Rochester/Rochester Hills

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AUGUST 2017

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OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL POLITICAL NEWS AND GOSSIP

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5 ACRES ON PAVED ROAD WITH 6 CAR GARAGE, POOL, FIN. W/O BSMT. & ROCHESTER SCHOOLS Oakland Twp., $714,900. Private setting on cul de sac of custom homes within minutes of downtown Rochester. So many hard to find features ALL in ONE HOME incl: 5 bdrms, 4.5 baths, fin W/O bsmt, 3 car att PLUS 3 car det heated garage w/240 line, 20x42 inground pool w/diving board. Hdwd fl, crown molding, granite & 8 ft. doors. Trex deck, generator, hot tub, central vac., sauna. Spacious master suite, Jack & Jill suite, guest suite & 2nd fl. laundry. W/O bsmt. w/9 ft. ceilings, stone gas fireplace, rec. rm., full kit., home theater, bath & bdrm. ONLY 2 acres to mow & backs to Stoney Creek.

ALL NEW 1ST FLOOR MASTER IN PRIME DOWNTOWN ROCHESTER LOCATION Rochester, $510,000. 65 ft. fenced yard with new patio, new 24x24 garage, 3 season sun rm. 3 bdrms., 3.5 baths, first floor laundry. All baths and kitchen with quartz counters. Stainless appls., soft close cabinetry, beautiful tile, solid wood doors and wide plank bamboo flooring. All bdrms. with vaulted ceilings & ceiling fans. Fabulous master suite with walk-in closet. All new mechanicals and roof. Fin. bsmt. with fireplace. ABSOLUTE MOVE-IN CONDITION!

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Easy access to M-24. All homes $350,000+. Perk test, survey and deed restrictions available. Very beautiful property. Oxford Schools.

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Gerrymandering: drawing political districts to retain control There’s a court challenge and petition drive underway to force a new way for political districts to be determined after the next federal census in an effort to end the practice of gerrymandering at the state and national level.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

10

Legislation to provide more transparency when it comes to state lawmakers, as well as the governor’s office, is stalled once again in the Michigan Senate by just one man. Here’s how you can help move the bills to a vote.

CRIME LOCATOR

15

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

OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL

17

Ranking the congressional districts for David Trott and Mike Bishop; no excitement over Kumar possible run again; rundown of campaign contributions; U.S. Senate field grows; plus more.

MUNICIPAL

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No medical marijuana businesses in Rochester; city opts not to adopt public comment time limits; farmers market could be expanding; Rewold office building plan approved; plus more.

THE COVER The Van Hoosen Jones-Stony Creek Cemetery at Tienken and Sheldon Roads. The 16.8-acre cemetery, owned and operated by Rochester Hills, was donated by the late Dr. Sara Van Hoosen. Downtown photo: Laurie Tennent.

Lynn Baker, Associate Broker Deby Gannes, REALTOR® 248.379.3000 lbaker@hallandhunter.com

248.379.3003 dgannes@hallandhunter.com NEW LISTING

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ROCHESTER HILLS 3638 Nesting Ridge Drive | $699,900

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OAKLAND TOWNSHIP 1840 Rolling Oaks Court | $739,900

ROCHESTER HILLS 6500 Chatham Circle | $449,900

A true oasis backing to woods, the Clinton River and One-of-a-kind, custom raised ranch on 4.79 wooded Move right into this spacious home featuring large conservation area. Every upgrade imaginable! 1700 SF acres. Master with updated bath. Incredible lower eat-in kitchen leading to paver patio & yard. Finished walkout LL. Glass awalled deck jettisons out into woods. level with 3 BR, 2 baths. In ground pool & hot tub. daylight basement with bar/kitchen, family room & bath.

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OAKLAND TOWNSHIP 5475 Jendean Lane | $748,900 “Up north” feeling on rare 10-acre lot with spring-fed pond minutes from downtown Rochester. Amazing interior & out-of-this-world walkout LL with indoor pool.

6,618 Total SF | 4 BR | 4.1 Baths | MLS# 217064072

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3,344 SF | 4 BR | 4.1 Baths | MLS# 217063814

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OAKLAND TOWNSHIP 2820 Plum Creek Drive | $739,900

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP 5490 Great Fosters Drive | $809,900

Custom-built home maintained to perfection with the Exceptional home on spectacular nearly 3-acre wooded finest custom details & craftsmanship. Finished daylight lot at end of cul-de-sac Numerous updates! Finished LL LL. Fabulous yard with small pond & built-in gas grill. with theater. Incredible grounds with pool/pool house.

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OAKLAND TOWNSHIP 5760 Murfield | $699,900 Impeccably maintained Moceri-built Hills of Oakland former Homerama show house backing to common area. Every upgrade imaginable! Finished walkout LL. 6,347 SF | 4 BR | 4.2 Baths | MLS# 217061135

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP 3461 Moceri Court | $849,900

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP 3777 S. Century Oaks Circle | $609,000

Private cul-de-sac setting with incredible treed yard & Better than new in popular Century Oaks sub! Oversized perennial gardens, featured on Rochester Garden Walk. kitchen & nook overlooking family room. Poss. 6th BR/ bonus room on 2nd floor. Ready-to-finish lower level.

Oversized kitchen. Beautifully finished walkout LL. 6,595 Total SF | 4 BR | 3.3 Baths | MLS# 217047797

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Lynn and Deby - Hall & Hunter Realtors

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SOCIAL LIGHTS

44

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

ENDNOTE

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Our suggestions about the recently completed wage compensation study on the city of Rochester Hills; and our thoughts on the need to address the problem of gerrymandering before the next federal census gets conducted.

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DOWNTOWN ROCHESTER • ROCHESTER HILLS PUBLISHER David Hohendorf NEWS EDITOR Lisa Brody NEWS STAFF/CONTRIBUTORS Rachel Bechard | Hillary Brody | Kevin Elliott Sally Gerak | Austen Hohendorf | Lisa Rose Hook Kathleen Meisner | Bill Seklar | Joyce Wiswell | Julie Yolles PHOTOGRAPHY/CONTRIBUTORS Jean Lannen | Laurie Tennent Laurie Tennent Studio VIDEO PRODUCTION/CONTRIBUTOR Garrett Hohendorf Giant Slayer ADVERTISING DIRECTOR David Hohendorf ADVERTISING SALES Mark Grablowski Carol Barr GRAPHICS/IT MANAGER Chris Grammer OFFICE 124 W. Maple Birmingham MI 48009 248.792.6464 DISTRIBUTION/SUBSCRIPTIONS Mailed monthly at no charge to homes in Rochester, Rochester Hills and parts of Oakland Township. Additional free copies distributed at high foot-traffic locations in Rochester and Rochester Hills.

For those not receiving a free mail copy, paid subscriptions are available for a $12 annual charge. To secure a paid subscription, go to our website (downtownpublications.com) and click on “subscriptions” in the top index and place your order online or scan the QR Code here.

INCOMING/READER FEEDBACK We welcome feedback on both our publication and general issues of concern in the Rochester/Rochester Hills communities. The traditional “letters to the editor” in Downtown are published in our Incoming section and can include written letters or electronic communication.

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

If you are using the mail option, you must include a phone number for verification purposes.

WEBSITE downtownpublications.com

FACEBOOK facebook.com/downtownpublications TWITTER twitter.com/downtownpubs Member of Downtown Publications DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM/BLOOMFIELD DOWNTOWN ROCHESTER/ROCHESTER HILLS PREFERRED OAKLAND HOMES

FROM THE PUBLISHER uring the course of last year I devoted one of my monthly columns on the effort in Lansing to begin applying the Michigan Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to both chambers of the state legislature and the office of governor, asking readers to contact both their state representatives and senators to help push the bill through the Michigan House.

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In the weeks following that column, I received emails from a number of residents in both the BirminghamBloomfield and Rochester-Rochester Hills areas informing me that they actually took my suggestion and emailed their Lansing lawmakers. To a person, there appeared to be solid support of increased public access to what many of us have always considered to be public documents that have been shielded from Michigan residents thanks to an exemption lawmakers wrote for themselves and the governor when the FOIA was first adopted in 1976.

This month I am asking once again for everyone’s help in bringing that same legislation providing more transparency in the state capitol building to a vote in the Michigan Senate, where the multiple-bill package of legislation is stalled once again by Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof (R-West Olive).

Here’s the back story on Meekhof and his continuing effort to block increased citizen access to public records in the legislature and governor’s office.

Meekhoff has served two terms in the state House and will be wrapping up his second – and last – term in the Senate next year. He is currently Senate Majority Leader. His district includes all of Ottawa County in the western portion of Michigan – the part of the state that wields an unusual influence (think big political money) on what has happened in Lansing in recent years.

As for Meekhof, his tenure as a lawmaker is best described as a never-ending appeasement for the far-right when it comes to the litmus test issues that political crowd supports. And this is not the first time Meekhof has shown his true colors when it comes to issues of transparency, which is why Michigan still remains mired in 50th place when the Center for Public Integrity ranked the 50 states in terms of public accountability and transparency. We are one of two states that do not apply the FOIA to the governor’s office and we are one of a small number of states that still exempt their legislators.

The Michigan House of Representatives, on a near unanimous basis, passed this legislation in 2016 and sent it to the Senate where Meekhof refused to bring it to a vote before the session ended. So this spring the House, on a unanimous vote, passed the package of bills again and shipped it off to the Senate. Meekhof sent the bills to the Committee on Government Operations, which he conveniently chairs.

to the Senate are principally the same as the ones adopted by the House last year.

The legislation would still exempt investigation records, human resource files and commercial/trade secrets that might be part of correspondence with state lawmakers. Also exempted would be correspondence from constituents (non-lobbyist), meaning letters and emails sent to/from state lawmakers and records of the political caucuses. But all other records of state lawmakers and the governor would now be accessible via an FOIA request. And in cases where disputes arise, there would be an appointed legislative council administrator empowered to make a ruling. Lastly, the legislation prohibits a public body from suing people who make FOIA requests.

This time around, I am suggesting that all senators from Oakland County be sent an email or letter, along with Meekhof. Of particular concern beyond your own state senator should be Mike Kowall from Oakland County who is the Majority Floor Leader in the Senate – basically a traffic cop who helps bills move through the floor of that chamber. Of further interest is the fact that Kowall is hoping to run in the fall of 2018 for Secretary of State so I am assuming that he is counting votes this far in advance.

In the coming weeks, please join in the push the package of bills that brings more transparency to the state legislature and the office of governor, either through an email sent as a group to those below or take the time to place a phone call to their Lansing offices in support of increasing access to records of lawmakers and the governor. Those wishing to send a traditional letter can send them to the specific senator at P.O. Box 30036, Lansing MI 48909-7536.

Your contact with state lawmakers will be much more effective if you make your case in a respectful, rather than confrontational, manner and simply ask that the senate force Meekhof to let the committee he controls and the complete Senate decide the fate of the transparency legislation.

Arlan Meekhof Email: senameekhof@senate.michigan.gov Phone: 517.373.6920 Mike Kowall Email: senmkowall@senate.michigan.gov Phone: 517.373.1758 Toll free: 866.301-6515 Marty Knollenberg Email: senmknollenberg@senate.michigan.gov Phone: 517.373.2523

At first, Meekhof said that he wanted to focus his efforts on finalizing work on teacher retirement package legislation, which has now left the Senate. More recently he has announced that he sees no need for any changes to the FOIA – current laws are sufficient. The Senate Majority Leader said citizens have no interest in more laws assuring transparency. So without some serious pressure, these bills are likely to sit without movement, hearings or a committee/full Senate vote in the next 18 months, thanks to Meekhof.

Jim Marleau Email: jimmarleau@senate.michigan.gov Phone: 517.373.2417

This is the same Meekhof who in 2013 gave the proverbial finger to Oakland County-native and Secretary of State Ruth Johnson who announced she was going to issue a ruling that would start to address the issue of “dark money” in campaigns here by requiring groups running issue ads to release the names of donors behind the political groups. The day after her announcement, Meekhof attached an amendment to a bill doubling the individual political contribution limit – an amendment that blocks anyone from requiring the sources of “dark money” to be made public. The same Meekhof who has been fined more than once ($5,000 alone after his 2010 election) for failing to file the campaign documents showing his donors as required by state campaign finance regulations.

David Robertson Email: sendrobertson@senate.michigan.gov Phone: 517.373.1636 Toll free: 866.305.2126

For those willing to get involved one more time on a concerted effort to open up most records of state lawmakers and the governor, rest assured that the bills sent

Vincent Gregory Email: senvgregory@senate.michigan.gov Phone: 517.373.7888 Toll free: 866.626.0814

David Hohendorf Publisher DavidHohendorf@DowntownPublications.com August Footnote: Our Oakland Confidential political news/gossip column has proven very popular with our followers so we have created a website – oaklandconfidential.com – just for that item. The new website will allow in the future for more frequent updates, possible expansion of our efforts in the political gossip area and a wider distribution to political junkies.

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Publisher’s divisiveness I have recently returned to Rochester Hills and thoroughly enjoy living here. While I enjoy reading the Downtown paper, I would enjoy it more without the politicizing by the publisher. With as polarized as this country is, it is sad a local paper feels the need to join in the divisiveness.

Last month the praise of media was quite partial. I recently watched a movie where a newspaper reporter was the main character. In the newspaper office there was a sign that read: If your mother tells you she loves you, verify it. In the current media climate this is absent. Media today seems more interested in forming public opinion than presenting facts. One of the most effective tools is to present only the side they support. I have personally been at events where the “news” coverage bore no resemblance to the event. Often they present 10 percent of the segment with the leaders of the event, usually giving a benign comment. The remaining time is dedicated to interviewing the opposing parties that were not even at the event. At the very least the public needs to question what they are presented, as well as do their own research.

In (his July column), Mr. Hohendorf follows this pattern. This is clear by his comments on the Paris Accord and global warming. He calls on Brooks Patterson to uphold the Paris Accord and ignore the negative effects on business. What he fails to add is that if everything (extremely unlikely) works perfectly, if everyone follows the accord to the letter (with no enforcement mechanism), the net difference in temperature may be .2 percent of one degree. This would cost US taxpayers three trillion dollars, in addition to sending more jobs to China. Often the same jobs banned from the U.S. One has to wonder if Chinese pollution is less toxic than American pollution. I consider these significant facts that are ignored in order to sway the public.

He also dismisses any scientist that doesn’t agree with the proffered opinion by citing the DDT debate. I noticed he didn’t cite that according to these same global warming proponents, New York City was supposed to be submerged by 2015 due to melted icecaps. I spent over seven years working at Oak Ridge National Lab supporting scientists all over the world. Many of them are studying pollution and climate. I can assure you that there is much more to the research than is presented to the public. It can be argued the Paris agreement was a more political than practical event. downtownpublications.com

YEAR

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He then chastises the administration for reigning in the EPA, even going so far as to state that the president and his “congressional lapdogs” may even want to eliminate it. What he conveniently ignores is the litany of abuses in recent years with their ever growing power. The EPA is responsible for three million gallons of toxic waste being dumped into the Colorado River, causing $1.2 billion in damage. Yet they are not going to pay any damages because they are immune as a government agency. If any corporation had done that there would be nothing but fire from Mr. Hohendorf’s camp.

This is supposed to be a community newspaper and the community would be better served by uplifting it rather than dividing it.

Patricia Redd Rochester Hills

Patterson’s operation (From Facebook and our website) I think it's just wonderful that one guy can travel to a hospital for specialized surgery at the same time his political party thinks it's just fine for American families to go without any health insurance at all.

Cindi Brody Beverly Hills Universal Medicare for all.

Nicole Schaller Wolf Rochester Hills

Eileen Kowall How can you be a county commissioner and a paid Lansing lobbyist (at the same time)?

Allison Friedman

2018 candidates I think that it needs to be mentioned that there are two very bright and dedicated Democratic women that are viable candidates.

Vicki Barnett would be a big improvement over Patterson and Gretchen Whitmer is a superstar favorite for governor. Both candidates will represent ‘we the people.’

Mary Ward Rochester Hills

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CRIME LOCATOR

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NORTH

Sexual assault

Robbery

Larceny from vehicle

Drug offenses

Assault

Breaking/entering

Vehicle theft

Arson

Murder

Larceny

Vandalism

These are the crimes reported under select categories by police officials in Rochester and Rochester Hills through July 27, 2017.

Placement of codes is approximate.

OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL Oakland Confidential is a periodic column of political gossip/news, gathered both on and off-the-record by staff members at Downtown newsmagazine.

We welcome possible items for this column which can be emailed to: OaklndConfidential@DowntownPublications.com. All sources are kept strictly confidential. The gossip column can be viewed online at DowntownPublications.com or at OaklandConfidential.com.

HORSE RACES: Democratic aspirations of taking a majority hold on Congress after the 2018 General Election will hinge on the party’s ability to take two dozen congressional seats, which may include upsets in Michigan’s 8th and 11th Districts, according to recent rankings of 82 districts by The New York Times. The piece split the districts into eight groups to watch, based on competitiveness of the district and candidate vulnerability. The Times put Republican sophomore David Trott’s 11th District in the “Suburban Stragglers” group, which was the third most likely to see Republican losses in GOP-favored districts. The incumbents in the group may be vulnerable TROTT because of their short time in office and/or win margins in recent elections. (Trott won about 53 percent of the vote in his district in 2016, down from about 56 percent in 2014.) For the 8th District, The Times placed Congressman Mike Bishop (R-Rochester Hills) in the “Gerrymander Breakdown” category, which they predict is the second to last likely to see upsets. The group, while still favoring Republicans, in part due to gerrymandering, includes districts that have gained Democratic voters. An upset in the 8th District, as posited by The Times piece, includes “the possibility of a midterm turnout mismatch between the high-turnout, well-educated, now highly energized and increasingly Democratic-leaning parts of these districts (like Lansing, Michigan) and the lower-turnout, perhaps deflated Republican countryside that’s supposed to overwhelm it.” GOP losses in each of the groups depend on a wave of Democratic wins in 2018. However, those predicting a similar wave in 2016 ended up being all wet. “The Trump factor has discombobulated everyone,” said political analyst Bill Ballenger. “On paper, you would think these two districts are beyond the Democrat’s reach... but Democrats are hungry.”

