Downtown Birmingham/Bloomfield

GERAK: SOCIAL SCENE • J. MARCH: BILL'S IN BLOOMFIELD HILLS

OAKLAND SHERIFF

BOUCHARD MILITARIZATION CONCERNS, CHANGING ROLE OF LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ONLINE EDUCATION: PREPARING STUDENTS FOR NOW, FUTURE HOUSE PARTIES: BRINGING THE PROBLEM UNDER CONTROL ENDNOTE: OUR CHOICES FOR NOVEMBER ELECTION

4th Generation Realtor A leading Producer Nationally

Exquisite lakefront living, this 10,000+ Sq. Ft. residence invites you to delight in both formal & informal spaces. An impressive residence impeccably designed for entertaining & enjoyment of Upper Straits lake.

Custom home feat. 13,000 Sq. Ft. including: master w/his & her baths, closets & dressing areas. All bedroom suites. Featuring in-law living quarters, exercise room w/steam shower & sauna. Formal outdoor courtyard.

$5,300,000

$3,990,000

City of Bloomfield residence uniquely designed with influences from 1800’s Van Brouck Old English Tudor architecture. A clean, subtle & spacious combination of both the classical & digital worlds.

Upon entry via stone & iron bridge, you are lead to a majestic Italianate villa presiding over 1.5 acres of rolling lawns & natural pond. the 13,000 Sq. Ft. residence emerges as a custom treasure.

$3,699,000

$3,399,000

Transformed Tudor w/ 9,000+ Sq. Ft. of romantic yet dignified details.

Exterior features gated patio, pool area & guesthouse creating the ideal setting for elegant entertaining in the heart of Bloomfield Hills.

Elegant Downtown Birmingham home features 8,000+ Sq. Ft. of huge rooms w/ high ceilings, separate private apartment & rare 4 car garage complete this impeccable residence.

$2,675,000

$2,350,000

KATHYBROOCK.COM

Michigan’s #1 Realtor 2010 2012 2013 The perfect condo alternative on one of Birmingham's signature streets. Custom built by Ken Kojaian & customized by the industry's best, a shingle style home of exceptional quality with transitional interior design.

Wabeek contemporary estate infuses nature w/ minimalistic architecture & premium quality creating an oasis-like serenity. An open floor plan features stunning floor to ceiling windows that allow breathtaking views of Wabeek Lake.

Serene & tranquil lakefront residence features manicured landscape, waterfall, outdoor spa & pool echoing the waterfront. Professionally designed space by DesRosiers Architects & quality throughout.

$1,995,000

$1,795,000

$1,539,000

A Bloomfield Village gem! The perfect blend of aesthetics & organization this colonial offers 5 bedrooms, wood & stone mudroom, recently finished daylight lower level.

Sophisticated Birmingham colonial designed with a soft contemporary flair including floor to ceiling windows, Euro granite kitchen & lavish master suite.

$1,495,000

$1,195,000

Old world Tudor with modern day conveniences steps from Downtown Birmingham. This classic residence embraces fine millwork, a grand staircase & wrought iron details.

$1,145,000

K A T H Y BROOCK BALLARD

Perched on over 3 plus acres of sprawling lawns, sit this classic 1920's estate home. The ideal opportunity to renovate or build your dream home in the Village of Franklin.

$1,095,000

248.318.4504 KATHY@MAXBROOCKHOMES.COM

kathybroock.com 4th Generation Realtor

Exclusive lot offering in the city of Bloomfield Hills.

Surrounded by distinguished estates embracing sweeping lawns & exquisite mature trees, it enjoys a multitude of development options.

Picturesque home offers an inviting welcome with lovely landscaping and charming curb appeal. A quarter acre of property with large backyard. A rare find in Birmingham!

$549,000

$995,000

Sprawling Bloomfield home on park-like setting of 1.5 acres. finished lower level and private library. Charming home in a scenic neighborhood w/ mature trees.

$524,900

Centrally located Rochester Hills home on quiet corner lot.

Large family room, kitchen w/ plenty of counter space & eat in area with door wall leading to sparkling heated pool.

275 S. Old Woodward Ave. Birmingham, MI 48009

$224,000

OvER 65 MILLIOn SOLD In 2013

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We are celebrating our

25th Anniversary in Birmingham... and celebrating for the entire month of October!

Please Join Us Saturday, October 18 Enjoy food, raffles and giveaways.

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250 W. Maple, Birmingham 248-646-5550

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Always first 2Eve Hours FREE • SANTA HOUSE Weekends November 26 thru December 21, plus Christmas • Shain Parkin the parking decks!

Holiday Events • SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY Saturday, November 29 • TREE LIGHTING Wednesday, November 26, 6 p.m. • Shain Park in • CARRIAGE RIDES Weekends November 26 thru December Shain 20 •Park Shain Park • WINTERbirmingham MARKT December 5-7 • Shain Park

The Home Collection Pictured styles priced from $300

430 North Old Woodward Birmingham, Michigan 48009 248-642-2650 www.greenstonesjewelers.com

! s U n Joi 5th Annual

Open House & FLOORcast Saturday, October 18th 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Join us as we celebrate fall and the newest offerings for your floors – our FLOORcast of the season!

Enter Special On-Site Drawing!

Shop our Semi-Annual Sale for the best selection & savings.

Floor Fashions for Your Well-Dressed Home

850 S. Old Woodward • 248-646-RUGS (7847)

www.EnjoyBirmingham.com downtownpublications.com

DOWNTOWN

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• SANTA HOUSE Weekends November 26 thru December 21, plus Christmas Eve • Shain Park • SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY Saturday, November 29 • WINTER MARKT December 5-7 • Shain Park

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SID DICKENS MEMORY BLOCKS 2014 HOLIDAY COLLECTION

SHOP & LEARN! bec & sam's in downtown Birmingham just got a little wilder!

October 18 from 1-4 pm This fashionable children's store will host live bats from the Organization for Bat Conservation's Bat Zone.

146 W. Maple Road Birmingham, MI 48009

248.593.8650

info@becandsams.com Monday - Friday 10 am - 5 pm Saturday 11 am - 5 pm Sunday 12 pm - 4pm

Stop by and learn about bats from Michigan and around the world. You'll have a chance to see the bats live and up close in this free, family-friendly presentation.

123 W. Maple Road Birmingham

248-647-4007 artloftonline.com

EnjoyBirminghamNOW downtownpublications.com

DOWNTOWN

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DOWNTOWN10.14

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49 63 Sheriff Bouchard interview Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard talks about militarization of local police departments and the changing demands on law enforcement.

CRIME LOCATOR

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BOUCHARD

William Irving Singer

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ONLINE EDUCATION: PREPARING STUDENTS FOR NOW, FUTURE HOUSE PARTIES: BRINGING THE PROBLEM UNDER CONTROL ENDNOTE: OUR CHOICES FOR NOVEMBER ELECTION

Kelly Schaefer Janssen

THE COVER

Palladium Theaters close; Triple Nickel approvals; Baldwin Library discussion; Quarton construction postponed.

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DOWNTOWN • WESTEND • THE GUIDE 124 WEST MAPLE ROAD BIRMINGHAM MI 48009 P: 248.792.6464 downtownpublications.com facebook.com/downtownpublications • twitter.com/downtownpubs

­Publisher:­David Hohendorf Ad­Manager:­Jill Cesarz Ad­Sales:­Heather Marquis Graphics:­G. Lynn Barnett News­Editor:­Lisa Brody

News­Staff/Contributors:­Allison Batdorff, Rachel Bechard, Hillary Brody, Kevin Elliott, Sally Gerak, Austen Hohendorf, Garrett Hohendorf, Jean Lannen, J. Marsh, Kathleen Meisner, Laurie Tennent

DOWNTOWN

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

ENDNOTE

Stonycroft Hills Club in Bloomfield Hills, first developed in 1929 as a public golf course which was made private in 1958. Downtown photo: G. Lynn Barnett.

P

The Roberts Restaurant Group appears to have another hit on its hands with the opening of Bill's on Woodward in Bloomfield Hills.

SOCIAL LIGHTS

MILITARIZATION CONCERNS, CHANGING ROLE OF LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT

MUNICIPAL

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OAKLAND SHERIFF

Duffy Wineman

For those not residing in the free mail distribution area, paid subscriptions are available for a $12 annual fee.

Phone 248.792.6464 and request the Distribution department or go to our website (downtownpublications.com) and click on “subscriptions” in the top index and place your order on-line or scan the QR Code here.

Birmingham Bloomfield Center for Assessment; West Elm; Drought; Fleurdetroit; The Barre Code; Main Street Building Group.

AT THE TABLE

Victoria Laurie

DISTRIBUTION: Mailed monthly at no charge to homes in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills. Additional free copies are distributed at high foot-traffic locations.

Local communities have adopted ordinances to bring under control the house parties involving underage drinking.

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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.

Rick and Nicole VanHouse II

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House party laws

Local schools are offering more online course choices for students to prepare them for future education and careers.

BUSINESS MATTERS

GERAK: SOCIAL SCENE • J. MARCH: BILL'S IN BLOOMFIELD HILLS

FACES

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Online education

Our recommendations for voters on the candidates and issue appearing on the November general election ballot.

INCOMING: We welcome feedback on both our publication and general issues of concern in the Birmingham/Bloomfield community. The traditional Letters to the Editor in Downtown are published in our Incoming section, and can include traditional letters or electronic communication. Your opinions can be sent via e-mail to news@downtownpublications.com; or mailed to Downtown Publications, 124 West Maple Road, Birmingham MI, 48009.

Letters must include your full name, address and daytime phone number for verification.

10.14

A Touch of Lace 4036 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48302 (Located at the Southwest Corner of Long Lake Road & Telegraph Road)

Phone: 248-645-5223 | Fax: 248-645-5227 | Email: atouchoflace@aol.com | www.atouchoflace.com Monday - Friday 10:00am to 5:00pm - Evenings and Weekends available upon request

Surround yourSelf in Sferra

FROM THE PUBLISHER

he skirmish in the city of Grosse Pointe Park this past summer over whether to allow the Detroit Metro Times to continue distribution in the Grosse Pointe area and in particular the city library system is something that I have followed with interest.

The alternative newspaper came under attack from a supposed ad hoc group of undetermined size, led by Andrea LaVigne, who started a push against the Metro Times in the late spring. Her contention is that the sex hook-up ads in the back of the publication amounted to “selling human bodies.”

Because LaVigne claimed that the sex ads involved human trafficking, it was not a question of “freedom of speech, it’s a violation of human rights”.

Although the city attorney was asked to review the legality of banning Metro Times from distributing in the city, the board for the library system, which serves the five Grosse Pointes, voted unanimously during the summer to allow Metro Times to still be distributed at the library, although it is now placed behind a counter out of sight and is restricted to only those 18 years of age and older who actually request a copy.

Understand that Metro Times is a free publication, a reported 60,000 copies of which are distributed at high foot traffic locations throughout the metro Detroit area. To read the Metro Times, one must make a conscious decision to go to one of the newsstands or to merchant locations to pick up a copy.

I suspect that when the city attorney finally does give some feedback to council members, it will be along the lines that it’s not really a defensible position to outright ban the distribution of any publication, thanks to the U.S. Constitution. It’s been tried before without much success and I am confident that Metro Times will not be standing in court alone should they decide to challenge any illadvised move to ban the weekly newspaper.

Similar efforts have been tried in other communities over the years, including about 20 years ago in the village of Milford in the western Oakland County area where the issue was not one of publication content but the manner in which newspapers were distributing their weekly and daily newspapers by bagging them and tossing the periodicals in the driveways of residents. This practice of distribution took hold, and continues to this day, because newspaper publications find it difficult in more affluent communities to hire reasonably priced and motivated young carriers to deliver their products, hence the move to motorized delivery carriers.

Local newspapers and the Detroit dailies met with the village manager and legal counsel to bring them up to speed on the court’s history of ruling against moves to stifle freedom of the press and the issue never made it to an agenda for a meeting of city leaders.

I just recently had the opportunity to remind some Oakland County business leaders that the freedom of the press will most certainly win out in any court battle as someone from the group questioned whether the city of Birmingham had to allow for news racks for publication distribution in the city. Birmingham moved to a system of municipally-owned news racks years ago to give a more controlled image for the city’s downtown area, rather than dealing with a hodgepodge of ill-maintained news racks placed intermittently throughout the city by the publications themselves. The problem is news racks age due to Michigan’s environmental conditions and begin to look equally disheveled unless the city maintains the racks with the fees charged to publications to distribute through the municipal system.

The Grosse Pointe skirmish for the Metro Times did bring to mind, however, policies we have adopted at Downtown Publications on certain types of advertising which we do not allow to appear in either Downtown or its sister publication Westend, which serves the lakes area of Oakland County.

While our monthly publications are also based on the free business model, we take a different approach when it comes to certain categories of advertising.

For starters, aside from approximately 600 complimentary copies we distribute of Downtown in the central business district of Birmingham, our monthly newsmagazine is mailed for free into the homes in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills.

My philosophy is that we have not been invited by local residents into their homes, so there are certain types of advertising – sex hook-up, adult sex toy ads, as well as medical marijuana – that we will not publish in Downtown out of respect for those homes in which there are minor children. Although I suspect by the teen years most young people, thanks to the Internet, have discovered these issues on their own, it it not our role to hasten their move to adulthood by profiting from paid ads on these matters.

We know this policy has cost us money, quite possibly $50,000 and probably much more on an annual basis, because we turned down such ads when we first launched Downtown and have continued to reject such advertisements, including an account from the banned categories in early September that wanted to promote their business in both print and on our website.

Yet, while we don’t accept some of the ads you might see in Metro Times, we still take the position that any attempt to prohibit or severely restrict the distribution of a news product is simply not acceptable, regardless of the reason.

David Hohendorf Publisher DavidHohendorf@downtownpublications.com

INCOMING

Impact of golf courses After reading the editorial on a “wake up call on water quality” (Endnote/September), I was struck by what were mentioned as causes.

Farmers and fertilizer are always mentioned, but golf courses are given a pass. In order to keep those beautiful greens and fairways, fertilizers are used and run off happens at all golf courses.

Please include golf courses in your research.

Your magazine is well done and I do look forward to its arrival.

Kathy Kennedy, Bloomfield Hills

Howard Jarvis’ Prop 13 Regarding the From the Publisher (Downtown/September), I am a long-time San Francisco landlord who financially supported and constantly thanked the late Howard Jarvis for Prop 13.

It was hard enough squeaking out a small profit every month due to rent control and other socialist policies aimed at helping tenants at my expense. If my property taxes had been adjusted annually/semi-annually based on my equity buildup, I would have never survived 25 plus years.

Naturally, liberal California politicians – who have run a once great state into the ground – are trying to undo Prop 13 in both the courts and at the ballot box in hopes of using that windfall to bail them out of a $16 billion deficit.

I hope they fail, but since I think California voters are even dumber than their elected officials, I recently sold out – which required paying two long-time tenants on month to month leases almost $70,000 to move out so the properties could be sold vacant. I then invested my profits in a much more conservative, better managed state.

I firmly believed that less is always more, especially when it comes to sending tax dollars to our elected officials. I live within my means and don’t understand why they never can.

On another note, I was disappointed that the story about the cops in schools didn’t have some more details on what they do particularly well – spotting and downtownpublications.com

Downtown will not be accepting letters pertaining to candidates or ballot issues for our Incoming section in the November issue.

NOVEMBER INCOMING

Our logic is that as a monthly publication, it is difficult to allow those with opposing views to respond to letters about candidates or millage issues at the last moment just before the election.

dealing with problem kids early.

Unfortunately I became friendly with the Birmingham youth officer some years ago and was amazed at what he deals with even at the junior high level. Would have made much better reading than the pap the school flacks fed you as the basis for the story.

Lastly, after that scathing review of 220 Merrill by J. March, expect to hear from Ms. Illitch. It was great!

Kudos on running it.

Jim Olson, Birmingham

Far left Downtown I am just amazed at the tone of (David Hohendorf’s) editorial (From the Publisher/September).

He must live in fear that common sense individuals in the 11th (Congressional) District are going to cause more common sense and destroy your far left rag.

It seems from here that (Hohendorf’s) arrogance falls in line with all that is wrong with America today. The implication that the people in the west county are to be admonished for their political positions is ludicrous.

Why don’t you leave the area and publish your rag in Russia, China or Cuba, much more appropriate audiences for (Hohendorf’s) personal taste.

(Hohendorf) falls in line with the politically correct media of the New York Times – no guts and all talk that is critical of all that is good about America.

Jarvis Williams, Bloomfields Hills DOWNTOWN

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! Think Big....Vote SMALL On Tuesday, Nov. 4th or on your Absentee Ballot “For the past 18 years, I have had the privilege of serving as your District Judge. I have a proven track record of protecting our families, educating our children and keeping the standards high in our community so that it may remain a safe and beautiful place for us all. Who you elect as your Judge is a critical decision.

I am asking for your vote.” ~

Kimberly Small Chief Judge of the 48th District

We proudly stand with her…

Local District Officials Overwhelmingly Endorse Judge Small • Neal Barnett Trustee, Bloomfield Twp.

• Sheriff Michael Bouchard

ens, z i t i C r ge that d u j To ou a e have s or your tax w , l l a . e Sm ffort In Judgot waste our eur streets safe does n . She keeps o l. It is ities a i t r a s p r dolla and im ur commun r i a f , h toug and what o urge you s i e h S ask for unanimously e w l l a . We ge Small. e v r e s e d ect Jud to re-el ty , y l d Coun n e a r l e k a c Sin hard, O omfield Twp. c u o B ichael en, Ret., Blo ld Twp. M f f i r e Sh owd d, Bloomfie B t r i K Chief eof Gaudar rchard Lake field Hills Chief Goe George, Oickson, Bloom r Chief J avid Hendr st, Keego Harbo Chief D enneth Hur Sylvan Lake field Twp. Chief Kohn Martin, on, West Bloom Chief J ichael Patt , Birmingham Chief Monald Studt Chief D

Oakland County

• Lawrence Brown Trustee, West Bloomfield Twp.

• David Buckley

Trustee, Bloomfield Twp.

• Eucharist Cassar

Councilman, Sylvan Lake

• Michael Coakley

Commissioner, Bloomfield Hills

• Dan Devine

Treasurer, Bloomfield Twp.

• Michael Dul

Mayor Pro Tem., Bloomfield Hills

• Patricia Hardy

Mayor, Bloomfield Hills

• Rackeline Hoff

Commissioner, Birmingham

• Corinne Khederian

Trustee, Bloomfield Twp.

• John Martin

Supervisor, Sylvan Lake

• Tom McDaniel Commissioner, Birmingham

• Scott Moore

Mayor, Birmingham

• L. Brooks Patterson Oakland County Executive

• Janet Roncelli

Clerk, Bloomfield Twp.

• Howard Rosenberg Trustee, West Bloomfield

• Sidney Rubin

Councilman, Keego Harbor

• Leo Savoie

Supervisor, Bloomfield Twp.

• Catherine Shaughnessy Clerk, West Bloomfield Twp.

• Stuart Sherr

Commissioner, Bloomfield Hills

• Diane Rosenfeld Swimmer Trustee, West Bloomfield

• Michele Economou Ureste Supervisor, West Bloomfield Twp.

• Michael Zubrzycki, Mayor, Sylvan Lake

“These endorsements are important and appreciated, but yours is the one that counts.

I am asking for your vote.”

Paid for by Committee to retain Judge Kimberly Small 2211 Telegraph #7979 Bloomfield, MI 48302

Telling it like it is I can’t tell you how much I enjoy your publication, (David Hohendorf’s) commentaries, and the overall excellence of the journalism.

I especially found the Klan article interesting, illuminating and liked (Hohendorf’s) take on the 11th Congressional District (Downtown/September).

Being a retired 21-year resident of Birmingham, I have been a patron of many of the restaurants and bistros here. In the light of that, I found the scathing review of the new 220 restaurant spot on and typical of what I have found at the eateries. I have limited my restaurant outings in my town by 80 percent because of the mediocre food and the outrageous wine prices.

Keep telling it like it is.

Timothy Kozak, Birmingham

220 review spot on Your review (of 220) was spot on (At The Table/September).

We had an almost identical experience. Everyone I have spoken to who has been there has similar stories. None of them, nor myself, will return.

I anticipate their future will be like South’s, as the fights and late night bar action have already started.

Name withheld on request

Review not surprising After I read your review of the new 220, I flashed back to the time you described 220 as “the place to be and be seen”. Those days were a lot of fun, but a while ago. Because I also used to use 220 for business meetings, mostly at lunch, I understand the part about adding “real” food to a place that a lot of people thought of as Birmingham’s own match.com.

Anyway, I’ve not been to 220 since it’s been re-opened. Despite your review, I am looking forward to it. Guess your review isn’t that surprising, other than you actually wrote a real review. It figures, the first thing I read about the new partners, a few weeks ago, was that they had already hired a downtownpublications.com

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

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

While we don’t have a specific word limitation, we reserve the right to edit for length.

management company to run the day-to-day operations of the restaurant – like it was below them to do that part. Of course, that’s how you run a restaurant if it’s a toy and you don’t want to make a profit.

Probably put a big smile on some other experienced restaurateurs in town. But I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and hope they do it right.

It amazes me how many new restaurants that have opened in the last three to five years, and as I thought, have started to close. Why all of a sudden did we need 20 new restaurants in Birmingham just because they started handing out “bistro” licenses like they were raffle tickets?

Restaurants like Zazio’s seemed doomed from the beginning. A 300seat restaurant in a 75-seat town just never felt right. We went there enough, but it was our Thursday evening happy hour gang. It was interesting that I heard so many people talk about how well it was doing. They were the same people sitting next to us drinking very nice $5 glasses of wine, a variety of Martini’s and eating great flatbread pizza’s and lamb sliders for great happy hour prices. The problem was that when we left, the number of staff usually seemed to outnumber the guests staying for dinner. I really hope the new owners (The Stand) make it because we loved their downtown restaurant and their genuine care for food. But there are still a lot of seats, white table cloths, a fairly expensive menu and I’m sure

a lot more debt or investors’ money just to change the entrance and bar around.

We’re very lucky; we live in an area that puts us within about three or four miles of five of Bill Roberts’ six restaurants. We’ve been to Bill’s twice and can just imagine how much fun Ron Rea and Bill had designing that place. What a treat, a totally different menu than his other restaurants, and I’ve never seen him barefoot! Plus, in an area where Bill could have raised the prices quite a bit, he held fast. Just because everyone in Bill’s could afford another $10, why mess with success?

It also seems that whenever you’re at one of his restaurants, he happens to be there. Talk about a profession you have to live to be successful. Maybe Denise Illitch and her partner will surprise us and live the restaurant life and get 220 back to what we fondly remember, while adding their own twist. But based on your review, they have a little more to figure out. For the good of Birmingham/Bloomfield diners, let’s hope they do.

D. Richards, Bloomfield Township

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220 restaurant reaction I enjoyed your (220) review (At The Table/September).

We were there a few weeks ago, long enough to iron out some of the newness. I think the food can/should/will improve, hopefully.

There are a lot of tables in the dining room and I would think filling them will be important.

One of the problems I noticed was that there are too many tables.

You can barely walk through them.

My husband and I used to love to sit in the booths in the front and watch people walk by. It’s doubtful we will be sitting on the tall metal chairs at the high tops.

Maybe there will be enough bar business that it won’t matter. But for us, we think $12 for a martini is a little overpriced for Birmingham and many places around. The menu prices seem to have gone up, too.

It’s a definite maybe for us whether or not we go back.

Joy Garber, Bloomfield Township

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There are 2 CRIMES up here: 1. Not staying at the beach til sunset.

2. The rare (but sadly, it does happen) burnt croissant.

Yes, it is Paradise veryone dreams of a place in Traverse City. Some want downtown living. Some simply have to have a place on the Old Mission Peninsula while others crave the wide open spaces and adorable little villages of Leelanau County.

