Downtown newsmagazine | Birmingham/Bloomfield

MICHIGAN'S NUCLEAR FUTURE | OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL | MUNICIPAL NEWS

JUNE 2021

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DOWNTOWN06.21

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The state of nuclear power for the state of Michigan According to state environmental and nuclear industry officials, because of the amount of Michigan's carbon emissions-free electricity that comes from nuclear power, one way or another, it will have a seat at the table as a viable fuel source into the future.

LONGFORM

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Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald surprised the legal/political communities when she resigned from her position as an Oakland County Circuit Court Judge to run for the new office. In a candid interview with Downtown News Editor Lisa Brody, McDonald discusses her first 100 days in office.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

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Michigan House and Senate members are finally wrestling with the issue of financial disclosure by state officials but don't get your hopes up that anything of value will come from this effort.

CRIME LOCATOR

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

THE COVER

OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL

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The GOP 'big fish' for 2022; Unlock Michigan, dark money and Mike Shirkey; more from the Maddock couple; legislative term limits round two; lawmaker with pants down; plus more.

Cover photo: Laurie Tennent Cover design: Chris Grammer

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MUNICIPAL

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New director for BSD; city AAA credit rating; 2020 township police review; RH project moving along; more demand for safety paths; city parking questions; plus more.

ENDNOTE

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Bloomfield Hills should add advisory question on safety paths to the 2020 ballot. Businesses and building owners in Birmingham need to follow talks about Triangle District parking decks.

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MEREDITH COLBURN R E A L

E S T A T E

MEREDITH COLBURN R E A L

E S T A T E

FROM THE PUBLISHER ichigan House and Senate members are finally wrestling with the issue of financial disclosure by state officials but don't get your hopes up that anything of value will come from this effort.

M

Our state is one of only two that do not require financial disclosure by elected legislators, something other states have done in varying degrees going back decades. Our state also ranks at the bottom of the list when it comes to transparency by the state government, despite a number of attempts by House members for nearly a decade to enact bipartisan laws to remedy the situation.

Although I would guess half of our readership is too young to remember the national political nightmare that prompted the push for transparency and financial disclosure across the nation, the effort was a direct result of the Watergate scandal of 1972 which ultimately was responsible for the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

For the uninitiated, here's the skinny: In June of 1972 five men, paid by the Republican Committee to Re-Elect the President, were arrested after breaking into the offices of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate Hotel complex. That was less than a year after the Nixon White House “plumbers” unit broke into the office of the psychiatrist for Daniel Ellsberg several months after he released to The New York Times and The Washington Post the classified Pentagon Papers, which documented the lies from national leaders over several administrations about the state of the war in Vietnam.

The ensuing media coverage, congressional hearings, criminal charges and jail sentences for some Nixon cohorts helped drive the level of trust in the national government from a high of 75 percent in 1964 to a low of 36 percent in 1974. It also sent officials in Congress and most states scurrying to enact election spending reform and in the most proactive legislative bodies, financial disclosure requirements in an effort to reestablish citizen trust in government.

Michigan did enact legislation that created the Michigan Ethics Board but its purview was only the conduct of executive branch state employees and public officers appointed by the governor or other executive officers. The panel has no jurisdiction over legislative or judicial officials, nor local officials and government employees. On the plus side, the board does have power to compel testimony, meetings are open to the public, as are any documents that are produced by investigations of ethics complaints they receive.

But when it came to financial disclosure, lawmakers' efforts in the 1970s turned out to be a cluster of bungled attempts to force personal disclosure information on all state and local officials. So the opposing forces then had two emboldened camps – lawmakers who saw their ox potentially being gored and local officials who feared that having to disclose sources of income and land holdings by officials and their immediate family members would discourage most local residents from seeking out the low or no-pay positions in cities and townships. In other words, a guarantee it would be dead on arrival.

Former Governor Rick Snyder had a number of proposals he favored, including establishing an independent, nonpartisan commission to investigate ethics violations, campaign finance and lobbying and one that would be empowered to impose fines and penalties. Once again, good thoughts that went nowhere during his 2011-2019 years in office.

So here we are in 2021, nearly 50 years since Watergate, the Michigan House and Senate say they are trying to restore citizen trust (now polling at 40 percent) by requiring financial disclosure for state lawmakers and members of the administration. The problem, as it has been for several legislative terms, is that well-intentioned House members talked about

what at first was legitimate legislation only to be forced to neuter it to appease the Senate Majority Leader, in this session Mike Shirkey (RClarklake), who wants to appear part of the good guys club without having to let the public see anyone's sources of income, essentially preventing anyone from double-checking any possible self-serving votes in Lansing.

As it stands now, here's what financial “disclosure” in Michigan could look like, proposed in a series of bills.

Both the House and Senate would have bipartisan committees appointed by the majority and minority leaders of each chamber, with a charge to field and investigate complaints about lawmaker ethical violations. The legislation would expand the role now handled by what is essentially an advisory committee created by 1968 legislation to issue advisory opinions on conflicts of interest.

The downside – the majority leader of each chamber would have the power to remove a member of the committee, for any reason.

Further the committees would appear to lack subpoena and sanction power, so they would essentially have no teeth to enforce anything, instead issuing advisory opinions when requested and investigating violations of ethics law and House and Senate rules and only make recommendations for disciplinary action.

One of the bills in the package would require, among other things, that lawmakers file an annual financial disclosure report which would include, for themselves and members of their immediate family, employers from which they received $5,000 or more; any other source of money over $5,000 in the previous year; the address of all parcels of real property (except primary residence) valued at over $50,000; investment vehicles with a fair market value of $10,000 or more; and interests in businesses operating in Michigan if book value is over $10,000.

All well and good, on the surface. But these annual reports would be filed with the committee in the applicable legislative chamber and would not be accessible by anyone except members of the committee, essentially denying to the public (and media) the information necessary to possibly file a complaint about a possible ethics violation. Further, records of a committee would not be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and meetings would not be subject to the Open Meetings Act, so all deliberations would be conducted in secret. If a lawmaker is found guilty of an ethics violation, then the committee would have to make available the findings, evidence and committee recommendations.

There is also a proposal to extend the same requirements to cover the elected and key appointed members of the administration and university board members, which would be subject to the state Ethics Board where records and meetings would also be closed to the public.

Equally frustrating in recent weeks is the surprising lip service paid to the disclosure concept by some so-called progressive groups who are touting the proposed legislation as a “good incremental step” or “better than what we have now' – which is dishonest at best.

We need financial disclosure at the state level, governed by an independent commission with full power to demand testimony and impose penalties, hold public meetings, with records of financial information accessible to the public.

Anything short of that misses the mark.

David Hohendorf Publisher DavidHohendorf@DowntownPublications.com

CLERGERIE

T E N D E R

PUBLISHER David Hohendorf NEWS EDITOR Lisa Brody NEWS STAFF/CONTRIBUTORS Hillary Brody Anchill | Tracy Donohue | Kevin Elliott | Stacy Gittleman Austen Hohendorf | Jennifer Lovy | Jeanine Matlow | Gigi Nichols | Bill Seklar PHOTOGRAPHY/CONTRIBUTORS Esme McClear | Laurie Tennent | Chris Ward Laurie Tennent Studio ADVERTISING DIRECTOR David Hohendorf ADVERTISING SALES Mark Grablowski GRAPHICS/IT MANAGER Chris Grammer OFFICE 124 W. Maple, Birmingham MI 48009 248.792.6464 DISTRIBUTION/SUBSCRIPTIONS Mailed monthly at no charge to most homes in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills.

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CRIME LOCATOR

NORTH

Map key

Sexual assault

Assault

Murder

Robbery

Breaking/entering

Larceny

Larceny from vehicle

Vehicle theft

Vandalism

Drug offenses

Arson

These are the crimes reported under select categories by police officials in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills through May 20, 2021.

Placement of codes is approximate.

INCOMING May column on racism

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26

I always enjoy David Hohendorf’s columns and the editorial on racism was good.

My sister lives in Alabama. When a Black man put his boat in her lake, they put a cross in it one night four years ago. So, racism is alive in America. But as Hohendorf notes, there is hope. In Hohendorf’s family it springs.

Fear is a powerful motivation. I think most White folks simply have no interaction with Black folks.

None. They don't understand them because they never speak to any.

Their compass is set by news and the sound bites on Channel 4.

President Joe Biden will help a lot.

So, keep the faith and keep the articles coming.

Michael Heilmann Birmingham

The missing Black statistics I like David Hohendorf’s columns.

What I find missing in his statements and in the news media is any reference to data with respect to police interaction with Black people.

The statistics are readily available online and in the Washington Post’s database of fatal police shootings.

The number of unarmed Black shooting victims is apparently down 63 percent from 2015 when the data base began. For 2019 there were 14 unarmed Black victims and 25 unarmed White victims. There are about 7,300 Black homicide victims a year depending on which source you use. So the 14 victims in 2019 were .0002 percent of the total.

I suspect the majority of the nationwide victims were in the larger metropolitan areas and were more often than not, killed by other Blacks. Those areas have something in common. For the last 60 to 70 years, they have been governed by the Democratic party. But the racist accusations are always meant for Republicans.

Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a highly regarded and principled Democrat, published a study that opined the primary reasons for the struggles of Blacks in the inner city is the lack of a family unit with a dad, and poor education. But today’s politicians never mention those factors but instead continue to allege systemic

racism as a means of trying to retain their own power.

Name withheld upon request Birmingham

Candid, personal editorial Kudos to David Hohendorf for a candid, honest and personal editorial in the May issue. Keep it up.

Steven A. Siman Bloomfield Hills

Birmingham’s master plan Lisa Brody’s analysis of “Urban Planning Trends and Birmingham’s New Master Plan” explains Birmingham’s traditionally restricted housing.

“Zoning,” she writes, “was often used as a means of enforcing racial segregation. Neighborhoods filled only with single family homes were meant to keep suburbs white.” The outcry against multi-unit, affordable housing springs, at least in part, from this same unfortunate history and its outdated dog whistles about “property values,” which Brody’s research on the economic enhancement that multi-unit residences bring to our tax base lays, at last, to rest.

For many of us, the money we used to buy our homes came from equity built up over generations. Grandparents who were veterans of World War II got an economic foothold when the GI Bill covered their educational expenses. But only if they were White. Loans and home insurance helped them buy singlefamily houses. But only if they were White.

My middle-class family has lived in Birmingham since 1958 and is dismayed that it is less and less affordable. We cherish variety in income and race and welcome diversity in our neighbors. That is why I am excited about the new plan for multi-unit housing along our major boulevards.

Kudos to Lisa Brody, the planning board, and city manager Tom Markus for their understanding that this kind of housing will attract younger families, improve our tax base, and bring Birmingham up to date with the vibrant diversity that is America today.

Dr. Annis Pratt Birmingham

Urban planning longform Thank you for the May issue of Downtown. It is certainly up to the high standards you have set in the past.

I especially want to thank Lisa Brody for her longform article on urban planning. She gave us a lot to

doWntoWn

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

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

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

consider, especially the impact of zoning on diversity. We can and need to do better.

Thanks for such an honorable publication.

Karen Linnell Birmingham

Common sense changes Methane pollution from the oil and gas sector is a leading cause of climate change. It has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere and sets the pace for warming in the near term. It emits harmful toxins in the air that inflame asthmatic and other respiratory illness symptoms.

That’s why I am heartened to see Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate come together to pass a bipartisan bill to reinstate commonsense safeguards and rescind harmful methane policies enacted under the previous administration.

Next: a vote in the U.S. House.

Support for reducing methane waste is widespread and bipartisan.

Leading oil and gas companies and organizations like Shell, BP, and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America all support employing the Congressional Review Act to rescind problematic methane policies. Much of the industry acknowledges regulation of methane pollution will provide certainty, save them money, and reduce societal concerns regarding climate change.

I applaud our representatives for taking this crucial step forward to get methane regulation back on track, and I strongly urge our Michigan congressional delegation to join the growing band of support for this resolution.

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OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL Oakland Confidential is a periodic column of political gossip/news, gathered both on and off-the-record by staff members at Downtown newsmagazine. We welcome possible items for this column which can be emailed to: OaklndConfidential@DowntownPublications.com.

All sources are kept strictly confidential. The gossip column can be viewed at OaklandConfidential.com where you can sign up to receive updates via email.

THE BIG CATCH: Oakland Confidential had been teased for a few weeks by several high level local Republicans that they had a “big name” that we would “never guess,” who they were working on to run for governor in 2022 against incumbent Democrat Gretchen Whitmer.

Now we all know now that soon-to-be-former Detroit Police Chief James Craig is their ‘big fish’ – at his retirement announcement, while cagey about his future, he confirmed, “I am a Republican.” Michigan Republicans are positively gleeful at the likelihood of a campaign skirmish between Craig and Whitmer – presuming Craig can prevail in a statewide primary.

Without question Craig has been a force of positive CRAIG change in the city of Detroit, but can that translate to statewide office? “For sure,” said one GOP heavyweight. “They’ll love him. He’s a law and order Black man.” However, southeast Michigan favorites do not always translate statewide. We remember another popular law enforcement guy – Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard – who had legislative experience, unlike Craig, having served in the state Senate before becoming sheriff, who ran for the U.S. Senate – unsuccessfully – against Senator Debbie Stabenow in 2006. He also threw his hat in the ring, also unsuccessfully, in 2010, for governor, when Rick Snyder got the nod, finishing fourth out of five candidates.

However, today’s political landscape has changed, with outsiders (Donald Trump and others) prevailing over career politicians. Yet in MIRS (Michigan Information Research Service) polling after his announcement, Craig was not known by 67 percent of those polled.

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WHAT ABOUT US?: With former Detroit Police Chief allegedly getting into the Republican gubernatorial race, what does that do to the chances of always-a-candidate-never-a-winner John James and GOP chair Ronna (Don’t call me Romney) McDaniel? A source who met with McDaniel recently said that while she would “be a formidable candidate if she got into the race,” she’s unlikely to run. While she would raise the most money of any candidate (Whitmer already has over $3.5 million in the till) and have the support of Republicans nationwide, she JAMES would take a huge pay cut from running the national party. While Whitmer has taken her lumps from many over her pandemic strategy, he also acknowledged, “she has done a good job. I don’t think Romney can beat Whitmer.” As for James, who has formed a political action committee, word is he has been MCDANIEL meeting with lots of people, especially conservative radio folk, to line them up, “I don’t know how or why he thinks he can take on a statewide election. He’s shown twice he can’t win,” the Republican politico said. A better option – and likelihood – is a congressional seat.

“He can definitely take out (Haley) Stevens,”( D-Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Troy, western Oakland and Wayne counties). Stay tuned.

LEAD BY EXAMPLE: It’s not unusual for leaders from different branches of the government to disagree, especially when they’re from opposite parties. And it’s no secret that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) and Senate Leader Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake) have long been at odds, accentuated by Whitmer’s use of executive orders during the pandemic.

Their squabbles have typically been in the open – until a recent legal filing by Democratic attorney Mark Brewer, alleging Shirkey has been quietly the central figure in Unlock Michigan’s campaign to repeal a DOWNTOWN

06.21

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1945 law giving the governor executive powers. Unlock Michigan is a petition effort to repeal the law that previously allowed Whitmer to declare a state of emergency and keep the declaration in place without input from lawmakers; the Michigan Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional last October. Brewer stated in his filing that Unlock Michigan “was funded with dark money tied to Shirkey and managed by individuals connected to the Senate leader.” At the same time, Newsweek magazine reported that Shirkey was pictured with William Null, one of the armed militia members alleged to have wanted to kidnap and kill Whitmer on the social media site Parler.

OFF THE RAILS: Michigan Republican Party Co-Chair Meshawn Maddock from Milford – aptly labeled by some as 'Trump in high heels' – has made her share of headlines with her opposition to pandemic restrictions, including masking. She was back in the news with an April 27 retweet, the gist of which was that “masks are ineffective, harmful (physical n' mentally).” The tweet also advised that “PPL need to start bring legal action against employers.” She made even more headlines weeks later by proposing in a Facebook posting that Michigan secede (“MIexit”)from MADDOCK the United States, with a picture of her and controversial UK figure Nigel Farge.