READY, AIM, FIRE: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has Rep. Mike Bishop of Rochester and Rochester Hills in their crosshairs for 2018, formally listing the MI-8 seat as one they want to flip, and think they have hit the bullseye with former Bloomfield Hills resident Elissa Slotkin, who recently moved back into Michigan to her family’s farm in Holly, after a stellar career in the CIA and Defense Department. A 1994 Cranbrook grad, she stated that 9/11 occurred during her first week at Columbia University for graduate school, setting her on her life’s trajectory. “I decided I would join the intelligence community and work to prevent future terrorist attacks against SLOTKIN the United States,” Slotkin said. Besides being a Middle East analyst for the CIA, she was deployed to Baghdad, serving three tours of duty, and meeting her husband, Dave Moore, a retired Army colonel. She worked in W.’s White House in various defense and intelligence roles, in the Defense Department under Obama, and until January 2017, was the Acting Secretary of Defense for Russia, Middle East, Europe and Africa. Lest folks think she’s a carpetbagger coming home to run for office, her great-grandfather started Hygrade Foods, of Ballpark Franks fame, and she has family here. While Bishop beat his Democratic opponent Suzanna Shkreli, 56 to 39 percent, in 2016, he may now have a true challenge. She’s actively raising money, and we assume there’s family money she can turn to.

NO ROUND THREE: Democrats believe Dr. Anil Kumar fought the good fight – twice – trying to beat Congressman David Trott (R) for Michigan’s 11th Congressional District, which winds its way from the southern tip of Rochester Hills and Auburn Hills, down to Troy, Bloomfield Hills and Birmingham, before heading west to Farmington Hills, West Bloomfield, Commerce Township, Livonia and Canton. Kumar lost to fellow Democrat Bobby McKenzie in the 2014 primary; McKenzie succumbed to Trott in his first win. Kumar regrouped, spent approximately $750,000 of his own money in 2016, and lost again, KUMAR with Trott prevailing by a 13-point margin, 53 percent to 40 percent. Kumar was seen at this year’s Mackinac Policy Conference in June working Democrats for support for another stab at Trott, who is heavily targeted by the party for a takedown. Word is their unanimous advice was: stick closer to home, perhaps a seat on the Rochester Hills City Council. downtownpublications.com

FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING: Congressional candidate Haley Stevens, running for Michigan’s 11th District (Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills), is raising money as fast as she talks. The Democratic hopeful has taken in more than $320,000 since she announced her bid in April for the seat currently held by Republican David Trott. About $210,000 of her contributions have come in through ActBlue, a PAC that uses an online fundraising platform to help Democratic candidates. Trott, no slouch himself, added more than $334,000 to his campaign between January and June 30, including about $154,000 in the last quarter, according to reports filed with the Federal Elections Commission. With more than a year to go until the 2018 General Election, it’s U.S. Senate candidates, EPSTEIN however, who have the largest war chests. Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow, who has more than $5.8 million cash on hand, raised about $2.1 million in the last quarter, with her GOP challenger Lena Epstein, of Bloomfield Hills, raising more than $460,000; and potential Senate candidate Rep. Fred Upton of St. Joseph raising about $356,000. Meanwhile, Congressman Mike Bishop (R-Rochester Hills) raised nearly $275,000 in the last quarter, bringing his cash on hand to almost $394,000. Democrat Darlene Domanik of Brighton, who is also running for the 8th District seat, took in about $13,500.

ROLLING THE DICE: While Haley Stevens has gotten the early worm, having filed to run as the Democratic Congressional candidate for the 11th District against Republican David Trott, she may have some competition. We flagged Oakland Confidential readers months ago that Birmingham’s Daniel Haberman might throw his hat into the proverbial ring. Now we are raising that to “ more than likely.” He’s currently getting his ducks lined up, and looking to siphon some of the dollars being thrown Stevens’ way. While STEVENS Haberman, a businessman, has never run for public office before, he has some legislative experience. He and his late brother Jeremy, who owned the Magic Bag Theater in Ferndale, worked successfully with the Michigan legislature to ban smoking in restaurants in 2010.

LINING THE PLATES UP: The chicken and pea circuit is ready to kick off. One of the firsts to officially hold a campaign announcement event was state Rep. Jim Tedder (R-Clarkston), who has filed to run for the 12th state Senate seat currently held by Jim Marleau (R-Lake Orion), who is term-limited. Marleau has endorsed Tedder, acting as one of the hosts, along with several township supervisors and mayors of municipalities in the north part of the district, which runs from Addison Township to Oakland Township, Orion Township, Clarkston, Pontiac, and Bloomfield Township since 2013. Current word on the street as we were going to press: Birmingham/Bloomfield Hills/Bloomfield Township state TEDDER Rep. Mike McCready (R), term-limited in the state House, has also been eyeing the seat, and will likely announce this fall. Former Rep. Brad Jacobsen (R-Oxford) had been interested in the seat, but may be content right now with his political appointment to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, a four-year term that expires June 12, 2020.

THE BERNSTEIN ADVANTAGE: With more than a year to go before the 2018 primary elections for Michigan governor, Michigan Democrats appear to be rallying behind Lansing native Gretchen Whitmer as the party’s candidate of choice. Whitmer, who declared her candidacy in January, got an early boost in May when Congressman Dan Kildee of Flint said he wouldn’t be running for governor. The same month, party speculation focused on Farmington Hills attorney Mark Bernstein (of TV commercial fame), who said he too was considering a run for office. But the well-known attorney and former White House press official during the Clinton years has since declined, offering the Bernstein name advantage instead to Whitmer in July and urging the party to unite behind her. While the endorsement may help improve WHITMER Gretchen’s name recognition in southeast Michigan, the former state legislator and Ingham County prosecutor doesn’t yet have a lock on the nomination, as many voters in Oakland County are starting to wonder “who the hell is Gretchen Whitmer,” as one political wonk said. Also to consider is the filing deadline for the gubernatorial primary in April, which comes well after this year’s general election for the Detroit mayoral race. While Mayor Mike Duggan has consistently refuted questions about a possible run for governor, a loss in his own city could open up new opportunities for the one of the state’s most popular Democrats.

DOWNTOWN

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FACES

Cynthia LaMaide mid skeins of colorful luxury yarn and yards of imported fabrics, Rochester Hills’ own fashion designer and fiber artist Cynthia LaMaide weaves magic. In her home studio, she embellishes her carefully selected fabric with found gemstones and other objects d’art, and no two of her pieces are alike, much like the snowflakes she used to create her snow-dye-on-silk technique.

“I make the fabric and design so I have a lot of freedom,” shares the bohemian beauty, with yards of blonde curls. “I knit, I weave, and have a silkscreen.”

She says that the fiber arts just come naturally, as does silkscreen, an art that is very challenging to master. She was recently commissioned to design a gown for The North American International Auto Show, which she calls, “The Pick Up Dress.”

Since childhood, LaMaide has been creating her own clothing, inspired by her French grandmother, who began teaching her the craft by age 13. A native of Wisconsin, Cynthia resided in Arizona and Florida before making Rochester Hills her home when her second husband Bill Mallin was transferred for a job with Beaumont Hospital in 2002.

While in Miami, Cynthia rode the wave of the film industry boom, and her daughter often worked as her assistant. She beams with pride when she speaks of her daughter, now 36 and living in New York City. The mother-daughter duo worked tirelessly on sets during her early days.

Cynthia designed costumes for a number of music videos and worked closely with iconic rocker Lenny Kravitz, traveling extensively through Europe on his tour in 2010. Her signature crocheted vests were among Kravitz’s wardrobe essentials.

“I went to Europe and Japan – spent a whole year and went back and forth to NYC, styling and flying there constantly until 2010,” she says.

LaMaide has styled for Vogue Magazine, exhibited in renowned art shows such as The Smithsonian, The American Craft Council’s Palm Beach show and Chicago’s One of a Kind, The Ann Arbor Art Fair and one for her bucket list – the Pret-a-Porter in Paris. She has also worked as costume designer on many independent and major films, including “Wanderlust” with Jennifer Aniston, “What if …”

“The Job,” “Tug” and “Virginia.”

After enjoying success in the movie industry, she settled into her home studio, focusing on her first love, fashion design.

Her philosophy is simple, to infuse a healing energy into her pieces, an art she cultivated through Healing Hands classes at Beaumont. Romance and tranquility are the essence of LaMaide’s creations.

“I aspire to enhance the body,” she says of her designs. She achieves this through little touches like tiny buttons and well placed closures. The end result – a dress that could make a princess of any woman. Her favorite fairy tale is “A Midwinter’s Tale,” she shares, and that vibe transcends to her sought-after designs.

While she has sold wholesale to buyers in New York City, most of her work is commissioned privately through her website or by word of mouth. As for next endeavors, Cynthia says she would like to share her craft, teaching others the art of dressmaking.

“I would really like to do a ‘Mommy and Me’ line, created with all cotton gauze,” she shares. This seems like a natural, as she and her daughter have cultivated a close relationship, cut from the same cloth.

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Story: Lisa Rose Hook

Photo: Laurie Tennent

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he 2016 general election marked the second time this century that a presidential candidate went on to win the White House after losing the popular vote, leading some people to question the purpose of the Electoral College, of which most citizens have only a fleeting understanding.

But while post-election focus has zeroed in on perceived shortcomings in the presidential election system, far less attention has been paid to inequalities built into many congressional and state governing body races through the ageold practice of partisan redistricting, also known as gerrymandering.

Redistricting refers to the drawing of electoral geographic boundaries for each representative in Congress and each state's governing body. Districts also exist for county commission seats and in some municipal board elections.

In Michigan, state and congressional representatives are from districts and elected by the people residing in those districts, although technically a U.S. House member does not have to live in the district they are seeking in an election. As a general rule, for example, voters in Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills and a southern portion of Rochester Hills reside in the 11th Congressional District, voters in Bloomfield Township are in the 9th Congressional District, while Rochester and the majority of Rochester Hills are in the 8th Congressional District. However, the boundaries of those districts tend to change every 10 years, meaning it is likely the district you reside in will change each decade. Likewise, state legislative districts are subject to change every 10 years. Those changes are supposed to be based on U.S. Census results and reflect shifts in the population.

However, the process of redistricting, which in Michigan and most other states is controlled by the state's legislature and approved by the governor, often results in districts that give an advantage to one political party over another. When this occurs, the process is referred to as gerrymandering, so named back in 1812 when Massachusetts Governor Elridge Gerry allowed for an oddly shaped political district formation that looked like a salamander.

POLITICAL DISTRICT GERRYMANDERING HOW ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES HELP KEEP THE DOMINANT PARTIES IN CONTROL

BY KEVIN ELLIOTT

Gerrymandering is mainly done in two ways – called "cracking," which divides a political party's supporters among multiple districts so that they fall short of a majority in each one; and "packing," which concentrates one party's backers in a few districts so they win by overwhelming margins.

Because the political party in power at the time of redistricting is ultimately responsible for the process, it is in the interest of that party to draw districts that help them retain their positions in future elections.

Put another way, gerrymandering can result in a process that allows candidates to select who is voting for them, rather than voters selecting their candidates.

The actual process of rigging the system and the effects of gerrymandering aren't well understood by the vast majority of the general public, nor have they believed it to be cause for concern.

Just 10 percent of American voters surveyed in 2006 by the Pew Research Center said they have heard a lot about the issue of gerrymandering, with 89 percent saying they have heard little or nothing. Of those polled, about 55 percent believed they lived in districts that were competitive, but were actually skewed toward one party.

In terms of understanding the process, the survey found 44 percent were aware that elected officials were responsible for redistricting where they lived, while 47 percent said they didn't know who was responsible. Nine percent incorrectly stated that redistricting where they live was done by a nonpartisan panel.

Oakland County political consultant Dennis Darnoi, founder of Densar Consulting in Farmington Hills, said both Democrats and Republicans have used gerrymandering to benefit their party in Michigan. Ultimately, whatever party dominates the legislature will use redistricting to their advantage.

"Politics is sort of a contact sport, and to the victors go the spoils," he said. "In recent years, Republicans have been successful, but there are times when the Democrats were in charge and they held the redistricting pen. That's sort of the nature of politics."

A good illustration of raw politics when it comes to redistricting is how Oakland County commission districts were redrawn the last time.

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ommission seats there are divided by districts, and up until 2012 were drawn by a bipartisan committee that included the county chair of the Democrat and Republican parties, as well as the county treasurer, prosecutor and clerk, offices that in past years were held by Republicans. However, when Democrats won control of that committee through the electoral process, Republicans (who have the majority on the county commission), challenged their district maps, and pushed the legislature to pass a law that would allow the county commission to draw their own maps, while removing two seats on the board, thereby eliminating the prior committee system when it came to drawing new districts.

The law was passed and upheld by the Michigan Supreme Court, with Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson claiming victory for county taxpayers, who he said would save about $2.5 million over 10 years by eliminating the two districts.

"We were a separate body that was drawing the lines, and this bill basically allowed the fox to guard the chicken house," said Oakland County Treasurer Andy Meisner, a Democrat. "The commissioners were empowered to draw their own districts under a very implausible attempt to lower costs. They reduced the number of seats, but that was really smoke and mirrors to what they were really doing, which was forcing a very imbalanced map on Oakland County and guaranteeing Republican control of the Oakland County commission for the foreseeable future."

Darnoi cautions that there are definite drawbacks to the public from excessive gerrymandering.

"On the practical side," he said, "you do run the risk of drawing districts that are so partisan you don’t get the viewpoint of the minority party."

While creating districts that have an even 50/50 split of the number of Democrat and Republican voters isn't likely in any area, aiming for an even split means elections will be more competitive, with fewer lopsided victories by either party. While some federal requirements protecting minority voting rights make such a split difficult, districts closer to an even split force those running for office to consider the views of more people in that district.

"You can draw districts that have 51 percent Democrat or Republican, and make them far more competitive. Even dropping down from 54 percent to 52 percent makes the winner have to take into account the views of the other side," Darnoi said. "If your concern is winning the primary, you tend to run to the extreme of the base, which makes governing difficult to do. Anything that makes the general election better makes governing better because you are speaking more to the middle of your district than the extremes of your district."

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till, only 22 percent of voters surveyed in the Pew Research Center's 2006 survey said they felt that when politicians face tough competition for reelection that it makes them work harder to represent their district better, with 62 percent of respondents saying tough elections make politicians focus too much on fundraising and campaigning instead of being a good representative.

How much those views have changed today is uncertain, but the general public's lack of knowledge about their elected officials was illustrated in the Center's 2014 survey, which found about 53 percent of voters were able to correctly identify the party of their congressional representative – keep in mind, the choices give even those guessing a 50 percent chance of being correct. An Annenberg survey by the University of Pennsylvania in 2014 found just 36 percent of those surveyed could name all branches of government, with 35 percent unable to name even one.

However, there are more recent signs that the public, as well as the court system, is interested in addressing the issue of gerrymandering.

In 2015, the United States Supreme Court upheld the right of voters in Arizona to remove the authority of that state's legislature to draw election districts and allow for an independent redistricting commission.

In June of this year, the Supreme Court agreed to take up the issue of unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering in 2017 when it hears an appeal over electoral districts in Wisconsin after a lower court ordered that state's Republican legislature to redraw district maps it deemed to be unconstitutional. The case marks the first time in more than a decade that the U.S. Supreme Court will take up partisan gerrymandering, giving it the potential to impact the issue in all states.

Challenges to partisan gerrymandering are also pending in Maryland, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

In Michigan, former Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer has vowed to file a federal court case similar to that filed by Democrats in Wisconsin.

"We haven't filed yet. We are making progress and will file as soon as it's ready," said Brewer, who currently works as an attorney and political consultant with Goodman Acker P.C., in Southfield. "It will be very similar to the Wisconsin case, which was filed by a group of Democratic voters who have been harmed by gerrymandering."

While Brewer wouldn't give a date as to when he expects to file the Michigan case, he said he expects it to move forward while the Supreme Court is still hearing the Wisconsin case. Should the court rule in favor of Democrats in Wisconsin and order new district maps

be drawn there, a similar cases filed by Michigan voters could result in a similar ruling here.

"The court can only order the drawing of new maps," Brewer said, who added that states would need to file their own cases. "We think we have good evidence. I also think Michigan needs a new way to do this, and the way other states have done this is through a nonpartisan, independent commission. In Michigan, that would be done through a ballot initiative."

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uch a ballot initiative is exactly what is being sought

by Katie Fahey, president and treasurer of Voters Not Politicians, a group in the state that is pursuing a Michigan ballot proposal for the 2018 general election to create a nonpartisan redistricting commission for the state. The group says politicians are manipulating voting maps to keep themselves in power.

"We are looking for an independent citizen commission, meaning it's removed from the legislature," Fahey said. "It all started with a Facebook post saying 'who wants to end gerrymandering in Michigan,' and that turned into a network of people across the state.

"The movement started nonpartisan from the beginning, from people who wanted to see what a fair system would look like."

The proposal seeks to create a 13-member independent citizens commission made up of five independent voters and four partisan voters from each of the two major parties.

"It is removed from the legislature, so there wouldn't be political insiders or lobbyists. We are looking for diversity," Fahey said. "They would draw the lines so there can't be a political advantage, and they would be drawing lines for congressional seats, and state Senate and House of Representatives, so three sets of lines. All of their meetings would be held in public, so it's a transparent process."

The process, she said, would include a public hearing on proposed district maps. The commission would have to maintain constitutional requirements, which include creating districts that are equal in population size and don't dilute minority voting power, under the Voting Rights Act. Further, districts must be contiguous, with each being a single, unbroken shape. The proposal would also place greater emphasis on districts that focus on "communities of interest," even if those communities cross or split county, city or township lines.

Communities of interest refer to communities that are likely to have similar legislative concern, and who might benefit from cohesive representation in the legislature. Nationally, there are 24 states that includes the communities of interest consideration in drawing district lines. Under the proposal, communities of interest would take priority over existing city, township and county boundaries.

Any attempt by lawmakers in the state to remove the partisanship from the redistricting process hasn't been successful, Fahey said, leading the group to pursue a ballot proposal that would allow voters to force the issue.

"We found the only ones that have supported solutions – mostly being left in the hands of elected officials – wasn't resonating with us, as they are the ones who draw the lines and run for reelection," she said. “We decided at the end of February to do a ballot initiative."

Since then, the group has held a series of about 40 town hall meetings across the state. The purpose of the meetings, Fahey said, has been to both educate residents about the issue, as well as get feedback on what people think would be a fair solution to gerrymandering.

"Since then, we have been hitting the pavement to create a policy," she said. "We took feedback from the town halls and formed a policy team, and we talked to other states and stakeholders."