Good news – we’re on top of all of those places. From Frankfort to Charlevoix, we’ve got it covered. Better news – we have the best connections in the north. Once we get what you’re looking for, we find it – whether it’s on the market or not. 26 years of doing this has taught us a thing or two about success. You’ll like dealing with us. Good listeners, great negotiators, really thorough knowledge of the market – so say our happy clients.

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OAKLAND SHERIFF BOUCHARD POLICE MILITARIZATION, TERRORISM, CHANGING FACE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT

BY LISA BRODY

akland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, in office since 1998, fell into law enforcement by accident, but is a passionate supporter of ongoing training and proper deployment of weaponry. In response to the media outcry over the militarization of police, he believes law enforcement has to be as well armed as the criminals they’re facing. His motto, with which he leads his 1,300-member sheriff’s department daily, is: “Hope is not a strategy. Preparation is.”

Downtown News Editor Lisa Brody sat down down with Bouchard for a candid one-on-one conversation.

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Over time, as things changed in the world...They saw more and more weapons on the street they were facing that were outgunning the police.

DOWNTOWN: For the benefit of our readers, can you give us some of your personal background in law enforcement, including your current participation in some national law enforcement efforts that focus on antiterrorism?

BOUCHARD: My law enforcement career goes back to the ‘70s. I went to the academy in 1976. I was actually sworn in as a police officer at 20 for Beverly Hills. Southfield Township is where I started as a youth officer helping kids, and then Beverly Hills, full-time. Bloomfield Township hired me in 1978 and I worked there for a decade. They loaned me to the state police, to undercover teams and stuff like that. I worked in pretty much every position. I was a motor officer, I was a fatal accident investigator, I was a detective for a time, I was undercover, I was a training officer and a range officer. It’s unusual, and I’m lucky for me to have all those experiences in that 12-year span, and I did, and I enjoyed it. I left law enforcement for a while; I was on Beverly Hills Council simultaneously to being a police officer and got interested in the political world because I saw that everything that happened in the police world was legislated by the political world. I worked on the Oakland County rapist, and I didn’t think the women were getting justice from the system. I thought they were getting victimized again. I wanted to get involved and get some of the laws changed to effect how some of the victims were protected and treated. We protect the defendants’ rights, and it’s very prescribed, but there was no prescription for protecting victims. I found that frustrating.

I never planned to go into police work.

Originally I went to college to be a doctor. I started volunteering on some programs that dealt with suicide and abused kids and couldn’t believe there were things like that happening because I was raised in an “Ozzie and Harriet” loving home. I couldn’t imagine someone not being loving or kind to their kids. Seeing the abuse just drew me in. I started volunteering and met Dr. Jerry Tobias, who was in charge of the Youth Bureau in Southfield Township. He was a professor at U-D, a psychologist, and also a Bloomfield Township trustee. In every respect he was my mentor because I became a police officer, an elected official, pretty much followed what he did. I just thought he was an amazing guy. He drew me into law enforcement. I worked in the youth bureau, and he said, ‘We’ll send you to the academy.” So I went to the Police Academy while I was a full time student at Michigan State. It was a bit of a juggle, but I really enjoyed it. I thought, I’m really interested in doing this, you can really help people who are in trouble and make a difference. So I left college and took a full-time job. My parents were flipping out. They were not happy. But I found my passion. I loved helping people out at the worst

time in their lives. Hopefully, you can help them through that. I did agree to their promise that I would finish and get a degree, and I changed from pre-med to pre-law and I got my degree in police administration and criminal justice from Michigan State, commuting at night whenever I could.

I left Bloomfield Township police sometime in 1988, and was elected to the (state) legislature in 1990, and spent about a decade there. A lot of what I did there was related to law enforcement. I wrote the Sex Offender Registry Act. I wrote laws increasing penalties and tying it with counseling with animal abuse, because we see a lot of serial murders start off with serial abuse of animals. It’s like a step. Most sex offenders or serial offenders start off with a stepped process where they kind of start doing something at a lower level, like a sex offender may start as an indecent exposure. I also owned three small businesses. I owned a small consulting business, where I would analyze other businesses. I had a private investigation/alarm consulting. Then I had a yogurt and ice cream business that was on 13 and Southfield. Beverly Hills Gourmet Yogurt and Ice Cream. I got out of all that when I was elected to the legislature. I was the majority floor leader in the Senate. I left because the Sheriff passed during his term in office and a lot of people asked me to come back into law enforcement and take over the sheriff’s office. I looked at it, and thought it was a good fit, based on my background and the age of our kids. At that point, we had three kids under 8. So I could be home at night. Long days, but I could still tuck them in, generally, be at their games. I’ve loved it.

I’ve been sheriff for 16 years.

DOWNTOWN: After the recent police shooting of the young man in Ferguson, Missouri, and how local police handled the public protests, national attention has started to focus on how public safety departments across the country have become more militarized thanks in large part to a defense department program that moves military-type equipment to police departments. In Michigan, about $43 million of surplus equipment has been transferred to local police departments from 2006 through 2013. In recent news accounts of equipment that has been transferred to departments in Michigan, the surplus equipment ran the range from rifles, night vision goggles, HumVees, grenade launchers, to armored vehicles ranging in price from $300,000 to $658,000. A good deal of equipment was listed as being transferred to Oakland County.

BOUCHARD: When I started, you were given a handgun, and they had a shotgun in the car. The handgun was a revolver and back in the day, we had what was called ‘dump boxes’, so if you had to reload there were six individual bullets and a dump box on your belt so you could dump them loose in

your hand and try to reload. If you’re getting shot at, obviously, that’s a challenging moment.

Over time, as things changed in the world, law enforcement changed with both its training and with its equipment. They saw more and more weapons on the street they were facing that were outgunning the police. There were two seminal moments on the weaponry and a third that really changed police tactics. The two seminal moments on weapons were one in California and one in Florida. The one in California, you had two robbers who went into a bank fully body armored right down to their toes with fully automatic AK-47s. As they’re walking into the bank, a patrol officer sees them walking into the bank and goes, ‘this isn’t good.’ Calls it in. They contain the bank. These guys come out, massive gun fight ensues for 45 minutes. They can’t stop it because the police are so tremendously outgunned. They had to send police officers to a civilian gun store to borrow rifles to keep up with the bad guys because they had handguns and shotguns. For those who don’t understand weaponry, a rifle pretty easily shoots the distance of 300 meters. For a handgun or shotgun, it’s probably 50. Eleven police officers were shot, seven civilians, 18 people shot because these guys controlled the scene for 45 minutes.

Law enforcement was like, wow. We can’t deal with a shotgun and a handgun with somebody who can be across the street hitting us when we can’t hit anything.

The second (seminal moment on weaponry) in Florida, a similar circumstance. You had seven FBI agents trying to arrest two robbers, and the robbers had one rifle, a 223, which is pretty common, what police now have, and the FBI had shotguns and handguns. They killed two FBI agents and wounded five before it was over. That’s when everyone went, ‘Wow, we’re not coming at this with the right kinds of weapons.’

And then the final seminal moment was Columbine. It used to be contain and negotiate.

Something like that is happening, what do you want? How can we end this peacefully? How can we have you come out? It wasn’t like a bank robbery where they wanted cash. It was the first kind of awakenings for Americans, especially law enforcement, that people go into a building with the sole intention of killing as many as they could with no intention of coming out. So you can no longer contain and negotiate.

Our tactics have evolved to insert and neutralize. You have to go and immediately find who is killing the kids and stop them. You can’t wait for SWAT. You can’t wait for special equipment. You have to go in as soon as you possibly can. This past two years, we’ve trained everybody in our department and 1,000 other police officers in Oakland County through a joint training process, if they show up at a school or a church or a mall, if there’s an active shooter,

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That's why we have to be able to engage them, and why more and more police departments have sought weapons from the military... they’re all trained the same way, go in right now and find the shooter. Because every click of the clock is another potential dead person. I’m the head of government affairs for Major County Sheriffs of America, past president of the group, government affairs chair for the last decade, so anytime something happens in the world that has relevance, I try to get the head of that to come and give us a classified or an in-depth brief and go through, what exactly happened, what went wrong, and what went right and what would you have done differently. Like in Sandy Hook, the kid went in and the school was in lock down and you had to get buzzed in and had all the security and everything. But what he did was he shot out the big window next to it and walked through the open window. He went all the way to the end of the hall and his plan was to walk all the way back and wipe out all of these classrooms. He got to the end and he started killing. The police got there. He shot out the window at them. Because they got there quick and engaged him, he started shooting at them and engaging them; that prevented him from getting the other classrooms. Had they just staged and tried to contain him, he would have just finished off that whole hallway. It’s still incredibly terrible, but it was all over in less than four minutes. They’re over so fast. If you let it go 20 minutes, imagine how much more in the school.

And that’s what the old contain would have done.

It would have been 20 to 25 minutes before SWAT could have been fully assembled and figured out the situation.

DOWNTOWN: In general, do you think that the criticism about the militarization of local police departments is accurate? Why would some of this military grade equipment be necessary?

BOUCHARD: Then the question goes to, what kinds of things do you need to immediately go in?

In Sandy Hook, he had a 223 rifle. The Colorado theater had a 223 rifle. The 223 rifle is the most sold rifle in America. For hunting, target shooting, estimates are up to 3.7 million are in civilian hands. So you’ve got almost four million out in America, and people are saying we’re getting militarized by getting the same weapons as they have. We have to respond to what we face in the community, and more and more often we’re facing rifles. High-powered rifles, people call them assault rifles; you can call them whatever you’d like, but in any event they’re a rifle. Tactically they have a much longer field of fire. That’s why we have to be able to engage them, and why more and more police departments have sought weapons from the military or have bought them. The question is not do we need them; the question is, are people properly trained on them, and are people properly deployed? The need has become self-evident. This Sunday until 4 a.m. we were surrounded by a barricaded gunman who had a 223 rifle. He put it

to his wife’s head and ordered her to the ground and threatened to kill her and had been drinking.

She managed to distract him and fled the house.

We recovered her under the bush. I was there. We surrounded the house with armored vehicles to contain him so that if he started shooting it wouldn’t hit our folks but with the armored vehicles they could light up the house. It was extremely dark. We didn’t want him to get out into the neighborhood. Then we could talk to him over the PA from the armored vehicles. He had a 223 with multiple magazines, fully loaded, he had handguns, shotguns, all legally obtained. It was a pretty volatile situation. But not uncommon, sadly, for us. We face rifle situations a lot. The West Bloomfield situation, where the West Bloomfield officer was killed, the guy had a fully automated machine gun, high powered rifles, he had shotguns, handguns, knives, long distance binoculars, he had former military experience and he was firing through the walls. We actually used the armored vehicles there to evacuate the neighbors.

DOWNTOWN: Does the transfer of such equipment to local departments signal that the general nature of law enforcement at the local has changed? How much of that equipment has remained with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department and how much has been passed through to local departments? Were local funds used to acquire this equipment or is most of it transferred from the federal level at no cost or covered by federal grants?

BOUCHARD: Sometimes the military may give it to you in a full auto, meaning fully automatic. Most police departments, including ours, switch it to semi-automatic, which is what you can buy as a civilian right over the counter. You could go buy one today, without any training. If we didn’t get them from the military, we’d be buying them anyway because we believe our folks need to have that as an option. That goes to my point about training and deployment. Before you can carry a patrol rifle you have to be a certified patrol rifle graduate. We put you in a minimum of 40 hours, which is about 70 percent of someone going into the military. And this is our secondary weapon, if your handgun won’t work. Then you have to continually train every year. You can’t carry that unless you’ve had that. A lot of those we’ve gotten from the military. Frankly, we’re about 150 or 200 short.

I dispute the term militarization. If we’re getting what civilians have, that’s not military. Everybody says tanks. No police department has tanks. Tanks are track vehicles. But they’re also offensive vehicles, meaning they have 50 caliber machine guns, they have cannons. They’re meant to blow things up. Our vehicles are big, safe boxes. There is no offensive weaponry mounted on them. The

rhetorical question is why is it OK for this big safe box to pull up next to Kroger to protect the money, but it seems odd if that store got robbed if we showed up in one to protect the people. We would challenge the militarization term.

In the military surplus weaponry, the numbers are between 8 and 14 percent, on any given year.

Other stuff is boots, clothing, and gear. If the military has it in huge warehouses, in the total lifespan of the program, the military has given out about $4 billion to police in the whole country. But they abandoned over $7 billion in Iraq. So which is a bigger waste? Giving it to police departments who would oftentimes have to buy it otherwise or leaving it in a warehouse, I think would be a bigger waste.

Almost everything we’ve acquired we’ve kept.

We once got an airplane, an 8-seater, for free, that we gave to another police department.

Most of the equipment we acquired through federal grant or by surplus. It’s either no cost or very low cost. Some things we’ve bought because it wasn’t available.

DOWNTOWN: Has any of this military-style equipment been employed since you have acquired it? In what types of situations do you envision using some of this equipment, such as the fortified utility vehicles that have been acquired?

BOUCHARD: Sadly, almost all of it. We hope and pray we don’t have to use any of it, but hope is not a strategy in our business. Preparation is. We’ve used the armored vehicles time and time again.

We try to prepare for everything. We don’t want the public to worry about it, but it’s our job to worry about it. For example, our Dream Cruise was one of the first major national events after the Boston Marathon bombing. A lot of us had a lot of stomach guessing about that event. Right after 9/11, we had one of the largest national events, so we’ve been on the ‘Oh my gosh, I hope we’re not next’ position more than once. But that’s the world we live in.

We have 1,300 people in the department, and not everyone is trained in everything. Some things, only the SWAT team is trained on. If you have a piece of equipment, you’re trained on it.

DOWNTOWN: Your department and the acquisition of a portable cell phone tracking device (Hailstorm or Stingray) has been the focus of a number of media reports. What can you tell us about this device and how it is employed?

BOUCHARD: There’s been mostly false information put forth by aspiring politicians. The equipment that we acquire and have is focused two-fold. It could be techniques and equipment to build a case, or you can use the techniques and equipment to find someone. Very different missions. The pieces of equipment you’re talking

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Probably our biggest fear is that these folks come back and do what is really not a grand scale attack, but it's still a terrifying attack to our public. about we use to find someone. It’s not surveillance. It doesn’t data mine. It never listens to anyone’s phone calls. Ever. It doesn’t gather anyone’s information about anyone, ever. It’s used to find a person, and when we use it to find a person, we get a warrant.

DOWNTOWN: Are there specific written department guidelines on the use of the Hailstorm device? Are there command officers that are specifically assigned to manage the use of this device and review how it is used by your officers? Can the device be used without a court warrant?

BOUCHARD: Most of what you see on TV is more than what we can do, to be honest. When I’m watching a TV show, and they track someone or CSI-that, I go, I wish we could do that. I’m not going to be specific in how we find people. We can’t listen to any phone calls, not even the person we’re looking for. It’s very specific for the person we’re looking for. It doesn’t even listen to the bad guy’s phone calls. It doesn’t even data mine the bad guy’s information. It’s very specific. We go before a judge and say this is what we’re going to do, what we need, and the judge says, ‘That’s reasonable, he’s wanted for rape, go find him.’

We’re very strict about staying inside the lines.

There’s literally a couple people who are trained in the use of these and they report to command officers. And its use is extremely limited because that means that other avenues to find that person have not been productive.

DOWNTOWN: There are also reports that the sheriff’s department has acquired a drone that can be used for surveillance. Are the reports accurate and what can you tell us about the use of the drone or drones?

BOUCHARD: (Laughter) Some of the same people who have portrayed the same information have never taken the time to call us or to learn the state of the reality as it pertains to the use of unmanned aerial craft. You can go down to a hobby store and buy one and fly one over your neighbor’s property and spy and record, and may have some civil litigation; the law hasn’t really caught up criminally. For law enforcement, we’ve actually been trying to get fully certified on unmanned aerial observation for two years. The way this started, when we were at the West Bloomfield shooting, the man who shot the West Bloomfield officer was barricaded we thought, but we couldn’t really tell and we couldn’t get close enough because he kept shooting at us, up in a third-story window. Tactically he was shooting down, in a much better position, raining down fire on our folks.

I asked one of our lieutenants to go to Brookstone and get one of those little drones, you see them flying in the malls, and we’ll see if we can pop it up and look in the windows to see which room he’s in, because I didn’t want to bring our helicopter low enough because he would have shot it down.

After that, I said we need to get something that we’re trained on and we could get eyes on if we had an emergency situation. We’ve been at this for two years now. We’ve been trying to get our hands on one, and the process to get from point A to point B is unbelievably bureaucratic. Our people who fly this have to be trained as pilots, so I actually had to send them to ground school to become certified. The FAA restrictions on a law enforcement agency to fly one of these, first you have to train for months and months and months, away from anyone and anything, and anytime you fly one it has to be under 400 feet and in your line of sight. So in regards to your question of surveillance, if we can see it, anyone can see it.

Everyone is thinking of the military, with it flying at 20,000 feet for a couple of hours and it can see you in your backyard. This thing is under 400 feet and is going BRRR. This is not a surveillance device at all.

DOWNTOWN: The New York City Police Department is beginning to equip a small number of its officers with wearable video cameras in an effort towards greater accountability. Do you see that as an effective monitoring device? Can you see implementing your deputies with wearable video cameras?

BOUCHARD: We have been looking at those for a couple of years. There are a couple of very challenging issues with those. As the technology has evolved, it’s gotten better. When we first started looking at it, it really wasn’t good quality. It was costly. Our priority has been upgrading all of our in-car video to digital. It also captures audio, so even if they’re not on camera it captures what they’re saying. We have that in all of our patrol cars as a priority. We have been looking at body cameras for a while, but it runs into a number of issues. First, is privacy – you’ve got a camera on police recording everything. When people are at their worst moments and it’s FOIAble. So now you have all of this footage in these very raw moments that becomes public, from an agency point of view, that’s a concern. For us, the people we’re trying to protect – that could be a reality TV show.

Can it potentially help with police accountability? Absolutely. It’s a double-edge sword. How long is it kept? It comes with some challenges for us. Am I interested? Absolutely. I’m exploring it. Also, for us to implement it, today, without the training, is $1.5 million. You have to not just have the camera, you have to have the transmission and the download and the system and the data. Plus the overtime to train everyone, because you have to pull them off the road to train them.

The federal government says they’re going to mandate it, but who’s going to pay for it, and they haven’t paid for our bulletproof vests for the last two years. We haven’t received a penny. The very same people who are saying you have to buy all this equipment haven’t even pitched in to buy

bulletproof vests, and everyone knows that statistically, ambushes on cops are up in a stunning way. As of today, 72 officers have died in the line of duty in the country. It’s about one in every 58 hours. That is about 30 more than have died in combat in the military this year.

DOWNTOWN: Relative to your involvement with national law enforcement groups that focus on terrorism, we are hearing more reports about some Americans heading off to war zones to fight on behalf of terrorist organizations. How involved is the sheriff’s department with national officials in terms of awareness of such individuals should they return to the United States after they have spent time fighting overseas?

BOUCHARD: That’s a huge concern. I’m very involved in counterterrorism. I was syndicate director of a counterterrorist group and I sit on a joint counterterrorism task force. That’s a very real fear. They estimate publicly well over 100 Americans are fighting with ISIS, so it doesn’t stretch the imagination to imagine the light bulb is going to go off for ISIS to have people with a valid passport come home. The state department and all of these agencies are doing everything they can to track if somebody goes there and becomes a foreign fighter, or if they’re trying to go there – there was one arrested from here recently trying to go there. But it’s an imperfect system because a lot of these folks fly to England, and then maybe they fly to Turkey, and then they sneak across the border, so it never shows up on their passport. Is it a real possibility they could come back? Sure.

Absolutely.

Probably our biggest fear is that these folks come back and do what is really not a grand scale attack, but it’s still a terrifying attack to our public – think about Mumbai. You had a small group of people with small arms. Imagine if you had two or three people in two or three cities go into schools or shopping centers. That keeps us up at night.

In Mumbai, it took them days to get control of the city. We can’t afford to go days to take control of a terrorist situation here. And for the public, it’s days before the federal government can insert itself with any resources. For at least 24 or 48 hours, it’s going to be your local police departments.

I say it every day. I hope and pray we never have to use our training and equipment, but in my business, hope is not a strategy, preparation is.

That’s why any time I can get my folks equipment and training, I say, get it. If it sits in a warehouse, better here than some Pentagon warehouse Scan for audio Sheriff Mike Bouchard where it will never respond interview. to an emergency.

Mike

Lewis

L L

“ A New Voice for Oakland County “Oakland County needs Mike Lewis”

“ Schauer, Democratic nominee for Governor, (Mark 8/18/2014) Serving Oakland County’s 12th Distric District: t: Birmingham, % %ORRPÀHOG 7RZQVKLS DQG %ORRPÀHOG +LOOV ORRPÀHOG 7RZQVKLS DQG %ORRPÀHOG +LOOV

2

Feel free to call me if you want to chat

2 248.514.1805

PAID FOR BY MIKE LEWIS FOR COUNTY COMMISSION

FACES Rick Van House II loomfield Hills residents Rick Van House II and his wife Nicole were in their early 30’s when they attended a charity event targeting Gen Xers and millennials as the new generation of non-profit supporters in the metro Detroit area.

“It was at a more youthful location,” Van House recalled. “There were only four people there. We thought, ‘This is ridiculous. Why can’t this major non-profit fill this room with our age group.’ It’s because (that generation) doesn’t know how to get involved, and the non-profits don’t know how to talk to them.”

The experience, he said, was one of the things that led them to form The Van House Foundation, and its main cause, GiveYoung.org. Drawing on his advertising and entrepreneurial expertise, the foundation works to provide engaging events and online resources for non-profit groups that will appeal to a new generation of donors.

“Those ages 25 to 50 – the younger generation – aren’t involved in a non-profit, and they don’t know how to go about finding one,” Van House said. “There is no good tool on how to pair themselves with a non-profit. That is what GiveYoung.org is helping to fix.”

“This younger generation is so busy, even when they aren’t busy they are on the phone, self-absorbed and the attention is very low,” Van House said. “It almost forces them to see it when they go to these events. That’s what we are trying to do at these events.”

Van House said GiveYoung.org works almost as a marketing program for non-profits, a concept he had previously pitched to several organizations with his Royal Oak-based business, Know Advertising. “We wanted to do free work for them,” Van House said about the initial idea.

“That’s harder than you think because we are giving advice, not just taking orders. We also did it so that as my wife and I get older, we have something to do to be engaged in our community as our lives move on.”

Van House said events held by GiveYoung.org don’t directly raise funds to benefit specific non-profits, but rather events raise education and awareness about specific non-profits. For instance, one event the organization hosted aimed to increase awareness for the American Diabetes Association. Instead of a traditional $200-per seat, sit-down dinner with long presentations, the event featured a special event with dinner, cocktails and dancing, along with two bicycle riders wearing ADAcompliant gear who rode on rolling machines during the event.

The events are free to the non-profits, as they are funded and organized by GiveYoung.org, making the events an attractive marketing tool to the non-profit organization being featured.

“In the beginning, it was tough to explain, but now that it’s established and we’re in our fourth year, the non-profits are saying yes to us before we can finish the sentence because there is very little they have to do,” he said. “They don’t have to pay us because it’s basically a huge event that GiveYoung.org supports through their donations, and the non-profit gets to show up and talk to people that they normally wouldn’t be able to.”

B

Story: Kevin Elliott

Photo: Laurie Tennent

Nanci Rands associate broker

248.701.9000 nrands@hallandhunter.com

- NEW TO MARKET -

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS | $2,495,000 6 Bedrooms 7 Full, 1 Half Baths 6,758 Square Feet MLS# 214096401

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Spectacular Bloomfield Hills Estate property. 3.73 lushly landscaped private acres just off Vaughn Road. Home offers refined living and entertaining spaces complete with large pool, spa, tennis court and all-sports court. Gracious Entry Foyer leads to herringbone wood-floored Living room. Updated Island Kitchen is open to spacious Informal Dining. Exercise room and large Florida room overlook back lawn and pool. Master Suite has cathedral ceiling and updated bath. 1500 sq. ft. Guest House has Living room, Studio Kitchen, Laundry, Loft Bedroom and expansive deck. 3-car garage.

real difference in Real Estate T heRandsColburn.com

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442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Colburn Meredith associate broker 248.762.5319 mcolburn@hallandhunter.com

also for lease at $11,500/month

BLOOMFIELD HILLS | $2,895,000 One of a kind! Private, hilltop setting overlooking Wing Lake. Incredible quality and sophistication. 1st floor master.