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SHOOT THE MESSENGER: Meshawn’s other half, state Rep. Matt (Mad Dog) Maddock (R-Milford) is garnering quite a bit of national attention (see: Washington Post, CNN Reliable Sources), for a house bill he introduced that would require “fact checkers” – you know, like newspapers and other media sources – to register with the Michigan Secretary of State and post bonds of up to $1 million. The fact checking could be published physically or digitally. Affected parties could bring suit against the fact checkers (the ones checking to see if politicians are being truthful, and holding them accountable), and if successful, collect damages from the MADDOCK bond. Fines in the legislation are up to $1,000 a day. Just for checking out if something coming out of a lawmaker’s mouth – like Maddock, who has falsely promoted claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election and conspiracy theories – are true instead of made up. Both Maddocks have a history of screaming “First Amendment” for their rantings – yet critics of the bill note this would be a true test of the First Amendment. “I am not a lawyer, but that is clearly inconsistent with the First Amendment,” said Rick Edmonds, media business analyst, Poynter Institute. “I don’t know who is going to challenge this, but they should prevail. It restricts journalists and free press from doing their job.”

“Requiring fact-checking journalists to register with the government would be an outrageous violation of the First Amendment, which says that the government shall make no law abridging the freedom of the press. It’s astounding that an elected official would put forth a proposal that’s so clearly unconstitutional,” Politifact Editor-in-Chief Angie Drobnic Holan told us. In a letter to Maddock, the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) said the “growing amount of disinformation and misinformation spread by political and ideological actors, some in powerful elected offices,” is what is necessitating the rise in fact checking.

STAY IN LINE: In this “Heil Leader” political era, Republicans who don’t follow current party “standards” are finding themselves on the outs.

Witness the removal of Michigan’s 6th Congressional District (Kalamazoo) treasurer Jason Watts, who spoke out against former President Trump after he contracted COVID-19. Watts had been a member of the Republican Party for over 20 years. A Michigan Republican Party committee tried – and failed – to censure Reps. Peter Meijer (R-Grand Rapids) and Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) for voting to impeach Trump for his role in the January 6 insurrection at the Capital DOWNTOWN

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building. And a state board of canvasser who voted to certify the 2020 election last November, Aaron Van Langevelde, has been dumped in favor of Tony Daunt, executive director of the Michigan Freedom Fund.

Be careful. The walls have ears.

ROUND TWO: When a bi-partisan group of 10 former Michigan lawmakers (including Republican ex-state Senator Mike Kowall from White Lake) got the word this past January that U.S. District Judge Janet Neff in Grand Rapids had rejected their 2019 lawsuit challenging term limits approved in 1992 by state voters, we reported the rumor that her ruling would not be the end of the case. And an appeal of Neff’s decision has now come to pass. The group filed with the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in April, which affirmed nearly three decades ago the Michigan KOWALL Constitutional amendment holding House members to three two-year terms and Senate members to two four-year terms. But the group of former legislators is hanging its collective hat on a slight variation from the first legal challenge decades ago, this time saying that Michigan’s term limits violate both the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and Michigan’s Constitution, creating a class of citizens (experienced lawmakers) denied the right to run for office. A release from the group bemoans the loss of experience in Lansing and at least one member has been quoted that there would have been less of a stalemate with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer if lawmakers were more mature. Said one supporter of the current legal fight: “a little bit of water needs to run under the bridge before someone is allowed to write laws under which we all must live.”

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THE FULL STORY: The original details about the arrest of Michigan House member Jewell Jones (D-Inkster) were captivating enough after he was observed driving erratically on I-96 in Livingston County and eventually crashing his SUV. Tased and peppersprayed by state police for repeatedly refusing to provide a drivers license to officers and eventually wrestled to the ground, the disgraced state rep tried to throw his inebriated (twice the legal limit) weight around by threatening to call the governor and penalize the police through the legislative budget process. Jones JONES is facing felony and misdemeanor charges for operating his car with high blood alcohol count, reckless driving, and possession of a weapon (a Glock pistol was in the cupholder) while intoxicated.

Now we learn, from MIRS (Michigan Information Research Service), which filed a Freedom of Information request for the full arrest report, that when paramedic officials first arrived at the scene, the female passenger was standing outside the vehicle with her pants down, along with Jones, who was described as having his pants partially down. A titillating detail left out of nearly all media accounts, with the exception of Fox 2 Detroit TV station.

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LANDING FEET FIRST: Former Birmingham City Manager Joe Valentine, who spent 24 years with the city – his entire career – before resigning last October, was out of work just a short time after finishing in Birmingham December 31. On May 3, he started a new gig with a new city, bringing his years of experience as city manager, assistant city manager, human resources director, management specialist, and acting director of the Birmingham Shopping District to the city of Farmington Hills, where he is the new assistant city manager. Rather than a step down, remember Birmingham has just over 20,000 residents to Farmington Hills’ almost 80,000, according to the 2010 census – and according to current Birmingham City Manager Tom Markus, he is now making as much in salary, if not more, than when he was shouldering the full weight of Birmingham.

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FACES

Wendy Batiste-Johnson hen Wendy Batiste-Johnson was asked to participate in a WDIV panel with anchor Kimberly Gill featuring three Black moms last summer, an idea was born.

“With COVID and all the racial unrest, emotions were high and we were all in our homes,” she said. “In the Black communities, these issues were not necessarily new for us. Sitting at home with our children was new and being emotionally burdened with COVID.” The discussions that followed felt like a form of group therapy. “We needed to create a space to feel safe in having these conversations,” said Batiste-Johnson, of Bloomfield Hills. “We were not taking care of ourselves because we’re so concerned about everyone else. Black women were fearful for our husbands, sons and daughters, and our health was put on the back burner. What came out of this was a pandemic within a pandemic.”

So Batiste-Johnson founded United Black Mothers of America (UBMA), currently serving as president. “Our goal is to support one another in health and wellness. We have wellness walks in person and we’ve had virtual participation from mothers across the country.

“That is the joy in what we do. The goal as we grow is to expand our efforts, and we already have women who have walked with us in different states from Texas, Ohio, California and Connecticut. We are committed to change the self-care of Black mothers, but we are inclusive and welcoming to other mothers to walk, talk and be well alongside Black mothers.”

Local participants register to meet at a designated location. During a recent event, two men joined the group. “It was the most heartfelt and rewarding walk,” she said.

“It certainly added a part of the conversation that was so welcomed.”

For their first anniversary in June, they plan to host their first family walk. “When we look around our friend groups, they are typically people that are in our bubbles and probably very like-minded,” Batiste-Johnson said. “Some may have not had the opportunity to come into contact with others. This presents the opportunity for that type of new communication in your everyday life.”

Batiste-Johnson owned a boutique in Ann Arbor for 10 years. After having children and taking time off, she worked for Taubman in management positions for Twelve Oaks Mall and Partridge Creek. “It was a great experience, but I realized I wanted to do something else, so I resigned in the spring of 2019 to take a year off for the ‘wellness of Wendy,’” she said.

“I’m a workaholic with two kids and a husband. I had to make decisions for me and my health and wellness. It was literally the best decision I made – and then came the pandemic. It prepared me to make an impact on people’s lives.”

There are physical, social and emotional components to UBMA. Besides wellness walks, they host health talks to address mental health and nutrition.

“Self-care starts at home. You deserve to give yourself an hour to engage in the community. We have to put it on ourselves first before we take care of others.”

Dialogue is also needed. “The power of conversation can’t be understated. It’s so powerful and desirable right now. People tippy-toe around conversation because they’re scared of saying the wrong thing, but it’s so impactful. It’s so much better for a Black mother for someone to say something embarrassing than to be silent.”

Her kids will surely learn important lessons along the way. “One thing we can all agree on is that we want a better world for our children,” she said.

For more information and to subscribe to the UBMA newsletter, go to unitedblackmothersofamerica.org.

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Story: Jeanine Matlow

Photo: Laurie Tennent

riving along the I-75 corridor between Detroit and Toledo, one can catch glimpses of the twin curved silos of the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station, known as Fermi 2, that sits on the shores of Lake Erie. Owned by DTE Energy and in operation since 1988, Fermi 2 has produced more than 200 billion kilowatt-hours (KW) of electricity per year – enough electricity to light up a city of one million people at any given time.

The sight of Fermi 2 to some is so striking as they drive along I-75 that people even leave it reviews on Google Maps. Some see the silos as a reliable and carbon emission-free source of power and a much cleaner source than coal. Indeed, Fermi 2 has met state environmental stewardship requirements for preserving wetlands and wildlife since 2001.

But to others, the vision of those silos conjures up fearful lessons of history’s three largest nuclear catastrophes and the conundrum of what to do with nuclear waste.

Michigan's four functioning nuclear reactors – Fermi 2, D.C. Cook Units 1 and 2, and Palisades, supply Michigan with nearly 30 percent of its total electric power supply.

A controversy over a license transfer may delay plans Michigan has to close the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in 2022, but the other nuclear power plants in the state are not set to be retired for decades to come.

Overall, according to state environmental and nuclear industry officials, because of the amount of Michigan's carbon emissions-free electricity that comes from nuclear power, one way or another, it will have a seat at the table as a viable fuel source into the future.

The United States in 1979 saw its worst nuclear accident at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, when a partial meltdown released a small radioactive release into the atmosphere. Though it had no detectable health effects on plant workers or the public, its aftermath brought about sweeping safety and emergency response changes from federal levels of government and reduced public desire to build more reactors.

Decades after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear core meltdown and explosion in the Ukraine, there still exists a 1,000 square-mile radioactive exclusion zone around the site of the reactor meltdown and fire. This zone will remain uninhabitable by humans indefinitely.

Recently, Ukrainian scientists were disturbed to discover detected elevated levels of activity from leftover nuclear fission fuel in an inaccessible area deep inside the sealed plant, according to Science magazine.

A decade after a 2011 9.0 earthquake and ensuing 40-foot tsunami destroyed three of the four reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, that country is still grappling with the long-term effects of displaced evacuated populations that never have returned, and the unpopular proposal to dump millions of gallons of treated, yet still radioactive wastewater, into the Pacific Ocean from cleanup efforts.

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hough a large-scale nuclear disaster in Michigan is unlikely, in the event of a core meltdown or the escape of a radioactive cloud, millions of people living in a 50-mile radius of Fermi 2 or any of the state’s other nuclear power plants would need to be evacuated for an indefinite amount of time.

Michigan has seen its share of environmental violations and accidents from nuclear energy. In 1963, Fermi 1 had a partial core meltdown and was later permanently shut down in 1972. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fermi 2 was the site of the country’s longest nuclear refueling and maintenance outage in 2020, which lasted from March through August.

Although DTE Energy in 2015 won licensing and design approval for a newer smaller Fermi 3 reactor in Newport City in Monroe County, it was never built.

State experts who work in the field say there have been enough accidents and ongoing structural problems with Michigan's nuclear power plants to sour any plans for the construction of nuclear power plants in the future.

Ever since Three Mile Island in 1979, every state that operates a nuclear power plant must incorporate a nuclear emergency plan in accordance with procedures relayed by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, according to T.R. Wentworth, manager of the Radiological Protection Section of the Materials Management Division at Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).

Wentworth said a desire for nuclear energy has ebbed and flowed depending on how long major nuclear disasters have lingered in the news.

“Beginning in the late 1990s, Michigan and the rest of the country went through a sort of nuclear renaissance,” said Wentworth. “With the end of coal-fired power plants in clear sight, there was a push from several presidential administrations to fund research and development of nuclear energy alongside renewable sources to reduce carbon emissions by 32 percent of 2005 levels by 2030.”

Then came the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan.

“Nuclear reactors produce a lot of energy with very little raw material for zero carbon emissions,” said Wentworth. “Michigan was in the midst of ramping up a new generation of nuclear reactor designs, but the disaster at Fukushima, and the fact that Japan is still dealing with the cleanup 10 years on, put the brakes on any plans for new nuclear reactors. Additionally, the low cost of fracking for natural gas is outcompeting any desire from public opinion to build or locate any new sites for nuclear power plants."

Wentworth said in the case of a nuclear accident, EGLE would coordinate field teams with federal authorities to monitor any radioactive plumes and make recommendations for shelter-in-place orders, and evacuations within a 10 or 50-mile radius, depending on the severity of the accident. The state also regularly monitors agriculture, livestock and water samples for levels of radioactivity.

“Each year, we run practice drills on a rotating basis on the premises of the state’s reactors, and these drills are also coordinated with local emergency response teams from fire and police departments,” he said.

Wentworth makes a distinction between radioactive waste – which is contaminated construction materials and other junk – and spent nuclear fuel – rods containing pellets of uranium that can be reprocessed and reused at a later point. Though no new reactors are coming online in Michigan, Wentworth pointed to other parts of the country, such as Georgia, which are building smaller, more efficient reactors, as well as China, which is leading the way in building new reactors for its electricity demand.

Yet, Wentworth said what to do with that spent fuel until the time comes before it has a permanent repository or there is an industrial innovation to reprocess and recycle it, is the nation’s long-term 800pound radioactive gorilla.

“What the nation will do with the spent fuel is the monster that we as a country have yet to have a solution,” said Wentworth. “In my opinion, until we have a concrete national strategy for where and how to store the spent fuel, there is not going to be much traction in advancing nuclear power.”

T

On the front end, when managed safely, nuclear power has been touted as one of the cleanest, emissions-free and abundant sources of power that can be derived from the smallest amounts of material fuel.

Nuclear energy in the United States gained prominence in the 1950s and 1960s as a reliable power source to meet a growing demand in postwar America. By the 1970s, it was seen as a way for the country to liberate itself from the oil-rich yet turbulent Middle East and its OPEC oil embargoes.

Created as an offshoot of the Atomic Energy Commission, Congress in 1974 created the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) as an independent oversight entity for the nation’s growing fleet of nuclear power plants. A NRC spokesperson said 3,000 scientists, engineers and technicians concentrate on thorough oversight, tight regulations, and regular evidence-based updates to emergency response and safety procedures as it considers existing and new licenses of nuclear power plants. Above all, the NRC stated that transparency and communication with the public are at the core of all NRC activities.

By the 1990s, prompted by the threat of climate change and the quest to create emissions-free energy to keep up with the global demand for electricity, over 100 commercial power reactors had been commissioned nationwide.

In more recent decades, the industry has experienced stops and starts because of fear of catastrophic nuclear accidents, as well as the cost of building a new reactor currently runs into the billions of dollars as the costs of wind and solar materials have dropped 75 and 25 percent, respectively, since 2011.

Even so, recent testimony to Congress in March 2021 by Environmental Progress Founder and President Michael D. Shellenberger concluded that the nation’s fragile power grid cannot afford the closure of nuclear plants because of their reliability to produce at-capacity, emissions-free electricity.

But most of the country’s nuclear power plants are about to exceed their 40-year life cycle expectancies. According to the Energy Information Administration, almost all the U.S. nuclear generating capacity comes from reactors built between 1967 and 1990. As of May 1, 2021, there were 55 commercially operating nuclear power plants with 93 nuclear power reactors in 28 U.S. states.

The newest nuclear reactor to enter service, Watts Bar Unit 2 in Tennessee, began commercial operation in October 2016. As of May 2020, there are just two nuclear power plants under construction in the United States, both in Georgia. Worldwide, China and India are the leaders in new nuclear plant construction.

In Michigan, the Whitmer Administration is gravely concerned about how to best manage the state’s three remaining operating plants and the spent nuclear energy they produce, all located along the shorelines of the Great Lakes. ntergy Corporation, headquartered in New Orleans, is looking to shut down the beleaguered Palisades Nuclear Plant in South Haven by May 2022. It is working to transfer its operating license of that site, as well as the defunct Big Point nuclear storage facility in Charlevoix, to New Jersey-based Holtec International by December 2021.

Built between 1967 and 1970, Palisades was approved to operate at full power in 1973, and at any given time produces 800 megawatts of electricity – enough to power 800,000 homes in southwest Michigan.

According to the Sierra Club, it is the globe’s oldest operating nuclear power plant – and the least structurally sound. Since 2007, it has been the site of numerous workplace accidents, and has leaked radioactive water into Lake Michigan. Though the NRC has affirmed that none of the accidents have been a threat to public health to the 1,326,618 people who live within a 50-mile radius of the site, according to 2010 Census records, concerns remain. With talk of permanent closure proposed and postponed seven times since 1995, Palisades was loaded with its last fuel rods in September 2020, and is currently set to shut down in May of 2022.