Fahey said the group recently finalized proposed language for the ballot proposal, which was being reviewed by state officials in July.

The group is expected to make a formal announcement on the

language in late July. The group will then be required to gather signatures to petition the state to place the issue on the ballot in 2018.

"Even if the Supreme Court rules and says you can't provide partisan advantage to one party, it still doesn't change the fact that our legislators are currently drawing the lines," Fahey said. "We still feel strongly that if we in Michigan don't change this, there will still be an inherent conflict of interest."

The ballot initiative, combined with a potential landmark decision from the U.S. Supreme Court, is one template for reform, albeit one that depends on several unknown and challenging circumstances.

Darnoi said while there have been rumblings in the past about forming an independent redistricting commission in Michigan, this is the first time a group has worked for a ballot proposal. "It will be interesting to see if it’s successful, as changing the (requirements) to 180 straight days will make it very difficult to get on the ballot," he said.

Michigan law allows citizens to initiate legislation as either an indirectly initiated statute or a directly initiated constitutional amendment. Petitioners for ballot initiatives have 180 days to collect the required amount of signatures. Those older than 180 days at the time of filing are considered invalid. Prior to 2016, signatures could go through a process to prove they were still valid. However, state legislators in 2016 – in an effort to kill ballot proposals for the legalization of marijuana in the state – removed the possibility of providing older signatures. The shortened time frame means petitioners must spend more money to collect signatures. The number of signatures required is tied to a percentage of how many people voted in the most recent gubernatorial race. In 2018, the required amount of signatures would be about 253,000 signatures.

Darnoi said he believes the most likely chance for a ballot initiative would be an effort in the 2020 election, just ahead of when the next U.S. Census would be released.

"Previously, you needed about 253,000 signatures, but we will see what turnout will be in 2018, and that will determine what you'll need in 2020 and 2022," he said. "It will be interesting to see what the threshold will be to get an initiative.

"You really have to have all your ducks in a row and money in the bank before you go out in the field. Now, with the change to the (deadline) rule, you need $1.3 million or $1.4 million in the bank before you even start the process. Then you need to be in the field in April before you can count on going into October or November the year before the election. Getting on the ballot has changed since the 180-day rule change.

"I think the Democrats might see this as an issue if they aren't successful in 2018. If there is going to be something done with redistricting, and done on the ballot, it's more likely in 2020."

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t the federal level, the Supreme Court has remained relatively quiet on the issue of partisan redistricting, in part because it has yet to agree on a usable standard in measuring whether a district is gerrymandered. However, the Wisconsin case (Whitford v. Gill), claims Wisconsin districts were gerrymandered by the state's Republican-controlled legislature, which the plaintiffs said can be demonstrated by 2012 and 2014 election results, among other evidence. An additional charge was that the intended effect was to impede Democratic voters' ability to translate their votes into legislative seats.

The suit claims Republicans used "packing" and "cracking" to gain a majority of congressional seats in the state.

"This cracking and packing resulted in wasted votes: votes cast either for a losing candidate (in the case of cracking) or for a winning candidate but in excess of what he or she needs to prevail (in the case of packing)," according to the case.

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Target Insyght Projected New Districts After 2020 Census

Looking at the number of "wasted votes" in an election, the case proposes a way to measure gerrymandering by measuring an efficiency gap. An efficiency gap is the difference between the parties' respective wasted votes in an election, divided by the total number of votes cast. When two parties waste at an identical rate, a redistricting plan's Efficiency Gap, or EG, is equal to zero. An EG in favor of one party over the other means the party wasted votes at a lower rate than the opposing party. The case argues that the EG, therefore, is a way to measure efficiency.

The plaintiffs in the Wisconsin case incorporate the efficiency gap into a proposed three-party test for partisan gerrymandering.

"Suppose," the plaintiffs assert in the court case, "that there are five districts in a plan with 100 voters each. Suppose also that Party A wins three of the districts by a margin of 60 votes to 40, and that Party B wins two of them by a margin of 80 votes to 20 votes, then Party A wastes 10 votes for each of the three districts it loses, adding up to 70 wasted votes. Likewise, Party B wastes 30 votes in each of the three districts it loses, adding up to 180 wasted votes.

"The difference between the parties' respective wasted votes is 100, which then is divided by 500 total votes, yields an efficiency gap of 22 percent in favor of Party A." In the case of congressional elections in Wisconsin, the plaintiffs found a pro-Republican efficiency gap of 12 percent in 2012, and 10 percent in 2014. The gap, they claim, isn't necessary, as those crafting the maps had also made maps with just a two-percent efficiency gap, which met all state and federal requirements.

Efficiency gaps in Michigan, as found by a recent study commissioned by the Associated Press, found the state had some of the most gerrymandered districts in the country. The study, as reported by the Associated Press and The Detroit News, found the state's House of Representatives has the second largest efficiency gap in the country. The state's congressional district efficiency gap was found to be the ninth largest.

Statewide election results in Michigan show Democrats tallied either more or split the vote in state House races in 2014 and 2016, but that Republicans have a 16-seat majority. Senate Republicans in Michigan have held a majority in the state Senate since 1984.

Historically, Democrats have controlled the state House from 1969 until 1992, when the parties split the state's 110 seats 55/55, with Democrats holding the majority in the state House three times since then.

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he Republican hold on the Senate came shortly after major changes in the state's reapportionment process, which prior to 1982 was done by a bipartisan state Apportionment Commission – a process created by the 1963 ratification of the state's constitution. The constitution set up a bipartisan commission, but allowed any member of the commission to submit his or her own plan to the state Supreme Court if a commission couldn't reach agreement on a plan.

In 1964, the first commission failed to agree on a plan, leaving a final plan up to the court. The commission, following the 1970 census, again failed to agree on a plan, leaving the court to decide what plan to use for redistricting. After the 1980 census, the reapportionment commission failed a third time to agree on a plan. However, the court refused to decide on a plan, ruling instead that reapportionment provisions of the 1963 constitution were invalid and dissolved the commission, sending the issue back to the legislature.

The court then hired political consultant Bernie Apol, formerly head of the state's election bureau, to draw a reapportionment plan following county and municipal boundaries. Under the guidelines set out by the court, the new districts had to break the fewest county lines while staying within a 16.4 percent population variation between districts.

Apol released his plan in April of 1982, with Democrats objecting to the plan, claiming it would give an advantage to Republicans in the state Senate. Democrats, however, weren't able to meet the court's deadline for enacting an alternative plan, and the Apol plan went into effect.

While Democrats won the majority of Senate seats in the first election under the plan, the GOP in 1986 won the majority (20-18), while Democrats won the majority of the votes cast for all Senate candidates. As feared by the Democrats, many of the votes they received were in districts where Democrats were concentrated, and their candidates won by large margins, thus diluting the effect of their majority.

Political consultant Steve Mitchell, founder of Mitchell Research in West Bloomfield, said the Supreme Court's case in Wisconsin could have dramatic changes on what happens in Michigan, which still operates under the Apol plan.

"Redistricting is just a real issue every 10 years, but it's really too early to say what will happen, given the court cases out there and that we haven't had an election (to determine who will control the process)," he said. "What happens next year depends on who we elect as governor and in the legislature. Assuming there are no changes in the criteria, if Republicans continue as they did in the 1990s and the 2000s, they will draw the lines, and they will draw them so they are favorable to them."

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urrently, Michigan has 14 congressional districts, which includes nine held by Republicans and five held by Democrats. Population losses over each decade has caused the state to lose five congressional districts since 1973.

As districts are eliminated, the party in power tends to focus on eliminating seats that are held by the opposing party. When a district is eliminated, the legislature must therefore redraw and often rename the remaining district boundaries. When done in a way to give a political party an advantage, the districts not only pack and stack the opposition party's voters, they often pit strong candidates of the same party against each other.

For instance, Michigan's Congressional Redistricting plan, which went into effect in 2013, called for the elimination of the former 11th District, held by former Democratic Congressman Gary Peters. Under the redistricting plan, Peters was expected to run against longtime Democratic Congressman Sander Levin for the newly drawn 9th District seat. While Peters instead ran in 2014 and won the newly drawn 14th District seat (and was later elected to the U.S. Senate), Democrats ultimately lost two congressional seats in the 2014 and 2016 elections, with Republicans holding nine of the state's 14 congressional districts and Democrats nine.

Historically, Democrats held the majority of congressional seats from 1975 to 2003, while Republicans have held the majority each election since, with the exception of the span from 2009 to 2011.

Population losses noted in the 2010 U.S. Census resulted in Michigan losing one of its congressional seats in 2013. The state's redistricting plan in 2011 called for taking the number of congressional districts down from 15 to 14. While the plan technically eliminated the 15th Congressional District – which included a large population of Democratic voters in Dearborn and Ann Arbor and held by then-Dearborn Democratic Congressman John Dingell Jr. – the elimination was in name only.

In order to eliminate the 15th District, the district was renamed as the 12th District in 2013. From the previous redistricting in 2003 until 2013, the 12th District's boundaries ran primarily along the I-696 corridor in Macomb and Oakland Counties, and was held by Democrat Sander Levin, of Royal Oak, from 1993 to 2013. Today, the 12th District includes the former 15th District's area. Dingell, who had the 15th District seat, then ran in the same area under the 12th

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District name. Today, the 12th District is held by John Dingell Jr.'s wife, Debbie Dingell.

Voters in Levin's old 12th District were reassigned in 2013 to the 9th District, which from 2003 until 2013 took in portions of Oakland County along the 696 corridor, including Royal Oak, Southfield and Ferndale, and north to Mount Clemens in Macomb County. In 2013, when the 12th was reassigned to the 9th District's area, the district was expanded north in Oakland County to Keego Harbor to include Bloomfield Township, Southfield and Franklin, but circling around Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills, which weren't included in the new district. The new 9th District now includes much of the former 12th District and a significant portion of the former 11th District.

Congressman Levin, who had held his former 12th District seat from 1993 to 2013, had previously held the state's 17th District seat from 1983 to 1993, which was eliminated in 1993 and renamed to the 12th, which as noted, was renamed the 9th in 2013. Prior to 1993, Levin held the state's 17th Congressional District for 10 years, until it was eliminated in 1993.

Peters, in choosing not to run against Levin in the new 9th District, opted instead to run in the newly drawn 14th District, which after the new boundaries went into effect in 2013 included potions of Wayne and Oakland County, including West Bloomfield, Farmington Hills, Orchard Lake, and east into Hamtramck, Grosse Pointe and Detroit.

The 14th District is currently held by Democrat Brenda Lawrence, who was elected after Peters was elected to the U.S. Senate.

From 2003 to 2013, the 14th District included parts of Detroit and Dearborn, Democratic Congressman John Conyers had held the 14th District from 1993 until it was redistricted in 2013. The district was formerly the 1st District, which Conyers held from 1965 to 1993. In 2013, the district was renamed the 13th, which Conyers continues to hold.

The area of northern Michigan now considered the 1st Congressional District had been named the 11th District prior to 1993, when in the same year the 11th was moved and formed out of four other districts, the majority which included the former 18th District, which included Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Rochester, Rochester Hills and a large portion of Oakland County.

Today, the 11th District, currently held by Republican David Trott, is one of the most oddly shaped district spanning from Canton to the south, Waterford to the north and then snakes around Pontiac and southern Oakland County to include Auburn Hills, Troy and Birmingham, with it's tail ending in Bloomfield Hills.

M

eanwhile, the 8th Congressional District, held

by Republican Mike Bishop of Rochester Hills, was expanded in the 2013 redistricting to northern Oakland County, where it includes Rochester, Clarkston and Lake Orion, adding to its western portion that spans Ingham County and Lansing.

Trying to follow the history of congressional redistricting in Michigan can be dizzying, but analyst and pollster Ed Sarpolus, founder of Target-Insyght in Lansing, has already crafted his own predictions of what he believes the state's next congressional districts will look like under the current criteria.

"Apol was chosen to keep it less partisan, but the problem is that Democrats tend to live in concentrated areas, and that does't help Democrats," Sarpolus said about the current system.

Regardless of the system in place, Sarpolus said Michigan will almost certainly lose another congressional seat in the next decade after census figures are done. All things remaining the same, he said Democrats will have their last chance in 2018 to gain control or share in the next redistricting process. However, Sarpolus' projected plan for 2022 districts assumes Republicans will retain control of the process and will proceed as in the past.

"The easiest way (for Republicans) to draw them and keep all

Republican districts safe was the removal of Sandy Levin's (9th) district," he said. "You could move others, but the key thing is that Democrats will lose a district, and that's the most likely."

Federal law requires all congressional districts to be as close to equal in general population as possible, and because minority districts can't be broken up or split, Levin's 9th District is a likely target for Republicans. In removing the district, the biggest impact to the GOP would be the 11th and 8th Districts, held by Trott and Bishop, and voters within Downtown newsmagazine's readership.

"When you do that, what do you do with Bishop and Trott? They can’t share a seat then have to battle it out in a primary," Sarpolus said. "By removing (Brenda) Lawrence (14th District) from Pontiac, that allows Trott to go through West Bloomfield and for Bishop to pick up Pontiac.

"Essentially, Trott would stay the same and maintain what he had, and Bishop would need additional geography. Each district would grow by about 54,000 votes." The plan would extend Bishop's district south to 8 Mile Road in Oakland County to pick up some of the current 9th District communities.

U

nder the projection, the 9th District would be renumbered as the 11th, and about 46 percent of voters in the district would be Democrats, compared to about 45 percent in 2012. Bishop's district would maintain the same 46 percent Democrat population it has currently.

"The Democrats can have 48 percent of a district's population and win Republican seats," Sarpolus said. "In the 1990s, they could win seats that were 46 percent, but now they are only winning with 48 percent Democrats. The districts are drawn in such a way that they don't have flexibility for independent voters.

"So, why 48 percent and not 46, and why did they win when they weren't majority? You have to take into account independent voters."

While concentrated populations and constitutional requirements may make drawing competitive districts challenging, it's far from impossible. In 2011, the Michigan Center for Election Law and Administration, in partnership with Michigan Redistricting Collaborative, held the Michigan Citizens' Redistricting Competition.

The competition provided citizens with software to craft their own maps for Michigan's 14 Congressional seats, or Michigan's State Senate or legislative seats.

Former Wayne State University Law School Dean Jocelyn Benson, who founded the Center for Election Law, said nearly all the maps received complied with state and federal law, and were more competitive than those drawn by the state legislature.

"We had nine-year-old kids that had maps that were better than the legislature, particularly in the 13th and 11th Districts," she said. "We found that the winning maps created a majority of districts that were competitive – about 50/50 (Democrat v. Republican) and complied with the Voting Rights Act and other laws."

While Benson said she believes Michigan is likely to lose a congressional seat in the next decade, leading to a game of "musical chairs" in the districts, she said her hope is that the state implements a citizen's redistricting process introduced through a state ballot initiative.

"Throughout the redistricting process there's a lot of attention paid to it," Benson said of gerrymandering. "Now more than ever, people are getting a sense that the system is rigged, and they are wondering what they can do about it.

"Even before a major crisis that preceeds democratic reform, like Watergate, even absent that, there are many ways that people are expressing they are fed up and looking for ways to change it. Once you go down that road, it's hard not to see redistricting as part of that reform."

Tom Zibkowski Realty Executives Midwest

586-532-6700 Ex 114

Tom@TomZibkowski.com www.TomZibkowski.com

When Experience Counts. Over 4,000 Closed Home Sales Since 1982 THE WHITE HOUSE OF HARSENS ISLAND ON NORTH CHANNEL

1 1/2 STORY HOME WITH FINISHED WALKOUT TO PEACEFUL 2.75 ACRE LOT

Once in a lifetime opportunity! The White House of Harsens Island!! Spectacular cottage-chic renovated fully furnished 5,100 sq. ft. home on the North Channel. Elevator services all 3 floors, 2 full bath attached carriage house apartment, home was originally built in 1887 and complete renovation done in 2008. 100' of water frontage with dock and sandy beach for swimming, very private back yard, screened in gazebo, this is a great family retreat that is ready for immediate possession. 1250 Circuit, Harsens Island $1,849,000.

Custom built 1 1/2 story home with full finished walkout to peaceful 2.75 acre lot, 3.5-car attached garage plus over-sized 2.5-car detached garage with 8' doors, all high end finishes throughout, over 5,000 sq. ft. of finely appointed living area, all bedrooms have bath access, finished walkout features 5th bedroom, 2nd kitchen, wet bar, 2nd fireplace, upper and lower cement patios, bridge overlooking 2-story foyer & great room. 69332 Fisher Road, Bruce Twp $699,900

FINISHED WALKOUT BASEMENT ON PINE KNOB GOLF COURSE

A RARE FIND 12 ACRE PRIVATE ESTATE - OAKLAND TWP

Finished walkout basement on Pine Knob Golf course in the exclusive gated community of The Bluffs of Pine Knob. Fantastic views from walls of windows overlooking pond & Golf course, gourmet island kitchen w/built-in appliances & large hearth room, stunning entrance foyer with circular staircase and loft overlooking great room, awesome owners suite with his & hers walk-in closets, fireplace and great views, huge deck overlooking private yard with pond and golf course.

Home is in absolute mint condition! 5528 Saint Andrews Drive, Independence Twp $849,900

Private 12 Acre French Country Manor featuring 12,000 sq. ft. of finely appointed living area.

Featuring terraced patios leading to parterre gardens adjoining built-in swimming pool.

Helipad provides convenience to land helicopter in backyard and store in state-of-the-art hangar, entertainers gourmet kitchen, finished walkout features lap pool & gaming areas.

5350 Brewster, Rochester Hills $4,950,000.

LAKEFRONT COLONIAL ON A 200' LOT ON LAKE ST. CLAIR

STATELY COLONIAL WITH FINISHED WALKOUT

Lakefront colonial on a 200' deep lot on Lake St Clair, spectacular waterfront views, , steel sea wall, boat hoist & davit, gourmet island kitchen w/ built-in appliances, large bar area between kitchen & great room, awesome owners suite with his & hers large walk-in closets, luxurious white marble bath & walks out to private balcony overlooking lake, 4 balconies, large brick paver patio with built in gas fireplace, 3 car oversized garage, extensive landscaping, and fenced yard. 37600 Lakeshore Drive, Harrison Twp $$999,900.

Colonial with finished walkout. Home features over 8,500 sq. ft. Exquisite marble and granite floors throughout the entire 1st two floors. Exterior features include extensive landscaping and terraced patios backing to waterfall. Very private lot backing to golf course.

