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WESTEND C O M M E R C E • WA L L E D L A K E • W O LV E R I N E L A K E • U N I O N L A K E
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ETHICS RULES: VARYING APPROACHES OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS DAY IN THE LIFE: RIDING A SHIFT WITH A SHERIFF DEPUTY ENDNOTE: OUTSOURCING SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION
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WESTEND06.13 25 State of the lakes
Good news for those living on or using the waterways in west Oakland. A national assessment says inland lakes are among the best quality in the nation.
13 37
Ethics policies
Day in the life
Local communities vary in how they approach the questions of governing ethics by officials, employees.
Westend takes a ride with an Oakland County sheriff deputy to see what's encountered on a typical shift in the township.
11 CRIME LOCATOR A recap of select categories of crime occurring in the past month in Commerce, Walled Lake, Wolverine Lake and the Union Lake area, presented in map format.
47 MUNICIPAL Township parks and rec master plan update; Haggerty Road reconstruction set for 2014; reserve police officer added; fire department budget cuts; water storage options outlined; more sewers for Wolverine Lake.
52 EDUCATION Walled Lake school board votes to outsource transportation; 'sick in' extends school year.
57 BUSINESS MATTERS The Corner Car Hop, Lost Marbles Art Gallery, Haang's Bistro
58 ENDNOTE Our thoughts on how municipalities handle ethics regulations; outsourcing of transportation in the schools.
THE COVER
FACES
The Barn at Byers Homestead. Originally built as a horse barn in 1900, now serves as a country store and candy shop, Commerce Township. Westend photo: Laurie Tennent DISTRIBUTION: Mailed monthly at no charge to homes in the Commerce, Walled Lake and Union Lake area.. Additional free copies are distributed at high foot-traffic locations. For those not residing in the free mail distribution area, paid subscriptions are available for a $12 annual fee. Go to our website (westendmonthly.com) and click on “subscriptions” in the top index and place your order on-line or scan the QR Code here.
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News Staff/Contributors: Allison Batdorff, Hayley Beitman, Hillary Brody, Kevin Elliott, Sally Gerak, Eleanor & Ray Heald, Austen Hohendorf, Garrett Hohendorf, Kathleen Meisner, Laurie Tennent
WESTEND
INCOMING: We welcome feedback on both our publication and general issues of concern in the Commerce/Union Lake community. The traditional Letters to the Editor in Westend are published in our Incoming section, and can include traditional letters or electronic communication. Your opinions can be sent to westend@downtownpublications.com; or mailed to Downtown Publications, 124 West Maple Road, Birmingham MI, 48009. Letters must include your full name, address and daytime phone number for verification.
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FROM THE PUBLISHER
T
he article in this issue of Westend about the practices followed by local governments on ethics rules for employees and elected officials, by staff writer Hayley Beitman, brought back some interesting memories for this writer from back in the late 1970s and early 1980s when the issue of government transparency was a hot topic here and across the nation. For those students of history or those who lived through the tumultuous Watergate era of the 1970s, the concern over government ethics, financial disclosure and election finance reform was at the forefront on a daily basis. Even prior to the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex, congress had been grappling with election finance reform and election funding reporting requirements, ironically signed into law by then president Richard Nixon, a Republican, prior to the 1972 Watergate caper that would eventually be tied to his Committee for the Re-Election of the President and would serve as the catalyst for his resignation from office in 1974 as the scandal snowballed. On the local level at the time, I had eagerly joined the chorus calling for some type of financial disclosure on the part of elected and appointed officials, not just as a reaction to Watergate but also out of concern that the west Oakland lakes area was going through a rapid development stage. My concern then was that without some type of financial disclosure on the part of officials, there was no real way to monitor whether anyone was guilty of a conflict of interest as zoning decisions were made and developments proposed and approved in the growing west Oakland area. I spent money and considerable time in trying to develop a model ordinance for financial disclosure that could be hopefully adopted by local communities, no easy task and certainly made harder because the concept at the local level was fairly new. Of course, there was growing concern in the ranks of elected and appointed officials about financial disclosure at the local level. Congress had already adopted financial disclosure requirements at the time, but at the local level there was definite blowback. As the critics' theory went, local elected and appointed officials would be less willing to serve if it meant having to divulge not only their
financial holdings, be it land, business ownership or stock assets, but also those of the members of their families. At the time, Robert Long was the supervisor in Commerce, John Doherty was supervisor in West Bloomfield, and Jim Reid served as supervisor in White Lake. All three had served as mentors of mine since the early 1970s when I took over a publishing group in the lakes area. I made it a practice every month to catch either breakfast or lunch with these community leaders, which allowed me to keep abreast of the happenings in each community and to learn about government in general beyond what you could learn from books. Each of these three supervisors paid me a personal visit during the time I was pushing for local financial disclosure to make the case for the chilling effect it might have on local citizens who were willing to devote time and effort to serve, with minimal if any pay, on boards, committees and commissions in the local communities. What impressed me the most was that each of these three community leaders brought with them lists and documents that disclosed their own personal holdings in life and were willing to place these personal asset documents on file with me under an agreement that they were not for publication. In a couple of cases, these leaders did not feel that their families should be subject to public disclosure of family holdings and in at least one case, there was concern that a supervisor's child might be influenced in his life defining choices if he knew what his father's assets were and what was contained in the family trust agreement. It was a gesture by three of the most dedicated long-time community leaders that has stayed with me to this day. While we push this month in our Endnote editorial for a strengthening of local ethics ordinances, far less onerous than disclosure requirements, I appreciate that the lakes area during a critical time in its development was led by three of the most ethical individuals a citizenry could have. David Hohendorf Publisher DavidHohendorf@downtownpublications.com
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Thank you! As a long time fan of the Spinal Column, I am glad that you have stepped in to fill the void left by the mess now known as the Spinal Column. As background, I was born and raised in West Bloomfield and have been a life- long resident of the lakes area, currently residing in Commerce Township. I delivered the Spinal Column in my neighborhood, I think as far back as the early 70's. I always enjoyed receiving the weekly edition with a local eye on the news and schools. Letters to the editor and the "public safety" reports were my favorites. The classified ads were always a reliable source to obtain services, etc., and as the legal publication, I was kept informed of issues affecting my community. I don't need to go on about the current state of the Spinal Column, other than to say the transition has been disappointing. It is quickly scanned, then to the recycling bin. When I received the May edition of the Westend the format caught my eye and my initial reaction was that it was a Spinal Column publication, and maybe they were getting the hang of things. I was pleasantly surprised, and had a good laugh, when I learned the publisher was David Hohendorf, who I knew as the main man at the Spinal Column for many years. So, thank you once again. I will look forward to upcoming issues and will support your advertisers where possible. John Haas, Commerce Township
Back in the loop Congrats on your inaugural edition! We missed being kept in the loop for the lakes area. Doug and Anne Bond, West Bloomfield
Informative newsmagazine Thank you for producing an informative, resource-filled newsmagazine for the Commerce Township area. I have read it coverto-cover twice now and visited the westendmonthly.com website, as well. I am especially interested in the municipal updates that pertain to land development in Commerce Township. Any word on what is going to happen to the Beaumont
SPEAK OUT We welcome your opinion on issues facing the Commerce, Walled Lake and Union Lake communities. Opinions can be sent via e-mail to westend@downtownpublications.com or mailed to Downtown Publications, 124 West Maple Road, Birmingham MI 48009. While we don’t have a specific word limitation, we reserve the right to edit for length.