Best of everything!

3 or 4 Bedrooms 5 Full, 2 Half Baths 6,065 Square Feet MLS# 214049852

BIRMINGHAM $2,800,000 5 Bedrooms 4 Full, 2 Half Baths 6,208 Square Feet MLS# 214030457

French Normandy on a private corner site in Quarton Lake Estates. Renovated in 20102012 by a prominent national designer. Elevator.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS | $2,295,000

- SOLD -

- SOLD -

BLOOMFIELD VILLAGE | $1,100,000 Spacious updated colonial with stately columned entry and circular aggregate drive.

Expansive upper level. 3-car garage.

5 Bedrooms 3 Full, 3 Half Baths 3,771 Square Feet MLS# 214056204

2000 built soft contemporary on nearly 2 private acres.

Brazilian cherry wood floors.

1st floor master. Walk-out lower level. 4-car garage.

6 Bedrooms 5 Full, 2 Half Baths 6,271 Square Feet MLS# 214076203

BIRMINGHAM | $1,095,000 3 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 4,032 Square Feet MLS# 214010009

Sophisticated site condo nestled on private grounds featuring beautiful lawns and gardens. Updates throughout.

Great location.

BIRMINGHAM | $1,450,000 4 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 1,998 Square Feet MLS# 214050777

Sophisticated in-town residence. Master suite with covered balcony and fireplace. Finished lower level. Attached garage.

- NEW PRICE -

BLOOMFIELD HILLS | $725,000 3 Bedrooms 3 Full, 2 Half Baths 2,567 Square Feet MLS# 214039480

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Ranch style home with full walk-out on 2 gorgeous acres. Perfectly suited for renovation or new build.

Area of $1M+ homes.

BIRMINGHAM | $589,000 3 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 2,413 Square Feet MLS# 214076725

BLOOMFIELD HILLS | $1,599,000

Charming Cape Cod on an 5 Bedrooms expansive lot, 70’ x 236’.

5 Full, 2 Half Baths Hardwood floors. Finished 5,257 Square Feet lower level with rec room and wine cellar. Quarton Elementary. MLS# 214079792

real difference in Real Estate T heRandsColburn.com

Phenomenal 2005 stunner on a private landscaped site with saltwater pool. Gourmet kitchen. Walkout lower level.

4-car garage.

442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS $9,995,000 6 Bedrooms 6 Full, 3 Half Baths 14,601 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 214084945

Unparalleled estate on 5 Bedrooms 4 acres. Highest quality 4 Full, 3 Half Baths finishes. Grand 4-season 8,131 Total Sq. Ft. room. Interior spaces flow MLS# 214083931 easily to exterior terraces.

FRANKLIN VILLAGE $2,950,000 3 Bedrooms 4 Full, 2 Half Baths 9,427 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 214084662

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BLOOMFIELD HILLS $2,985,000

Hamptons lifestyle on 4 Bedrooms Upper Long Lake. Exquisite 3 Full, 1 Half Baths finishes & views. Expansive 5,600 Square Feet walkout offers theatre room, MLS# 214084860 kitchen & billiards room.

BIRMINGHAM $2,399,000

DesRosiers-designed 4 Bedrooms contemporary on private 2 Full, 4 Half Baths 5.7 acre setting. 2 full 5,185 Square Feet kitchens. Walk out LL with 2 beds/baths. 6-car garage. MLS# 214085446

Co-listed with Heather Salesin/SKBK

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BLOOMFIELD HILLS $4,200,000

Prestigious Quarton Lake Estates. Wonderful custom chef ’s kitchen opens to family room. Elegant master suite with fireplace.

BLOOMFIELD VILLAGE $1,995,000 5 Bedrooms 6 Full, 2 Half Baths 6,770 Square Feet MLS# 214093787

Cindy’s listings at V iewCindyKahn.com Co-listed with Marcy Sucher

One-of-a-kind expanded & renovated landmark estate on manicured 2+ acres. Open floor plan with abundance of light.

Private cul-de-sac location surrounded by lush landscaping & salt water pool. Lower level includes 2nd kitchen & guest suite.

Co-listed with Renee Acho

442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Kahn Cindy Obron realtor 248.568.7309 cindy@cindykahn.com

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS $1,549,000 $1,595,000 4 Bedrooms 5 Full, 2 Half Baths 5,142 Square Feet MLS# 214097093

Custom home on 1+ acre hilltop setting. Winding floating staircase. Dream kitchen flows to 2-story great room. 2200 sq. ft. LL.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS $1,395,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 2 Half Baths 4,500 Square Feet MLS# 214095397

New construction on beautiful 1+ acre lot.

Outstanding craftsmanship. 3-car garage.

Birmingham schools.

4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 3 Half Baths 4,370 Square Feet MLS# 214093466

Frank Lloyd Wrightinspired prairie home on 1 acre private lot.

Expansive, light-filled spaces. 1st floor master.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS $1,349,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 4,349 Square Feet MLS# 214072214

BLOOMFIELD VILLAGE $1,399,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 4,192 Square Feet MLS# 214086802

Mark Richards Homes new construction with high-end materials thoughout. Custom chef ’s kitchen with butler’s pantry. Private master retreat.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS $699,000

Classic 1890 lakefront 5 Bedrooms farmhouse renovated top 3 Full Baths to bottom. Additional Lower 3,562 Square Feet Long Lake parcel included.

MLS# 214097679 No detail overlooked!

Mid-century modern ranch on 1 acre lot. Large open floor plan with floorto-ceiling windows. Create your own special home.

Co-listed with Jenny Turner/SKBK

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An Extraordinary Agent...

Providing Extraordinary Results

Kahn Cindy Obronrealtor 248.568.7309 cindy@cindykahn.com

An Extraordinary Agent...

Providing Extraordinary Results

3950 FRANKLIN ROAD | BLOOMFIELD HILLS | $9,975,000 5 Bedrooms 6 Full, 3 Half Baths 8,540 Square Feet MLS# 214079844

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This magnificent stone French manor sits beautifully on 2.5 acres with immaculate gardens, grounds and spectacular views of Lower Long Lake. Designed by Wallace Frost, the exquisite craftsmanship and intricate details can be seen throughout.

From the floating curved limestone staircase to the walls of French doors, high ceilings, beautiful fireplaces and stunning floors, you will see a truly special estate. Master suite with dual baths and four additional bedrooms, all with lake views.

Enjoy the lake from screened lakeside pavilions.

Cindy’s listings at V iewCindyKahn.com

442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Amy Zimmer and

Tiffany Glime 248.469.6430

azimmer@hallandhunter.com

CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE

248.930.5656 tglime@hallandhunter.com

- NEW TO MARKET -

BLOOMFIELD HILLS | $465,000 5 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 2,429 Square Feet MLS# 214093890

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Move right into this impeccable and meticulously maintained colonial on a beautiful elevated setting! Elegant Living Room with built-in bookcases overlooks large paver patio. Fantastic renovated Kitchen and informal dining area (2010) with granite counters and peninsula. Formal Dining Room. Family Room with fireplace and new door to large wood deck (2012). Powder Room (2007). 2nd upper full Bath (updated 2014). Partially finished Lower Level with Rec Room (updated 2014). Additional updates include: Roof, siding, tuck pointing, exterior trim (2013), retaining wall and H2O heater (2014).

or a virtual tour of this property, F visit 5068vanness.ePropertySites.com

442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Ward Madelon associate broker 248.703.9532 mward@hallandhunter.com

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP | $1,425,000 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 1 Half Baths 8,290 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 214063481

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Prepared to be wowed by this truly amazing gated country estate on nearly 3 acres just minutes from downtown Rochester.

The grand open floor plan with incredible spaces and expansive windows allows for full views of the pristinely manicured grounds from any room. Chef ’s kitchen opens to family and breakfast rooms. 1st floor master suite with spa bath and sitting room. Entertainer’s dream walkout lower level features a 2nd kitchen, bar, theater, gym, sauna & wine cellar. Pool, gas fire pit, multiple patios and lovely gardens. 4-car custom garage with porcelain tile floor.

Madelon’s listings at V iew hallandhunter.com

442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Acho Renee Lossiarealtor 248.310.1414 renee@reneeacho.com

Experience the Difference Between an Agent and an Expert

- HUGE PRICE REDUCTION -

- NEW LISTING -

WALNUT LAKE FRONT $2,595,000 5 Bedrooms 6 Full, 2 Half Baths 9,567 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 214094896

BLOOMFIELD VILLAGE $1,995,000

Masterpiece on all-sports Walnut Lake offers great panoramic views. Tobocan design. Finished walkout lower level. Heated pool.

5 Bedrooms 6 Full, 2 Half Baths 6,770 Square Feet MLS# 214093787

Private cul-de-sac location surrounded by lush landscaping & salt water pool. Lower level includes 2nd kitchen & guest suite.

FRANKLIN VILLAGE $1,595,000 SMART Home Just Completed 4,536 Square Feet MLS# 214093639

Modern masterpiece on nearly an acre of privacy.

1st floor master. Salt water pool with waterfall and lush landscaping.

Co-listed with Cindy Kahn

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS $1,350,000 Build on Lot 1.7 Acres MLS# 214084539

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BLOOMFIELD HILLS $1,145,000

A fabulous opportunity 4 Bedrooms to build your dream home 5 Full, 1 Half Baths in the coveted Cranbrook 4,431 Square Feet neighborhood. Walkout MLS# 214084488 site. Plans available.

BIRMINGHAM $499,000

Remodeled home in Wabeek 3 Bedrooms Lake sub. Top-of-the-line 2 Full, 1 Half Baths kitchen. Saltwater pool and 2,000 Square Feet covered grill. Finished MLS# 214085499 lower level. 3-car garage.

Renee’s listings at V iewReneeAcho.com

442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Large corner lot with views overlooking Birmingham County Club. Family room opens to deck with pergola.

Sleek lower level.

Ginny Fisher realtor 248.593.0518 gfisher@hallandhunter.com

BLOOMFIELD VILLAGE | $1,099,000 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 1 Half Baths 3,809 Square Feet MLS# 214066515

Beautifully renovated with style and grace on a lovely 3/4 acre garden setting, this gracious home features a serene 1st floor master retreat with dual baths, fireplace and oversized walk-in closet. The spacious rooms are light-filled with French doors opening across the back of the house onto a expansive patio. Charming island kitchen with built-in china cabinet and marble counters. Newer windows, amazing closet space, oversized storage areas in garage and much more.

- NEW PRICE -

BLOOMFIELD HILLS | $1,699,000 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 2 Half Baths 4,800 Square Feet MLS# 214050438

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Pristine executive retreat in private gated enclave on ravine setting. Total of 7000+ square feet.

Renovated Millennium cherry kitchen opens to family room. Finished walkout LL with possible 5th bedroom. Lower paver terraces. 4-car garage

BLOOMFIELD HILLS | $775,000 5 Bedrooms 4 Full, 2 Half Baths 3,848 Square Feet MLS# 214094931

Large, beautifully landscaped private setting deep in sub. Light-filled great room opens to 2012 patio renovation with stone amphitheater-style seating.

Chef ’s kitchen. Expansive master suite. Wine cellar in finished lower level. 3-car garage.

iew Ginny’s listings at Vginnyfisherhomes.com

442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Cheryl Riback

associate broker,

ABR, SRES

248.808.3112 criback@hallandhunter.com

3819 LAPLAYA LANE | ORCHARD LAKE | $3,300,000 4 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 6,148 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 214079844

The splendor of lake living in this prime estate on 2.53 acres with 150’ frontage on Upper Straits Lake. Boat/finished guest house. Beautiful views from the new open cook’s kitchen and family room that leads into a sun room. Extensive landscaping, generator, art studio and second sun room in walkout lower level leading to a patio. Amazing master suite with fireplace, office and lake views. 3-car garage. Live like you’re on vacation all year round!

4796 DOW RIDGE ROAD | ORCHARD LAKE | $1,950,000 3 Bedrooms 4 Full Baths 4,069 Square Feet MLS# 214075151

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Sitting high on an expansive 2.59 acres, this remarkable estate offers 150 feet of frontage and magnificent views of Cass Lake from every room! A long driveway leads you through the property to the private and secluded home with a 1st floor master suite and large kitchen with walk-in pantry. Full footprint lower level and 1st floor laundry. Enjoy this prestigious property as-is, or tear down and build the home of your dreams with plenty of room for a pool or tennis court.

cheryl’s listings at V iew hallandhunter.com

442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Hardy Lanie Cosgrove realtor

248.703.1105 lcosgrove@hallandhunter.com

BLOOMFIELD VILLAGE | $1,495,000 4 Bedrooms 4 Full, 1 Half Baths 4,308 Square Feet MLS# 214037446

A park-like, private lot–just under a half acre– surrounds this 2010 renovated charmer. Custom gourmet kitchen with marble and professional grade stainless steel appliances. Lower level rec room and bath. Heated garage with storage.

BLOOMFIELD VILLAGE | $799,000 4 Bedrooms 3 Full, 3 Half Baths 3,372 Square Feet MLS# 214080480

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Rare 1st floor master with doorwall leading to almost 1/2 acre, private park-like lot. Numerous updates thoughout, including John Morgan cherry/granite kitchen adjacent to family room.

1st floor laundry. Finished 30’ x 15’ rec room.

BIRMINGHAM | $1,299,000 6 Bedrooms 4 Full, 2 Half Baths 4,600 Square Feet MLS# 214096338

Landmark Quarton Lake Estates beauty on 1.5 lots.

Covered porches, including a rear screened porch with marble floors. Updated kitchen. Master with fireplace and balcony. Private in-ground pool with removable child safe fencing. 3-car garage.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS | $499,000 3 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 2,821 Square Feet MLS# 214083430

Lovely raised ranch offers spectacular master with vaulted ceiling. Kitchen with stainless steel, granite, wet bar and sitting area with fireplace joins family room. Lower level rec room. Located across street from neighborhood commons area.

iew Lanie’s listings at Vhallandhunter.com

442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Baker and Lynn Deby Gannes 248.379.3000 CHRISTIE’S INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE

lbaker@hallandhunter.com

248.379.3003 dgannes@hallandhunter.com

Celebrate Fall in a New Home! free

interested in selling? Call us today for a

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP $1,975,000 4 Bedrooms 5 Full, 2 Half Baths 9,712 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 214060197

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP $1,850,000

Almost one acre backing to 4 Bedrooms 15th fairway of the Wyngate 4 Full, 2 Half Baths Golf Club. Open floor 8,206 Total Sq. Ft. plan with many upgrades.

MLS# 214071690 Walkout LL. 6-car garage.

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP $1,199,999 5 Bedrooms 4 Full, 2 Half Baths 7,998 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 214039418

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5 Bedrooms 4 Full, 2 Half Baths 7,504 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 214089185

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP $1,199,900

Moceri/Tringali custom 4 Bedrooms home on nearly an acre.

5 Full, 2 Half Baths Views of pool, woods & 7,672 Total Sq. Ft. terrace. Amazing master.

MLS# 214068444 Walkout LL. Saltwater pool.

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP $999,500

Half-acre+ site with views of private pond and conservation area. Master suite with exercise/bonus room. Walkout lower level.

market analysis.

One of the best lots in Goodison Place backing to woods and Wyngate Golf Club. 1st floor master.

Walkout LL. 4-car garage.

OXFORD TOWNSHIP NEW PRICE | $564,000

Popular Kingsridge sub.

4 Bedrooms Manicured English gardens 4 Full, 1 Half Baths and views of pond with 5,177 Total Sq. Ft. waterfall. Spectacular MLS# 214073754 master suite. 4-car garage.

Private cul-de-sac backing to woods. 1st floor master suite. Spectacular finished walkout LL with exercise & theatre rooms. 3-car garage.

iew Lynn and Deby’s listings at

LynnandDeby.com

442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

ark L. Bess M248.425.3778 mbess@hallandhunter.com

Impastato Sal248.763.2223 simpastato@hallandhunter.com

S realtor

Call Sal or Mark for a market analysis a staging consultation on your home. aland Impastato 248.763.2223 simpastato @hallandhunter.com

- SOLD IN 2 DAYS -

- GREAT VALUE -

BLOOMFIELD HILLS $1,399,000 5 Bedrooms 5 Full, 2 Half Baths 6,578 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 214080741

Desirable “Little San 3 Bedrooms Francisco” area. Gardens 3 Full, 1 Half Baths & walled courtyard. Up3,310 Total Sq. Ft. dated kitchen. Space above MLS# 214096024 garage ready to finish.

Renovated condo with 1st floor master & walkout LL in gated complex. Vaulted great room leads to private deck. Granite kitchen.

- NEW LISTING -

- NEW LISTING -

BLOOMFIELD HILLS $395,000

BIRMINGHAM $315,000

BLOOMFIELD HILLS $285,000

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Spectacular 2.2-acre hilltop 4 Bedrooms setting. Updated kitchen.

2 Full, 1 Half Baths Private master with marble 2,062 Square Feet bath. Finished walkout MLS# 214082799 lower level opens to pool.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS $425,000

- NEW LISTING -

2 Bedrooms 3 Full, 1 Half Baths 2,448 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 214090050

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Updated townhouse boasts walkout LL with potential for 3rd bedroom. Living/ dining room opens to deck overlooking ravine.

3 Bedrooms 2 Full Baths 1,844 Square Feet MLS# 214054706

Endless possibilites on large 80’ x 203’ lot siding to wooded ravine. Eat-in kitchen. Full basement and attached garage.

3 Bedrooms 1 Full, 1 Half Baths 1,979 Total Sq. Ft. MLS# 214092562

Sal and Mark’s Listings at V iewhallandhunter.com

Walkout brick ranch on beautiful quiet lot in Foxcroft. Mid-century feel.

Spacious living/dining room. 3-car garage.

442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

Hill Susanrealtor 248.225.1399 shill@hallandhunter.com

- SALE PENDING -

CITY OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS | $339,000 3 Bedrooms 3 Full Baths 1,289 Square Feet MLS# 214080424

Quiet cul-de-sac location with updated baths and kitchen. Family room opens onto an expansive deck with pergola. Beautifully landscaped private yard. Updates include new HVAC in 2008 and tear-off roof in 2002. Birmingham Schools.

- SOLD -

BEVERLY HILLS | $359,000

BLOOMFIELD TWP. | $185,000

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4 Bedrooms 2 Full, 1 Half Baths 2,674 Square Feet MLS# 214080443

- SALE PENDING 4 Bedrooms 3 Full Baths 2,513 Square Feet MLS# 214081338

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Beautifully renovated ranch condo in desirable Cranbrook Manor. Updated granite kitchen with counter seating. Living room overlooks a spacious, very private backyard with Trex deck. Partiallyfinished daylight LL with possible 4th bedroom.

BLOOMFIELD VILLAGE | $599,000

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Bright & sunny home on 1/2 acre nestled deep in desirable Westwood Estates. Beautifully refinished hardwood floors and spacious family room that opens onto back patio. Partially finished basement. Many updates. Birmingham schools.

2 Bedrooms 2 Full Baths 1,457 Square Feet MLS# 214068430

Newly renovated end-unit ranch condo in popular Rolling Acres. Located deep in the complex overlooking a beautiful 5-acre pond. New granite/ stainless kitchen. 1st floor master. Great location, plus award-winning Bloomfield Hills Schools.

iew Susan’s listings at Vhallandhunter.com

442 South Old Woodward Avenue | Birmingham, Michigan 48009

RENEE LOSSIA ACHO

EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN AGENT AND AN EXPERT

TOP PRODUCER | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

Consistently ranked as an area top producer since 2005, Renee has generated over $200 million in real estate sales and is recognized by Hour Detroit Magazine, Crain’s Detroit Business and the Wall Street Journal/ Real Trends as being one of the top 1% of realtors nationally.

Dedicated to continuously exceeding expectations, Renee has developed an expertise not only in the purchase and sale of homes, but in architecture, design and development as well. This unique, comprehensive and consultative approach is something her clients value greatly and is a primary reason they choose to work with her. She and her staff work diligently to ensure a seamless process from consultation to closing. Contact Renee anytime and experience for yourself the difference between an agent and an expert.

INDUS TRY AC HIEVEMENTS • Wall Street Journal/Real Trends Top Agent 2011, 2012, 2013 • Hour Detroit Magazine Real Estate All Star 2011, 2012, 2013 • Women’s Council of Realtors’ 2013 “Entrepreneur of the Year” • Area Top Producer Since 2005 • GMAR Ethics Board Member • Birmingham Bloomfield Realtor Network Founding Member • Bank of Michigan Board Member

Renee Lossia Acho 248.310.1414 renee@reneeacho.com ReneeAcho.com

442 S. Old Woodward Ave. | Birmingham, MI

OPENING THE ONLINE WORLD TO STUDENTS TEACHING ON THEIR TERMS TO PREPARE FOR INCREASED LEARNING AND CAREERS

BY LISA BRODY

arents and teachers, at least those over 30, tend to be in universal agreement over one thing: our children know way more about computers and technology, by and large, than we do. As the technological landscape continues to evolve and metamorphose into new and interesting ways, so too do the opportunities to educate our kids that will allow them to operate, both educationally and in their future workplaces, in the landscape of the 21st century.

With hardly a student left who doesn’t spend most of their time on a computer, tablet or smartphone, schools are looking at ways of teaching them on their terms. Yet while they can text, play games and connect with one another on their devices, they’re not necessarily utilizing technology in manners that allow them to effectively communicate, research, effectively write for school and an ultimate career, nor to link with others though virtual groups, which can lead to unique teamwork and collaborative skills. Online education can, and does, offer these opportunities. It can open up the world to some students in ways a traditional classroom may not.

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While every educator and administrator will emphasize that the most effective way for most children to learn is between students, their fellow students and an excellent teacher, they also acknowledge that not every pupil learns the same way. Some students need more than what is available in a traditional classroom. Others kids have trouble sitting still in a formal setting and need the freedom of flexible learning. There are some students who have part time jobs, others with heavy extracurriculars, who cannot take a full course load, even in high school. And there are some children who are felled by illness who have to be out of school for a lengthy period of time, or parents who may be home schooling their children, but are seeking outside stimulation. For all of these students and those interested in a new way of learning, there are now online learning opportunities. he Michigan Department of Education in 2006 developed an online learning requirement consistent with a core requirement in the U.S. Department of Education’s 2005 National Education Technology Plan.

According to the plan, schools must “provide every student access to e-learning.”

In the 2006 plan, a part of the Michigan Merit Curriculum guidelines, for online experience emphasizes, “It is clearly an opportunity for Michigan high schools to effectively use technologies in ways that provide successful ‘online learning experiences’ that truly prepare learners for the future. Online learning should include a combination of technologies to create an experience that replicates real world data gathering and application required in business and industry; thus preparing students with the skills needed for learning in the 21st century.

“The goal for educators and policy makers is to provide high quality integrated online learning experiences that will engage and challenge today’s high school students.

Today, technology plays an integral role in the workplace and at home. It is important that students in grades K-12 and state-approved career and technical education programs must have experiences where the teacher makes extensive use of available online resources and communication strategies. To support these state guidelines, local educational agencies are encouraged to develop local standards and legal and ethical guidelines by working collaboratively with parents, students, educators and community groups. In addition, school districts should provide support systems, policy, and knowledgeable professional educators to guide students through an online learning experience.”

To achieve these goals, the Michigan state legislature, from a total $15 billion education budget, allocated $5 million out of its

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education omnibus appropriations budget to create the Michigan Virtual University for online learning and support. The legislation, Public Act 60 of 2013, allows students in grades 5 through 12 who are enrolled in a Michigan public district or public school academy, but not a full-time cyber academy, to take up to two online courses per academic term with the consent of their parent or guardian.