2831 Cranbrook Ridge Court, Oakland Twp $1,575,000.

DESIGNER SHOWCASE HOME / FINISHED WALKOUT TO NATURE PRESERVE

CUSTOM BUILT STONE CASTLE ON 4.52 ACRES

Stunning designer showcase colonial w/finished walkout on almost 1/2 acre private lot. Features over 7,000 sq. ft. of finely appointed living area, all high end finishes throughout, gourmet island kitchen w/all commercial grade built-in appliances, dual staircase w/wrought iron, over-sized 4.5car garage, finished walkout features wine room, theatre room, entertainers wet bar and exercise room. Solarium room off kitchen and conservatory on side of the house. 6425 Adams Drive, Washington Twp, $949,900

Custom built Tuscan stone castle high on a hill overlooking a private 4.5 acre estate with built-in swimming pool and waterfall to large stocked pond. 12,000 sq. ft., 7bedrooms, 7 full bathrooms, attached greenhouse atrium, 60' x 20' billiard hall with wet bar, 3-story stone floating staircase, garage parking for 6 cars, full size racquetball/sports court, theatre room, cigar lounge, wine tasting cellar, full in-law suite with 2nd kitchen, numerous covered terraces overlooking grounds, solid walnut doors and custom woodwork throughout. SELLER WILL FINANCE! 5600 Orion Road, Oakland Twp $2,950,000.

Tom@TomZibkowski.com www.TomZibkowski.com

Tom Zibkowski Realty Executives Midwest

586-532-6700 Ex 114

When Experience Counts. Over 4,000 Closed Home Sales Since 1982 1 1/2 STORY DECORATOR SHOWCASE HOME WITH 4.5 CAR GARAGE ON 1 ACRE LOT

5,200 SQ. FT. COLONIAL W/ WALKOUT BASEMENT TO WOODED RAVINE

1 1/2 Story home with 4.5 car garage on 1 acre lot. Home features, gourmet island kitchen with large breakfast nook and built in commercial grade stainless steel appliances, fireplace in large great room and kitchen, wrought iron staircase with bridge overlooking foyer, finished bonus room offers additional office/study, craft room, or bedroom space, large cement patio that is overlooking over 1 acre lot. 61614 Cotswold, Washington Twp $899,900.

Stunning Model Show Condition 5,200 sq. ft. colonial w/walkout basement to wooded ravine, 4.5-car garage, granite counters throughout, custom trim & moldings, 2-way fireplace between library and family room, dual staircases, pub room with wet bar between great room and dining room, large owners suite with huge walk-in closet and luxurious bath, large cedar deck backing to a wooded ravine located in Clear Creek Subdivision. 877 Quarry, Rochester Hills $899,900.

12,000 SQ. FT W/FINISHED WALKOUT TO BUILT-IN POOL BACKING TO STONY CREEK

1 1/2 STORY WITH FINISHED WALKOUT BASEMENT TO PRIVATE YARD BACKING TO WOODS

Custom built 1 1/2 story featuring almost 12,000 sq. ft. of finely appointed living area w/finished walkout to built-in pool backing to Stony Creek Park, awesome floor plan, beautiful gourmet kitchen plus 2nd galley kitchen on main floor, 4 fireplaces, 5.5-car garage plus covered carport area between garages, 56' x 16' theatre room, game room combination on 2nd floor, 3rd full kitchen in finished walk out, 40' x 20' built-in pool plus hot tub area on very private lot backing to Stony Creek Metro Park, Brazilian cherry & travertine floors throughout home. 61871 Bradbury Run, Washington Twp $2,350,000

Stunning completely redone 1 1/2 story with finished walkout basement to private yard backing to woods, home is a designer showcase featuring all todays decor & features, huge gourmet island kitchen, all high end finishes throughout, extra deep finished walkout lower level with wet bar, 2-way fireplace, additional bath and walks out to huge brick paver patio; walls of windows overlooking private yard, 8' doors throughout and custom moldings and trim. 4971 Brookside Lane, Washington Twp $929,900

16 ACRES OF ABSOLUTE PRIVACY / MINUTES FROM DOWNTOWN ROCHESTER

ROCHESTER HILLS PRIVATE GATED COMMUNITY

Private, wooded, 16 acre gated estate. European style villa, featuring over 10,000 square feet, indoor swimming pool & sauna, elevator servicing all 3 levels, oversized heated garage with huge work shop, waterfall at entrance, 2 laundry rooms, partial kitchen in lower level, and second laundry rooms/ main floor and lower level. The list of amenities is incredible.

1700 Schilling Lane, Oakland Twp $1,499,900.

Stunning Estate Home with finished walkout to built in pool on private 1 1/2 acre lot backing to Stoney Creek, garage parking for 6 cars, plus covered parking for 4 more cars, over 10,000 square feet of finely appointed living area located in Exclusive gated community at 6532 Cornerstone Rochester, MI 48306 Offered at $1,299,000.

FINISHED WALKOUT TO BUILT IN SWIMMING POOL BACKING TO POND

FINISHED WALKOUT TO BUILT-IN POOL ON ALMOST AN ACRE LOT W/POND

Beautiful 3,250 sq. ft. ranch with full finished walkout to built-in swimming pool on a private almost acre lot backing to pond. Gourmet kitchen with commercial grade appliances, fireplace in living room with 2nd fireplace in owners suite, lower level features full kitchen, bar, exercise room and a McCoy Dry Sauna with room for 8-10 people located off bathroom, 2-tiered deck leading down to private (fenced-in) swimming pool area, professionally landscaped, largest lot on the pond, and a 2.5-car over-sized garage with room to add another garage. This is a one of a kind home!! 6718 Pond Drive, Washington $774,900

Custom built Georgian colonial w/finished walkout to built-in pool on private almost acre lot w/pond, 4.5-car garage & circular drive, all high end finishes throughout, entertainers huge gourmet island kitchen w/commercial grade appliances, all bedrooms have private baths, finished walkout w/wet bar and wide open entertaining area, extensive landscaping with waterfall, awesome yearround sun-room overlooking private yard, This is a great home to raise a family! 1683 Chieftan Circle, Oxford Twp $1,049,000

FACES Eli Zaret fter spending more than a dozen years outside of radio work, veteran Detroit sports broadcaster and Rochester resident Eli Zaret has returned to the airwaves on WJR Radio, where he's doing sports commentary as part of the "Guy Gordon Show."

"I started out doing radio commentary. It was opinionated commentary taking a stance, outside of the regular of just giving scores. That kind of made my name on FM radio," Zaret said. "It's ironic because back in the day, WJR didn't do that stuff. They were very upbeat and positive. That was the antithesis of what I was about. I was the antichrist to what WJR was. It's ironic that it’s coming full circle. Before, I was the only one doing sports commentary on FM radio, and now it's on WJR. "Except for (97.1 FM) The Ticket, there is nobody else doing any sports radio in Detroit, other than brief sports updates on WWJ. Other than longform, there's nobody else doing what I'm doing right now."

The daily sports feature, "After Further Review" airs weekdays at 4:36 p.m. Zaret said he tries to make the segment appealing to both hardcore sports fans and casual listeners by looking at sports and social issues to give a different perspective on what's happening in the sports world.

"We don't talk about golf, per se, but we talk about Tiger Woods," he explained.

Originally from New Jersey, Zaret came to Michigan to attend the University of Michigan. He began his broadcast career in 1974 as the first FM sportscaster at WABX-FM. In 1978, he became the sports director at WRIF-FM about the same time, getting into television as the sports director at WDIV-TV. He has also held positions at WJBK-TV and WCSX-FM. "I have been to more stations and done more different things than any sportscaster ever in this market," Zaret said.

In 1997, he created, produced and hosted "Lockeroom TV," a television and radio show he co-hosted with Kirk Gibson and Gary Danielson on Fox Sports Detroit, WDIV and WXYT. From 2005 to 2012, Zaret worked for Palace Sports and Entertainment as a host and sideline reporter for the Detroit Pistons. He has also owned Eli Zaret Advertising for the past 14 years, and worked for two years as director of business development for The Sussman Agency in Southfield.

During the 1980s, Zaret left Detroit for a brief stint in sports broadcast in New York, but returned to his base in Detroit.

"I realized I needed to come back here, and it was a mistake to leave in the first place," he said. "I was very fortunate to come back.

A lot of people were angry when I left, and I can see why."

No matter the city, sports fans tend to be loyal to those in their hometown. That's particularly true in Detroit, where sports are one of the main sources of entertainment. Zaret said there's also a sense of midwest pride in the Motor City, which tends to fall on sports teams. And, because nobody needs to be an expert to have an opinion, Zaret's brand of coverage has been popular throughout his career.

"That's the beauty of sports. Everyone has a point of view and thinks they know better than the coaches," he said. "Everyone understands the game. You can have these arguments and we all get emotional and have an opinion. It's part of the magic of it all."

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Story: Kevin Elliott

Photo: Jean Lannen

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SHEDDING LIGHT ON THE DARK WEB WELCOME TO THE ENCRYPTED NETWORK THAT SHIELDS USERS

BY LISA BRODY

BY KEVIN ELLIOTT

urking in the shadows of the internet, peeking out in popular films, television shows and novels, the dark web has become a villainous plot device that infers illegal drugs, guns, pornography, hired killers, and conspiracies. On the popular TV show “Scandal,” the team bids on the dark web to get Olivia Pope back; on “House of Cards,” a character uses the dark web to unearth a hacker; Sherlock accesses information via the dark web on several occasions on the show “Elementary”; and the dark web is a key plot element in novels such as Lee Child’s “Make Me.” Yet, for a majority of us, what the dark web actually is remains an enigma, a mysterious element floating out there somewhere on the internet.

For most people who use computers, forays into searches are by using Google, Yahoo or some other search engine, which allows them to find information about just about anything.

In actuality, what we think of the internet is only a small portion of the world wide web – the ‘www’ before many web addresses. The first workable prototype of what we now view as the internet was created in the 1960s, with the creation of ARPANET, which stands for Advanced Research Projects Agency Network.

It was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense to allow multiple computers to communicate on a single network. Networks continued to grow through the 1970s, and Internet Protocol (IP) addresses were developed. In 1983, ARPANET adopted IP, with researchers assembling more and more networks, which became the modern internet.

In 1990, a computer scientist created the world wide web.

Researchers say that only four percent of the internet is visible to the general public, which means that possibly 96 percent is the dark or deep web, which experts call the “second layer” of the internet. The dark web is a part of the world wide web that exists outside of the traditional internet, in a part often referred to as the darknet, which requires a user to download a specific software or put in specific configurations to access. It is a collection of websites that are publicly visible, but hide the IP addresses of the servers that run the sites, so it’s next to impossible to determine where the sites are hosted, and by whom.

To get there takes encryption tools and special software, and is an ideal place for those seeking anonymity, both for privacy sake, as well as illegal activities. However, experts believe the total population of dark net websites number only in the hundreds of thousands, rather than the millions, like on the “clear” net, which is the internet we all utilize. Security experts estimate that at any given time there are between 10,000 and 100,000 active sites on the darknet, with sites regularly disappearing or being yanked from servers by law enforcement or those who work

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to destabilize hackers and other illegitimate sites.

Many dark web users utilize a free software called Tor for enabling anonymous communication. The whole goal of using Tor is to protect the privacy and anonymity of whoever uses it, as well as their freedom and ability to conduct confidential communication by keeping their internet activities from being monitored. Tor stands for “The Onion Router,” a reference to all of the layers of encryption that are layered one on top of another, like peeling through an onion. Instead of dot-com, to access encrypted dark websites the domains utilize dot-onion. Tor directs internet traffic through a free network that consists of more than 7,000 relays in order to conceal a user’s location and usage from anyone conducting network analysis or traffic analysis. To put it simply, instead of a direct connection from A to B, via Tor, the connection can bounce around the world, from network to network and computer to computer, going from A to D to Z to L to E to M to P and then to B, making it very difficult, if not impossible, to track the connection.

“The dark web is a term that refers specifically to a collection of websites that exist on an encrypted network and cannot be found by using traditional search engines or visited by using traditional browsers,” explained Matt Egan in TechAdvisor.

“In a very broad sense, the dark web is the part of the web that is not indexed, that is not on Google. You have to know about it before you can go there,” said Kevin Hayes, director of information security for Wayne State University. “We go to pages like Google, Microsoft and others, but that’s to the regular internet. When indexing can get more tricky, you need to type in numbers, otherwise known as an IP address, or use a special software, to access the dark web.”

Ryan Wilk, vice president of NuData Security in Vancouver, which assists customers with data breaches, further explains, “The dark web is just another level of the internet. It’s a marketplace to buy things – illicit things. You can buy data, human trafficking, drugs, among other things.

It’s a bazaar of the illicit. The problem really comes in when the bad actors come in. It’s where they go to buy lists of (stolen) names and account numbers.”

“Almost all sites on the so-called dark web hide their identity using the Tor encryption tool. To visit a site on the dark web that is using Tor encryption, the web user needs to be using Tor,” Egan said. “Just as the end user’s IP address is bounced through several layers of encryption to appear to be another IP address on the Tor network, so is that website.

Sites on the dark web can be visited by anyone, but it is very difficult to work out who is behind the sites.”

Tor was initially developed by United States Naval Research Laboratory employees

in the mid-1990s, with the purpose of protecting the U.S. intelligence community online. The first iteration was launched in 2002, and became available to the public in 2003. In December 2006, a group founded The Tor Project as a 501(c)(3) research-education non-profit organization responsible for maintaining Tor. The majority of its funding sources came from the U.S. government.

The Swedish government also participated in its development. “We wanted to help journalists in totalitarian states, those who didn’t want to get caught and wanted anonymity,” said Steffan Truvé, founder and chief technology officer of Recorded Future, located in Boston and Gothenburg, Sweden.

According to Wired magazine, in Tor’s early days, “Tor enabled its users to surf the internet, chat and send instant messages anonymously, and it is used by a wide variety of people for both licit and illicit purposes. Tor has, for example, been used by criminal enterprises, hacktivism groups, and law enforcement agencies at cross purposes, sometimes simultaneously.”

According to Tor, their network consists of a group of volunteer-operated servers that allows people to improve their privacy and security on the internet by connecting through a series of virtual tunnels rather than making a direct connection, “thus allowing both organizations and individuals to share information over public networks without compromising their privacy.”

Tor also promotes that it is an effective censorship circumvention tool, “allowing its users to reach otherwise blocked destinations or content. Individuals use Tor to keep websites from tracking them and their family members, or to connect to news sites, instant messaging services...when these are blocked by their local internet providers. Journalists use Tor to communicate more safely with whistleblowers and dissidents. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) use Tor to allow their workers to connect to their home website while they’re in a foreign country, without notifying everybody nearby that they’re working with that organization...A branch of the U.S. Navy uses Tor for open source intelligence gathering.” issidents around the globe find a safe harbor in the dark web by using Tor because they can communicate without being traced. So too, do networks of transgender individuals seeking out a community where they can speak freely, safely, and anonymously, as well as others seeking like-minded communities to express themselves privately. Journalists in areas of conflict can talk with sources as well their their editors. Several news organizations, including The New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, Wired, and ProPublica, have set up drop boxes on the dark web to protect sources and whistleblowers who want

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to provide the news organizations with information and documents safely and securely.

“ProPublica uses the dark web to protect sources – as do other news organizations like The Guardian and The Intercept, which played a major role in breaking news about the Edward Snowden leaks,” John Zorabedian wrote in NakedSecurity.com. “ProPublica uses a hidden service on Tor called SecureDrop that allows sources to submit tips, data and files secretly and securely.” He wrote that dark web versions of the ProPublica website has allowed Chinese citizens to read about censorship in their own country anonymously.

The New York Times states on its home page it takes tips through SecureDrop, Signal, WhatsApp, along with regular email and postal mail.

“Everyone should have the ability to read ProPublica’s content without being tracked,” Mike Tigas, the developer who built ProPublica’s website on the Tor network, said.

“We don’t want anyone to know that you came to us, or what you read.”

“It started with noble purposes, but because of anonymity, (the dark web) has turned criminal,” Recorded Future’s Truvé asserted. “Tor is not generally traceable, so it’s the place for peddling guns, drugs, human trafficking, data. Cyber criminals use it in two ways – to access tools, like malware and ransomware; and when they need help to disseminate their goods, like forums to access for those who use the goods and sell their wares – fresh credit cards, passports, drugs, guns. As a consumer, you only need to download Tor to access into this. But the risk is really infecting your computer, and you could be granting access to the bad guys. The good thing, though, is the anonymity.”

He said journalists and forums for transsexuals and others seeking privacy harken back to the origins of the dark web, “for people who want to talk to like-minded people, whether you want to talk about government problems or you have sexual preferences and don’t want people to know, it’s what the dark web was designed for. But if someone infiltrates it, it’s where there are problems.

“It’s like that scary, unsafe street everyone knows not to drive down,” is how Wayne State’s Hayes describes the dark. “As long as you’re keeping your computer up-to-date and not actively seeking the dark web, you’re going to be completely safe. Should someone download Tor? You can if you know what you’re doing and can use it responsibly.

There’s a lot of power and potential to get into a lot trouble – by attackers and hackers, because they’re feasting on people that aren’t taking proper precautions like keeping their computers up-to-date and changing their passwords frequently.

“The dark web is where illegal transactions take place, whether you’re talking about

drugs, human trafficking, hackers exchanging personal data – because in a macro sense, people have always done bad things, and this is just a new way,” Hayes continued. “This now can happen in a global way. You’re really going into the lion’s den, and if you’re not properly prepared, you may leave with more than you bargained for, such as a hacked computer or a stolen identity.” uData’s Wilk said that ironically, one of the first purveyors they saw early on of data breaches and other illegal activity was with gangs. “It was with the Bloods and the Crips (in Los Angeles),” he said. “’Why would we want to risk getting shot when we could stay home, make money and do this?’ It’s not just the sophisticated criminals, but the low level criminals, the kids sitting in their bedroom. If they’re able to figure it out, we’re only going to see it get worse.”

Transactions, or purchases, on the dark web, whether lawful or illegal, are not done in dollars or euros, but in other currency, typically in bitcoin, and more recently, ether.

Bitcoin and ether are digital currencies that are not based in a country, or tied to a gold standard, but are a unit of an account transacted between users on the web. They are private and anonymous, as bitcoin is not tied to any real world entities, but to bitcoin addresses. In some ways, bitcoins are a virtual cash.