property on the northwest corner of M-5 and Maple? I look forward to my next issue of Westend! Anne Campbell, Commerce
Thanks for Westend Thank you for initiating this publication. Having explored and experienced a surprising and inspiring array of neighborhoods and communities - during my college year travels through NY, Chicago, and Oregon, among other locations - I am grateful to see this. I look forward to your future issues. Sage Tree, Commerce Township
Rails to Trails I am an avid, active outsider and was so excited when we purchased the rail trail to create a walking/running/biking path and connecting it to the Huron Valley Trail and then east to the West Bloomfield Trail. I've been unable to find any information about the status of the trail. I know West Bloomfield finished their portion to Haggerty Road. I have walked it to Halsted; they did a great job. When will the other communities start? What are the plans? Are national funds available? I'd love to hear about any updates in the June and July issues. Thank you! Carol Rogers, Walled Lake
Serious publication Congratulations on your newest endeavor.
WESTEND
Imagine my surprise - and pleasure - upon receiving a new local newspaper that appeared to be a serious publication. The Spinal Column has become a throwaway, and until now no one stepped up to fill the void. We are looking forward to the kind of coverage the Spinal Column used to deliver. We will be signing up for the email notifications and will do our best to patronize your advertisers. Again, best wishes. Linn Smith, Walled Lake
Missed your publication Welcome back! We missed your publication. The one we receive on Wednesdays now is quickly put in the recycling bin, sadly. Your story on the DDA receiving funds from Commerce Township truly lit me up. This is a debacle that has seen very little light in my opinion. Not certain it is criminal but certainly one of the worst decisions in a decade in this area. Steve Oakley, Commerce Township
Intelligent journalism My wife Marcy and I moved here to Commerce in 1999 and have enjoyed the community and its many assets. After receiving your new publication, Westend, we were thrilled with the intelligent journalism and broad focus. Congratulations! We look forward to your next issue. David Dean, President, Pursuit Engineering, Commerce
Love Westend Loved reading the new publication! As a Commerce Township resident I enjoyed those stories specific to my community as well as those nearby. I hope you will continue to followup on the water tower issue; water bills are extremely costly for residents and a tower is a wonderful solution. Thanks again. Looking forward to our next issue. Stacy Kosola, Commerce Township 06.13
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CRIME LOCATOR
NORTH
Map key
Sexual assault
Assault
Murder
Robbery
Breaking/entering
Larceny
Larceny from vehicle
Vehicle theft
Vandalism
Drug offenses
Arson
These are the crimes reported under select categories by police officials in Commerce Township, Walled Lake and Wolverine Lake Village through May 29, 2013. Placement of codes is approximate.
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thical standards are not something carved in stone, unmovable, but are constantly changing and evolving as they help communities determine how governments should operate. Their evolution in local government directly parallels the development of the institution, place or people governed. Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges defines ethics as standards of right and wrong, good and bad. “Ethics leads to a set of rules of conduct for specific situations. Just because something is desirable, it does not mean it is ethical. Using only a personal value system to guide behavior is not sufficient. Being ethical requires that decisions are based on ethical standards as well as being guided by one’s values.”
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In a municipality, “codes of ethics” (or “standards of practice” as they are sometimes called) define specific expectations for board members, committee members and professional staff. It is important for boards to clarify for themselves what behavior is appropriate. It is not enough to assume that because something is legal, it is ethical, or that everyone knows how they are supposed to act as board members the minute they are elected or appointed to the position. With a position of any power, such as an elected official, comes responsibilities and expectations. Elected officials are expected to use their own code of ethics combined with an institution's to morally govern and to be a model for their fellow citizens. Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke about the need for civil rights laws, which equally applied to the need for ethics legislation in a state or municipality, “It may be true that morality can’t be legislated, but behavior can be regulated.” Commerce Township Supervisor Tom Zoner said the township's personnel policies, which were created on September 1, 1999, are more of a formality than a necessity. “I'm proud to say that in most cases with elected officials, trustees and staff members, when you build trust and integrity with those people, you pretty much don't have to worry about ethics. It's easy to set one aside and say this isn't working very well. We've never had to let someone go because of it. It's like raising a bunch of kids, so eventually you have a family that works together,” he explained. The policy that was created in 1999 works flawlessly for the township and hasn't needed to be updated, Zoner said, which may be a testament to how well it was originally written. “At the time it was created, it was the 'in' thing to do. Everybody had to have personnel policies. It's a lot of work to create them; it takes a lot of time. It took many meetings just to put together a personnel policy,” Zoner said. “They're very broad and kind of vague,” he continued. “You can't write an ordinance for everything and there's always something you just can't think of that could be considered something that it's not.” If you make the policy too inclusive, “when you run into a conflict of interest and you know that it's wrong, now there's nothing you can do because your ordinance doesn't cover it.” Commerce Township's personnel policy, or handbook, includes two sections relating to ethics: business ethics and conduct and conflicts of interest. The business ethics and conduct section states, “Commerce Township will comply with all applicable laws and regulations and expects its directors, officers, and employees to conduct business in accordance with the letter, spirit, and intent of all relevant laws and to refrain from any illegal, dishonest, or unethical conduct. In general, the use of good judgment, based on high ethical principals, will guide you with respect to lines of acceptable conduct. If a situation arises where it is difficult to determine the proper course of action, the matter should be discussed openly with your immediate supervisor and, if necessary, with the township supervisor for advice and consultation. Compliance with this policy of business ethics and conduct is the responsibility of every Commerce Township employee. Disregarding or failing to comply with this standard of business ethics and conduct could lead to disciplinary action, up to and including possible termination of employment.” Zoner said the township doesn't tolerate unethical behavior by its employees. If a situation arises, it is handled on a case by case basis and is corrected internally. The portion of the handbook outlining conflicts of interest is broad, establishing only the framework on how to operate, in order to provide