Although Entergy has put aside $550 million in a ratepayer trust to finance the shutdown and cleanup, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, backed by environmental organizations like the Sierra Club, are wary of Holtec’s record and in February 2021 petitioned the NRC to have

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a thorough hearing and halt the transfer of Entergy’s businesses in Michigan unless there is assurance that Holtec will practice due diligence in the project and not leave Michigan to foot any cleanup expenses that exceed the amount in the trust fund.

Holtec is a company that has the nation’s most contracts in cleaning up and decommissioning the nation’s aging nuclear power plants.

According to reports, in the early 2000's, Holtec was embroiled in a bribery scandal. An undisclosed Holtec employee funneled as much as $54,000 to the personal account of a Tennessee Valley Authority manager, along with travel and luxury junkets to the manager and his wife. In 2007, the TVA manager, John L. Symonds, pleaded guilty to federal charges related to his failure to disclose the money in his financial disclosure forms that were given to him by Holtec.

“The AG has not taken a position on whether Entergy or Holtec is the better company to handle the decommissioning,” said Michigan Attorney General Press Secretary Lynsey Mukomel. “Instead, Nessel examined Holtec’s application to transfer the license, found concerns with it, and then filed a petition seeking a hearing and further development of the record with regards to these concerns.”

Mukomel said Nessel is concerned that Holtec does not possess the financial qualifications or assurances necessary to complete such a riskintensive project.

“The petition demonstrates that Holtec has significantly underestimated the costs for actual decommissioning, thus threatening the health and safety of Michigan residents,” said Mukomel. “The petition also questions Holtec’s exemption request to use the decommissioning funds for site restoration and spent fuel management without providing evidence of other funding sources.”

Palisades Senior Government Affairs Manager Nick Culp said Entergy’s focus remains the safe, secure and reliable operation of Palisades until its permanent shutdown by May 31, 2022. The company said it will also continue to move forward with its plans for a postshutdown sale of Palisades to Holtec for purposes of accelerated decommissioning.

“Holtec’s filings to the NRC detail its plans to complete the decommissioning of Palisades by 2041,” said Culp. “That 19-year timeline is more than four decades sooner than if Entergy continued to own Palisades and selected the maximum NRC timeline option, which allows 60 years for decommissioning. The safe and timely decommissioning of the site is particularly important for the local community, which could benefit from the site being repurposed decades sooner.” ierra Club Michigan backs Nessel’s decision to request an NRC hearing to further investigate Holtec’s capabilities. To bolster this doubt, they point to the company’s less than scrupulous track record of alleged bribes and kickbacks to employees of other nuclear plant officials.

“Holtec has a checkered and less than scrupulous past in its work,” said Mark Muhich, chairman of Sierra Club's Nuclear Free Michigan, referring to the 2011 Tennessee Valley scandal scandal as well as alleged shady business dealings in decommissioning activities in power plants in New Jersey, Ohio and New York.

“We want the NRC to be very diligent in its examination of this license transfer,” said Muhich. “Michigan deserves a thorough hearing before the NRC to express its concerns, and alternative companies to do the decommissioning work should be considered.”

Muchich added that the Sierra Club is also concerned that the money raised by Entergy for decommissioning the two sites will run out before the job is done, leaving Michigan to foot the bill.

“The NRC states that the decommissioning cost (for Palisades and Big Rock Point) will run about $400 million, but costs to decommission plants in Massachusetts and Vermont are running as high as one billion dollars,” said Muhich. “Our main concern is that funding set aside by Entergy will run out and Holtec is not prepared to purchase a bond to be financially responsible to raise money to complete the work.”

While she could not comment on the controversy of the potential license transfer between Entergy and Holtec, Viktoria Mitlyng, senior public affairs officer of the midwest region of the NRC, said the NRC has never seen a case where monies put into an accruing decommissioning

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bond were completely drained before a job was complete. She said the NRC will conduct a thorough review to assure that whichever company is left in charge to decommission the Palisades plant will have the financial resources for a complete and thorough cleanup, meaning, at the end of the process, there should be no levels of hazardous radiation detected.

Mitlyng said whoever winds up in charge of Palisades and Big Rock Point must submit annual reports to the NRC to make sure the project is on track and on budget. The NRC also inspects decommissioned nuclear power plants every two years.

The NRC runs routine rotating emergency drills at all of the nation’s nuclear power plants, and just ran a radioactive plume drill on Fermi 1 on May 18. If there were the unlikely case of a core meltdown or a highly radioactive plume escape at Fermi 2 today, a coordinated effort from federal, state and local emergency agencies would proceed with any emergency, shelter in place or evacuation efforts.

The NRC contemplates shadow evacuations from within the 10-mile emergency planning zone as well as a shadow region that is defined as the area between the 10-mile emergency planning zone border to a radius of approximately 15 miles from the Fermi Plant.

DTE Energy estimates that 101,913 people live within a 10-mile radius and 20 percent of those people would have to evacuate in a radiological emergency. fter the 2011 Fukushima disaster, the NRC took into consideration that people living within a 50-mile radius of any nuclear power plant would have to be evacuated. An expansion of the shadow region to a 50-mile radius would significantly increase the population implicated in an evacuation to well over five million people living in places like the Detroit and Toledo metro areas, as well as Ann Arbor, according to 2010 population records.

At the southwest corner of the state on the shore of Lake Michigan sits the state’s largest nuclear power plant. The Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant, located in Bridgman, Michigan, consists of two reactors that each have a capacity rating of roughly 1,100 megawatts. When run at full power, Cook provides enough electricity for more than 1.5 million homes.

Most of this power is used in Indiana.

Since becoming operational in the late 1970s, the Donald C. Cook Nuclear Generating Station in Bridgman has been plagued with about a half-dozen incidents, including onsite employee deaths and injuries and a three-year closure beginning in 1997, when the NRC determined that emergency cooling systems could not be depended upon to perform in the event of an accident to prevent a core meltdown. The NRC fined the nuclear power plant with a $500,000 civil penalty for 37 regulatory violations.

In 2003, a fault in the main transformer caused a fire that damaged the main generator and backup turbines. In 2016, there was a heavy steam leak into the station's turbine building. Most recently, Cook went offline briefly in October 2020, as a result of a power trip due to lowering water level in one of the plant’s four steam generators. Its next plume emergency drill with the NRC is set for September 2021.

American Electric Power (AEP) has renewed the license of Cook 1 and 2, with each expiring respectively in 2034 and 2037.

Joel Gebbie, AEP senior vice president and chief nuclear officer, said Cook works to be as transparent as possible with the public concerning incidents such as its recent outage. Though it posed no threat to the public, it must report all such incidents as directed by the NRC. He explained, as set by FEMA and the NRC, all nuclear power plants ascribe to the same four levels of response in case of emergency. Each alert level comes with a set of procedures and processes to communicate to the public and emergency authorities.

A general emergency is the highest level of alert, where events are in progress that has caused or will cause substantial core damage with potential for uncontrolled releases of radiation that exceed EPA safety levels to the general public. According to Gebbie, the nation’s only general emergency alert level was the 1979 Three Mile Island accident.

As a partially deregulated energy market, Gebbie acknowledged that Michigan's nuclear industry has been challenged by lower-cost sources of energy such as natural gas as well as the emerging renewable sources

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of wind and solar. He speculates that this is part of the reason Entergy wants to decommission Palisades and switch its existing customers to natural gas. Still, he said that nuclear energy will remain a viable source of power into the future, as evidenced by the Department of Energy’s continued investment in research and development of the industry and with newer, more efficient third and fourth generation designs being reviewed by the NRC. "Nuclear power plants still supply the nation with 50 percent of its emission-free power that is available 24/7, and operates in the harshest weather conditions, said Gebbie. "Large generating facilities like Cook help stabilize the electric grid. While building a new plant like Cook in the U.S. is highly unlikely because of the expense, there are smaller, more advanced second or even third-generation plants being built right now in Georgia."

A different problem facing the industry is what to do with used nuclear fuel, also known as spent nuclear fuel. America’s inventory of spent nuclear fuel is growing with no cohesive federal plan on where to permanently and safely store it for hundreds – or even one thousand years – before it finally becomes inert.

According to the Energy Information Agency, between 1968 and 2017, more than 276,000 bundles of spent fuel rods (fuel rod assemblies), which contained a little less than 80,000 metric tons of uranium, were stored in the United States. The inventory of spent fuel assemblies has grown by about 13.2 percent from mid-2013 to the end of 2017.

The discharged spent nuclear fuel rods are stored in one of two ways.

The first approach stores spent fuel rods in pools of water that cool them and provide additional shielding from radiation. The pools of water resemble swimming pools, and rods may stay in these pools for five years. These pre-cooled spent fuel rods are then placed in a dry cask container filled with inert gas. Each container is surrounded by steel, concrete, or other material to provide a stronger shield from radiation. In the United States, nearly all spent nuclear fuel is currently stored onsite at commercial nuclear power plants.

Presently, in Michigan, 2,222.7 tons of spent nuclear fuel sit in cooling pools and 1,073.7 tons are sealed in cement and steel casks. There, they remain, on-site, close to the shores of the Great Lakes, for the foreseeable future.

“We have found in our studies that nuclear power – the possibility of a reactor accident or leak of radioactive material into our waterways, and how spent nuclear fuel is stored – is something that people fear the most above everything else,” said Mitlyng of the NRC. "The safety of the Great Lakes as it relates to spent nuclear fuel is a question we get all the time – and rightly so – because there is no 'zero risk' in anything.”

Mitlyng explained before a dry cask installation is put in place, the question of geology and proximity to any body of water is considered.

The installation is inspected and constantly monitored to minimize the risk of any nuclear material leaks.

“We have multiple layers of regulations and protective procedures in place,” said Mitlyng. “The risk is never zero, but these casks in their design are always being tested, including being dropped hundreds of feet, to make sure the risk of them rupturing is kept at a minimum.” roblematic to the nuclear energy industry is this growing inventory and the ever more densely packed cooling pools, some packed as tightly as the reactors from which they were removed. A fire from a densely packed pool could send plumes of radioactive clouds hundreds of miles. According to academic researchers, a radioactive cloud from a spent fuel pool fire would span hundreds of miles, spurring evacuation of millions of residents in Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Toronto or other population centers, depending on where the accident occurred and wind patterns.

Frank von Hippel is a senior research physicist and professor of public and international affairs emeritus and founder of the Program on Science & Global Security at Princeton University. In 2016, he and his colleagues published a paper that studied the risk of spent fuel pools catching fire at nuclear power plants through the lens of Japan's Fukushima disaster.

Von Hippel concluded that had the pools caught fire due to a loss of water and a buildup of explosive hydrogen, the disaster would have worsened 100-fold, serving as a cautionary tale for the way this country is straining the capacity of its spent fuel cooling pools.

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“It was just a stroke of luck that there was not a spent fuel pool fire in Fukushima," said von Hippel. "Had that have happened, the radiation released into the atmosphere would have been 100 times more serious, and we calculated that the evacuation area would have had to be twice the size of New Jersey. It could have been a $2 trillion accident to clean up."

Von Hippel said after the Fukushima accident, the NRC considered a proposal he and his colleagues made back in 2003 to assure that nuclear power plants in the United States hold no more than five years of spent nuclear fuel in cooling pools to avoid the risk of an accident or fire.

“But the NRC staff estimated that would cost $50 million per reactor and, in partially deregulated states (such as Michigan), nuclear power plants are struggling to compete against wind, photovoltaics and natural gas. That is probably why Palisades is shutting down," Von Hippel said. he Department of Energy paints a rather rosy picture that the rods of spent fuel can one day be reprocessed and recycled to provide more power. Though 90 percent of potential energy remains in the fuel even five years after it is removed from a reactor, only France has developed a method to safely recycle spent nuclear fuel.

Those in the industry say in addition to the appeal and decreasing cost to produce electricity with natural gas, wind and solar, until the federal government finalizes plans for a national and permanent repository of spent nuclear fuel, there remains little appetite in the general public to progress and promote nuclear energy.

As of April 2021, the nation has permanently shuttered 39 nuclear reactors, more than any other industrialized country, according to data research corporation Statista. The Energy Information Agency predicts that nuclear power generation will have declined 17 percent between 2018 and 2025.

Just as it manages nuclear power plants when they are active, the NRC will oversee their closure and dismantling and transport of spent nuclear fuel when the time comes, said Mitlyng.

The federal government has yet to hammer out a permanent plan to create a final repository for its growing inventory of spent nuclear fuel. It will all most likely reside in a geologically stable, subterranean cavern.

A 1987 proposal to build a permanent nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada has been in a permanent political deadlock.

Another proposal to designate repository sites in New Mexico and Texas has been derailed by New Mexico’s attorney general filing a lawsuit against the NRC in March 2021. On the Canadian side of the Great Lakes, Ontario Power Generation has given up its long-pursued proposal to petition a request to store Canadian spent nuclear fuel in a geologically sound underground repository that was just one-quarter mile from Lake Huron.

“It is not the NRC’s role to create policy on how or when the nation will commit to creating a long-term repository plan,” said Mitlyng, who was born in Kyiv and lived there through the Chernobyl nuclear accident before emigrating to the United States with her family. After the fall of the Soviet Union, she returned to Russia as a young journalist for the English-language Moscow Times and met and wrote about the surviving firefighters who were first responders at the Chernobyl accident who were unaware of the high levels of radiation which they were exposed as they worked.

“Once the United States finalizes its repository plan, the NRC will be there to create every step of the process – from how the materials and casks are handled and transported by workers, to developing highly controlled security routes to make sure the materials will safely reach their final resting place.“ Mitlyng said the NRC is “neither pro-nor anti-nuclear energy and makes no decisions based on politics or current sitting presidential administrations.

“The NRC has a strong mission to safety. So long as there are civilian applications of nuclear power, the NRC’s job is to make sure the technology is used safely and that rules and regulations are updated as soon as technological advances become available.”

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BIRMINGHAM | 1044 SUFFIELD AVENUE $1,199,000 | 4 Bedrooms | 3.3 Baths | 4,783 Total Sq. Ft. Stunning colonial designed by McIntosh Poris situated on oversized lot in Quarton Lake Estates. Formal living room with gas fireplace & French doors leading into comfortable all seasons room bringing all the best elements of the outdoors inside.

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FACES Vivian Yee aving already achieved too many accolades to fit on one page, International Academy of Bloomfield Hills senior Vivian Yee has a recent accomplishment that may take the cake. After being named a 2021 finalist out of 40 (from 1,760 entrants) for the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2021, she came in ninth place, which includes a $50,000 award.

Her topic could not be timelier. Yee researched disparities in COVID19 cases and related deaths in more vulnerable communities where she found they experienced higher rates of COVID-19 transmission and death. Her study suggests that government-led initiatives helped to reduce these outcomes over time. Her findings are detailed in a congressional memorandum that has been accepted by the official Coronavirus Task Force to inform future relief legislation.

“Growing up, I had a vision to be a doctor,” said Yee, who did Science Olympiad in fourth grade and science research in ninth grade, but after participating in forensics and Model UN debates, “I saw the philanthropic side that I wanted to pursue further.

“I was really motivated by things I had seen in the news early in the pandemic. Looking at those case counts, it was very concerning to see how health disparities impact socially vulnerable households. Socially vulnerable communities are being impacted disproportionately with the number of COVID cases and deaths in Detroit, New York and beyond.”

Yee, who lives in Beverly Hills, has been especially eager to see how science guides our decisions during the pandemic. “I have a really big passion for public policy and science,” she said. “Knowledge gained through scientific research addresses greater issues in society.”

The pandemic would end her lab work as a high school researcher at the University of Michigan. “I had to find new ways to do research from home. Researching remotely pushed me outside of my comfort zone and gave me the opportunity to look into things I’m passionate about.”

One of those passions is Helping Hands: A Students for Students Movement Inc., a non-profit organization Yee co-founded that works to minimize educational disparities for underprivileged students. “It ties into my motivation,” she said. “Talking with administrators and staff, I saw that many of the students were facing difficulties transitioning to online schooling during the pandemic, like not having computers.” Part of their mission includes fundraising efforts for technology and supplies.

Yee appreciates the academics, classroom experience and the opportunities at the International Academy. “The student body is truly enriching, and not in a competitive way,” she said. “We collaborate on initiatives and that is incredibly motivating. The teachers are so supportive of our academic endeavors and they want to provide an enriching experience.”

One day, Yee hopes to be part of an organization like the WHO or the CDC. Her first stop will be Harvard University, where she will be a freshman this fall.