“Bitcoins, the payment of the dark web, is hard to trace,” noted Truvé.

The cloak of anonymity provided by the dark web also makes it the launching pad for hacking websites or corporate data, such as credit card information or log in information.

And it comes at a huge cost, both for individuals and companies.

TechRepublic noted that the dark web affects every internet user. “If your data was leaked as part of a government or corporate hack, it’s for sale on the dark web.”

“There’s a lot of personal data – credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, bank account numbers and passwords, even Netflix and Hulu passwords and other accounts to common entertainment services out there,” Hayes said. “People go, ‘I want to watch Netflix, but I don’t want to pay them $14 a month.’ So instead, it’s like $3 for a bunch of accounts. When one account stops working, they just move on to the next one.

“You have people who aren’t subscribing and it’s costing companies revenue, and it can lead to much greater data losses through further searches of people’s passwords,” Hayes continued.

According to Hayes, it’s called social engineering – a hacker sees you’re in the Detroit area, so they check to see if this password also works for your DTE account, Consumer’s Energy account, your Chase Bank account. They can figure these out because

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they have your data, with your birth date, Social Security number, possibly your physical address, and guess at the rest. Many people will use their children or dog’s name for passwords, so they start there. Once they hit on a successful password, they try it over and over again.

“While someone thinks someone using their movie password isn’t doing them harm, if they have used their password for other accounts – which most people do – attackers can pivot over to those more sensitive accounts,” Hayes said. “The rest of their financial lives could be in jeopardy.

“It’s one of the biggest problems out there, because we reuse our passwords. It’s a financial drain on everybody. That’s really what cyberattacks are about – they’re financial attacks.”

Hacks and cyberattacks are a huge financial burden, and they are expected to continue to grow, with tremendous consequences. According to Juniper Research in June 2017, merchants are projected to lose up to $71 billion in card-not-present fraud over the next five years, with 80 percent of that fraud occurring in North America, the Far East and China. By any estimation, that’s a serious financial cost that everyone will end up bearing the burden for.

“With all these breaches, there is so much data floating out there, and all these companies – banks, e-commerce sites – have to determine if it’s really you or someone else logging in,” said NuData Security’s Wilk. “We see so much data out there, it’s hard to trust it.”

He noted that most of us use numerous devices, or change devices frequently. “Most people have three devices at any one time to log into an account,” he said. o combat fraud, they look at a person’s various devices, how they interact with those devices and how they connect with the internet. “They’re all unique aspects of who you are. By pulling all these different features, we’re able to build together a unique profile around how the user uses the device, and build a profile to determine you’re the one actually logging in versus someone else. It’s understanding the human user to help banks combat illicit use of stolen data.”

He explained that often once a hacker has breached a site, data is sold, and then hackers test the use of the data against banks, stores and e-commerce sites to see how many times they can succeed with certain data. “These account takeover attempts are usually done first by non-human automation, testing this user name and password. If they can log into one site, maybe it’s worth $5; if they can log onto 10 sites, maybe (the data) is worth $25.

These people are refining these breaches to your addresses, Social Security numbers, date of birth.”

Law enforcement is generally aware of the

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dark web and the damages it is causing to the economy, but is usually playing catch up.

“When it comes to the dark web, it is hot topic right now for anyone dealing with it.

We’re in the early stages of (dealing) with it – as is everyone else,” acknowledged Michigan State Police D/F/Lt. James Ellis. “Law enforcement is often reactive instead of proactive.” ayne State University’s Hayes’ noted that law enforcement is getting a little bit past the tip, “but it’s an uphill battle. Every time they get close, they discover the ultimate culprit is overseas, even if the work is done here. They might have 99 percent of the information here, but if one percent of the key data is overseas...technology is so complex. If the server where the data is stored is overseas, it can takes months to get access.”

Ellis said Michigan State Police is seeing trafficking of guns, drugs, credit cards, “you can get just about anything you want right now, because it’s the dark web, and not a lot of people know about it or use it. It’s mostly criminals using it. No one really knows how to track it or where to go, so you have that criminal element. When we do find cases, they’re international, not local, and that’s what makes it even harder. They’re cyber cases, ransomware, and in most cases they’re overseas, that’s what we run into and they know it.

“They’ll often have valid names and sell blocks of credit cards,” Ellis continued.

“Financial institutions use one kind of company that scours the dark web for information related to financial information and impropriety, employees’ names, their email addresses, and other information, because if they’re hacked, they’ll have key words identified to see how they got it, to track back to a particular data breach that occurred. But sometimes the information may be very old – (the hackers) are not always selling the data right away. They know that people are looking for it right away, so they might hold it for two or three years. If someone gets credit protection, it’s often for a year or two, and then they let it lapse. It’s like laying low, and waiting to move later.”

Police chiefs in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Rochester all said they are seeing significantly more computer-related crime, notably fraud and identity theft, but they are not dealing with other aspects of the dark web directly, such as pornography, hacking, malware, drug and human trafficking.

“We would refer it out if we saw it,” said Rochester Police Chief Steve Schettenhelm.

So too, in Birmingham, although Chief Mark Clemence said that Cmdr. Chris Busen has received some specialized computer training, and they have a Birmingham police officer assigned to the FBI. “Anything

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computer-related, we send it to him and the FBI takes over and investigates. Our job is getting so technical and so many things have an internet component, and the dark web is a fast moving, growing component in criminal enterprise,” Clemence said. “We’re seeing more training in our computer division. From an investigative standpoint, investigating (computer) fraud, more than anything else, is the fastest growing crime, whether it’s on the local, state or federal level.”

“I’m not aware of it impacting our police department at all, and I don’t know that much about it at all,” Bloomfield Township Police Chief Scott McCanham acknowledged. “I don’t have my head in the sand, but it hasn’t reached the level where Bloomfield Township has had to train for it.”

He did say that the township police representative on the Oakland County Narcotics Task Force has been involved with drug trafficking.

Timothy Plancon, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) for Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky, said they work drug cases on the dark web when they’re alerted to the activity, which could be through illicit activity, unexplained income, tips coming in, and through partnerships with fellow federal and local law enforcement.

“People get on the dark web and order (drugs) and get it shipped wherever,” Plancon said. “No matter what country they’re in, they almost all originate outside of the country.

We’re not talking kilogram quantities, although we have dealt with that, too. We work with shippers, postal carriers, delivery service workers – that’s how we sometimes get tips.

“These are extremely dangerous drugs that can kill just by touching,” he said of what he referred to as narcoterrorism. “We’re talking fentanyl, carfentanyl, and other synthetic opioids, like U-47700 – some people call it Pink. They’re modifications of fentanyl and carfentanyl, which is an elephant tranquilizer.

These are very potent opioids that translate to the equivalent of a few grains of salt, if you ingest or even just touch it, it can kill you.

Sometimes just a speck of dust inhaled or touched, you can die. If it’s not packaged properly, so the dust or powder doesn’t get out, it can injure someone handling it. It’s dangerous for any mail carrier, UPS or FedEx worker. It’s dangerous for any law enforcement officer.” lancon stated he believes that a great deal of the country’s and notably Michigan, Ohio and Kentucy’s opioid crisis is being fueled by the dark web. “It hits every socioeconomic group, every cultural and religious group,” he said. “Because sitting at a computer, the dark web really fuels this opioid epidemic. I think the dark web really is the right name for it. It seems demonic almost.”

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard

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concurs, noting that in Oakland County they are seeing both drug trafficking and human trafficking, which their Special Investigations Unit (SIU) handles.

“We know that a great deal of drug activity is coming via parcels, especially synthetics are coming from China,” Bouchard said. “They try to make the transactional activity anonymous through bitcoins. When they’re doing this heinous activity in the dark, which runs counter to what we want to do – we want to expose them to the sunlight.”

Bouchard said he is seeing dark web activity growing and becoming a bigger threat in all aspects, including terrorist activity.

“Folks there are not the most savory type,” he said wryly. “It’s like walking into the worst, worst part of town and being a tourist – like getting off at the wrong stop. We’re seeing everything and anything criminal, murder for hire, pornography. We saw the migration of pedophiles, and their techniques to avoid being caught, to trafficking, to actively exploiting without being caught. They can get into multiple states and multiple countries.

The dark web has become a bartering tool for molestation.”

“There’s a lot of crossover. Take human smuggling. Drugs are involved. Drugs and guns go together, and many terrorist groups are partially funded through drug trafficking,” Plancon said, who said the DEA collaborates with federal agencies such as the FBI, ATF, Homeland Security, U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Marshalls, and Secret Service, as well and Michigan State Police and Oakland County Sheriff’s Office. “There are some very bright people out there doing some very bad things.”

Cmdr. Busen of the Birmingham Police Department said that their liaison with the FBI has dealt with child pornography issues through the dark web. “Most are coming from other countries,” he said, making it difficult to trace and to prosecute. “Fraud, meaning identity theft and credit card fraud, now go hand-in-hand. Right now it’s the greatest transfer of wealth from the west to the east in the history of the world, because of all the fraud going on in. It’s going back to the old country, with all this money going back to Russia.”

Bouchard, who sits on national law enforcement and sheriff agencies, said that another where law enforcement sees abuses of the dark web is as a private and anonymous communications avenue for criminals and terrorists.

“Isis has the ability to exchange encrypted information,” via What’sApp on the dark web, he said. “Terrorists and criminals are communicating in real time, in encryption that we cannot break, and law enforcement is falling behind the eight-ball.”

FACES John Stoll orn into a family of car salesmen, long-time Rochesterarea resident John Stoll initially went into journalism to see what he wanted to do with his life. But every time he thinks he's out of the auto industry, his newspaper pulls him back to the Motor City.

As the Detroit Bureau Chief and Global Auto Editor for The Wall Street Journal since 2014, Stoll is responsible for directing the newspaper's automotive coverage. In April of 2017, he was assigned as the Deputy Bureau Chief at the paper's Washington D.C bureau. Those plans changed the following month when Ford Motor Company CEO Mark Fields was replaced by James Hackett in the midst of an anticipated slowdown in the auto industry.

"I've been going back and forth (to Washington D.C.) for a bit, and the commuting isn't going to work," Stoll said about the change. "We have four kids, and to uproot the children wasn't as easy as I thought. I started the commute, and then had some big stuff on the beat with changes in Ford management... I'm the autos guy for the foreseeable."

Born in Howell, Stoll settled in the Rochester area when he was in middle school. He later graduated from Oakland Christian School and attended Oakland University, where he earned a degree in history and journalism. While he considered attending law school, Stoll said he began started working at Automotive News as an intern, later working for Crain Communications' AutoWeek. It was then that he decided to stay in journalism, with aspirations to work at The Wall Street Journal.

"It wasn't where I wanted to stay. I don't have an affinity with cars. I love history and I love politics," he said. "I never intended to stay at Oakland, and I never intended to stay in the auto industry."

In 2005, Stoll landed a reporter position at The Wall Street Journal, where he has covered GM's bankruptcy, the Big Three and other issues. While he left the paper for a stint to work for Ford and later Reuters, he returned to The Wall Street Journal, moving to Stockholm in 2012 as the Nordic bureau chief.

Working to combine the paper's coverage with the Dow Jones Newswire, the bureau offers readers real-time financial news combined with broader stories about foreign companies and Swedish life aimed at an American audience.

"My job there was to write a lot of social-political stories," Stoll said.

The approach is key to The Wall Street Journal's brand, and one he incorporates into auto coverage to differentiate the paper from local news outlets.

"That was cut short by what was going on in Detroit in 2014 at GM," Stoll said, explaining how he returned to covering the auto industry and his return to Rochester Hills.

"When they had their ignition switch coverage, the bureau asked me to come back and lead the coverage here."

Since directing the paper's auto coverage, Stoll said the paper has shifted from simple product releases to a broader emphasis on technology and how it effects car ownership.

However, he also added a position to cover the rise of Tesla and how it has disrupted the auto industry.

"People are fascinated by (Tesla founder) Elon Musk," he said.

Despite his extensive coverage of the auto industry, Stoll admits he's more of a journalist than a car guy.

"I still don't know know much of how a car works after all this time," he said.

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Story: Kevin Elliott

Photo: Laurie Tennent

MUNICIPAL Rochester approves Rewold office building

By Kevin Elliott

A project to clean up a contaminated industrial site and construct a four-story office building along the Paint Creek moved forward on Monday, July 10, as Rochester City Council members unanimously approved a site plan and special projects request from developer Frank Rewold and Son. Rewold, who owns the Royal Park Hotel and existing offices on the east side of the Paint Creek between E. 2nd Street and E. University Drive, is proposing a 45,000 square-foot office building at 400 Water Street, on the west side of the creek. The office building would be next to Rochester Mills building, which was purchased by Rewold in 1997. The project includes brownfield redevelopment to bring at least $2 million in environmental cleanup in the area, as well as improvements to the Rochester Lions Park, just north of the Mills Building, and enhancements along the creek bank.

Rochester Economic Development Director Nik Banda said the building and clean-up are a phase in what is expected to be a campus project planned by Rewold that would extend from his Mills building south to E. 3rd Street. Rewold has said plans to develop the corner property at Water Street and E. 3rd are in the works, but Rewold was not yet ready to announce what that development would entail.

"Without saying too much, there are two projects that have been narrowed down for the corner that would be awesome," Rewold said at a May 5 planning commission meeting. "They would be different uses than our office.

Different densities and use at different times."

Banda said the proposed office project itself will provide much desired office space close to the downtown area, and serve to clean-up the longstanding industrial contamination in that area that has hampered development there.

Contamination at the site stems from historic industrial uses at the Western Knitting Mills building in the 1940s, after the knitting corporation dissolved.

It was later purchased by McAleer Manufacturing, which was the largest producer of flash bombs and flares in the United States during World War II. It was later used by ITT Automotive, which produced automotive push rods and tubing until 1994. Today, the site has contaminated soils with lead and trichlorethylene, according to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

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City nixes all marijuana operations ny hopes of establishing medical marijuana operations in Rochester were put to rest on Monday, July 24, with the introduction of an ordinance amendment at the city council meeting that prohibits all such commercial and business uses and/or facilities.

The proposed amendment, if finalized, will eliminate language in the city's zoning code that requires grow operations and medical marijuana facilities to receive a special exception use by city council in order to operate in the city.

The ordinance, enacted in 2014, will instead state that the city doesn't allow and specifically prohibits the facilities.

"While the city recognizes that any such uses are only possible if the city has ordinance provisions authorizing any facilities ... the city hereby ordains that it is specifically prohibiting any such uses/facilities, regardless of whether an applicant is otherwise eligible to get a license from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs," the proposed amendment stated.

The zoning code doesn't refer to personal use or production of medical marijuana permitted under the state's Medical Marijuana Act. The proposed ordinance amendment, which received unanimous support by council on July 24 (with councilman Ben Giovanelli absent), came in response to state laws enacted in September 2016 that establish a series of commercial medical marijuana uses that are available with a license from the state. However, the licenses are permitted only in communities that specifically allow any or all of the actions by ordinance. Those communities wishing to prohibit such operations must update their ordinances.

Councilwoman Ann Peterson asked whether the city was comfortable moving forward with the proposed ordinance amendment in light of changes at the state, to which city attorney Jeffrey Kragt explained that the proposed ordinance was being made in direct response to the changes Peterson referenced.

The proposed ordinance is expected to be finalized at a council meeting in August.

In January, the city's planning commission tabled its review of a site plan for a proposed medical marijuana growing facility in the city. Those plans were submitted by Rochester businessman Mark Finley of Xavier Laboratories, who proposed a facility above his business at 361 South Street.

A moratorium had been placed on the creation of such businesses while the city determined the application of updated state laws in 2016. Those laws went into effect in December of 2016.

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Contamination at the site over the years has migrated to the Paint Creek, forcing ITT to work with the DEQ to build an underground containment wall and install monitoring walls to ensure pollutants aren't continuing to reach the creek. While Rewold purchased the site in 1997, ITT is responsible for environmental monitoring at the site.

However, the former industrial manufacturer isn't required to conduct remediation at the site, which is needed before it can be developed, and rests with the city of Rochester.

In April, city council members approved a $2 million grant and loan application to the DEQ's Clean Michigan Initiative program, which, if approved by the state, will provide a $1 million grant and $1 million loan to the city for the project. Any cleanup costs beyond the $2 million would be paid upfront by Rewold and reimbursed by the city. City funding for the project requires the city to establish a brownfield authority and tax increment

financing (TIF) district that captures any new taxes generated after redevelopment to pay for the clean-up.

The process provides a way for municipalities to conduct environmental clean-ups without having to fund the projects through general fund dollars or public tax dollars. The city would continue to collect tax revenue in the district that it had prior to redevelopment during the life of the TIF. Rewold, which is celebrating its 100year anniversary in 2018, plans to relocate its headquarters from its current location on 2nd Street to the Water Street building, which would also provide office space for three other businesses.

In terms of architecture design, the building will include three stories with an additional mezzanine floor with a rooftop deck. Materials include composite horizontal siding, a laminate facade panel and cement accents, and a standing seam metal roof. The design provides an "attractive addition to the

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area without detracting from the existing historical Mills building or the landmark Royal Park Hotel,� city planner Vidya Krishnan said in a review of the project.

"The proposal submitted by the applicant is an exciting new project for the city, which will provide for much needed office space and also create a high quality development while providing significant public benefit," she said.

Current zoning in the project area calls for mixed-use development, requiring special project approval from the city to move forward. The planning commission on May 5 approved plans for the office building project. Final site plan approval and a special project approval was granted by unanimous vote on Monday, July 10 by city council.

Discussion at the council meeting centered on the project's proposed Paint Creek Streambank Plan, which covers the various existing conditions and proposed strategies for about 477 feet of the Paint Creek. That plan was presented to the city on July 6, after approval from the city planning commission.

Rewold said environmental plans include improvements to the city park to the north of the site, as well as work to rehabilitate the river bank. However, because of the existing contamination of the soil bank, it's important not to disturb the streambank to cause the soil to increase the flow of water and contamination into the creek.

"If you look at it now, it's crummy.

Right now it needs to be cleaned out the best we can," Rewold said. "With the environmental challenges, you don't want to increase the flow of water from the land into the river."

Plans to clean-up the area include taking down the existing brush and growth where possible, while maintaining the existing root system to secure the streambank. Council members raised questions about plantings at the site, which weren't specifically outlined in the plan.