general direction. It reads, “Transactions with outside firms must be conduced within a framework established and controlled by the Commerce Township Board of Trustees. Business dealings with outside firms should not result in unusual gains for those firms. Unusual gain refers to bribes, product bonuses, special fringe benefits, unusual price breaks, and other windfalls designated to ultimately benefit either the employer, the employee, or both. Promotional plans that could be interpreted to involve unusual gain require specific written approval of the township supervisor.” Also, “no presumption of guilt” is created by the mere existence of a relationship with outside firms. However, “if employees have any influence on transactions involving purchases, contacts, or leases, it is imperative that they disclose to the township supervisor as soon as possible the existence of any actual or potential conflict of interest so that safeguards can be established to protect all parties.” This includes kickbacks, bribes, substantial gifts or any special consideration. In 25 years, Zoner has only experienced an issue once, he recalled, when a Downtown Development Authority (DDA) elected official caused a conflict of interest. “That person was told by the township attorney that there was an ethical situation that caused a conflict of interest. The person went to the Michigan Townships Association and a DDA attorney who suggested there was not a conflict of interest. They decided they would not resign from the position because that person felt there was no conflict of interest,” he said. “When you're an elected official, you swear on a bible, which is different than a city manager or village manager. In the township, you have to swear to fulfill your obligations of the United States and of this state. There's a different set of ethics and standards there, I believe. An ethics policy is a little bit stronger toward an elected official than an employment position.” As an Eagle Scout and retired military officer, Commerce trustee Robert (Bob) Berkheiser knows the importance of following a set of standards. “I've been bound by ethics and rules literally my whole adult life. Ethics are doing the right thing when no one's looking. It's when no one is watching and you are still doing the right thing.” Berkheiser was elected to the board of trustees in November 2012, and said he has not seen any questionable incidents in the township since his first meeting in December. “We do have an employee handbook. I agree it's not a very strong one, but it does govern how to act while at work, uses of computers for personal use, standard work things. It doesn't cover the seven elected officials but I think we would be following the same rules. I mean, we're aware of the book. Generally speaking, you're still, as a supervisor, able to be discipline under the employee handbook.” Commerce Township trustee Rick Sovel agrees. “I've always tried to act with integrity, honesty, ethics and tried to do whatever I can to avoid conflicts of interest. We expect everyone to have ethics and integrity. If voters don't like it, they vote us out.” Wolverine Lake has a code of conduct for village officers and employees which was adopted on March 8, 2000. “At the heart of it, it's just doing what's right. We all grow up learning the difference between right and wrong and it's usually pretty straightforward, but a good code of ethics gives you a way to confirm your moral sense of things, especially if you find yourself in a complicated situation,” council president John Magee explained. “There's no way for anybody but yourself to make you act ethically. That's an individual responsibility that each of us carries but if we get
COMMERCE TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR TOM ZONER SAID IN 25 YEARS HE HAS ONLY ENCOUNTERED A CONFLICT OF INTEREST PROBLEM ONCE AND THAT WAS WITH SOMEONE ON THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY.
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together and say these things are okay, and these things are wrong, then at least the lines are reasonably clear.” For many residents, the village council is the level of government with which they interact most frequently and closely. “I'm very aware of the big impact we have on people's day-to-day lives. That's why it's especially important to me that as local elected officials we do our best to act ethically and aboveboard at all times,” Magee continued. A brief synopsis of the extensive code of conduct states a public officer or employee of Wolverine Lake Village shall not divulge confidential information acquired in the course of employment, represent his or her personal opinion as that of an agency, solicit or accept a gift or loan of money, goods, services, participate in the negotiation or execution of contracts, engage in a business transaction whereby the public officer or employee may profit from his or her official position or authority. The policy covers nine different topics in detail. Magee's biggest concern lies in government trust. “We live in an age in which we're all constantly encouraged by the media and by battling political parties to be cynical about our governance and our elected officials, and I don't mean to say there haven't been some terrible examples of extremely unethical conduct by a few public officials in recent years, but what troubles me is the level of mistrust I sometimes see reflected back at us at the local level. That can make it difficult to resolve issues between the village and residents because it's very hard to come to an agreement when a resident assumes that the village is starting from a position of bad faith.” The code of conduct forbids village officials from using, “personnel resources, property and funds under the officer or employee's official care and control judiciously and solely in accordance with prescribed constitutional, statutory and regulatory procedures and not for personal gain or benefit.” It also states, “No public officer or employee of the Village of Wolverine Lake shall be a party, directly or indirectly, to any contract between himself or herself and the Village of Wolverine Lake except as provided by state law.” Magee said the code of conduct has been effective in establishing trust and avoiding real or perceived conflicts of interest. “The place it has come up with us on council is when a member does have a financial or family interest in a local business that may be doing work with the village. In those cases, individual council members have asked to abstain from a vote on a contract or bid. Beyond just avoiding conflicts of interest, we try to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.” Both the city of Walled Lake and Walled Lake's DDA have rules and regulations concerning ethics. The Walled Lake DDA has an ethics ordinance which was passed in August 2012, specifically applying to DDA board members and officers. The city of Walled Lake employee handbook is an amalgamation of ordinances, policies and administrative orders, issued by past administrations dating back to the 1970s. Many of these policies apply to administrative services and employees, but not to elected officials. An ordinance amendment for approving legal documents states, “The mayor and/or any member(s) of council shall not execute or authenticate by his/her signature any city instrument, papers or documents unless required or authorized by vote or resolution of council, ordinance, charter, or law.” Regarding gifts and gratuties, "It is the policy of the city of Walled Lake that no employee of the city shall knowingly accept any gift, frank, free ticket, pass, reduced price or reduced rate of service other than is generally granted to the people of the community at large on the class or quality of goods and services, from any person, firm or corporation."
