussed.

They cost about $1,200, but it's worth it.”

Once kids are ready to play, “I'm very aggressive about getting our athletes up and moving,” Carter said. “You're making memories. If they're playing, they're making memories. I push them a little, because some are just growing pains. There's a big difference between soreness and pain. A big part of my job is educating them, and teaching them the difference between soreness and pain.”

“I would encourage everyone to have someone there. I get weekly e-mails that an athletic trainer saved a life,” noted Michigan's Broglio.

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FACES

Alicia Stillman s a parent, Alicia Stillman took all of the recommended guidelines in protecting her three children against illnesses. Little did she know that the meningitis vaccine routinely given in the United States protected against four strains of the virus – A, C, W135 and Y – but not B. Her daughter Emily, a graduate of Andover High School, caught that particular strain of meningitis as a student at Kalamazoo College in February 2013, and passed away.

“Emily had received both doses of the conjugate vaccine. it just didn’t cover B. that’s where she was bare.

“We all thought we were protected,” she recalls of receiving the news that her daughter was in a coma. “She can’t have meningitis, she was vaccinated for meningitis. I didn’t think that’s what it really was.”

After her initial grieving, Stillman created The Emily Stillman Foundation to preserve her daughter’s memory. Initially concerned with advocacy work for the meningococcal vaccine, which included several bus trips to Canada where the meningitis B vaccine was readily available, her work has now taken her far from home, speaking all over the country on behalf of the United Nations about all vaccine preventable diseases, as well as organ and tissue donations.

Thanks in part to her testimonies, the Centers for Disease Control recently approved a vaccine for the B strain recommended for those between the ages of 16 and 23. While it is still in limited supply at doctor’s offices, and Stillman acknowledges there is a confusion amongst patients who simply believe they have received “the” meningitis shot, her aim is to streamline and demystify the vaccination process.

A

She speaks with doctors and hospitals about compassionate care at the end of a loved one’s life, and how this can impact a family’s decision towards organ donation. Alicia and her husband Michael initially said no when approached about donating Emily’s organs because they had not been properly educated on the process and impact it could make in someone else’s life – she recalls feeling a shiver down her spine, a message from Emily that she had made a mistake and that Emily should be a donor.

Emily was able to donate six organs to five recipients.

What began as vaccine education has grown into a worldwide movement, with the first global initiative taking place this spring. Through Project Ambibike, the Emily Stillman Foundation is donating 20 ambulance bicycles to villages in Malawi, which can greatly increase the rapidity in which someone who is ill can reach a treatment facility. Stillman will be traveling to Malawi in May to help deliver the ambibikes, and will include vaccination awareness work with her trip as well.

“Here I am in a fairly affluent community in the United States, living the same nightmare as these other mothers in a third world country.”

Stillman says that her daughter’s passing has made her a more spiritual person, recognizing that she is guiding her actions.

“She is still with me, works with me, guides me, and I have been given a lot of gifts from my grieving process, and one of the gifts is being able to do this for other people. That is what I try to share with other mothers who reach out to me from all over the country.”

Story: Hillary Brody

Photo: Jean Lannen

Top of card, Frank Houston.

Bottom of card, Theresa Mungioli.

THE PARTY CHAIRS HOUSTON, MUNGIOLI TALK POLITICS IN PRESIDENTIAL YEAR Downtown Publications’ News Editor Lisa Brody recently sat down with Oakland County Democratic Party Chair Frank Houston and Oakland County Republican Party Chair Theresa Mungioli to discuss changing political trends in the county, the current role of the two political parties, fundraising, political extremism on both the right and the left, and a host of other issues facing both parties in this presidential election year.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do for a living, how you first got interested and involved in politics, and about your rise in local Oakland County party politics. How long have you been party chair? What does it entail?

MUNGIOLI: I’ve been involved in politics in Oakland County since 1989. My husband and I got involved in our local school board issues at that point in Rochester Hills. We ended up running for school board – he ran one year and lost, so the next year, I ran. They always tell you the third time’s the charm. In that second year, there was a recount, I saw second and fourth flip-flop over me – I was in the third spot, lost by 24 votes – ran the third year, and won. And then served eight years on the Rochester Community Schools school board. That got me started.

It’s interesting. Somebody said, ‘You’re a conservative.’ I said, ‘Why?’ They said, ‘Oh, your fiscal policies.’ I had no idea I had aligned myself with a political realm until someone decided to affix that label on me.

But then I became a precinct delegate, and started getting involved in the party side of it in the early 1990s, and have been involved in many different areas for the last 15, 20 years.

I am a certified project manager. I work at General Motors, and I am on a large IT project in the engineering department.

HOUSTON: I was born and raised in metro Detroit. Went to school at Eastern Michigan, planned on either teaching or going to law school. I joke I made a wrong turn in building and ended up getting involved in local politics and local government. By the end of my freshman year in college, I was a city council member in Ypsilanti, I was a write-in candidate, actually. I look back, and it’s funny, like Theresa, I never thought if I was a Democrat or a Republican, or a conservative or a liberal. But there were some issues I was concerned about at the time within the community, and I ran against the incumbent mayor pro-tem, and ended up beating him as a write-in by a two-to-one margin at the age of 18, with all of the wisdom I had at that time.

Coming out of that, I did political work for non-profits, I’ve taught, I’ve done a lot of non-profit management work over the years. But when I left the state and came back to Michigan and looked to really settle down again, about 10 years ago, I moved to Oakland County and specifically, I live in Royal Oak because it’s a wonderful county, it’s a wonderful community. In many ways we’re not just a bellwether for politics, but also for economics, for growth, for how government can be run, and a lot of other things.

I fell into party work by no intention. I generally had done more nonpartisan, with the more progressive side of the aisle. When there was a vacancy for the chair position, folks started calling. Some of the things happening in Michigan over the last several years made me concerned enough that I considered how I could help to get our side organized, to get our message out, to tell people who we are, what we want to accomplish, and somehow I’ve been tricked into doing this for another six years. I’ve been chair since September of 2010.

This is more or less our hobby. I’ve done everything from run non-

profits the last few years to I led the minimum wage ballot initiative two years ago. The last year, I’ve been working for a for-profit, based out of New York. I’m their national chair of strategic growth and development. They primarily work helping businesses comply with issues.

How long have you been chair?

MUNGIOLI: Only one year. We have a two-year term. But it’s not the first time I’ve been in leadership because of the district chair, and I’ve been involved in state politics as well, and chair of some of their subcommittees.

What does it entail to be party chair?

HOUSTON: It’s a few things. The first challenge for a party chair is you’re not representing yourself like you’re an elected official. And you’re also cognizant of other members’ opinions, and you don’t necessarily want to show up your colleagues. You’re speaking for yourself as a representative of others. As chair, there’s some parallels.

The trick is, how you work with party leaders, and sometimes challenge them and work with them, but you still have to respect that they’re the elected leadership of the party and of the public. There’s a little bit of a balancing act you need to learn to work with the elected officials that’s always an evolution.

The other issues are how do you engage, especially in this new age with all these technologies, how do you properly engage all these different activists if you want to be a big tent party. With us, you look at the changing demographics of Oakland County. Both parties have to reach out beyond their traditional boundaries. But then you look at what we’ve seen over the last two gubernatorial elections, where candidly, even in Oakland County our voter turnout in most of our communities was low. So how do we engage, on our side, that Obama coalition, of young voters and people who vote more in presidential elections. How do we engage more across the aisle when we see ourselves losing with white men, for instance. Those are the types of challenges that we spend a lot of time discussing and talking about, and trying to organize around.

We also try to coordinate and organize, especially in a presidential year. They’ll come and go out of a community – Hillary Clinton, or Donald Trump, or whoever will parachute in with lots of money and lots of people and run a show, and then they leave. What the party can provide some continuity for is activism and involvement in providing a pathway for folks to engage in the process and reach their electeds and have their voice heard. That’s the goal of the parties.

MUNGIOLI: You have to wear many hats. You have to be strategic in the thought process of ‘How do I develop a strategy?’ ‘How do I approach people?’ ‘Where are the different touch points that I do?’ How do you understand each of the different communities that you have to reach into, because the issues that are down in Royal Oak are different than the ones in Rochester, and the ones in Rochester are different than the ones in Holly, and are different than in Waterford. So you have to craft a message that reaches a broad base of people across the county.

You have to be tactical, but you have to be able to execute those plans to make sure they’re hitting their targeted goals, both from a reaching the voters number, as well as reaching the donors number, because one of the things we can’t avoid as a chair is raising the money that’s necessary that helps elect our local officials.

When it comes to the presidential piece, we have seen in the last

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couple cycles, that the ‘Oh, they’re going to come here.’ Romney was from Michigan, from here, grew up in the community, and then didn’t stay. So you have to find a way to be able to excite volunteers to say, even when that presidential candidate is no longer going to campaign in the area, how do you get them to recognize that they have to vote for a countywide, House reps, Senate, locals, proposals. All of those require volunteers. A chair has to wear many hats, reaching out to different communities, and also being able to suppress their personal opinions because how I feel about a particular issue may not be how the constituents feel about a particular issue. You need to be able to recognize you are representing a broad base of people, and a personal opinion may need to be reserved for the voting box.

Over the last couple of decades, there has been a political shift in Oakland County, from a staunch Republican bastion, to one that is skewing more and more Democratic. While the state House and Senate remains firmly Republican, primarily from gerrymandering, Oakland County residents voted for Barack Obama in the last election over homegrown son Mitt Romney, Gary Peters prevailed over Terry Lynn Land, and while Brooks Patterson maintains a stronghold on the executive position in Oakland County, several leadership positions, like treasurer, prosecutor and clerk are all currently held by Democrats. What do each of you see for the county in terms of political changes in the county, and why? Is the shift in voting patterns a matter of a changing population or does the extreme far right image, accurate or exaggerated, that seems to dominate the headlines when it comes to the GOP, play into the shift in voting patterns? How much of a factor is the fact that one local party becomes more organized and has more impact at the polls, which in one of the more recent presidential races seemed to be the case?

MUNGIOLI: I’d have to say it’s a little of all of the above. Organization truly is key, and no one will deny that the Obama campaign was very highly organized in the last two election cycles. That doesn’t mean we can’t borrow a few ideas and bring them into the Republican Party as well. So we are already organizing for the November election now, finding our different leaders in the different communities to make sure we’re ready for that.

Demographically, we are changing. Which means the party has to change with it. If it wants to be representative of the community that’s here and not find itself in the minority in the future, then we have to make sure we’re representing the people and understanding what their messages are. I will say, that as we’re talking to folks in the last couple of months, finding out where their issues are, trying to find the words that are important to them in different communities, we are finding there is some buyer’s remorse. And that that shift in the last election, there’s always the Democratic cycle, the Republican cycle, the Democrat cycle, the Republican cycle. I think people are saying the pendulum is swinging the other way, and those people who may have voted the other way, Democrat, in the last two cycles at the presidential level may be switching over to the Republican.

Donald Trump truly is saying things that people want to say, that people are afraid to...

HOUSTON: I’m hoping it’s a small amount of people.

MUNGIOLI: I think he’s resonating in the polls and with people.

Whether you agree with him or not, the fact that he is so bombastic, and is willing to express his opinion, and nothing seems to stick.

They’re all admiring him for his willingness to stand up. Now, whether or not that will translate to votes, is another story. So I think there are a variety of things that are changing. Demographically we are changing.

Organizationally, the Republican Party is changing from an understanding messaging and what people’s thoughts are on different issues, we’re getting a sense for that as well. We’re working to address all of those.

HOUSTON: Whenever I hear Donald Trump, I almost lose my train of thought. But setting aside The Donald, the thing that Theresa said that I agree with is that authenticity is the key. Obviously, Mr. Trump is not holding his tongue, and I think that’s a large degree what President Obama and President Bush, what drew people to them, what people look for in a leader. It’s where trust and the belief of where they’re going begins. It’s something for all the candidates to remember.

In terms of where we’re at as a county politically, and where we’re going, I think there’s several things that stand out. You mentioned gerrymandering. Both parties want district boundaries that are favorable to them. We’ve never had the degree of what’s happened in Oakland County before. There’s the change now with straight party voting. Now they’re looking at changing the election for county executive to gubernatorial years. I wonder why, with Mr. Patterson looking to retire, and I think a fear of a Democratic presidential electorate. These things that keep happening reflect the behind the scenes mechanics of politicians and political hacks that most people probably won’t tune into. But it makes it hard for Democrats.

Where I think Democrats’ message varies from Republicans is we really believe government has a role to play proactively in fixing things, that Republicans say, it’s best left outside the public sector. When you have government focused more on politics than policy, or often invading places that government shouldn’t belong in the first place, I think it makes it harder for people to believe government will work for them.

That hurts Democratic candidates.

I will say, on the Republican side, I’m more of a spectator than Theresa, but not only the changing demographics, but the changes in the party institution have created problems in Oakland County for Republican candidates. Democrats have their divisions. We have pro-life and pro-choice Democrats; we have folks who are more aggressive on fiscal issues, and those who focus on economic justice issues. You have tensions in our party. But when you look at some of the things that have been said. You look even at someone like (Sen.) Marty Knollenberg, last month saying something – I mean, it’s a racist comment, what he said about school children in Detroit not being able to be successful because they’re of color. I’m sure that wasn’t Marty’s intention, but you hear these things. And it’s not just one or two things, it’s a trend. We talk about Donald Trump’s numbers. Who are these people? How many have these same xenophobic, racist statements coming out of their mouths? It’s scary. I have a lot of Republican family members, and that’s not the Republicans they used to vote for.

You take what’s happening here in Oakland County as a microcosm, and it’s what’s happening nationally. It’s why the New York Times and Wall Street Journal come here. It’s not just because we’re one of those “bellwether” counties. It’s because it’s a microcosm of all the things they’re dealing with nationally.

When I was growing up, Republicans used to stand for smaller government. Right now, in Lansing, it seems so many things are just staying there. If you look at our tax policies locally and wage policies locally. Those are things that local communities used to have way more control over. And now, there are more things the state has taken control of. Our school districts. The EAA. I’m not saying there’s not a place for state oversight, but Lansing seems to feel it has a cure-all now that it’s Republican-controlled.

MUNGIOLI: I can say I had eight years of Jennifer Granholm, and look at where it got us, so that alone is enough for most Republicans to

The other issues are how do you engage, especially in this new age with all these technologies, how do you properly engage all these different activists if you want to be a big tent party. – Houston

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remember that they were going to be blown away. We got blown away.

We ended up going into one of the worst recessions, led the recession in the rest of the country. We watched as the Democrats had control in Washington D.C. – they had the House, the Senate, and the White House – and couldn’t get things done. So even though they were in control, their bellwether, their most important piece of legislation, Obamacare, has been in the headlines ever since because they can’t get agreement on it. Costs are out of control, and they haven’t gotten the numbers to sign up for it. If that’s the only thing the President has to show for himself, out of the four years when he had control, he still couldn’t get anything done. Jennifer Granholm couldn’t get things done.

So is it personalities and not parties?

MUNGIOLI: Believe me, the personalities are incredible in this whole thing. When Frank mentioned the redistricting in Oakland County, we went from 25 to 21 (Oakland County) commissioners, and we saved Oakland County taxpayers money. That is what the Republican Party wants to do. Save money.

HOUSTON: We spent more on the lawsuit than we saved on the redistricting of commissioners.

MUNGIOLI: In the long run, we both saved money on that. As for the election, I’d be more than happy to see Wayne and Macomb (counties) put their county executive elections on the presidential years. Why aren’t they doing it? We are matching what the other local counties are doing by moving the county executive election, we’re aligning with Macomb and Wayne counties.

But does that matter?

HOUSTON: Does that matter? Is that the model we want?

MUNGIOLI: Why aren’t they willing to have as many voters elect them in presidential years? There are reasons for doing it.

When it comes to straight party balloting, unfortunately you can see in the numbers, how people will fill in the little boxes, and then go down, and it will drop off, and the rest of the ballot, the other side of the ballot, most people won’t even realize there are candidates on them.

Our local candidates are not getting voted on. Millage races are not getting voted on. Because people plunk on the D they fill in the dots for the R in most cases, and then they walk away from the ballot. It’s education. I can vote for the D, or I can vote for the candidates I want to by picking the boxes. Now it involves more education, a more active electorate, as opposed to a passive practice.

Although some of the original founding fathers of this country bemoaned the development of political parties, we know they are for the most part a fact of life. What is the role of the county party?

HOUSTON: Each party has a different role, but in Oakland County we’re unique. This is probably true for Theresa, too, because we have four congressional districts that are overlapping in the county. We have 14 local Democratic clubs, we have caucuses that are based here, we have so many local party entities. You also have the state party, as well as all the elected offices. It creates this “monkey-in-the-middle” approach for the county party organization. At least what we’ve done is, we’ve done a couple things. One, we are the only entity focused on the county positions, the countywides, the county commissions. And we try to be a convener of sorts, in partnership with the electeds and coordinator of campaigns, to make sure that activists in Oakland County still have input into campaigns for president, for governor. There are things that are happening that maybe aren’t being controlled out of our county, but are things that have a lot of impact to contingencies.

These are mostly volunteer organizations, lightly staffed, small budgets. We try to pick a few things each cycle and do it well. And then we try to provide support for training and other things that a statewide organization in Lansing can’t do for local candidates.

MUNGIOLI: Similar. We are very actively involved in supporting our local clubs. We want to make sure we’re reaching out into those local constituencies, working with the grassroots. County party is just there as a support mechanism for those local organizations, making sure we’re helping the Farmington areas, as well as Waterford and Troy and the north Oakland area. There are a lot of local clubs and organizations that we want to help, from an organizational perspective, to make sure they’re growing and strong. Different communities that are looking to start a club, making sure they have access to information on sharing and how to get the word out to local communities, to find those Republicans.

This year, we took a different approach in some of our elections and got involved in the non-partisan races. It was one of the first time the party has decided it was time to build a bench, similar to what the Dems have done on the local races. It’s important for us to make sure we’ve got leaders moving forward. We do have to be able to move people into new seats. If they’ve got a few years to get ready, until the next one moves up to the next spot, so you have to help them get ready.

It’s been an opportunity to help them get into elected positions. It’s been an opportunity to help develop leaders in the community.

Should the party be vetting candidates or does it have any power to influence who is running for office?

MUNGIOLI: The Republican Party historically has not stopped anyone from running, unlike the Dems who seem to pick the time when it’s somebody’s turn to run. Republicans say everyone’s welcome to run at this time.

We stay out of the primaries. Every bylaw that I’ve seen of every organization of the Republican Party, there’s a process that says, “Stay out of the primaries.” Once the primary is done and the voters have said who they want, that’s when we get behind a candidate.

In those situations where there isn’t a candidate running, we seek someone out. If we’ve been working on developing somebody’s leadership skills and we think they’re ready, let’s move them in.

HOUSTON: We’re pretty similar on the Democratic side. One of the things I instituted when I came in, we passed a policy where it makes it extremely difficult for us to get involved in a Democratic primary. I think it requires a three-quarters vote of our executive committee plus a natural process that’s vetted. That’s for extraordinary circumstances.

It’s been very rare.

One of the things we’ve changed, both statewide and locally, how we’ve approached Democratic primaries and candidate recruitment issues, is when I first came back home to Michigan, and after the 2004 election, the party had very much a hands-off policy in the primaries. It didn’t get involved. They didn’t make anything of the party accessible to challengers or seats where there was more than one Democrat running. A few years back, we changed that. Now what happens is that we give all our stuff to all the Democrats that are running. That has a benefit, I think. That’s something I’ve heard Republicans complain about, where Democrats can come to us and have access of our databases, tools, and some support, a lot of time Republicans are more quick, and Theresa correct me if I’m wrong, to go to consultants for voter registration lists that are targeted for your voters. That was one change that happened in the last decade, so that if we have three people running for congress against each other, or city council, we are able to give them the best information we have on voters and how to

If (the party) wants to be representative of the community that's here and not find itself in the minority in the future, then we have to make sure we're representing the people. – Mungioli

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reach them, and target all those things. We’re also able to maintain the infrastructure and records for perpetuity.

MUNGIOLI: We do have similar databases that we make eligible for all the candidates that are running if they want it, it’s welcome, at no cost to them. It keeps their campaign costs lower, without having to go to a consultant or having to buy a list.

The textbook definition of a political party includes raising money at the local, state and national level to support candidates who subscribe to the party platform but against that background, has the Supreme Court rulings that have unleashed private wealth and unrestricted PAC funding as a factor in campaigns started to render local and maybe even national political parties irrelevant in many political races?

HOUSTON: Good question. I’m biased. I come from non-partisan nonprofits. I did government reform, Common Cause, public interest groups, others. In Illinois, probably the proudest legislation I worked on was passing a non-partisan ethics and campaign reform, two packages, with a Republican governor, Republican-controlled Senate, Democratic House. Back then, that was considered the Wild West of campaign finance reform because Citizen United was the state law there. You could do campaign fundraisers in your state office, and take cash.

What’s crazy is how quickly this is becoming the new reality.

I’m scared, because with the legislature considering doing the same thing at the state level, we already have the so called, “Dark Money” problems, Supreme Court races. The idea that we have even more loopholes for donors to go unlimited with money for state House candidates is a terrifying thought to me, from a good government perspective. Take away party politics, shouldn’t matter if you’re Democrat or Republican – voters should be choosing their elected officials, not just one or two donors.

MUNGIOLI: I look at it a different way. I’d say, why does it cost so much to run for office. When you start putting in commercials, consultants, and mailers, and the months and months and months. The people who have been running for president for two years, or more in some cases, and I look at the average person, Frank and I, if we wanted to run for office – now, if you wanted to run for city council, the threshold’s in the tens of thousands of dollars. When I ran, it was $8,000, when I ran for county commissioner. But that is unheard of today.

So why are campaigns so expensive? Why don’t we set a limit on how much can be spent?

Have some of these PACs and dark money risen to that level here?

MUNGIOLI: Not on a local level.

HOUSTON: I totally disagree. Last cycle, there was a ticket of Democratic and Republican-supported judges running for re-election, incumbents. They run non-partisan, but there were known Democrats and Republicans working together up for re-election who are judges.

They had $1 million spent by one person against them to elect two new judges, because they didn’t like decisions and comments by one or two of the judges. That’s at a circuit court race, you had an attempt to buy an election with $1 million from one donor. That happened in Oakland County, just in 2012. Setting aside the big state races and national races like Supreme Court, or presidential politics – MUNGIOLI: ‘Mr. Smith goes to Washington’ is a very nice Jimmy Stewart movie, but it’s not going to be replicated today. Kerry Bentivolio can get in accidentally because of a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, the “everyday man.” When we look at elections, fine, you want to look at election reform, you have to look at how much it takes to run. Why does it take me 18 months to run for president? Why does it take eight

months to run for a county commission seat, or an executive seat?