Updated state legislation of the State School Aid Act of 1979, amended effective October 1, 2014, allocates $9.4 million to Michigan Virtual University. The goal, the legislation’s language states, is to support and accelerate innovation in education through testing, evaluating and the recommendation of appropriate new technology-based instructional tools and resources. School districts are also required to research, design and recommend digital education delivery models for use by pupils and teachers that include age-appropriate multimedia instructional content, as well as research, design and recommend competency-based online assessments.

Cyber schools and online course providers must be monitored and evaluated annually to meet department criteria, as well as to ensure a quality education for students, according to the legislation. Further, based on pupil completion and performance data reported to the state, there must be an analysis of the effectiveness of the online course providers operating in Michigan to determine how well they are preparing students for college and career-readiness. Districts are encouraged to share their information with the intermediate school districts, the governor and the legislature. The legislation requires the report to be submitted to the responsible state departments no later than December 1, 2014.

An ultimate goal is to research and establish an Internet-based platform that educators can use to create student-centric learning tools and resources and facilitate a user network that will help educators across the state in using the network.

The Michigan Merit Curriculum defined online learning as “a structured learning activity that utilizes technology with Intranet/ Internet-based tools and resources as the delivery method for instruction, research, assessment and communication.”

How different school districts and independent schools interpret the mandate to provide online opportunities vary across the state, as well as across Oakland County, from offering the ability to access a few classes online in Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills, to full digital learning academies in Ferndale and Oxford. Some private schools have limited offerings, while others, such as Cranbrook Schools, are a pioneer in online education.

“Our philosophy is that we believe what is best for kids is to be with our teachers in our classrooms, learning with us and with their

peers,” said Dr. Joe Hoffman, assistant superintendent for instruction for Birmingham Public Schools. “However, we understand that kids have access to many resources and learn in many ways with many tools. We have many opportunities for online learning and online competencies.”

A key way Birmingham Schools is implementing online learning is via blended learning. Traditional blended learning is where students are in class part of the time and then other time is blended with some outside learning, perhaps with time spent at other resources.

“In Birmingham, we approach learning in class part of the time blended with learning outside of class, where some of that learning might be online; some may be collaborating with groups of other students, or with community members. It’s just a bit of a broader definition of blended learning,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman said the district’s definition was derived by getting a group of teachers from Seaholm and Groves high schools together with central administrators “in order to develop our district’s definition of online learning. Online learning means different things to different people.” Another way they’re experimenting with online learning is by “flipping” classrooms. It’s not a physical flip, but a way of flipping the instructional and homework portions of the day for students. “We’re experimenting with this with some Algebra 1 classes at Seaholm,” Hoffman said. “What we mean by that is students are viewing lessons created by their teachers online, but instead of doing this in class, they’re learning it online at home. Then, when they’re inside their classroom, they’re working on their homework, getting questions answered by their teachers. Teachers and students are solving problems together in class.” Hoffman said this format of “flipping” a classroom meets the state’s criteria of online learning because students receive information online prepackaged by their teacher. irmingham Groves Principal Cathy Hurley said that for the past five years the district has also offered online classes through the Michigan Virtual Academy for students needing credit recovery. “In Birmingham, students need 28 credit hours to graduate. Some students struggle to understand the seriousness of school, and sometimes in the ninth and tenth grade years, they don’t pass their courses,” she said. “We’ve used credit recovery for them. For example, we’ll do Algebra 1 with them (online) to recover that credit because it’s a (state) required course to graduate.”

Hurley said that some highly academic students also have chosen to take a course from the state catalogue. “Some high level single section classes are only offered once a

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day, and they may conflict, such as Japanese 5 and AP Physics. So they take it through the state catalogue through Michigan Virtual University,” she said. The virtual university has proven to be an ideal option for medically fragile students “who can’t handle a full day of classes but want to graduate on time. It’s very individualized. They will sit down with their counselors to choose their classes based on fulfilling their graduation requirements.” The ability to work on their own time schedule is another bonus. et, out of a school district with 1,300 students, Hurley said that only 12 to 20 students a year are taking advantage of the opportunities available with online courses. “It’s very insignificant here right now, because people want their students to be in our classes with our teachers,” Hurley stated. “Birmingham Schools allows students to take 15 classes a year because we’re on trimesters, which allows for more choices, so I think there’s less need for online options.”

Bloomfield Hills Schools has a similar approach to Birmingham Schools, where, according to district spokesperson Shira Good, they don’t have their own online school, “but allow students to take classes that are teacher-led and available through the state catalog. We use the catalog at micourses.org to choose course for our students. Many of these courses are through the Michigan Virtual High School (Academy),” she said.

West Bloomfield Schools began a pilot program the second semester of last year’s school year of teaching hybrid classes for some Advanced Placement (AP) classes, where each course requires a portion of the class to be online.

“We do not offer solely online classes.

Instead we offer students a sampling of hybrid classes,” said West Bloomfield High School social studies teacher Katherine Law, who is teaching a hybrid AP world history class. “In our hybrid model, we have mandatory class on Mondays, and then ‘hybrid’ classes on our block days. During mandatory Mondays, teachers touch base with the whole class in a traditional group setting. Often teachers will use this time to engage in group discussions, give tests, conduct labs and assign essays.”

She further explained, “During a hybrid day, students may elect not to attend class and instead do their work at home. Students who need remediation are required to attend hybrid days at the teacher’s discretion, alongside students who choose to attend to get one-onone help.”

West Bloomfield piloted their hybrid program with five classes last year; finding success, they have grown the program to nine this year, with classes including AP chemistry, AP biology, AP government, AP engineering, AP music theory and AP world literature. To permit greater student scheduling flexibility, the classes are at either the beginning or end

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of the day, letting the students either arrive late or leave early.

“Students are expected to use this time off to work on their hybrid assignments, however, realistically they can work on their hybrid assignments at any time, day or night,” Law noted. “And this flexibility is really a major advantage to our students.”

The Walled Lake Consolidated School District was an early adopter of online classes, or as Mark Hess, executive director of instruction, technology and assessment, said, “We were one of the first. A lot of districts looked at us like guinea pigs. We’ve been at this online stuff for about 12 years.”

While Hess noted that they originally didn’t have a huge offering of online courses, which has expanded, “It absolutely fills the needs for certain students. Some people need that faceto-face interactive class time. Others do better independently, online. Not everyone works well 8 to 3. Some high school students have jobs, or want to take classes that we don’t offer, like Mandarin Chinese, or biomedical engineering, that we cannot fill. But we want to offer the opportunity for enrichment.”

Walled Lake Schools offers online courses predominately through Edgenuity’s E-2020 program, as well as some through Michigan Virtual University.

There are other students, as well, who benefit from online classes, Hess said. “Maybe they took Algebra II, and failed it or got a D,” he said. Online classes, he said, are essential for credit recovery. “Many students want to graduate on time, but they struggled a semester, so they retake it online. Then, often the kids are very successful. Maybe they’re in a better place.”

Hess said the district feels it is part of their goal in educating all students in their quest for success. “We feel it’s our obligation to provide opportunities for all kinds of learners.

Not every student will be successful, but we keep trying things out to try to help all kids.

Whatever it takes, whether it’s brick and mortar seats, online classes, working with families, counseling. It’s constant. We don’t want anyone to fall through the cracks.”

During the school year, online courses are free to enrolled students. Students can take up to five hours of classes, with course offerings rotating as they finish a course. During the summer, there is a fee of $100 for a student to take an online course, in order to pay for the licensing of the software and to bring in a teacher, Hess explained. “Our system does not leave them alone. We require them to come in a couple of times a week to meet with a teacher. There are checkpoints along the way, where they have to review with a teacher a couple of hours a week. Same during the year.

They review their work and their test scores.”

Enrolled students are offered time in the computer lab in the school in order to work independently. “It’s part of the schedule,” Hess said.

Ferndale Schools has gone a different route,

opening three years ago an alternative high school, called the Digital Learning Center, that is open to any high school student in any county for no cost. “It’s an open school,” said district spokesperson Bill Good.

“It follows the traditional school calendar to a degree,” he said, in that students come in during the first few weeks of the school year and end in June. “Once they show that they’re responsible, we issue them a laptop and an air card (which goes inside a laptop in order to access 4G wireless Internet), in order to allow them to access the Internet anywhere.” Good said that they provide many of their students with these tools, as many come from more disadvantaged backgrounds.

Unlike a traditional high school, the Digital Learning Center doesn’t have traditional semesters. “They go at their own pace, fast or slow,” Good said. “Because as an alternative high school, we try to remove any barriers you traditionally have to learning. We’re trying to make it as easy as possible for these students to learn.” nlike many other school districts which depend upon courses offered from the state catalog of courses, the Digital Learning Center’s entire curriculum was developed by Ferndale Schools staff, other than their physical education courses, which they acquired from Brigham Young University. They currently offer 26 courses, with everything a high school student requires to graduate, other than foreign language classes. Students are offered five classes at a time for them to check out, and once they finish those, no matter how quickly or how long it takes them, they can choose another five. Academic pace managers, similar to a traditional teacher, work with students on any problems they may encounter, in the format the student prefers, whether in person, by e-mail, or by cell phone.

Good said that many do come into the brick and mortar building, which is located in a separate building from the district’s high school.

“We don’t have any foreign language classes, but we will honor those if they’re taken somewhere else,” Good said. “When a student finishes with the program at the Digital Learning Center, they graduate with a high school diploma from Ferndale Schools, not a GED, and that’s a huge draw.”

High school students are not the only ones who have options for online education.

Oakland Schools, the county’s intermediate school district, has worked to develop a consortium of 57 school districts across Oakland, Wayne, Lapeer, Washtenaw, Livingston and Genesee counties participating in a virtual learning academy for K-8 students.

In Oakland County, 22 of 28 districts participate, including Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Royal Oak, Troy, Rochester, Southfield,

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Huron Valley, Walled Lake, Waterford, and West Bloomfield, all at no cost to students or their family.

“Students enroll in their home district or partner district, if their home district is not a participant,” said Carol Klenow, program administrator for Oakland Schools’ Virtual Learning Academy. “From that point on, their district sends them to us and we provide them with a Calvert curriculum, which provides them with a computer and Internet access, if needed, so no child is not able to participate. We provide a Michigan certified teacher throughout the year as a mentor, and the parent (or guardian) is a critical participant as a learning guide on site, providing guidance on site overseeing their education.” ore than half of those utilizing the Virtual Learning Academy are students being home schooled. “The idea (for Virtual Learning Academy) originally came from a group of superintendents who knew that they had families home schooling their children who needed guidance and lessons,” Klenow said. There are also a number of students who are training to be elite athletes, and traditional classrooms don’t fit their schedules. “Day-to-day lessons are so well planned that they can work this into their day. They don’t miss any of their grade standards.”

Other students utilizing the online academy are for health-related reasons “who cannot attend school every day. They can maintain their curriculum with the needed flexibility as to when the learning takes place.”

Currently, about 325 students are enrolled, which begins through their website in April through late August. “Some parents home school their children all through high school. Other students transition back to traditional schools,” Klenow said.

She said teachers communicate with students by phone, e-mail or live webinars, but never live classroom delivery of lessons. Together, teachers and parents help students learn and access the digital content. “There are instructions and games, and assessments along the way. Teachers monitor check points along the way. Student performance is checked as assessments at various points,” Klenow said.

In order to develop appropriate curriculums, Oakland Schools worked with district providers to determine what is being taught at area neighborhood schools. “Parents can be assured standards are being maintained,” Klenow said.

Some private schools have also gotten into the online class game.

Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills was a founding member school, along with The Dalton School in New York, Sidwell Friends School in Washington DC, and Head-Royce School in Oakland, CA, in creating Global Online Academy four years ago, which offers world-class online classes to independent schools students worldwide taught by faculty within the consortium.

“It’s a way to broaden the curriculum and offer more, for us as well as our students,” said Laurie Pullen, coordinator for connected learning at Cranbrook.

“More and more students at an upper level, they will take some online course work, which is just growing. It’s why we need to think about it if we’re a college preparatory school. In a global world, it’s not enough to use technology in the classroom. It’s how you use technology in a work environment. By teaching students now, we’re helping them for college and beyond in using technology.”

Global Online Academy focuses on a range of elective courses, supporting the core curriculum, and are taught by faculty members at various member independent schools, of which there are currently about 50 participating.

Currently, a Cranbrook teacher is teaching an English course and another is offering a professional development course. Courses cover the spectrum, from the graphic novel and game theory to bioethics, from abnormal psychology and medical problem solving to app design. Approximately 20 courses are offered each semester.

Because Cranbrook is part of the consortium, students receive a letter grade and credit posted to their transcripts.

“One of the benefits is that students participate on their own timetable,” Pullen said. “It allows them time in the day to be flexible, and they can manage their own time. Also, all of the courses require group projects, so they are working with students from around the world, and they find that really, really cool.”

“For the right student, online classes are a useful tool for learning,” noted Birmingham Schools’ Hoffman. “As students are going on to higher education, more and more are learning the importance of an online component for skill development.”

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Victoria Laurie ike many authors, Victoria Laurie still remembers the day she decided she would leave the 9 to 5 world behind and devote her time to writing books.

“I didn’t really understand what it took to write a book or get published,” said the former project manager. “I had just read ‘Stephanie Plum’, and she sounded so much like me. I called my sister and told her I was going to write a book. She said, ‘good luck with that.’

Laid off from her job, Laurie, a Bloomfield resident, said she spent the winter writing her first book in a 12-part “Psychic Eye” series featuring her Abby Cooper character. Following instructions in a “how to get published” book she found, Laurie submitted her work to about 120 agents. All but one said no.

“I signed with my agent in 2003, and by the next year I had a three-book deal with Penguin (Books),” she said. “Knowing what I know now, I’m not sure I would do it. You have a .03-percent chance of getting published and making a living at it. I didn’t have any writing experience, and no background in creative writing. I was just really naive enough to give it a go, and got incredibly lucky.”

Today, Laurie, a Birmingham native who went to Seaholm High School, has published more than 25 books, and is constantly working on additional books, such as the one she finished just before speaking with Downtown Publications.

“It’s coming out in January,” she said. “I initially wrote it in two weeks, but it was in my head for a few years” she said about her latest manuscript. “It

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was a solid six to eight hours of typing a day. Not terrible, but it wasn’t fun.”

The young adult book, as with all of Laurie’s books, take readers along on a sort of paranormal mystery. This particular book features a high school student named Maddie Flynn who is able to tell the exact date of people’s death. It’s a topic that Laurie knows well, as she has also worked as a professional psychic throughout her career.

“I’ve done readings on nights and weekends for years,” she said. “I’ve cut down because writing is such a time suck. Three or four books a year is pretty intense. I really do enjoy it. It’s fun. Doing readings for people is a blast.”

Laurie said she felt she had a special intuition at a young age. Over the years, she began doing psychic readings on the telephone.

“You’re just sensing energy, because it flows,” she said. “If something isn’t going to happen, I feel the energy stop, and if it is, I feel it keep moving. If someone says, ‘I’m going to get promoted’, and I see a green light in my head, I think it will happen. It took some years to do it.”

While Laurie says she has a skill for reading people, she said she’s often surprised, and pleased, by the age group that enjoys her books, which often ranges from 25 to 55. And while she said she might like to slow her publishing schedule down in the future, she’s got too many stories to stop.

“I love taking readers to the point where they are really freaked out and scared, and then making them laugh on the next page,” she said. “I like taking my readers through that roller coaster.”

Story: Kevin Elliott

Photo: Laurie Tennent

ince our conversion to Sotheby’s 8 years ago SKBK has realized steady growth in our market share throughout the area.

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hether it’s a way of seeking popularity or a way of rebelling against parents, the teenage house party has been viewed as almost a rite of passage for high school students for decades. But a tougher stance on underage drinking and the possible risks associated with such gatherings could spell trouble for students and their parents in Oakland County, who condone or take part in such actions.

In the past, the term “house party” may have conjured scenes from a 1980’s John Hughes’ movie where hundreds of rowdy teens flock to a fellow student’s home and proceeded to drink and party to excess. Stained carpets, damaged furniture and trampled lawns were the best case scenario. At worst, someone could be injured in a fight, suffer alcohol poisoning, or even be killed in a car crash after leaving the party.

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Looking to cut down on such scenarios, many law enforcement agencies and municipal leaders have pushed for and enacted local ordinances targeting house parties, and parents who permit them, in order to hold them accountable under criminal laws.

“Having gone through the process of being charged with Open House Party in today’s world, my recommendation to parents is to not take the risk of letting your children have supervised parties in your home,” Bloomfield Hills parent Kimberly DelGrosso said in a statement through her attorney, Shawn Patrick Smith. “Even if you are unaware that the kids in your home are drinking, drunk or using any other type of substances, and even if the other kids bring these items into your home without your knowledge, you will still be charged with Open House Party and/or Contributing to the Delinquency of Minors.”

DelGrosso first experienced the repercussions of the Bloomfield Hills ordinance in 2013 when police received a 911 call about a teenaged girl passed out at the home. By the time police arrived at the home, the girl had already been picked up by her mother, and most of the other kids at the home had slipped out before police entered. Once inside, police officers found obvious signs of a party, including another girl who appeared to be under the influence, according to a September 8, 2013 police report.

DelGrosso told Bloomfield Hill police that she was aware her son was having friends over, but was unaware they were drinking any form of alcohol. She also told police she checked on the kids and provided them pizza, but didn’t notice any signs of them drinking. She further told police that when her son has parties, she normally collects the keys from kids and administers breath tests before they leave to make sure they haven’t been drinking.

Despite the claims, DelGrosso was cited for open house party and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She pleaded no contest to the house party charge, and the contributing to the delinquency of a minor was dropped. She was the placed on probation for six months, according to court records.

Although that incident should have been the end of the issue for DelGrosso, she found herself on the defense again in June 2014, when Bloomfield Hills police were again called to her home on a report of minors drinking alcohol at her home. According to the police report, a friend of one of her sons’ had come to the home on May 30 instead of attending swim practice. The student brought his own alcohol, which he drank prior to DelGrosso coming home, according to Smith, who represented DelGrosso during a trial at the 48th District Court, where she was found not guilty of violating the house party ordinance and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Police had sought to have DelGrosso charged with a harsher felony crime of child neglect, but the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office rejected such a charge, thus allowing her to be charged under the local house party ordinance. She was found not guilty in a jury trial.

“When push came to shove and (the child) was going to get into trouble, he blamed her,” Smith said about the trial. “Maybe they couldn’t trust the story.”

Smith said the teen caught drinking at the home had acquired

his own alcohol without DelGrosso knowledge, and had drunk it prior to her coming home. However, he said the law was attempting to hold DelGrosso responsible.

“We presented a case that said, just because some parents are doing their job, we don’t have to be parents for every kid that comes over to the house,” Smith said. “Every kid who disregards parents, or lies to them and goes to someone else’s house and does what they were told not to do – then we are responsible? That’s not what the law is set up to do.”

The Bloomfield Hills ordinance that regulates the use of alcoholic beverages at open house parties carries the same penalty as most local ordinances addressing house parties and underage drinking, which includes a fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment in the county jail for a term not to exceed 30 days, or both. A subsequent violation, also a misdemeanor, is punishable by a fine of up to $500 and/or a jail term not to exceed 90 days.

The majority of municipal ordinances in Oakland County prescribe a maximum fine of $500, while Michigan’s social hosting laws cap the total at $1,000, with up to 30 days imprisonment for a first offense and 90 days for a subsequent offense.

Bloomfield Township Police Capt. Phil Langmeyer said large house parties aren’t as common as they were about a decade ago. One reason for the change, he said, may be from educational efforts law enforcement and other groups are making. In total, the department issued eight open house party citations in 2013 and three so far in 2014.

“If the parents don’t know about it, the kid is going to be issued a violation. Under the ordinance, the minor would be issued the ticket,” Langmeyer said. “If the parents are there and they know it is going on, there are criminal sanctions. Then the parents would get the ticket.”

Under the Bloomfield Hills ordinance, possession or use of alcohol or drugs by minors is prohibited. Further, the ordinance states that “no adult having control of any residence or premises shall allow an open house party to take place at the residence or premises if any alcoholic beverage or drug is possessed or consumed at the residence by any minor where the adult know or reasonably should have known that any alcoholic beverage or drugs was in the possession or being consumed by a minor at said residence or premises, and where the adult failed to take reasonable steps to prevent the possession or consumption of the alcoholic beverage or drug at the residence or premises.”

The Bloomfield Hills ordinance, as do other local and state ordinances on the issue, define residence or premises as a hotel or motel room, home, apartment, condominium or other dwelling unit.

Other municipal ordinances, such as Birmingham’s, specifically state the purpose and reason behind the ordinance.

“The city determines that alcohol and controlled substance use by persons under 21 should be regulated,” the ordinance reads.

“Unregulated use creates serious social problems, including but not limited to injury and harm to persons and property caused by vehicles operated by persons less than 21 years of age under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances, disturbances of the peace, and other devastating effects upon minor and the public at large.

“It is further determined that the regulation of house parties

PEOPLE WHO OWN HOUSES HAVE BEEN EDUCATED ABOUT THE LIABILITY, BOTH CRIMINALLY AND CIVILLY

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involving alcohol and controlled substance use by persons less than 21 from attending such parties will significantly reduce the incidence of problems attributed to alcohol and controlled substance use by persons less than 21 years of age.”

It would appear, by the reasons stated alone, that open house party ordinances would be helpful to youth and parents. However, Smith said some of the ordinances are vague. While penalties for violating the ordinance are the same in each community, and align with state law, some ordinances appear to better define terms of the law than others. For instance, the definition of “allowing” a house party may be unclear in some communities.

Under the Birmingham ordinance, to “allow” a house party is defined as giving permission for, or approval of, possession or consumption of an alcoholic liquor or controlled substance by any of the following means: in writing; by one or more statements; by any form or conduct including failing to take corrective action that would cause a reasonable person to believe that permission or approval has been given.

On the other hand, Bloomfield Hills’ local open house party ordinance isn’t as clear about certain definitions.

“Criminally, you have to have knowledge of it,” Birmingham Police Commander Terry Kiernan said about criminal liability under the local ordinance. “Criminally, they can’t be charged if they aren’t aware. But civilly, they are responsible for their child, so they are still responsible.

There is some vicarious liability attached there. If their kid has a party, and something tragic occurs, (the parent) is going to be held responsible civilly.”

In other words, a parent may not be criminally liable for allowing a party if a child hosts it without their permission. However, they may be responsible in a civil lawsuit resulting from a party.

Under Michigan law, a person who sells or furnishes alcohol to a minor may be held accountable for damages that occur as a result of that alcohol.

The law, also known as the Dram Shop Act, is the same civil law that allows bartenders or shop owners to be held liable for serving an already

intoxicated person if they inflict damages to another person as a result of the purchase, legal or not.

“We don’t really run across too much of that anymore,” Kiernan said, of large house parties. “I think people have become educated about that, and people who own houses have been educated about the liability, both criminally and civilly.

“Back when I was hired on in the 1980s, the first couple of years there would be parties with 300 to 500 kids at a house. We would have to call the department for backup. It would be wild. Whoever owned the house, I always felt sorry for them. It would be trashed.”

Kiernan said the opportunity today for parties to grow out of control is even greater, as teens are better connected to each other with social media and cell phones. Through such channels, he said, it’s easy for word of a party to spread and quickly get out of control. Despite the technology, he said it appears such parties have decreased.

“Little Jimmy’s parents would go out of town, and then he would have a party,” Kiernan said. “Word of mouth traveled, and there would be more than 100 people. Now it’s usually about 20 to 25 people when we see them. We had maybe one in the past few years where an adult was there and knew there was alcohol.”

According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), about 10.8 million young people, or about 28.3 percent, ages 12 to 20, reported drinking alcohol in the past month, according to a 2006 study. About 19 percent admitted to binge drinking, and 6.2 percent reported being heavy drinkers. Those numbers, according to MADD, have stayed about the same since 2002. MADD also states that adolescent drinkers perform worse in school, are more likely to fall behind and have increased social problems, depression and suicidal thoughts. Yet, the organization states parents are the most common supplier of alcohol to those under 21, and parents are the primary influencer of teens.