The combination of policies also outlines how to handle a petty cash fund, purchase orders, use sick time, and interact with the public, including how to answer the phone and write letters. The credit card policies and procedures were adopted in accordance with Public Act 266 of 1995 and was amended on February 6, 2001. It outlines a written policy regarding the use of credit cards to purchase goods and services for the official business of the municipality. Included are policies regarding the issuance of credit cards, card use, transaction procedure, tax exemption, credit card security, procedures for credit card payment and penalty for wrongful use. Following an ethical crisis involving the abuse of city credit cards at local bars, casinos and strip clubs by a former city employee, the election of Dennis Whitt, John Owsinek, Bob Robertson and the reelection of Linda Ackley brought a clean slate to the city council and increased transparency. “Their election to the city council prompted continued ethics investigations and led to changes in the city's policy on officials' use of city credit cards. The prior city officials’ trips to the Copper Mug bar here in Walled Lake, the MGM Grand Casino in Detroit, and to the strip club called Omar's Showbar in Lansing, dated back to December 2008 and January 2009,” Walled Lake City Manager Dennis Whitt explained. Council member John Owsinek noted credit cards had been given out loosely, and were even misused by a former police department member. These ethical lapses slowly came to Whitt's attention through the media, although at the time the employee said some of the uses were inadvertent. “Council candidates Bob Robertson, John Owsinek and Linda Ackley didn’t buy the inadvertent excuses and demanded heads to roll,” Whitt explained. “They ran that year on a political platform of raising the ethical bar for city officials in Walled Lake. They were elected on that basis and soon thereafter I was offered the position of city manager of Walled Lake. I accepted the appointment because I felt I would be working for a council majority with high ethical standards. I remain the city manager for the same reasons.” “Bob (Robertson) and I got on council specifically to see what was going on and thought maybe we could correct this and fix what was going on. It's been a learning process all the way along, but that was the primary reason for us getting on council. Also, I knew I had to run a campaign that was scrupulously clean and completely self-financed. No contributions were offered or accepted. This was made clear to all from the outside. Once I got on, I started finding different things going on. A lot of it revolved around the mayor signing checks and presuming to be the chief executive of the city. Since we corrected that issue, he no longer signs checks at all,” Owsinek said, noting that ethics are of paramount importance in the pursuit of transparent government. “When trying to get Dennis Whitt elected as city manager, we interviewed over 80 people. At one point in time, Bill (Roberts) showed up and presided over the meeting and nominated himself for the position of city manager and proceeded to hand the gavel to (mayor pro tem) Linda Ackley. I don't know what part of the country you're from but the way I was raised, no. What are you thinking Bill? We act in a very efficient manner here, except when Bill goes off on tangents.” Owsinek said unethical behavior is “mostly due to the fact that once a person has been in office for so long they think they own that office. If you're in a position for an extended period of time, different questionable activities become easier to do because you've been there for so long. It's almost like you get a certain sense of entitlement. “It's just that corruption breeds corruption. It's that simple. If you
WE ALL GROW UP LEARNING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG AND IT'S USUALLY PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD, BUT A GOOD CODE OF ETHICS GIVES YOU A WAY TO CONFIRM YOUR MORAL SENSE OF THINGS.
have some people who are acting in an unethical matter, it kind of rubs off on other people," he reflected. The council has since established many policies, including transparency polices on credit cards that expressly prohibits personal uses of city issued credit cards and specifies that cards cannot be used for personal uses, cash advances, liquor or tobacco purchases. The policy further provides that the penalty for wrongful use shall include, “disciplinary action, up to and including discharge, and/or civil or criminal action.” “Several council members have been working on establishing an ethics code by ordinance that covers employees, appointed officials and elected officials,” Whitt said. “I've been working on one and researching this for the past couple years. It's never been timely to present it. It may be time for us to pursue an ethics ordinance,” Owsinek said. He has drafted his version of an “Ethics Ordinance” beginning with a template ethics ordinance provided by the Michigan Municipal League (MML). “The ethics handbook from Michigan Municipal League has been a useful resource for the city council leaders to engage in deliberations to choose the best approach for maintaining high ethical standards in Walled Lake,” Whitt said. Michigan Municipal League represents and serves municipalities, offering a range of services, including sample documents like ethics ordinances. “We're pushing for flexibility and allowing each community to come up with whatever works best for them. They may have ethics ordinances they've never had to use,” MML Director of State Affairs Samantha Harkins said. “Is it the best policy to mandate statewide ethics ordinances? I don't know. Each community has it's own needs.” Similarly, the Michigan Townships Association (MTA) represents townships and provides sample documents. “The Michigan Planning Enabling Act requires all planning commissions to define conflict of interest, either in their bylaws or in an ordinance adopted by the governing body,” said Catherine A. Mullhaupt, director of member information services for MTA. It notes that it should be self-enforcing. “Gifts and special benefits will not be accepted from vendors or others who are in a position to benefit from township decisions...Interactions with others shall demonstrate fairness, respect, impartiality and equitable treatment...Preferential consideration of the request or petition of any individual citizen or groups of citizens shall not be given. No person shall receive special advantages, consideration or treatment beyond those that are available to any other citizen under similar circumstances.” Michigan Municipal League provides information and direction on misconduct and malfeasance in office to local municipalities. “The offense of misconduct in office includes malfeasance, which is the doing of a wrongful act. It does not include acts done by officers in good faith or honest mistakes. The crime requires evidence of corrupt intent which does not necessarily mean, however, an intent to profit.” They note that elected public office and public employment is a public trust, and any effort to realize personal gain through official conduct is a violation of that trust. MML discourages even the whiff of impropriety through any kind of conflict of interest between a city and its officers and employees. They go further than the Michigan Townships Association by including candidates for office in their sweeping statements. Oakland County has an ethics policy which applies to all county
employees and elected officials and in 2010, Oakland County Commissioner Tim Greimel proposed to rework the ordinance. “Nothing has happened to move these resolutions forward. Absolutely nothing. I am sure of that,” commissioner Marcia Gershenson (D-West Bloomfield) said. Public officers and employees of state government also have a code of conduct in place which is referred to as the State Ethics Act. It operates by seven standards that read, “A public officer or employee shall not divulge to an unauthorized person, confidential information acquired in the course of employment in advance of the time prescribed for its authorized release to the public; A public officer or employee shall not represent his or her personal opinion as that of an agency; A public officer or employee shall use personnel resources, property, and funds under the officer or employee's official care and control judiciously and solely in accordance with prescribed constitutional, statutory, and regulatory procedures and not for personal gain or benefit; A public officer or employee shall not solicit or accept a gift or loan of money, goods, services, or other thing of value for the benefit of a person or organization, other than the state, which tends to influence the manner in which the public officer or employee or another public officer or employee performs official duties." Public officers and employees shall also not engage in business transactions for profit, engage in or accept employment or render services for a private or public interest when that employment or service is incompatible or in conflict with the discharge of the officer or employee's official duties or participate in the negotiation or execution of contracts. As a government official relatively new to Michigan, Walled Lake's Whitt feels Michigan’s local government ethics laws have proven to be disgracefully inadequate. “I have characterized the state of Michigan as having disgracefully inadequate state ethics laws because the state seems to leave it to the local governments to pass local ethics ordinances and to do what many see as a statewide job,” Whitt said. The fact “that municipal officials in Michigan are deprived of the guidance offered by an understandable and comprehensive statewide code of ethics is a disgrace. What state ethics laws do exist for municipal officials in Michigan are inadequate. “Before I arrived in Michigan, I believed that there was a prescribed and enforceable standard of conduct for local municipal officials. I assumed that a Michigan resident might think that because of this prescribed standard of conduct that residents were better protected from unethical behavior on the part of local government public officials,” he said. “Compounding that dilemma is the relationship that exists between law and ethics. It doesn't always seem to be crystal clear. In some issues, law and ethics overlap and what is viewed as unethical is also illegal. In other situations, they do not overlap. In some cases, what seems unethical is still legal, and in others, what is illegal is considered ethical. A behavior may be perceived as ethical to one individual or group but might not be viewed as ethical by others.” So, what is so important about the difference between law and ethics? “Simplistically stated, one may feel bad or even receive a reprimand if they violate an ethical standard, but one could end up in jail if they break the law,” Whitt said. “Law and ethics are concept and abstractions, and they are different, but they share a common ground. They're part of one continuum that comprises our guidelines for human behavior.”
UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR IS MOSTLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT ONCE A PERSON HAS BEEN IN OFFICE FOR SO LONG, THEY THINK THEY OWN THAT OFFICE…QUESTIONABLE ACTIVITIES BECOME EASIER TO DO…YOU GET A CERTAIN SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT.
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Eddie Rubin
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ddie Rubin, the executive producer of the recently released film “Love and Honor,” was introduced to the silver screen by his late father, and became fascinated by the movie industry. “I’ve always had a love of movies that I shared with my father,” he said. “I remember seeing everything and anything. We would see the worst movie of all time and the Academy Award winners. We’d just take an hour or two to go see a different world.” As a Walled Lake Western student, Rubin was involved in community theater and maintained an interest in entertainment. After high school, he studied at the University of Michigan, intending to pursue a law degree but one course changed his career objective. “I took an elective called ‘Intro to Film.’ After the first day, I walked out of that class and knew that’s what I wanted to do.” Drawn to both the the artistic and as well as the business aspects of producing, Rubin began his career by assisting his friend, Danny Mooney, with his thesis film entitled “Fingers.” “Ben Daniels, (actor) Jeff Daniels’ son, was the star in it. It was a short film we made in college and we ended up going to festivals. What really got us noticed was the production value of the film versus what we spent.” The talented duo created a production company Deep Blue Pictures, LLC, prior to even graduating from U-M. “We got along well and we had the same creative and business sense,” he said. “We made it official and decided to start the company here to give back to the Michigan economy.”
Rubin has helped produce six feature films, multiple short films, and several music videos before he was able to see the script for “Love and Honor,” starring Liam Hemsworth, come to fruition. “'Love and Honor’ is my favorite experience so far,” Rubin said. The film, set in Ann Arbor, is a love story based on a soldier leaving Vietnam to win back his girl. “There’s a little bit of something for everyone in the movie. There was no overt political statement. It really stayed toward the middle ground.” The screenplay, written by Jim Burnstein and Garrett Schiff, was produced by Chip Diggins. “Love and Honor” is currently available on iTunes, Amazon, and will be released on DVD on July 23, 2013. Sadly, Rubin’s dad passed of cancer in 2009, but he was alive to see Rubin's career begin to flourish. “He was unable to physically share (the premier of ‘Love and Honor’), but I know he was there,” he said. “My parents knew it would be a bumpy road, but they saw that I had a passion and a dream and they were very supportive.” Rubin, who will be married in September to high school sweetheart Michelle Unger, hopes to raise his family in Michigan. He has helped produce music videos for famous artists and attended parties with stars like Miley Cyrus, but still maintains his hometown humility. “I’m not rich and famous,” he said. “I’m just young, hungry and driven.” Story: Katey Meisner
Photo: Laurie Tennent
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ichigan has more than 11,000 inland lakes, supporting a recreational industry that has been valued at $15 billion per year. Locally, inland lakes, streams, ponds and tributaries, which cover about one third of the north and west Oakland lakes area, are highly valued for their beauty and benefits to the people who live and play nearby.
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While data from the most recent survey available of inland lakes across the country isn’t expected to be released from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for at least a year, findings from the EPA’s National Lakes Assessment survey conducted in 2007 indicate that Michigan’s inland lakes are among the best quality in the nation. “We’ve got good lakes. We don’t have the amount of problems that some other states do,” said Mike Walterhouse, an aquatic biologist with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). “We have a few lakes with problems that we are trying to address, but a few of them are in the same places that have been problematic for years… we have a non-attainment list, and none of the lakes over there (in Oakland County) are on the list.” exter limnologist Wally Fusilier, who spent decades researching inland lakes throughout southeast Michigan as the owner of Water Quality Investigators, said he issued grades based on a water quality index consisting of nine different tests to every lake he surveyed. “There are some nice lakes and some not so nice lakes, and more times than not, I don’t know why the nice lakes are nice rather than the bad lakes being bad,” Fusilier said. “Pine Lake (in West Bloomfield) was always a nice lake, yet it had all these expensive homes around it with lots of fertilizer from lawns going into the lake, yet the only time we ever spotted any real problems was at the storm sewers. Other than that, it was pretty nice. “Then you have Green Lake (also in West Bloomfield), which is right in that area, too,” Fusilier continued. “One year it had a horrendous algae bloom for the whole summer, and then – that’s it. It has been gone. I don’t know what caused it.” That makes a lake far less desirable to live on and around. Pristine, transparent lakes are clearly the most desirable. Measuring water transparency, or how far light can travel in the water, helps to determine whether suspended partials or dissolved materials are impacting the water’s clarity. The main types of suspended particles that affect clarity are algae and sediment. Transparency readings are taken by lowering a Secchi disk, which is essentially a weighted disk suspended from a calibrated line that is lowered and raised into the specific points in a lake until the disk isn’t visible. Secchi disk measurements across the nation have been taken each year on July 4 since 1994 in conjunction with the “Great American Secchi Dip-In,” started by Kent State University scientist Robert Carlson. Readings are taken by scientists and
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volunteers and include more than 7,000 different waterbodies. Fusilier said the data results from the Secchi Dip-In indicate that Michigan has some of the most pristine inland lakes in the nation in terms of water clarity. Walterhouse said the EPA’s survey also indicates Michigan’s inland lakes are in good condition when compared to lakes across both the northern Midwest region and nation. Researchers contributing to the EPA survey sampled a total of 1,028 lakes across the country and processed more than 600,000 measurements, including those taken at 50 different inland lakes in Michigan. Analysis of the data was conducted to look for indicators of water quality, such as nutrients, dissolved oxygen and algal density; biological health indicators, such as phytoplankton and zoo plankton, like algae and microscopic organisms; recreational use quality, including algal toxins and pathogens in the water that may be harmful to humans and wildlife; and physical habitat quality indicators, such as wildlife coverage along the lakeshore and shallow waters. The national survey found that 56 percent of the nation’s lakes are in good biological health, with 21 percent in fair condition and 22 percent in poor biological condition. Ratings were based on an index of phytoplankton and zooplankton taxa loss, or the percentage of taxa observed compared to those that are expected when compared to conditions at least-disturbed lakes in the nation. The MDEQ classifies lakes based on their biological productivity, or trophic status. Water quality samples of Michigan’s lakes have found that about 20 to 30 percent of the state’s lakes are considered high quality, or oligotrophic, lakes with low levels of phosphorous and few plants or algae, which would be able to support a cold-water species, Bindu Bhakta with Michigan State University Extension in Oakland County says in an article for the office. She said about 45 to 65 percent of the state’s lakes have moderate levels of phosphorous, plants and algae, and are considered mesotrophic, or good quality; about 15 to 22 percent of lakes in the state are considered eutrophic, with abundant phosphorous and plant; and about 4 to 5 percent are considered hypertrophic, with extremely high levels of phosphorous and excessive plants or algae. Scientists say the length of time it takes to degrade a lake’s productivity depends upon its trophic status, depth and other factors, but typically decrease in quality rather than increase. In general, the lower the condition of the lake, the more susceptible it is to phosphorous and other nutrient pollution. “Once you start down that slope, it’s hard