She would like to create public policy based in science and data, and to show the need for greater community outreach to promote health in underserved communities where there is a higher ratio of COVID transmission and the need to vaccinate and promote health literacy.

In the meantime, she recognizes the lessons of the past year. “The pandemic taught us the importance of being adaptable and a lot of people learned the importance of community,” Yee said. “We have to work together to help prevent the spread of the disease that has touched so many lives. It is an issue of public health when it impacts every single person and change is necessary to work toward achieving greater health equity.”

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KAREN McDONALD TRYING TO MOVE THE NEEDLE OF SMART JUSTICE AS PROSECUTOR Photos: Laurie Tennent

akland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald surprised the legal and political communities in 2019 when she resigned from her position as an Oakland County Circuit Court Judge shortly after being re-elected in November 2018 to run against longtime prosecutor and fellow Democrat Jessica Cooper, without any assurance that she would be sitting in the chair she now occupies as a more progressive voice in the county.

“It was obviously a big shock to everybody, me leaving the bench. Especially because I had no certainty that I was going to win either election,” she said.

Having been an assistant prosecutor in the office and then worked in private practice before becoming a jurist, McDonald was hungry for more – not for fame or public acclaim, but for the ability to produce long-term, institutional change in both the criminal justice system and the mental health care system, which she believes have failed too many defendants.

“I felt like, you know what, when you’re a judge, by the time people are in front of you, they’ve already been charged. There’s sentencing guidelines, there’s...you can’t move the needle on anything. You’re just there. You’re watching a lot of people go to prison.”

In a candid one-on-one interview with Downtown News Editor Lisa Brody, McDonald discusses her first 100 days in office, what she has achieved so far, her goals looking forward, from treatment courts and smart justice to working with the state legislature and law enforcement, and changing the culture in the prosecutor’s office, whether for people of color and working parents, as well as for her efforts to empower assistant prosecutors to lead on their own – and to be the boss she wishes she had when she was working her way up.

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You campaigned in 2020 as part of the progressive prosecutor movement which has been moving across the country in the last decade but started to get serious media recognition with the elections in 2016, in places like Boston, New York, California, Missouri, for example. Obviously your message struck a chord in Oakland County. The movement, still in its nascent stage, tends to seek reform of the criminal justice system in this country, ending mass incarceration while still championing public safety.

The movement can include relying more on diversion programs and treatment programs as an alternative to jail time, choosing not to prosecute some low-level crimes, and refusing to prosecute cases using officers with a history of dishonesty or unreliability.

Would that be an accurate condensation of your approach for the office of county prosecutor?

MCDONALD: When people say progressive prosecution, that can mean a whole lot of things. There’s different levels of that, obviously. I don’t think I’m the most progressive prosecutor. I don’t think of it like that. And I’ve never thought of myself as progressive or not progressive. I just think of myself as being committed.

Criminal justice reform, we need change. And it’s really embraced by Democrats, Republicans, independents.

And I think everyone understands now, regardless of what letters are after your name, that what we’re doing right now has really not worked. We talked about these short periods of incarceration, for crimes that occurred because of a mental health issue or a drug addiction – people want to do what works. And that doesn’t work.

So I think that’s at the core of reforming. When you look at the data, and you see the numbers of people we’re incarcerating, and they’re higher than any other nation per capita in the world, that’s not something I think the United States wants to be known for. I think people are getting frustrated, and they just want change.

Never would I ever thought that in Oakland County, I could run for a countywide seat, and with my commercials with the Black Lives Matter sign – I never thought that would happen in this county. But it turns out, we’re a lot more similar than we think we are. We really are. Because people have humanity and compassion. And now things are on film. Things are being captured. And these you can’t ignore anymore.

And a lot of people you know, they wanted to ignore, there’s not systematic racism, we don’t treat Black and people of color differently. But you see it, it’s captured, and we can’t ignore it. We just can’t.

I attended a march in Birmingham, and it was just really inspiring to look around and see my neighbors, my peers, and it really didn’t matter what they consider themselves politically. People want change. And I think we are lucky in Oakland County – if you think about all of the disturbances and the conflict that occurred across the nation, that did not happen here. And it’s because the local law enforcement, the local state or city or government, they handled it the right way.

I was really motivated, inspired throughout the campaign. Because it didn’t really matter what group of people I was talking to whether I was, out in my neighborhood or at a group speaking...the message resonates with people. So along with just wanting like

reform, I think people are also really starved for authentic genuine leaders. I didn’t need to do this. I had a great job, I could have kept that job the rest of my career. And I took an extreme risk. I had to step down a year ahead of the filing deadline. Everyone told me you cannot beat Jessica Cooper.

She’s never lost an election, it won’t happen. But I decided that the risk was worth it. And that if I wasn’t successful, I could at least be okay with the fact that I tried. And I think more people, like me, actually have to step into the arena, as Brene Brown says, and take a chance. It’s difficult. It’s been a difficult job. It’s been a difficult 100 days, but I’m really proud of what we’ve done. And I’m really proud of the culture shift that’s gone on here.

serious, violent crime or sexual assault,’ and traditionally they would come up, it was a really scary experience for them.

And I say, ‘Okay, well, what do you think?

‘They just kind of stare at me. And a couple times I heard, ‘Well, you’re the boss.’ And I said, No, you’ve been doing this a long time. I really want to know what you think not what you think I want to hear. But what...do you want to do with this case? And I and this is what I say, if you didn’t have to ask anybody, what would you do? Of course, it just like charge the most, automatically do the most you can, say no deals and then (ask for) the harshest sentence. Like that doesn’t make I've never thought of myself as progressive or any sense because the warrant writer will not progressive. I just think of myself as being write the case. But then by the time you committed. Criminal justice reform, we need get to the circuit court, those lawyers now change. And it's really embraced by Democrats, Every new administration seeks to put to get talk to the defense attorney, they Republicans, independents.

And I think their own people in place, and some know more about the case. They know everyone understands now...that what we're others want to move on. One of the more about the individual, they’ve talked doing right now has really not worked. leading progressive prosecutors in the to the victim. That it’s one side, it’s not one national movement is Larry Krasner, the size fits all.

DA for Philadelphia County, and when he entered office, he fired I won’t give them rules. I am empowering them, asking them to assistant prosecutors who were not in agreement with his think critically, which is what we should be doing. If I can’t trust an proposed changes. How have you conveyed your enforcement assistant prosecutor to go into the courtroom and think critically, philosophy to assistant prosecutors and how did they react? then what are we doing?

What has turnover – voluntary or otherwise – in your office I’ll share with you an article I wrote for the monthly newsletter looked like in the first four months? Who are some of your key about being a working parent, and how working moms need grace. new hires?

And just because we’re out the door at four to pick up from day care.

If we go see a soccer game, it doesn’t mean we’re not picking up our MCDONALD: I’m not Larry Krasner. And I did not come in with work after our kids (are) in bed. And I had lawyers in this office email broad declarations, black and white mandates. I really feel strongly me the next day and say, I cried the entire time I read that. It’s the that good lawyers who work hard should have jobs. I met personally best email I’ve ever received. And not just for the moms, but the with every single person – right now, I think it’s 86. Its usually hovers dads, too. I believe that if you treat people with respect and value around 90. But I also met with staff. Usually what happens is they that you get it back by your employees. My whole career like I hire a transition team where they appoint a transition team. That pretended I didn’t have kids. team interviews everybody and then gives recommendation to the (Rather than one chief assistant prosecutor, like Paul Walton in the elected official, but I want to – it’s just who I am. I wanted to make previous administration), we have somebody in charge of policy and that personal connection. And I wanted to make sure that if I training, a chief assistant, and then a chief of administration, and decided not to reappoint somebody, I had really good reasons for then a chief of litigation. They’re all up on the fifth floor. And those that. And I think...I’m certain I retained more people than any other are the people I rely on the most, but I have division chiefs. prosecutor...I retained all of them, but five.

I can show you the first email that we sent before I even took Can you tell us about the Hate Crimes Unit and how much office. And it was, I want you to call me Karen. And I care about personnel is devoted to this effort? what you think. Here’s a survey. Tell us what you like about the office. Tell us what you think we could do better. And tell me what MCDONALD: It’s in our Special Victims Unit. We have one your personal goals are, tell me what piece of advice you have. For prosecutor who is specifically trained, with specialized training, and me. I think that was the most critical thing, an important thing I did she reviews the case in the warrants level, and then vertically so far. Because culture eats policy for breakfast. There’s a lot of stuff prosecutes it so you stay with the victim. We’re also trying to educate that I wanted to do. But I want buy in. local law enforcement so they can spot crimes that are motivated by I didn’t come in here, nor do I march around saying I’m a that kind of prejudice against ethnicity, help people identify their progressive prosecutor. I would prefer to call it common sense religion. It’s not enough to keep her full-time busy because those criminal justice reform. It’s smart justice. crimes, they’re not being reported. They’re underreported and then in I’m pushing back on progressive because I think that’s a lot of certain communities, they’re hard to spot by law enforcement. But times what’s used by Republicans to make me seem extreme, or we just had a really, really blatant hate crime, ethnic intimidation overly liberal. It’s just scary. Like, you’re gonna want all the criminals within Walled Lake. It’s really important to take those crimes out, and you’re gonna go after the police. And I’d rather just be seriously and to vigorously prosecute them and hold people known for being reasonable and compassionate. accountable and to make sure the public knows that it’s happening.

And it was important to me that the people here know that they We partnered with Fair Michigan so that we are trained to are valued, they will be listened to, they will be respected. And I prosecute cases that involve the LGBTQ community. And they want input. And that approach has really, really been successful. provided advocacy help and special training.

Because those that do question because you’re asking them to do something they’ve never done, which is, by the way, just use their Before you became prosecutor, you were a strong advocate for discretion. Like they come up here, and they say, ‘Okay, I have like, a releasing, paroling or re-sentencing juveniles who had previously

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been sentenced to life in prison. The previous prosecutor had fought that, refusing to review cases from this office.

Why did you feel that was so important, and do you still feel that way? What efforts has your office undertaken to combat the previous recalcitrance? What do you recommend should be done in sentencing of very violent juvenile offenders?

I meet with our legislators in Oakland County, frequently, and hear from them.

That’s never taken place before with Democrats and Republicans. We certainly have a diverse group in and I mean, not in an ethnically diverse, but in a thoughtfully diverse group in Oakland County, but they represent the population. And I want to hear from people who care about these issues. I want to hear from people who disagree with me and agree with me. I have to say, though, I really want to stress I really have not introduced anything that has been drastic. It’s communication. I was on the phone today with a legislator from Oakland County who wants to talk about a possible change in the felony firearm law. There’s a huge package of bills coming through about police reform.

Defunding the police just makes no sense to me.

MCDONALD: I had to review all the juvenile life sentences, which, as you know, was also a big problem for me. I don’t think the prior prosecutor followed the law...I think at the time there were 20 to 29 (cases We're also trying to educate local law to review). enforcement so they can spot crimes that are It was just complying with the motivated by that kind of prejudice against law...Unless the law says that somebody is ethnicity, help people identify their religion... irreparably corrupt, they cannot have a life those crimes, they're not being reported. They're without parole sentence. You know what we underreported and then in certain communities, know about brain science, when your brains they're hard to spot by law enforcement.

Let’s talk about the change in criminal not even fully developed until you’re like 27 justice philosophy that we see taking years old? place. Prior to now law enforcement and criminal justice We reversed the positions so far for 22 of them, asking for new officials operated on the “broken windows” theory, first put terms of years. And by the way, a lot of times, it’s 40 years – like forth by social scientists James Q. Wilson and George Kelling in these people who’ve been in prison for sometimes 30, 40 years. So it 1982, that championed the value of taking action against petty is certainly not like you’re not in prison or it’s a free pass. You look at crimes as a way to establish a certain societal norm that would their conduct. And when you have a case where somebody has gone prevent an escalation of more serious crimes. Some say that 20 years without an incident of misconduct, they’ve taken every approach was directly responsible for the noticeable drop in educational class training – it’s hard to make the case that they crime in major cities such as New York City. But some in the should still be in prison at the age of 50 for something they did when progressive movement are actually moving to end prosecution they were 16. of low level crimes – like loitering, shoplifting, for example.

My big issue with the prior administration, that really, I think, Some prosecutors – like in Boston – have issued to assistant started me on this path was the refusal to participate in treatment prosecutors lists of crimes they will no longer prosecute. On the courts. And I just firmly believe that incarceration for short periods of campaign trail you talked about starting first offender programs time, for people who have a mental health issue or drug issue, it just and diversionary programs for non-violent first offenders. Could makes sense to me that economically, it’s very expensive to house you envision your office taking the approach that some crimes people and MDOC. And then we’re releasing them. We haven’t will no longer be prosecuted? addressed the mental health issue. And I think right now, the prosecutor really does have the power to influence that. We can MCDONALD: So a lot of progressive prosecutors, I guess, have create our own diversion programs, we can consent and get involved made public statements and said, ‘we’re not going to prosecute,’ in treatment. There’s now a Mental Health Court in Oak Park, we like Eli Savit said, for sex workers, and we’re not going to prosecute have a Veterans Court, a Juvenile Drug Court and Adult Drug Court. shoplifters. That’s just not my brand. I’m not doing that. I’m not They’re not easy, but they’re just ways for people to get through the comfortable. Isn’t...every case different? Do I think that we should system in the process. If they do everything they’re supposed to do, look for alternatives to hold people accountable, especially young maybe they don’t have a felony on their record, maybe we’ve people, rather than just slapping a conviction on their record? A managed to address the mental health thing hundred percent I do. And I think there are a lot of great ways to do I created a Racial Justice Advisory Council, where I meet with that. The data really shows that if we want to reduce crime, we stakeholders to listen. And a Law Enforcement Advisement Advisory have to care about kids, we have to care about how to provide safe Council. I really want to work with law enforcement to embrace more and healthy child care for people, we have to provide a lot of reform policies so that we can increase trust, for the community and interventions when children are younger and provide resources. It’s for law enforcement. just not so simple, like let’s prosecute everybody for throwing a rock We have victims to protect, we have a community to keep safe and at a window. Nothing I’m doing here is easy, so you’re looking at I am never going to let my personal ego or disputes or personality each case, case by case. conflicts get in the way of that.

And I’m also looking at ways that we can actually go upstream, as they say, and really find out – who’s throwing the kids in the During the primary election last year, you stated that you river? And the one thing that I think I bring to the table that hasn’t planned to meet and collaborate with all the stakeholders in the been highlighted before is my background, as a family court judge criminal justice system – judges, county sheriff, police chiefs, and the abuse and neglect. Most people don’t even realize, but we policy makers – to get everyone to buy into your new approach have a whole juvenile division. They’re in charge of representing the as county prosecutor. Have these meetings taken place? If so, Department of Health and Human Services, when they file petitions what has the reaction been from the various stakeholders? for neglect and abuse, either remove kids from home, put them in foster care, or terminate the parental rights, and they also prosecute MCDONALD: They’re thrilled and surprised to be a part of it. They juvenile delinquents. That’s the most important division in our want and are really excited to have a forum to talk to the prosecutor.

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entire building. That’s right. That’s the foundation. And when I tell all the other prosecutors, you know, that’s ‘Oh, that’s for the people who aren’t serious.’ And I’m like, No, no, no, no. And so I switched people around, and I put like, really major, major crimes prosecutors in the juvenile division in the district court division, because that’s what we should be doing. They get a taste of everything. And they understand.

I took a deep dive in this because I was a family court judge. Even one day in placement and foster care increases a child’s likelihood by seven times of homelessness, serious mental health, incarceration. So let’s, let’s go upstream. We typically prosecute those cases, and we know that they have a very high likelihood of ending up in the adult system. So let’s embrace the resources that are out there. There are so many wonderful models all over the country, about ways that you can target these crossover youths, and really lean in and see, okay, what do we need, we know here we are, these are the people who we are going to end up prosecuting someday. And it’s really not even that we’re going to prosecute them, but they’re going to commit crimes,. And those crimes usually have victims. So I do believe it’s my job to identify those individuals, and have my office figure out ways. And we don’t have to invent this because there are great models all over the country, about things that we know can be effective in reducing the likelihood that they’ll commit crimes, or be further victims of crime.

I think that is the single biggest difference about Karen McDonald versus Cooper, Gorcyka, Dick Thompson, all of them. They didn’t know much about the juvenile system. It was kind of a place where the prosecutors who didn’t really want to prosecute serious crimes, but it’s so important.