When parents do get involved with hosting a party where alcohol is being furnished to minors, Kiernan said most police department’s typically aren’t aware of them because they are probably kept under tighter control.

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“If you’re a parent and stupid enough to do that, I hope you’re smart enough to contain it in your house,” he said. “The only time we come across it is if someone calls and complains. They are crazy to do it. As a parent, I don’t think you can take that responsibility of another child. If your kid makes a dumb mistake, you are going to pay for it. If you allow them to drink in your house, and they sneak out and get hit by a car and killed – who do you think that is going to come back on?”

In addition to criminal and civil lawsuits, teens caught at underage house parties may face other problems.

“The prosecutor makes it a point to go to area schools – this year already we have been presenting every other day – and that’s one of the things she talks about,” said Oakland County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Paul Walton. “There are consequences to parties, sexting, making threats online, and underage drinking. Even if you don’t go to jail, there are serious consequences that can result. In Michigan, the rates for scholarships and college admissions are very competitive. Administrators now run background checks, so if you have two students applying and one has a record, you can have realistic consequences.”

While Walton said there are some parents who think it’s all right for older teens to drink under their supervision so that they don’t drive or leave afterward, he said it’s often those parents who end up in trouble or visit their children in jail in later years.

“We get a lot of parents saying “we aren’t the cool parents,” and the ones down the street have all these underage kids over,” he said. “We tell them that if they think something is going on, report it. Do you really want the Department of Human Services to come in and do an investigation to see if you’re a fit parent or not?”

To assist parents, the Michigan state legislature has issued a guide for parental party hosting that offers tips to avoid alcohol and keeping it out of the hands of party guests.

According to the guide, parents should be at home and visible during a party. By doing so, it may stop their teen from being put in a vulnerable position of being taken advantage of by friends. Being present also

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provides parents the opportunity to meet their teens’ friends. Additional tips include not offering alcohol to guests under 21, and to be alert to the signs of alcohol or drugs. Guests who try to bring alcohol into a home should be asked to leave, as allowing them to stay may open the parent and child up to criminal and civil consequences. Be sure to set ground rules with teens prior to a party in order to voice concerns and expectations. Always have plenty of food and non-alcoholic beverages on hand, and plan activities for the party with your teen prior to the party.

It’s important to not allow guests who leave to return to the party. Be sure to limit the party’s attendance times, and to know who is expected at the party. Notify police when planning a large party, as it will protect you and your guests, as well as neighbors. Discuss with police an agreeable plan for guest parking.

In addition to tips for hosts, the guide recommends that parents with children attending a party know how they will get there and back home, and to discuss the possible situations when a teen might need to call home.

Still, despite knowledge of the law and tips to avoid trouble, the potential for trouble at a party may still be too much for some parents, and they may choose to avoid such parties altogether, as is the advice DelGrosso now gives, following her incidents.

“The laws are very strict today, especially and uniquely in Oakland County, where a lot of revenue is being generated by these types of charges,” she said. “Today is unlike the days when I was a teen and our parents would be able to allow us to have friends over. Back then, should things happen to get out of hand, the parents would be the ones to handle the disciplining. Now, the police and the court system are the parents.

“You actually are considered guilty and have to prove your innocence. It is extremely costly to go to trial and pay the fines and court costs involved, as well as time consuming. Jail time is a possible outcome for allowing kids to use your home to socialize. I advise against any type of parties in your homes.”

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FACES

Debra and Martin Darvick ongtime Birmingham resident Debra Darvick has been a freelance writer and journalist for three decades, but a new project involving inspirational greeting cards that she creates with her husband, Martin, is bringing the couple, and hopefully others, closer together.

“This is totally new,” Darvick said about the line of cards she and Martin create under the imprint, His Lens, My Pen. “Martin’s photos really strike me. They are beautiful, and there are views that I don’t always see. We see the world from different perspectives.”

It’s through their cards that the couple’s perspectives come together.

Going through a mountain of photos Martin has taken during the course of many years, Debra picks out ones she feels speak to her. She then adds her own words of wisdom to the photos, passing the finished product on to others.

“I love to take pictures when we travel, and I’ve taken a ton,” said Martin, a former finance attorney who retired from General Motors after 35 years. “She picks the ones that she thinks she can write about,” Martin said.

The cards can be found for purchase at the Gallery Shop of the Birmingham-Bloomfield Art Center in Birmingham, and viewed online at www.hislensmypen.com. Debra said the cards are expected to be available in the future at ArtLoft and Barbara’s Paper Bag, both in downtown Birmingham.

Martin said he doesn’t do anything to the photos except cropping and adjusting the lightness and darkness of the shots. Many of the photos, he

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said, were simply photos he took while on vacations that both he and Debra liked.

“Whenever we take shots, there is usually something in it,” he said. “I can’t say I consciously look for anything in particular. I just do what I do.

She is the one that puts the words to the photos.”

“It always starts with the image,” she said. “I see one that I think would be interesting, like a wonderful tree that was bent by the wind. I thought that one might be interesting about how you have to bend, but it didn’t turn out well. We had to bag that one.”

Debra said they want the cards to have a commercial quality, but still carry genuine sentiments about beauty and the connections and wisdom we share with each other. The cards are blank on the inside, allowing customers to write their own messages and use the photo and the original quote as inspiration. The writing, which averages about 20 words per card, is a far cry from the work Debra is used to doing for newspapers, magazines, or the two books she has written in the past.

“I’m hoping people can use my words and the image to come up with something on their own,” Debra said. “People freeze and think they can’t write, but they can use it as a jumping off point.

“They are really about beauty, connection and wisdom. The beauty of the photos, the connection between us and what we hope to inspire, and hopefully some wisdom from yours truly about relationships and life.”

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Commission rebuffs library panel plan

By Lisa Brody

aldwin Library Director Doug Koschik came before the Birmingham City Commission Monday, September 8, requesting to establish another joint committee to explore options on how to improve the library in a more fiscally conservative manner, and the commission, in no uncertain terms, told him the library board had more than enough information without another committee, and the library board would have to proceed on their own.

A library bond proposal worth $21.5 million to renovate and improve Baldwin Library failed May 6, 2014, as 75 percent of those voting in Birmingham voted against the measure.

In October 2013, a Joint Library Building Committee, of which Mayor Scott Moore and commissioners Gordon Rinschler and Rackeline Hoff sat on, as well as library trustees and a planning board member, chose a conceptual plan from Quinn Evans Architects which would have taken down both the 1960 and 1980 additions, leaving only the original 1927 building. A new building would have been built in the shape of a rectangle on Merrill Street stretching from Chester to Bates the full length of the block, two stories tall with the addition of a basement for three stories of use. The intent was to integrate the new building and connect to the original library on the main floor in the center of the block. The Joint Library Building Committee worked for over two years together, studying and working towards the bond vote.

“Even though the previous plan failed at the polls, we would like to move forward. The board has been working since May,” Koschik told commissioners. He said the library board would like to have a professional survey done of the community of what they would like in a library, which a new committee could oversee. “We did a survey before, but not with a professional. We did send out a survey last time to our service area, and we were criticized for being amateurish and on the cheap, and we failed miserably.” He believes the staff should also develop a 10-year vision study, as well as a multiphase approach to renovating the library. “Eventually the committee would report to the library board and the city commission.”

Koschik said he saw the composition of this committee as two city commission members, two library board members, and three representatives of other groups, such as BASCC, local architects, teens, The Community House, and groups that opposed the previous bond.

Commissioners felt the library had the information they need to move forward. Hoff said, “As a member of the previous committee, I know how much time has been spent on the previous plan and studies. It seems that a tremendous amount of information has been gathered.”

Rinschler asked, “What would you do differently?”

Koschik replied, “The range of people on the committee. Also, we would ask the cost (of the renovations), which is something I never asked before. Also some kind of low cost renovation and what kind of cost would the public support.”

Commissioner Stuart Sherman said, “I wouldn’t put a lot of elected officials on this committee, if any. Let them bring their life experiences.

They each look at the library differently. Put out a call for people who don’t have a pre-ordained idea of what the library should look like.”

“I sat on the previous committee. The library is in a period of change. But the central idea of library – the transfer of information – which is the core value of a library, we can go ahead and look at a new building because our core building doesn’t really work,” said Moore. “We already have the information. Begin a new mission group.

Where do we see the library going? It’s an education process, a new vision for the next 10 years. If you want to do a survey, the library board can certainly do that. The city commission doesn’t have to be part of that – we’re the landlord. Develop a vision. Then come before us. We’ll all have a better idea of libraries, library science of the future.”

The city commission declined to take any action on Koschik’s request.

B Palladium Building renovations starting

By Lisa Brody

The Palladium Building is poised and approved for a makeover, including two floors of office, one with movie theaters, and rooftop residences, following final approvals by the Birmingham City Commission on Monday, September 8.

The Palladium Building, at 202 N. Old Woodward, was sold in March to Bloomfield Hills’ A.F. Jonna Development and Management Co., which announced plans to completely renovate and modify the existing building. The 140,000 square foot mixed use retail and entertainment development had been owned by Related Real Estate in New York City.

According to a memo prepared by Birmingham Planning Director Jana Ecker, the existing Palladium Building was approved by consent judgment on May 5, 1999. Under the terms of the consent judgment, the court approved the preliminary and final site plans for the building, and the planning board had the authority to approve only the design of the building and the proposed streetscape. With the sale of the property to Jonna and the endorsement of the planned changes by the city commission, Jonna Development will next proceed to have the consent judgement vacated.

Under the consent judgement, the city commission could only endorse the planned changes, not approve them, as they typically do.

City attorney Tim Currier said that the vacation of judgement could take place in the next two to three months. “There will need to be the substitution now of attorneys from the Related Real Estate to Jonna before Judge Friedman. Depending on his schedule, that should take place in the next two to three months,” said Currier.

Upon vacation of the consent judgement, Jonna will be free to begin construction on the building, which Jordan Jonna of A.F. Jonna said at the meeting he anticipates will take six to eight months.

Renovation of the Palladium Building is planned to go from two levels of retail and two movie theater levels to one story of retail, two stories of office, a modified movie theater, underground parking and three rooftop residential units. The

building’s footprint will remain the same, while windows will be added and the interior of the building will be radically altered, adding two floors of commercial office space where the movie theater had been, and a fourth floor, where a smaller movie theater will go.

The first floor will continue to be retail or restaurants, and Jonna confirmed to commissioners that the purchase of the building included the transfer of three Class C liquor licenses. They intend to convert the basement level retail space into underground parking with 56 parking spaces to support the new office and residential uses proposed in the building. This lower level parking garage will be accessed by a new ramp off of Ferndale Avenue.

The city’s planning board, in recommending the plan for approval, requested a pedestrian impact study to be done, which was completed prior to Jonna coming before the commission. Besides parking concerns, which are an issue throughout Birmingham, planning board members were concerned about only two elevators being put in the building for all of the office workers and movie goers, Ecker said.

The study said the peak times of use will be in the morning and at lunch, and that the underground parking will provide 25 percent of parking for building users, with 75 percent needing public parking. Peak movie times will likely be Friday afternoons and evenings, and all weekend. “So the service of the elevators would be fine,” Ecker said. “The only challenging time would be after work on Fridays. If they want to keep the third hydraulic elevator it would be nice but not necessary.”

“I think the improvements are wonderful, but I have great concerns about parking,” said commissioner Rackeline Hoff. “What are the thoughts of where all of these people are going to park? I think it’s a big problem.”

“What our plan was when we bought this building was that it was D-4, which is what the building was when it was built,” said Jonna. “We wanted to max the underground with parking, but we were constrained by the pillars that were there. The retail uses could change. We have not been marketing them yet. This is a walkable downtown. Primarily, the parking will be for the offices. In taking the theaters, and making them into offices, we saw a lot of dead

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for your new home. spaces. By adding windows, it makes it good office space. By changing the theater, we figured it would offset the times and peak usages. These were the plans with the building.”

He explained that residents will have key access to get to the fifth floor.

Commissioners voted 6-0 to endorse the planning board recommendations for the proposed changes to the Palladium Building, with commissioner Mark Nickita not in attendance.

•

Palladium theaters have officially closed

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The Palladium 12 theater, an iconic part of downtown Birmingham, closed for good after its final showings on Monday, September 1, according to Jon Goldstein, owner of Cloud Nine Theater Partners, operators of the Palladium 12.

Goldstein took over operations at the Palladium 12 in late April of this year, following the sale of the Palladium Building to new owners, The Palladium of Birmingham, L.L.C., part of the AF Jonna Company. As part of the ownership change, Uptown Entertainment sold its ownership interest in the theater, effective April 23.

Cloud Nine Theaters own and operate the Maple Theater in Bloomfield Township, and at the time of the operations change, Goldstein said he had a short-term deal with Jonna. “At least through the summer.

I have a short-term deal until we get a long-term deal,” he said in April.

Now, he said with the September closing, “ I don’t know anything else.

A future lease is up in the air. The Jonnas are starting construction in September and everything else is up in the air.”

The Palladium Building, at 202 N. Old Woodward, was sold to Bloomfield Hills’ A.F. Jonna Development and Management Co. in T March, with the intention of completely renovating and modifying the existing building. The 140,000 square foot mixed use retail and entertainment development had been owned by Related Real Estate in New York City.

On June 25, Jordan Jonna, of A.F. Jonna, came before the Birmingham Planning Board requesting final site plan approval, which he received,

DOWNTOWN

with conditions, for the renovation of the building. The plan was ultimately approved by the city commission.

Jordan Jonna did not return calls for this article.

Jonna plans to renovate the Palladium Building from two levels of retail and two movie theater levels to one story of retail, two stories of office, a modified movie theater, underground parking and three rooftop residential units. The first floor will continue to be retail or restaurants, and the development company has three Class C liquor licenses. Jonna intends to convert the basement level retail space into underground parking with 56 parking spaces to support the new office and residential uses proposed in the building.

The current second floor, now part of the Palladium movie theater, will be split into two floors of office space.

The existing third floor of the building is proposed to remain as a movie theater, although it would now become the fourth floor.

Citywide garbage collection on ballot Bloomfield Hills residents will be asked to vote to permit their city commissioners to adopt an ordinance to competitively bid and hire a single waste hauler for the city during the November 4 general election.

Currently, Bloomfield Hills residents hire their own solid waste and recyclable haulers, at their own cost. While residents would still pay for the removal of all waste and recyclables, and pay the waste hauler directly, having numerous different waste haulers with large trucks on city roads every day has become a problem, causing significant wear and tear to the roads, whether they are main roads or side streets, city manager Jay Cravens has pointed out.

In order for the city commission to adopt an ordinance for the city to engage in competitive bidding with a single waste hauler to provide garbage and recycling services for the entire city, voters in the city must approve a ballot proposal Residents in the past have voiced complaints to city hall and city commissioners about retaining their individual waste haulers, Cravens said, but deterioration of the roads has become a substantial issue.

10.14

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BLOOMFIELD TWP Lower Long Lakefront, 6,975 total finished sq ft, 4 beds, 4.3 baths, 1.71 acres, 1300 feet of lake frontage, Don Paul Young designed, Bloomfield Hills schools. This home won 2010 Detroit Home's 1st place Design award for its timeless style. $5,200,000

BLOOMFIELD TWP Lower Long Lakefront, 6,469 total finished sq ft, 5 beds, 3.2 baths, 1.36 acres, 400+ feet of lake frontage, fin walkout LL, Bloomfield Hills schools.

Picturesque and private, this is the epitome of luxury estate living. $2,390,000

BLOOMFIELD TWP Lower Long Lakefront 6,425 total fin sq ft, 4 bed, 3.1 bath, .9 acres. Classic mid-century modern ranch, fin walkout LL, Bloomfield Hills schools.

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BLOOMFIELD TWP Chalmers Lake Priv 5,630 total finished sq ft, 4 bed, 3.2 bath, 2 acres. Elegant, soft contemporary, 3 car, Bloomfield Hills schools. Private park-like grounds within walking distance of Bloomfield Hills Middle and Elementary Schools. $1,149,000

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MUNICIPAL Millage increase for library on ballot

By Lisa Brody

An increase in funding in the form of a millage increase for operations and structural needs for the Bloomfield Township Public Library will be on the November ballot.

On Tuesday, November 4, Bloomfield Township residents will have the opportunity to vote on a .541-mill ballot proposal to provide funding for ten years for the library, which library supporters assert is needed to provide the necessary services to library patrons, as well as to perform important renovations and upgrades to th The millage request includes .3284 mills to restore the 1.7874 mills which was previously approved by Bloomfield Township voters in 2002, and was subsequently rolled back to 1.459. They are also seeking to add .2126 mills.

“The funding is necessary for the library to continue providing the quality library services residents have enjoyed for 50 years,” the library’s website states.

Bloomfield Township Library is primarily funded by property taxes – to the tune of 93 percent of the library’s funding. Carol Mueller, Bloomfield Township Library Director, noted that since 2008, property tax revenues have decreased by 23 percent, translating to $1.3 million in lost revenue out of an annual budget of $5.1 million. While revenue is beginning to increase again, the increase is small, and it has been 12 years since the library’s millage rate was increased by voters.

Mueller noted that in the past six years they have cut staff and benefits, closed days of operations, including all summer Sundays this past summer, reduced programming for children and computer instruction, and funding for purchasing of new materials, such as books, DVDs, CDs, special needs collection, toys, and more has been reduced 15 percent.

Furthermore, Mueller explained, the library has reached a critical point in deferred maintenance, with roof leaks, entrance way tiles eroding, and lower level flooding, among other problems. “There were 11 flooding incidents last summer, and six so far this summer,” Mueller said.

Legacy costs for retiree health benefits would also be partially satisfied through approval of this millage.

The library proposal to restore and supplement the millage reads as: Shall the limitation on taxes which may be imposed each year for library purposes upon taxable property in the Charter Township of Bloomfield, County of Oakland, Michigan, be increased in an amount not to exceed 0.5410 mills ($0.5410 per $1,000 of taxable value) for a period of ten (10) years, 2014 to 2023, inclusive, as a new additional millage, of which .2946 mills of the increase is to restore the original August 10, 1982 1 mill levy, which had been reduced to .7054 mills by the required millage rollbacks and .0338 mills is to restore the August 6, 2002 .7874 mill levy, which had been reduced to .7536 mills by the required millage rollbacks. The remaining .2126 mills of the proposed .5410 is a millage to provide additional library funds for all library purposes authorized by law for the Bloomfield Township Public Library. It is estimated that this

proposal would result in the authorization to collect $1,756,004.00 in the first year if approved and fully levied.

Township library to party for anniversary For 50 years, it has been a fixture in the lives of Bloomfield Township residents, where every day, 1,000 people visit the Bloomfield Township Public Library to borrow books, DVDs, and other items, to read a newspaper, attend a program, use a computer, or go to a meeting. To celebrate, the library will hold a gala celebration evening on Saturday, October 18.

The 50th anniversary celebration, A Night at the Library!, will be held at the Bloomfield Township Public Library, located at 1099 Lone Pine Road at Telegraph, from 7 to 10 p.m.

Tickets are $50 per person, with all proceeds going to support the library’s youth services activities and spaces.

For tickets or more information, call 248.642.5800 or visit www.btpl.org/50th.

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A MUST SEE INSIDE home. This show stopping Birmingham boasts 5 bedroom 4 full 2 half baths. Newer construction with spectacular recent updates. 5500+ sq ft. of finished space comlete with brand new gourmet kitchen which opens to family room. HIGH STYLE in a fantastic neighborhood. Close to parks and schools. Offered at $1,295,000

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Sara Lipnitz Associate Broker, SFR, PMN has been involved in the real-estate industry for over 23 years. First in the commercial market and for the past 13 years in residential sales. Sara is an active selling Realtor with a strong sales record. Having served on the local, state and national level, she has a passion for the business. Sara is a true leader in the industry and has proven so over the years.

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MUNICIPAL Triple Nickel receives approvals The Triple Nickel, a new restaurant previously approved by the Birmingham City Commission as Crush, received unanimous approval for a special land use permit amendment for its name change and an opening date extension, as well as final site plan revision for slight exterior design changes, at the commission meeting on Monday, August 25.

Birmingham Planning Director Jana Ecker explained to commissioners that per city ordinance, in order for a restaurant with a liquor license to change its name or make certain other changes, it must come before the city commission for a special land use permit amendment. The restaurant had previously been approved for a special land use permit and final site plan as Crush, designed for the public area outside of the residential building at the 555 Building at Bowers. It received an economic

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development liquor license from the city commission on February 25, 2013, after initially applying for a 2013 bistro license.

Ron Rea, new designer for the restaurant, told commissioners, “We all agreed that Crush as a name was a little too ‘80s. The Triple Nickel has been a name that has been around since the building went up. We think it goes more with the restaurant.”

Ecker also told commissioners the restaurant owners, Marc Blancke, in partnership with building manager Michelle Russo and other owners of the 555 Building, were requesting an extension of their contract to build and open the restaurant until the end of April, from the end of October. Rea said, “We may be able to beat the April opening.”

Ecker said there were exterior design changes commissioners were requested to approve. “The main design of the restaurant is staying the same, including the tables, the layout, and the ambiance,” she said.

“Previously, the exterior of the building was going to be limestone, and now it will be Roman brick.”

She said they were also going with lighter windows, adding awnings and changing the signage to three sides – Woodward, Old Woodward and Bowers. While the entrance remains on Old Woodward, the largest sign would be on Bowers.

She said they were also replacing the sliding windows and doors, which were not permitted, to large French doors that open, “like what we used at Streetside Seafood,” Rea said.

As for the design changes, Rea, who replaced the previous architect, said, “This is more casual, come as you are than a limestone restaurant.

We’ve taken some of the embellishment off. We felt that Roman brick matched the scale of the 555 Building better.”

Commissioner Mark Nickita liked the changes. “I think these are great improvements,” he said. “I’m looking forward to seeing this as an example of using wasted spaces.”

Commissioners voted 7-0 to approve the final site plan revision and special land use amendment.

Road construction postponed to 2015 Birmingham engineer Paul O’Meara requested a postponement of the intersection improvement at Quarton and Chesterfield roads until the 2015 construction season, citing high bids, and the Birmingham City Commission unanimously agreed on Monday, September 8.

Earlier this year, both the Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills city commissions approved resolutions to improve the intersection of Quarton and Chesterfield using a state grant, triparty funds from Oakland County and minimal contributions from each city.

Chesterfield, which runs northsouth into Quarton Road, is misaligned as it continues from Birmingham into Bloomfield Hills. “If the second round of bids don’t come in lower, this will be DOA because this was not a high priority project,” said commissioner George Dilgard.

The Bloomfield Antique Show is a charity benefit of Cross of Christ Lutheran Church.

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FACES Duffy Wineman or Duffy Wineman, her fascination with dollhouses and miniatures is something that is more of an addiction than a hobby.

“I’ve always been addicted to little things, like miniatures,” Wineman said. “I made a dollhouse when I was 10-years-old out of cardboard. In the late 70s, I had a real one. Then I went to miniatures.”

Wineman, who provides support to cancer fighters, survivors and caregivers through her work at Imerman Angels, has been collecting miniatures for more than three decades. During that time, she has organized several national miniature shows, attended dozens of others around the country, and bought and built her own vast collection of houses and miniature furnishings.

“You have to be passionate about something in order to have a fulfilling life,” the Bloomfield Village and native Bloomfield Hills resident said. “It’s an addiction. It’s a sickness, but it’s a good sickness.”

Wineman may have dabbled with dollhouses as a child, but she really caught the collecting bug around 1987, after discovering the International Guild of Miniature Artisans and traveling to New York City for her first show.

“I walked in and I was in heaven because it was the finest miniatures from around the world. It was the most fabulous thing in the world.”

It was from that point that Wineman was hooked on 1/12-scale miniatures. It wasn’t long before Wineman started attending specialized classes in Castine, Maine, where she learned to make her own miniature items. She later became more involved with the IMGA and began organizing shows for the guild. Her own home includes a workshop filled with a lathe and power tools where she crafts her own items, from furniture to miniature oil paintings.