We’ve had people running for different seats for well over a year. That means you’re putting your family and your entire life, and in some cases your work, at jeopardy, in order to run for office.

This is not the kind of government we were looking for. So if we’re talking about reform, let’s talk about an entire election reform, and not just focus in on the money, and who is giving the money, and what races they’re giving the money in, because I’m sure we could zero in and find many instances where donors have given against Republicans, and the Republicans have lost. George Soros likes to throw his money around like it grows on trees in his backyard.

Although Third Party development has only reached the impact level as a spoiler at best in tight national and maybe some state elections, we have witnessed the development within the Republican party of a strong wing – the Tea Party – that seems to dictate a considerable influence on the agenda of the party.

Although no one seems to be able to quantify how strong the support is within the GOP, the Tea Party faction is vocal, and as we have seen at the local level in Oakland County, they often are more organized when it comes to electing delegates to the state convention and thereby may have an inordinate influence of the platform that ultimately gets adopted nationally. Have we assessed this correctly?

MUNGIOLI: Actually, the platform is adopted every four years. The Dems do it the same at their national convention. It is the delegates who go to that national convention that get to vote on it. The influence they have on it – by the time you splinter out – look there are three delegates and three alternates from each congressional district from every state across the country. The numbers that we have on the Republican side, there are a lot of other numbers that play into it, not just Tea Party organization, because we’ll have potentially a brokered convention. We’ll have more people interested in getting interest in voting for a candidate than for a particular Tea Party platform.

What about in the last gubernatorial election, and what happened in Oakland County, and the splintering?

MUNGIOLI: It happened across the state. It’s the issue on the lieutenant governor’s race, if that’s what you’re alluding to. But when we came down to it, Brian Calley won by a sizable margin.

But do you feel it’s a factor right now?

MUNGIOLI: There are people upset right now philosophically with the way some of our elected officials are voting, and so they are expressing their concerns. They’re doing it through the party structure. And the county party is not responsible for holding the party officials accountable for how they voted. That is up to the voters. The county party is there to organize, to get the candidates elected. The voters have to hold them accountable. The Tea Party – we love them, we welcome them, I embrace them, I have quite a few of them active in Oakland County, that we work with on a regular basis, but then it’s up to them and their local communities to decide if they want to keep an incumbent, or decide to run another candidate against them, and make sure they get their voices heard at the voting booth. It’s not within the party structure to change how an official votes.

HOUSTON: The one thing you can do as a party chair is challenge the elected officials. I agree with Theresa, it’s not our place to publicly hold accountable or shame our own electeds unless they do something really egregious. When I worked in Illinois, I worked with back-to-back governors who went to jail – one Democrat, one Republican. That’s

I can say I had eight years of Jennifer Granholm, and look at where it got us, so that alone is enough for most Republicans to remember that they were going to be blown away. – Mungioli

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different. That’s where even party leaders, we need to stand up and hold elected officials accountable for correction. Outside of that, behind the scenes, it’s important as party chairs to let our elected officials know what we’re hearing. Often, they’ll ask. They want to know their party leadership is in touch with the public. There’s a place for it.

MUNGIOLI: Privately, I’m in regular communication with the elected officials from Oakland County, giving them feedback, asking them what’s really going on, rather than just paying attention to commercials, saying ‘Henny Penny, the sky is falling.’ I am calling them and making sure we’re getting the right story out rather than what some lobbyist is trying to portray on the media.

We regularly get calls into our office, ‘what’s going on with this bill, what’s going on with that bill.’ Asking for clarification about what is happening. But that is different than saying, ‘You elected official, you did a bad thing.’ Because the minute I do that, Frank is going to go and take that and put it in an ad – “Look, even the Republicans don’t want that. Why should you.”

HOUSTON: I don’t think it’s only in Oakland County, but on the Democratic side, I think we’ve been very blessed with a lot of Democratic officials who have really been willing to have their feet put to the fire. From Sen. Peters, Sen. Stabenow, Rep. Levin, on down to locals, these are people who really enjoy being engaged by the public, and they like being out there. It’s not just if they see me, they’re asking what’s going on. They’re really want to have that contact.

MUNGIOLI: Last night we had a local club meeting, we had two state reps come in to talk the pro and the con of the energy bills. Being willing to be there and answering to their constituencies. It’s important for the voters, so they’re taking an active role.

HOUSTON: In some ways, we’re like a conductor, queuing them up.

We’re really blessed here in Oakland County with some great local electeds, on both sides.

MUNGIOLI: They’re out there because they know they need to be in touch with their constituents. And they are up for re-election on a regular basis. They need to be out there, working with the people who have voted for them.

HOUSTON: One of the things that makes it so hard to run today, going back to the previous topic, besides the money, when you talk about a state house campaign or a county commission candidate, it should take six to eight months to run. And the reason why is, they’re not just doing call times asking donors for money for a year. You gotta go out and knock on those doors, and do those community functions. If you’re going to cover the entire district, it’s going to take you, covering five hours a day on doors, a good four months knocking on doors. It used to be more candidates could skate by on name recognition, but for these local races, for the state House and below, for example, nine out of ten of them, you can’t win with just a name or just a little money.

MUNGIOLI: Then why do you have candidates who say, “Well, this is a traditionally Democratic or Republican district and I’m just the sacrificial candidate? I will go out there and put up three signs – my house and the two ends of the street I live on and have enough cards to hand out maybe on election day.” And they don’t actively campaign for election for the spot because they know they don’t even stand a chance.

HOUSTON: That’s because of broken redistricting and all of the other broken issues with campaign finance.

MUNGIOLI: But if you really believe in what you stand for, then you should get out and work for it. Maybe you still lose, but the percentages you lose by, moving that needle forward by can make a difference for the party overall.

HOUSTON: Absolutely.

MUNGIOLI: So even though it’s considered a Dem seat, Republicans

are running in those seats. They are getting out and working those neighborhoods.

HOUSTON: Competing everywhere is important. By having both parties engaged locally, countywide, statewide, and nationwide, it changes the conversation. The party can be the encouraging voice that says, ‘You’re not alone. There are others with a similar voice or concern.’ That’s important that you get involved.

MUNGIOLI: It’s important you get out there and knock on doors. That message that you’re sharing is going to reach out and they’re going to realize they’re not alone. As a candidate, if you believe in your message, go on out there and knock on the doors. It may be in a community where you don’t have a very good chance of winning, but getting the message out there, you’re reaching the people and letting them know. You may not get the seat you’re hoping to win, but you may get the next one. Or a different spot. And that makes a difference in your community. If people are aware of the issues, then they’re going to go on out and pay more attention to what their elected officials are doing and hold them accountable. Many times, we end up with voters who aren’t paying attention to what’s happening in their community.

How well does the current farm system, if we can call it that, work when it comes to electing delegates to the state and national convention and ultimately setting the platform to which candidates and office holders are expected to follow?

HOUSTON: On the Democratic side, it’s usually the activists who have worked the hardest, who are best known, who have done the most.

Electeds, or former electeds, tend to rise to the top in the party structure the fastest and become a national delegate, or what have you.

Locally, what I’ve been surprised at, though, is how many times where you have someone who is very active at a labor union or party constituency that we work closely with, and watch the labor leader go down to a college student. Or I’ve seen a nice woman, that I’ve only seen at one or two Democratic party functions, beat a party official running for something. You see these things happen organically in both parties, even when it comes to these sort of delegate positions. Part of it is, how do you show the culture of how do you take as having any sort of responsibility and meaning. Too often people will run for these kinds of positions – I don’t want to say haphazardly, without any thought – with an idea of what they think it will be, and when they get there, it’s not as sexy as they thought it would be. You mean I have to call my friends and family for money and knock on doors? Positions are sometimes like that.

MUNGIOLI: I’m going back to the verbiage about the platforms and holding officials accountable to the platform. The platform is written, in the Republican Party, by a group of people who meet the week before the convention that are influenced by any number of other constituencies and organizations. C-Span covers the building of the Republican platform. I can’t speak for the Democrat one. We have our platform piece. It gets voted on every four years. In July, when we have our convention again, we will have another platform written. If one candidate goes into that convention as the dominant candidate, they will have a great deal of influence over that what that platform is. If it’s going to be a brokered convention, it’s going to be a little more interesting to watch.

But then to come out and say, ‘We’re going to hold you accountable, you elected official, you county commissioner in Rochester Hills. I’m going to hold you accountable to the national platform.’ No. They have to be accountable to the voters that put them in office. What are the issues going on in their community? What is the platform that they as the candidate ran on? I ran to say I’m going to keep your taxes low, to keep small government, that’s what they should be held accountable for. Our

Take away party politics, shouldn't matter if you're Democrat or Republican – voters should be choosing their elected officials, not just one or two donors. – Houston

platform is 65 pages. It goes on and on about farming and marijuana use and family policy. If you ask the average person what our platform is, they would not know what our platform is. Do they know what Republicans believe in? Do they know that Republicans believe in small government, low taxes, personal responsibility? Yes. They know that that is what they are. If I have a candidate that is not following those values and principles, then I need to talk to them. Privately, about adhering to what we believe in as Republicans.

But the platform is a living document that changes every four years. By the time the delegates get to the convention to vote on it – it’s done.

Billionaire Donald Trump seems to have tapped into unrest and dissatisfaction on the part of many working class members of both parties. As we head into primary season, what do each of you think of this “outsider” group of candidates in the Republican contest or the Bernie Sanders’ effect on the Democratic side? What do you think is resonating?

HOUSTON: On the Democratic side, speaking of Sen. Sanders and former Secretary and Sen. Clinton, what you have that is hard is – and both sides struggle with their activist base – you have the idea that you want people who know what they’re doing or experienced to know how to do things in a system but they also want people who have the flexibility to say what they mean, and can call people out, and push the most idealistic, idealogical wing of politics. You see that playing out in our primaries, and I think in the Republican side, as well. Sen. Sanders was an Independent more than a Democrat, but I think he speaks on a lot of policy and issues that a lot of Democrats hold dear and care about. So much of this election centers around economic dignity and opportunity, and Sen. Sanders is certainly speaking to that. He’s tapping into something that people like.

Historically, people would say, ‘Of course, Hillary Clinton is going to be the nominee.’ It’s what most people would assume. But that’s why, I think, you see Sen. Sanders with a base of support of that is engaged. That idea of an outsider – generally, in Michigan, we like the idea of an underdog.

We like someone who is going to pull themselves up and get up and do the work.

It doesn’t matter if it’s Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, or whoever the frontrunner is, or Jeb Bush, or which party, we’re still pulling for a competition because it makes the candidates share their ideas, share their vision for our country, and what they’re going to do and how they want to lead. And that’s important. I’m all for contested races, I’m all for a little dustup in the name of democracy, and I think our party has historically shown that. Look at when Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama ran against each other.

MUNGIOLI: I look at the polls, and Trump’s been ahead, but other polls, Cruz is ahead. So is it really an outsider? It depends on how you define outsider. Is it someone with no political experience, that is running for political office for the first time, or is it somebody who currently holds office that’s being considered the establishment?

I think Trump brings the ratings to the debates. People go and watch.

But they’re also hearing from the rest. Republicans have a choice. We have a wide variety of people that can attract our message, what we hold strong in values. So if you want to find someone who opposes Common Core, find somebody that supports the Jewish community, Libertarians, you’ve got the message. Find the candidate, get behind them, work for them. Whether or not they’ve held office before or not – we’ve watched Carly go up, she’s gone down. Carson’s gone up, he’s gone down. Trump has stayed there, but others are coming up on his heels. And depending on which poll you’re looking at, and at the state, if it’s locally versus the national one, Cruz is ahead of him. It gives us a lot of vibrant dialogue about the issues and gives the voters choices to express their opinions

Why do you think this is resonating this year? The not-expected? The expected was Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush.

HOUSTON: I’ll be honest, I never thought Jeb Bush would take off. It’s not to knock him as a candidate or as a governor, for whatever reason that we’ve seen, I never expected it. I thought some other folks, like Cruz on the Republican side, would have a bigger base earlier.

MUNGIOLI: I’m at a point where I have five candidates that I’m looking at. I haven’t picked one that I’m ready to say, “OK, I’m ready to give you 20 hours a week for the next six months in order to make you president.” I’m still enjoying watching the debates, hearing what they stand for. I think there’s that division going on in D.C., the fighting that’s been going on, the inability of the White House to get any legislation done recently, the executive orders that they’re cramming down our throats – people are tired of being dictated to by their leaders in D.C. HOUSTON: Or not getting anything done in congress.

MUNGIOLI: When there was Democratic leadership there, they still couldn’t get anything done.

Here in Oakland County, what are you hearing most, and who is prevailing? Why? MUNGIOLI: From our Republican standpoint, it’s still a mix. Rubio, Cruz and Trump are getting a lot, and Bush does have his supporters out there.

The polling may not be showing it. Carly Fiorina is resonating among the female community. There’s a variety of candidates out there. Kacich, because he’s so close and he understands what it’s like to live in the midwest. There’s a variety of candidates coming with so many different backgrounds that appeal to a broad base of the community.

What I am seeing is people who have not been involved before, getting involved, expressing interest. We have debate watch parties at our headquarters every time there’s a debate. They have been standing room only, they are not our regular people. It’s wonderful. People want to come, they want to talk about the issues, they want to hear, they want to be with other grassroots people. These are not the usual knock-the-door activists we’re seeing.

There is a message that is resonating, and that is there is better, there is a brighter tomorrow. Pick one of these candidates – because any one of these candidates is going to be better than the alternative.

HOUSTON: Most people have come down to one of two candidates. That’s on the Democratic side. There are clear things that attract people to each – whether it’s Sen. Clinton’s experience. You can’t argue that there’s been a woman who’s been more tested to be president who has run for it. She has a vast degree of experience and a record she can be judged on. A lot of the political leadership in the county is definitely gravitating towards that experience.

On the grassroots, it’s pretty split. I would definitely call Sen. Clinton the frontrunner. Sen. Sanders has definitely captivated an active group of people who are engaged. That’s not to say they’re going to turn around and dismiss Hillary Clinton if she’s the nominee. It’ll come down to those two candidates, is my expectations. As a Scan for audio party entity and as a party leader, I don’t Oakland County Party endorse. I stay active with both. chairs interview.

What I think this election will come down to, beyond even our nominees, will come further down, but we see the roots of it now. How do you make government work, how do you create jobs and opportunities for all, and how do we tone down the rhetoric so we can get back to serving people and make government work for them.

It used to be more candidates could skate by on name recognition, but…for the state House and below, for example…you can't win with just a name or just a little money. – Houston

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FACES Joris Soeding fter watching 150 horror movies in a span of eight years, Joris Soeding, 37, wrote a collection of 19 poems, each inspired by a single movie. Currently in the hands of the editors at Myth Ink Books, “Once Home” will be Soeding’s fourth poetry chapbook.

“In Between the Places Where Night Falls,” was released by Lummox Press in December, and is dedicated to his wife, Christa.

“My number one challenge with that book was that it was a book of love poems, and how can you uniquely express, through poetry, the feeling of love?”

Soeding wrote his first poem as a sophomore at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Preparatory in 1994. “It was a break-up poem. This girl and I were dating a couple months, and I was totally bummed out, and I wrote a poem about it. Typical teenage stuff,” he said.

“Some of my early stuff, I was rhyming. It was so cheesy. I quickly went to free verse after that.”

As an 18-year-old growing up in Bloomfield Township, the budding poet was smitten with Walt Whitman. “I fell in love with ‘Leaves of Grass,’ while I was living at home, working at Harmony House (in Birmingham). And, Sharon Olds, I fell in love with her stuff right away. It’s real confessional, and narrative. The way she describes things, how she can go a page-and-a-half for something small.”

Within a handful of years, Soeding produced two selfpublished chapbooks, “Surfaces Diminished,” in 2001, followed by the X-Files-inspired “Trees. Others. Instance.,” released in 2003, the year after he graduated with a bachelor’s in poetry from Chicago’s Columbia College.

That summer, he started working as a literacy tutor and educator for City Year in Chicago, a partner of AmeriCorps. “I worked on the South Side with kindergarteners, and I was like, ‘this is for me.’ And the poetry was great. Then I decided to get my masters (in teaching from Northeastern Illinois University). I was engaged, and working three jobs. I would teach poetry to a classroom, then do homework for my masters before my next class.”

During this time, Soeding worked as senior editor at Another Chicago Magazine, and served as poet-in-residence for the Chicago Children’s Museum and the Poetry Center of Chicago. In classrooms across Chicago, an hour or so at a time, he taught the craft of poetry. “We published a book of the kids’ poetry. It was great. There was all this grant money for this program.”

One of two sons born from German immigrants, Soeding has woven into his writing his parents’ native language, which was spoken in his Bloomfield Township home while growing up. “I was writing (a short story) to my fictional daughter, telling her my story, and I used a little German. And a couple poems that have to do with my dad, you’ll see German creep into the title.”

Now married and a father of two, Soeding works on his writing very differently than when he was in college, cranking out pieces regularly. “Now, as a dad, and a (writing) teacher (for 5th and 6th grade), every once in a while I squeeze something in on the weekend. Back in college, I’d be like ‘Ok, I need a poem by 4.’”

A

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PUBLIC SAFETY TRANSPARENCY WHAT THE POLICE TELL US VS. WHAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW

BY KEVIN ELLIOTT

ichigan is the worst. At least that was the finding of a 2015 national report card issued by the Center for Public Integrity grading states on governmental ethics, accountability and transparency. While there were only three states with grades higher than a D+, Michigan was ranked dead last out of the 11 that received failing grades.

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Among the subjects that contributed to Michigan's dismal ranking on accountability and transparency is the state's failing grade on access to public records. Those who have done their homework know the various loopholes in the state's campaign finance laws, as well as the fact that the Michigan legislature and governor's office are exempt from the state Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

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he impact to the public is multi-fold, preventing them from learning what is going on in the state and in their own communities, as well as impacting the ability of news organizations to determine news content and oversee both state and local government as watchdogs.

While state agencies and local governments are subject to the state's FOIA laws, the process of obtaining public records through the FOIA requests may at times hamper efforts by news agencies to share information with the public in a timely manner, particularly in cases of public safety information.

First Amendment attorney Herschel Fink, who serves as legal counsel for the Detroit Free Press, said while he hasn't received many complaints regarding access to police records recently from the newspapers he represents, the issue of transparency has become more opaque.

"When I worked for The (Detroit) News, you would call (police departments), and you would get pretty honest responses from agencies you were covering. Or, you would walk in and look at the records, which I view the law still requiring," said Fink, who worked as an editor and reporter for the paper years ago while working through law school. "If anything, the FOIA law that went into effect in 1976 made it more difficult. In places like Birmingham, which has been bad for years to get information, particularly if someone thought it was sensitive information, they would have you submit a FOIA, and then delay and make it less newsworthy by the delay.

"I haven't seen many problems. Maybe that's because news organizations are less able to cover them as they used to. They have bigger beats, and it's more difficult to get information. There's no specific instance, but I do know police agencies like Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills, if the news involves someone of prominence, it's hard to get, and it's hard to get in a timely way."

As breaking crime and public safety news often dominate headlines and lead television news broadcasts around the

metro Detroit area, many law enforcement agencies have changed the way they grant the public access to information. Journalists who once relied on notepads, telephone calls and stacks of police reports to gather local crime news now rely on social media, e-mail and websites.

In Birmingham, the police department shares routine crime information on a weekly basis through Crimedar, one of a handful of websites that police departments use to share crime briefings with the public.

Incidents are listed by location or in list form, and include dates, times, addresses and basic incident information. In addition to posting incidents on Crimedar, the department issues press releases via e-mail for more out of the ordinary crimes.

"There used to be a daily log, and reporters would ask questions, then check with the public information officer or whoever was available," said Birmingham Police Chief Don Studt. "It was time consuming. It used to be there was only one paper in town. Then everyone came in and we want to be fair and give the same information to everyone."

Crimedar allows departments to list incidents in 17 different categories, and is intended to allow the media and residents to track crime. Birmingham began utilizing Crimedar in late 2012, and has posted between 300 and 400 incidents each year.

In 2014, the department posted 343 incidents. According to the department's 2014 annual report, the department received a total of 17,678 calls for service, generating 367 major crime calls and drunk-driving incidents.

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tudt said the stacks of paper reports that reporters used to leaf through to gather their news doesn't exist in the same sense anymore because the system is now computerized. While a calls for service log can be examined, it would simply include a log of the hundreds of calls the department receives each day.

"It's everything," he said of the calls for service log. "It's every parking complaint, every barking dog and everything that could be a report or that's unfounded. They are often mislabeled because the initial call isn't what it ends up being. We went to Crimedar about three years ago. It was a matter of getting the information to everybody. As technology changes, we are probably a little slower than most industries in adapting, but we get there."

Bloomfield Township Police Chief Geof Gaudard said changes in technology and digitizing the department's system has

increased the flow of information to the public.

"There was a time when reports were done in triplicate. There was a pink copy, and reporters would come in and leaf through those to see the crimes they wanted to report," he said. "Overall, our information is much more obtainable than it used to be. We are in the news much more than we used to be, and I know part of it is the technology."

Bloomfield Detective Sgt. James Gallagher, who serves as the department's public information officer, said the incident blotter consists of various cases assigned to the detective bureau from the patrol division.

"We issue things that are of interest or that are of concern to the public," he said.

"Not everything that goes to the detective bureau is listed. We don't want to put things out if we have a suspect in a case â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we don't want them to be aware."

In addition to the crime blotter that is emailed each week, the department posts incidents on Crimemapping.com. The website allows law enforcement agencies to post incidents in a map format, and includes the report number, date, time, location and nature of the call.

"Channel 4 calls every morning and asks about what is on the crime map," Gallagher said. "Just about everything goes out."

Rochester Police Chief Steven Schettenhelm said the department sends an e-mail each week to local media with a list of incidents believed to be newsworthy. For more serious or breaking crime, the department issues breaking news releases.

"They are things that the detectives think are newsworthy, based on their experience of what reporters ask. They want arrests and major incidents," Schettenhelm said of the weekly police blotter sent to local media.

Schettenhelm said the department has tried to share information different ways during his eight years as chief, with weekly e-mail and breaking releases being the most successful.

"We have tried bringing reporters in, but based on the type of activity that we have, it wasn't that productive to have them come in. (E-mail) saves them time and provides them information, and if they have questions based on what they receive, they can call back."

Oakland County Undersheriff Michael McCabe said commanders at each of the office's substations are instructed to send major incident reports to the command sergeant at the office's central command desk in Pontiac. Those reports are then formatted and sent to news media and various agencies on a daily basis. The

sheriff's office also sends out multiple news releases each day, depending on the activity in the county.