Councilman Ben Giovanelli questioned whether the plan ensured proper environmental considerations so that future plantings wouldn't allow for contamination to spread beyond the containment area.

Council voted unanimously to give conditional approve for the site plan, which included a finalized streambank landscaping and planting materials plan approved by city staff, as well as an administrative report presented to council; and, that all approvals on the plan and special projects designation are contingent on the final approval of a grant request from the DEQ, as well as authorization of a brownfield district and related authority.

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Rochester Hills okays new salary schedule

By Kevin Elliott

Rochester weighs in on public comments Rochester City Council members on Monday, July 24, opted against taking measures to place a specific time limit on public comments and requiring people to fill out comment request cards before speaking at council meetings.

Council at its July 10 meeting asked city staff to provide a packet of materials about the city of Rochester Hills' public comment procedure that requires sign up cards to speak at meetings. The neighboring city also places a three-minute time restriction on public comments during their council meetings. Rochester Hills also allows speakers to request an extension that goes beyond three minutes.

The inquiry came from councilwoman Kim Russell near the end of a lengthy council meeting that included active participation from several members of the public on multiple agenda items and miscellaneous matters.

"I'm thinking maybe we could have a public comment card or something to make our public comment role a little easier, similar to Rochester Hills," she said. "Maybe that could be on the next agenda for discussion."

Council reviewed the city of Rochester Hills' policy, opting instead to retain their own city's policy, which allows public comment on each agenda item and during miscellaneous items without prior request or adhering to a specific time limit. However, some council members said there could be discussion on how to better manage that rule.

Currently, the mayor or the meeting chair is responsible for opening the public comment section of each agenda item and for keeping the flow of the meeting moving forward.

"I do my best, and every mayor that has been up here does their best, to recognize the public comment. We are trying to conduct business here, and never have I intentionally not called on somebody," said Rochester Mayor Cathy Daldin. "But, it's very disruptive when I have people in the audience yelling and interrupting and raising their hands because I have moved on to the next (agenda) items, just out of regular business."

Councilman and former mayor Stuart Bikson agreed, saying the mayor is in a bind when controlling the meeting.

"It's difficult because to anyone

you cut off, you're being mean to them, and anyone you let go on, you're losing control of the meeting.

You get these two criticisms no matter what," he said. "On the other hand, I have seen in Rochester Hills where they just cut people off, and it seems so unfriendly and undemocratic."

While Bikson said he didn't support the idea of using public comment cards, the public and council members "need to limit comments and be as concise as we can."

Councilman Rob Ray said he didn't believe comment cards were the way to proceed in the future. Instead, he encouraged residents to contact members of council or staff prior to meetings so that their concerns could be addressed prior to a meeting.

Councilwoman Ann Peterson suggested the city work with a representative from the Michigan Municipal League (MML), which recently hosted a seminar about the Open Meetings Act in Rochester Hills, in order to help update the city's public comment policy, but said she didn't support using comment cards or limiting speaking to three minutes, as done in Rochester Hills.

Councilman and former mayor Jeffrey Cuthbertson said he believes the city's informal approach to public comments has worked well under the discretion of the city's current and past mayors. However, he said the ordinance guiding the policy could be updated to allow the mayor to close comments when they become an issue.

"I think the discretion of the chair to offer gentle guidance to some people who might go on longer than necessary to convey an important point is somewhat of an art," he said.

"There was one a few meetings ago where we didn't get out of public comment for about an hour and 15 minutes. When there is business to be conducted and a long meeting is undertaken, those situations start to call into question how effective an informal process is."

Members of the public speaking at the meeting gave mixed reactions, with some for and some against.

Resident Steve Szoke said he speaks at meetings in order for his concerns to be placed into a public record.

"How do you get something on record if you submit a note?" he asked. "How does anyone know if it's followed up on? Nobody knows, but it goes on the record, and that's why I come here."

unicipal staff salaries in Rochester Hills in 2018 are expected to increase by about .7 percent, or roughly $200,000, under a revised salary schedule approved on Monday, July 17, by city council.

The schedule is part of a recent classification and compensation study conducted for the city by McGrath Human Resources Group, and calls for an overall compensation policy that places the city at the 55th percentile of the market, or about 10 percent above the average market rate.

The salary schedule also includes future salary adjustments proposed for 2019 and 2020, meaning the overall plan will be phased in over several years.

"Your employees believe they are expected to do more and that they are more innovative (than other cities), and as a result of that, we made a conscious effort in the compensation study to say where you should be in relation to the market," said Victoria McGrath, CEO of McGrath Human Resources. "Just like we looked at your community and asked if you want to view yourself as average, the employees here don't want to be viewed as average."

Included in the salary recommendations were placement of every non-union, part-time and union employee into a unified salary schedule. Each assigned position was assigned a pay grade that includes three-percent annual step increases to a maximum sixth step. Steps currently range from five percent to more than seven percent. The plan also includes "added value" steps, to be available to employees who have reached the maximum step as incentive to achieve additional certifications or enhance skill sets that benefit the city, beyond those required by their current position. The added value component will be implemented in 2019 or 2020, contingent upon the design of program criteria, specific guidelines and a system of accountability.

"From my day job as a sales guy, if you don't perform you don't get paid, that's just how the nature of my day job goes," said councilman Kevin Brown. "This is about as innovative a structure as I've seen in any government entity where we are at least trying to broach the subject. I'm not saying we will get anything close to what I do as a day job, but we are talking about those things and thinking about it.

"Hats off to the mayor and staff. Culture in an organization is tough to get in, and we talk about how great we are as a city all the time, and then you start doing compensation studies and employees are saying, 'hey, we are better than everyone else.' I think that's pretty impressive feedback from our employees."

The study, the first of its kind for the city in about 17 years, included three visits to the city to gather internal data and information, conduct meetings with department heads, administrators and employees, as well as union representatives and council members. In addition, McGrath obtained salary data from 19 communities for 127 positions and compensation and benefit information from five communities considered comparable to Rochester Hills.

The study found, overall, the city's salary schedule compares well to the external market in terms of minimum starting pay and average incumbent salaries. However, about a quarter of positions are clearly out of alignment with the market and are in need of adjustment, according to the study. Benefits were found to be competitive overall, while vacation and part-time employee benefits were identified as two notable exceptions to be addressed.

The approval related specifically to employee salary schedules, and bringing those within the 55th percentile of the market.

Council didn't address all issues presented in the study, which could be discussed and addressed at a future date.

"It's been several years since the compensation template has been updated, and that's what we have now," council president Mark Tisdel said. "It's a new organization of the compensation package, and I’m glad it's behind us."

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Rochester looks at new market concept

By Kevin Elliott

In August, the Rochester Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is expected to present conceptual plans to its board for a new lifestyles market that could incorporate the functions of a year-round farmers market with a commercial kitchen facility and business incubator.

While still in its conceptual phases, the DDA is working with Saroki Architecture of Birmingham to come up with a conceptual plan for an 18,000- to 21,000-square-foot building to house the market at the city's current farmers market location, at E. Third and Water Street. The DDA board, if receptive to the concept plan, would be presented in September with rough financial estimates on the cost of the facility, which would ultimately determine whether the project could move forward or not.

"In 60 days, we will have an answer in one way or another," said Rochester Planning and Economic Development Director Nik Banda.

The idea for the market concept

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stemmed from the DDA's 2016 visioning session, said DDA Director Kristi Trevarrow.

"We know Rochester is a good place to be, with high occupancy and great attendance at events, but we asked people 'how do we make it better,'" she said. "A lot of people said 'we love downtown, but we need more reasons to come here.'"

Among those reasons, she said, were a year-round farmer's market, grocery offerings, event spaces and other experiences and offerings.

Looking at the feedback from residents, she said the market concept kept coming up in discussions as a way to create those reasons.

The concept will incorporate traditional farmer's market vendors, as well as fresh offerings, such as a fishmonger, meat market, fresh dairy and spice markets, as well as a kitchen. The kitchen would allow for cooking demonstrations and events during regular hours, as well as a business incubator during its off hours, which could help at-home food businesses launch.

"It would be a revenue center for us, as well," Trevarrow said, who said the idea is to create a food hub that

supports healthy lifestyles and the food that plays an important role in that culture.

While the cost to create such a market hasn't yet been determined, Trevarrow said funding would need to come from a bond, which could be repaid by the market revenue.

"The only way it would work is a bond," she said.

Trevarrow stressed that the DDA isn't yet at the funding stage, with the possibility the project could hit a standstill once cost estimates and revenue projections are determined.

Banda also said the project depends on it being fiscally responsible.

"A lot of folks would like this, but it can't happen unless it’s fiscally responsible, and the DDA has made it abundantly clear that they're going to have to prove it to us, and show it to us to make sure that it works and is sustainable on its own," Banda told city council members at a Monday, July 24 council meeting. "Many communities – the Flints and the Saginaws, they have a benefactor.

They have someone that is underwriting the costs. They are spending big money. This has to come back in front of this board."

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Anness appointed to school board The Rochester Community School District's Board of Education on Monday, July 17, appointed long-time Rochester Hills resident Barbara Anness to serve on the school board through December 31, 2018.

Anness, a Rochester Hills resident for more than two decades, was chosen to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former board secretary Beth Talbert. Board trustee Kevin Beers has since filled Talbert's position, leaving open a trustee seat.

Four candidates were initially interviewed by the board at s special July 10 meeting.

"As a trustee on the Rochester Community School District Board, I am looking forward to volunteering my time, talent and expertise to enhance our community through a strong, local public school district," Anness said. "I believe a school board is the steward of community trust through sustainable budget and policy adoption and implementation, goal setting and advocating on behalf of the district."

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PLACES TO EAT The Places To Eat for Downtown is a quick reference source to establishments offering a place for dining, either breakfast, lunch or dinner. The listings include nearly all dining establishments with seating in the Rochester area, and then some select restaurants outside the immediate area served by Downtown. The complete Places To Eat is available at downtownpublications.com and in an optimized format for your smart phone (downtownpublications.com/mobile), where you can actually map out locations and automatically dial a restaurant from our Places To Eat.

Rochester/Rochester Hills 112 Pizzeria Bistro: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 2528 S. Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309.

248.289.6164.

2941 Street Food: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 87 W. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.606.4583.

Alex’s of Rochester: Italian, Greek, & American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.852.2288.

Antoniou’s Pizza: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 918 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48307. 248.650.2200.

Avery’s Tavern: American. Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 2086 Crooks Road, Rochester Hills, 48309.

248.270.4030.

B Spot Burgers: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

176 N. Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.218.6001.

Bangkok Cuisine: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 727 N. Main Street, Rochester, 48307. 248.652.8841.

Bar Louie: American. Weekend Brunch.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations, 10 or more. Liquor. 1488 N. Rochester Road, Rochester, 48307.

248.218.5114.

Bean and Leaf Café: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

439 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.601.1411.

Bigalora Wood Fire Cucina: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations, parties of 8 or more. Liquor. 6810 N. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48306.

248.218.6230.

Big Boy: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No Reservations. 3756 S. Rochester Road., Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.852.5540. Also 90 E. Tienken Road, Rochester Hills, 48306.

248.601.7777.

Bologna Via Cucina: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

334 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.651.3300.

Buffalo Wild Wings: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

1234 Walton Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.651.3999.

Chadd’s Bistro: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No Reservations. 1838 E. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.293.0665.

Chapman House: French-American.

Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations recommended. Liquor. 311 Walnut Blvd., Rochester. 48307.

248.759.4406.

Cheng’s Restaurant: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 2666 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.299.9450.

Chicken Shack: BBQ. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 213 W. University Drive, Rochester, 48307.

248.656.1100.

Chili’s: Tex-Mex. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2735 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.299.5281.

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Chipotle Mexican Grille: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2611 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.402.0047. Also The Village of Rochester Hills, 84 N. Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.402.0047.

Chomp Deli & Grille: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

200 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

888.342.2497.

CJ Mahoney’s Sports Grille: American.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 3260 S. Rochester Road, Rochester, 48307. 248.293.2800.

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

Liquor. 2010 W. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.853.6600.

Clubhouse BFD (Beer-Food-Drink): American. Lunch, Saturday & Sunday.

Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations, 10 or more. Liquor. 2265 Crooks Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.289.6093.

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit: Barbecue. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 1418 N. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.266.6226.

Downtown Café: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 606 N. Main, Rochester, 48307.

248.652.6680.

East Side Mario’s: Italian. Lunch & dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2273 Crooks Road, Rochester, 48309.

248.853.9622.

Einstein Bros. Bagels: Deli. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 2972 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48307. 248.606.4519.

Famous Dave’s: Barbecue. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

2945 Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48307. 248.852.6200.

Firehouse Subs: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1480 N. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.656.9200. Also 3044 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.299.7827.

Five Guys Burgers & Fries: American, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

2544 S. Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.299.3483.

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

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

248.266.6687.

Georgio’s Pizza & Pasta: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Italian.

117 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.601.2882.

Gold Star Family Restaurant: American & Greek. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 650 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.652.2478.

Golden Eagle: American. Lunch, Sunday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1447 N. Rochester Road, Rochester, 48307.

248.651.6606.

Grand Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 12 Marketplace Circle, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.289.1350.

Half Day Café: American. Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

3134 Walton Boulevard, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.375.1330.

Hamlin Pub: American. Breakfast, Sundays. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 1988 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.656.7700.

Hibachi House Bar & Grill: Japanese Steakhouse. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 335 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.266.6055.

Honey Tree Grille: Mediterranean.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2949 Crooks Road, Rochester, 48309. 248.237.0200.

Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1186 W. University Drive, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.651.3527.

BREAKFAST SPECIALS

LUNCH SPECIALS

FROM

FROM

1

$ 99

6

$

99

SPECIALS FROM TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

10% OFF

DOWNTOWN

ANY MEAL – DINE-IN ONLY Coupon must be present at time of purchase. Limit one coupon per person.

Not valid on holidays or with any other specials or offers. Expires 8.31.17

224 E AUBURN RD, ROCHESTER, MI 48307

248.293.2660 TUESDAY–SUNDAY: 8AM - 8PM • CLOSED MONDAYS

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

Contact Mark Grablowski for advertising rate information.

O: 248.792.6464 Ext. 601 MarkGrablowski@downtownpublications.com

41

Johnny Black Public House: American.

Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 1711 E. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.606.4479.

Kabin Kruser’s Oyster Bar: Seafood. No reservations. Lunch, Monday-Saturday.

Dinner, daily. 306 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307. 248.651.2266.

Kerby’s Koney Island: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. 2552 S. Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309.

248.844.8900.

King Garden: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1433 N. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.656.3333.

Krazy Greek Restaurant: Greek. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 111 E. University Drive, Rochester, 48307.

248.652.0089.

Kruse & Muer In the Village: American.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 134 N. Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.375.2503.

Kruse & Muer on Main: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

327 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.652.9400.

Lebanese Grill: Lebanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2783 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.606.4651.

Lino’s Restaurant: Italian. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 50 W. Tienken Road, Rochester Hills, 48306.

248.656.9002.

Lipuma’s Coney Island: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 621 N. Main Steet, Rochester, 48307.

248.652.9862.

Lucky’s Prime Time: American. Weekend Breakfast. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations, weekdays. Liquor. 1330 Walton Boulevard, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.656.8707.

Main Street Billiards: American. Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 215 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.652.8441.

Main Street Deli: Deli. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Dinner, Thursday, Friday. No reservations. 709 N. Main Street, Rochester, MI 48307. 248.656.5066.

Mamma Mia Tuscan Grille: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday, Sunday. Reservations.

Liquor. 543 N. Main Street, Suite 311, Rochester, 48307. 248.402.0234.

Mezza Mediterranean Grille: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor at The Village location only. 1413 N. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.609.2121.

Also The Village of Rochester Hills, 188 N. Adams Road, Rochester Hills.

248.375.5999.

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

Reservations. Liquor. 870 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.453.5371.

Mitchell’s Fish Market: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 370 N. Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.340.5900.

Mr. B’s Food and Spirits: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

423 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.651.6534.

Noodles & Company: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 184 N. Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309.

248.375.5000.

North Shack: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 990 E. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.853.3366.

O’Connor’s Public House: Irish Pub. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

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

Oceania Inn: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. The Village of Rochester Hills, 3176 Walton Boulevard, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.375.9200.

Olive Garden: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2615 S.

42

Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.853.6960.

Outback Steakhouse: Steakhouse. Lunch, Friday-Sunday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations, eight or more. Liquor.

1880 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.650.2521.

Paint Creek Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday, Sunday.

Reservations. Liquor. 613 N. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.759.4205.

Panda Express: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 3105 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.853.9880.

Panera Bread: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 37 S. Livernois Road, Rochester Hills, 48309.

248.601.2050. Also 2921 Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.853.5722. Also 2508 S. Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309.

248.853.7430.

Park 600 Bar & Kitchen: American.

Weekend Brunch. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor.

Royal Park Hotel, 600 E. University Drive, Rochester, 48307.

248.652.2600.

Paul’s on Main: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 630 N. Main Sreet., Rochester, 48307. 248.656.0066.

Pei Wei: Asian Fusion. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1206 E. Walton Boulevard, Rochester, 48307.

248.601.1380.

Penn Station East Coast Subs: American.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

146. S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.601.4663.

Penny Black Grill & Tap: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor.

124 W. 4th Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.841.1522.

Pudthai & Sushi: Thai & Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 2964 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.299.6890.

Qdoba Mexican Grill: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1198 Walton Boulevard, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.608.2603. Also 3014 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.844.3668.

Ram’s Horn: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1990 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.651.7900.

Red Knapp’s Dairy Bar: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 304 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.651.4545.

Red Lobster: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2825 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.299.8090.

Red Olive: Mediterranean & American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1194 Walton Boulevard, Rochester, 48307. 248.656.0300.

Rochester Bistro: American-Continental.

Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday, Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 227 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.923.2724.

Rochester Brunch House: American.

Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 301 Walnut Boulevard, Rochester, 48307. 248.656.1600.

Rochester Chop House: Steakhouse & Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 306 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.651.2266.

Rochester Diner & Grill: American, Greek & Italian. Breakfast & Lunch, daily.

Dinner, Monday-Saturday. 1416 E. Walton Blvd., Rochester Hill, 48309.

248.652.6737.

Rochester Mills Beer Co.: American.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 400 Water Street, Rochester, 48307. 248.650.5080.

Rochester Tap Room: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6870

N. Rochester Road, Rochester, 48306.

248.650.2500.

Rojo Mexican Bistro: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 401 N. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.601.9300.