“It’s a fascinating hobby,” she said. “We have about 1,500 members from around the world in the guild. And it’s wonderful to communicate with them because we all have this passion for all little things. That’s what we want to do in our spare time: play with our miniatures.”

Because the miniatures are replicas of actual items, collectors also learn about American and European history, art, art history and, of course, furniture.

“I started collecting years ago. What I loved was that if I couldn’t buy a real 18th century high boy, I could have a miniature,” she said.

The small size doesn’t necessarily equate to a small price tag, particularly for highly collectable items. A collection up for auction in Chicago, which included sets of miniature books, brought about $1.5 million at auction, Wineman said.

“It’s a wonderful escape into a fantasy world,” she said.

“I love to look in the windows, and it looks like you are looking in a full-size window.

“I work in cancer support. Sometimes the real world can be a little overwhelming, so it’s nice to be able to step away from the real world and go into this fantasy world of beauty and craftsmanship that you don’t see in your everyday life,” she said. “It’s a great escape.”

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Photo: Laurie Tennent

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FACES William Irving Singer ry as you may, you’ll probably never completely understand William Irving Singer’s art. But keep trying.

That’s the point.

“I have a desire to represent things that I observe on a daily basis, but they are more like discombobulated maps,” said the Bloomfield Hills native who recently moved to Detroit’s Midtown area. “The desire is to have the viewer try to re-interpret it, but there’s an impossibility there. You’re never really going to understand the work, but the hope is that there is some thought in trying to understand it.

“It’s somewhere between logic and total absurdity, I guess.”

Singer described much of his work as a deconstructed still life in which he fractures the logical view of a painting by negating portions of the work, essentially re-imagining parts of the scene outside of its former identity. It’s a style he began exploring in graduate school while at the Savannah College of Art and Design, but his interest in art can be traced back to his days at Seaholm High School.

“I got to nerd out to all the artsy stuff in film production when I was there,” he said. “I was less about high budget productions. My thesis in high school was about German expressionists, so my tastes weren’t in Hollywood. The transition between film and print was pretty natural.”

From high school, Singer began studying film at the University of Michigan, but later transferred into the fine arts program and left film behind.

“Painting was something that I was more comfortable with, in being in control of the projects I was working on.

Film is more of a team effort.”

After finishing his graduate studies, Singer moved to New York City for a residency at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, and later worked for various art galleries in the city before moving back to Detroit. Along the way, Singer’s art has been exhibited at the William Busta Gallery in Cleveland; the Savannah College of Art and Design; Gallery Le Snoot, in Savannah; CoRK Art District in Jacksonville; the Ashmore Gallery in Savannah, and other locations.

“It’s a constant hustle and struggle to get things figured out,” he said about making a career as an emerging artist.

In addition to painting, Singer has recently become interested in organizing exhibitions. The hope, he said, is to be able to keep painting while doing a wide range of exhibitions.

“It’s all kind of an experimental situation,” he said. “The more clients and collectors that come through (the exhibitions), the easier it is to work in the studio. Figuring out structure and identity as an artist in Detroit is still something I’m actively figuring out. It’s not New York, but there is a growing interest in all of the area and the surrounding suburbs.”

Meanwhile, Singer’s work can be seen through October 18 at Untitled Detroit as part of the Detroit Design Festival and Eastern Market After Dark events. Singer said the exhibition, which features more than a dozen artists, has a maximum price per piece of $150.

“Untitled Detroit is a project I’ve been working on for a while, in terms of doing exhibitions in the city and providing an opportunity for younger collectors to start focusing on art and building their collections.”

T

Story: Kevin Elliott

Photo: Laurie Tennent

FACES

Kelly Schaefer Janssen f the key to the heart is through the stomach, the key to a healthy heart may be through Kelly Schaefer Janssen’s new Detroit restaurant, 7 Greens Salad Co., which opened downtown on August 11.

“I’m hoping I can get this one up and running over the next year,” said Shaefer Janssen, who grew up baking chocolate chip cookies for her family in Birmingham, where she still lives. “I would love to bring this concept to Birmingham.”

Named for the number of different greens used at the restaurant, 7 Greens features salads, wraps, soups and other tasty items that Janssen created for her unique menu. Among the most popular are the “Yoga Girl,” which has baby spinach, kale, quinoa, carrots, roasted beets, roasted brussels sprouts, roasted tofu, Janssen’s miso sauce and a drizzle of sriracha.

“I’m primarily a vegetarian, so salads are something that I eat a lot,” Janssen said, who received her culinary training at The French Culinary Institute in New York City. “I started making my salad dressings about 15 or 20 years ago. At first, I was going to market my salad dressings from the home to the market, but in the past year or two, people were saying, ‘Why don’t you just open a restaurant. You’ve always wanted to own your own little place.’ So I decided to open 7 Greens.”

With nothing much like the restaurant concept in the area, Janssen ended up pitching the idea to Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock Real Estate Services, the real estate arm of Quicken Loans. The restaurant was one of four selected to be opened this year in downtown Detroit with the help of Bedrock.

I

Janssen said her produce comes daily from Eastern Market, and all of the meat is grass fed, so it doesn’t have any hormones or antibiotics. With no freezer at the restaurant, all the food is made fresh daily, from the baked beets to the croutons. And those sauces and dressings that she was thinking about marketing on their own: gluten free.

The restaurant may be a first for Janssen, but her flair for cooking really started many years ago while living in Chicago, when her boyfriend at the time had opened a restaurant.

“With no skill or anything, I walked into his kitchen and started cooking,” she said. “That’s what led me to go to culinary school.”

Today, Janssen is happy to feed her own customers, which she said have been providing some good feedback. If customer testimony isn’t enough, Janssen’s two oldest boys’, ages 11 and 12, appetite for salad may be proof about the quality of the food.

“My kids love kale,” she said. “They have sort of grown up on it. I have two boys who love salad.”

As far as her personal favorites, Janssen said she likes chips and salsa, and bibimbap, a popular Korean dish. Of course, she said, her real favorite is pleasing her customers and making them happy.

“Food is the one thing that brings people together,” she said. “Everyone has to eat, and it makes people happy. I just like making people happy, and I like them enjoying what I do.”

Story: Kevin Elliott

Photo: Laurie Tennent

Bloomfield $1,349,000 A classic 1890 lakefront farmhouse takes on a colorful new exuberance and spirit. Renovated top to bottom in 2005, this artist's home is splashed with color, surface texture, and detailed moldings. It is contemporary mixed with traditional. The restaurant grade kitchen is the hub of the home with a huge bay window seating area overlooking Lower Long Lake. The sunny living room adjoins the kitchen surrounded by built-in book cases and floor to ceiling windows.

The original sun porch complete with fireplace functions as the cozy family room. The additional private lakefront lot allows one to enjoy beautiful sunsets year round. No detail has been overlooked in this outstanding home. Come experience it and feel the charm yourself! Four bedrooms with 3.1 baths. 214072214. Co-listor Cindy Obron Kahn

JENNY TURNER 248.644.7000

jturner@skbk.com |

248 515 8400

BUSINESS MATTERS West Elm opening Birmingham, Bloomfield and other southeastern Michigan residents won’t have to resort to catalogues to find furniture and accessories from national retailer West Elm, which is opening its first Michigan store this month at 211 W. Maple Road, in Birmingham. “We are really excited about coming to Birmingham,” said Nicole Sutliff, director of public relations for West Elm. Sutliff said that the store is slated to open on October 2, and to celebrate the opening, limited edition Birmingham tote bags will be given away to the first 300 shoppers with a $50 minimum purchase when the store opens at 10 a.m. on October 2. In addition to their unique furniture and accessories for modern living, the more than 15,000-square-foot Birmingham store will feature a curated selection of products made in Michigan, including Jody Lunn Burton, Cellar Door Soap, War Paint Studio, Marcy Davy, Arthur’s Plaid Pants, Milled, Meant to Be Sent, Babylon Soap Company, Benebras and Revisions Design Studio.as part of West Elm’s local initiative. Further, Sutliff said the store is designed to reflect the environment, culture and heritage of the Detroit area through temporary and permanent art installations. A feature wall in the building pays tribute to the manufacturing heritage of the community through a mosaic of industrial molds previously used in metal production. She said the store will be a creative, community-driven space designed to help customers discover their personal style at home.

West Elm’s Design Center will allow customers to work with a free home stylist to pick paint, colors, fabric swatches or design a furniture plan.

West Elm, a subsidiary of Williams

Sonoma, was founded in 2002, and currently operates about 60 stores across the United States, Canada and Austrailia.

Therapist opens Esra Karaca, PsyD, has opened the Birmingham Bloomfield Center for Assessment at 60 W. Big Beaver Road, Suite 130, in Bloomfield Hills, focusing on psychological and neuropsychological assessments for adults and children, as well as older adults with memory concerns and dementia. Karaca tests for all developmental disabilities and delays, including ADHD, learning disabilities, autism spectrum, mood disorders, as well as disability evaluations and functioning assessments for traumatic brain injuries and evaluations for bariatric surgeries. “I look at current levels of functioning for emotional, intellectual, memory, adaptive, learning, personality functioning, and more, for anyone looking at assessments,” she said. Karaca also provides therapy for individuals with depression, anxiety, self-esteem, parenting issues, life transition adjustment, and loss and grief.

Drought raw juice center If you are seeking cold press raw juices, look no further than Drought, which opened in early September in the 555 Building inside the Center for Yoga in Birmingham. “We have our own corner and our own counter on the right hand side,” said co-owner Julie James. Drought offers organic cold pressed raw juices for pick up, full cleanses, daily specials, as well as shots, such as one-ounce ginger shots. “You can pre-order and pick up from there. It’s a full service store front,” said James. She stated that

cold pressed raw juices maintain all of the nutrients and enzymes of the fruits and vegetables, and “is an extremely premium process. It’s the finest way. The juices maintain a three-to-five day shelf life.” Other Drought locations are in Royal Oak, Plymouth, and Detroit.

Floral shop opens Floral and landscape art, objects and other decorative options will be readily available this month when Fleurdetroit opens its second brick and mortar location at 217 S. Old Woodward, in Birmingham, next to the Birmingham Theater. Philip Morici, co-owner of Fleurdetroit, said the location will be a smaller version of the Fleurdetroit location at 1507 S. Telegraph, in Bloomfield Township.

“There’s a lot more real estate at our Bloomfield Township store,” he said, adding that the Birmingham shop will be more of an expansion of the pop-up location that has been operating at Birmingham’s Cafe Via. Morici said the Birmingham location will provide easier access for many customers. “That’s where a lot of our clients are,” he said. “It’s a lot easier for them to drive (to Birmingham), unless they are driving here (to Bloomfield Hills) to see one of us specifically.” Fleurdetroit was founded in 2011 as an object-floralstyling offshoot of urbanscapesdetroit.

Fleurdetroit focuses on couture floral for corporate, home and soirees, as well as refined gardening implements, hand tied bouquets, and cut delights. The business also manages plantscaping design and care for private homes and businesses.

Fitness name change The Barre Bee Fit, 555 S. Old Woodward, Suite 13 L, in

So you did well in school, broke through the glass ceiling and are the principal breadwinner in the family and your “couch husband” promised to help…and didn’t.

Full service remodeling and building contractor Main Street Building Group will be opening a new location at 33690 Woodward in Birmingham.

Spokesman Jim Charles said they are currently in the process of renovating the space, and working with the city to prepare plans for the buildout. “It’s nowhere near ready,” he said, saying it is probably several months before they will move in.

Main Street has been in business for more than 25 years. The business is currently located in Orchard Lake and serves residents and businesses around the Metro Detroit area.

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

Items should be received three weeks prior to publication.

Rolex • Patek Philippe • Cartier Panerai • Audemars Piguet • Tudor A. Lange • IWC • Breitling • TAG Heuer Omega • Hamilton • Longines & Others

Want to discuss this? …call me.

Remember, call Dave Potts….. before your spouse does.

BATTERIES • BANDS REPAIRS • APPRAISALS

248.540.4646

(248) 594-4999 downtownpublications.com

Main Street coming

WE BUY WATCHES

David W. Potts J.D., PLLC*

www.davepottsjd.com

Birmingham, has been renamed to The Barre Code, said co-owner Lindsay Irrer, who opened the fitness spot in November of 2013 with her business partner Janelle Fox. The location is the first Barre Code in metro Detroit. The program was initially designed for women, and blends choreography and classroom instruction to combine cardiovascular conditioning, toning, detoxification and deep stretching through a variety of formats. The program incorporates items such as weights, kettle balls and resistance training with special dance routines.

The name change applies to all former Barre Bee Fit locations to reflect the core of the business, and also serves to reach a wider demographic of women, ranging in all ages.

DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM SINCE 1989 227 S. OLD WOODWARD AVE.

divorce@davepottsjd.com DOWNTOWN

97

NORTHVILLE | $14,500,000 Incredible estate on over 6 acres, the most unique property in SE Michigan. Beyond the iron gates and stone wall awaits a mansion of epic proportions. Built in 2000 with every attention to detail.

Approximately 17,000 square feet of elegance. Former diplomatic residence, a one of a kind custom home with a rich history.

Presented by: Teri Spiro | T: (248) 639-7967 | tspiro@cbwm.com

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP | $1,650,000 Fabulous home in Bloomfield. Stunning marble two-story foyer with dramatic curved staircase welcomes you into this custom built home. Floor to ceiling windows in great room, hardwood floors throughout gourmet kitchen, butler station, formal dining room, living room, and judges-paneling study that over looks beautiful wooded-serene lot with abundant wildlife. Updated kitchen Granite counter tops and Bosch appliances. Newly remodeled upper level in 2013.

Presented by: Roberta Burgess Smith | T: (248) 365-7644 | rsmith@cbwm.com

Celebrating Home 248-644-6300 | cbwm.com

Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel: Locally Owned and Operated Since 1950.

WEIR MANUEL

Spotlight on...

Patty Moran has been a very successful Realtor and Associate Broker in the Birmingham/ Bloomfield area for more than 20 years.

Patty graduated from Michigan State and married a fellow Spartan. She is tremendously family oriented and loves spending time with her husband, three grown children, and seven grandchildren.

When she isn’t selling real estate or bonding with her family Patty keeps active by playing tennis and golf. You can catch her working on her tennis game at the Birmingham Athletic Club, or her golf game at Stonycroft Hills, or playing bridge at the Village Club of Bloomfield, all three of which she is a member.

Detroit Symphony Orchestra. This optimistic and philanthropic lady is also a member of the Junior League of Birmingham, an organization whose purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.

Patty has worked with hundreds of sellers from the metro area and buyers from all over the world. Her mission is to get her sellers the best price, and her buyers the perfect home that feels right and works for the whole family.

Want to know more about Patty? Visit her website at cbwm.com/pmoran.

Patricia Moran (810) 344-4540 | pmoran@cbwm.com www.cbwm.com/pmoran

She enriches her cultural side by reading, appreciating art history, and enjoying the

BIRMINGHAM | $645,000 Charming well maintained 1926 traditional colonial w/field stone courtyard. 2 fireplaces.

Presented by: Mary Ellen Borovich T: (248) 731-5886 | mborovich@cbwm.com

BIRMINGHAM | $629,000 Poppleton Park. This charming 1927 colonial has been beautifully updated. Gourmet kitchen.

Presented by: Jennifer Zachary T: (248) 639-4832 | jzachary@cbwm.com

BIRMINGHAM | $610,000 Wonderful upgraded 1922 colonial on 80 x 141 lot. Walking distance to downtown Birmingham.

Presented by: Jeanne Bechler T: (248) 365-7672 | jbechler@cbwm.com

BEVERLY HILLS | $600,000 Location, location, location! This home has 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths, all generous in size.

Presented by: Peter Webster T: (248) 213-7827 | pwebster@cbwm.com

BIRMINGHAM | $599,900 “Holy Name” area! Recently renovated home with thoughtful attention to detail throughout.

Presented by: Didi Etue T: (248) 639-4818 | detue@cbwm.com

BIRMINGHAM | $549,000 Ranch home substantially updated in 1998, master bath updated in 2012. Peaceful tree lined setting.

Presented by: Jim Riley T: (248) 213-7504 | jriley@cbwm.com

Celebrating Home 248-644-6300 | cbwm.com

Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel: Locally Owned and Operated Since 1950.

WEIR MANUEL

BIRMINGHAM | $814,900 Expanded and renovated (2000) 2-story brick, Prairie style home near Seaholm High School! 5 bedrooms & 4.5 baths. Maple/granite kitchen.

Presented by: Dan Teahan T: (248) 213-7905 | dteahan@cbwm.com

BIRMINGHAM | $769,000 Character abounds in this stunningly updated stone faced 1930’s home beautiful archways, moldings, hardwood floors and bay windows.

Presented by: Rebecca Meisner T: (248) 639-4814 | rmeisner@cbwm.com

BLOOMFIELD VILLAGE | $534,500 Situated on just under ½ acre, this home has been updated from top to bottom.

Presented by: Lorraine Yalman T: (248) 648-3540 | lyalman@cbwm.com

BIRMINGHAM | $465,000 Old World Charm. Iconic residence is located less than .5 mile to downtown Birmingham.

Presented by: Lorraine Yalman T: (248) 648-3540 | lyalman@cbwm.com

BEVERLY HILLS | $335,000 Traditional colonial with Birmingham Schools.

Well-cared for 4 bedroom 2.5 bath Presented by: Mary Frances McCaleb T: (248) 365-7397 | mmccaleb@cbwm.com

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP | $319,900 Beautiful! 4 bedroom, 3 full baths, 2 fireplaces, 2-car plus carport, walkout mid-century ranch.

Presented by: Lou Colombo T: (248) 731-4575 | lcolombo@cbwm.com

BIRMINGHAM | $282,650 Sitting on a nice corner lot in popular Sheffield Estates, this updated bungalow has a lot to offer.

Presented by: Margie Duncan T: (248) 565-3563 | mduncan@cbwm.com

TROY | $335,000 Sharp & clean west Troy colonial - all the expensive updates are done. Kraftmaid kitchen.

Presented by: Patrick Carolan T: (248) 481-5201 | pcarolan@cbwm.com

Celebrating Home 248-644-6300 | cbwm.com

Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel: Locally Owned and Operated Since 1950.

WEIR MANUEL

BIRMINGHAM | $1,399,000 Grand 1936 colonial situated on secluded cul-de-sac, nestled atop nearly an acre of beautiful quietude, yet walking distance to downtown Birmingham. Spectacular park-like yard with the river running through it, luscious landscaping, expansive terrace & patios, peaceful views galore. This gem is perfect for large gatherings, executive entertaining, as well as your individual sanctuary.

Presented by: Didi Etue | T: (248) 639-4818 | detue@cbwm.com

LAKE ANGELUS | $1,100,000 Prime Lake Angelus frontage! Panoramic views of Lake Angelus from primary rooms. This spectacular walkout ranch offers 3 or 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, hardwood floors and 3 fireplaces. Multiple ceiling fans and recessed lighting. Walls of windows, plentiful deck and patio spaces, screened in porch. Finished walkout lower level. 500 acres of nature preserve surround the lake.

Presented by: Teri Spiro | T: (248) 639-7967 | tspiro@cbwm.com

Celebrating Home 248-644-6300 | cbwm.com

Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel: Locally Owned and Operated Since 1950.

WEIR MANUEL

BIRMINGHAM | $947,500 Elegant Poppleton Park Tudor built in 1996. Beautifully landscaped grounds include an expansive slate terrace, paver walkways, and Pewabic tile fountain.

Dramatic two-story foyer with curved staircase leads to wonderful floor plan with 9 foot ceilings on main level. Library features a fireplace and wall of cabinetry.

Spacious kitchen and breakfast area is open to family room with fireplace. Fabulous finished lower level.

BLOOMFIELD VILLAGE | $699,000 Gracious Bloomfield Village colonial situated on beautifully landscaped lot with fabulous pool and spa.

Spacious foyer leads to a wonderful floor plan with generous sized rooms. Formal living room with marble fireplace and expansive windows. Family room offers brick fireplace, wet bar, built-in cabinetry, and doorwall to lovely patio. Newer white kitchen with granite and hardwood flooring has eating area with bay window.

NG I ND E P

BIRMINGHAM | $699,000

BINGHAM FARMS | $479,900

Exceptional three-story custom colonial built in

Extraordinary private 1.26 acre setting among the trees for this custom-built residence with

2010 offers 4 bedrooms, 4 and 1/2 baths, plus

great curb appeal. Quality features include wet plaster, hardwood floors & 6 panel doors.

a wonderful finished lower level. Professionally

Gracious entry w/curved staircase. Formal living room & dining room with lovely bay. Kitchen

decorated in neutral tones. Open floor plan.

features wood cabinetry & eating area w/doorwall to deck. First floor library.

Celebrating Robert Dundon Home 248-644-6300 | cbwm.com 248-224-6236

Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel: Locally Owned and Operated Since 1950.

WEIR MANUEL

PLACES TO EAT The Places To Eat for Downtown is a quick reference source to establishments offering a place for dining, either breakfast, lunch or dinner. The complete Places To Eat is available at downtownpublications.com and in an optimized format for your smart phone (downtownpublications.com/mobile), where you can actually map out locations and automatically dial a restaurant from our Places To Eat.

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.

Andiamo: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

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

248.865.9300.

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

248.792.3579 Bangkok Thai Bistro: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 42805 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Township, 48304.

248.499.6867.

Beau's: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 4108 W. Maple, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.626.2630.

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

167 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.494.7110.

Beyond Juice: Contemporary. Breakfast & Lunch daily; Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. 270 West Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.7078.

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

Liquor.

245 South Eaton Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.7774.

Bill's: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Daily. Reservations, lunch only. Liquor.

39556 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.646.9000 Birmingham Sushi Cafe: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 377 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009.

248.593.8880.

Bistro Joe’s Kitchen: Global. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Sunday brunch. Liquor Reservations. 34244 Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.0984 Bloomfield Deli: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Friday. No reservations. 71 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48304.

248.645.6879.

Brooklyn Pizza: Pizza. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

No reservations. 111 Henrietta Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.6690.

Café ML: New American. Dinner, daily.

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

248.642.4000.

Cafe Via: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

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

248.644.8800 Cameron’s Steakhouse: American.

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

248.723.1700.

China Village: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 1655 Opdyke, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.758.1221.

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

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

downtownpublications.com

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

877 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.540.7220.

Commonwealth: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 300 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.9766.

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

Deli Unique of Bloomfield Hills: Deli.

Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 39495 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.646.7923.

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. Alcohol. Reservations. 37000 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248.712.4095.

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

248.258.9939.

Elie’s Mediterranean Cuisine: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 263 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.647.2420.

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

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

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

Forest Grill: American. Lunch, MondayFriday; Dinner, Monday-Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 735 Forest Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.9400.

Fuddrucker’s: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No Reservations. Beer & wine.

42757 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.333.2400.

Greek Island Coney Restaurant: Greek.

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

Griffin Claw Brewing Company: American.

Liquor. Dinner, Tuesday-Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday and Sunday. 575 S. Eton Street, Birmingham. 248.712.4050.

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

248.626.1800.

Honey Tree Grille: Greek/American.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, daily. No reservations. 3633 W. Maple Rd, Bloomfield, MI 48301. 248.203.9111.

Hunter House Hamburgers: American.

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

248.646.7121.

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.

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

RUSTIC but Refined

NOT TO BE EXPLAINED. To be Experienced.

MONDAY 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm TUESDAY - THURSDAY 11:00 am - 11:00 pm FRIDAY 11:00 am - 12:00 am SATURDAY 5:00 pm - 12:00 am SUNDAY Closed to Public

HAPPY HOUR 4PM - 7PM DAILY Including Saturdays

34977 WOODWARD AVE, SUITE 100 BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 248-220-4237

THESTANDBISTRO.COM

TWITTER @STANDBIRMINGHAM

FACEBOOK.COM/STANDBIRMINGHAM

INSTAGRAM @STANDBIRMINGHAM

DOWNTOWN

103

BIG ROCK CHOPHOUSE PRESENTS

ITS FALL BEER AND WINE TASTING EVENTS: Belgium Beer Tour & Tasting Wednesday, October 1, 2014 | 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Enjoy a variety of Belgium brews including new releases.