"We don't put everything in the (major incident reports). If it's embarrassing to the victim or victim's family, we filter that," McCabe said.

For instance, he said a recent report of an alleged criminal sexual conduct incident that appeared be "hinkey," was left off the media report until it could be investigated, and ultimately turned out to be a false allegation. Others withheld may involve active investigations.

Less serious crimes, such as minor thefts, vandalism and other reports taken at the office's substations are reviewed by substation commanders and available to news media for review. For instance, public safety reports from Rochester Hills are compiled by physically looking at the reports at the sheriff's substation.

Additionally, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office posts crime information at crimemapping.com.

"Ninety percent of what comes in, (the media) gets. We were one of the first in the county to do that, and now others are doing that. Troy has been doing it for years," McCabe said. "It's up to each agency as to what they want to release and what they don't want to release."

Sensitive information, such as that which might reveal the victim of a sex crime, is considered when determining whether to release a report to the media, McCabe said.

"We have a trust factor with the media, but that trust has to be earned," he said.

"There are some that are more astute to sensitivity involving crime victims, not that we are trying to hide anything."

D

on Wyatt, executive editor for the Oakland Press and vice president of content for Digital First Media, said the flow of information from law enforcement agencies often relies on the individual relationships between agencies and specific media outlets.

"We make a point of showing up, but it's kind of all relationship building in the end.

Dealing with police agencies is about building relationships and trust, but they are as strapped for manpower and getting feet on the streets as we are at getting people over to the department to go through reports," Wyatt said. "It's not in their interest to withhold information because in the end it doesn't serve them very well."

Ferndale Police Lt. Wilson, who handles media requests and news releases for the

department, said he prefers not to be inundated with requests on routine incidents.

"Basically, I ask them not to call and ask what is going on because nobody is going to tell them anything. It's always the same: I say nothing," Wilson said. "If we do have something significant, I put out a press release and put it out to every publication and media outlet that wants to be on the list. If people want more information, they can ask, or if it's a big story, they can come in and ask."

The Ferndale Police Department posts routine incidents on crimemapping.com, but Wilson said the department doesn't put out its own police blotter anymore.

"If people call for the smaller incidents, asking about drunks â&#x20AC;&#x201C; frankly we are too busy to mess with that. If they want to look at radio logs and come in, they can," Wilson said. "I think we get along well with the media. When I put out press releases, it goes to all the agencies. It's amazing who wants to grab onto things. I think it's going to be a small thing, and the next thing you know, it's CNN that's calling."

Detroit Free Press metro editor Maryann Struman said the degree of transparency varies from department to department.

"Some of the suburban departments are very helpful," she said in an e-mail. "Detroit is among the least transparent. Everything requires a FOIA, and even then, it is like pulling teeth."

Detroit News Crime Reporter George Hunter said the city of Detroit routinely takes weeks to respond to FOIA requests, sometimes requiring legal assistance from the newspaper's attorney. However, he said, FOIA delays may be attributed to the city's legal department, rather than the police department.

"The current administration is much more open than they previously had been.

They were very tight with information," Hunter said.

While the department issues daily crime reports, Hunter said they aren't very comprehensive and fail to touch on any of the main crime in the city. The best stories, he said, don't come from official channels, but rather through the cache of sources he has developed over the course of more than 15 years on the beat.

"A lot don't trust the media, so they don't say anything, and as we have seen in many cases, that's a mistake," Hunter said about law enforcement agencies. "If you say nothing, you are letting other people control the message."

Undersheriff McCabe said the Oakland County Sheriff's Office rarely requires the media to file a FOIA request for information.

"Our FOIA coordinator gets about 1,600 request a year, and most are from attorneys.

It's a full-time job. If I made the news media do it, we'd have to hire another staff," he said. "We are pretty open, and have been for a number of years. If it's really sensitive or something under investigation, but it's very rare that we tell anyone to file a FOIA request."

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nder Michigan's Freedom of Information Act, records compiled for law enforcement purposes are exempt from disclosure if releasing the information would interfere with law enforcement proceedings; deprive a person of the right to a fair trial; constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy; or disclose the identity of a confidential source.

Attorney James Stewart, a partner at Honigman Business Law Firm, said while active investigations are exempt from disclosure under FOIA, it isn't necessarily a blanket disclosure.

"That's hard to overcome," he said of potentially exempt documents. "That issue goes back to the Evening News Association v City of Troy, from about 1983. The city of Troy refused to turn over an incident report.

The court found they have to give a very detailed account of why. It was quite a story."

The case involved the July 31, 1979 fatal shooting of David Prior, 24, of Troy, by two police officers who mistook him for a thief.

Stewart said there had been a rash of thefts involving custom vans at the time, and Prior had decided to arm himself with a pellet gun and guard his van overnight.

Concerned for his safety, Prior's older sister told the police department her brother planned to hide in the van to catch potential burglars, and asked for extra surveillance.

Believing they were responding to a report of a burglar, the officers checked the van.

"When they opened the back door of the van, Prior said something like, 'you're dead.'

He had a BB gun. They had .357s," Stewart said, who represented the Evening News Association, former publisher of the Detroit News. "We wanted the incident report, and the police wanted a lockdown on it."

The paper attempted to obtain the incident reports filed by the two officers, and the identities of the two officers involved. The Troy Police Chief, the city of Troy and the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office refused the requests. That August, the paper filed a suit in Oakland County

Circuit Court to compel disclosure under the FOIA. While the circuit court ruled against the paper, the Michigan Supreme Court in 1983 found the police department failed to separate exempt material in the case from that which was non-exempt from FOIA, thus reversing the decision of the circuit and appellate courts.

Today, the Troy Police Department has three trained public information officers, all who perform other duties. The department issues a crime sheet two to three times per week that is e-mailed to about 106 organizations, said Capt. Robert Redmond.

It's a process the department has used for about a decade.

"Many years ago, we had just a PIO (public information officer). Now I have about 44 jobs, so it takes three of us to put the word out," he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Anytime the press wants to do a story, we do it. We don't say no."

T

he department also issues community e-mail alerts with information about crime trends, safety issues, longterm traffic issues and other information, in addition to sharing information on Facebook and crimemapping.com. By utilizing social media, Redmond said the department tries to keep the public informed and retain their support. Still, for all the department's efforts to share information, he said he understands the concerns about transparency.

"There's literally no paperwork to look at if you come in. It either goes to the detective bureau or the records department.

So, without a FOIA request, you don't see anything, but how do you know what to FOIA because there's nothing to go off until we issue the crime sheet," he said.

In order to speed the process, Redmond said the department typically forgoes any requirement to file a formal FOIA request.

"Usually, if a report is requested, I read it and redact what I can, and send them the report," Redmond said. "I didn't know it, but talking with the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, they send everything out. If they get a request, they just send it. They redact what they can, and then they send it. So, that's what we do."

Redmond said reports are redacted to ensure victim information isn't released, nor suspect information prior to arraignment.

"We are very good about being open to the public with information," he said. "We are always going to get some people that say we aren't, but we don't get that from reporters very often. We have been told

other departments can get information faster, so we talk to other departments and find out what they are doing."

Royal Oak Police Lt. David Clemens, who serves as the department's public information officer, said the department posts information to crimemapping.com, in addition to issuing a weekly update of incidents briefs, which is posted to the department's website and e-mailed to local media. The list contains routine calls for service that generate reports, such as vandalism, thefts, and other items.

"Very mundane things," he said. "I just put something about Christmas tree lights.

Just about everything."

Clemens said separate news releases are issued for major crimes or special information the department wants to share with the public.

"We want the public to know what is happening," he said. "Someone might see something on the weekly update and recall seeing something in that area, and they may want to contact us. It's keeping the public informed and being transparent."

West Bloomfield Deputy Chief Curt Lawson said any member of the public is welcome to come into the department and look at a synopsis of the previous day's events, including crimes and traffic accidents, and ask to look at accompanying reports.

"It's not everything. It's alarms and actual crimes and traffic accidents. Basically, it's a summary of what has occurred on the previous day's shifts," he said. "Local papers come in and pull off there. They usually don't FOIA for the full report, but I walk them through it."

The department also utilizes crimemapping.com, which he said often generates questions from local television news outlets.

"We might not share an active investigation, but most of the time we share what we can. We also put out a lot of information on Facebook and social media," Lawson said. "We are pretty active in the media. We don't say, 'no comment.' We put information out to the public.â&#x20AC;?

Southfield Deputy Police Chief Nick Loussia, who also serves as the department's public information officer, said the department posts weekly crime briefs on its website, on Facebook and through crimemapping.com.

"If we are having a problem with a certain thing, we want people to know.

Then they can take measures to protect themselves," he said. "We want them to know what is happening and where it happens."

Waterford Police Lt. Scott Good said the days of leafing through paperwork are gone.

"Officers no longer handwrite reports.

They have systems in their car and everything is done as a computerized case management system, as well as photographs and bookings. We used to take physical Polaroids and ink fingerprints. Now it's all done electronically," he said. "We are taking advantage of those advances. With respect to media, it gives us the ability to push out photographs and other information electronically."

E

ric Freedman, professor of journalism at Michigan State University, said while technology plays a part in the sharing of information, the trend of some local police departments taking a more proactive role in distributing information is also due in part to political pressure and legal mandates.

"In one way, they are being more transparent than they used to be," Freedman said. "Another point is that reporters are heavily taxed on time, and you don't have time to go to several police departments, unless you have a particular case in mind.

"I'm not sure there's anything different fundamentally than the way it always has been," Freedman said. "The police department is the original gatekeeper, and the media is the secondary gatekeeper.

Overall, it's better that the police announce something, as one-sided as that may be, than not announce anything."

Free Press attorney Fink said while advances in technology should increase the sharing of information to the public, news agencies still bear the responsibility of serving as a watchdog.

"One would hope that electronic data keeping should make it easier to share information. Public records should be posted on public body websites, but you don't know what is being withheld unless something happens," Fink said. "It boils down to whether a public body wants to be forthcoming. If they want to be secret, they are going to be secret."

Referring to former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, Fink said it was "good journalism and good digging" that brought issues to light.

"A public body either has a tradition of openness or it doesn't, and if it doesn't, then we are all in trouble," he said. "It's good journalism that is going to find it."

Lynn Baker & Deby Gannes 248.379.3000 lbaker@hallandhunter.com

248.379.3003 dgannes@hallandhunter.com

WHAT DOES YOUR DREAM HOME LOOK LIKE?

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP 1450 Silverbell Road | $1,949,000 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 1 Half Baths 5,000 Square Feet MLS# 215093146

Extraordinary opportunity to build 5 Bedrooms on a private 10.61 acre estate 6 Full, 1 Half Baths nestled on your own spring-fed 8,294 Total Sq. Ft. pond & “Billion Dollar Mile.”

MLS# 215123335 Every available amenity!

FRANKLIN VILLAGE 25301 Franklin Park Drive | $699,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full Baths 3,814 Square Feet MLS# 215114545

WEST BLOOMFIELD 4711 Cove Road | $1,899,900

Estate section on wooded 1.33 acres surrounded by multimillion dollar homes.

Panoramic views. Upper level balcony. Greenhouse.

Gated 2.3 acres with 226’ of lake frontage & dock/beach on all-sports Walnut Lake. 1st floor master. Walkout LL with spa/ workout room and BR/2 baths.

WEST BLOOMFIELD 3332 Pine Estates Drive | $555,000 3 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 2,260 Square Feet MLS# 215095355

Quiet street with Pine lake access and dock at end of street. Volume ceilings for a lot of light. Updated kitchen and bathrooms. Finished LL.

For cottages to castles, we are your hometown real estate experts...

Give us a call!

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP 3102 Royal Berkshire Lane | $719,900 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 1 Half Baths 3,969 Square Feet MLS# 216000438

Truly designer showcase home just minutes from downtown Rochester. Fabulous master.

Amazing patio & deck with a built-in BBQ kitchen & fire pit.

BLOOMFIELD 5699 Raven Road | $434,900 5 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 3,317 Square Feet MLS# 215093179

Numerous 2015 updates! 5th bedroom could be an au pair suite or 2nd floor family room.

Renovated kitchen & newer baths. 3-season porch.

Visit LynnandDeby.com or Like Us on Facebook at Lynn and Deby - Hall & Hunter Realtors 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Nanci J. Rands, Associate Broker Meredith Colburn, Associate Broker

METAMORA 3211 Wilder Road | $1,850,000 Magnificent 55-acre estate in the heart of Metamora Hunt Country! Light and nature blend seamlessly in this 1994 home. Multi-windowed living and dining rooms overlook 2.5-acre pond. Gourmet kitchen. Master suite has Pewabic tile fireplace. Full daylight basement.

6 Bedrooms 7 Full, 1 Half Baths 6,758 Square Feet MLS# 215106570

Spectacular estate property on 3.73 private acres just off Vaughan Road. Refined living spaces made complete by large pool, tennis and all-sports courts. Newer 1,500 sq. ft. guest house with expansive observation deck. 3-car garage. Walk to Cranbrook.

SO

LD

3 Bedrooms 3 Full, 3 Half Baths 4,275 Square Feet MLS# 216005224

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS 675 Hillcrest Drive | $2,495,000

BIRMINGHAM 679 Shepardbush Street | $1,395,000 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 2 Half Baths 5,115 Square Feet MLS# 216001610

4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 3 Half Baths 4,203 Square Feet MLS# 215111358

Fabulous Herman Frankel contemporary. Open floor plan. Gourmet kitchen.

Spacious master suite.

Finished LL. 3-car garage.

BU ILD SIT E

JU ST LIS TE D

Fabulous updated Cape Cod in Beverly Hills Village.

Gorgeous master suite.

New all-seasons family room. Move-in perfect!

Impeccable, spacious 2003 built home in Poppleton Park area. 4 bedroom suites.

Elevator. Gourmet kitchen.

Superb master. 3-car garage.

FRANKLIN VILLAGE 31600 Briarcliff Road | $895,000 Build Site 3.37 Acres MLS# 215106579

BIRMINGHAM 111 Willits Street, Unit #307 | $795,000 2 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 1,537 Square Feet MLS# 215081486

Beautiful in-town Willits unit with quiet balcony.

Stone and wood floors.

Open kitchen. Spacious master suite. In-unit laundry.

Fantastic opportunity to build the home of your dreams on this 3.37 acre site in the heart of Franklin Village.

Architectural plans available.

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS 1650 Rathmor Road | $1,695,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 6,137 Square Feet MLS# 215084289

Exciting postmodern home overlooking Bloomfield Hills Country Club. 1st floor master suite. Gourmet kitchen with dining alcove.

For more information, visit RandsColburn.com 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

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4 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 1,946 Square Feet MLS# 215112422

WEST BLOOMFIELD 4922 Panorama Circle | $570,000

UN DE RC ON TR AC T

BEVERLY HILLS VILLAGE 18189 Saxon Drive | $449,500

Nanci J. Rands

Meredith Colburn

Associate Broker

Associate Broker

248.762.5319

NRands@HallandHunter.com

MColburn@HallandHunter.com

JU ST LIS TE D

248.701.9000

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS 685 Hillcrest | $1,950,0000 A 2-acre Vaughan Road estate for under $2 million! This recently remodeled home offers the latest amenities. A custom rock pool, spa and waterfall are surrounded by artfully landscaped grounds. The first-floor master suite with vaulted ceilings and two-way gas fireplace has a jetted tub, oversized shower and heated floors. The new kitchen features custom cabinetry, high-end granite and an informal dining area, all open to the spacious family room. The upper level has a second master suite, three additional bedrooms and a full bath. The full basement has rec area and exercise room. 3-car garage.

NE W

PR ICE

5 Bedrooms 3 Full, 2 Half Baths 4,616 Square Feet MLS# 216003011

BLOOMFIELD HILLS 4710 Ardmore Drive | $1,895,000 6 Bedrooms 5 Full, 2 Half Baths 9,446 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 216003491

Tremendous value! Extraordinary 2000-built soft contemporary on nearly 2 private acres in highly sought-after neighborhood. Jerusalem limestone and stucco exterior. Brazilian cherry wood floors. Elegant living room with panoramic views of lush grounds. Formal dining room has cathedral ceiling and custom buffet. Sophisticated 1st floor master suite with private sitting room and Italian glass tiled bath.

State-of-the-art Poggenpohl kitchen opens to family room. Fabulous fully finished walkout lower level has 6th bedroom, bath, office, rec areas and French doors leading to Tennessee flagstone patio. 4-car heated garage. Outdoor spa. Generator.

The Real Difference in Real Estate

Ginny Fisher Realtor

248.593.0518 GFisher@HallandHunter.com

BLOOMFIELD HILLS 1772 Heron Ridge Drive | $1,699,000 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 2 Half Baths 7,385 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 216005341

Pristine executive retreat in private gated enclave on gorgeous ravine setting. Renovated Millennium cherry kitchen opens to family room. Beautifully finished walkout lower level with possible 5th bedroom. Lower paver terraces and expansive decks. 4-car garage.

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS 1000 Bretton Lane | $699,900 4 Bedrooms 4 Full Baths 5,994 Total Sq Ft. MLS# 215125143

California-styled custom contemporary on almost 2 private, wooded acres! Vaulted great room has expansive windows for gorgeous views. Walkout lower level features unique professional kitchen & possible 5th BR for entertaining/apartment area.

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS 245 Chestnut Circle | $777,000 3 Bedrooms 3 Full, 2 Half Baths 3,823 Square Feet MLS# 215109669

Classic Tudor on 3/4-acre elevated site in prestigious Chestnut Hills. Paneled library with fireplace and builtin bookcases. Expansive great room leads to back gardens. Island kitchen with dual cook tops. Spacious master suite. Lovely setting in desired neighborhood!

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS 1111 Kensington Road | $425,000 4 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 2,754 Square Feet MLS# 215107960

Wooded, private 1-acre setting with amazing views from every room. Eat-in kitchen. Master with spacious walk-in closet & deck access. Lower level offers family room, office/library, full bath & 4th bedroom. Property would make great build siteâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;also listed as vacant land.

For more information, visit GinnyFisherHomes.com 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Erin Keating DeWald Realtor

248.259.3544 Erin@erinkdewald.com

BIRMINGHAM | 1976 Shipman Boulevard | $949,000

BIRMINGHAM | 492 Larchlea Drive | $1,699,000

Custom home built by Lewand Builders & designed by Alex Bogaerts. Spacious, open floor plan. Impressive kitchen with butlers pantry & walk-in pantry. Elegant master. suite. Huge 2nd floor bonus room and laundry. Finished lower level with theater room and half bath. Covered outdoor terrace/patio with fireplace.

4580 SQUARE FEET | 4 BEDROOMS | 4 FULL, 1 HALF BATHS

ROYAL OAK | 806 Forestdale Road | $449,000

Presenting a spectacular custom built home by Lewand Builders. Uncompromised quality and detail located in downtown Birmingham. Home features top-of-theline appliances and custom cabinets in the gourmet chef’s kitchen with island that overlooks the spacious living room with fireplace. Full formal dining room.

Library. Owner’s suite with private bathroom, dual vanities and dream closet. Three spacious bedrooms, Two share the Jack and Jill bathroom and the 4th is a suite with walk-in-closet. 2nd floor laundry. Large mud room off the kitchen as well as a butler’s pantry. Finished lower level with full bath and utility room.

3100 SQUARE FEET | 4 BEDROOMS | 3 FULL, 2 HALF BATHS

New construction filled with modern amenities combined with charm and character close to downtown Royal Oak! Beautiful granite custom chef’s kitchen overlooks spacious family room with large windows. Office/den/study has a beautiful brick fireplace with custom glass French doors. Luxurious master suite with tray ceiling, dream closet and luxury bath. 2-car garage.

2,593 SQUARE FEET | 3 BEDROOMS | 2 FULL, 1 HALF BATHS

For each transaction to close in 2016, a new door will open for those in need. I will donate to a charity of the buyer/seller’s choosing.

For more information, visit ErinKDeWald.com 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Cheryl Riback Associate Broker, ABR, SRES

248.808.3112 CRiback@HallandHunter.com

NEW LISTING

BLOOMFIELD 4823 W. Wickford | $1,790,000 4 Bedrooms 5 Full, 3 Half Baths 11,951 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 216001986

An architectural gem. Tobocman-designed home in gated Hills of Lone Pine offers tranquil views of Minnow Lake & natural setting. Combines sophistication for entertaining and the comfort & warmth of a personal retreat. First-floor master suite with Travertine bath and enormous closets. Beautiful oak trim & use of stone, plus floor-to-ceiling windows for abundance of natural light. Grand foyer with center fireplace & seating. Spacious family room with oak built-in book shelves. Chefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eat-in kitchen leads to stone terrace. Walkout LL offers kitchen, pool, separate changing room, exercise/gym, spa/steam room. 3-car garage.

NEW LISTING

BLOOMFIELD 1485 Sodon Lake | $645,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 2 Half Baths 3,524 Square Feet MLS# 216003179

Updated home with mid-century flair on magnificent lot short of an acre in Sodon Lake area. Spacious and meticulously maintained.

Three bedrooms on main entry (one used as a library/study and one can also be a master bedroom). Fantastic upstairs master suite with incredible walk-in closet, bath and sauna Jacuzzi. Cookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kitchen with granite counters, stainless appliances, beverage fridge and breakfast nook looks out on landscaped yard. Built-ins in dining room, family room, study and master. Beautiful powder room off the mud room. Finished lower level with wonderful storage. Full generator. Hardwood floors. 2 garages. Bloomfield Hills Schools.

For more information, visit HallandHunter.com 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

442 South Old Woodward Avenue Birmingham, Michigan 48009

248.644.3500 Vickie McAskin Realtor

Amy Zimmer & Tiffany Glime 248.469.6430

248.821.7225

AZimmer@HallandHunter.com

248.930.5656

VMcAskin@HallandHunter.com

TGlime@HallandHunter.com

NEW LISTING

BLOOMFIELD 4247 Carey Lane | $999,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 4,077 Square Feet MLS# 215090816

Stunning 2012 Connecticut Colonial in quiet northend Wing Lake neighborhood. Gourmet kitchen opens to rear deck overlooking woods & river tributary. Corner office with deck. Natural light-filled studio with fireplace. Steps from deeded beach.

NEW LISTING

BIRMINGHAM | $629,000 1751 S. Bates St. | 1751Bates.epropertysites.com 5 Bedrooms 4 Full, 1 Half Bath 2,467 Square Feet MLS# 216001146

This custom brick home is an incredible opportunity to live in walking distance to downtown! Openconcept design. 2-story living room. Epicurean island kitchen. 1st floor bedroom. Upper laundry. Deck and covered porch. 2-car garage with guest house.