Sakura Sushi: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

6866 N. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48306. 248.608.3867.

Shish Palace: Mediterranean. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. 165 S. Livernois Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.453.5464.

Shogun: Japanese. Lunch, MondaySaturday. Dinner, daily. Reservations.

Liquor. 173 S. Livernois Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.453.5386.

Silver Spoon Ristorante: Italian. Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

6830 N. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48306. 248.652.4500.

Soho: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 2943 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.289.1179.

Sumo Sushi & Seafood: Japanese & Korean. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations, 24 hours in advance.

Liquor. 418 N. Main Street, Rochester, 48307. 248.601.0104.

Tapper’s Pub: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 877 E. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.852.1983.

Tim Hortons: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 940 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.656.8292.

The Jagged Fork: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 188 N. Adams, Rochester Hills, 48306.

The Meeting House: American. Weekend Brunch. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday.

Reservations. Liquor. 301 S. Main Street, Rochester, 48307.

248.759.4825.

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

248.453.5291.

Tropical Smoothie Café: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2913 Crooks Road, Rochester Hills, 48309. 248.852.4800.

Val's Polish Kitchen: Polish. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday, Sunday. Reservations. 224 E. Auburn Rd., Rochester Hills, 48307.

248.293.2660.

Wayback Burgers: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1256 Walton Boulevard, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.453.5746. Also 2595 S. Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48307. 248.844.2717.

Willoughby’s Beyond Juice: American.

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 120 E. 4th Street, Rochester, 48307. 248.841.1670.

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

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

Cafe Sushi: Pan-Asian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1933 W. Maple Rd, Troy, 48084. 248.280.1831.

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

248.619.9060.

Lakes: Seafood. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

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

248.646.7900.

McCormick & Schmick’s: Steak & Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. Somerset Collection, 2850 Coolidge Hwy, Troy, 48084. 248.637.6400.

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

DOWNTOWN

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

248.689.2332.

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

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

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

248.816.3424.

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

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

Orchid Café: Thai. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. 3303 Rochester Rd., Troy, 48085.

248.524.1944.

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

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

248.816.8000.

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

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

Steelhouse Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1129 E. Long Lake Rd., Troy, 48085.

248.817.2980.

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

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

Birmingham/Bloomfield 220: American. Lunch & Dinner, MondaySaturday. Reservations. Liquor. 220 E. Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.646.2220.

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.

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

Reservations. Liquor. 4108 W. Maple, Bloomfield Hills, 48301.

248.626.2630.

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

167 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.494.7110.

Beverly Hills Grill: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Liquor. No reservations. 31471 Southfield Road, Beverly Hills, 48025. 248.642.2355.

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

Liquor. 245 South Eton Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.647.7774.

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

Liquor. 39556 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304.

248.646.9000.

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

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

Café ML: New American. Dinner, daily.

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

248.642.4000.

Cafe Via: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

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

248.644.8800.

Cameron’s Steakhouse: American.

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

248.723.1700.

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

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

08.17

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

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

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

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

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

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

248.258.9400.

Griffin Claw Brewing Company: American.

Dinner, Tuesday-Friday, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday and Sunday. No Reservations.

Liquor. 575 S. Eton Street, Birmingham.

248.712.4050.

Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse: American.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 201 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009.

248.594.4369.

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

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

248.792.9609.

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.

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

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

248.723.7960.

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.

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

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

248.644.3122.

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

1727 S. Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302. 248.858.7270.

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

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

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

Reservations, Lunch only. Liquor. 273 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009.

248.645.9123.

Tallulah Wine Bar and Bistro: American.

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

248.731.7066.

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

248.203.6600.

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

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

The 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.

downtownpublications.com

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.

Townhouse: American. Brunch, Saturday, Sunday. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 180 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.5241.

Triple Nickel Restaurant and Bar: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Liquor.

Reservations. 555 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham 48009. 248.480.4951.

North Oakland Clarkston Union: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 54 S. Main St., Clarkston, 48346.

248.620.6100.

Holly Hotel: American. Afternoon Tea, Monday – Saturday, Brunch, Sunday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 110 Battle Alley, Holly, 48442.

248.634.5208.

Kruse's Deer Lake Inn: Seafood. Lunch & dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 7504 Dixie Highway, Clarkston, 48346.

248.795.2077.

Via Bologna: Italian. Dinner daily. No reservations. Liquor. 7071 Dixie Highway, Clarkston. 48346. 248.620.8500.

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

248.625.5660.

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

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

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

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

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

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

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

Reservations. Liquor. 330 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220. 248.584.3499.

Bigalora: Italian. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. No Reservations. Liquor. 711 S. Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067.

Bistro 82: French. Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 401 S. Lafayette Ave., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.542.0082.

The Blue Nile: Ethiopian. Dinner, TuesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. 545 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220.

248.547.6699.

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

248.268.1621.

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

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

248.544.4749.

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

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

248.544.2675.

D’Amato’s: Italian. Sunday Brunch.

Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations.

Liquor. 222 Sherman Dr., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.584.7400.v Due Venti: Italian. Sunday Brunch. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor.

220 S. Main St., Clawson, 48017.

248.288.0220.

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

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

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

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

Inyo Restaurant Lounge: Asian Fusion.

Weekend Brunch. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

No reservations. Liquor. 22871 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220.

248.543.9500.

KouZina: Greek. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 121 N. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.629.6500.

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

248.591.5459.

Local Kitchen and Bar: American.

Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday.

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

248.291.5650.

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

248.584.4227.

Oak City Grille: American. Dinner, daily.

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

One-Eyed Betty: American. Weekend Breakfast. Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 175 W. Troy St., Ferndale, 48220. 248.808.6633.

Pronto!: American. Weekend Brunch.

Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations.

Liquor. 608 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067. 248.544.7900.

Public House: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 241 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, 48220.

248.850.7420.

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

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

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

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

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

248.544.1141.

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

248.607.3127.

Toast, A Breakfast and Lunch Joint: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 23144 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 48220. 248.398.0444.

Tom’s Oyster Bar: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 318 S. Main St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.541.1186.

Town Tavern: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 116 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.544.7300.

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

Trattoria Da Luigi: Italian. Dinner, TuesdaySunday. Reservations. Liquor. 415 S, Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 48067.

248.542.4444.

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

27799 Woodward Ave., Berkley, 48072.

248.548.7711.

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

Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations.

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

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

29508 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, 48034. 248.208.1680.

DOWNTOWN

Bigalora: Italian. Weekend Brunch. Lunch, Monday-Friday. Dinner, daily. No Reservations. Liquor. 29110 Franklin Road, Southfield, 48034.

Maria’s Restaurant: Italian. Dinner, daily.

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

248.851.2500.

The Bombay Grille: Indian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 29200 Orchard Lake Rd, Farmington Hills, 48334. 248.626.2982.

The Fiddler: Russian. Sunday Brunch.

Dinner, Thursday-Sunday. Reservations.

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

248.851.8782.

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

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

6239 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.538.7081.

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

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

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

Prime29 Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood.

Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6545 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield, 48322. 248.737.7463.

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

248.865.0500.

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

248.626.8585.

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

Liquor. 33210 W. Fourteen Mile Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.

538.8954.

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

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

248.855.6622.

Sweet Lorraine’s Café & Bar: American.

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

248.559.5985.

Yotsuba: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily.

Reservations. Liquor. 7365 Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield, 48322.

248.737.8282.

West Oakland Gravity Bar & Grill: Mediterranean.

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

340 N. Main Street, Milford, 48381.

248.684.4223.

It's A Matter of Taste: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2323 Union Lake Road, Commerce, 48390.

248.360.4150.

The Root Restaurant & Bar: American.

Lunch & Dinner, Monday - Saturday.

Reservations. Liquor. 340 Town Center Blvd., White Lake, 48390.

248.698.2400.

Volare Ristorante: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 48992 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393.

248.960.7771.

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK Here is the update on the recent social scene. Many more photos from each event appear online each week at downtownpublications.com where readers can sign up for an e-mail notice when the latest social scene column is posted. Past columns and photos are also archived at the website for Downtown.

Suite Dreams Project Hats Off Luncheon

Sally Gerak

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1. Kimberly Adamski (left) of Troy and Dr. Madeline Turner of Rochester.

2. David King (center) of Birmingham, Kay Ponicall (left) and Kris Appleby of Bloomfield. 3. Patty Ghesquiere (left) and Bonnie Foley of Bloomfield. 4. Diana Johnson (left) of Hilton Head, SC, Bonnie Foley of Bloomfield. 5. Judie Sherman (center) with Ali (left) and Julie McManus of Bloomfield. 6. Paula Carson (left) of Rochester, Renee Godin of Farmington Hills, Rhonda Walker.

7. Theresa Putsch (left) of Bloomfield and Marilyn Stroh (left) of Plymouth and Barb Lerner of Clarkston and Denise Bianchini of Birmingham. 8. Dr. Janet Koprince (left) of Bloomfield, David C. McKnight of Northville, Kathleen Reid of Rochester. 9. Sandy Braun, Jennifer Braun-Lanhoff and Eva Olagul of Rochester. 10. Lynn Sikorski (left) of Rochester, Susan Forbes-Dicker of Troy.

ORT and the City

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1. Deb Rosenthal of Franklin, Marlo Scott of Birmingham, Jessica Kwartowitz of Huntington Woods. 2. Larry & Andi Wolfe of Bloomfield. 3. Carole (left) & Larry Miller of Bloomfield, Nicole Miller of W. Bloomfield. 4. Alison Oleshanski (left) of Birmingham, Kristen Gross of Franklin. 5. Brooklyn Nicole (left) of Royal Oak, Tony Roko of Plymouth, Erik & Andrea Morganroth of Birmingham. 6. Francee Ford (left) and Shelby Taub of Bloomfield.

7. Diana Robinson (left) and Jeff Roth of Bloomfield, Mitchell Rosen and Lisa Zeskind of W. Bloomfield.

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Suite Dreams Project Hats Off Luncheon From the first sip of pink bubbly (in a split with a pink straw) to the Hat Crawl guests’ exit with huge, hot pink balloons, the 16th annual Hats Off Luncheon was a dreamy, Sweet/Suite Sixteen production at the Townsend. During the reception the sold-out crowd (400 @ $150, $200-patron) oohed and aahed each others’ hats and bought all of the 1,000 chance auction raffle tickets. The luncheon program emceed by Rhonda Walker had highlights. Ali MacManus, a songwriter/singer who was born prematurely with multiple birth defects and has survived 11 major surgeries, got a standing ovation when she sang her composition “Breaking Free.” David King evoked emotions when he spoke about the rewards of doing a room for Ella, a sage, 11year-old cancer surgery patient. Decoration chair David C. McKnight got attention for the raffle prize drawing by saying, “When a guy in a pink sequined jacket wants to talk, shut up.”

Best Hat title went to Reneé Godin. Most Creative title went to Karen Rutkowski. Some 100 guests prolonged the festivities by bar hopping to the Triple Nickel, The Bird and the Bread and Bella Piatti for special drinks and a raffle prize. The balloons they toted turned heads. Generous sponsors enabled the annual happening to raise more than $100,000 to create special environments for seriously ill children.

DOWNTOWN

ORT and the City Eastern Market’s Shed Five is a great choice for a casual party like ORT’s spring fundraiser, which traditionally offers silent auction items with an artsy twist. This year, the offerings were 19 identical chairs reinvented by artists. Lisa Spindler’s “Phoenix Rising” was the most dramatic version, a sculpture representing Detroit’s rebirth. The theme also saluted her sponsors, the Dan Gilberts. Andi and Larry Wolfe were bidding on it “..for our house in Phoenix,” they said. However, Nicole Eisenberg was the high bidder, so it’s now ensconced in Bloomfield Hills.

Eventually the 400 guests bid more than $21,000 for the chairs.

They also savored yummy Plum Market hors d’oeuvres and fare from four food trucks, which, of course, can drive right into the shed. Sarah Deson, Michelle Blau, and Helene and David Little were the lucky raffle winners, but the students supported

by ORT’s education programs are the big winners. Thanks also to sponsors the event raised more than $100,000 for those lifechanging programs. Jason Brooks, Scott Marcus and Mark Tapper are chairing the next ORT event – the annual Rub-a-Dub – Tuesday, August 15, at Franklin Hills Country Club.

Birmingham Senior Men’s Club “Legacy is not leaving something for people. It’s leaving something in people,” said Dick Bradley. The chair of the club’s 60th anniversary committee was quoting at the dedication of The Senior Men’s Club Room in The Community House, the site of the club’s founding in 1957 and of its weekly meetings every year since then. The ceremony capped off the SMC room endowment campaign, which exceeded its $250,000 goal by $30,000. Brady noted that the name plaque “...recognizes the bond between the Senior Men’s Club and The Community House and salutes members past, present and future.” The ceremony was attended by local dignitaries, including L. Brooks Patterson, Marty Knollenberg (State Senator -13th District), Mike McCready (state Rep. 40th District) and Mark Nickita 08.17

(Birmingham mayor). It followed by two days the club’s anniversary celebration. That gala event attracted 400 revelers to the San Marino Club in Troy for A Night to Remember.

American House Celebration The American Center atrium was a perfect setting for the ninth annual American House Foundation benefit.

The cocktail hour event attracted 275 supporters ($150, $175 tickets) to socialize, sip, snack and bid $22,000plus on items in a large silent auction.

They paused briefly for foundation founder Rob Gillette to describe how 2016 foundation grants had provided rental assistance, wheelchairs repairs, home repairs and other individual gifts to needy seniors. Thanks also to sponsors like REDICO, Hospice of Michigan and Wells Fargo, the event raised $210,000 for vital financial assistance to low income seniors.

A Night for Sight The A Night for Sight wine auction attracted 200 ($500 ticket) wine connoisseurs, many of them ophthalmologists, to The Townsend where the honorary vintner was M. Chapoutier.

The champagne reception sparkled with conversation and silent auction bidding (30 lots that raised $26,000). Some guests also paused to marvel at the giant bottle of Testamatta Toscana wine, a Melchor, equal to 24 750 ml bottles, donated by Mark Hagmann and Dr. Kim Glenser. Each of the four dinner courses was paired with splendid wines. The live auction conducted by Gary Mark included everything from a week in a luxury Paris apartment and a tour/winemaker dinner/ overnight at Chateau Beychevelle ($12,000) to a Red Coat Tavern gourmet burger-fest for 10 paired with vintage Chateau Mouton Rothschild Bordeaux ($4,200). In all, the live auction of 21 lots garnered $90,000.

Event co-founder and board chair Dr. Frank Nesi also generated pledges of $19,400 for ophthalmology resident training at the Kresge Eye Institute.

Nichole Black won the raffle prize – a David Yurman Renaissance bracelet with diamonds. The 16th annual elegant charity wine auction raised roughly $230,000 for grants to vision research and organizations providing support services to the visually impaired.

SKY Foundation One hundred women supporters of the SKY Foundation’s mission to fund research that will detect pancreatic cancer in the treatable, early stage downtownpublications.com

Birmingham Senior Men’s Club

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1. Dick Kamp (left) and Rob Farr of Beverly Hills. 2. Dick Bradley (left) of Bloomfield, Marty Knollenberg of Troy. 3. Brooks Patterson (left) of Clarkston, Tim McGee of Troy. 4. Mark Nickita and Chuck Moss of Birmingham. 5. Bill Seklar (left) of Bloomfield, Jerry Stibbell of Farmington Hills.

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1. Dr. Joe Skoney & Dr. Luisa DiLorenzo of Birmingham. 2. Ann Fecko (left) of Bloomfield and Dr. Frank & Karen Nesi of Grosse Pointe. 3. Dr. Paul Fecko (left) of Bloomfield, Dr. Alice Fecko, Rob Hawthorne of Marquette. 4. Dr. Bruce Garretson of Birmingham, Dr. Kim Drenser of Bloomfield. 5. Dr. Susan Malinowski & Gary Shapiro of Birmingham. 6. Dr. Mia Woodward & Dr. Jeremy Wolfe of Birmingham. 7. Dr. Joe Skoney (left) of Birmingham, Dr. Mark Sinkoff & Ruth Lerman of W. Bloomfield.

SKY Foundation

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1. Janice Steinhardt (center) of Birmingham, Karen Williams (left) and Wendy Powers of Bloomfield. 2. Char Terry (left) and Joan Stanton of Bloomfield, Sheila Kasselman of W. Bloomfield, Pat Sullivan of Pontiac.

3. Gail Van Cleave (left) of Troy, Katie Coleman and Wendy Silverman of Bloomfield. 4. Wendy Farner (left) and Julie Karmanos of Bloomfield.

5. Katrina Studvent (left) of Southfield, Lynn Fisher of Royal Oak, Debbie Knowles of Birmingham.

DOWNTOWN

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK Frame Your Face Art of Giving

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flocked to Karen Williams’ Bloomfield Hills home for conversation, information and dinner. Janice Steinhardt, whose late husband succumbed to pancreatic cancer, chaired the annual event. Following cocktails and a Canape Cart buffet supper, foundation founder/ pancreatic cancer survivor Sheila Sky Kasselman introduced two speakers.

U-M Cancer Center’s Dr. Elena M. Stoffel presented promising updates related to genetics, and Assistant Adjunct Professor Pamela ItkinAnsari brought news from her lab at the University of California-San Diego. They recently made the very welcome discovery that a single gene can halt pancreatic cancer tumor growth in animals and reprogram the cells back to their original identity.

Donations for the evening totaled more than $18,000.

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1. Marissa Penrod (left) of Commerce, Tom Maniaci of Birmingham, Karen Newman of W. Bloomfield. 2. Darlene Douglas (center) of Troy, Dr. Bill & Patty Ward of Bloomfield. 3. Katia Henze (left) of Birmingham, Destiny Gin of Sterling Hgts., Kristi Raechess of New Hudson. 4. Charles Wickins of Birmingham, Katie Penrod of Commerce. 5. Scott Susalla (left) and Sheri Lussier of Grosse Pointe, Dr. Bob DiPilla of Troy, Alex Davis of Birmingham. 6. Deanne Sarvis of Birmingham, Jake Gerak of San Antonio, TX. 7. Sunny Connolly (left) of Orchard Lake, Link Wachler of Troy.

Loyola H.S. Tigers Fundraiser

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1. Cathy & Mike McNamara of Rochester Hills. 2. Brian (left), Kate and Beatrice Bongiorno of Birmingham.