Executive Chef Mattew Fitchet, C.E.C.

Cost is $20 per person and complimentary appetizers will also be served.

Barnett Vineyards Winemaker Dinner Tuesday, October 21, 2014 | 6:30 p.m.

Join us as we perfect the art of pairing fine wine with a delicious five course dinner.

Cost is $95 per person, inclusive of tax, gratuity and valet parking.

Orin Swift Cellars Prisoner Party Tour & Tasting Tuesday, November 4, 2014 | 5 p.m. To 7 p.m.

Recipient of the 2014 A.C.F. Award of Excellence

Known for their popular Prisoner blend, we're welcoming Orin Swift Cellars and hosting a special tasting tour with a variety of wines.

More details to follow.

Reservations for the tasting events and winemaker dinner are required as space is limited. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.bigrockchophouse.com or call 248.647.7774.

Executive Pastry Chef Eric Voigt

Tradition ...

MOVING FORWARD

Present this ad for

30% off your second entrée Not valid with any other offer

3 4 9 6 5 W O O D WA R D A V E BIRMINGHAM 248 644 5222 PE ABODYSRESTAUR ANT.CO M 104

daily. Reservations. 43259 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills, 48302.

248.858.5800.

Leo’s Coney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

154 S. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.9707.

Also 6527 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.646.8568.

Little Daddy’s Parthenon: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 39500 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48301. 248.647.3400.

Luxe Bar & Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily; Late Night, 9 p.m.-closing.

No reservations. Liquor. 525 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 48009.

248.792.6051.

Mad Hatter Cafe: Tea Room. Brunch, Lunch & Dinner. No reservations. Liquor.

185 N. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.540.0000 Market North End: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations.

Liquor. 474 N. Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.712.4953.

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

248.723.0800.

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

248.646.3663.

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

248.644.2913.

New Bangkok Thai Bistro: Thai. Breakfast, Monday-Thursday; Lunch, MondayFriday; Dinner, daily. No reservations.

183 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.2181.

Nippon Sushi Bar: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner daily. No reservations. 2079 S. Telegraph, Bloomfield Township, 48302. 248.481.9581.

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

Original Pancake House: American.

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

248.642.5775.

Panera Bread: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 100 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.203.7966.

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

Peabody’s: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 34965 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.644.5222.

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

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

248.644.3122.

Pita Cafe: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 239 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009.

248.645.6999.

Qdoba: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 795 East Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.988.8941.

Also 42967 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Township, 48304.

248.874.1876 Roadside B & G: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

1727 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield

DOWNTOWN

Hills, 48302. 248.858.7270.

Rojo Mexican Bistro: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 250 Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.792.6200.

Salvatore Scallopini: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 505 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009. 248.644.8977.

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

Social Kitchen & Bar: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations, parties of 5 or more. Liquor. 225 E. Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009. 248.594.4200.

Stacked Deli: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Delivery available. No reservations. 233 North Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009. 248.593.5300.

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

248.932.0800.

Streetside Seafood: Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday; Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 273 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.645.9123.

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

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

Sy Thai Cafe: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

No reservations. 315 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009. 248.258.9830.

Tallulah Wine Bar and Bistro: American.

Dinner. Monday-Saturday. Sunday brunch. Reservations. Liquor. 55 S. Bates Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.731.7066.

The Corner Bar: American. Dinner.

Wednesday-Saturday. Reservations.

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

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

248.203.6600.

The Gallery Restaurant: American.

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

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

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

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

The Stand: Euro-American. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

34977 Woodward, Birmingham, 48009.

248.220.4237.

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

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

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

Village Coney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

653 S. Adams. Birmingham, 48009.

248.593.7964.

Whistle Stop Diner: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily; No reservations. 501 S. Eton Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.566.3566

10.14

E E! M T W CO NE RAN L E E W TH STO I TO E R AR L VO

WE ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE WE ARE OPEN AT OUR NEW LOCATION! WE LOOK FORWARD TO SERVING YOU AGAIN. OPEN FOR LUNCH AND DINNER. MONDAYFRIDAY, 11 A.M. - 10 P.M. SATURDAY, 5 P.M. - 11 P.M. AND SUNDAY, 4 P.M. - 9 P.M. AT OUR NEW LOCATION YOU WILL FIND A MORE CASUAL ATMOSPHERE BUT THE SAME GREAT FOOD THAT MADE US MICHIGAN'S FINEST ITALIAN STEAKHOUSE. BUT DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, HERE'S WHAT DETROIT FREE PRESS CRITIC SYLVIA RECTOR HAD TO SAY: 'VOLARE IS AS GOOD AS EVER – AND IN SOME WAYS, MAYBE EVEN MORE.' – DINO

248 960 7771 48992 PONTIAC TRAIL, WIXOM

40TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON!

A GLLORIOUS ORIO ORIOUS OUS S NOISE OIS O Jeffrey Smith WITH THE

RMINGHAM BLOOMFIELD BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY YMPHONY ORCHESTRA

MUSIC DIRECTOR

John ohn Thomas Do Dodson, Conductor

Photo: Jean Luc Fievet

FEATURING FEA ATURING ORGANIST

Music Director John Thomas Dodson

CONCERT CONCERT PROGRAM PROGRAM

Mo Mozart zart SSerenata errenata N No Notturna otturna

P Poulenc oulenc Organ O rgan Concerto Concerto

ONE NIGHT HT ONL ONLY! LY! Y!

Saturday, dayy, December Decem 6 – 8:00 PM

—William Gatens

Christ Church Cranbrook 470 Church Rd., Bloomfield Hills

TICKETS:

“Inventive improvisations”

Bach Ba ch SSuite uite N No No. o. 3 iin nDM Ma Major ajor

$25

Scan mobile code with your smart phone for concert info.

“Superbly rich”

B Boyce oyce SSymphony ymphony No. Noo. 5 iin N nD

—Patricia Nakamura

FOR TICKETS: 248.352.BBSO 106

(2276)

www.BBSO.or www.BBSO.org g

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10.14

AT THE TABLE Bill’s – another hit for the Roberts Restaurant Group

By J. March

et’s be honest – Roberts Restaurant Group has Oakland County eating out of the palm of its hand. With an impressive collection of bistros, restaurants, taverns and cafes, Bill Roberts has put together an amazing portfolio of dining destinations that are diverse, inspired and consistently shine. When I think of the word corporate in conjunction with restaurants, I immediately think of five to seven places (most likely all erected within the last five years) that I can go eat mediocre food, get mediocre service and pay three times what its worth (think Main Street Ventures in Ann Arbor).

This is clearly not the case with Bill’s – another example of the great things Roberts Restaurant Group is doing.

Though not quite old enough to have dined from its inception in 1928, I am old enough to remember the Fox and Hounds of the late 80’s. I remember how intimidated I was by the heavy brocade and dark wood that adorned the entire space. It reminded me of the kind of place where bow tie clad men with beards and snifters smoked pipes and used words like “arbitrary” and “posthumous”.

Over the years, the space lightened up but never quite caught hold with a new generation of diners.

Ron Rea has again worked his magic and turned the space into a visual translation of the social club that Bill’s is being touted as. Dark wood tables, booths and stools are lightened up with caramel colored leather, a white brick exposed wall and a towering creamy white back bar. The walls are dark navy and adorned with wild game heads and pictures – lots and lots of pictures. What appears to be the oil painting collection of a very serious, royal, militant family covers every inch of space save for the huge black and white photograph of Madonna. Yes, Madonna. Think Like a Virgin, not the actual virgin.

Two separate visits resulted in me sitting at the bar because the rest of the place was packed. The crowd was diverse and the noise level was high.

Again, expect exactly what is offered; a bustling, neighborhood social club. Unfortunately, although the bar commanded the crowd it also commanded much of the space, leaving little room for socializing. In usual form, I ordered a negroni and though the bartender was not familiar, she wisely looked it up and made me a solid cocktail. Four run of the mill house drinks are listed including a slushy watermelon drink that included basil and prosecco.

Thumbs up for all local beers on draft but thumbs down for the exclusion of any Michigan wine on an otherwise noteworthy list. Extensive glass pours at a fair price and bottle selections that offer variety reflective of the menu (side note for oenophiles who hate oak bombs, the Jermann “Dreams” is not only hard to find, but arguably the best Chardonnay in the world, so capitilize!).

I always find it interesting how I am received when I dine out alone. Profiling exists in restaurants. Much like the LAPD, we make up our mind about you in thirty seconds. However, if your server

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Berkshire pork chop, french beans and onion rings with maple peach bourbon sauce. Downtown photo: Laurie Tennent

or bartender is good, you will never know the conclusion they came to. I was pretty certain that in my thirty seconds this bartender wasn’t seeing dollar signs (the negroni didn’t help). She seemed flat out disinterested. As the night progressed, and it became clear that I was there to do some serious dining, she wisely became more attentive. I eventually discovered that what came across as disinterest was exhaustion due to being overworked during the first insanely busy weeks following Bill’s opening. Yes folks, bartenders and servers are people, too, and I was glad that she and I developed a comfortable rapport.

I anxiously ordered the Crispy Frogs Legs and Carpaccio, neither of which are on many menus but both of which are delicious. The frogs legs came with the perfect partners of lemon, pecorino and parsley but were sautéed a bit too long, making the crispy coating less than crispy and the delicate meat heavy. Upon first glance the carpaccio looked sliced too heavy and I was dreading tough, chewy Piedmontese beef but instead savored every bite along with arugula, cremini mushrooms, olive oil and black pepper. Truth be told, I missed the traditional inclusion of capers which would have added the perfect sharp component that was lacking. Other starters included risotto balls, Clams Casino and Roquefort stuffed figs.

Salad choices were offered in the way of a Caprese, Kale Ceasar and Harris O (a house salad of sorts with romaine, iceberg, bleu cheese and tomato). Though the Kale Caesar sounded intriguing, I instead opted for the Corn Vichyssoise listed under soups. Cold, sweet and creamy, it was exactly what I anticipated and made no apologies for scrapping the sides in order to enjoy every drop.

Executive Chef Craig Myrand clearly used his time as Sous Chef at Beverly Hills Grill wisely.

Whether it is under the guided hand of Corporate Chef Patrick Roettele or completely of his own accord, the entrée selections at Bill’s are about as

good as it gets. Well rounded yet simple, they cover the advertised concept of Trattoria, Bistro and American Classics with everything from steaks to meatballs to branzino. Lighter fare is also offered in the form of Antipasto, Tuna Nicoise and the Quinoa Chicken Waldorf that was dressed perfectly with tender chunks of chicken and plump grapes, walnuts and apples.

Always a sucker for King Crab I jumped into the Carbonara with peas, pancetta, black pepper fettuccine and a sunny egg. Not only was there plenty of sweet crab, but the egg was perfectly cooked, adding a rich, creamy component, and the pancetta was perfectly crisp, resulting in what was as close to a perfectly textured dish as you can get.

The fettuccine was cooked perfect but if I could offer any critique, it would be that it needed a pinch more pepper.

In an effort to highlight things not so commonly good on most menus I skipped the branzino and the chicken and asked for the Berkshire Pork Chop.

After overhearing the bartender inform another guest as to its cooking temperature of medium, I felt like I had to try it. The mention of maple peach bourbon sauce sealed the deal. Just as promised, the huge, bone-in chop came cooked to a perfect medium with huge chunks of fresh peaches, haricot vert and onion rings. Not only did the knife cut effortlessly through the pork, the retention of juices upon the first bite was utterly impressive. The beans were fresh, and the peaches were firm but sweet and the touch of grease provided by the onion rings made this dish one of my favorite this year.

Again, true to form, the desserts were global with a traditional Baked Alaska, Creamsicle Panna Cotta, and (yawn) Flourless Chocolate Cake. I opted for the Old World tradition of Zeppoles.

Italy’s version of a beignet, it is cookie dough filled with ricotta then deep fried. These came dusted in powdered sugar and served with a sweet raspberry sauce. They were served warm and lightly dipped in the sauce, provided the sweet and savory I was hoping for.

Needless to say my experience at Bill’s was one that I highly recommend. Though he was quoted as saying this is the last concept for a while, I hope it’s not too long until he turns another oldie back into a goodie. His already impressive lists of restaurants proves that much like the Material Girl that adorns the dining room, he’s more than a onehit wonder.

Bill’s, 39556 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills 48304. 248.646-9000. Lunch ($5-$27) and dinner ($8-$40) Monday through Thursday from 11.a.m – 11 p.m; Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m until 12 p.m.; Sundays from 11 a.m until 10 p.m.

Reservations recommended for lunch only. Adjacent lot parking. Handicapped access. Happy Hour is Monday through Friday at the bar from 3–6 p.m.

J. March has 25 years experience in the restaurant industry in southeast Michigan, including certification as a sommelier. If you have short restaurant items for our Quick Bites section, e-mail to QuickBites@downtownpublications.com.

The World’s Fashion Capitals of Paris and Milan, Brought Exclusively to Birmingham.

DON’T MISS THE FALL & WINTER COLLECTION AT COQUETA BOUTIQUE! IT IS A MUST SEE! MON - SAT: 10 AM TO 8 PM • SUN: 12 PM TO 6 PM 142 S. OLD WOODWARD AVE, BIRMINGHAM, MI 48009 P: 248.723.2320 WWW.COQUETABOUTIQUE.COM - VISIT US ON

THE COMMUNITY HOUSE Make More Money Business Symposium October 23rd marks TCH’s 3rd Annual Business Educational Symposium (7:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.; $60.)

Great thanks to The Orlans Group as Presenting Sponsor. The Symposium sold out the last two years, so start registering now to get a seat! This year’s symposium theme is “How To Make More Money.”

The half day conference will feature three moderated breakout seminars with four panelists each; business networking at both the breakfast and lunch sessions; and take home materials. As a nonprofit, our goal is to raise $30,000 for TCH’s 21st Century Leaders/Entrepreneurship for 7th graders, and the iCount™ Childhood Obesity Prevention outreach programs for teens in need.

Camille Jayne

Thanks also to PNC Bank, breakfast sponsor; Managed Asset Portfolios, Northwood University and Raymond James as the three seminar sponsors; Vasileff Medical Group, complimentary valet sponsor; and Malibu Technology, print sponsor – all wonderful partners! We are very honored that Linda Orlans, Founder & CEO of The Orlans Group, will be our luncheon keynote speaker – taking us through her journey of how she led her company to be so successful. Below are the details of the day:

Let us help you get home - worry free.

Chad Whistler NMLS ID 140091

Toni Thwaites NMLS ID 291301

Troy Bergman NMLS ID 140061

THE BIRMINGHAM GROUP:

1) Three Breakout Seminars of Professional Learning: Each attendee will go to all three moderated seminars, getting the panelists’ insights on how to “make more money” in each of their respective topics.

SEMINAR 1: Plan Your Attack (Moderator: Betsy Reich, The Colburn Group) • How to Change Course – Imerman Cake Co. • Who’s Your Target? – Moncur • Selling Yourself – Christine Lynn, Cranbrook Realtors • Finding New Revenue – The JAYNE Group

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248.283.8500 275 S. Old Woodward Ave. Birmingham, MI 48009 birmingham@johnadamsmortgage.com Company NMLS ID 140012

SEMINAR 2: Make Your Move (Moderator: James Cristbrook, Shain Park Realtors) • Affordable Marketing Options – Comcast Spotlight • Opportunities Through Loans – Bank of Birmingham • Savvy Business Planning – CPR – Cell Phone Repair • Getting the Word Out – Centigrade SEMINAR 3: Secure Your Future (Moderator: Bert Copple, Home Instead) • Negotiating for Yourself – Secure Planning Strategies • Money Investment Options – Managed Asset Portfolios • Making Smart Job Moves – Aerotek • Paying Uncle Sam Less – Rehmann 2) Business Networking Breakfast & Lunch Sessions: The breakfast and lunch sessions include facilitated business networking exercises designed to make it comfortable for attendees to meet each other while learning some new business tools.

3) Take Away Information: Each attendee gets a three-ring binder filled with key take away nuggets, tips and tools, recommended websites and books from all the panelists. Come learn, meet others, and help teens in need all in one morning!

Let the

Gentlem

Take Ca en Move r re of Yo s ur Move !

Nonprofit Management can attend Symposium for FREE! Thanks to a generous sponsor, we have 50 free tickets to give out to other nonprofits. Call Brett Nicholson at 248.594.6418 to get your free admission ticket.

Another Great opportunity: Anyone who attends the Oct. 23rd Symposium gets to attend the Nov. 20th (“The Power of ‘No’ and Handling Problematic Personalities”) lunch lecture FREE! Register for the above at: tchserves.org or call: 248.554.6596.

www.changingplacesmovers.com

Thank you for helping TCH impact lives with exceptional educational and outreach experiences!

Lic #: L-21897

Camille Jayne is President and CEO of TCH. downtownpublications.com

248-639-4748

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK Angels Place Golf and Tennis Classic

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Angels’ Place Golf and Tennis Classic The 22nd annual Golf Fore Life attracted 240 golfers and 30 tennis players to Pine Lake Country Club where they were joined for cocktails and dinner by more supporters of Angels’ Place.

Warm camaraderie reigns at this event for which Frank Jonna, Peter Treboldi, Ted Pearse, Dale Prentice, Bob Sparks and Duke Scrafano provided leadership.

The latter, who chaired the event for the first 20 years ago and was serving as Sally Gerak honorary chair, was razed good-naturedly when he bragged that it had never been rained out and then mixed up some committee names. “English is Duke’s second language,” teased Jonna, who got his brother John to donate a Bird & Bread restaurant wine tasting party for 12 to the mini-auction that raised $5,000. The sporting event, plus a raffle ($36,000), raised more than $218,000. And board chair Schuyler Hamill also thanked Feldman Automotive for its sales-based project that would raise nearly $40,000 for AP, which gives lifetime care to developmentally disabled persons.

More Angels Place supporters joined the residents, staff and volunteers at the popular Family Fun Day Kathy Kupelian and Tom MacLean chaired August 23. Hundreds of them have also marked their calendars for December 4, when Rick Santorum will be the keynote speaker at the Annual Dinner fundraiser Loretta and Jim Ryan are chairing at The Henry hotel. To get an invitation, call the AP office at (248) 350-2203.

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1. Frank Jonna (left), Schuyler and Nora Hamill of Bloomfield, Duke Scrafano of Birmingham 2. Pat and Kathy McQueen of Bloomfield 3. Shirley Maddalena (left) of Bloomfield, Jay and May Joliat of Troy and Michele Joliat of Metamora. 4. Mike Heenan (left) of Grosse Pointe, Pat Callanan of Beverly Hills and Mary Letscher of Bloomfield 5. Shawn Lilley (left) of Birmingham, Tom Gassman of Oxhard, CA., Ray Kulik of Shelby Twp., and Jason Olekszyk of Bloomfield 6. Lupe Lopez Garcia (left) of Stockton, CA, Ray Lopez of Birmingham, Karen and Ken MacKinnon of Shelby Twp., Robbie Lopez of La Quinta, CA

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100+Women Who Care – Motown

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6 1. Karen Rashid Balow (left) of Beverly Hills, Gail Pope Rashid of Bloomfield, Anne Klima of Beverly Hills 2. Nancy Sullivan (left) of Northville, Karen Bernacki and Tawyna Bender of Bloomfield 3. Michele Dragisity of Bloomfield, Sue Hamilton of Huntington Woods 4. Leisa Onslow (left) of Wixom, Rosemary Fox and Rose Robbins of Bloomfield 5. Debby Kridler (left) and Jo Lincoln of Bloomfield 6. Kathy Walgren (left) of Birmingham, Common Ground’s Tony Rothschild of Lake Orion and Heather Rae of Keego Harbor 7. Tawyna Bender (left) of Bloomfield, Denise Rabidoux of Ann Arbor, Virginia Minolli of Clarkson

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DOWNTOWN

100+ Women Who Care Motown The summer meeting of a relatively new, grass roots organization was hosted by Anne Klima at Birmingham Country Club on August 6. It attracted 90 of its members. All came prepared to donate $100 to a local charity. At this meeting, 25 came prepared to advocate for a local charity. Those names went into the box for a drawing to be held after the women had socialized for half an hour. Karen RashidBalow, one of the three co-founders, then welcomed all and introduced the winner chosen at the spring meeting – Common Ground.

Kathy Walgren, the member who had advocated for CG, and two staffers thanked everybody and explained how important the $15,000 unrestricted funds from the group were. Three names were then drawn to make five-minute pitches for a charity.

Member #162 Virginia Minolli spoke about the foundation (www.frankminollifoundation.org) she and her sisters founded in memory of their father to provide science and engineering summer scholarships to high school girls. Member #30 Denise Rabidoux told about the Safe at Home program run by the Evangelical Homes (www.evangelicalhomes.org/InHomeServices.aspx) to help older people with limited resources. Member #220 Tawyna Bender spoke about South Oakland Shelters’ programs (southoaklandshelter.org) for the homeless. All answered questions. Knowing that the charity with the most votes would receive all the checks, the members voted (secret ballots) for their first choice. The winner was Evangelical Homes’ Safe at Home program. The women made out their checks accordingly and, counting those mailed in from absent members, Safe at Home received $15,500 to help seniors. One member was so impressed with the Minolli Foundation she added another $100 for it.

And member Kelly Martin spoke for most when she described the concept of maximizing the impact of small donations as, “Such a great idea.” Sixty of the women had made plans to stay at the club for dinner following the meeting. All interested women are welcome to join 100+Women Who Care-Motown. The commitment is to donate $100 per meeting four times per year. The next meeting is Thursday, November 6 at Red Run Country Club. Call Balow at (248) 901-3916 or (248) 943-8535 or go to www.100pluswomenmotown.com.

10.14

Concours d’Elegance of America High Heels and Wheels, the Concours d’Elegance of America Saturday night party, attracted 300 to the Inn of St John’s atrium. Sue Eller and her committee orchestrated a fun, upbeat atmosphere featuring a culinary journey offering yummy fare from around the world and intriguing entertainment by two Detroit Circus performers . In a mini live auction, Roger Wilbanks paid $5,500 for the Concours 2014 original poster art, probably because it featured his 1934 Alfa Romero that was the Best European winner in 2013. Norman Yatooma spoke briefly about his foundation which helps turn the tragedy of a parent’s death into hope. It is one of the non-profits which will benefit from proceeds of the event.

Nearly perfect weather the next day brought 10,000 to view more than 250 magnificent vehicles. Along with the American and European classics, they saw Jet-Age pickups, vintage drag bikes and the work of designer Virgil Exner.

Twelve of the cars were accompanied by models from Margery Krevsky’s Productions Plus – The Talent Shop in Mode du Concours. Exhibitors, judges and sponsors enjoyed Terry Adderly’s post show hospitality.

MOT benefit Party on the River Curtis Posuniak chaired a summer benefit for Michigan Opera Theatre at the Roosertail. His committee was comprised of Terry Shea, Nancy Moore, Leo Dovelle and Don Jensen. The new CEO of Michigan Opera Theatre, Wayne Brown, was among the 85 guests who applauded a mini Hat Fashion Show and the mini concert by Michigan Opera chorus singers. The pleasant summer evening netted $4,000 for the opera, which is gearing up for the 2014-2015 season. It kicks off Friday, Oct. 17 with the Opera Ball that Gretchen Davidson, Elanah Nachman Hunger, and Karen Williams are chairing.

ORT’s Rub-A-Dub Rub-A-Dub 2014 planners chose Club 1880 as the party theme because ORT, the worldwide educational organization it supports, was founded in 1880. The honorary event chair was Doreen Hermelin. She and her late husband David started Rub-A-Dub on a very modest scale in the late 1970s in their garage using instant lottery tickets. That it has grown to attract more than 500 (at $150) to Franklin Hills Country Club and be the most important fundraiser for Michigan ORT is testimony to the high value the community places on educating people to be self-sufficient.