NEW PRICE

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS 781 Lone Pine Road | $527,660 3 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 2,749 Square Feet MLS# 216006001

Estate property mid-century ranch located in the Rudgate Sub near Cranbrook. Spacious light-filled living room. Kitchen with stainless appliances.

Dining room offers gas fireplace & built-ins. Large master suite (21â&#x20AC;&#x2122; x 17â&#x20AC;&#x2122;) with doorwall to patio/yard.

WATERFORD | $139,999 1301 Crystal Lane | 1301CrystalLane.epropertysites.com 2 Bedrooms 2 Full Baths 1,149 Square Feet MLS# 216000764

Delightful open-concept detached ranch condo in Crystal Villas! Cheery and bright. Airy living room with fireplace and high ceiling. Deck. Spacious common lawn. Updates include: New AC unit and garage door, freshly painted exterior trim (2015), Deck (2012).

For more information, visit HallandHunter.com 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

442 South Old Woodward Avenue Birmingham, Michigan 48009

248.644.3500

Ashley Mann

Kathleen Jardine

Realtor

Associate Broker

248.721.0987

248.755.4710

AshleyMann@HallandHunter.com

KJardine@HallandHunter.com

NEW LISTING

BIRMINGHAM 658 Graefield Court | $149,900 2 Bedrooms 1 Full Bath 906 Square Feet MLS# 216001943

Move-in ready condo offers spacious living room with hardwood flooring. Updated white kitchen with granite counter. 2nd bedroom currently being used as a dream closet with a custom built-in vanity with granite top.

Finished LL with brand new carpet and custom bench.

ROYAL OAK 2929 Woodland Avenue | $324,900 3 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 1,796 Square Feet MLS# 215126894

Open-concept Colonial with beautiful wainscoting and hardwood floors. Remodeled stainless kitchen has elegant butlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pantry. Updated baths. Newer Anderson windows, roof and siding. Completely remodeled basement in 2014. Great neighborhood!

For more information, visit HallandHunter.com 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

442 South Old Woodward Avenue Birmingham, Michigan 48009

248.644.3500

Lynda Schrenk

Pam Gray

Realtor

Realtor

248.760.6026

248.842.4696

LSchrenk@HallandHunter.com

PGray@HallandHunter.com

BIRMINGHAM 825 Hazelwood Street | $999,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 3,977 Square Feet MLS# 215104539

Newer-built Victorian in sought-after neighborhood.

Sweeping front porch & professionally landscaped yard. Open floor plan. Gourmet kitchen opens to family room & patio. Master suite with fireplace. LL has gym, steam shower, dry sauna, bar and family room.

NEW PRICE

BIRMINGHAM 1793 Melbourne Street | $749,900 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 2,698 Square Feet MLS# 216003187

Completely renovated, like-new Smart Home one block to Quarton Elementary & playground. Gourmet kitchen with marble island opens to family room and informal dining room overlooking private fenced yard & patio. New roof, all new windows.

BLOOMFIELD 742 Tennyson Downs Court | $749,000 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 1 Half Baths 3,747 Square Feet MLS# 215128121

Exclusive cul-de-sac location on almost a half acre.

Granite eat-in kitchen with glass door to the patio.

Family room has a coffered ceiling & wall of windows.

Huge master suite with spa-like bath & walk-in closet.

Finished LL with 2nd kitchen & possible 5th bedroom.

For more information, visit HallandHunter.com 442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

FACES

Ziggy Klett veryone has to start their career somewhere. For Bloomfield Hills resident Ziggy Klett, it was a position as an executive at a national investment firm that lead him to begin a career in standup comedy.

While he had done some standup comedy routines during the 1980s, Klett said he hung up the microphone and focused on a more serious career when his children were born. Now 59, Klett has refocused on comedy for the past decade, moving from open-mic nights to headlining 62-minute sets.

"I learned how to do standup in bars – that was the law of unintended consequences," he said. "What happened was, people couldn't sit and smoke, so attendance started going down, and the owners were looking for something to do. Comedy is cheap. All you need is a mic and a guy, so it created a boom in standup in bars.

“The agency I was working at the time, they were having me go every weekend to bars, like Sonny Jack's Beer Joint in Ohio, which is a real place. They are great shows, as long as they stop selling ammo by 10 o’clock. You can reload until 9:45, then you better get your ass to Walmart, because they stop selling at 10."

Klett's return to comedy came about 10 years ago after receiving a call from a friend who was considering a career change and starting a new business. The idea got Klett to start thinking about his own situation and to pick up the microphone again.

"When my sons were born, I said, 'no more standup,' and I focused on the other career. But I knew if I had seven minutes of material, I could get shows," he said. "I bought a mic and a tiny amp, set them up

E

in my house, and I started writing jokes. I did some open mic nights, and this guy came up after one at Mark Ridley's and said, 'I like your stuff, give me a call and we'll get you some MC work.' A couple days later, I called, and he was telling the truth."

As a comedian, Klett is hoping to make people laugh, a responsibility he said he takes very seriously, memorizing an hour-long set "backwards, forwards, and sideways."

"When doing standup, you are judged every 15 seconds, so you better have something funny," he said. "If you watch the top guys work, they have a punchline or funny observation about every 15 seconds. That's what it takes to keep them engaged and keep them there. That's when you're really cooking, and when you have the art form to the highest level."

Other nights may be a bit rougher, he said, recalling an incident with a heckler.

"It was a bar show in a town called Tustin, Michigan – in the methbelt, from Saginaw to Ludington and Gaylord, where deer hunting season is 365 days a year. A guy sitting to the left of the stage looked like if Grizzly Adams slept on a dumpster for seven years. And he wouldn't shut up," he said.

After an exchange between himself and the heckler, Klett said, the man left and returned with four intimidating friends.

"I did about four more jokes and went into my car," he said. "I don't think I was under 100 (mph) before I got to Saginaw."

Story: Kevin Elliott

Photo: Laurie Tennent

BLOOMFIELD HILLS

ʄ $1,950,000 1465 Quarton Ridge Circle

Spectacular residence that features 5,000 square feet, 12 foot ceilings, a two story foyer and grand staircases. From the grand entrance to the custom wainscoting library, beautiful living room and formal dining room, there isn’t a room in this home that won’t impress you. A romantic first floor master with luxurious bathroom. The gorgeous kitchen and breakfast area continues into the screened in porch that overlooks the magnificent property. The 3,000 square foot walk out lower level features a theater, game room, living area, and workout room. The outdoor area is perfect for entertaining friends and family featuring a saltwater pool, outdoor kitchen, sport court and breathtaking landscaping. A true masterpiece and one of a kind home in the top-ranked Birmingham school district.

M a x B ro o c k R e a l to r s B i r m i n g h a m | 2 7 5 S o u t h O l d Wo o d w a rd Av enue B i r m i n g ha m , M i c h i g a n 4 8 0 0 9

BIRMINGHAM

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MUNICIPAL City looks ahead at long-range planning

Township treasurer appeals court ruling

By Lisa Brody

By Lisa Brody

Birmingham city departments looked ahead to the upcoming year and presented projections for the next five years at the city commission's long-range planning meeting held on Saturday, January 16.

With four new commissioners on the city commission this year, department heads, including finance, engineering, planning, police, fire, library, and the Birmingham Shopping District, provided informational reviews as well as projections for the future.

Finance director Mark Gerber, along with accountants from Plante Moran, presented a five-year financial forecast along with capital improvements and funding priorities. They explained that this year had been a very good housing market in Birmingham, which is expected to continue. However, taxable values are limited by the Headlee Amendment, which if the housing market continues to increase will reach pre-recession property value levels by 2018 or 2019. City manager Joe Valentine clarified, “We're just getting to the 2008, 2009 (housing) levels.”

Gerber said that the city's general fund is expected to increase two percent for each of the next five years, with revenues increasing 1.5 percent during that period. “The city is assuming that increase of property tax increase growth will be higher after 2017, and we have been seeing increases in permits,” Gerber said.

The city's millage for 2015-2016 is 14.6006 mills, down from 14.6359 mills in 2014-2015; in 2011-2012 the millage was 14.8269. The decrease is due to Proposal A (Headlee Amendment) caps.

As for funding priorities for capital improvement, Gerber said they look to buildings, parks and other capital needs in the city and determine if they have enough money for various projects that they need to fund on an annual basis. Valentine explained that for larger projects, like the Chesterfield Fire Station, often they “prefund” by setting aside money each year for several years in order to be able to pay for it. “We can't budget for large projects all in one year,” he explained.

“When we do a capital project, we always try to budget for it in advance,” explained commissioner Stuart Sherman. “It works better that way, and it helps us maintain our AAA rating, and it makes sure we always downtownpublications.com

loomfield Township Treasurer Dan Devine filed a claim of appeal on Monday, January 4, with the Michigan Court of Appeals, after Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Leo Bowman dismissed on December 16, 2015, his whistleblower lawsuit against Bloomfield Township and township supervisor Leo Savoie.

The suit, filed September 10, 2015, alleged that Savoie “has engaged in an ongoing campaign to retaliate against Devine” and requested an unspecified money judgement in his favor for “loss of career opportunities, diminishment of business and personal reputation, emotional distress, and attorney fees and costs.” Devine sought monetary damages, the minimum of which are $25,000 under the Whistleblowers' Protection Act. Daniel D. Swanson of Sommers Schwartz P.C., representing Devine, said in September that under the Michigan Whistleblowers' Protection Act, an employer, which they claimed in this case is Bloomfield Township, “shall not discriminate or retaliate or threaten against an employee. Under the Whistleblowers' Act, the employer is Bloomfield Township because Devine has an employment contract. The supervisor, treasurer and clerk are elected officials, but they are employees of the township that serve at the pleasure of the people. The Act also allows you to name individuals involved in unlawful activities,” which is why Savoie was named frequently in the lawsuit.

A key contention Devine made was that he was an employee of the township, rather than an elected official, and in a legal response, he cited a former health care benefit contract from 2011, since cancelled, which called him an “employee.” However, Devine has been the treasurer since being appointed to the position in 1999. He has been elected and re-elected several times since.

Judge Leo Bowman read in a prepared statement that Devine had no standing to bring a case against Bloomfield Township or Savoie under the Whistleblower Protection Act. “Plaintiff is not an employee as defined by the WPA,” Bowman wrote in his ruling. He continued, “This court finds that plaintiff's claim is so clearly unenforceable as a matter of law that no factual development could possibly justify recovery.”

Devine had 21 days to appeal the circuit court ruling, which would have been January 6. Attorney Linda Roberts of Sommers Schwartz requested complete transcripts of everything since October 14, 2015, as part of the appeal.

“Frankly, I'm surprised and disappointed that he (Devine) would drag this on,” Savoie said when notified of the appeal, noting the township had already spent between $40,000 and $45,000 to fight the original lawsuit. He said he anticipates it will likely cost at least that much of the township's money to counter Devine's appeal.

Michigan Court of Appeals cases are always heard by a panel of three judges, and it can take up to 18 months after filing to come up for appeal, “but it could be more or less depending upon the complexity of the case,” said Judge Lisa Gleicher of the Michigan Court of Appeals. She said often people do not appeal their cases because “it's expensive to appeal,” although “when someone loses a case in the circuit court, he/she has a constitutional right to the Court of Appeals under the Michigan Constitution.”

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have enough money to fund the project. And by doing that, we're not playing with our millage rate every year and bumping up against Headlee, and people at home can budget that their taxes will be pretty much the same.”

City engineer Paul O'Meara explained that most of Birmingham's

streets date back to the 1920s, “when gravel streets without drainage was the norm.” Among the street maintenance projects the city does are complete reconstruction, which includes water main, sewer and drain replacement, as well as work to sidewalks, street lights, curbs and traffic lights.

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“For 2016, our big project will be the W. Maple resurfacing (between Southfield and Cranbrook roads), and one block of Hamilton,” as well as some neighborhood streets,” O'Meara said.

In 2017, the major project will be a complete reconstruction of Old Woodward in downtown Birmingham between Willits and Brown streets, “which will give a new look to downtown,” he said, along with some neighborhood streets. In 2018, Maple Road between Bates and Woodward will be reconstructed.

On neighborhood streets that are unimproved, O'Meara explained that residents can petition the city to have their street repaved. If over 50 percent of the street's residents sign the petition and present it to the city commission, it will be approved, with residents paying 80 percent of the assessment and the city the remaining 20 percent. He said when a project is resident-initiated, the street is often paved in 12 to 24 months.

“Often people don't understand how to get it done, unless a go-getter neighbor gets it done,” he noted.

“Maybe we need to do a video and put it on the (city's) website to explain it. It could be very helpful. If it's residentinitiated, it goes to the top of the construction list, otherwise it goes by need of the road and the condition.”

On ADA-compliant, or handicapped, parking at metered parking in the downtown shopping area, O'Meara said, “There have been complaints people have been abusing.

During a recent survey on a busy shopping day, a total of 121 vehicles were observed parked with disabled permits, about 80 percent in metered spaces.” Those cars park, sometimes all day, for free under current regulations.

O'Meara said that the advisory parking committee in late January will review new advisements where bluestriped handicapped parking in parallel parking spots, added as downtown streets are reconstructed, will be added with new blue meters. If the committee approves it, it will then go before the city commission in February for final approval.

O'Meara updated commissioners on the current parking shortage, stating that currently improvements to the Pierce Street structure are off the table. “Currently the worst (structure) is Peabody, it's in deficit mode, with the Balmoral building coming on, and Park Street is falling into deficit with the Palladium filling up,” he said. He said the Chester structure still has a great deal of capacity, and the Old 69

Woodward site is “not being used to full capacity,” with the committee continuing to explore a private/public expansion of the site.

John Heiney, executive director of the Birmingham Shopping District, explained that their board has been monitoring their fund balance in advance of the 2017 and 2018 downtown street reconstruction, in order to provide additional support to businesses and property owners, with currently $443,931 in the fund balance, while still maintaining $300,000 in their fund. The Birmingham Shopping District is supported by assessments to downtown Birmingham business property owners.

“We have monitored the 2013 road construction in Rochester and (2014) Royal Oak, as well as on Pierce Street,” Heiney said.

He said they are looking to offer valet parking six days a week in strategic locations; enhance colorful temporary store signage in construction zones; marketing campaigns during construction which will use a combination of online, print, broadcast, and social media; add a long-term installation of enhanced light poles at Maple and Old Woodward “to handle banners and major light displays. Everyone likes the old-fashioned feel of banners.”

In addition, they are also discussing adding modern up-to-date information kiosks with interactive directory touchscreens and enhanced directional signs for shoppers.

Birmingham planners updated commissioners on the city's past master plans, from 1980 to the present, with some commissioners stating it may be time to have a new master plan focusing on neighborhood conservation.

Planning director Jana Ecker gave

an overview of the city's bistro ordinance, first created in 2007, and which has created 17 bistros in that period – 10 news establishments, and seven given to existing restaurants.

Since then, What Crepe? closed, and Cosi recently announced they will be going out by July. Two, Forest and Bistro Joe's, are in the city's Triangle District, and none have applied for the Rail District, she said.

“We haven't seen a lot of problems with the police with the bistros,” Ecker said. “They have increased walkability.

You may want to increase the diversity of the cuisine (in the future). Most are American, two are Italian, so there's not as much as we envisioned.”

She said that so far, the bistro applicant for 2016, Fun Wine Company, had not followed through, so at this point, there would not be a bistro for 2016, although there is a supplementary application date of April 1.

Police Chief Don Studt stated that the police department was at status quo with 30 officers, and in good shape.

Department of Public Services Director Lauren Wood stated that the center islands of Woodward were last enhanced in 2002 under a beautification program, and “it's time for a fresh new feel this year.”

Birmingham landscape architect Michael J. Dul has been contracted for a new plan.

She reviewed the Rouge River Trail Corridor master plan, first accepted by the parks and recreation board in 2006, which has five pedestrian bridges at various access points along the Rouge River Trail. Each bridge had approximate costs of $500,000, leading Nickita to state, “The (parks and rec) budget is very, very loose. We need a lot of clarity, depending on how we

Charter ballot proposal to keep Maple four lanes n addition to choosing a presidential candidate on the March 8 primary election, Birmingham voters will be asked to vote on a charter amendment proposal to permanently keep Maple Road between Southfield and Cranbrook, and Woodward and Eton roads four lanes.

E. Maple Road between Woodward and Eton currently is four lanes, after Birmingham city commissioners and the city's multi-modal transportation committee studied the roadway and traffic consultants determined that, at this time, that configuration is the preferred alignment.

However, W. Maple Road between Southfield

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design those bridges. There are a number of ways we could do those bridges. I think there's some sticker shock to those prices.”

Hoff concurred and added, “We can't move forward with a bridge if there might be something happening with the Bates Street connector. I don't know if it's a priority.”

Valentine said a design competition for the bridges “should meet the strategic goals of the commission, and the parks board should implement it.”

Wood then presented what she called “priority projects” for Poppleton Park, for playground improvements, soccer fields, walking paths, parking improvements and neighborhood connections, saying the parks board is having neighborhood meetings.

Doug Koschik, Baldwin Library Director, presented the library's longrange building vision, including a proposed adult services renovation plan, for which conceptual plans are currently being designed. The first phase is estimated to cost $2.2 million.

He also presented a conceptual version of the library's vision of a less comprehensive and less expensive plan for phases two and three, to paint, pay for furniture, and have carpet upgrades in the Grand Hall and second floor out of its operating budget over the next few years, as well as technology upgrades.

“The library building's role as part of Birmingham's civic center needs to be considered when building modifications are considered,” Koschik said, noting that all city procedures will be followed.

Unlike the 2014 plan, which was rejected by voters, the Birkerts addition will be maintained. Phase two would have the youth room renovated and expanded; new furniture and fixtures; and renovation of restrooms. Koschik

and Cranbrook has been a bone of contention between the city and some residents since the city began studying the roadway, and decided to do a test as a three-lane configuration after three traffic engineering consultants recommended the format as a way to reduce speeds, the number and severity of accidents, and traffic volume on the road. The three-lane configuration allows for one lane of traffic in each direction and a center turn lane. The test began at the beginning of October and will run through spring 2016, when it will be evaluated for all of the determined metrics, prior to the roadway being repaved this summer, as has been scheduled for several years.

However, Birmingham resident Jim Mirro objected to the city commission considering the roadway change and approving the test, and had an attorney create a petition to change the city

said the current estimate for this phase is $1.9 million. He would like to do this phase in 2019.

Phase three would renovate the circulation area and commons area; develop a new entry area, ideally to have it at street level, and add an elevator; install a skylight to the 1927 building where it meets the 1960 and 1981 additions to provide natural light to the interior.

Koschik said current estimates for this phase is $1.6 million, to be done ideally in 2022. In 2022 dollars, Koschik said the cost estimate for the three phases is $6.4 million.

No bistro moving forward for 2016

By Lisa Brody

The Fun Wine Company, proposed for 588 N. Old Woodward, the only bistro application for 2016 that the Birmingham City Commission approved to be sent on to the city's planning board for full site plan and design review in October 2015, has not followed through with plans during the 90-day window allowable, meaning the application is dead.

At the October 12 city commission meeting, Ed Bosse, owner of Birmingham Wine Shop and the former Simply Wine store, said his The Fun Wine Company would be “different. It would be colorful, energetic. Our background has always been colorful. We've been at the farmer's market asking people what they'd like. It's not really for people outside the community. $10 food; a $5 glass of wine.”

At the time, commissioners voted 4-3, with commissioner Mark Nickita and now former commissioners Scott Moore, Gordon Rinschler and Tom

charter to keep Maple Road a four-lane road forever, both in the Southfield to Cranbrook road stretch and in the area from Woodward to Eton Street. He succeed in obtaining the required number of signatures and the proposal has been placed on the March 8 ballot for residents to consider.

Ballot language reads as: Shall the Charter of the City of Birmingham, Michigan, be amended by adding a new Section 10 to Chapter XI entitled "Maple Road" to state that "The configuration of Maple Road shall not be less than four (4) through traffic lanes, dedicated for motor vehicle use, between Cranbrook Road and Southfield Road and between Woodward Avenue and Eton Street."

Charter amendments must be made by a vote of the electorate and can only be changed again by a vote of the public.

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02.16

MUNICIPAL McDaniel voting to move The Fun Wine Company on to the city's planning board.

By ordinance, a bistro applicant has 90 days from commission approval to submit full site plans and design review to the city's planning board. That time frame expired on Tuesday, January 12.

Birmingham Planning Director Jana Ecker said that the city had not heard from Bosse since the October 12 meeting, including how to develop his site to comply with the bistro ordinance.

The city's bistro ordinance, an economic incentive liquor license program adopted in 2007, permits no more than 65 seats, with up to 10 seats at a bar, and requires there must be outdoor seating and front windows that open with at least 70 percent glazing in order to activate the streets, and no more than two bistro licenses can be given out per year.

Bistro applications are accepted annually on October 1 for the following calendar year. There is a supplementary date of April 1 if anyone chooses to reapply, or to submit new bistro applications to the city commission.

Bosse could not be reached for comment.

Committee set to review Rail District A committee is being set up to to look at the parking, planning and multi-modal needs of Birmingham's Rail District, including the S. Eton Corridor, in order to address parking issues that have been raised by residents and businesses in the area.

The city commission on Monday, January 11, unanimously approved a resolution creating the Ad Hoc Rail District Review Committee to provide a coordinated review of the Rail District while considering all of the aspects that are needed to create an integrated approach towards addressing parking, planning of the area and multi-modal considerations.

The seven-member committee will be comprised of three representatives of the adjacent neighborhoods, a business owner in the Rail District, and a representative from the advisory parking committee, the planning board, and the Multi-Modal Transportation Board. An advisory board, all of the members will serve through December 31, 2016. Planning director Jana Ecker will advise the committee, along with city manager Joe Valentine. downtownpublications.com

Cosi leaving Birmingham after 15 years

By Lisa Brody

he Cosi restaurant will be leaving its prime location at the corner of Maple and Old Woodward in downtown Birmingham where it has been located for the past 15 years.

“We expect they will be leaving when their lease terminates July 31,” said Peter Sobelton, a co-owner of the building. “We have spoken to Boston where the corporate offices are, and I assume they have informed the manager of the location.”

The manager of the Birmingham location has acknowledged that Cosi will be closing at 101 S. Old Woodward, but declined to comment. There is another Detroit area Cosi location at the Tel-Twelve Mall, 28674 Telegraph Road in Southfield.

Over the years, the Birmingham location has been the site of Wilson Drugs, the Gap and then Cosi.

Sobelton said, “We don't have a possible tenant, but have several LOI (letters of intent) out for both the Cosi and (the adjacent) Centigrade (marketing agency) space.”