Bail reform is a huge issue for reformers, because bail for non-violent offenders is often a form of debtor’s prison. What are your thoughts and efforts on that, and why has that been an important change for this office to take on? How do you affect a change in the system when judges have the final say on bail?

MCDONALD: This is proving to be a much bigger challenge, because right now, we do not have prosecutors at district court arraignments, for the most part. So we are putting together a pilot program with three district court judges who really want to work with us and be flexible about allowing us to be at arraignments. And it’s not just that it’s not an opportunity to say, Judge, I think there’s a personal bond that is appropriate. It’s also a great opportunity at the very beginning of a case to say, Can we resolve this somehow? The persons represented there, let’s divert somebody into a first offender program.

To abolish cash bail, for a lot of people in the community, they don’t understand what that means. And what it means is somebody who is a danger to public safety, should be either heavily supervised, or incarcerated or detained pretrial. But the majority of these cases, that is not the case. And what happens is, there’s always a cash bail. And if you and I get pulled over for drunk driving or like, arrested for retail fraud, and you have the 500 bucks to post cash bail, and I don’t, you’re encouraged to stay in jail, for retail fraud until my trial, and then it could be six months. And so your pre-trial, they say, well, you lose your job. You lose your automobile, you lose your children and maybe your dwelling.

It shouldn’t be about your wealth. I’m no less dangerous if I have 50 grand than somebody who doesn’t. You shouldn’t be detaining somebody for retail fraud. That’s what we’re talking about. Right?

If somebody is a danger, they’re a danger no matter how much money they have.

Systemic racism in the criminal justice system has come front and center as an issue. Do we need to retain an outside firm or experts to attempt to quantify this issue in Oakland County, whether it is on the law enforcement end, charging by the prosecutor’s office, sentencing by judges and in the plea bargaining for the vast majority of cases that never go to trial? Or is it something that is generally recognized as being a problem here like it is elsewhere?

What can your office do to address this issue?

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To abolish cash bail, for a lot of people in the And that’s why these advisory community, they don't understand what that councils are really great. We had the first means. And what it means is somebody who is a racial justice one last night, and it was just danger to public safety, should be either heavily great, because there were a wide range of The state legislature, especially at the supervised, or incarcerated or detained pretrial.

But people from different communities. And end of the last session and continuing the majority of these cases, that is not the case. they all care about it. They bring different into this new session, has been And what happens is, there's always a cash bail. perspectives and skills, and an expertise. undertaking some aspects of criminal One of them is in charge of a re-entry justice, as a bipartisan effort, such as the program. One of them, on a national level, is talking about how we “Clean Slate Act,” whether for expunging records for low level can do more community policing. And it was, it was really great. And offenders, marijuana offenses and for many traffic offenses, and I think that is so important for me as serving as the prosecutor – you the “Good Moral Character Reform Package.” A bill has been have to listen, you have to make opportunities for people to listen. passed to expunge the records of former drunk drivers with nowI’m not going to agree with everybody. clean records. How does that affect some of the cases your office I love to say around here, like, ‘Look, we might not agree on has prosecuted in the past, versus ones you are recommending everything, but we’re not gonna break up just because I disagree.’ I your assistant prosecutors pursue now? And what other tools say all the time to the lawyers here: ‘You don’t, you don’t have to would you like legislators to provide you with to move forward? agree with me. It’s okay. But we’re not going to stop talking to each other. I’m not going to get angry.’ And that is really kind of going to MCDONALD: I’m in support of all of that legislation. We instruct our that culture thing, too – you’ve got to model it. You’ve got to show it prosecutors here to use discretion and outline some of the things that right. You can’t get pissed off at somebody and kick them out and yell they should care about. The effect of that conviction on that if they don’t say something you don’t like, and it doesn’t mean you individual, the community they come from, because these are all have to be a doormat and just agree. That’s what’s a healthy crimes and offenses we’re talking about where there are no victims, discussion, healthy environment, exchange ideas, and the thing that it’s nonviolent offenses. And ask ourselves, what’s the endgame?

I didn’t really contemplate. I want positive, healthy, mutual respect.

What are we trying to do here, and you must hold people But there are times when I have to say, ‘Okay, I’ll let you know what I accountable. But to hold somebody accountable in a way that’s really decide.’ Because you got to make sure that, as a woman, to going to turn their future opportunities, down a different path for a reestablish that. nonviolent crime.

That will follow you for the rest of your life...and it prevents you You were previously a judge in Oakland County Circuit Court, from doing a lot of things. And I just don’t think the public can and now you’re the lead prosecutor. How does having been a realize that. I don’t think they do. Because it’s not a problem that member of the bench inform your work now? just a certain group of people have. It doesn’t matter what community you’re from, you have kids who do have to sign that.

MCDONALD: When I became a judge, I had been in private Everybody is affected by that, you know, just think how times have practice, not just a prosecutor, I was a shareholder. I worked up to be changed so that people care about this stuff. Prosecutors – we care come partner at Jaffe, the Jaffe Law Firm. I’m very familiar with about it. what civil litigation and family litigation, so I brought that experience You know, for decades, it was like – ‘That’s not my problem.’ My to the bench. I remember saying a lot of times, ‘Look, if you’ve got a job is to prosecute. I don’t need to care about what happens to the client in the hallway, you’ve got to talk,’ just that perspective of person. And I just think the public wants...more. We have to be good seeing things from another side. So when we talk about judges here stewards of the taxpayers money, too. The diverting of these kinds of and issues that we might have, or policies that we have, I really do cases helps us with our resources as well. try to look at it from the judges’ perspective. Many of them are my close friends and colleagues. And I think, I’m a little...more forgiving.

On a national level, Congress is looking at legislation to reform Because people love to complain about judges. And understand that police practices, and among the recommended changes is the their job is not easy. You’re often called upon to make a lot of elimination of “qualified immunity” for law enforcement. Where decisions in a short period of time with very little information. And do you stand on that issue? Are there other areas of law the stakes are really high. So when I hear APs (assistant prosecutors) enforcement that need to be reformed? come back and say, ‘Well, she didn’t say that, and she wouldn’t do this.’ and I just say, well, just give it time, this is...gonna take some MCDONALD: I’d like to see more attention paid to improving time, especially for now that we’re in this Zoom world. It’s hard to relationships with the police and focusing on how we can strengthen navigate. that trust than how we can eliminate them. Look, it’s not a great MCDONALD: I can only speak for myself, I think there is a reluctance in the community to acknowledge that this occurs. And I think that’s fair, because we haven’t provided the data. And you’ve got to provide the data.

We are partnering with University of Michigan, who are experts in this to provide them our data, and it’s very difficult to aggregate it and analyze it because our system here is very antiquated. But we are partnering so that they will analyze the data, and then we can show it.

The last administration did have issues with law enforcement. But a different kind.

There were more like personality issues. I don’t do ideology. I’m not gonna do whatever you want me to do. It’s not my job.

I have to look at a case and figure it out.

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MCDONALD: I think there’s a lot of concrete things I’ve done, two units, I created an equity team. The partnership with Fair Michigan, the giving prosecutors discretion, getting rid of these hardline policies about...no deals, no charge amendments.

But the thing that I don’t really talk about much because it’s not as easy to communicate is...how proud I am of the work we’ve done here on culture change, and having difficult discussions that we’ve never had before. Really caring about the people that come into work every day. And honoring them and treating them with respect, and getting to know them.

And I have received so much positive feedback from that.

I set up a Zoom with somebody, a younger prosecutor – she was on maternity leave – and I just wanted to say, okay, so how’s it going? It’s fine. It’s fine. And I said, Well, okay, I want to really talk about your return and what’s your assignment and are there things you’re concerned about?

No, I’m very excited. I’m very excited to come back and I finally said, Okay, listen, stop. Really, I really just want to talk to you not as your boss but like as a mom who had to leave her baby and go to work. Please just be honest with me. What are you worried about? And then she said, ‘Well, I have to pump at my district court, and I don’t know where I’m going to do it, and I was, I got you. How about I call the chief judge and tell him and ask him if he could put a room aside for you to do that, would that make you feel more comfortable? So she sent me an email after her first day of work. She said, I want you to know, I had a great day, and that is because of you. It wasn’t so scary. Andyou made it easier for me, and I can’t thank you enough.

And I get that feedback all the time, people emailing me saying, you know, thank you so much for telling me I did a good job. I’m changing things up. The things I’m doing, you would not think are that unreasonable, or crazy. But here, calling one of them up and saying, hey, in our interview, over Zoom, you mentioned you were interested in restorative justice, would you like to go to this training and then come talk to me about it? They’re not in leadership. They’re so excited. They want to learn. And...we have some really bright motivated people in this office.

And I want to hear what they have to say.

You know what else? I just want to be the boss I never had.

And I think I love that part about my job. It’s very fulfilling. I can make change. I’ve worked really hard to get buy-in about what I’m doing here.

Forget the labels, I don’t care what you want to call it. You can call it smart, or liberal or progressive, whatever you want.

If they hear from me in an authentic way, (they know) why I’m doing what I’m doing. And what if it were your son? If that was your son – I make them consider a lot of different things. That doesn’t mean that I am in any way soft about things. I mean, there are cases where I say throw the book.

And the response has really been overwhelming. I hear from the defense bar all the time, wow these prosecutors are always happy, and they’re reasonable. And the judges say, oh, there’s some plea bargaining going on there.

But you really have take the time to understand what that means. That means that the warrants divisions, the charging division, who charges the crime, who only reads a police report, and makes a decision –they’re king.

And by the way, those lawyers aren’t even in court. It makes no sense.

Why should that one lawyer be king? That might not have been the best charge. So we should give discretion and power to lawyers that are good and passionate, and are going to critically think about it, with the absolute first goal of public safety is first.

That’s the part I think, the 100 days, there’s a long list. In fact, when we put it together, I was like, I’ve Scan for audio of Karen McDonald kind of done a lot of stuff. We have a lot of stuff we still interview. want to do.

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FACES Mat Ishbia hat Birmingham Little League coach? He may just be Michigan’s newest billionaire. Mat Ishbia, president and CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage, can be found coaching his three children’s basketball, flag football and baseball teams when he’s not running the wholesale mortgage lending company founded by his father in 1986.

Ishbia, who grew up in Birmingham and graduated from Seaholm High School, was a walk-on for Michigan State University’s basketball team, where he says he “had to be the hardest working player to be the worst player on the team.”

As gratitude for that opportunity, In February, Ishbia made a $32 million donation to MSU's athletic department, with a condition that the new football building and the court at the Breslin Center be named after his former coach, Tom Izzo.

Upon graduation, he stayed on as an assistant coach, a lifestyle that he quickly realized would not afford him the time to spend with family. “I realized if I wanted to be in coaching, it was a major personal and family commitment. My dad was always my coach growing up, which I really respected. As a coach in basketball, you have to take care of your team before your family.”

He gave himself a year to see if he liked the business world as much as basketball. “I fell in love with it. I could apply my competitive juices in the same way in business as I could in basketball.”

The business he fell in love with is not the same as the company he runs today. Ishbia always knew of his father, Jeff, as an attorney, but he had a few side businesses, of which UWM was one. Ishbia became the company’s 12th employee, knowing nothing about mortgages and learning the business from the ground up. By the time the company went public in January 2021, they had nearly 9,000 employees.

For the past year, the majority of those employees have worked remotely. Ishbia, however, still goes into the office daily at 4 a.m. – he calls the hours between four and eight his “quiet time.” And he can’t wait for UWM’s Pontiac campus, which sits just on the edge of Bloomfield Township, where he lives, to be filled again.

“My happiness and joy is when people are working together as a team,” he said.

The Pontiac office space, which opened in 2018, is intentional. His mother was a teacher in the city he describes as “up and coming,” and they have almost 200 acres on their “sprawling campus,” which includes amenities like basketball and volleyball courts, a Starbucks, and other opportunities for socialization beyond work.

“We’re proud to be a part of Pontiac and make an impact on the community. It’s a great place to grow our business.” To that end, the company has recently partnered with the Oakland County Health Division to utilize the UWM Sports Complex as a COVID-19 vaccination site.

While from a business perspective, 2021 has been off to a great start, Ishbia’s priority is his employees. “The big thing is to bring all of our people back when the pandemic is under control.

Working together as a team, as a family, having that camaraderie.”

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Story: Hillary Brody Anchill

Photo: United Wholesale Mortgage

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MUNICIPAL Properties amended for RH development

By Kevin Elliott

The Birmingham City Commission on Monday, May 10, unanimously approved a series of property line amendments along S. Old Woodward between E. Brown and Daines streets, making way for the future site of a four-story Restoration Hardware.

Birmingham Planning Director Jana Ecker said Restoration Hardware, or RH, proposed a series of parcel combinations and lot splits to combine the current three parcels of property, then split them in a way that would result in two parcels, which would be the building site of the new building.

Plans for the site call for a 49,624square-foot building with three stories of galleries, as well as a fourth floor restaurant that would double as a gallery for indoor/outdoor furnishings. Representatives for RH estimate more than $25 million would be invested in the project and generate about 130 new jobs.

Designed by Birmingham architect Victor Saroki, the plans call for reconstructing more than an acre of property along Old Woodward, including razing the existing Capital Title/Lutz building, Frank’s Shoe Service/Roche Bobois building, and the Coldwell Banker Weir Manual parking lot.

The Birmingham Planning Board in April recommended approval of RH’s preliminary site plans and a rezoning request from RH that would permit a restaurant to be used on the fourth floor of the building.

Restoration Hardware is also seeking a rezoning of the property.

Currently D3 zoning allows for a maximum hight of three floors; however, a planned restaurant for the fourth floor would require either a rezoning to D4 or a zoning variance.

City commissioner Clinton Baller asked what would happen to the property if the lot amendments were approved, but the plans to build the proposed project fell through.

“If the lot splits go through and the combinations go through tonight and the proposal for RH doesn’t happen, there will still be two rectangular parcels that are far more conducive to a future development,” Ecker said. “I think it would help the marketability of the property if it were to be sold to somebody else. That doesn’t mean RH has to go there, but it certainly would make it easier to sell the property and would certainly downtownpublications.com

BSD hires new executive director

By Lisa Brody

ean Kammer, manager of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) for the city of Royal Oak, has been appointed the new executive director of the Birmingham Shopping District (BSD), after a search prompted by the resignation in early December of former director Ingrid Tighe, who accepted a job as economic development director for Oakland County.

Forty-three candidates submitted applications for the position, with the BSD board determining finalists.

“It's such a tremendous compliment to be offered this position,” Kammer said. “They (BSD board) were really careful and thorough throughout the interview process.”

He began working with the city of Birmingham on Monday, May 17.

Kammer has been the downtown manager for the Royal Oak DDA for the last four years. Prior to that, he was assistant city administrator for Lathrup Village, as well as executive director for their DDA. The Royal Oak DDA recently was one of just six cities nationally to be awarded the “Main Street Forward” award and received $1,000 for their “Rebound Royal Oak” Small Business Assistance Program. The two-part program helped both sellers and buyers.

“Royal Oak was the only city in Michigan to win this award. It was the efforts done by the DDA to help small businesses during the pandemic,” Kammer said.

The small business assistance grants ranged from $4,000 to $32,000.

Award amounts were based on square footage, rent, average monthly payroll hours and a longevity bonus for length of time the business was in the DDA. Every business that applied received a grant – a total of 92 businesses receiving $1.1 million.

The Birmingham BSD is funded through a special assessment on all commercial, non-residential property in areas of downtown and other business districts of Birmingham. The executive director works with merchants, business owners, retailers, landlords, and commercial real estate brokers.

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increase the value of the parcel to be combined.”

Specifically, the property amendments included a lot split/rearrangement for 300 S. Old Woodward, 294 E. Brown Street and 300-394 S. Old Woodward. The new lot boundaries were unanimously approved with two special conditions.

Those conditions included a requirement that all outstanding taxes and special assessments on 300 S. Old Woodward be paid in full, and that it must either be approved for rezoning to D4 in the downtown overlay district or the height of the building be reduced to 68 feet.

COVID reflected in decreases in crime

By Lisa Brody

The Bloomfield Township Police Department annual report for 2020 was presented to the board of trustees at their meeting on Monday, May 10, which reflected the year of the pandemic, with 23,778 calls for

service, about 10,000 calls less than in 2019, when there were 33,690 calls for service.