Guests socialized, bid in a silent auction ($50,000 +), and bought raffle tickets ($30,000 +) before settling in for the live auction and dinner on the tented terrace where the Foster Brooks Band was making music. Coby Weiss, an ORT tutor from Israel, spoke briefly about one of his first students, who was a big challenge but taught him to never give up. “Every kid holds the key to a better future,” Weiss declared. Brian Hermelin then got folks to bid $65,500 in a brief live auction before they queued up for the BBQ downtownpublications.com

Concours d’Elegance of America

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1. Sue Eller (center) of Attica, Jennifer and Terry Adderly of Bloomfield 2. Patty (left) and Concours chair Larry Moss of W. Bloomfield, Sydney Caron of Gorham, ME 3. David Day of Lake Lanier, GA and Janet Chorkey of Bloomfield 4. Susan Sage (left) and Linda Solomon of Bloomfield and Teckla Rhoads of Shelby Twp. 5. Norman and Nicole Yatooma of Bloomfield 6. Sharleen Sullivan of Bloomfield and Feather Buchanan of Scottsdale, AZ. 7. Larry Smith (left) of Bloomfield, Dave Schultz of Massillon, OH

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ORT’s Rub-A-Dub

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1. Brad Oleshansky (left) of Birmingham, Matt Ran of Bloomfield and Bruce Marwil of W. Bloomfield 2. Doreen Hermelin and Brian Hermelin of Bingham Farms 3. Meredith, Steve and Rob Colburn and Nanci Rands of Bloomfield 4. Julie Marx (left) and Ina Levinson of Bloomfield, Kathy Broock Ballard of Orchard Lake 5. Russ (left) and Elise Bratley of Bloomfield, Margo and David Grossman of Franklin 6. Helen Topcik (left) and Helen Katz of Bloomfield 7. Steve and Tania Yatooma of Birmingham 8. Shaindle Braunstein and Nicole Miller of W. Bloomfield, Brad Oleshansky of Birmingham

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dinner. Most departing guests filled little bags with old fashion candies from a sweet display.

Thanks also to many generous sponsors, the event will be the most successful ever, raising more than $450,000.

The Community House Tribute Terrace Reception

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TCH Tribute Terrace Reception One hundred-thirty-five loyal donors to The Community House attended the cocktail party that celebrated the naming of The Miller Family Tribute Terrace at the historic institution. TCH CEO Camille Jayne told them, “Thank you for your mind, your hearts and your wallets,” adding that George and the late Barbara Miller led by example. Board chair Dave Trott echoed her gratitude on behalf of the board. And Miller himself, when he spotted retired TCH development director Frannie Greenebaum, greeted her with a big hug and said, “You are the reason we did this.”

Some in the crowd, like the John Aubreys, Bill Booths and Arlyce Seibert, had a red rose, indicating they had bought terrace pavers. Jayne also named other TCH donors for whom new pavers were installed. This includes the late Denise Little, who lost her cancer battle July 26, and The Hoglund Family, whose patriarch the late Bill Hoglund had just been celebrated two days previous at a splendid memorial reception packed with more than 200 Bloominghamers in Harbor Springs. For more information about making a selection for The Miller Tribute Terrace go to tchserves.org/donate/tribute-terrace/.

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1. George Miller (left) of Birmingham, Susan Miller of Ferndale and Robert Miller of Chicago 2. Julian and Frannie Greenebaum of Bloomfield 3. Meg Ferron of Bloomfield and Dave Trott of Birmingham 4. Jean Schuler (left) of Birmingham and Mary Noonan of Bloomfield 5. Joan and John Reddy of Bloomfield 6. Bob (left) and Mary Jane Cox of Farmington Hills, Arlyce Seibert of Bloomfield 7. Richard Harper (left) of Beverly Hills, Robert and Jackie Rossi of Birmingham 8. Marty and Marie Gabriel of Bloomfield 9. John Schrot (center) and John (left) and Carol Aubrey of Birmingham 10. Maggie (left) and Mike Clement and Coco Siewert of Birmingham

Belle Isle Conservancy Benefactors Party

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1. Event co-chair Judy Jonna (left) of Bloomfield with milliner Gena Conti of Wyandotte 2. Event pioneer Dawn Rassel (left) of Bloomfield, committee member Nedra Degraffenried of Livonia and BIC president Michele Hodges of Grosse Pointe 3. Patricia Hill Burnett of Bloomfield in a Conti creation 4. Maggie Allesee (left) of Bloomfield, committee member Nicole Gize of St. Claire Shores

DOWNTOWN

Charity Opening of Bill’s Restaurant “The salmon was delicious and the (service impressive). Bill and Maria (Roberts) really know how to train their staff,” opined judge Wendy Potts following her charity preview dinner at one of the practice sessions Roberts Restaurant Group staged before Bill’s opened in the historic, old Fox and Hounds location at Long Lake and Woodward in the city of Bloomfield Hills. Potts and other legal beagle supporters of the Restore Foundation, which sustains the Oakland County drug courts, shared the appealing, Ron Rea-designed eatery with CARE House boosters for the two seatings ($100 donation).

Both the décor and the menu combine the new with nostalgia, and here’s betting it will quickly become the go-to neighborhood destination – especially for the 3 – 6 p.m. social hour Monday through Fridays. And people who lamented the noise level at the Fox Grill, which occupied the site between the Fox & Hounds and Bill’s, will be glad to know that sound absorbing material covers the ceiling. Check the complete menu plus lunch and dinner hours at www.BillsBloomfield.com.

Belle Isle Conservancy Benefactors Party It’s been 10 years since Sarah Earley, who had fallen in love with Belle Isle while taking a landscape design course at OCC, launched the Belle Isle Legacy Luncheon to raise funds to restore the jewel in the river. The 10th annual Polish the Jewel Luncheon Wednesday, Sept. 17 is dedicated to romancing the Isle and celebrat10.14

Charity Opening at Bill’s

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1. Maria (left) and Bill Roberts and Jon and Judy Anderson of Bloomfield 2. Jack (left) and Tom Grobbel of Birmingham, Tom and Vicki Celani of Bloomfield 3. Janice Steinhardt (left) of Birmingham, Eddie Sosnick and Susie Pappas of Bloomfield 4. Christopher Cataldo (left) of W. Bloomfield, Wendy Potts of Birmingham, Mike Jacobson and Peter Alter of Bloomfield 5. Don (left) and Pam Kegley and Jennifer and Jeff Palmer of Bloomfield 6. Darleen Sosnick (left) of Bloomfield and Meredith Block of Algonac 7.

Lea Schofield (left) of Royal Oak, Tom Cory and Colleen O’Brien of Clarkston

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Founders Junior Council’s FASH BASH

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1. Al (left) and Brooke Fisher of Grosse Pointe with Kris and Andy Appleby of Bloomfield 2. Renee Janovsky (left) of Grosse Pointe, Graham Beal of Deroit and Vivian Pickard of Bloomfield 3. Fair Radom (left) of Bloomfield, Janis Wetsman of Birmingham 4. Alex (left) and Lilly Stotland and Angel and Shane Lavery of Birmingham 5. Newly weds Linda Orlans and Gerry Padilla of Birmingham 6. Mark (left), Kim, Grant and Amanda Reuss of Bloomfield 7. Tara and Steven Grekin of Bloomfield 8. Michael Scheid and Cynthia Bass of Bloomfield 9. Paul Andrews (left) of Mount Clemens, Mikki Gardener and Barbara Heller of Birmingham 10. Ryan Husaynu (left) and Sandra Plezia of W. Bloomfield, Amy Zimmer of Bloomfield

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ing those 10 years of passion and radiance. One hundred benefactors ($300, $500, $1,000) were able to get to the cocktail party saluting them at the Rattlesnake Club. As in the past, many had fun trying on the hats milliner Gena Conti brought for consideration, and she sold several.

Conversation about summer adventures dominated the chit chat. Dawn Rassel’s account of her husband’s heart attack aboard an Alaska-bound cruise ship which scuttled the trip but, thank God, had a happy ending, was the most notable.

Founders Junior Council’s FASH BASH You know you are on the right track when your fundraiser sells out (825) three weeks before the event, as did the Founders Junior Council’s 44th annual FASH BASH. The weather was perfect for al fresco partying in front of the Detroit Institute of Arts, whose operating endowment will directly benefit from the $325,000 the chic soiree raised. It was chaired

by Ashley and KC Crain, Brooke and Al Fisher, Vivian Pickard and Fair Radom. The honorary chairs were Kris and Andy Appleby, Nicole and Stephen Eisenberg, Christine and John Giampetroni, Eileen and Matt Kiriluk, Stacey Kives and Treger and Rob Strasberg.

The champagne-splashed cocktail hour was notable for serious socializing, people watching, craft cocktails and Forte Belanger’s colorful passed savories. Neiman Marcus fashion director from Dallas Ken Downing gets credit for the fashion selections and, we presume, the large feathers some models wore in their hair. The show was presented in the Great Hall, where three rows of chairs bordered the U-shaped runway. Post show sustenance, devoured amid torches, candles and strands of white lights, included tasty Coney dogs, sliders and soft pretzels with various toppings. DJ Rock City played tunes for dancing under the stars until midnight. Under the leadership of president Blake Ellis, FJC is celebrating 50 years of existence this year. For membership information, go to www.dia.org/fjc.

CARE House reception Approximately 50 CARE House supporters kicked off the post Labor Day charity events season at Lisa Payne’s cocktail party staged on Sept. 2, primarily to welcome former executive director Pat Rosen back to 10.14

her previous position from a short hiatus in Florida. Rosen’s passion for the agency that succors abused children was evident in her brief remarks, especially her account of what a young client wrote on the CARE House wall during the construction of its new facility: “You don’t know me but you saved my life.” She also noted that in 2002 as a volunteer, she had chaired the first CARE Night Charity Ball fundraiser.

The 2014 co-chairs – Payne and GM Foundation’s Alicia Bowler Davis, noted that the Oct. 25 event is planned for the GM Heritage Center (a car museum not open to the public) and encouraged all to attend. For sponsor and ticket information, call (248) 332-7173.

Circumnavigators Club’s Summer Safari A German flag, flanked by sculptures, waved in the breeze and welcomed people to Lee and Floy Barthel’s annual social for local Circumnavigators Club members and their guests. Since its founding in 1902 to promote global fellowship and understanding, the club is open to all who have traveled around the world. The Barthels, members since 1988, have hosted Summer Safaris, each with a different national theme, for several years. Strolling around the hosts’ expansive spread of gardens, ponds, outdoor art and their vintage car collection intrigued the 50 guests before they assembled for German wines, beers and cuisine. Following dinner, Circums (members) Don Peterson, Don Parrish and Bob Spehar shared some travel yarns. For more information about the club, whose foundation funds travel study for college students, go to circumnavigators.org.

Saks Fifth Avenue’s Art of Detroit There may have been heavy competition downtown the same night (Lions preseason game and Eminem concert in Comerica Park), but more than 300 fashionable Detroiters-atheart ($75 ticket) still cruised to Saks Fifth Avenue for the soiree benefiting the College for Creative Studies.

Painted flats displaying Detroit landmarks like the Marshall Fredericks’ “Spirit of Detroit” sculpture accented the store and CCS alum Ben Sharkey had a huge presence at the event.

Both the invitation and the event poster art above the registration table were his creations. Plus, his mellow vocals wafted throughout the second floor most of the evening. Glass artist downtownpublications.com

CARE House Reception

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1. Pat Rosen (left) of Troy, Don Kegley and Lisa Payne of Bloomfield 2. Alicia Bowler Davis (center) of Rochester, Stephan Huber (left) and Dom DiMarco of Bloomfield 3. Maryclare Pulte (left) of Bloomfield, Pam Mannion of Birmingham 4. Garry (left) & Briel Neel and Charlie Wickins of Birmingham 5. Ann & Steve Templeton of Birmingham 6. Janice & Barry King of Birmingham 7. Greg (left) & Karen Andrews and Bev Erickson of Birmingham

Saks Fifth Avenue’s Art of Detroit

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1. Susan and Ken Perry of Bloomfield 2. Hugh Mahler of Birmingham 3. Mickki Braddock (left) Birmingham, Janet Haddad of Bloomfield, Rosemary Bannon of Beverly Hills 4. Christine Zantop (left), Annie Margulis, Marilyn Way and Margie Hubacker of Bloomfield 5. Corinne Wilson (left) of Auburn Hills, Jessie Elliott, Vivian Pickard and Patti Prowse of Bloomfield 6. Jan and Julie Nelson Klein of Bloomfield 7. Bonnie Jobe and Larry Walsh of Bloomfield 8. Jason Brown (left) of Beverly Hills and Joseph Saker of Bloomfield

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Forgotten Harvest Champagne Dream Cruise

April Wagner’s work also made a colorful statement on the second floor. Additionally, she donated a glass blowing party to the extensive list of such desirable giveaways as Shinola watches for which people competed with ticket stubs. Instead of a runway fashion presentation to interrupt socializing and shopping, models changed clothes and display pods throughout the evening to put various designers in more subtle spotlights as guests savored iconic chow from Detroit icons like Sanders, American Coney Island, the London Chop House and Rattlesnake Club. CCS also received 10 percent of the night’s sales. The next fundraiser at SFA on our calendar is the Key to the Cure benefiting breast cancer care at Henry Ford Health Systems on Oct. 16. The college’s 33rd annual Detroit International Wine Auction is Oct. 18.

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1. Victoria (left) and Rick Costantina of Bloomfield and Donna and Mark Anusbigian of Birmingham 2. Sponsor Andrews Brothers’ Jeff Arash (left) of Bloomfield, Joe and Bob Ventimiglia of Royal Oak, Charlie Palazzolo of Grosse Pointe 3. Judy and Doug Weaver of Birmingham 4. Vivian Pickard (left) of Bloomfield and Lori Wingerter of Rochester, Sharon Madison of Detroit

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Art Van Charity Dream Cruise Bash

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3 1. Art Van Elslander and Bill Sekler of Bloomfield 2. Steve Ryckman (left) of Birmingham; Kathy McRae and Lynn Medow of Bloomfield 3.

Beverly & Howard Stone and Susan & Brand Marwill of Beverly Hills 4. Rachid and Katherine Elebed 5. Elliot Lerner and Stacey Duford of Beverly Hills

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Art Van Charity Dream Cruise Bash A couple miles north of the above mentioned Westborn Market, Art Van Furniture’s Royal Oak store also tossed a cruise party for 100 invited guests. This one featured retro tunes, games, the Fancy Pants Burger Bar, and award presentations. Art Van Awards of Hope went to stellar charity fundraisers Bill Seklar and, in absentia, Rev. Faith Fowler and Candy Fitzsimmons. And, after demonstrating her impressive hula hooping skills, emcee Lila Lazarus gave nearly $200,000 to the six Detroit area winners of the sixth annual Art Van Million Dollar Charity Challenge.

Since its inception, the Art Van Million Dollar Charity Challenge has awarded over $6 million in grants and inspired donations of more than $18 million. A complete list of all 55 winning charities is on artvancharitychallenge.com.

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DAR Dream Cruise Veteran’s Reception

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Forgotten Harvest’s Champagne Cruise For the twelfth year, the generous folks at Westborn Market used its Woodward Avenue location to raise money for the hungry people served by Forgotten Harvest. Some 600 people, including new CEO Kirk Mayes, turned out the night before the cruise to watch the cars, hear the Motown sounds of Charles and Gwen Scales, bid in a silent auction, sip sparkling and still wines and craft beers, and sample the yummy cuisine donated by generous purveyors.

The food was unusually tasty this year, especially Levy’s braised short rib sliders, Beans & Cornbread’s rib tips and Vinsetta Garage’s mac and cheese.

Counting the silent auction of 40 items and ticket sales, the rockin’ evening raised enough money to provide over 700,000 meals.

3 1. Ruby Weidner (left) of Birmingham, Christine Richman of Bloomfield, Barbara Suhay of Birmingham 2. David White (center) with Janet Ashley (left) and Teresse Krause of Bloomfield 3. Clare Brozak (second from right) with Charlie (left), Annie, and Maggie Wiltgen of Bloomfield 4.

Jim Hess (center) with Barbara Balow (left) of Birmingham, Virginia Bennett of Bloomfield, Nancy Reed of W. Bloomfield and Christine Richman of Bloomfield

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DAR Dream Cruise Veteran’s Reception On Dream Cruise day, members of the Piety Hill chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution hosted their fourth annual salute to war veterans in front of Woodward Camera which was decorated patriotically for the occasion. Nearly 100 vets and their pals attended the reception. The local chapter (named after Birmingham’s original moniker), received three awards in July at the DAR 123rd Continental Congress in Washington, D.C. One award was for its Woodward Dream Cruise special recognition of Vietnam War veterans and the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War. The others were for its commemoration of Flag Day and its Veteran’s Day Wreath laying ceremony.

Send ideas for this column to Sally Gerak, 28 Barbour Lane, Bloomfield Hills, 48304; email samgerak@aol.com or call 248.646.6390 10.14

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ENDNOTE

Our choices for the November election O n Tuesday, November 4, voters in Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills and Bloomfield Township are being asked to decide the future of a number of public offices, along with a millage request for the Bloomfield Township Public Library and a ballot proposal for Bloomfield Hills’ residents.

This is a general election, which means you are not restricted to voting for candidates in only one political party.

We offer our endorsements on this page, reached after careful deliberation on returned questionnaires, candidate conversations and editorial research.

Visit downtownpublications.com for full the candidates answers and biographies.

reapportionment, with incumbent state Sen. Jim Marleau (R) acknowledging on primary night this August that he had not paid attention to the new addition to his district, which meanders to the north Oakland area, nor knew little about the community.

We don’t know much more about him or his stances, because he failed to respond to our questionnaire.

Democratic challenger and township resident Paul Secrest could be an option for those seeking one. A former Chrysler purchasing agent, he offers thoughtful answers, and options, to road funding and other issues, although we strongly disagree with him on education issues.

U.S. CONGRESS 9th District Bloomfield Township This congressional district, currently represented

by Sander Levin (D), was significantly changed in the 2010 redistricting, and it’s boundaries now spread from Roseville, Eastpointe and Royal Oak to Bloomfield Township, which appears to be the forgotten stepchild. Despite repeated requests, we heard from neither Levin, nor challenger George Brikho (R), so we cannot endorse in this contest.

13th District Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills Democrat Cyndi Peltonen was the surprise winner of the August primary, and we would have liked to have considered her. However, she failed to return our questionnaire. While we felt that Republican MARTY KNOLLENBERG did not fully understand some questions, we give him the nod as a former state representative who has successfully sponsored legislation, but has primarily ridden the coattails of his father, former U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg. Another Republican lawmaker acknowledged Knollenberg would be a “placeholder” – but likely not harmful.

11th District Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills This has been one of the tougher races to call in terms of an endorsement.

We supported David Trott for the GOP August primary election in which he trounced a one-term Tea Party Republican incumbent. And we like Trott personally, a self-made businessman who some of us have known since high school. Much to his credit, he has been an involved member of the Birmingham/Bloomfield community, a model others would do well to emulate.

That said, we are just not convinced Trott’s views are representative of the majority of district residents.

We think his conservative and inflexible position on many issues borders on the far right, including his attacks on the departments of education and energy, along with the Environmental Protection Agency. And we are not convinced he has taken the time to talk to those in the district’s trenches as opposed to just espousing talking points that appeal to a GOP minority faction, such as his flat-out opposition to Common Core educational standards which most school superintendents in the 11th District support, for example.

We feel very strongly that we elect people to congress to represent the views of district constituents, not their own, so we are going with Democrat BOBBY MCKENZIE, an advisor on national security and terrorism who no doubt has an uphill battle in this Republican-leaning district with a well-heeled opponent.

Like Trott, he has much to learn and we don’t agree with him on all the issues, but we sense more of a willingness to listen and not just push, unabated, his personal opinion.

McKenzie understands the issues facing this district and the nation just as well as his opponent, and his views are more in sync with local residents in this sprawling district, be it a woman’s right to determine her own reproductive health care, national educational standards that allow for local initiative in terms of reaching goals, or the necessity of reaching across the aisle to get things done and break the current Washington logjam created by extremist factions in both political parties.

MICHIGAN SENATE 12th District Bloomfield Township Once again, Bloomfield Township was placed into an apparently random district in the 2010

MICHIGAN HOUSE 40th District Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township In his first term, Rep. MIKE MCCREADY distinguished himself among the Republican pack as a strong and thoughtful legislator, and we gladly endorse him for a second term. We have been impressed that his priority has been representing his district first and political party second. For example, he has spent a considerable amount of time in each of his constituent school districts, getting to intimately know the superintendents, listening, learning and understanding Common Core. Because his superintendents and local school boards support Common Core, he believes it is an important educational “method to measure our student’s progress compared to other nations.” He also has worked hard to sponsor and pass comprehensive and common sense bills for road funding. Jobs and growing the local economy continue to remain his top priority.

OAKLAND COUNTY Board of Commissioners District 12 Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township SHELLEY GOODMAN TAUB was a Republican county commissioner from 1993-2002, a Michigan Representative from 2003 to 2006, and since 2009, once again an Oakland County Commissioner. She is a dedicated public servant. Going forward, she would like to have a Natural Disaster Fund and possibly provide low-interest loans to county residents impacted by natural disasters, such as recent floods. She is also working with the Road Commission of Oakland County to find greater allocations for road work.

District 13 Bloomfield Township Democrat MARCIA GERSHENSON has been the county commissioner for this district since 2004, and is passionate for her constituents, as well as senior and youth services in Oakland County. She would like to see county commissioners increase their share of Tri-Party road funding for local road projects, as well as work with local communities to find

solutions for the deteriorating infrastructure; increase access for seniors to programs to encourage independent living in their homes; and more job retraining programs for the local workforce.

48TH DISTRICT COURT Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township Incumbent KIMBERLY SMALL, currently Chief Judge of the 48th District Court, has worked hard, along with her fellow judges, to make this district court one of high standards, where criminals and defendants coming before her understand the severity of their crimes and their impact upon the community. Beyond the courtroom, in her 18 years as a jurist, Small has been active in community outreach, a regular presence in schools, youth groups and multi-ethnic associations, and is especially proud of her work with Critical Life Choices and Cool to be Clean, both programs to empower students to make wise choices, and to initiate discussions between parents and children, especially regarding drug and alcohol use. Which leads us to our only criticism, which is a one-sizefits-all approach the court sometimes takes with first-time offenders for drunk driving and minors in possession. While a harsh hand can be applauded, so can an individualized approach.

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP Library Millage Request Bloomfield Township residents will have the opportunity to vote on a .541-mill ballot proposal to provide funding for ten years for the library, which supporters assert is essential to restoring and continuing to provide necessary services to library patrons, perform important renovations and upgrades to the physical structure and wipe out unfunded legacy costs for retiree medical benefits.

The millage request includes .3284 mills to restore the 1.7874 mills which was previously approved by Bloomfield Township voters in 2002, and was subsequently rolled back to 1.459 mills. They are also seeking to add .2126 mills. Bloomfield Township receives 93 percent of its funding from property taxes, and they have seen a $1.3 million loss in revenue, out of a $5.1 million budget, in the last six years.

The needs for the library have grown yet the revenue has declined thanks to decreased property values in the recession. Leaks have sprouted across the roof and the lower level increasingly floods, imperiling collections, computers, and electrical and heating systems. Staff, programming and hours have all been cut in recent years. And eliminating legacy retiree medical costs would help bring future budgets under control, permanently.

We took time to review the numbers and the detailed game plan with library officials and feel confident in saying this is a solid proposal that deserves a YES vote.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS Single Waste Hauler Proposal Bloomfield Hills residents are being asked to vote to permit their city commissioners to adopt an ordinance to competitively bid and hire a single waste hauler for the city. Currently, residents hire their own solid waste and recyclable haulers, at their own cost. While residents would still pay for the removal of all waste and recyclables, having numerous different waste haulers with their large trucks on city roads every day has become a problem, causing significant wear and tear to the roads. We think a YES vote makes sense.

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