Centigrade, located next to Cosi at 135 N. Old Woodward, is an integrated marketing agency that has announced it is relocating in February to Willits Street in Birmingham to move in with Frameworks.

Sobelton said that there has been interest expressed in the Cosi space alone, and the combined Cosi and Centigrade space. “We have a restaurant and retailer interested in just the Cosi space, and another restaurant and retailer interested in the combined Cosi and Centigrade space,” he said.

He said the choice for the space “won't be based on economics. It will be based on what's best for Birmingham.”

The restaurant interested in the combined space would need a Class C liquor license, and Sobleton said, “We don't know if something is out there or not.”

Cosi had a bistro license, which will be lost when the restaurant closes.

By Birmingham ordinance, bistro licenses cannot be transferred when a business closes or changes names.

Sobleton said he doesn't know if Cosi will stay open until the end of July, or leave earlier, but noted that they have lease that runs through then.

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Over the last couple of years, as businesses and residential growth have expanded on S. Eton in the Rail District, several residents have become upset with traffic and parking expanding into the adjacent neighborhoods. Currently, parking is permitted on both sides of Eton Street between Lincoln and Villa.

The master plan recommended removing all the parking from the west side of the street, a removal of 50 percent of the parking, and adding a buffered bike lane. At their November 23 meeting, commissioners were looking for changes that would add more parking, such as angled parking on the northbound side, and the board determined that would not be beneficial, and to leave the parking situation as it currently is.

“I don't have a handle for what the need is for parking in the Rail District, especially with the master plan recommendation for getting rid of parking on the west side of Eton,”

commissioner Stuart Sherman said at the time. “I'm also concerned we asked the Multi-Modal Board to do two conflicting things. We've asked them to find more parking, and to get rid of parking in the neighborhoods. I want to make sure we have all the data we need to make a decision. I'd like to send this back to engineering and I'm not sure if it's staff or if we would appoint a small committee to figure out the needs of parking in the Rail District before we decide what to do in the Rail District.”

Commissioners voted unanimously to have staff come back with a committee to study the parking capacity in the Rail District, including zoning issues, shared parking and street parking in the district, as well as multi-modal issues and a bike lane.

The new Ad Hoc Rail District Review committee will address all of these issues at meetings that will be open to the public.

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Ethics board finds no wrongdoing A concern over possible impropriety in the hiring of a library consultant to work on architectural plans for a renovation project of the adult services department of Birmingham's Baldwin Library was determined to not be a violation of the city's ethics ordinance by the board of ethics at their meeting on December 1, 2015.

Former city commissioner Gordon Rinschler had requested the matter be referred to the board of ethics at the city commission meeting on October 12, when library director Doug Koschik, along with the architectural firm Luckenbach/Ziegelman/Gardner (LZG), made a presentation to the commission regarding their design proposal for the adult services department. In the presentation, LZG stated they would coordinate with architect Aaron Cohen Associates on the project.

Cohen is a noted library consultant, designer and facility planner from New York. Rinschler objected, and said he perceived an ethical conflict, because Cohen had been brought into the conversation by 2014 library bond opponent David Bloom. Bloom is a private citizen.

According to unapproved minutes from the board of ethics meeting, Koschik noted that Cohen had not submitted a request for proposal (RFP) for the current project, nor the 2014 project. LZG stated Cohen had been chosen because of his expertise.

The members of the board of ethics determined that there were no ethics violations in selecting the architects, no conflicts of interest in choosing the consultant, and that LZG had made full disclosure of their relationship with Cohen.

The board unanimously voted that there had been no ethics violations by either the library or the architectural firm.

Laura Pierce, Birmingham clerk, said the meeting minutes will become official when the board next meets and votes to approve them.

Parking lot to have sewer work done Birmingham's municipal parking lot #6, where the Birmingham Farmer's Market takes place each year, will have some minor sewer work done to address deficiencies that can cause sewage overflows into the Rouge River 77

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275 S. Old Woodward Downtown Birmingham

during extreme rain events, necessitating employees at nearby businesses to park on local streets during construction.

According to a letter to residents of the adjacent neighborhood sent by city engineer Paul O'Meara, two large regional sewers were constructed on N. Old Woodward that intersects the parking lot at 588 and 600 N. Old Woodward, “servicing Birmingham and areas to the northeast, such as Bloomfield Township and Troy. The largest sewer is designated as a county drain.”

O'Meara said that several years ago, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) required the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner's office to study the sewer and address any deficiencies that may arise that can cause sewage overflows into the Rouge River, which snakes through the area.

“In the area known as Municipal Parking Lot #6, about 200 feet of sewer needs to be removed and replaced to address an alignment problem,” according to O'Meara's letter to local residents and businesses.

Work is expected to begin in March

or April of 2016, with a majority expected to be completed later this spring. According to O'Meara, sewer work will take about two weeks, and then pavement repairs will begin, which should take less than a week.

While repairs are occurring, the parking lot will be out of commission.

“In order to make room for the sewer work, between 40 and 80 public parking spaces will have to be closed,” O'Meara's letter stated. “Given the parking structures south of this area are also regularly near capacity, there is not a good replacement option in the central business district.”

His recommendation is for employees of area businesses to park on local neighborhood streets, as they did in 2007 when N. Old Woodward was reconstructed, notably Vinewood between N. Old Woodward and Woodland; Woodland between Vinewood and Harmon; and Harmon from Woodland to N. Old Woodward.

“In the spirit of cooperation, we hope that homeowners in the area will be willing to forego the ability to park in front of their homes during the business day for this short time,”

O'Meara wrote. He noted employees tend to park for the whole day while shoppers are usually in and out.

Birmingham's Advisory Parking Committee reviewed and endorsed the plan, and it was then unanimously approved by Birmingham's city commission on Monday, January 11.

Hogan's closing after 40 years After 40 years at the corner of Telegraph and Maple in Bloomfield Township, Hogan's restaurant will close its doors, after being bought by the Barbat Organization of Bloomfield Township, which intends to raise it and construct a multitenant retail center on the site.

Rick Bochenak, owner of the longtime establishment, said he will be closing the doors Sunday, January 31. “The timing was right. They approached me (to buy it). It was never on the market,” he said. “For me, it's kinda sad. My dad bought it from Howard Johnson's in 1961, and turned it into Hogan's in 1975. It was

a staple in the area for three generations.”

Bochenak said the neighborhood tavern, with its laid-back vibe, was popular for its burgers, sandwiches, salads, ribs, seafood and steaks.

“I've been hearing stories from people for the last few days, their memories, how much they'll miss it,” he said.

Bochenak said the hardest part was telling his employees he was closing, and he's working connections in the industry to help them find new employment. “Many of them have been with me for 15, 18, 25 years,” he said. While he's not currently ready to open another restaurant, “I never say never. I'm willing to consider anything,” he said.

Barbat also owns the Mobil gas station on the corner next to Hogan's, as well as the BP station and Tim Horton's across the street.

The Barbat Organization, comprised of brothers Scott and Duane, currently is working with the Bloomfield Township planning department on plans for the site, which is being designed as a onestory multi-tenant retail center.

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FACES Liz Cohen art photographer and part performance artist, Liz Cohen uses both mind and body to focus on issues of transformation and belonging while also heading up the photography program at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills.

"Generally, I tend to focus on issues around belonging and acceptance because those are big human issues that we all face," she said. "In all of my work, there is an examination of belonging and what it means to be in or out of a group, or what it is to be left out when you have something to offer. My work has also dealt with radical transformation and modification."

Amongst Cohen's work is a decade-long project titled, "Bodywork," in which Cohen transformed an East German automobile into a Chevrolet El Camino. To complete the project, Cohen apprenticed in an auto shop and learned how to reconstruct the vehicle into a custom lowrider. At the same time, Cohen transformed herself into a bikini model and was photographed with the vehicle. Cohen's work has been exhibited locally at the David Klein Gallery, in Birmingham; and throughout the country and world, including Salon 94, in New York City; The University of Arizona, the El Paso Museum of Art; Galerie Laurent Godin, in Paris; and other galleries in Stockholm, Sweden, New York City, San Francisco, Stuttgart, Germany, and several other locations.

It was her Bodywork project, she said, that led her to Cranbrook and her current home in Bloomfield Hills, where she lives with her husband, a native of the Birmingham area.

"It was kind of a perfect storm," she said. "I had been working at the time on the car in Arizona. If it was becoming a Chevrolet, I thought it should be finished in the land of General Motors. This opportunity came up at Cranbrook, so I did it and it became an amazing experience."

Previous work included, "Canal," which documented a group of transgender sex workers in Panama. Her latest work, "Him," is on exhibit through March 4 at the Cranbrook Art Museum. The exhibit includes new work that draws on a continued interest in exhibitionism, subcultures and acts of belonging. The exhibit is a collaborative research project with a self-described eunuch, who has undergone surgical transformations. Cohen alters interviews, photos, videos and other media to tell his story.

"The first group of people I was working with in Panama were transgender, so they were going though changes in their bodies through hormones. And with the transformation of the car, I was going through a radical process of becoming a car customizer and a bikini model," she said. "Now, (Him) is a man who in his practice radically modifies language to make poetry, while at the same time radically modified his body, and I'm radically modifying his story into another form."

Cohen's own transformation as an artist grew out of her interests in her work and documentary-type photography. Growing up in the Phoenix area, she said, she hadn't thought of being an artist at an early age.

"It's not what I set out to do when I was going to college," she said. "I had been through some personal things. My father died before I started college. I took some photography classes and really enjoyed it. I had no intention of pursing it as a lifelong pursuit â&#x20AC;&#x201C; then life took me here."

P

Story: Kevin Elliott

Photo: Laurie Tennent

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FACES

Chris Nordman he sultry, magnetizing sound of the award-winning Chris Canas Band is infused by the musical stylings of Chris Nordman, who began playing piano at just four-years-old.

“My dad was a public school music teacher and he was very encouraging,” Nordman said.

Nordman’s father spent summers working as an administrator at the prestigious Interlochen Center for the Arts in Northern Michigan. “We had a cottage in the compound for the National Music Camp. It was pretty neat.”

Nordman found a second love in string instruments and became an accomplished cellist.“I started playing the cello when I was eight-years-old.”

Nordman played in several area symphony orchestras, chamber music groups and earned first chair in the World Youth Symphony at Interlochen.

He played with Van Cliburn and studied under Howard Hanson and other great artists and conductors.

The Bloomfield Hills native also learned to play the organ and serenaded churches in his hometown.

“When I was 14, I was the assistant organist at St. Hugo of the Hills in Bloomfield Hills.”

Upon graduation from Cranbrook Schools in 1974, Nordman earned a degree in industrial engineering and management from the General Motors Institute.

“As soon as I got out of college, I went right back to the entertainment industry.”

With jazz influences like Oscar Peterson, Jimmy Smith and Joe Sample, Nordman attended many industry events with other jazz and blues enthusiasts.

T

Serendipity struck when Chris Canas took notice of Nordman’s talent.

Nordman was recruited to play keyboard and perform some back-up vocals for the band.

“We won the Central Florida Blues Challenge and last year we won the Detroit Blues Challenge and went to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis.” The band competed against approximately 200 bands from around the world and made it to the semi-finals.

“Just to make it that far is really something. There’s one band sent from every blues society around the world.”

The Chris Canas Band won the Detroit Blues Challenge again this year, and competed in Memphis in January 2016. Nordman is featured on the band’s album “Would you Mind.” “I’m proud to be a part of the group,” he said. “We inspire each other to work at a higher level.”

The multi-gifted musician has played at venues including Meadowbrook and DTE Energy Music theaters. He plays two or three jobs weekly with the band. They also travel at least once a month to play around the country.

Nordman and his wife, Lori, own several acres of land in White Lake Township and have three horses. The couple has been married for 33 years and own a special events company called Event Fun Rentals.

Nordman is hyper-focused on the upcoming competition in Memphis but in the long-term, he has his sights set on playing overseas.

“There’s a really good market (in Europe) for American music,” he said.

“I want to keep improving and learning new things. I strive to be innovative, but true to my roots in the genre of blues and jazz.”

Story: Katey Meisner

Photo: Jean Lannen

BUSINESS MATTERS New Birmingham law firm A recently formed law firm has opened one of two new offices in Birmingham.

Kirsch Leach & Associates, 144 West Maple, Birmingham, was formed in July of 2015, with the firm opening its Birmingham office near the end of 2015, said Lisa Kirsch Satawa, formerly with Clark Hill PLC, in Birmingham. Kirsch Satawa specializes in family law, including allegations of child abuse and sexual assault, alcohol related crimes, and school issues. Joining her at the practice are attorneys Bruce Leach, who specializes in medical marijuana issues; criminal defense attorney Larry Shulman and Mani Khavajian, who specializes in immigration law. Kirsch Leach & Associates also opened an office in Grand Blanc.

Media firm consolidation Global media company Universal McCann (UM), 205 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, has completed the move of its three Birmingham offices into a consolidated space within two floors of the renovated Palladium building at N. Old Woodward and Hamilton Row. The move, which was finished in late January, included about 350 employees from offices at 300 Park, 825 Bowers, and its former Detroit headquarters at 805 E. Maple near the Kroger store. UM

is part of McCann Worldgroup with offices on E. Maple in Birmingham.

Kristine Ruppel, senior manager of office services for the UM office, said in August that UM will now inhabit more than 50,000 square feet on one-and-ahalf floors of the Palladium building.

The 140,000 square foot, mixed-use retail and entertainment Palladium building was purchased by A.F. Jonna Development and Management Company in March 2014 and has undergone extensive renovations. The building was originally designed for two levels of retail and two stories of movie theaters. The building now houses one story of retail, two stories of office, a modified movie theater, underground parking and three rooftop, residential units. The five-screen Emagine Theater and Ironwood Grill restaurant occupy the fourth floor.

PNC bank branch moving Customers used to doing business at PNC Bank, 36300 Woodward, Bloomfield Township, should be aware that the branch has closed and moved to a new address along the M-1 corridor to 34953 Woodward, in Birmingham in the new Balmoral Building. Branch manager Jay Zaczek stated that the move was scheduled to take place on Friday, January 22, with the new branch

to open on Monday, January 25. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a way bigger space, and will hopefully produce more traffic,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will have a three-lane drive through now.â&#x20AC;?

The new branch will continue to service all of its current PNC customers.

Local artist event The Stand Gastro Bistro, 34977 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, this month will begin hosting itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Meet the Artistâ&#x20AC;? series, beginning on Thursday, February 18, at 6 p.m. The 13-week series features the works of a local artist displayed through the restaurant, followed by a special showing open to the public. Restaurant owner and developer John Kelly said the event is part of The Standâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to the community. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The restaurant is very large, so we have a lot of space to feature large amounts of work,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want to get the community to be aware of these artists and their talents.

Kelly, whose previous endeavors include Andiamo West, The Wyndgate Golf & Country Club and the Capital Grille in Troy, opened The Stand in March of 2013. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Meet the Artist event will be the second at The Stand. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These artists are very talented, and they are local,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We use local talent in all aspects of our space, from furniture, chandelier, sculpture, beer, wine, liquor,

produce, fowl, meat and more, getting the community involved and giving back.â&#x20AC;?

Royal DSM moving A global science-based company that has its North American headquarters located in Birmingham will be moving its offices this month to the neighboring Troy community. Royal DSM Engineering Plastics, 735 Forest Ave., Suite 201, in Birmingham, will relocate its Americas headquarters to the Columbia Center property, 203 W. Big Beaver, in Troy. The company, which is active in health, nutrition and materials, said the move was prompted by recent growth and helps create an environment that will promote closer collaboration among its customers. The business will occupy more than 31,000 square feet of the new office, which was converted by KIRCO MANIX from a former fitness facility. The Troy facility includes an Application Development Center where material testing, automotive plastics research and technology development will take place.

Business Matters for the Birmingham Bloomfield area are reported by Kevin Elliott. Send items for consideration to KevinElliott@downtownpublications.com.

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FACES

Pattie Breen ooty, to me is a benign way to say butt,” said Bloomfield Township resident Pattie Breen, as she described the name of Booty Shawl, her clothing creation borne from clocking hours in leggings, tights and a bathing suit.

A part-time Pilates and aquatics instructor, as well as a full time creative director for Campbell Ewald advertising agency, Breen moves a lot, and tends to work seven days a week. “I’ve always been busy,” said Breen, 54, who sports a streak of teal-green in her short hair. She wakes up at 5 a.m. to hit the gym before heading to her downtown Detroit office. On weekends and evenings, she plugs away at the business of Booty Shawl while also staying active teaching classes at the Beverly Hills Club.

Launched a year ago, Breen’s Etsy store offers three styles of Booty Shawl, which she considers an accessory – “like a scarf, for your bum.”

The Stella Draper, Audrey Hipburn, and Isabella Wrapalini are made to flatter the derrieres of women of all sizes and shapes. “They cover as much as necessary, but as little as possible,” said Breen of the hiphugging, slip-on wraps that work when the pants “are just not thick enough, and you feel like you’re walking around in pantyhose.”

Breen has shipped her creation as far as Alaska and Japan. “It’s so fun, you contact people from all over the world – Florida; New York; Omaha, just yesterday, Texas.” Some of her customers, she said, are “larger women, who, I know are very self-conscious. They’ll say ‘You probably don’t make it in my size,’ but we do, and we do custom sizes.

Every woman has this self-conscious part that says ‘I can’t wear that. I feel like I can’t wear tights.’” But, she said, “They tell me ‘I love my

B

Booty Shawl, because I have this little thing,” which is just enough draping fabric to boost confidence.

Before going into production, Breen and her friend, seamstress Lisa Gillenwater, took about a year to develop the design and iron out the details. Like a kid in a candy store, Breen perused materials, colors, and patterns before settling on a couple of types of cotton and a spandex that falls nicely over skinny jeans.

“We had a good December on Etsy, good growth” Breen said. “I plan to get to a point where I could hire sewers.” For now, Gillenwater, mother of a six-month-old, is the single seamstress, stitching the pieces in her Plymouth home. “Next is the Itty Bitty Booty Shawl,” said Breen, “for all the little girl dancers.”

Pattie and her boyfriend, Bill, an art director who helped her develop Booty Shawl’s logo, have been together 30 years. “I say we’re as good as married; we’re Mr. and Mrs. Mortgage,” she jokes. A wordsmith who has worked on notable ad campaigns, such as Jeep, Breen has used Booty Shawl as an opportunity to learn about social media and its role in sales.

“I had to learn a lot. I’m about advertising and copywriting, not numbers.”

Excited about the resurgence of Detroit, Breen looked local to fulfill her marketing needs – she held a casting call for over 20 Detroit women, hired an artist from Birmingham's Todd’s Room to do hair and makeup, and chose local photographer Joe Vaughn to capture the models in various parts of the city.

“This is fashion, your pics have to be great,” Breen said.

Story: Katie Deska

Photo: Laurie Tennent

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. The complete Places To Eat is available at downtownpublications.com and in an optimized format for your smart phone (downtownpublications.com/mobile), where you can actually map out locations and automatically dial a restaurant from our Places To Eat.

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.

Andiamo: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 6676 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301.

248.865.9300.

Arthur Avenue: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 260 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 48009.

248.480.0768.

Au Cochon: French. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 260 N. Old Woodward, Birmingham 48009.

248.792.7795.

Bagger Dave's Legendary Burger Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 6608 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301.

248.792.3579.

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

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

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

248.645.6879.

Brooklyn Pizza: Pizza. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

No reservations. 111 Henrietta Street,

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Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.6690.

Café ML: New American. Dinner, daily.

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

248.642.4000.

Cafe Via: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 310 East Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.644.8800.

Cameron’s Steakhouse: American.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 115 Willits Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.723.1700.

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 Hills, 48302. 248.540.7220.

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

248.792.9766.

Cosi: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & wine. 101 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.203.9200.

Dick O’Dow’s: Irish. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 160 West Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.642.1135.

Eddie Merlot's: Steak & seafood. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 37000 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.712.4095.

Einstein Bros. Bagels: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 176 South Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.9888. Also 4089 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301.

248.258.9939.

Elie’s Mediterranean Cuisine: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. 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, Monday-Saturday.

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.

Hogan’s Restaurant: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6450 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301.

248.626.1800.

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.

CELEBRATE VALENTINE'S DAY AT BIG ROCK CHOPHOUSE Friday, February 12, 2016 through Sunday, February 14, 2016 Toast of Sparkling Rose First Course - Choice of One Porcini Mushroom Bisque - Brie Crisp, Chive Oil Caesar Salad - Chopped Romaine, Garlic Crouton, Parmesan Cheese Crab Gratin - Jumbo Lump Crab, Gulf Rock Shrimp, Organic Spinach, Grana Padano, Lemon Zest, Toast Points Entree - Choice of One Lobster Ravioli - Dill Pasta, Shrimp, Artichokes, Spinach, Lobster Nage New York Strip - Ancho Rub, Lime Avocado Butter, Sweet Potato Fries Chestnut Farms Chicken Breast - Fingerlings, Asparagus, Arugula, Baby Carrot, Lemon Butter Dessert Macaroon of Chocolate Layers Dark Chocolate Ganache, Milk Chocolate Cake, Caramel Chocolate Chantilly Cost is $60, excludes tax, tip and valet.

For more information or to make reservations, call 248-647-7774.

Regular dinner menu will also be available.

Open for dinner only on Sunday starting at 4 p.m.

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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.

Ironwood Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations, 6 or more. Liquor.

290 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009.

248.385.0506.

Kerby’s Koney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

2160 N. Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.333.1166.

La Marsa: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner daily. Reservations. 43259 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.858.5800.

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.

Mitchell’s Fish Market: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 117 Willits Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.646.3663.

Mountain King: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 469 South Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.644.2913.

New Bangkok Thai Bistro: Thai. Breakfast, Monday-Thursday; Lunch, Monday-Friday; Dinner, daily. No reservations. 183 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.2181.

Nippon Sushi Bar: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner daily. No reservations. Liquor.

2079 S. Telegraph, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.481.9581.

Nosh & Rye: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, daily.

No reservations. 39495 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304.

248.646.7923.

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. 100 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.203.7966.

Also 2125 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.253.9877.

Peabody’s: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 34965 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.5222.

Phoenicia: Middle Eastern. Lunch, Monday-

DOWNTOWN

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 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.

Sanders: American. Lunch, daily. No reservations. 167 N. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.3215.

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. 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 Corner Bar: American. Dinner.

Wednesday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 100 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.2958.

The Bird & The Bread: Brasserie. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 210 S. Old Woodard, Birmingham, 48009.

248.203.6600.

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 Rugby Grille: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 100 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.642.5999.

The Stand: Euro-American. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 34977 Woodward, Birmingham, 48009.

248.220.4237.