to reverse, and things are going to change pretty quick,” Walterhouse said. “Not that you are going to fill it in – ultimately what happens is that you have a lake and it’s going to turn into a swamp over thousands of years.” Concerns raised in a recent scientific report that a harmful algae bloom – which covered about 2,000 square miles of Lake Erie in 2011 – could be the beginning of a trend associated with changing climate and land use aren’t likely to hold much water with local riparian property owners, based on the overall state of inland lakes in Michigan. Nutrients, particularly phosphorous, may enter a lake as sewage, septic tank leachate, fertilizer runoff, soil erosion, animal wastes, and other forms. As more nutrients enter a lake, the more fertile the water body is to plant and algae growth. The rapid buildup of algae in a lake, called an algae bloom, is considered harmful if it can damage other organisms – including humans – through the production of toxins or by other means. A report published in April 2013 by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) called “Taken By Storm: How Heavy Rain is Worsening Algal Blooms in Lake Erie,” suggests the record-breaking algae bloom that covered much of Lake Erie nearly two years ago could be a sign of things to come, as intense storms brought about by global warming are exacerbating farm runoff and flooding waterways with an overabundance of nutrients to feed similar events in the future. ccording to the NWF’s report, the Lake Erie basin contains the largest percent of agricultural land in the Great Lakes region. The report’s authors say that the potential for an increased nutrient load into the lake was made possible by changing land use and wetland loss, coupled with the abundance of phosphorous from farm fertilizer and animal waste. When heavy rains in the spring of 2011 created runoff from farm fields, a blast of nutrients was delivered to the lake, resulting in the historic algae bloom. The Lake Erie bloom, which peaked in October 2011, was composed almost entirely of toxic blue-green microcystis algae. Concentrations of mycrocystin, a liver toxin produced by the algae, peaked at about 224 times World Health Organization guidelines, researchers said. MDEQ's Walterhouse said that while there has been an increase of harmful algae blooms in Michigan in recent years, there haven’t been any related deaths of people or animals, although there have been in other states with shallower lakes and high phosphorous concentrations, such as Ohio.
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“They are having big-time issues with it, to the point where it’s some pretty scary stuff,” he said. “We have seen it in a few lakes, but nothing like other states are.” Although high levels of nutrients in lake water may spur algae, Fusilier said there weren’t any recorded spikes in nutrient concentrations in Green Lake during the year the algae bloom occurred. In general, nutrient concentration levels and overall water quality doesn’t tend to change dramatically over longer periods of time. “Something else changes,” Fusilier said, of the anomalous condition. “I don’t know what that is, and I don’t think anybody else does either.” Walterhouse said that zebra mussels – a filter-feeding invasive species of mollusk that has infested the Great Lakes and the region’s inland lakes – take in toxic algae during the feeding process, but don’t eat it. Instead, zebra mussels are able to recycle harmful algae back into the water. “So, they clean up the water,” he said, “but they don’t do us any favors with the harmful algae blooms with cyano bacteria.” Zebra mussel infestations in many of the state’s lakes may be responsible for some increases in water clarity. The small mollusks attach themselves to hard, submerged
surfaces where they take in water and filter out algae as food, excreting their waste as sediment. A single zebra mussel is capable of filtering about a liter of water each day. “Zebra mussels changed the game for a lot of lakes. They really filtered a lot of things out, which really isn’t good for the rest of the myoba out there,” Walterhouse said. “Basically, they are competing for the bottom of the food chain, which is the basis for building fish communities and everything else. But it makes clear water.” he EPA has a national survey listing the top 10 “stressors,” which may include anything from pollutants entering a lake to drawing down a lake’s level. Jane Herbert, with the MSU Extension office in Kalamazoo, said one key to reducing stressors is to make sure lakefront property owners are aware of actions that could be hurting a lake. Among the top stressors listed by the EPA are loss of lakeshore habitat; deterioration of shallow water habitat; poor physical habitat complexity; and human disturbances. Development of shoreline property, as well as redevelopment which changes the natural habitat at the edge of the lake, has been “sort of a continual assault” over the past 40 or 50 years, Herbert said. In order to educate
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Chemical application permits As of May 15, a total of 470 permit applications were requested this year to conduct aquatic nuisance control activities in Oakland County. Of those, 380 chemical application permits were issued by the department, with one request withdrawn by the applicant and the remainder not yet through the water bureau’s review process. Permit requests to chemically treat lakes, ponds and other water bodies in west Oakland County are typically made by lake improvement boards, homeowner associations, special assessment districts, local municipalities and individuals. Some local lakes and 2013 permit applicants listed in the MDEQ’s database included: Bogie Lake, Bogie Lake Canal Homeowners. Brendel Lake, Lakewood Village HOA. Carroll Lake (Area 2), Carroll Lake Area 2 Homeowners. Cass Lake, Aquatic Management Services Inc. Cedar Island Lake, Aquatic Management Services, Inc. Cedar Island Lake, Cedar Island Burgess Bay SAD. Cedar Island Lake, Cedar Island Stopke Bay SAD. Cedar Island Lake, Coledale Bay SAD. Cedar Island Lake, Degrand Bay Property Owners. Cedar Island Lake, Golden Shores HOA. Chalmers Lake, Woodcrest Farms HOA. Cranberry Lake, Equity Life Styles. Cranberry Lake, Lakepro, Inc. Crescent Lake, Aquatic Services Inc. Elizabeth Lake, PLM Lake & Land Management Corp. Flanders Lake, Flanders Lake Estates Association. Forest Lake, Forest Lake Canal SAD. Fox Lake, Commerce Township. Fox Lake, Commerce Township. Gilbert Lake, Gilbert Lake Protective Association. Green Lake, Green Lake Association. Kirkwood Lake, Kirkwood Lake Preservation Association.