The department noted COVID-19 also impacted the number of traffic stops made, with a sharp decrease, as people stayed home, and “we do a lot of alarm calls – there weren't a lot of false alarms because everyone was home,” said chief Phil Langmeyer.

Criminal sexual conducts increased from five in 2019 to eight in 2020, but most other crimes decreased. There were 49 assaults, compared to 69 in 2019; 13 home invasions, while in 2019 there were 40. There were 98 larcenies, down from 130 in 2019, 50 retail frauds while there were 92 in 2019, and 43 larcenies from autos, versus 58 in 2019.

Frauds, including identity theft, remained about the same year-toyear, with 250 cases in 2020 and 257 cases in 2019. There was one robbery each year.

The department saw 50 drug violations in 2020, and only 35 in 2019, and 24 weapons violations

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versus 22 in 2019. There were seven incidents of embezzlement reported in 2020, compared to 12 in 2019.

What the department was involved with were a significant increase in health and safety violations.

“Never before have we had 200 calls for health and safety. There was a lot of confusion,” Langmeyer said.

In a contentious year for law enforcement, the department reported three incidents of use of force that were reported, “out of 23,778 calls. These are generated calls for service and do not include every day interaction with the public,” he said. “One was a Taser deployment; one was an incident where a firearm was pointed at a subject; and the last was a takedown that was utilized for subject control.”

With calls for service down, the department directed its attention to increased community involvement, from birthday and special occasion drive-bys, hospital solidarity laps, and a huge can drive for Special Olympics.

Engage, new online tool for residents Engage Birmingham, a new online engagement platform to encourage input from residents, launched this week at engage.bhamgov.org.

The goal of Engage Birmingham is to allow residents, community members and other stakeholders the opportunity to conveniently participate in the municipal decisionmaking process. The city plans to use the new platform to share information and plans, answer questions and gather feedback on many of its projects and initiatives.

Currently, the site provides important community facts, information on the 2040 Master Plan process and updates, and requests input on pickleball court locations.

“Collaboration with the community is an important piece of our decision-making process and we are proud to offer Engage Birmingham as another tool to engage the public,” said Melissa Fairbairn, assistant to the city manager.

The community is encouraged to visit engage.bhamgov.org to register and view engagement opportunities.

Once registered, visitors can participate in a survey regarding how they currently engage with the city of Birmingham.

“Community input is critical to ensure that we are making decisions 67

and using our resources to benefit everyone in the community. Engage Birmingham offers a convenient way for the community to share their voice,” said Lauren Wood, director of public services. “The public services department is excited for this new platform as a way to receive input on various parks bond related projects.”

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Bloomfield Hills safety path survey tabled

By Lisa Brody

A consideration to survey the residents of Bloomfield Hills as to their attitudes towards safety paths on high traffic roads was tabled at the commission meeting on Tuesday, May 11, as most commissioners felt the cost of a survey was not justified, and previous surveys reflected a desire to preserve the city as it is.

Mayor Sarah McClure opened the discussion by giving a brief history of safety paths in the city. She said that in 2007-2008, some city commissioners and residents advocated for safety paths, feeling that it would improve the desirability of the city. She said that at that time the city's engineers, Hubbell, Roth & Clark (HRC), designed for 14 miles of the city, including for Woodward, Cranbrook, Long Lake, Vaughn and Opdyke.

“Over 600 residents sent letters stating they did not want to change the character of the city, did not want the loss of tree canopy or the loss of the city's historic character,” McClure said. Nor, she said, did they want to bear the large cost, “millions of dollars, born by 1,200 households. Soon after, the planning committee voted 8-1 against it.”

In 2012, she said, the city did a citywide survey and included a question on safety paths. “Again, the results were pretty clear. Seventy percent were very or somewhat against, and again it died,” she said.

About a year ago, McClure said, some residents along Kensington Road to East Hills Middle School requested a safety path in that area.

The city commission recommended they do a special assessment district, and HRC prepared an estimate of $2 million. “The petition never convened,” McClure said.

She said that at the April 2021 meeting, “those residents, along with some other residents, requested a survey because they said the composition of the city has changed.

As in the past, the conversation got heated, and we decided to put the matter on the agenda.”

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City manager David Hendrickson said a citywide mailed survey would cost $19,000. It would not include engineering or construction costs. “It would just be the costs to develop questions, mail and mine the data,” he said.

“In my opinion, most residents have not changed their opinion,” McClure said. “We've worked very hard to maintain the character and the long-term financial stability of the city. Not every community has to be the same.”

“After the last meeting, I spoke to several residents who were against this,” said mayor pro tem Susan McCarthy. “The only way we're going to do the survey is it has to be professional. It has to show all sides.

We would have to include taxes – we only have an $11 million budget. We would have to state where we would place them. I think it's worth it to know how much it will cost and how much taxes will go up.”

“Personally, I support safety paths in select areas, providing some pedestrian access,” said commissioner Brad Baxter. “I do believe attitudes have shifted over time.”

“I have to be convinced as to why I would impose such a big change on the infrastructure from just a few comments from residents. I would not be in favor of a survey at this time,” said commissioner William Hosler.

Public comment showed a mix of opinion, from concerns over proposed costs, privacy, maintaining property values, and the potential of an increase in crime. It was also noted that with an almost 20 percent turnover of homes in the last five years, many to younger homeowners who appreciate fitness and access to green spaces.

“You need to be open to new residents and new ideas,” said one resident. “Lots of old residents will use safety paths.”

It was pointed out by a caller that Franklin Village, similar in demographics and topography, had just approved a vote on May 4 to amend their charter to extend safety paths along Franklin Road and Thirteen Mile.

McClure felt the residents who wanted the safety paths should first canvass their neighborhood for a SAD “to demonstrate some interest before we spend $19,000 for a survey on everyone.”

The residents explained they were interested in high traffic areas of the city, not just their neighborhood, but the proposal was tabled until residents pursue it further.

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442 S. OLD WOODWARD AVENUE | BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009

Birmingham parking issues to be addressed

By Kevin Elliott

he future funding and expansion of Birmingham’s public parking system is the focus of a soon-to-be scheduled workshop following a May 10 workshop where city commissioners were presented with a historical overview of city’s parking woes.

Some forty years after Ford opened its second Model T plant on Woodward in Highland Park, the Birmingham Off-Street Parking Committee was formed to find solutions to the city’s parking problem. At that time, it was forecasted that parking charges would be used to pay operating expenses and accumulate funds for erecting multi-level sites.

In 1954, the city created its first parking assessment district for the Merrill parking lot, said Birmingham City Attorney Mary Kucharek. It was thought that after the first lot was finished, new business enterprises should either incorporate adequate parking in their plans or be assessed fully for the benefit it provided to the city.

As the city and parking needs grew, various funding formulas were implemented, each with different structures in assessments to property owners and user fees. The current funding formula assesses building owners, determining assessments by factoring land size and building size equally, with several additional factors applied to each of those categories.

Birmingham City Manager Tom Markus said there hasn’t been a consistent funding application based on city policy, rather it varied from each commission.

“Should there have been some consistency? Yes. But, when dealing with property, you are negotiating,” he said. “We can’t just bill what we choose to bill them.”

How to address the funding formula is one of the questions commissioners hope to tackle. Additional issues brought up at the workshop include whether the Triangle District should be included in the city’s parking assessment district or have a separate district; should there be an assessment for major repairs of parking structures, and if so how would that formula be based; should property owners outside the district be allowed to buy in; and related issues.

“One key component is the idea that we can evaluate where we can be as fair as possible,” said commissioner Mark Nickita. “Going forward, we recognize these oddities over the years to find the best way to unify and clarify it so we can be fair to all the people who invest in our community in one way or another.”

Nickita said another issue is whether the parking system is including residential factors, as prescribed in the 2016 Master Plan.

“As (downtown) is evolving, we need to consider how residential factors in. This, I think, is a critical component of how we evaluate where we are at and where we are going,” Nickita said. “If we go back to our 2016 Plan when we had Andres Duany in town, to review what we had as a downtown plan, he specifically called out the issue of the goal of having more housing in the downtown core, which was a fundamental goal of our downtown plan going back to 1996. But, because of the parking circumstance and the requirement of on-site parking for any residential uses in the downtown, actually what it has done is created a circumstance that doesn’t align with the goals of populating the downtown with residents, and utilizing the downtown as a neighborhood, which has a reasonable amount of people living in the core.”

Commissioner Clinton Baller said he was disappointed with the lack of clarity from commissioners, boards and staff over the years on the parking system.

“It seems to me it would have been appropriate to raise these questions when we enacted the overlay zoning as a result of the 2016 Plan and decided to, you know, dramatically increase density downtown,” he said. “We enacted the Triangle District Master Plan, which depended on public parking. We didn’t discuss it then, and back in 2015 when (then-city engineer) Paul O’Meara starting raising alarm bells about demand for parking, we could have looked at it then.”

Commissioners ended the workshop agreeing to take up the questions at another workshop, yet to be scheduled.

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Mental health police co-response team

By Lisa Brody

Bloomfield Township trustees unanimously approved the adoption of a mental health co-response team inter-local agreement between the Bloomfield Township, Birmingham and Auburn Hills police departments and the Oakland County Community Health Network at their meeting on Monday, April 26.

Bloomfield Township Police Chief Phil Langmeyer said he was “very excited to be here to tell to you about this. For the last year we have been working on this initiative.”

He explained that four out of 10 people in the state of Michigan suffer from some kind of mental health issue, and between the three departments, about 10 percent of all calls are for someone needing mental health care. “Mental health care is a huge problem in the state of Michigan and the United States… We deal with about 3,000 calls a year for mental health or substance abuse issues.”

He said the situation they face in Bloomfield Township is that many calls they take may have a mental health component, and an increasing issue they see is seniors in the community without a support structure or suffering from dementia.

Other issues they are experiencing with a mental health component, Langmeyer said, are domestic violence/assault issues, suspicious persons, drug abuse and addiction, and calls involving juvenile behavior issues.

“It's difficult to track all the calls for service with a mental health component,” he said. “Between all three of the departments, we get about one call a day with mental health issues. But I don't think that's anywhere near accurate.”

Law enforcement is not really equipped, he noted, to handle mental health issues.

Surprisingly, Langmeyer said, they're handling the majority of the calls in the middle of the week – Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday – between 2 and 10 p.m. “The reality is we go back and help some residents over and over again,” he noted.

The mental health co-response program will partner with Oakland County Community Health Network with a dedicated full-time social worker embedded who is more familiar with resources to help

residents in the three communities.

The individual will be assigned exclusively to the three communities on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 10 p.m. when they are busiest, and provide followup.

Langmeyer said the program is to be funded through federal and local grants, including some which they have applied for through Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills) office, and expect to hear back on this fall, for funding in fiscal year 2022. Start up costs are $45,000 per agency, and then are anticipated to be $34,000 a year plus wages.

“At this point we're not asking for any budgeted money,” he said.

“How and when will this be evaluated?” treasurer Brian Kepes asked, and Langmeyer said it would be with Oakland County Community Health Network, which hopes to replicate it statewide.

“It clearly is timely, and we appreciate that you and your officers are stepping up,” Kepes said.

“The breadth of this program is so huge because it's not just internal,” noted supervisor Dani Walsh.

Grant for native trees to reduce runoff A grant of $7,500 from the Alliance of Rouge Communities through the U.S. Forest Service, to plant native trees for reduction of runoff in Rouge River communities, was unanimously approved by Bloomfield Township trustees at their meeting on Monday, May 10.

Olivia Olsztyn-Budry, township director of engineering and environmental services, said the township received funding for up to $150 per tree for 50 trees, totaling $7,500, through the Alliance of Rouge Communities to plant native trees within public right of ways and within public properties. She said the department determined where to plant based on replacement needs and areas that currently lack trees.

Olsztyn-Budry said the two recommended locations include Maple Road between Inkster and Franklin Roads, and the west side of Adams Road between Square Lake and Long Lake Roads.

“We have to provide a match in cash and staff time,” she said.” If approved, we'll prepare plans and bid documents.”

The projects would be bid out fall of 2021 or in spring 2022.

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Unimproved streets policy proceeds

By Kevin Elliott

Birmingham city commissioners on Monday, April 26, approved changes to the city’s unimproved streets policy in order to address roughly $118 million in roadwork.

Birmingham has more than 25 miles of unimproved roads, which are essentially gravel roads with coats of sealer applied on top. Unimproved roads have no curbs or gutters, and often are subject to water pooling and uneven surfaces. Improved roads are asphalt or concrete. Further, unimproved roads aren’t able to participate in leaf collection or street cleaning. About a third of the city’s streets are considered unimproved roads.

An ad-hoc unimproved streets committee took up the issue in 2018, with a full report issued by the committee in late 2020. Overall, the report found it would cost about $118 million to improve about 26 miles of road, including about $2.2 million in water main replacements and $1.2 million in sewer line replacements per mile of roadway to be improved, as well as about $2.3 million in street costs, for a total of $4.55 million per mile.

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

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

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

Birmingham consulting engineer Jim Surhigh recommended the city move forward with recommendations in the report. Specifically, he said a review of the ordinance and subsequent changes should be made to make the process of initiating street improvements more proactive. Second, he recommended the commission direct staff to begin a process of rating streets and making a priority list.

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Mare Mediterranean to open soon

By Lisa Brody

estaurateur Nino Cutraro, owner of Bella Piatti in downtown Birmingham, will open Mare Mediterranean in the former Cameron's location at 115 Willits Street, featuring freshly cooked fish from Greece and Sicily.

Cutraro, along with partner Jay Feldman of Feldman Automotive Group, are modeling Mare (pronounced Maa-ray) Mediterranean on Estiatorio Milos in New York City, Las Vegas, Miami, London and Montreal, with its signature kitchen and fish market serving fresh Mediterranean food, notably from Greece and Italy.

Cutraro, who will be running the restaurant, said the new restaurant will feature a big display of fish flown over from Greece and Sicily, where diners can select their fish as well as how they would like it cooked, along with other Greek specialties. He is hoping to open by August or September of this year.

“We want to make sure the pandemic is over before we open,” Cutraro said. At the beginning, he said, the restaurant will have about 120 seats. In addition, he said they have applied to the city of Birmingham for an outdoor platform to accommodate 40 seats on Willits Street for outdoor seating, “like at Bella's.” Bella Piatti has a large outdoor platform.

Cutraro said the former Cameron's location will be completely renovated, with a brighter look. He said they will be removing the dark wood as well as all non-structural columns near the kitchen and feature glass throughout leading to the kitchen. They will be adding new flooring, lighting, new fixtures and all new furnishings.

The bar will remain in place but will feature a new porcelain top.

A new lounge will be created in the front window area, offering couches, tables and other seating configurations.

The Cameron's Steakhouse location has been vacant since June 16, 2019, when the restaurant closed without advance notice to diners and staff.

Cameron's originally opened in the Willits Building shortly after it opened in 2001 along with companion restaurant Mitchell's Fish Market. The Mitchell's Fish Market space has been reimagined as three casual locations: Sidecar, Shift and Slice.

Bella Piatti is an Italian old world bar/eatery located at 167 Townsend Street, with a bistro license, which Cutraro has owned for nine years.

Cutraro said the location has its own liquor license that he is in the midst of acquiring. He said they will go before the Birmingham Planning Board to request a special land use permit on May 26, and if recommended for approval, will then proceed to the city commission for final approval.

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Finally, he said a master plan for unimproved streets should be completed, with final actions coming when that is complete.

Surhigh’s recommendations follow an April 12 city commission workshop on the issue, in which those recommendations and a fourth item related to planning for street improvement projects were discussed.

Commissioner Rackeline Hoff questioned whether residents would be presented with actual costs prior to initiating the process.

“I think the level of interest may vary depending on if you do an evaluation of water, sewer and pavement first, so that people know what they are dealing with,” she said.

“That’s a big question. What are the order of the steps?”

Surhigh said he envisions the process the same as Hoff, with a cost estimate of all needs presented prior to the petitioning process.

Commissioner Clinton Baller recommended including previously unimproved streets that have been improved into the plan, so that information could be worked into the maintenance schedule.

Commissioners unanimously approved the actions.

Museum offering porch pop up show With many locals still hunkering down during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Birmingham Museum, 556 W. Maple Road, has gotten creative to

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invite people to the museum in a safe and healthy way with an “inside-out” approach each Friday afternoon from May through September.