Toast: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily; Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 203 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.6278.

Touch of India: Indian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 297 E. Maple

02.16

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.

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.

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.

Andiamo Restaurants: Italian. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 129 S. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.582.0999.

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.

Bspot Burgers: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 310 S. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.268.1621.

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.

D’Amato’s: Italian. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

222 Sherman Dr., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.584.7400.

Due Venti: Italian. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

220 S. Main St., Clawson, 48017.

248.288.0220.

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

Howe’s Bayou: Cajun. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 22949 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.691.7145.

Inn Season Cafe: Vegetarian. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. No reservations. 500 E. Fourth St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.547.7916.

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.

Lily’s Seafood: Seafood. Weekend

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Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 410 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.591.5459.

Local Kitchen and Bar: American.

Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 344 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220.

248.291.5650.

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.

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.

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, TuesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. 415 S, Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.542.4444.

Vinsetta Garage: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

27799 Woodward Ave., Berkley, 48072.

248.548.7711.

Not to b bee explained. exp explained . To be be exp experienced.

B

Troy/Rochester Bspot Burgers: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 176 N. Adams Rd, Rochester Hills, 48309.

248.218.6001.

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.

Ganbei Chinese Restaurant and Bar: Chinese. Lunch, Monday-Saturday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 227 S. Main St, Rochester, 48307.

248.266.6687.

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.

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FRONT/BACK Front/Back is a monthly column devoted to news stories, tidbits and gossip items about what's happening in both the front of the house and back of the house in the restaurants in the metro Detroit area.

Chef competition Two Detroit-area chefs compete in the 15th season of Hell’s Kitchen, hosted by noted chef Gordon Ramsay, which premiered on Fox on Friday, January 15. Detroit-native Hassan Musselmani, a local chef/consultant and creator of the Drunken Rooster food truck, and Oak Park-native Jared Bobkin, executive chef of Ferndale’s Local Kitchen and Bar, face down culinary challenges as they race for the prize – a job as head chef for BLT Steak at Bally’s Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Brunch options Wright & Company partners Dave Kwiatkowski and Chef Marc Djozlija have added a weekly three course, reservations-only Sunday brunch.. “It’s based on our concept of encouraging people to have shared plates,” said general manager John Trasky. “It’s an all-shared plate brunch concept.” Seven dishes, including a breakfast slider, smoked salmon, and baked French toast, will be served in three courses for a fixed price of $22 a person. Diners can expect the menu to change every couple of months, said Trasky. “It’s something we always planned on doing; we just wanted to makes sure we got a great start with dinner.

Brunch is another chance for people to enjoy our cuisine, and see what Wright and Company (1500 Woodward Avenue) is doing in Detroit.”

Royal Oak sushi locale Yuzu Sushi Co., specializing in hand rolls, rice bowls, and fish salad, known as poke, is expected to open Wednesday, January 27, in Royal Oak, at 32832 Woodward Avenue, south of 14 Mile, in the space formerly occupied by The Big Salad.

Mario Gojcaj, founder of Yuzu, LLC, spearheads the upcoming restaurant.

Although not trained as a sushi chef, Gojcaj worked as chef de cuisine at Downtown Louie’s Lounge in Detroit. He also assisted in opening The Meeting House in Rochester and Forest Grill in Birmingham. “I went to culinary school in New York, and lived there for two years, and one of my favorite things to eat on my free time would be sushi,” said

Gojcaj. “Everywhere I travel I always seek out the best sushi places. When I came across poke bars and hand roll places popping up all over, I thought it would be a perfect fit for Royal Oak. It will be fast, simple, and were using good grade fish. We’re aiming for people to come here and get a hand roll, a side and a beverage for under $15.”

Streetside kudos

Healthy café

Changes at The Root

Avalon International Breads, 422 W. Willis in Detroit’s Midtown, is opening a new café this summer – Hearth & Soul, at 1016 Woodward Avenue, by Campus Martius Park in Detroit. The bread and sweets of the Willis location will have a strong presence, yet the café plans an expanded selection of sandwiches and salads, as well as pizza. “The pizza oven is brand new for us,” said Christina Ross, marketing manager and wholesale director for Avalon. She described the café as a selection of “healthier options, a mix of vegan, vegetarian and meat offerings. It will have a component of sit-down, but be more of counter service.” Creating the menu is Maggie Long of the Jolly Pumpkin in Ann Arbor. Grab-and-go meals will be big, as will to-go orders available for pick up after work.

“The corner on Woodward and State was the biggest retail corner in the ‘40s. It’s exciting, we’re in the shadows of a big boom town, and now it’s getting back to being as popular as we once were.” Avalon owner Jackie Victor opened the business in the late 1990s.

Detroit dessert expansion Family-owned Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters, 336 Main Street in Rochester, unveiled a second location at 1220 Griswold, at the Albert apartment building in Detroit. The doors swung open the same day co-owner Nathan Hamood turned 20 years old, on Thursday, January 7. Hamood and his older sister Stephanie Hamood, a musician, launched the business in 2009 with a focus on desserts and live music. “We evolved our business model over time, but the idea of creating a quality experience for the customer stayed the same. I wanted to get more involved, and into coffee roasting,” said the younger Hamood. “I do all of the roasting and coffee buying, and quality control in general for coffee. We do all of our roasting and baking in Rochester.”

For the sixth year in row, Birmingham’s Streetside Seafood, 273 Pierce Street, earned Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence.

One of six in the Roberts Restaurant Group, Streetside has a thoughtfully curated wine list to match its seafood selection.

Sundays at White Lake’s The Root Restaurant and Bar, 340 Town Center Boulevard, are now a bit different. New brunch offerings, available between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., include a build-your-ownBenedict, as well as house-made sausage and Canadian bacon. A menu of bar snacks is available from the end of brunch to the beginning of dinner service. Items include a cheese board, bologna sandwich, and broccoli roasted with hot chili oil and garlic, served on top of house-made tzatziki sauce.

The restaurant is now closed on Mondays. As owner/chef James Rigato focuses on Hazel Park’s Mabel Gray, executive chef Nick Rogers helms the kitchen at The Root.

Bucharest on the move Bucharest Grill in downtown Detroit will soon be moving from its now infamous 2040 Park Avenue location to 2690 E. Jefferson, on the east side of Chene Street.

According to an employee, the move is prompted by what she described as “personal issues with the owner (of the Park space).” The menu includes Middle Eastern shawarma sandwiches, traditional Romanian dishes, and a variety of gourmet dogs, including knockwurst, bratwurst and kielbasa. Owned by Bogdan Tarasov, Bucharest has additional Detroit locations at 110 Piquette Street and 1623 Michigan Avenue.

Breakfast spot moves A Detroit breakfast spot, Le Petit Dejeuner, relocated to 2548 Grand River Avenue and now shares the building with TV Lounge, the latenight bar. “The other space was nice because it was smaller, and this is a little more open, but it looks just as nice, and one of the pluses is that the TV Lounge has a liquor license, so we’re able to sell liquor to our customers,” said Tina Motley, owner of the shared-plate restaurant that centers her family’s

Lakes: Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 5500 Crooks Rd., Troy, 48098. 248.646.7900.

McCormick & Schmick’s: Steak & Seafood.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. Somerset Collection, 2850 Coolidge Hwy, Troy, 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, Monday-Friday.

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.

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.

Tre Monti Ristorante: Italian. Lunch, Thursdays. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday.

Reservations. Liquor. 1695 E. Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48083. 248.680.1100.

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.

Maria’s Restaurant: Italian. Dinner, daily.

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

248.851.2500.

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.

The Lark: American. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 6430 Farmington Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.661.4466.

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.

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.

Sweet Lorraine’s Café & Bar: American.

Weekend Breakfast. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 29101 Greenfield Rd., Southfield, 48076.

248.559.5985.

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.

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 Angelina Italian Bistro: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor.

1565 Broadway St., Detroit, 48226.

313.962.1355.

Antietam: French. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

recipes. “A small or large family can come in and order a large variety of items from the menu to share. We like to see people pass the plate around.” Le Petit Dejeuner’s chef, Deandre Woods, known as Chef Woodstock, of Woodstock Catering, has been with the restaurant since it launched early last summer.

Puck’s cooking school Amateur and aspiring cooks can now learn from culinary great, Wolfgang Puck, by subscribing online to Wolfgang Puck Cooking School. Recipes and tips are presented by the master chef and a new course is posted weekly. Tasty tutorials include how to make crab cakes, eggs benedict, pizza dough, and chicken stock. A free 14-day trial is available a wolfgangpuckcookingschool.com. The Detroit’s MGM Grand, 1777 Third Street, boasts Wolfgang Puck Steak and Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria & Cucina.

Pricey burger Townsend Hotel’s Rugby Grille, 100 Townsend Street in Birmingham, has a new dinner option – the $55 Foie Burger, a recipe created by chef de cuisine, Damian Yopek. Waygu beef is combined with with foie gras and braised short rib, then layered with Parmesan aioli, sweet onion jam, burgundy truffle mushrooms and tomme cheese, a variety of white cheese. “We wanted something that would stand out. We always have our classic Rugby Burger, and this (Foie Burger) is something that most Birmingham restaurants don’t have,” said Daniel Colangelo, Rugby Grille food and beverage manager. “It may be perceived as pricey, but it’s worth it.”

House made meats Stache International, a freshlyopened deli in Eastern Market, takes its name from owner Ray Moses’ relatives with extraordinary mustaches. “He’s half-Lebanese, and they would look at photos and everyone had crazy mustaches,” said Ray’s wife, Gracie Moses. “(Opening the deli) has been a lifelong dream of my husband’s.” Located at 1416 E. Fisher Freeway, the deli sells market-fresh foods, makes their own sausage and smokes all meats in house. The most popular choice

since the soft opening has been the Bloody Mary Grilled Cheese, said Moses. “It’s on Avalon’s scallion dill bread, with Swiss cheese, dill Havarti, deep-fried pickles, and a tomato spread made using McClure’s bloody Mary mix.”

Available for dine-in or carry out, Stache also offers a delivery service to two Detroit establishments that want to offer sandwiches to their late-night drinkers. For now, Stache’s menus are placed at Thomas Magee’s, next door to their deli, and The Well, in Greektown. “The menu is primarily created by my husband, and Steve Kay does the meats and handles the smoking.”

Ren Cen dining Minneapolis-based Granite City Food & Brewery will open their third Michigan location at the RenCen, 100 Renaissance Center in Detroit, on Wednesday, February 10. Head chef John Knox, formerly of the Bravo Brio Restaurant Group will lead the kitchen team, dishing out an assorted menu of steaks, pasta, seafood, burgers – including bison, the lean choice— sandwiches, salads, and flatbreads.

The brewery maintains six flagship beers on tap at all times, and offers a seasonal brew every month.

Bruce Paine, former managing partner for the Sioux Falls’ Granite City, has been named general manager of the forthcoming location, which will be number 35 for the business, including Troy and Northville.

Famous burgers Wahlburgers, a fast-casual burger restaurant chain started by brothers Mark, Donnie and Paul Wahlberg, is slated to come to Detroit. Locations in Boston, New York and Toronto are currently serving, and others are planned for Las Vegas, Philadelphia, and Orlando. According to the menu, the one-third pound Melt comes on thick slices of bread and is “grilled with government cheese, pickles, caramelized onions, bacon and mustard sauce.” The Triple Decker, topped with the works, weighs in at over two-thirds of a pound and is “a triple stack, like the house we grew up in.” Listed as “Mark’s choice” is Thanksgiving Day, a Wahlfave served on an artisan bun and made with “fresh ground seasoned turkey, stuffing, Paul’s orange cranberry sauce, roasted butternut squash and mayo.”

Dinner expansion Specializing in sandwiches and charcuterie, Corktown’s Rubbed, 2015 Michigan Avenue, has shrunk its lunch menu, while expanding dinner hours. Open seven days a week, diners can now sit down, carry out, or order delivery until 10 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. “It’s a totally separate menu,” said sole proprietor Jason Frankel. “I wanted to lower prices, and keep the main items.”

Italian eatery opens Dave Mancini’s sit-down Italian eatery, La Rondinella, officially opened Tuesday, January 5, after a delay caused by what was referred to as “red tape” issues. Located at 2453 Russell Street in Detroit’s Eastern Market, the restaurant neighbors Mancini’s highlyregarded Supino Pizzeria.

Crave closes Ferndale’s Crave Restaurant and Sushi Lounge closed its doors for good at the Woodward establishment. Future plans have not yet been revealed. The Dearborn Crave quietly closed several months ago.

POP UP INTEL Yemans Street, 2995 Yemans Street in Hamtramck: Erin Sabo of Les Deux Dachshunds, February 13. yemansstreet.com The Menagerie, 31 N. Saginaw Street in Pontiac: Kyle Williams, of J.B. Chowhounds, February 6.

Menagerie owner April Forbes, Marking Mardi Gras King Cake, hands-on cooking class, February 8.

Chef Stef, owner of Asiatic Acoustics Mobile Dinner Theater, February 13. Hassan Musselmani, competitor on the current season of Hell’s Kitchen and founder of the upcoming Drunken Rooster food truck, February 26. menageriekitchen.com Front/Back is reported each month by Katie Deska. KatieDeska@DowntownPublications.com. We welcome news items or tips, on or off the record, about what's happening in the front or back of the house at metro area restaurants.

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VALENTINE’S DAY OR OTHER OCCASIONS

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

Contact Mark Grablowski for advertising rate information.

O: 248.792.6464 Ext. 601 MarkGrablowski@downtownpublications.com

98

1428 Gratiot Ave., Detroit, 48207.

313.782.4378.

Bucharest Grill: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

2040 Park Ave., Detroit, 48226.

313.965.3111.

Cliff Bell’s: American. Sunday Brunch.

Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 2030 Park Ave., Detroit, 48226.

313.961.2543.

Coach Insignia: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

100 Renaissance Center, Detroit, 48243.

313.567.2622.

Craft Work: American. Sunday Brunch.

Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 8047 Agnes St., Detroit, 48214.

313.469.0976.

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, Tuesday-Friday.

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.

Maccabees at Midtown: American.

Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

5057 Woodward Ave., Detroit, 48202.

313.831.9311.

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.

Roma Café: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

3401 Riopelle St., Detroit, 48207.

313.831.5940.

Russell Street Deli: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. 2465 Russell St, Detroit, 48207. 313.567.2900.

DOWNTOWN

Santorini Estiatorio: Greek. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 501 Monroe Ave, Detroit, 48226. 313.962.9366.

Selden Standard: American. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. Liquor. Reservations. 3921 Second Ave., Detroit, 48201.

313.438.5055.

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.

Small Plates Detroit: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 1521 Broadway St., Detroit, 48226. 313.963.0702.

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.

Top of the Pontch: American. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservation. Liquor. 2 Washington Blvd, Detroit, 48226.

313.782.4313.

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.

02.16

AT THE TABLE Coming full circle on verdict at newly revamped Forest

By J. March

ack in January of 2015, I made my first visit to Forest Grill in Birmingham. At the time Brian Polcyn was the man in charge and Nick Janutol was chef de cuisine. My experience was underwhelming and the review spoke to issues with execution.

After it was published I had a conversation with another local chef who is a big fan of Janutol, and he assured me that Janutol was an exceptional chef and given the chance to cook his own food, he would shine. Upon hearing the news that Polcyn had left Forest and Janutol was now the master of his own domain, it only made sense to revisit Forest and hopefully bask in the shine of his talent.

Re-opened in November with Samy Eid of Phonecia as the new owner and Janutol’s wife Alicia as general manager, Forest has gone through some amazing aesthetic changes. Wicker, wood, pedestrian lighting and chalk boards have thankfully been replaced by leather, marble, glass, art-deco lighting and various shades of smoky, yet cool, greys. A glass enclosed wine cellar first catches your eye upon entering but the open-not-really-open kitchen is the show stopper.

Eid took what once looked like a hipster subway counter and encased it in glass and spotlessly polished stainless steel and grey tile. Most notable is the swinging door complete with round window reminiscent of formal dining days where tuxedo clad male waiters silently went in and out with hands full of shrimp cocktail, Beef Wellington and Baked Alaska.

Whereas the décor could once be described as Marianne, it now screamed of straight up Ginger.

Excited by the atmosphere alone, I settled in for my own three-hour tour.

After a less than stellar experience with the hostess, we hit the bar for our hour and a half long quoted wait time due to an onslaught of reservations due in the next 30 minutes. The bar was full and two deep with others waiting for tables. I made my way to the rail and waited. And waited. And waited.

Admittedly, it was busy, but once the bartender decided to greet me – after three separate occasions of uncomfortable eye contact, I was greeted with a most heinous, “Do you need something?” Me? Need something? What would make you think that? Just because I'm squeezed between two bar patrons tighter then Brooke in her Calvins and have a credit card in my hand, what would make you think I need something? Certain that response wouldn’t garner an amazing cocktail, I politely ordered our drinks and settled back to the marble island for our long wait. It was at this time I noticed new owner Samy Eid standing casually against the wall taking it all in.

Now I've never owned a restaurant, but back in the day I managed quite a few. It didn’t take my name being on the lease to notice a packed bar and roll up my sleeves to keep thirsty masses, patiently waiting to spend money at a table, all warm and fuzzy with the libation of their choice. Even if you don’t know your Manhattan from your Mai Tai, wash some glasses, pour some wine, clear some plates. It makes a difference. To your guest, to your staff, to your establishment.

B

Spiced Beet Salad with frisee, spiced beets, salt cod, and eggplant puree. Downtown photo: Laurie Tennent

After pointing out the brief observation of several open tables post busy time, we were seated, greeted and got right into the starters with the Farm Egg. Oddly the preparation was similar to the last with mushrooms and Madeira Sabayon. Odd in the sense that I wondered why, if Janutol was waiting to cook his own food, was this almost the same as my last visit? What was different was the coating around the egg. I cannot speak to what it exactly was but it had the texture and flavor of hash browns. I am mostly not sure because the amount of grease was so high that it was hard to distinguish much else. That, with the cold yolk, were enough to make us push aside the other half. I can only guess that these were pre-made and dropped in the fryer to order. I say this because, A, it came out amazingly fast and, B, no one can cook a three-minute egg to order.

Duck confit with parsnip, figs and dandelion was exceptional and had me believing that Janutol, indeed, was best left to his own resources. The combination of bitter dandelion, sweet figs, crisp skin and rich, moist duck had me halfway to the print shop for my Team Nick t-shirt. The overcooked, bland scallops and lentils that followed had me back on the fence. Then, like a politician up for re-election, I changed direction again after the velvety, earthy Carrot Soup with hints of ginger and vinegar from the pickled shaved carrots.

The pomegranate and pine nut quinoa with the Branzino was outstanding but not enough to redeem the overcooked, under-seasoned fish. After being told the Short Rib was not available, we opted for the Osso Bucco. The veal shanks were dry and underseasoned and I had to ask the server again what accompanied it. I guessed cheddar grits. It was polenta. After doing some research on polenta, I did discover that the consistency can differ. Though the polenta was not prepared in the firm style that I was familiar with, it was delicious – telling me two things: if it tastes good, it does not matter what its

called and all reviews should be taken with a grain of cornmeal as I admittedly don’t know everything.

Like a weatherman in Punxsutawney, I'm in the exact same place I was before. Enamored by the simplicity of the menu from the number of ingredients to the components of each dish, yet left completely bummed out again. This isn’t the case of a new restaurant opening simply because it can bank on location and demand alone. Janutol is a talented, integral chef. Ironically enough, he can be quoted as saying, “There's always a point of regression in everything you do, no matter if you're a cook or a table maker, they work and do something they love, and then they make another, and it slowly gets worse and further away from the original.” Spot on Nick..spot on.

He then goes on to say, “I try to make sure I go through everything and see everything they (the kitchen staff) are doing.” And that is the key. The most laborious, redundant, exhausting key. Making sure that from prep to plate, things are exactly as they should be.

It is still my belief that Janutol is an amazingly talented chef. However, the task of seeing your vision created exactly as it should be, every day, by many people, is a necessary evil. And as daunting as it may be, it is the difference between great and okay.

Conception is the seed, execution is the soil that grows the flower. I can only hope that Janutols garden blooms brighter and brighter every year.

Forest, 735 Forest Avenue, Birmingham 48009.

Reservations can be made online or by calling 248.258.9400. Hours are Monday through Thursday from 5 p.m.-11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m.-midnight. Street, lot and valet parking available.

Entrees range from $18-$45.

J. March has 25 years experience in the restaurant industry in southeast Michigan, including certification as a sommelier.

THE COMMUNITY HOUSE Bringing back the Fun – SIP, Craft Cocktails, Contemporary Cuisine and Community Conscious “People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing” – Dale Carnegie

I read recently that fun play can dramatically transform our personal health, our relationships, the education we provide our children and the capacity of our corporations to innovate.

When my tenure as President & CEO of The Community House began almost a year ago, many folks, residents, business leaders and such, reached out to me to during my first days to kindly congratulate me on my new position. During those memorable encounters many folks in our great community suggested, advised and encouraged me to bring back some old fashion “fun” to The Community House. Many pined for a renaissance of the arts and culture; others simply wanted The Community House to balance business with pleasure, comraderie and family enjoyment. I heard you. We heard you.

In response, I am delighted to announce that The Community House recently rejoined the Childrens Charities Coalition. Coalition partners now include Variety, The Children’s Charity, Care House and The Community House. As many of you may remember, in the past, the coalition brought Tiger Town, Dream Cruise and other enjoyable and fun family-friendly events to the area to raise funds, support and awareness of critical children’s issues, programs and services available or needed throughout our region.

Planning is underway to bring Dream Cruise 2016, presented by the Childrens Charities Coalition, back to The Community House in August. Lots of good family fun…for three great causes! Stay tuned!

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In addition, on March 12, 2016, The Community House will host its first annual SIP event at The Community House. The goal and vision of SIP is to create a world-class signature fundraising event that will bring together aficionados of fine cuisine and extraordinary craft cocktails who want to share their interests and good fortune with others in a first-class setting for the benefit of children and adults served by TCH.

• Loan Amounts to $1,500,000 • Competitive rates • In-house underwriting with excellent turnaround times

Consistent with the theme of fine cuisine and extraordinary craft cocktails, an array of southeast Michigan’s most creative culinary talent will join The Community House culinary team to inspire SIP guests with the best of local small plate flavor, including Streetside Seafood restaurant, Local Kitchen & Bar, Social, Au Cochon, The Bird and the Bread, and The Stand. SIP promises to elevate the craft cocktail by tailoring every drink to each chef’s creation with harmonious flavor.

• Portfolio Lending available • A Private Banking atmosphere for your customers

Our goal is to utilize Birmingham’s premier venue for a fabulous and fun new event that will raise awareness and funds for amazing initiatives that support local kids and families. Tickets to SIP are on sale now. To join in the fun – tickets may be purchased online at tchserves.org or by calling The Community House at 248.644.5832.