property owners about healthy habitats, she said the office will be launching a webinar program titled, “Introduction to Lakes,” which will be geared toward lakefront property owners and local municipalities. MSU Extension recommends lakefront property owners, lake associations and local governments support setbacks and overlay zones that preserve natural shoreline and wetland areas that remain on a lake. Shorelines that are fully developed may include a shoreline demonstration area for public or private frontage and educating neighbors on the benefits of natural shorelines to lake health. Walterhouse said the MDEQ is also making efforts to encourage natural habitat in shoreline construction or redevelopment by providing sample ordinances to some local governments, as well as taking steps to reduce nutrients and limit other threats to lake quality. “Basically, there are too many sea walls going in and interfering with all the biological processes that happen along the shoreline, not just for fish, but for mammals, amphibians, reptiles and everything else that uses that important edge area,” he said. “We have staff now that are trying to get people more interested in using native vegetation
Lake Ona, Lake Ona Home Owners Association. Lake Sherwood, Lake Sherwood Association, Inc. Long Lake, Long Lake Property Owners Association. Lotus Lake, Lake Forest Estates, Inc. Lower Straits Lake, Commerce Township. Meadow Lake, Meadow Lake Farms Civic Association. Minnow Lake, Hills of Lone Pine Association. Mirror Lake, HIllpointe On Mirror Lake COA Neva Lake, Lakewood Village HOA. North Commerce Lake, Lisa Brandt. Orange Lake, Orange Lake Improvement Board. Oxbow Lake, Oxbow Lake-Danforth Homeowners. Oxbow Lake, Oxbow Lake Syndicate. Pleasant Lake, Eagles Landing HOA. Pontiac Lake, Pontiac Lake Weed Harvesting Company. Reed Lake, Commerce Township. Round Lake, Round Lake Lake Board. Sodon Lake, Sodon Lake HOA. South Commerce Lake, Michael D. Marra. Square Lake, Disappearing Lake Association. Tull Lake 1, Twin Lake Improvement Board. Tull Lake 2, Twin Lake Improvement Board. Upper Lake Sherwood, Sherwood Farms Condominium Association. Upper Long Lake, Upper Long Lake Board. Upper Straits Lake, Joyce Cook. Upper Straits Lake, RC Bankers Sandy Beach Association. Vhay Lake, Vhay Lake Property Owners Association. Wabeek Lake, Wabeek Lake SAD. Walled Lake, Savin Lake Services, Inc. Walnut Lake, Bloomfield Square Lake Association. White Lake, White Lake Citizens League. Wing Lake, Wing Lake Inc. Wolverine Lake, Village of Wolverine Lake. -Compiled by Kevin Elliott
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and things like that, instead of sea walls. We are still trying to control erosion – instead of coming in with a truck load of concrete or steel pile and driving it down, (we encourage) them to actually use some rocks here and there, and just vegetation to buffer the shoreline from wave energy.” In addition to preventing soil erosion, natural vegetation helps to filter pollutants out of rainwater runoff before it enters a lake. Other entities, such as the Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership, offers contractors a certificate to participate in a training course focusing on the use of natural habitat in construction. The DEQ said a recent ban on phosphorous in fertilizer and legislation restricting the use of nutrients in dishwasher detergents should help quality. In addition to zebra mussels, other invasive aquatic species of animals and plants remain a concern, as native and non-native species fight for control. Attempts to eradicate one nuisance species can sometimes have negative impacts by inviting another. “Ideally, you kill that invasive stuff off and the hope is usually to get some more native vegetation back in there. That’s our hope,” Walterhouse said. “A lot of lakeshore owners just assume there were no weeds out there at all. That’s why we have a whole group of people here issuing weed control permits.” While the health and productivity of a lake is an area of concern for scientists, general
thoughts on lake quality may be more subjective. “It depends on your point of view,” Fusilier said. “If you’re a fisherman, then you’ll want a more productive lake because you’ll have more fish. If you’re a boater, a sailor, or a jet skier, then you don’t want a very productive lake because you’ll have too many weeds and things like that. So, it really depends on your point of view on the lake. Certainly, good lakes have people who want to live on them, and poor quality lakes have people that want to live on them. And lakes like acid lakes, even though there’s nothing living in them, people still think they’re neat lakes because nothing will grow in them so they are plant free, so they’re just sparkly lakes.” he MDEQ regulates the chemical control of certain aquatic nuisance species when they impair the use or enjoyment of the water. The use of aquatic herbicides usually requires a permit from the department’s aquatic nuisance control program, particularly when targeting species in inland lakes, ponds, streams, wetlands and other areas where there is standing water at the time of treatment. Aquatic species may include various forms of algae, such as chara; submerged plants, such as pond weeds and milfoils that are located underwater; floating-leaf plants, such as lilies; and emergent plants, such as cattails rushes. Regardless of reports and testing, Fusilier
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said he imagines that lake quality will deteriorate over a longer span of time for inland lakes. “I can’t make a blanket statement to say lakes are getting better, but my guess is that they’re gradually going to get worse,” he stated. “For example, I used to swim in Maceday Lake back when I was in high school – back in the fifties – and that was a nice lake with no weeds or anything. Certainly, it’s got more weeds and everything now, but that’s a long period of time.” Controlling weeds, he said, can be tricky. If too much vegetation is lost, he said, it’s possible to attract algae. If an herbicide treatment kills all the weak plants and not stronger aquatic plants, soon you’re going to have a plant you won’t be able to control at all, he said. “A lot of times, when you kill aquatic plants, the nutrients are still there, so you get an algae bloom. Sometimes they will use copper sulfate to kill the algae, but that’s only effective for a couple of days, then it goes right back. I know one lake in Oakland County that was using copper sulfate about 13 times during the summer, and it really has a poor water quality because of it. I don’t usually describe a lake as a yucky lake, but that was a yucky lake. The people wouldn’t even use the lake. They wouldn’t even look at the lake or walk along the shoes or anything because it was in such bad shape.”
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FACES Ben Dewar
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tanding 6-ft-6-inches tall, Ben Dewar, a professional basketball player for the Blusens Monbus team in Spain, was a stand-out athlete from Walled Lake who was drawn to the game since childhood. “I was about five-years-old when I would play (basketball) with my brother and dad. We had a half-court basketball court in our backyard. Even in the winter, we would shovel the snow and play on the icy court.” Coached by Rex Stanczak in high school, Dewar led the Walled Lake Western Warriors as a junior and senior with 287 and 486 points respectively. “My coach was the first person who got me thinking about getting a full scholarship for college,” he said. Dewar took Stanczak’s advice and went on to play for the Lake Superior State University Lakers. As a Laker, he was named to the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) first team and the GLIAC All-Defensive team. In 2002, he was mentioned in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd feature for his record breaking 90 points in three games achievement at the Disney Tip-Off Classic. “That was very cool for me,” he said. “I think it was even more fun for my family, though. They went out and bought every Sports Illustrated they could find in the city and handed them out to everyone.” Dewar was a natural athlete with remarkable basketball ability, but he aspired to have a secure and steady career in architecture. Encouraged to focus his efforts on basketball by his college coaches, Dewar decided to put the more traditional profession on hold. “My senior year, I actually got some calls from Europe. I don’t even know how they got my phone number, but I thought, ‘I better hire an agent.’” His professional basketball career began in Denmark in 2003, where he also won the slam dunk contest. His team in France won two championships, in 2006 and 2009. Since leaving the U.S. to pursue a career abroad, Dewar has traveled to Russia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Greece, Turkey as well as all over Europe. He is in his tenth season, and at 31-years-old, has visited more than a dozen countries. Dewar and wife Kristina (Kerrigan) Dewar, who is also a Walled Lake Western alumnus, welcomed a baby girl, Mariana, just over a year ago. “It’s been pretty amazing,” he said. “One of my dreams was to have my kids watch me play basketball and (Mariana) comes to my games and pays attention to what I do and she watches my games on TV.” Dewar has enjoyed a rewarding and successful basketball career, but his ultimate goal is to return to the U.S. in a few years and eventually take over his father’s distribution business. “(Kristina and I) have a passion for traveling,” he said. “So I also want to show my kids what we’ve been able to experience in our lives.” Throughout his competitive career, Dewar said he has been fortunate to have the unconditional backing of his family. “They never pushed me to do anything. They just let me follow my own path.”