“We realized we could take advantage of our large porch to do a historic ‘show and tell,’ with objects from our collection. People can wander up to see them while safely learning a thing or two about Birmingham’s history,” said museum director Leslie Pielack. “We think pedestrians and passers-by will get a kick out of stopping by off the sidewalk for a few minutes to see what we’ve come up with. And it’s free – all you need is your curiosity and your mask!”

The Birmingham Museum will make it fun, safe, and easy to get close to some cool artifacts and chat with staff. Porch pop up exhibits will take place every Friday from 1p.m. – 4 p.m..

Pielak noted that with the pandemic continuing to put pressure on public institutions, “sometimes you just have to meet halfway. In this case, 'halfway' is the ample front porch of the historic Allen House.”

Each month will have a theme, with different artifacts and stories each Friday. May’s theme is “The Museum’s Changing Landscape.”

“The community is often surprised to learn that there are a couple hundred years of history right here on our grounds,” Pielack said. “The Allen House was built on the site of the first brick school in Birmingham, and we can show visitors how to spot the walls of the original school in its façade.”

The Allen House was built in 1926, and is a repository of many fascinating stories.

To add something special, a different member of the Birmingham Museum Board will be on hand every Friday in May to answer visitor questions about the museum and to talk about the planned landscape restoration.

“Our board is passionate about Birmingham’s history and our plans for restoring the grounds,” said board chair Tina Krizanic, who was at the porch pop up May 7. “We are excited to share the first phase of the project, which is due to start any day and will include improvements to the fencing, permanent museum signage, and the re-introduction of historically appropriate elm trees between the Allen and Hunter Houses.”

Krizanic said that when the Allens built their one-of-a-kind Dutch colonial house, the grounds were graced with mature elm trees.

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After being devastated by Dutch Elm disease during the last century, new disease-resistant varieties are now available that can once again bring the stately tree to the site where Birmingham’s first mayor and his family lived.

“The first phase of the project will be right where the public can best appreciate it,” said Krizanic. She added that a significant portion of the project was funded by an anonymous donation, and that future phases will offer other opportunities for the public to get involved. “This is a historic site, yes, but it is also a city-owned property that is held in the public trust. The museum grounds are for everyone to enjoy, whether that is in walking by and appreciating the beauty of the house, or in stopping to take in the natural setting next to the Rouge River trail.

We encourage everyone to visit.”

S&P reaffirms AAA rating for Birmingham The city of Birmingham was assigned a AAA rating by S&P

74

Global Ratings, which it has held since 2002.

S&P Global Ratings is an American credit rating agency and a division of S&P Global that publishes financial research and analysis on stocks, bonds, and commodities.

S&P is considered the largest of the Big Three credit-rating agencies, which also include Moody's Investors Service and Fitch Ratings. The city of Birmingham is one of only 14 municipalities in the state of Michigan to have a AAA rating, its highest.

S&P Global Ratings assigned the AAA rating to the $4.75 million 2021 unlimited tax general obligation parks and recreation bond series on Tuesday, April 27. They attributed the city's tax base, management, budgetary performance, budget flexibility and low debt ratios as factors to its ratings.

“What this rating means is that Birmingham is able to sell these bonds in the market at the lowest interest rates possible for this type of debt. This rating saves our taxpayers money by lowering the amount of

taxes needed to repay the debt,” said Birmingham Finance Director Mark Gerber.

Ownership transferred for Birmingham 8 Birmingham City Commissioners on Monday, May 10, formally approved site plans and special land use permits for the Birmingham 8 Theater, moving operations and the transfer of a liquor license forward following the transfer of ownership of the theater in February.

Paul Glantz, chairman of Emagine Entertainment, in February announced the purchase of the historic theater at 211. S. Old Woodward. It was last renovated in 2015, with updates to seating screens and the sound system, in addition to a liquor license.

The city commission’s actions on Monday, May 10, allow the theater to move forward with operations under the new ownership.

“We intend to operate the Birmingham 8 in a manner that will make the community proud, much in

DOWNTOWN

the way that Mr. (Ted) Fuller has operated the facility in that manner.

We would like, within the definition of theatrical presentations, to include sporting events and occasional live entertainment, but if that’s not contemplated tonight or requires further amendment, we would be happy to come back and seek that at another time,” Glantz said.

City commissioners unanimously approved the final site plan and special land use permit, as well as the transfer of the Class C liquor license and required license investigation to be conducted by the Birmingham Police Department.

“I want to thank you for believing in Birmingham, especially in this unprecedented time of the pandemic.

Especially in your business, the entertainment business went from almost 100 percent to zero. You are still facing challenges, yet you still invest in our city,” said Birmingham Mayor Pierre Boutros.

06.21

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Lavery's plan to expand delayed

By Kevin Elliott

Plans to expand the Fred Lavery Porsche dealership at 34459 Woodward in Birmingham’s Triangle District are at a standstill as city commissioners on Monday, April 26, sent the project to the city’s planning board.

Lavery approached the city commission last year about plans to expand the dealership by combining the existing property with a two-story commercial building at 907-911 Haynes Street. The plans call for demolishing the existing two-story building and creating a large surface parking lot.

City zoning requirements in the Triangle District require auto dealerships to obtain a special land use permit from the city, which Lavery had done in 2010 for the existing parcel. However, city staff said the proposed lot combination doesn’t meet the zoning requirements of the area. Further, the Haynes Street property is located where the city’s Triangle District plan calls for extending Worth Street to Bowers.

A public hearing scheduled for December of 2020 was postponed at Lavery’s request to discuss long-term development plans for the area. City staff has been in discussions with Lavery since January with no agreement finalized.

“After further communication with the applicant and input from the city commission, city staff continue to have issues with the applicant’s proposed agreement and the fact that the applicant has yet to obtain final site plan and SLUP (special land use permit) approval for expanding their auto sales and showroom use,” said Birmingham Planner Brooks Cowan. “For these reasons, staff does not recommend approval of the proposed lot combination or the LMDP property development agreement at this time.”

Rather, Cowan recommended the applicant first go to the planning board for site plan review and a permit request, then return to the city commission for the proposed lot combination.

“This process may require a community impact study and any necessary variances from the zoning board of appeals as well,” he said.

“Staff also recommends that the proposal for the Worth Street extension be reviewed in conjunction with the final site plan and SLUP review at the 76

Summer academic programming offered he Bloomfield Hills School district is offering a variety of summer programming for students in kindergarten through high school to provide continuous learning opportunities for kids of all ages, with four or eight-week options.

The summer programs, with both virtual and in-person options, are designed to extend the school year. The variety of programming choices are designed to meet all different student needs.

For students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade, the Summer Academy will include small group instruction, with a desired goal of building confidence and providing enriched social experiences.

The summer academy will focus on interacting with peers and teachers to build upon math and literacy skills.

The learning format will be in-person, with no charge for students, and is open to all Bloomfield Hills Schools students. In order to balance the need for a summer break, classes will be held for two and a half hours, three days a week, for four weeks. Students can continue with another four-week session for additional learning time.

Students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade also have the option to participate in Staying Sharp virtual learning with a focus on math and literacy. These live virtual sessions take place twice a week, for 30 minutes, for four weeks, and cost $75. There is no cost for students with free/reduced lunch status.

High school students have a variety of summer program options. The learning format is virtual, with in-person office hours for tutoring and support offered on the Bloomfield Hills High School campus. Summer programming for high school students offers three options: a student may retake a course in order to improve their grade; recover credits for a course that was not successfully passed during the school year; or earn credit for a required course in order to advance and accelerate their high school curriculum.

New this summer, students entering grades nine through 12 can earn half of an elective credit with a course called Bowers School Farm Summer Immersion. This course is a hand-on learning opportunity focusing on exploration of self and exploration of place.

With an emphasis on innovation, communication and social emotional learning, students will engage with the animals and outdoor community at Bowers School Farm. The class will be held in-person on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. until noon for eight weeks and begin on June 22.

The cost is $200.

Registration is required for all courses at: bloomfield.org.

T

planning board and city commission prior to lot combination approval. The Walgreens agreement in 2021 was done in conjunction with the final site plan and SLUP review process, therefore staff recommends that the same process and similar agreement conditions be applied for the subject applicant.”

Attorney Jason Canvasser, who represents Lavery, asked for an indication from the commission on whether or not they are interested in retaining the dealership, prior to spending time and money on a project that is destined to be rejected by the commission.

Commissioner Mark Nickita said it’s clear from the effort put forth by the city that it’s interested in keeping the dealership in the city, but that specific

processes are in place and must be followed.

“It’s evident we are interested in seeing our master plan move forward and the city manager has been meeting the applicant for many months,” Nickita said. “That said, there’s a process that we have to go through and have a certain way to get there. I think we have shown a good faith attempt on our end as much as possible. I think there is a process and we have to go through that. I don’t think there should be a question about that, in my mind.”

Commissioners unanimously approved postponing a decision until after the plan goes through the existing site plan review and special land use permit process by the city’s planning board.

DOWNTOWN

Public park at fire station moves ahead Plans to designate about a half acre of property at Birmingham’s Chesterfield Fire Station as a public park moved forward on Monday, April 26, as the city commission referred the matter to the city’s parks and recreation board for review.

Birmingham Director of Public Services Lauren Wood said there has been ongoing conversation from community members about designating part of the land as a park. While a proposal and petition were presented to the parks and recreation board in August of 2020, the board held off on any action until after the November 2020 election, when voters approved a $11.25 million bond proposal. However, the proposal for the fire station park wasn’t included in the bond.

The Chesterfield Fire Station, or fire station number 2, is at 1600 Maple Road, between Chesterfield and Fairfax. The total area of the property is 1.36 acres, with about .6 acres to be used for the park on the east side of the new fire station.

In addition to the designation, Wood said there is interest in having the park named after a member of the public. The city commission also directed the parks and recreation board to prescribe a naming policy.

Birmingham City Commissioner Rackeline Hoff said she has several concerns about the ramifications of having a park in the area. She said she would include them in an email to Wood.

Commissioner Mark Nickita said the city and the parks and recreation board will need to take a broad view on the park and see how it fits into the city’s established network of parks.

“Is it going to be more passive or active? What is its place fundamentally among the parks that we have,” he said. “That’s a fundamental question when you get into the elements and cost. If we add this park, it becomes part of a network of parks and we have to see how that fits into our system.”

As the park wasn’t included in the 2020 bond proposal, there have yet to be any funds budgeted for any park improvements at the site.

Commissioners voted unanimously to forward the matter to the parks and recreation board.

06.21

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THE COMMUNITY HOUSE Huel Perkins, iconic broadcast journalist and American news anchor, will once again assume the role of master of ceremonies. Live entertainment will be by renowned jazz saxophonist Jeff Ponders II.

SAVE THE NEW DATE THE 2021 BATES STREET SOCIETY DINNER Started in 2015, The Bates Street Society was created to help recognize donors who make significant charitable contributions to support the work and mission of The Community House. New members are acknowledged annually at The Bates Street Society Dinner, an extraordinary evening hosted by The Community House Association and Foundation Board of Directors.

This year The Community House Foundation will be inducting ten new members into the Bates Street Society. Members of The Bates Street Society include individuals, corporations, and foundations that have given extraordinary treasure, $25,000 or more cumulatively, and donors who make an irrevocable legacy gift of $25,000 or more to The Community House. Each year we gather to recognize, honor, and induct these extraordinary donors and volunteers in a public way at the Bates Street Society Dinner.

The Bates Street Society Dinner will also recognize TCH/TCHF’s annual Pillars of Vibrancy in Business, Education, Culture, Wellness and Philanthropy.

Seating is limited, tickets (reservations) on sale now.

Our gratitude and special thanks to founding sponsor, PNC Wealth Management and to Beaumont Health, TCF Bank, Oakland University, Metalbuilt, Chief Financial Credit Union, Cranbrook Educational Community, Deroy & Devereaux, Michael Willoughby & Associates, SlipNOT, and Hall & Hunter Realtors for their sponsorship of the 2021 Bates Street Society Dinner as well. Sponsorship and advertising opportunities are still available.

For more information, contact Christopher Smude, vice president, The Community House Foundation, at csmude@communityhousefoundation.org.

CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS Volunteers have been involved in the every-day life of The Community House for over 98 years. They give the “House” a face, a voice, helping hands, and a heart.

Even though our doors remain partially closed, much work continues behind the scenes. The Community House invites you to consider joining our esteemed volunteer team – and by doing so, you can be assured that your precious donation of time and talent will be greatly appreciated and will positively impact the lives of those we serve.

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

For more information about volunteering at The Community House, please visit our website at communityhouse.com to download a volunteer application or call Kathie Ninneman at 248.594.6403.

For reservations, sponsorships or more information about booking gathering and meeting space for spring and summer 2021 and beyond, please go to communityhouse.com or call 248.644.5832.

Impacted by COVID-19, the Bates Street Society Dinner has been moved to Saturday, September 11, 2021. To help lead this extraordinary gathering,

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

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PLACES TO EAT

Go To Our Website For

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

Birmingham/Bloomfield 220: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday- Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 220 E. Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.646.2220.

5th Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2262 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.481.9607.

Adachi: Asian. Lunch & Dinner daily.

Liquor. Reservations. 325 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham 48009.

248.540.5900.

Andiamo: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

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

248.865.9300.

Bangkok Thai Bistro: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 42805 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Township, 48304. 248.499.6867.

Beau's: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

No reservations. Liquor. 4108 W. Maple, Bloomfield Hills, 48301.

248.626.2630.

Bella Piatti: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 167 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.494.7110.

Beverly Hills Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Liquor. No reservations.

31471 Southfield Road, Beverly Hills, 48025. 248.642.2355.

Beyond Juice: Contemporary. Breakfast & Lunch daily; Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. 270 West Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.594.7078.

Big Rock Chophouse: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 245 South Eton Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.647.7774.

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

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

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

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

Birmingham Sushi Cafe: Japanese.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

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

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

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

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

248.645.6879.

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

248.258.6690.

Café ML: New American. Dinner, daily.

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

248.642.4000.

Casa Pernoi: Italian. Dinner, Tuesdaydowntownpublications.com

Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 310 E. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009.

248.940.0000.

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

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

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

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

248.540.7220.

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

248.792.9766.

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

248.642.1135.

Eddie Merlot's: Steak & seafood.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

37000 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.712.4095.

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

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

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

Embers Deli & Restaurant: Deli.

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

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

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

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

248.258.9400.

Greek Island Coney Restaurant: Greek.

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

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

248.712.4050.

Honey Tree Grille: Greek/American.

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

248.203.9111.

Hunter House Hamburgers: American.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kaku Sushi and Poke': Asian. Lunch & Dinner. Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations. No Liquor. 869 W. Long

SCAN FOR

OPEN Mon-Sat 9am-7pm Sunday 9am-4pm

DINE-IN/CARRY-OUT/CATERING

MENU Celebrate Father’s Day

DOWNTOWN

With Our Red Bag Specials Accepting Father’s Day Orders thru Thur., June 17

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY! Go to our Website for Dinner Entree Specials Every Night!

Closing Early Father’s Day at 3pm

$69.95

$79.95

Serves up to 6

Choice of 6 Bagels Cream Cheese Tomato & Onion Capers, Nova Lox Seasoned Fruit Bowl Jar of Cookies Steve’s Famous Valid June 19 & 20 Only Caramel Corn Free Jar Opener No Substitutions

Serves up to 6

Lean Corned Beef & Turkey American & Swiss Russian Dressing Rye Bread • Mixed Dills Coleslaw & Potatoe Salad Jar of Cookies Steve’s Famous Valid June 19 & 20 Only Caramel Corn Free Jar Opener No Substitutions

Red Bag Brunch with Dad

Red Bag Deli with Dad DT

DT

6646 Telegraph at Maple Bloomfield Plaza 248.932.0800 | stevesdeli.com

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

81

Lake Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.480.4785, and 126 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009.

248.885.8631.

Kerby’s Koney Island: American.

Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2160 N. Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304.

248.333.1166.

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

La Strada Italian Kitchen & Bar: Italian.

Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday.

Reservations. Liquor. 243 E. Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.480.0492.

Leo’s Coney Island: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 154 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.593.9707. Also 6527 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301.

248.646.8568.

Little Daddy’s Parthenon: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 39500 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304.

248.647.3400.

Luxe Bar & Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily; Late Night, 9 p.m.closing. No reservations. Liquor. 525 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.6051.

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

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

248.283.4200 Mandaloun Bistro: Lebanese. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, Daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 30100 Telegraph Rd., Suite 130, Bingham Farms, 48025. 248.723.7960.