3. Claudia Duerr (left) of Birmingham holding granddaughter Elaina Northrop, Lauren Duerr Northrop of Bloomfield holding daughter Ciara. 4. Jim (left), Bridget and Blaise Bongiorno of Birmingham, Will and Tom Northrop of Bloomfield. 5. Chip & Mary Jo Dawson of Bloomfield. 6. Sue (left) & LHS board chair Mike Madison of Grosse Pointe, Kate & Larry Gladchun of Bloomfield. 7. Tom & Sue O’Connor of Birmingham.

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DOWNTOWN

Frame Your Face Art of Giving The highlight of Tom Maniaci’s 8th annual Art of Giving event was definitely Marissa Penrod’s address to the 150-plus guests ($75, $100) gathered at The Stand Gastro Bistro in Birmingham. Her description of her ferocious advocacy for her son Joseph when he was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 11 years ago was gripping and humorous. Her determination led to the formation of Team Joseph to fund cutting edge research for a cure or treatment for the disease which is usually diagnosed before a boy is 6.

Other noteworthy event details included: the silent auction ($7,000); great comestibles; Gypsy vodka cocktails and other spirits; very brief live auction conducted by Charles Wickins ($2,500); the models wearing Matt Richmond’s head-turning fashions made of recyclables; and the paint-by-number Lennon portrait that guests took turns painting. DJ Alex Maniaci’s music selections accented the upbeat scene.

Loyola H.S. Tigers Fundraiser There have been 21 Tigers tailgate fundraisers but none have concluded as exuberantly as the 15-to-5 Tigers win over the White Sox did. However, the big winners of the night were the scholarship students at the Jesuit school celebrating its 25th anniversary next year. The event, chaired by Crystal Davidson and Matt Shell, raised more than $200,000 for scholarships. That’s because of the generous sponsors and the 800 school boosters ($150 ticket) assembled on the pavilion behind the Detroit Athletic Club for tailgate fare, a silent 08.17

auction ($27,000) and a fun headsand-tails raffle ($20,000) for which 20 young men of Loyola were selling tickets. Three generations of some families socialized around tables centered by a picture of the 31 LHS seniors, all of whom have been accepted to colleges. This is the seventh consecutive year the school can brag thusly about the success of its urban students. Many of them are the first in their families to head to college.

Belle Isle Conservancy PwC Grand Prixmiere Michele and GM’s Ken Morris chaired the 2017 PwC Grand Prixmiere presented by Chevrolet.

For the fourth consecutive year, arriving guests (nearly 500 @ $600 ticket)) drove on the Belle Isle race track to the Art of Racing celebration in a huge tent overlooking the flowing James Scott Memorial Fountain. Following cocktails and the seated dinner, WJR’s Paul W. Smith emceed the program and auction of seven unique items, including art by GM designer Matt Burts. It raised more than $290,000.

The generous guests also donated more than $29,000 to restoring the Belle Isle Aquarium tanks and reservoir system. This was doubled

by Amy and conservancy board member Dan Loepp’s impromptu pledge to match all donations.

Thanks also to generous sponsors, the annual gala raised more than $700,000 for projects and programs to protect, preserve, restore and enhance the structures and environment on Belle Isle.

Joe Muer Seafood CARE House Preview The 1,000-gallon saltwater aquarium had not yet been installed when the new Bloomfield Hills Joe Muer Seafood hosted a charity preview for CARE House, but none of the 125 guests ($100, $150 ticket) seemed to mind. They were happily preoccupied chatting and devouring the Joe Muer classics being passed by solicitous wait staffers. Offerings included deviled crab balls, shrimp tartare, scallops and a variety of sushi, to name just a few. And the Vicari clan (of Andiamo restaurant legend) – Joe and Ro(salie), Dominic and John – deftly juggled all their duties without missing a beat. People did pause briefly to hear and applaud CARE House director Blythe Spitsbergen’s expression of gratitude to the Vicaris and awe at the amazing transformation of the 9,000 sq. ft restaurant. It was designed by Ron & Roman’s Ron Rea and includes downtownpublications.com

Joe Muer Seafood CARE House Preview

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9 1. Kappy Trott (left) of Birmingham, Ro & Joe Vicari of Clinton Twp, Judge Cheryl Matthew of Sylvan Lake. 2. Blythe Spitsbergen (center) of Farmington, Denise Abrash and Jim Hayes of Bloomfield. 3. Carole Galloway (left) of Bloomfield, Kim Weiner of Birmingham. 4. Roz (left) & Scott Jacobson and Tom & Lauren Balames of Bloomfield.

5. Dick & Christine Heidrich of Birmingham. 6. Anna Rea (left), Denise Forester and Joann Gordon of Bloomfield. 7. Jerry & Pat Wagner of Bloomfield. 8. Brad (left) & Susan Draper of Bloomfield, Brad Conkey of Sylvan Lake. 9. Lisa Payne (left) of Bloomfield, Rachael and Beverly Hubers of Troy, Katie McBride of Royal Oak. 10. Ken (left) & Barbie Bomberski of Birmingham, Linda and Dan Bomberski of Troy.

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Women’s Division Project HOPE

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1. Bettina Gregg (left) of Bloomfield and Linda Juracek-Lipa of Birmingham. 2 Susan Willis-Reickert of Bloomfield, Diana Shoushanian of Farmington Hills. 3. Julie Oldani (left) of Birmingham, Contessa and Rosemary Bannon of Beverly Hills, Connie Hogan of Bloomfield. 4. Annette Kolon (left) of Bloomfield, Cheryl Hall-Lindsay of W. Bloomfield. 5. Valerie Strait (left), Judie Sherman and Maggie Allesee of Bloomfield.

DOWNTOWN

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SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK seating for 275 (30 at the bar), a full wine rack, grand piano and a window wall system that can open to the outdoor patio facing Woodward, sure to be a coveted spot during the Dream Cruise.

ChildSafe Michigan Legends Gala

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Women’s Division Project HOPE Susan Willis-Reickert’s passion for Project HOPE’s humanitarian work which “....knows no boundaries... (and) is unique in the world,” was very evident in her remarks at the Woman’s Division annual luncheon meeting which she chaired. It attracted loyalists ($65, $100-patron, $150benefactor) to Orchard Lake Country Club and featured music by pianist Curtis Posuniak, salutes to past presidents in attendance (Maggie Allesee, Sue Nine, Irene Davis, Sherry Saginaw) and heartfelt expressions of gratitude for participation and friendship by the outgoing co-presidents Bettina Gregg and Linda Juracek-Lipa. This was followed by the election and installation of new officers. The post luncheon program of Broadway tunes

by Michigan Opera Theatre singers made the event aptly named as “Broadway on the Lake.”

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1. David (left) & Christine Tobias Colman and SuSu Sosnick with Bob Levenson of Birmingham. 2. Sonia (left) & Keith Pomeroy and Linda Dresner & Ed Levy of Birmingham. 3. Laurie (left), Emily and Tom Cunnington of Birmingham. 4. Jerry Timmis & Almaz Araya of Birmingham. 5. Joseph Saker (left), Erika Kites and Mickey Shapiro of Bloomfield. 6. Bob Pliska (left) of Bloomfield, Lenora Hardy-Foster & Duane Foster of Rochester Hills. 7. Bruce Kridler (left) of Bloomfield, Mark Smits of Clawson. 8. Emily Tobias and Yousif & Mara Ghafari of Bloomfield. 9. Katie (left), Sam, Jr. & Sam, Sr. Valenti and Lucia Zurkowski of Bloomfield. 10. Kathy Schweitzer (left) of Ipswich, MA and Elizabeth Brazilian with Brian Manoogian of Birmingham and Alice Manoogian of Bloomfield.

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DOWNTOWN

ChildSafe Michigan Legends Gala Legends were the story at the ChildSafe gala. But not the celebrity type. Rather at-risk children and their dreams for becoming Legends of Tomorrow – a doctor, a ballerina, a teacher. To make those dreams come true, 310 supporters ($300) flocked to the Townsend Hotel for the annual benefit. Event co-chairs SuSu Sosnick and Christine & David Colman and board chair Keith Pomeroy greeted the 125 VIPs ($500) who arrived early for a reception in the Clancy Room before dinner, a salute to honoree Sandy Pierce and a live auction conducted by Christopher Aslanian.

The auction concluded with a package Katie Valenti hustled during the reception by getting 11 good guys (Sam Valenti Sr, Sam Valenti, Jr., Keith Pomeroy, Joseph Saker, Bruce Kridler, Yousif Ghafari, David Colman, Tom Cunnington, Peter Ghafari, Tim Clarey and Tom Pierce) to combine their talents for a super duper dinner party. It sold for $27,000.

Thanks also to generous sponsors, the evening raised a record $450,000 for ChildSafe’s foster care, adoption and mentoring programs.

Beaumont Drive to Beat Breast Cancer What Susan Cooper and the late Dr. John Ingold founded 22 years ago as a golf and bridge tournament for 08.17

women has really grown. Big time.

This year it required two venues – the Village Club for more than 250 bridge and canasta players and Bloomfield Hills Country Club for 153 men and women golfers. Martha Quay and Michelle Kleiman organized the card scene that rewarded two teams of players: Claudia Snyder and Valerie Strait for 1st place; Rachel Herbst and Marion Wyatt for 2nd place.

Chris Emde and Ryan Marsh chaired the golf committee. They got golf instruction legend Rick Smith to hit tee shots with each foursome and presented several prizes. Rob Kowalski was Closest to the Pin. Jeff Blake and Martha Palmer were Longest Drive. Howard Wolpin and Karen Glorio Luther were Most Accurate. The top three teams were first - Seizert Capital Partners, second – Minute Man Services, Inc., third – Huron Capital. Prizes were presented at the dinner concluding the day’s activities when more than 200 gathered for cocktails on the front porch and the dinner in an adjacent tent. Because the event funds support Beaumont’s Walter and Marilyn Wolpin Comprehensive Breast Care Center, the dinner program featured an update by the center’s first breast surgery fellow Dr. Nayana Dekhne. There was also a raffle won by longtime committee member Jan Mann. With the support of many sponsors the day added $175,000 to the $3.4-million raised since the event was launched.

Boys & Girls Clubs Award Luncheon “I’d love to have Matilda’s money,” quipped Crain’s Detroit Business publisher Mary Kramer as she accepted the Matilda R. Wilson award for service at the Women’s Association Boys & Girls Clubs luncheon. She was introduced by Sue Nine, WA co-chair with Beth Moore, who compared Kramer’s instincts for good to Wilson’s. The luncheon at Pine Lake Country Club attracted 85 B&GCSM supporters, including Hiram Jackson, the first club alum to serve as board chair, the Youth of the Year honoree Markus Hufnagel, and Evan Zack, the club member who painted the floral art for the event. It was chaired by Linda Dekar to raise funds for scholarship assistance for the 15,000 members of 10 southeast Michigan clubs.

Send ideas for this column to Sally Gerak, 28 Barbour Lane, Bloomfield Hills, 48304; email samgerak@aol.com or call 248.646.6390.

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Beaumont Drive to Beat Breast Cancer

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1. Michelle Kleiman (left) of Bloomfield and Martha Quay of Birmingham. 2. Chris Emde (left) and Ryan Marsh of Bloomfield. 3. John Fox (left) of Bloomfield, Dr. Nayana Dekhne. of W. Bloomfield, Margaret Cooney Casey of Beverly Hills. 4. Susan Cooper (left) of Birmingham, Marina Emde of Bloomfield.

5. Ed (left) & Jan Mann of Birmingham and Ed and Sylvia Hagenlocker of Bloomfield.

6. Jeff Schostak (left) of Birmingham, Ryan Shickstein of W. Bloomfield, Ben Schrode of Grosse Pointe, Anthony Weiner of Bloomfield.

7. Gayla Emde (left) and Brenda Zemmin of Bloomfield, Mary Scharff of Beverly Hills.

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Boys & Girls Clubs Award Luncheon

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1. Mary Kramer (left) of Detroit, Linda Dekar, Sue Nine and Beth Moore of Bloomfield. 2. Brigette McLernon of Bloomfield, Hiram Jackson of Detroit.

3. Diane Roelant (left) and Lisa Wilson of Bloomfield and Chris Toski of Clarkston. 4. Lucia Zurkowski (left), Susanne Rea, Jan Forgione and Linda Thompson of Bloomfield. 5. Dawne Kuhne (left) and Jane Lowell of Bloomfield and Dawn Pfaff of Sylvan Lake.

DOWNTOWN

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ENDNOTE

Revamp system to curtail gerrymandering fforts to end the politically-rigged process of redrawing electoral districts, known as gerrymandering, that may soon have a realistic chance of progressing at the state and national levels, are actions we believe are both appropriate and necessary.

The belief that a citizen's right to vote is fundamental to a free and democratic society is enshrined in the Constitution’s 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, and has been upheld by the Supreme Court, ensuring that each citizen has an "equally effective voice" in their state's elections.

To that end, the Constitution requires voting districts be of near equal size in population, and prohibits tactics used to deny minorities the right to an effective vote through redistricting, under the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

In the majority of states, congressional and legislative districts are drawn every 10 years by the state legislature. In Michigan, redistricting guidelines require districts to be compact and contiguous; have population variations of no more than 16.4 percent among districts, and avoid breaking county and municipal lines, unless not doing so would result in population variances of more than 16.4 percent.

Despite state and federal requirements, legislators in Michigan and other states over the years have found countless ways to gain partisan advantage. It was 1812 when the word “gerrymandering” was coined in reference to state senate districts approved by then-Massachusetts

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Governor Elbridge Gerry. In that redistricting process, one particular district was drawn in such a convoluted way that it appeared to be in the form of a salamander. A newspaper picked up on the amphibian shape and combined it with the governor's last name, leading to the word "gerrymander."

Today, congressional district maps drawn for Oakland County harken back to those gerrymandered maps of 1812, meandering in such ways to represent snakes, rats, salamanders and a variety of beastly forms. And, while the Republican hold on Michigan's redistricting process has most recently led their opposition to cry foul, Democrats who previously controlled the process defended their actions as part of the "winner take all" game of politics.

Changes in 2012 to the way Oakland County Commission district seats were drawn are a prime example of types of political games those fighting for control will play. For more than a century, county commission districts were drawn by a bipartisan committee made up in-part by elected administrators. That was, until the county began skewing more Democratic, and L. Brooks Patterson successfully stepped in to push a bill through the legislature to give the Republican-majority on the commission the authority to draw their own districts because the process no longer favored them, done under the guise of saving money for taxpayers as the county reduced the number of board members.

Although we understand gerrymandering and related maneuvers are an inherent part of politics, it doesn't make it better. These games ultimately result in undermining the electoral process by allowing those in power to choose who will vote for them, thus taking the power to choose away from voters.

Whether or not the electoral system has been so rigged by gerrymandering that it violates the constitutional rights of voters is a topic of debate, and one that will ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court later this year. We hope a conclusion sets a standard to limit the degree to which partisan advantage can be cooked into electoral district boundaries.

Even if the nation's high court provides a means for assessing gerrymandering, changes to the redistricting process are still necessary to limit partisan games. Tasking an independent committee with the responsibility of redistricting is one possible solution, but has resulted in problems in the past and leaves unanswered questions about the appropriate method to use in drawing those boundaries.

As to the current efforts to force a state constitutional amendment through a Michigan ballot initiative, we have yet to see a fully-baked proposal come forward that will rise properly. As such, we aren't yet convinced the current effort is the answer to Michigan's gerrymandering problem.

Still, we encourage efforts to address the issue, which will ultimately be determined by a mix of court decisions and voter-initiated changes.

Compensation review: smart governance ochester Hills City Council's effort to update policy regarding the classification and compensation of city employees is an example of sound governance that other municipalities would be smart to follow, if they haven't already done so.

As stated in an article in this month's Downtown newsmagazine, the city is expected to increase staff salaries by about .7 percent, or roughly $200,000 under a revised salary schedule approved by city council on Monday, July 17. The increase means the city will be paying its employees wages about 10 percent higher than the average market rate.

However, the updated salary schedule is just part of a much larger classification and compensation study that looked into the employee structure, pay and morale within the city, and how those aspects compared to other municipalities in the market.

The study, which was conducted by McGrath Human Resources Group and authorized by council at the start of 2016, was the first comprehensive study of its kind in more than 15 years. In conducting the analysis, McGrath gathered salary data from 19 communities for 127 positions, as well as compensation and benefit information from five communities directly comparable to Rochester Hills.

The analysis also included multiple visits to the city offices, where researchers held meetings with department directors, individual employees, focus

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groups, city council members and others.

Comprehensive studies are about more than money. A review of salary and benefits ensures employers are competitive in the market, thus attracting and retaining high quality candidates.

Such studies also look at employee morale, or how happy they are in their jobs, which is as large a factor or more in retaining employees.

A review of employee classifications ensures that positions are meeting the goals and objectives of the city and each individual department. Likewise, a thorough review of compensation ensures salaries and benefits are in alignment within the city and competitive when compared to other municipalities.

For instance, such reviews may – and did in this case – reveal that some supervisor positions were being compensated at lower rates than some subordinate positions in the city. Externally, the study found about a quarter of positions were out of alignment with the market and in definite need of adjustment.

The findings aren't necessarily an indictment of the city's human resources policy, but rather a natural result of annual compensation adjustments among different positions and employee groups stratified by union groups, non-union employees, full- and parttime positions and contract employees. Considering the impact of a major recession on municipal budgets and differing rate of recovery in communities across

the state and county, such internal and external inequalities should be expected.

It's for these reasons we commend Rochester Hills' efforts to look into its classification and compensation policy, and take steps to correct any inequalities.

While adjustments may take several years to fully implement, considering budget restraints and current and future union negotiations, the study provides an accurate map and sound strategy for correcting any issues.

Municipalities that haven't conducted such comprehensive studies should consider undertaking similar projects sooner, rather than later. Failure to do so could result in frustration among municipal staffs, which ultimately translates to dissatisfaction among residents.

We also encourage the Rochester Hills City Council and other municipalities that have taken a deep dive into their compensation structure and policies to keep a handle on them by conducting regular updates on a set schedule. While most communities likes to promote themselves as the best place for residents to live, work and play, those lacking knowledge of their standing in the marketplace may have little basis for such claims. By keeping a fresh understanding of internal and external compensation trends, governing bodies are better equipped to plan annual budgets, as well as their position in the market.

BETH WATSON REAL ESTATE SPECIALIST | LONG TIME ROCHESTER RESIDENT

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