DANI WALSH
august 4 primary election voter guide
from page 22B a tax or outside force saves it. Recently, the supervisor did not provide trustees the customary four days to review details of contracts to be voted on. Instead, we received contracts moments before the vote. This is a typical power play of the administration. Their overt lack of transparency, inclusion and respect, and the constant pitting of employees against citizens, is a direct cause of the divisiveness on the board and with the community. My transformational management style will provide avenues to rebuild bridges with the board, community, employees, and schools.
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR/REPUBLICAN way to implement it if that is the direction the new board and our residents choose to go.
DAN DEVINE
TOWNSHIP FINANCES
KEY ISSUES What would you consider the top three issues facing the township and how would you address those issues? Financial concerns – liabilities, spending, and accounting practices are an issue. Our OPEB liability was only funded at four percent, lowest tier in the state. New concerns surround the contracts negotiated before the compensation and staffing study was completed. I would find opportunities for efficiencies and reduction in spending while maintaining services and end pitting employees against citizens. This should be a great place to live and work. No master plan–Implementing a master plan would end the knee jerk decisions being made that are taking away from the vision and character of the township. I would implement a committee filled with leadership, employees, and citizens coming together to help. Outdated structure – “That’s the way it's always been done” obstructs improvement. A part-time treasurer and part-time supervisor would allow funds for a superintendent that reports to the entire board. With about 400 employees, we need a human resources department. WHY VOTE FOR YOU Why should voters select you over your primary opponent? Please be specific in drawing your comparison. My previous primary opponent, Scott Nadeau, has withdrawn from the race and has publicly given me his endorsement and support. I want to thank Scott for his trust and am honored to have him joining my campaign for supervisor. As a trustee, I see the lack of transparency and outdated business practices that risk the sustainability of Bloomfield. As a public servant, whether it was going public with the OPEB and spending concerns, approving a land swap to save the nature center to the detriment of my property, or bringing citizen perspective to board decisions, I always put the citizens needs first. As supervisor, I will bring successful business acumen and leadership you can trust to make Bloomfield stronger and rebuild the bridges with our schools, our employees, and our community and within the board. 24B
Devine is a Notre Dame University grad with a degree in psychology, a law degree from Detroit College of Law and is in private practice. He was the Bloomfield Township Treasurer from 2000-2016, and an Oakland County Commissioner from 1995-1999. SUPERVISOR RESPONSIBILITIES The supervisor is required to support the Constitution of the United States and the state of Michigan. Free Speech is the most crucial right being smothered by the current administration. MCL 42.10 lists 15 duties of the Township Supervisor, all important but most relevant to the current election: Enforce all laws and township ordinances; prepare and administer the annual budget; and efficient administration of all township departments. As township treasurer, I worked with former supervisor Payne to achieve our AAA bond rating by prudent investments and strategic planning. That rating is vulnerable now due to policies of the current board which is why I pledge to develop a Resident Focused Strategic Plan like the one that lapsed in 2014. As a Certified Public Finance Administrator (CPFA) and a municipal law expert, I am experienced in employing best practices to formulate balanced budgets and long-range financial planning for Bloomfield Township. TOWNSHIP SUPERINTENDENT I pledge to fully investigate the pros and cons of the concept through the Resident Focused Strategic Planning process with the new board of trustees and the taxpayers as the first order of business. I believe my experience and skills make me the best suited candidate to serve as township supervisor but I would embrace the concept and find the most efficient
I do not favor higher taxes. Through the development of a new Resident Focused Strategic Plan, we will prioritize the exemplary services most crucial to maintaining and enhancing our community driven by the needs and desires of the taxpayers. Efficiencies can be explored in that process through the public discussion of the Plante Moran study done last year and the Comprehensive Compensation and Staffing Study that has yet to be completed by the current board although commissioned in January 2020 in the wake of the defeated SAD Tax Request in August 2019. MASTER PLAN/ORDINANCES I have participated in updating Bloomfield Township’s master plan over the years. It is a different legal instrument than a strategic plan and will have to be integrated into the thought process of the new board of trustees with full involvement of our residents. It is the backbone of our community’s essence in maintaining the beauty and value of our residential properties. We will take our direction from the new Resident Focused Strategic Plan to determine which areas of the plan or which ordinances need to be revised. I will form a new advisory committee comprised of experts in all areas dealing with real estate and residential property rights in the process of developing our new Resident Focused Strategic Plan to assist the updating of the Master Plan.
Board meetings will allow for respectful involvement by the trustees, residents and employees without fear of retribution. KEY ISSUES I pledge to re-prioritize residents as job number one again. We will re-open Township Hall with a five-day work week and prohibit free luxury cars for elected officials and department heads. I pledge to straighten out the water and sewer department’s poor business practices involving exorbitant and unfair billings to resolve the issues called out by Judge O’Brien in the lawsuit lost by the current administration. The case could have been settled for $2.5 million but is now costing the taxpayers over $12 million in damages, interest and attorney fees. I pledge to provide full financial transparency and encourage respectful public participation in all we do before decisions are made. We will establish free online access to all accounting records in real time to track revenues, expenses, debt and all water, sewer and road projects. WHY VOTE FOR YOU I have the patience and desire to respectfully listen to all participants in the discussions required to lead the township board and our residents as we navigate the future in these troubled times. My experience and track record of honesty, integrity and success involving the appropriate management of Bloomfield Township sets me apart from my competition. I grew up here and raised my children in Bloomfield Township. We need to work together as a community to ensure a bright future for generations to come.
REUNIFYING THE COMMUNITY The last few years of my tenure as treasurer were marked with constant personal attacks upon me generated by the current supervisor because I opposed his policies. Since then, he broadened his personal attacks on any trustee or resident courageous enough to question his policies. He just sued certain residents and a social media platform called Nextdoor to silence dissent. The root of the problem stems from refusal to provide verifiable documentation in a timely manner (if at all) to the board and our residents so that discussions devolve into angry arguments rather than cooperative efforts to solve problems. I pledge to only present agenda items that have been fully researched, documented and shared with our residents and board members well in advance of meetings where action is required.
VOTER GUIDE/DOWNTOWN
LEO SAVOIE
Savoie has a bachelor's degree in business, with an economics minor, from Indiana University of AUGUST 2020 PRIMARY