Market North End: Mediterranean.

Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 474 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.712.4953.

MEX Mexican Bistro & Tequila Bar: Mexican. Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily. Liquor. 6675 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301.

248.723.0800.

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

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

Olga’s Kitchen: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2075 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.451.0500.

Original Pancake House: American.

Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 33703 South Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.642.5775.

Phoenicia: Middle Eastern. Lunch, Monday-Friday; Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 588 South Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.3122.

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

Qdoba: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Also 42967 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Township, 48304.

248.874.1876 Roadside B & G: American. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 1727 S. 82

Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.858.7270.

Salvatore Scallopini: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 505 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.644.8977.

Shift Cocktail Bar: Small plates. Dinner.

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

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

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

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

248.594.4200.

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

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

248.593.5300.

Stateside Deli & Restaurant Deli.

Breakfast, Lunch, Sunday-Monday.

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

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

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

248.932.0800.

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

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

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

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

248.258.9830.

Tallulah Wine Bar and Bistro: American. Dinner. Monday-Saturday.

Sunday brunch. Reservations. Liquor.

55 S. Bates Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.731.7066.

The Franklin Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 32760 Franklin Rd, Franklin, 48025. 248.865.6600.

The Gallery Restaurant: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & wine. 6683 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.851.0313.

The Moose Preserve Bar & Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2395 S. Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.858.7688.

The Morrie: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 260 N. Old Woodward, Birmingham 48009.

248.940.3260.

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

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

Toast: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily; Reservations. Liquor. 203 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.258.6278.

Tomatoes Apizza: Pizza. Lunch & Dinner daily. Carryout. 34200 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham 48009.

248.258.0500.

Touch of India: Indian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 297 E. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009.

248.593.7881.

Townhouse: American. Brunch, Saturday, Sunday. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 180 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.792.5241.

Whistle Stop Diner: American.

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

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

6608 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301. 248.949.9999.

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

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

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

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

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

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

248.584.3499.

Bigalora: Italian. Weekend Brunch.

Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily.

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

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

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

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

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

248.544.4749.

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

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

Due Venti: Italian. Sunday Brunch.

Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday.

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

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

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

248.691.7145.

Inyo Restaurant Lounge: Asian Fusion.

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

248.543.9500.

KouZina: Greek. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

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

Kruse & Muer on Woodward: American.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

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

Lily’s Seafood: Seafood. Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 410 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.591.5459.

Lockhart’s BBQ: Barbeque. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 202

DOWNTOWN

E. Third St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.584.4227.

Oak City Grille: American. Dinner, daily.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

248.544.1141.

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

248.607.3127.

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

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

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

248.398.0444.

Tom’s Oyster Bar: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

318 S. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.541.1186.

Trattoria Da Luigi: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor.

415 S, Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.542.4444.

Twisted Tavern: American. Dinner, daily.

No reservations. Liquor. 22901 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220.

248.545,6750.

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

27799 Woodward Ave., Berkley, 48072. 248.548.7711.

Troy/Rochester Capital Grille: Steak & Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 2800 West Big Beaver Rd., Somerset Collection, Troy, 48084. 248.649.5300.

Cafe Sushi: Pan-Asian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1933 W. Maple Rd, Troy, 48084.

248.280.1831.

CK Diggs: American & Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 2010 W. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48309.

248.853.6600.

O’Connor’s Irish Public House: Irish.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 324 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307. 248.608.2537.

Kona Grille: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 30 E. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 48083. 248.619.9060.

Kruse & Muer on Main: American.

Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

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

Loccino Italian Grill and Bar: Italian.

Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily.

Liquor. Reservations. 5600 Crooks 06.21

What We’ve We’ve What Been Been Missing Missing While visits and online meetings, While we’ve we’veall alladapted adaptedtotovirtual virtual visits and online meetings, there’s there. there’sjust justno nosubstitute substitutefor forbeing being there.

That’s why all of us at The Community House are so excited

That’s why all of us at The Community House are so excited

about our soft reopening. We take our responsibility to

about our soft reopening. We take our responsibility to

provide safe, comfortable gathering spaces seriously,

provide safe, comfortable gathering spaces seriously,

so some gathering limitations are in place during this time.

so some gathering limitations are in place during this time.

Please call for details.

Please call for details.

We’re honored to be the place our community continues We’re honored to be the place our community continues to come for family celebrations, business meetings, to come for family celebrations, business meetings, and everything in between. and everything in between.

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6R ZKHWKHU LW­V WKH EDOOURRP RU WKH ERDUGURRP \RX­OO ´QG the space you need to create lasting connections here. the space you need to create lasting connections here.

Reserve your space. Create your connection.

Reserve your space. Create your connection. events@communityhouse.com

events@communityhouse.com 248.644.5832 248.644.5832

Safe Spaces Award-Winning Culinary Team Safe Spaces Cultural and Education Programs

Award-Winning Culinary Team Cultural and Education Programs

Road, Troy, 48098. 248.813.0700.

The Meeting House: American.

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

248.759.4825.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

248.816.3424.

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

248.375.9200.

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

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

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

3303 Rochester Rd., Troy, 48085.

248.524.1944.

P.F. Chang’s China Bistro: Chinese.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

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

248.816.8000.

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

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

248.614.5390.

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

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

306 S. Main St., Rochester, 48307.

248.651.2266.

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

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

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

248.652.4500.

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

248.453.5291.

West Bloomfield/Southfield Bacco: Italian. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

Dinner, Monday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 29410 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, 48034. 248.356.6600.

Beans and Cornbread: Southern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

29508 Northwestern Highway, 84

Southfield, 48034. 248.208.1680.

Bigalora: Italian. Weekend Brunch.

Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily.

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

The Fiddler: Russian. Sunday Brunch.

Dinner, Thursday-Sunday.

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

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

6239 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322.

248.538.7081.

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

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

Nonna Maria’s: Italian. Dinner, daily.

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

248.851.2500.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

248. 538.8954.

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

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

248.855.6622.

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

West Oakland Gravity Bar & Grill: Mediterranean.

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

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

It's A Matter of Taste: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

2323 Union Lake Road, Commerce, 48390. 248.360.4150.

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

48992 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393.

248.960.7771.

North Oakland Clarkston Union: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

54 S. Main St., Clarkston, 48346.

248.620.6100.

Holly Hotel: American. Afternoon Tea, Monday – Saturday, Brunch, Sunday,

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 110 Battle Alley, Holly, 48442.

248.634.5208.

Kruse's Deer Lake Inn: Seafood. Lunch & dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

7504 Dixie Highway, Clarkston, 48346. 248.795.2077.

The Fed: American. Lunch and Dinner daily, Brunch, Saturday and Sunday.

Liquor. 15 S. Main Street, Clarkston, 48346. 248.297.5833 Via Bologna: Italian. Dinner daily. No reservations. Liquor. 7071 Dixie Highway, Clarkston. 48346.

248.620.8500.

Union Woodshop: BBQ. Dinner, Monday – Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday – Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 18 S. Main St., Clarkston, 48346.

248.625.5660

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

Liquor. 2684 E. Jefferson, Detroit, 48207. 313.965.3111.

Cliff Bell’s: American. Sunday Brunch.

Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 2030 Park Ave., Detroit, 48226. 313.961.2543.

Cuisine: French. Dinner, TuesdaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 670 Lothrop Rd., Detroit, 48202.

313.872.5110.

The Detroit Seafood Market: Seafood.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 1435 Randolph St., Detroit, 48226. 313.962.4180.

El Barzon: Mexican. Lunch, TuesdayFriday. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday.

Reservations. Liquor. 3710 Junction St., Detroit, 48210. 313.894.2070.

Fishbone’s Rhythm Kitchen Café: Cajun. Breakfast, daily. Sunday Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Saturday.

Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

400 Monroe Street, Detroit, 48226.

313.965.4600.

Giovanni’s Ristorante: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 330 S. Oakwood Blvd., Detroit, 48217.

313.841.0122.

Green Dot Stables: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

2200 W. Lafayette, Detroit, 48216.

313.962.5588.

Jefferson House: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 2 Washington Blvd., Detroit, 48226. 313.782.4318.

Joe Muer Seafood: Seafood. Lunch, Monday- Friday, Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 400 Renaissance Center, Detroit, 48243.

313.567.6837.

Johnny Noodle King: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 2601 W. Fort St., Detroit, 48216. 313.309.7946.

Mario’s: Italian. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 4222 2nd Ave., Detroit, 48201. 313.832.1616.

Midtown Shangri-la: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 4710 Cass Ave., Detroit, 48201. 313.974.7669.

Motor City Brewing Works: American.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Beer & Wine. 470 W. Canfield St., Detroit, 48201. 313.832.2700.

DOWNTOWN

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

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

Red Smoke Barbeque: Barbeque.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. Trappers Alley Shopping Center, 573 Monroe Ave., Detroit, 48226.

313.962.2100.

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

313.438.5055.

SheWolf Pastifico & Bar: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday through Sunday.

Reservations. Liquor. 438 Selden St, Detroit 48201. 313.315.3992.

Sinbad’s: Seafood. Sunday Brunch.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 100 St Clair St., Detroit, 48214. 313.822.8000.

Slows Bar BQ: Barbeque. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

2138 Michigan Ave, Detroit, 48216.

313.962.9828.

St. CeCe’s Pub: American. Sunday Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor.

1426 Bagley Ave., Detroit, 48216.

313.962.2121.

Tap at MGM Grand: American.

Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 1777 Third Street, Detroit, 48226.

313.465.1234.

Taqueria Nuestra Familia: Mexican.

Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 7620 Vernor Hwy., Detroit, 48209. 313.842.5668.

The Block: American. Sunday Brunch.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 3919 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201. 313.832.0892.

Tom’s Oyster Bar: Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 519 East Jefferson Ave., Detroit, 48226.

313.964.4010.

Traffic Jam & Snug: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

511 W. Canfield, Detroit, 48201.

313.831.9470.

24grille: American. Sunday Brunch.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit, 1114 Washington Blvd, Detroit, 48226. 313.964.3821.

Union Street: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

4145 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201.

313.831.3965.

Vince’s: Italian. Lunch, Tuesday-Friday.

Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 1341 Springwells St., Detroit, 48209. 313.842.4857.

Vivio’s Food & Spirits: American.

Saturday Breakfast. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2460 Market St., Detroit, 48207.

313.393.1711.

The Whitney: American. Breakfast, Lunch, & High Tea, Monday-Friday.

Sunday Brunch. Dinner, daily. Liquor.

Reservations. 4421 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48201. 313.832.5700.

Wright & Co.: American. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations.

Liquor. 1500 Woodward Ave Second Floor, Detroit, 48226. 313.962.7711.

06.21

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ENDNOTE

Let Triangle District pay for parking costs usiness owners and owners of buildings in downtown Birmingham should be on alert – now – for possible attempts by some in city government who would like to figure out a way to assess existing businesses in the established downtown area for a parking structure in the Triangle District, plus possibly raid the existing parking structure fund to help finance an effort across Woodward.

For the benefit of those not completely familiar, the city of Birmingham has been working to spur residential, retail and office development for the area of the city bound by Woodward, East Maple, and Adams Road. To that end the city in 2009 created a sevenmember Birmingham Triangle Improvement Authority to address issues, among them parking structures, for the area.

An urban design plan for the Triangle District was developed and as part of that it was proposed that two parking structures be developed, rather than relying on surface parking lots as business and residential development took place. The urban design plan estimated that when the Triangle District is completely built-out, there will be a need for 4,000-4,500 spaces to handle the retail, office and residential parking demand. Potential sites for the parking structures were even identified.

The urban design plan for the Triangle District suggested that a special assessment

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district be created to fund construction of the parking decks.

The city of Birmingham made an unsuccessful attempt to get Oakland County's approval to create a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) zone to generate funds for the structures.

A TIF zone would allow a municipality to capture taxes – be it school district, intermediate school district, community college, city, county and other special taxes, like the Detroit Zoo, for example, a financing tactic used since 1952 in all states with the exception of Arizona. But the city's attempt at a TIF ran into changing philosophy of Oakland County officials who were starting to shy away from diverting taxes in this manner.

So not much progress has been made since then, as evidenced by the fact that the Birmingham Triangle Improvement Authority has not even met since January of 2017.

Of late we are hearing more talk of creating an assessment – but not just on business property in the Triangle District. Although nothing official has surfaced just yet, we get the sense that some factions would like to assess the larger tax base of the downtown Birmingham business area to build parking decks on the other side of Woodward.

Put bluntly, existing businesses in the immediate downtown area of Birmingham have already paid their fair share with the

assessments levied against building owners in past decades. Those assessments, coupled with revenue bonds, paid off with parking deck user revenues, were part of a proactive plan to allow the downtown to remain strong as strip shopping centers and retail malls, like Somerset, started to appear on the scene decades ago.

If the Triangle District development plan requires parking structures to succeed, then the building owners in that area should pay an assessment. Assessing building owners in the immediate downtown area for a project of questionable value to them makes no sense.

We have the same concern about conversation that is taking place in some quarters about possibly tapping the restricted parking fund from the existing structures in the downtown area – estimated to be around $18 million at this point in time. It's money derived from parking fees and is part of a restricted fund dedicated for future parking deck repairs, which some estimates put at $12 million.

In essence, the reserves built up in the parking fund should remain dedicated to the future costs of the existing parking structures and system. Any attempt to siphon those monies off for the Triangle District is nothing short of an ill-advised cash grab.

Connectivity for Bloomfield Hills residents loomfield Hills prizes itself on its large stately estates, rolling, tree-lined streets and the privacy it affords its residents.

The quiet and safety the town assures those who live within its one square mile, many of whom are some of the most wealthy in the state, much less the country. The goal is to live there, and use the resources of other local municipalities, such as Birmingham's downtown and the strip centers in Bloomfield Township. The Bloomfield Hills City Commission is determined to keep it that way, despite a group of newer residents requesting a survey of residents' attitudes towards adding safety paths in the city on high traffic roadways to connect them to those communities, and for running and walking.

At its last city commission meeting, the commission, led by the forceful guidance of mayor Sarah McClure, long an opponent of safety paths, or sidewalks in layman's parlance, the discussion of a residents survey was ultimately shut down, or indefinitely tabled. The overriding logic – the vocal residents had not gone door-to-door in their neighborhood to solicit opinions about whether neighbors would

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be willing to support a special assessment district – where they as a neighborhood would be assessed to have a safety path put in their community and have to pay for it themselves.

The residents expressed over and over again they were not looking to have it only in their neighborhood – or even in their neighborhood – but along high traffic areas of Woodward, Long Lake, Cranbrook, Opdyke and Vaughn roads, but the commission generally shut them down, the two groups having two separate conversations.

It's not the first time a group of residents has had the revolutionary idea of connecting the enclave to the outside world. In 2007, the thencity commission and some residents advocated for safety paths, feeling that it would improve the desirability of the city. But a large number of residents sent letters stating they didn't want the character of the city changed, and coupled with the high cost of adding approximately 14 miles of paths, the idea died.

In 2014, a question on safety paths was added to the citywide survey, and again, a majority voiced an opinion against. With a ballot for city commission this fall, perhaps it is

time to place an advisory question before voters to get an updated and more accurate picture of community sentiment, Without question, taxes would go up if safety paths were added to the city. Bloomfield Township has a dedicated millage to pay for its safety paths, a very successful project which has been repeatedly renewed. But other concerns, including ones about “intruders” or “outsiders,” and an increase in crime, are unjustified.

It's hard to rationalize the isolation to the community when driving down Woodward and almost daily seeing individuals trudging along the grassy sides of the road where a hypothetical safety path could be. Downtown has received requests from residents for years who would like to bicycle into Birmingham along paths, or people who enjoy walking and fitness.

Bloomfield Hills' beautiful surroundings are unquestioned. Safety paths would not disturb them – nor the tranquility the city enjoys. But the 21st century beckons. Quarantine is over.

Connect and flourish even more.

LOOKING FOR A

REAL ESTATE AGENT?

2756 TURTLE BLUFF DRIVE BLOOMFIELD HILLS

L U X U R Y R E A L E S T AT E .

REDEFINED.

248.289.0660 tushar@tvahomes.com www.tusharvakhariya.com

Magnificent ITALIAN VILLA Masterpiece

2 1 0 S O l d Wo o d w a r d S u i t e 2 0 0 Birmingham MI 48009

Situated on a bluff overlooking Turtle Lake

6755 Telegraph Road Bloomfield Hills MI 48301

$10,550,000