Sponsorship opportunities and Program Book advertising opportunities for SIP 2016 are still available. For more information, please contact Jackie McIntosh, TCH vice president of philanthropy at Jackiem@tchserves.org. Tickets are $250 for adults; $125 for young adults. The SIP festivities will also include a SIP After Hours; entertainment, small bites and special cocktails by Remy Cointreau USA from 9 p.m.

– 1 a.m. SIP After Hours is included in the overall SIP ticket price. Go to tcheserves.org to learn more.

SIP 2016 would not be made possible without vital corporate sponsorship support. Many thanks to SIP’s first Presenting Sponsor; Bank of Birmingham, as well to SIP’s other founding corporate sponsors; Children’s Hospital of Michigan – Troy, SlipNOT Metal Safety Flooring, Clark Hill PLC, Tiffany Florist, Luxe Linen and Hour Detroit Magazine. Likewise, no successful event can take place without the support and talent of so many working so diligently behind the scenes. Our thanks go out to the 2016 SIP Co-Chairs, Christina and Sean Metrose and Michelle and Eric Schwab and to the 2016 SIP Host Committee, Laurie & Rob Farr, Jeffrey Imerman, Michael Melfi, Joanie Sacksteder, Paul Kadesch, Dana Sorensen and Matt Vanderhoef.

Lynn Wiand Senior Mortgage Lender NMLS #394920 244-6828 (248) 228-4805

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lwiand@talmerbank.com

www.talmerbank.com

William D. Seklar is President & CEO of The Community House in Birmingham. downtownpublications.com

MORTGAGE ORIGINATORS in America 2014

Special thanks as well to SIP food and beverage consultant, master sommelier, author and talk show host Ron Edwards, M.S., and to the hardworking team at The Community House.

Look forward to seeing you at SIP 2016!

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DOWNTOWN

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK Here is the update on the recent social scene. Many more photos from each event appear online each week at downtownpublications.com where readers can sign up for an e-mail notice when the latest social scene column is posted. Past columns and photos are also archived at the website for Downtown.

Preservation Bloomfield Friends Fall Fling

Preservation Bloomfield Friends Fall Fling Judy Kelliher chaired the Friends of Preservation Bloomfield’s inaugural Fall Fling, which attracted a sold out group of supporters (190 @ $70 & $100 Sally Gerak tickets) to Kirk in the Hills. They socialized, perused the wares of the seven vendors Bee Engelhart rounded up, and wiggled their way around the church refectory to view the luncheon tables designed by 26 very creative people. Presentations ranged from Danielle Rendziperis’ two tables outfitted entirely with Dollar Store finds to the antique elegance Shirley Maddalena, Cindy Boudreau and Carol Zuzenak designed. But the highlight of the event was the post-luncheon show of retro clothing from Leah’s Closet modeled by members. PB co-founder Pat Hardy emceed the delightful parade and included personal notes about each model. That most of the models bought their garments is testimony to their appeal. The event, which was much less labor intensive than the Gingerbread events it replaced, netted about $10,000 for the restoration of the Barton Farm House and Craig Log Cabin.

American Jewish Committee Award Dinner In view of current events, the AJC could not have chosen a more opportune honoree for its 2015 Community Leadership Award than Brenda Naomi Rosenberg. Since 9/11, the retired retailing executive (first woman V.P of Fashion at Hudson’s and Federated Allied) has spent much of her energy trying to build bridges between conflicting communities. We first became aware of her new “vocation” some years ago when she presented “Reuniting the Children of Abraham” at The Community House in Birmingham. The play was part of a multi-media project she fashioned to create understanding between Muslim, Christian and Jewish teens.

The award-winning project was subsequently presented nationwide, in Israel, Jordan, and as a CBS documentary. Other interfaith projects emanated from her heart and mind. But the subject of her latest book – “Harnessing the Power of Tension” – seems heaven-sent for today’s tectonic-scale schisms. Howard Brown chaired the award dinner which attracted 140 ($175 & up tickets) to the Townsend.

Guests included Samia Moustapha Bahsoun, a Muslim woman from New Jersey and Rosenberg’s co-author of “Tension”. Her account of the duo’s journey from foe to friend earned a standing ovation. After the honoree thanked her loyal supporters (including husband Howard “..my prom date 51 years ago”) she noted that the new book and its partner Tectonic Leadership Center are creating a pilot project to bring Roseville police and youth together. “This is just the beginning,” Brenda noted, adding that captives and victims can be turned into liberators and healers. The event raised $50,000 for the Detroit AJC, which advocates for the well-being of Jewish people and the advancement of democratic values for all.

Baldwin Library Books & Bites Baldwin Library’s annual fundraiser attracted 206 supporters, including architects Karen Swanson and Robert Ziegelman, who were on hand to show off the plans for the Library’s Adult Services renovation. Chair Janelle Boyce and her committee added casino games to the evening’s activities and they proved to be popular. With Sharp City music in the background, folks also savored food and drink donated by Big Rock Chop House, Papa Joe’s, Griffin Claw Brewing Company and Caruso World Cup. They also “shopped” at the auction-raffle of 14 prize baskets and applauded as Gary Mach announced the winners. Thanks to sponsors like the Friends of the Baldwin Public Library, Talmer Bank and others, the event raised nearly $26,000. It will be earmarked for the Maker Space inside the adult services section.

Teens 4 the Arts Mosaic Youth Theatre Benefit Teens 4 the Arts, an Oakland County Booster Club for Detroit’s highly acclaimed Mosaic Youth Theatre, hosted their fourth annual fundraiser and it attracted 275 to Oakland Hills Country Club. The teens, headed by Eloise Alterman and co-vice presidents Noah Eisenberg and Sloan Kiriluk, organized activities for the littlest kids so the proud parents could watch the performances. Highlights of downtownpublications.com

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1. Judy Kelliher (left), Joanne Cherney and Dannielle Rendziperis of Bloomfield. 2. Pat Hardy and Mavis Kuo of Bloomfield. 3. Cindy Boudreau and Shirley Maddalena of Bloomfield. 4. Carol Zuzenak of Bloomfield. 5. Carol Shaya (left) and Virginia Antakli of Bloomfield. 6. Geri Rinschler (center) of Birmingham, Joan Gaston (left) and Carol Lee Markley of Bloomfield. 7. Rose Obloy (left) of Bloomfield and Deb Buzar of Franklin.

American Jewish Committee Award Dinner

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5 1. Brenda (left) & Howard Rosenberg of Bloomfield, Gretchen Duff of W. Bloomfield. 2. Todd Mendel of Birmingham, Judy Cantor of Bloomfield. 3. Sandy Seligman (left), Gloria Leader and Shelley Golden of Bloomfield. 4. David Jaffe (left) & Erica Peresman of Birmingham, Judge Walter Shapero of Detroit.

5. Susie Pappas (left) of Bloomfield, Suzy Farbman of Franklin, Peggy Daitch of Birmingham, Florine Mark of Farmington Hills. 6. Larry Bluth (left) of Bloomfield, Peter Remington of Birmingham.

7. Brenda Rosenberg of Bloomfield, Howard Brown of Franklin.

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK the evening were the Mosaic kids doing duets with the Teens4Arts kids. Local performers included Alterman, Eisenberg, Kiriluk, Darbi Dombrowski, Cassidy Campanale and Olivia Cassar. Thanks to ticket sales and generous sponsors like Neiman Marcus, the event raised $35,000 for Detroit’s Mosaic Youth Theatre.

Baldwin Library Books & Bites

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B&G Clubs In Celebration Dinner Because the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan wanted to kick off a yearlong celebration of its 90th anniversary, the clubs’ Women’s Association moved its 29th annual dinner party fundraiser from a midweek evening in a country club to a weekend date in the ballroom at the Townsend. It accommodated the 185 guests ($250 & $500 tickets), a dance floor, the stage for musicians, a large screen for the historical video and a spotlight for the evenings’ three champions. The three, all club alums, were: Pontiac native mezzo soprano Taylor Boykins, a graduate student at Peabody Institute of John Hopkins University; successful entrepreneur and event sponsor Joe (Kay) Kowalczyk; and Sean McCallup, a juvenile justice counselor who came from Juneau, AK. They earned rousing ovations – Boykins for her vocal talent; Kowalczyk for his compelling personal story of how he found self esteem to overcome learning challenges at the clubs; and McCallup, who discovered the tragedy of his mother’s suicide when he was a teen, for keeping his promise to her to always do his best. Their successes seemed to inspire good vibes for the rest of the night as entertainer Dal Bouey kept the dance floor jumping until midnight. The feel good, fun evening, which was chaired by Kathy Martin, raised $115,000. And the hotel’s valet parkers earned committee member Judie Sherman’s extra gratitude for tending to her dog Charlie. “They walked him twice and gave him lots of bones and love, “ she reported the next day.

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1. Library director Doug Koschik (left) of Sterling Hgts., board member Jim Suhay of Birmingham. 2. Binesh Patel (left) and Amrita Singh of Birmingham. 3. Carol & Tom Young of Bloomfield. 4. Dr. Kim Coleman & Stuart Jeffares and Ellen & Chris Biggs of Birmingham.

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1. Presenting sponsor Kay Automotive Graphics’ Pam & Joe (Kay) Kowalczyk of Rochester, Ray Dallavecchia of Bloomfield. 2. Mary Nunez (left) of Orchard Lake, Kathy Martin of Bloomfield. 3. Linda Dekar (left) and Dr. Sean & Maria Coyle of Bloomfield. 4. Valerie Straith and Judie Sherman of Bloomfield. 5. Bev Moore (left) of Bloomfield, Chris & Paul Toski of Clarkston. 6. Anita Dauch & Rita Dallavecchia of Bloomfield. 7. Lisa Wilson (left) and David & Beth Eberly of Bloomfield. 8. Terry Woods of Orchard Lake, Tom Dekar of Bloomfield. 9. Martha (left) & Steve Vannelli and Jennifer & Dan DeMello-Johnson of Bloomfield, Dan & Sarah Johnson of Birmingham.

10. John James Jr. (left) of Farmington Hills, Linda & Rod Gillum of Bloomfield.

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SOS Dancing with the Detroit Stars “South Oakland Shelters changed the trajectory of my life,” declared Kim Owens, the R&B/Soul singer known as KEM. He was speaking to the 250 SOS supporters gathered at the Townsend for the seventh annual Dancing with the Detroit Stars fundraiser. He co-chaired it with Bill and Jennie Cook, the latter a fellow SOS board member. After sipping, supping and silent auction bidding ($22,000), guests gathered around the ballroom dance floor. A special performance by Ruben Studdard preceded the dance competition. Fox-2’s Amy Andrews was the emcee. She introduced the judges: Oakland U basketball Coach Greg Kampe, attorney Howard Hertz, Arthur Murray’s dance pro Jeremiah Childers, CoCo, founder of CoCo’s House for the needy and attorney Jeffrey Abood, who danced in the 2014 event. The dancers were gynecologist Dr. Joelle Aoun, Detroit Jazz Fest COO Cornell Batie, Dana Montante, Adat Shalom Synagogue Rabbi Rachel Shere and Title Connect’s Jeff Gunsberg. When Abood’s girlfriend Dr. Aoun began her routine with a pro dancer, Abood bounded off the judges’ platform and became her partner. (Five weeks later the handsome couple became engaged.) When the judges’ votes were counted, the dancing rabbi, who was once kicked out of an aerobics class for being clumsy, and her pro partner Brandon Keeler were the winners.

So were the homeless people served by SOS. The evening raised more than $125,000.

Women of Bloomfield’s Puttin’ on the Glitz In addition to its monthly luncheons, interest groups and major fundraiser, the non-profit social and charitable organization hosts a dinner party once a year. This year it was chaired by Sydrena Epstein and attracted 100 members and friends to Oakland Hills Country Club. They sipped and supped 02.16

at tables Patti Hughet decorated with an eye to the sparkling theme. Singer/songwriter Steve Acho entertained for all tastes – pop, Broadway and Elvis. CARE House executive director Pat Rosen spoke briefly about her organization’s work with abuse victims and member Beverly Schine explained about SCAMP’s summer camp for children with disabilities. Both organizations will benefit from the event proceeds, which totaled nearly $10,000.

Women interested in WoB membership may visit the web site at womenofbloomfield.com.

Silverliners’ North Pole Fantasy Flight At Christmas time, retired Eastern Air Lines flight attendants stage a Fantasy Flight to the North Pole for youngsters who have life threatening illnesses.

Rochester’s Kathie Laper and Bloomfield’s Lorraine Schultz were among the six Silverliners on board the recent 30th anniversary flight. Since the Eastern counter closed in 1991, the children, each with an adult companion, check in at the Delta ticket counter and board a waiting plane. Shriner clowns who make balloon animals are also on the passenger list. With Christmas music on the speaker, the window shades down and the plane engine revving, the take off, hour-long simulated flight and landing are quite realistic. Santa is waiting to greet each child individually with a big hug when they deplane. Then the merriment proceeds to a party in an adjacent Westin ballroom. At the party, which is complete with elves, Tigers and Lions mascots, sweet treats and the MOJO in the Morning crew, the children take turns sitting on Santa’s lap and telling him their wishes, after which he gives each a bag of goodies. The event format and the children’s joy are the same each year. Schultz, who retired in 1954 to open her own company, described the trip as “…the most rewarding and heartwarming thing I do all year.”

Assistance League’s Mistletoe Marketplace Lorraine Taliercio and Nancy Troyer co-chaired the Assistance League of Southeast Michigan’s 12th annual holiday-themed fundraiser. It attracted 800 people to the Palazzo Grande in Shelby Twp. Before settling in for lunch, they perused the offerings of 30 vendors, the Chinese and silent auctions, the 50/50 raffle, and fashions from the league’s ReSale Connection store in downtown Rochester modeled informally by members. Charles Wickins emceed the luncheon program and conducted the live auction. It brought the total proceeds for the event to $118,500, making significant inroads on the league’s $360,000 annual philanthropic budget to feed, clothe, educate and comfort needy children and adults throughout Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. Assistance League is a non-profit, all volunteer organization with over 300 members who donated over 56,000 volunteer hours this past year. For more information, go to the Assistance League ReSale Connection, 204 S. Main St., Rochester, 248-656-0414, or semich.AssistanceLeague.org.

FAR, Friends, and Fa-La-La A record crowd (650) flocked to the Seligman Performing Arts Center to see the musical tribute to the British Invasion by FAR (Therapeutic Arts and Recreation for those with special needs). Before the show, 100 guests ($200 tickets) sipped and supped on British fare catered by board member Annabel Cohen. But the 15th annual show featuring 30 FAR stars and their dedicated therapists playing, singing and dancing to the music of the Beatles, Rolling Stones and others was the show’s downtownpublications.com

SOS Dancing with the Detroit Stars

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1. Kim Owens (KEM) of Southfield, Jennie & Bill Cook of Birmingham.

2. Dennis & Deb Paruch of Birmingham. 3. Jeff Abood (left) of Bloomfield, Dr. Joelle Aoun of Bloomfield, Tania & Joe Ghanem of Grosse Pointe. 4. Patty (left) & Mike Moran and Tawyna Bender of Bloomfield. 5. Linda Pollack Schaefer (left) of Birmingham, Marilyn Pollack Robinson of Bloomfield.

6. Amie & David Stern of Birmingham. 7. Patty & CJ Ghesquiere of Bloomfield. Photo by Jerry Richart.

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Women of Bloomfield’s Puttin’ on the Glitz

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1. Patricia Finnegan Sharf (left) and Ava Wixted of Bloomfield, Carolyn Steffens of Birmingham. 2. Jeffery (left) & Barbara Van Dorn of Birmingham, Andra Potter of S. Lyon, Jackie Kendall of W. Bloomfield, Sydrena & Irwin Epstein of Bloomfield. 3. Carol Campau (left) of Novi, Anita Hedeen of Bloomfield, Isolde Erickson of Island Lake. 4. Jo Cetnar (left) of Menomonee Falls, WI, Terri Stacy of Bloomfield, Lisa Sanders of W. Bloomfield. 5. Eva Meharry (left) of Windsor, ONT, Sydrena Epstein of Bloomfield.

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK Assistance League’s Mistletoe Marketplace

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1. Lorraine Taliercio (left) and ALSM president Barbara Donohoe of Rochester Hills, honorary chair WDIV’s Chuck Gaidica of Grosse Pointe, event co-chair Nancy Troyer of Rochester Hills. 2. Holly Powell (left) of Bloomfield with Brenda Cornock of Rochester Hills. 3. Amy Headbloom (left) and Abby Turnbull of Rochester Hills. 4. Toby Collins (left) of Rochester, Cindy Yearwood and Patricia Ozybko of Rochester Hills. 5. Beth Shermeta (left) and Barb Gimesky of Rochester Hills. 6. Rebecca Barron (left) and Liz Radogost Givens of Rochester. 7. Marcia Mikula (left) of Rochester, Sherry Davenport of Rochester Hills, Sharon Schaefer of Leonard, Marcie Krozier of Auburn Hills, Janet Riggs of Leonard.

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DSO Volunteer Council Nutcracker Marlene Bihlmeyer, Deborah Savoie and Drew Esslinger chaired the 33rd annual Nutcracker Luncheon & Boutique that attracted 235 orchestra supporters ($75, $165, $500 tickets) to the Detroit Athletic Club. The 14 boutique vendors were busy until everybody stopped shopping to watch the Detroit Ballet dancers perform selections from, what else, “The Nutcracker”. WJR’s Paul W. Smith was the engaging emcee for the luncheon program. It included musical performances by an Oakland U foursome and DSO updates by CEO Anne Parsons and VP Paul Hogle.

The latter bragged about the spotlight the New York Times put on the DSO and the “Symphony in D” that would premiere three days later. The VC, which also builds audiences for and provides hospitality for the orchestra, does not release fundraising event proceeds.

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FAR, Friends, and Fa-La-La

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Beyond Basics Literacy Fundraiser Private homes like Paddy Lynch’s historic home in Detroit’s Arden Park neighborhood, are desirable venues for charity events. Built in 1915 and occupied for many years by Stanley Kresge, the classic mansion was badly in need of TLC when Lynch, a Bloomfield Hills native / funeral director bought it in 2011 and restored it. Supporters of Beyond Basics literacy programs (100 at $150 or $300 ticket) toured the renovated six-bedroom, three-story manse - from the basement ballroom with its fountain to the third floor butler’s quarters with a fireplace. They also relished live jazz, artwork, an auction and Luciano Del Signore’s cuisine from his Bacco Ristorante. Thanks to presenting sponsor Baker Tilly and other generous sponsors, Beyond Basics raised more than $90,000.

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raison d’être. Each act was roundly applauded and the performers’ smiles actually generated some tears of joy in the audience. Long time emcee, former Fox-2 reporter Alan Lee, now California author, observed that the show “…was the best ever.” Three awards were presented at intermissions: the Commitment to Community went to the exceptionally charitable Kroger Co. of Michigan; the Hero Award went to former FAR board chair, now FAR communications specialist par excellence John Ashcraft; and the Spirit of FAR Award went to musician Betsy Wilson for her invaluable rehearsal support of FAR therapists and musicians. And speaking of talent, event chair Judy Zorn displayed notable virtuosity when she sang, “I’ll Be There” with some of the FAR stars. For the finale, the whole cast sang “With a Little Help from My Friends.” It captured the essence of FAR. Before and after the show, people shopped at the FAR Bazaar coordinated by Pauline Shaw and Rita Norkiewicz. It featured the work of 14 artists and its sales added $3,800 to the event total of $70,000. Karla Sherry is chairing the next FAR fundraiser - Sing Out for Kids – Friday, March 11, at Emagine Royal Oak.

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1. John Ashcraft (left) of Franklin, Judy Zorn of Rochester Hills, Michael Brennan of Birmingham. 2. Joanne & Ted Lindsay of Oakland Township. 3. Paul (left) & Diane Widlak of Bloomfield, Pam Audette and Rachel Thompson. 4. Laurie Tennent & Gordon Cox of Bloomfield. 5. Carol (left) & John Aubrey of Birmingham, Link & Jody Wachler of Troy. 6. Annabel Cohen (left) of Bloomfield, Judy Zorn of Rochester Hills.

Photo: Laurie Tennent. 7. Michael Brennen of Birmingham, Pamela Ayres of Bloomfield. Photo: Laurie Tennent.

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French American Chamber Wine event The non-profit French American Chamber of Commerce partnered with the Alliance Française de Detroit/French Institute of Michigan and Alliance Française de Grosse Pointe to host a social evening featuring the uncorking of the 2015 Beaujolais Nouveau wine. More than 100 guests convened at The Stand to savor an exclusive Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau wine bar, sponsored by WJ Deutsch, along 02.16

205 N Center Street, Royal Oak $549,900

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Rarely available 3 bedroom condo on private cul-desac in the Heathers w/1st floor master! 2-story foyer, sunlit living room w/gas fireplace & adjoining dining room w/doorwall to the deck w/private tree line views. Kitchen has granite, stainless steel appliances & breakfast room w/vaulted ceiling. Master suite with jetted tub, separate shower, dual vanities & walk-in closet. Finished lower level.

Incredible 6 bedroom estate on almost 6 wooded acres w/picturesque river frontage. Chef’s kitchen w/large granite island, stainless appliances, ample storage space, & breakfast nook. Family room w/fireplace offers beautiful views. Indoor pool w/ spa & sauna are perfect for year-round entertaining & relaxation. Birmingham school district.

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK with a selection of French cheeses, charcuterie, appetizers and desserts. They also participated in a raffle thanks to donations from Artloft Boutique, Faurecia and Signature Sotheby’s. The local event was one of many held across the US by FACC chapters.

There are more than a few oenophiles who fondly remember when Eddie Jonna hosted festive Beaujolais Nouveau uncorkings at his Merchant of Vino store on W. Maple in Birmingham.

DSO Volunteer Council Nutcracker

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1. Drew Esslinger (center) of Detroit, Deborah Savoie (left) and Marlene Bihlmeyer of Bloomfield. 2. Ginny Lindquist (left) of Orchard Lake, Paul W. & Kim Smith of Bloomfield. 3. Laura Fogelman (left) of Birmingham, Maria Bradley of Bloomfield. 4. Kim Minasian Howes (left) and Emma Minasian of Bloomfield. 5. Chuck Dyer (left) of Grosse Pointe, Kelly Hayes of Birmingham, Elaine Curvin of Detroit. 6. Sue Nine (left) Bloomfield, Gwen Bowlby of Detroit. 7. Rosemary Bannon (left) of Beverly Hills, Betty Bright of Bloomfield, Diane Schoenith of Grosse Pointe.

Beyond Basics Literacy Fundraiser Private homes like Paddy Lynch’s historic home in Detroit’s Arden Park neighborhood, are desirable venues for charity events. Built in 1915 and occupied for many years by Stanley Kresge, the classic mansion was badly in need of TLC when Lynch, a Bloomfield Hills native / funeral director bought it in 2011 and restored it. Supporters of Beyond Basics literacy programs (100 at $150 or $300 ticket) toured the renovated sixbedroom, three-story manse - from the basement ballroom with its fountain to the third floor butler’s quarters with a fireplace.

They also relished live jazz, artwork, an auction and Luciano Del Signore’s cuisine from his Bacco Ristorante. Thanks to presenting sponsor Baker Tilly and other generous sponsors, Beyond Basics raised more than $90,000.

French American Chamber Wine event

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Assistance League’s Mistletoe Marketplace Lorraine Taliercio and Nancy Troyer cochaired the Assistance League of Southeast Michigan’s 12th annual holiday-themed fundraiser. It attracted 800 people to the Palazzo Grande in Shelby Twp. Before settling in for lunch, they perused the offerings of 30 vendors, the Chinese and silent auctions, the 50/50 raffle, and fashions from the league’s ReSale Connection store in downtown Rochester modeled informally by members.

Charles Wickins emceed the luncheon program and conducted the live auction. It brought the total proceeds for the event to $118,500, making significant inroads on the league’s $360,000 annual philanthropic budget to feed, clothe, educate and comfort needy children and adults throughout Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. Assistance League is a non-profit, all volunteer organization with over 300 members who donated over 56,000 volunteer hours this past year. For more information, go to the Assistance League ReSale Connection, 204 S. Main St., Rochester, 248-656-0414, or semich.AssistanceLeague.org.

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French American Chamber Wine event The non-profit French American Chamber of Commerce partnered with the Alliance Française de Detroit/French Institute of Michigan and Alliance Française de Grosse Pointe to host a social evening featuring the uncorking of the 2015 Beaujolais Nouveau wine. More than 100 guests convened at The 02.16

Stand to savor an exclusive Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau wine bar, sponsored by WJ Deutsch, along with a selection of French cheeses, charcuterie, appetizers and desserts. They also participated in a raffle thanks to donations from Artloft Boutique, Faurecia and Signature Sotheby’s. The local event was one of many held across the US by FACC chapters. There are more than a few oenophiles who fondly remember when Eddie Jonna hosted festive Beaujolais Nouveau uncorkings at his Merchant of Vino store on W. Maple in Birmingham.

Horizons-Upward Bound Anniversary Gala Fifty years ago, before Cranbrook Educational Community’s Woodward Avenue entrance was constructed, the secluded campus was not so easy to find. A video featured at the 50th anniversary celebration of Cranbrook Horizons Upward Bound captures some of the awe and trepidation early HUB participants experienced when they first arrived at the exclusive enclave for the program Ben Snyder founded. Since its inception with 52 students in 1965, almost 3,000 low income students with limited opportunities but first generation college potential have graduated from HUB. Today, 175 students participate in the 12-month program that is divided into a six-week summer residential phase and Saturdays during the academic year. The experience extends beyond academics to include cultural, travel and social opportunities designed to encourage students to explore their strengths, dreams and future aspirations. More than 70 percent of them have graduated from college and work in a wide range of professional fields.

Rev. Dr. James Evans, the first HUB alum to graduate from college, came from Rochester, N.Y. to do the invocation at the celebration.

The sold-out festivities ($150, $250 tickets) attracted 278, including 48 HUB alums representing all five decades of the program.

Dinner in both the main and upper level Kingswood dining halls followed the cocktail reception in the Kingswood auditorium.

Emery King emceed the reflective and heartwarming dinner program. It featured the testimonies in the video referenced above and remarks by CEC President Dom DiMarco and Schools Director Arlyce Seibert when they presented souvenir mementoes to all four HUB directors (Ben Snyder, 1965 to1990; William Washington,1990 to2000; Dr. Eddie Green, 2000 to 2010; and Dr. Darryl Taylor, 2010 to-present. DiMarco’s opening remarks also noted an “amazing gift” that HUB received from Cranbrook ’46 alum Dr. Charles Chidsey, who read about the program in the Spring 2015 issue of CEC’s Traditions magazine. “HUB is a program that once it touches you, it never leaves you. I know it will never leave Dr. Chidsey, and it will never leave me,” declared DiMarco. The inspirational program concluded with downtownpublications.com

Horizons-Upward Bound Anniversary Gala

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1. Dominic DiMarco, Ben Snyder and Arlyce Seibert of Bloomfield. 2. Kathy Wilson of Birmingham and Barry Roberts of Warren. 3. Michael Hermanoff (left) of Bingham Farms, Joe & Barbara Washington of Detroit, Sandy Hermanoff of Bingham Farms. 4. Anne Carney Strickland (standing left) of Birmingham, Parker Lynch of Detroit and Scott Strickland of Birmingham with Thomas (seated left) & Nancy Strickland of Bloomfield, Katie & Kevin Prokop and Susan Muskovitz of Birmingham. 5. Stephen (standing left) & Bobbi Polk, Kathy Wilson, Katie Coleman (seated left), Karen & Rick Williams and Jacqueline & Emery King of Bloomfield. 6. Mary Pat Rosen and Lori Thelen of Bloomfield.

7. Phylicia & Phyllip Hall of Franklin, Lisa Blake of Bloomfield, Adele Acheson of W. Bloomfield, Dr. Linda Gillum of Bloomfield. 8. Darleen & Hugh Mahler of Birmingham. 9. Jessica Katers (left) of Livonia, Dr. Ebony Rucker of El Paso, TX, Fran Dagbovie of Birmingham, Charlie Shaw of Bloomfield. 10. Guy Gordon and Rhonda Walker.

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK Habitat for Humanity Oakland Extravaganza

designated pledging conducted by WDIV’s Guy Gordon and Rhonda Walker. It brought the event total to nearly $500,000, thanks also to the generous sponsorship of the BARD Foundation (Born and Raised Detroit) and the Williams Family. Learn more about HUB at horizonsupwardbound.org.

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1. Dr. Imad (center) with Susie Mansoor of Bloomfield and Cheryl Henderson of Clarkston. 2. Pam Benfield (left) and Cindy Guerrier of Rochester Hills, Carolyn Demps of Birmingham. 3. Jon Wiant (left) of Rochester Hills and Rene Aquilina of Milford.

4. Maximiliane Straub & Greg Wilford of Bloomfield. 5. Karen Wiant (left) with Ann & Al Majauskas of Rochester Hills. 6. Rick (left) & Carol Barrett of Birmingham, Sally & Chet Sadowski of Waterford. 7. Michael Fluhler (left) of Rochester Hills, Margaret Zangara of Macomb, Chris Van Gorden of Clarkston.

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Habitat for Humanity Oakland Extravaganza Habitat for Humanity has been building homes in Oakland County for 20 years and the recipient of its first home spoke at its third annual Extravaganza. It attracted 100 benefactors ($250) and 187 patrons ($175) to The Townsend. Benefactors hob nobbed in the Corner Bar before all convened in the ballroom for dinner and the program emceed by WJR’s Marie Osborne. Co-chairs Susie Mansoor and Cheryl Henderson noted the great need in Oakland County for Habitat’s housing, education and tools for success before CEO Tim Ruggles presented the 2015 Maggie Allesee Community Builder Award to Doug Maibach.

He modestly thanked the 16,000 Barton Marlow employees and his wife who enable him to give back in a meaningful way. That first home recipient, Doreen Marquis, noted how Habitat enabled her to provide education for her three children and a better life for her grandchildren.

Auctioneer Dan Stall conducted the live auction that raised $34,000, including $8,700 in donations. Thanks also to Barton Malow and 17 other generous sponsors, the event raised more than $128,000. Alexander Zonjic’s flute warmed up the post dinner scene before the Motown R & B and Serieux added energy with some Temptations and 4-Tops music. People were dancing in the aisles and doing a Congo line around the room.

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Leader Dogs for the Blind

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1. Terry & Barbara Oprea of Clawson. 2. Tom (right) & Sue Sweeney of Birmingham, John & Margo Hebert of Milford. 3. Kathy Radom (left) of Oakland, Gail Pollina of Bloomfield. 4. Sam (left) & Anne Slaughter of Milford and Janet & Ron Redfern of Oakland. 5. Otto (left) & Paula Rosenbusch and their daughters Danielle Fernandez of Rochester Hills and Evan Summers of Chicago. 6. Richard Klavss and Alison Hanks of Rochester.

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Leader Dogs for the Blind Leader Dogs has provided independent mobility to more than 14,500 men and women free of charge since 1939, thanks to supporters like the nearly 500 ($175 ticket) who attended Lead in the Holidays at the Royal Park Hotel.

Before sitting down to dinner, they sipped champagne, bid electronically on 114 silent auction items, took blindfold walks with Leader Dogs and petted more than a few foster puppy guests. The dinner program, emceed by event co-chair Terry Oprea, emphasized Leading by Example and featured remarks by board chair John Hebert and President/CEO Sue Daniels, as well as videos of grateful clients who noted that “…a Leader Dog changes everything.”

Auctioneer Christopher Anslanian then conducted an electronic live auction of eight items that raised more than $16,000 before a client gave a personal testimony to his incredible dog Maddy. Mission Moment electronic pledging followed and raised $22,000. Thanks also to generous sponsors the 24th annual event raised more than $260, 000.

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JARC’s Night of Comedy with Dennis Miller Since 1969, JARC has provided residential and support services for adults and children 02.16

with developmental disabilities, and their families. Its 35th annual theatre fundraiser was chaired by Nancy, Howard, Andrew, Matthew, Jason and Kaitlyn Luckoff and attracted 1,500 ($90 - $500 tickets) to The MAX (Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center) at Orchestra Hall. More than 500 guests were Young Adults (ages 21-40) and Corporate Sponsors who first gathered for the Laughter Lounge pre-glow strolling dinner and cocktail reception chaired by Marla and Adam Jahnke, Andrew Luckoff and Dan Wiener. Their sipping, supping and socializing preceded “A Night of Comedy with Dennis Miller”, the popular, Emmy-winning satirist. To his hilarious take on current events he added an unforgettable recollection of having dinner with Frank Sinatra in Las Vegas. Miller joined all at an afterglow following the show. The event, thanks also to generous sponsors like Quicken Loans; Title Source, Inc.; Bedrock Real Estate Services; and Gilbert Films, raised $1 million to help JARC enrich lives for people with disabilities.

Walsh College Leadership Awards Dinner Despite the season’s first big snowfall, most of the 300-plus guests expected at Walsh College’s Leadership Awards Dinner made it to the MGM Grand for the celebratory occasion. It honored four individuals: two for exceptional community service - Rochester Hills-based TTI Global’s Lori Blaker and Focus HOPE’s CEO William Jones - and two distinguished Walsh alumni – UBS Financial Services’ Becky Sorensen and Brown & Brown of Detroit’s Brian Pilarski. Following a convivial reception with a silent auction and a superb dinner, Steve Garagiola emceed the program In which WC CEO Stephanie Begeron noted, “(These people) are extraordinary models for…our students.” Current scholarship student Sherri Uckele used stadium size flash cards to deliver her message: “HIRE US.” Now a successful wealth manager, Sorensen revealed that she did not have a dime to her name when she got a Walsh College scholarship. Pilarski, a stand out in insurance sales, said, “(My work) is a journey, not a destination.’ The honorees all earned standing ovations from proud family members, mentors and colleagues. Thanks also to generous sponsors the evening grossed $135,000 for scholarships at the leading undergraduate and graduate business school which began modestly in 1922.

Brave Knight Benefit The 350 mostly youngish guests at the Julian Boivin Courage for Cures Foundation benefit at The Townsend sure generated a lot of energy. Maybe that’s because many of them knew Julian, who lost his fight with a brain tumor when he was barely five, and their determination to find a cure is palpable. During his welcoming remarks, Brad Boivin noted new faces at the fifth annual event from his Bloomfield Lahser class, which had just had its 20th reunion. He also referenced new friends downtownpublications.com

JARC’s Night of Comedy with Dennis Miller

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1. Dan Wiener (left) of Berkley, Marla & Adam Jahnke of Huntington Woods and Andrew Luckoff of Bloomfield. 2. The Luckoff Family – Kaitlyn (left), Jason, Nancy, Howard and Andrew of Bloomfield. 3. Lena Epstein and Eric Medwed of Bloomfield. 4. Michelle Bass of Bloomfield Hills and Rachel Lachover of Birmingham. 5. Stuart and Tracye Schwartz with Jared and Lisa Rothberger all of Bloomfield Hills.

Walsh College Leadership Awards Dinner

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1. Brian Pilarski (left) of Birmingham, Rebecca Sorensen of Bloomfield, Lori Blaker of Metamora, William Jones of Birmingham. 2. Dennis (left) & Christine Harder of Bloomfield, Stephanie Bergeron of Birmingham. 3. Ron (left) & Gail Pope-Rashid and Janet & John Grant of Bloomfield. 4. Marion (left), awardee William, Malcom and Johnathan Jones of Birmingham. 5. April Turner (left) of Birmingham, Claire Sorensen of Boston, Dana and Rich Sorensen of Bloomfield. 6. John Pronto (left) & Laurie Horvath of W. Bloomfield, Karole & Eric Davies of Bloomfield. 7. Michael & Carol Ziecik of Bloomfield. 8. Dave (left) & Kathy Petoskey of Bloomfield, Drew & Michelle Ciora of Lake Orion. 9. Mark Anderson (left) of Auburn Hills, Darin McBride of Birmingham.

DOWNTOWN

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK who waged the same battle. “It’s a shitty fraternity,” he declared. Pediatric brain tumor researcher Dr. John Perentesis, here from Cincinnati, said, “Brad’s right. It is a shitty fraternity.” The Detroit native, now a director of cancer programs at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, praised the “magic of community” for cancer research and noted that when the DIPG Collaborative (which includes the Boivin foundation) funded innovation “…the field exploded…our goal is a cure.” Then Pat Lowman and Dan Morse conducted a live auction of three items. It raised $10,400, including the $5,000 Dave Petoskey paid so his 104-year-old grandmother could throw out the first pitch at a Tigers game. Combined with the silent auction ($30,426), wine pull ($3,125), pledging ($23,863), and generous sponsors, the evening raised $96,000 for the DIPG Collaborative and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

Brave Knight Benefit

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1. Brad (left) & Nettie Boivin of Bloomfield, Dr. John Perentesis of Cincinnati, OH. 2. Staci (left) & Paul Zimmerman of Bloomfield, Molly & Bob Williams of Beverly Hills. 3. Shelley White (left) and Amy Kiser of Rochester Hills, Carla Gloria and Kathy Petoskey of Bloomfield.

4. Michael (left) & Rebecca Sokol of Bloomfield, Karen & Bryan Lively of Rochester Hills. 5. Carol & Gene Boivin of Bloomfield. 6. Ashley Heidemann (left) of Berkley, Sabrina Heidemann & Jay Penfil of Bloomfield. 7. Carlos (left) and Julian Carnova of Rochester. 8. Dave Petoskey (left) and Gary Gloria of Bloomfield, Dave Kiser and Don White of Rochester Hills.

Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center More than 400 art center supporters ($75, $140 tickets) flocked to the traditional preview party which opened the Holiday Shop. They shopped seriously, choosing oneof-a-kinds by 140 artists. Popular items included ornaments, edgy jewelry, recycled wool mittens and whimsical ceramic garden stakes. They also relished edibles from 10 area restaurants and plenty of bubbly from Barefoot Wines. Thanks also to generous sponsors, the party generated more than $50,000 in support of education and ArtAccess programs at the BBAC.

Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center

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1. Jeff Pollock (left) of Cleveland, BBAC President/ CEO Annie VanGelderen of Commerce, Mike Latiff of Bloomfield. 2. Betsy Lehndorff (left) of Hubbard Lake, Ruth Carrigan of Birmingham. 3. Lynette Timlin-DeBene & James DeBene of Bloomfield. 4. Shelley (left) & Jeff Roberts of Birmingham, Julie & Jim Fielder of Bloomfield. 5. Maryanne & Charles Torner of Birmingham. 6. Sally Kaplan of Birmingham, Farshad Fotouhi of Bloomfield. 7. Peggy Kerr of Birmingham & Tim Travis of Waterford.

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DOWNTOWN

BARD Foundation Gobble Wobble The ninth annual Gobble Wobble with its Welcome to Wonderland theme and music by the Dan Rafferty Band and DJ Sweddie Murphy had The Reserve jumping with 450 young people ($90 ticket) the night after Thanksgiving. The evening raised $21,000 for the Born And Raised Detroit Foundation’s support of positive initiatives for kids in Detroit. The foundation, which was formed in 2011 by Bloomingham area natives, also staged fund/friend raiser events last year in Chicago ($15,000) and NYC ($65,000). Its partner organizations may be found at .bornandraiseddetroit.org/partners.html.

Hob Nobble Gobble One of The Parade Company’s largest fundraisers attracted a sold-out crowd of 2,000 ($350 to $1,000-adults; $200-children) to Ford Field the week before the 89th annual Thanksgiving Parade. They delighted in fun carnival rides, games (which all players win), a buffet that stretched across the field, collecting event souvenirs and entertainment for all ages.

Send ideas for this column to Sally Gerak, 28 Barbour Lane, Bloomfield Hills, 48304; email samgerak@aol.com or call 248.646.6390.

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ENDNOTE

Vote NO on Birmingham charter change itizens run to be representatives of their local municipal governments for many reasons, chief amongst them the personal belief that they can offer something distinct and noteworthy to their community. Commissioners, council members, board of trustee members – whatever a community calls them – are relied upon as citizen leaders to study and learn the issues confronting them and then make a decision that benefits the community-at-large.

It's called representative government.

Sometimes, local leaders are confronted with making unpopular decisions based upon research and various facts they have which lots of others do not. These determinations are made for the good of the entire community –residential, business, commercial – and good leaders do not give more weight to the views of special interests, even if those special interests masquerade themselves as a representative majority. They can't. Because then those commissioners, council members, or trustees would be pandering to the loudest voices in the room rather than working for the good of the whole community.

Birmingham's city commission has a long history of working to make its city a strong, vibrant, flourishing municipality as it has evolved over the decades. Commissioners, who each only earn $5 per meeting, making it essentially a volunteer position, spend countless hours not only on the commission but on subcommittees and

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meetings with residents and businesses to learn and understand the issues confronting the city.

This year, commissioners and city staff were inundated with communication from residents and businesses who were concerned about a possible re-striping of W. Maple Road between Southfield and Cranbrook roads. A long-planned resurfacing of W. Maple in 2016 led to the city's Multi-Modal Transportation Board looking at the road for ways to make it accessible to more transportation users, as well as how to reduce speeds, the number and severity of accidents, and traffic volume on the road.

Three separate traffic engineering consultants hired by the city recommended redoing the fourlane street as a three-lane configuration, with W. Maple one way in each direction with a center turn lane, which former commissioner Scott Moore noted was “counterintuitive.” After numerous city meetings and careful study, city commissioners voted to test the three-lane configuration by restriping the road prior to resurfacing. The test began last October and, by almost all accounts, it would appear the new configuration may be working. The test continues through the spring, when traffic consultants will present their findings to the city commission for a final determination.

However, resident Jim Mirro wasn't having any of that. On July 4, he launched a charter petition drive to place a proposal on the March 8 election to inscribe in the city's charter that Maple Road

must always be a four-lane road, from both Southfield and Cranbrook roads and in the area from Woodward to Eton Street – no matter what city leaders and traffic engineers determine, and no matter what transportation needs are in the future.

We can't think of a worse idea when it comes to the city charter.

As we have said before, by definition, a city charter is a legal document establishing the laws by which the city is governed. It's essentially a city's constitution. A city can modify its charter, but it is not an endeavor that should be taken lightly.

A city charter is not the place for settling disputes over decisions that might be made in the future, such as the determination about W. Maple Road once the trial or test run on the three-lane configuration is over and the data is analyzed.

That is why we are urging voters to say NO on the Maple Road charter amendment.

We elect city commissioners to wade through the necessary information and make informed decisions. That is the basis of a representative government – it is not a government that plays only to the loudest special interest at a meeting.

So an end run around elected city leaders is just that – an end run to have the views of special interests placed ahead of the needs of the community-at-large. We can't think of a better reason for rejecting the charter change on the March ballot.

The city's role during future road work ging infrastructure is the bane of most Michigan municipalities, suffering with broken water mains, corroded sewers, and crumbling, inefficient roads. The city of Birmingham is one government body which has had the foresight to think ahead and plan for the replacement of its infrastructure, developing engineering and multi-modal plans to completely reconstruct city streets, both for its major roads and within its neighborhoods.

But suffering through road reconstruction is another thing altogether. Upcoming during the road construction seasons of 2017 and 2018, first Old Woodward, from Willits to Brown streets in 2017, and then Maple Road, from Bates to Woodward in 2018, each right through the center of downtown Birmingham, meaning retailers, restaurants, businesses – and those who visit them – will be directly impacted for several months.

The Birmingham Shopping District (BSD) board has been planning for these road reconstruction projects for the last few years, setting aside nearly $444,000 from their fund balance to provide

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additional support to businesses and property owners.

The BSD is supported by assessments on downtown Birmingham business property owners, and provides marketing and event planning for the retailers, restaurants, and downtown businesses. John Heiney, executive director of the BSD, said they have increased their fund balance without raising rates. In addition to continuing to promote their events and activities, Heiney said the executive board had determined it was imperative to provide merchants with additional advertising support during the construction periods, as well as offer valet parking six days a week in strategic locations; enhance colorful temporary store signage in construction zones; add a long-term installation of enhanced light poles at Maple and Old Woodward to handle banners and major light displays.

In addition, they are also discussing adding modern up-to-date information kiosks with interactive directory touchscreens and enhanced directional signs for shoppers.

The goal is to keep stores and restaurants open and make sure visitors can easily access them.

We applaud the efforts of Heiney and his board.

But we believe the city of Birmingham is just as dependent upon the central business district's success as the BSD, and should contribute funds to make sure retailers, restaurants and other businesses are better able to survive during what could be a cataclysmic interruption to their businesses.

The city of Birmingham is receiving federal funds to pay for some of the road construction work; upcoming budgeting will determine how else the road work will be paid for. There is still much to be figured out and designed, with infrastructure needs and multi-modal decisions still to be determined. But with the BSD contributing almost a half-million dollars to make sure the city's businesses survive, we believe a fiscally-sound and successful city like Birmingham will want to ensure their survival as well.

Everyone in and around Birmingham depends upon it.

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