Story: Katey Meisner
Photo: Jorge Marques
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Lynn Roderick
Susan Wojtaszek
Lakes Area Office 248-249-2470
Chris Martin
Lakes Area Office 248-310-6447
Lori York-Hesse
Lakes Area Office 248-709-1151
Lakes Area Office 248-760-7640
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Pine Lake Beach & Boat Access
4 Bedroom Colonial
Sharp 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath Tri-level on a corner lot in highly sought-after Pine Lake Estates. Great living space on all 3 floors; open floor plan, slate foyer, beamed living room ceiling, hardwood floors throughout 1st floor, lots of windows to bring in the sunshine. Dining Room door wall opens to the upper patio. Kitchen area features granite countertops and a cute Breakfast Room. Master with private bath and large closets. Cozy up to the Family Room's natural brick fireplace and access the lower patio through the French doors. Desirable Bloomfield Hills Schools.
In the Heart of WEST BLOOMFIELD close to Schools and Community Centers! Features include 2300 square feet, Hardwood Floors, 21/2 baths, Florida Room, Living Room, Family Room, Formal Dining Room, Spacious, Eat-in Kitchen, Oversized Basement and 2 Car Attached Side Entry Garage on 1/3 of an acre.
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Three Acre Lot in Bloomfield School District Here’s a chance to build your dream home on this prime site in West Bloomfield. The lot is already divided into 2 parcels, including an existing 2100 square foot walk-out ranch. Perfect for multi-generational living, grown kids or mother-in-law suite. Call today! 3430 Lone Pine Road. Susan 248-249-2470.
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Lakes Area Office 2600 Union Lake Road Commerce Twp, Michigan
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WHAT THE COPS SEE
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A COMMERCE SHERIFF OFFICER
BY HAYLEY BEITMAN
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t's a physically demanding and potentially dangerous job, one that often requires more than just weapons for protection. Regularly faced with potentially volatile situations and a multitude of dangers in their everyday duties, surviving each day unscathed requires the perfect balance of wisdom, experience and good old fashioned judgement. Police officers swear to protect and serve all people, from criminals to law-abiding citizens, with unfailing civility and patience. Day in and day out, they exhibit these values and put themselves in harms way, often without recognition or so much as a thank you, to protect the lives of strangers.
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WESTEND
06.13
To those who do the job, it's one of the reasons why local police are a close-knit team, more like a family, who look out for each other and watch each other's back during sometimes long and unconventional hours. Commerce Township is home to 40,186 people, according to the 2010 United States Census, up from 34,764 in 2000. It's 29 square miles are patrolled and protected by Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies. nlike many municipal police departments, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office is contracted by Commerce Township to provide its police and dispatch services. Commerce Township is the third biggest, and busiest, sheriff's substation behind the cities of Pontiac and Rochester Hills. Other townships under contract for Oakland County sheriff law enforcement services with established substations are Addison, Brandon, Highland, Independence, Lyon, Oakland, Orion, Springfield, Royal Oak and Oxford. There are currently 29 deputies assigned to the Commerce Township substation, including one lieutenant, two sergeants, three investigators or detectives, one desk officer (who serves both fire and police), leaving 22 uniformed deputies assigned to patrol duties. One school liaison officer is responsible for patrolling Walled Lake Consolidated Schools, comprised of Walled Lake Central High School, Walled Lake Northern High School, and Walled Lake Western High School, several elementary and middle schools. In the past three years, the number of school liaison officers serving the 16,000 students has decreased from three to one, due to a decrease in available funding. After signing a waiver relieving the Oakland County Sheriff's Office of any liability from injuries that may occur during a ride-along, Westend climbed into the passenger seat of a police SUV to spend a recent Thursday evening with a Commerce substation deputy to share the experience of what a typical sheriff's deputy encounters on a basic shift. We quickly learned there is no typical shift, and working with the sheriff's office is far from a routine experience. The substation, which is located at 2401 Glengary Road, coexists with the Commerce Township Fire Department headquarters and one of the township's four fire stations. The substation serves as a typical police station where you can get copies of accident reports, obtain a background check, get fingerprinted, or temporarily be held if the crime doesn't warrant a trip to the overpopulated Oakland County Jail in Pontiac. Oakland County Sheriff Deputy Shannon Giffin worked in corrections at the Oakland County Jail for seven years before being transferred to the Commerce Township Substation in 2007. Though her uncle is a retired sergeant with the Detroit Police Department, Giffin says that did not impact her desire to pursue a career in law enforcement. “I learned a ton in corrections. It made things much easier when I did come on the road,” she said. Her first few years, she worked the midnight shift. She offered to switch with a co-worker
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from midnights to the afternoon shift and has stayed on ever since. Typically, officers with the most seniority pick their shifts first. The Commerce substation divides the 24hour day into three shifts, with a minimum of three officers working each shift; mornings, from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m.; afternoons, from 3 p.m. until 11 p.m.; and midnights, from 11 p.m until 7 a.m. Working the afternoon shift still allows her to go the gym, walk her dog Zoey, do yard work, and vacuum before her shift. “If something happens to me, I want to make sure the house is clean,” she explains. Her boyfriend, a full-time firefighter and paramedic with the Commerce Fire Department, works 24hour shifts from 7 a.m. until 7 a.m. Giffin typically works a 28-day schedule with eight hour shifts and eight days off a month for a regular 40-hour work week. “I just had Saturday and Sunday off (Giffin was in Washington D.C. for National Police Week); now I'll work until I have Monday and Tuesday off for four weeks, then I'll have Thursday and Friday off, and do that for four weeks,” she describes her schedule. And the cycle repeats. As one of the substation's evidence technicians, Giffin is trained to collect, process and analyze evidence, such as fingerprints, on the scene. She recently helped with a breaking and entering in the city of Pontiac. “In the winter, it's easier to track footprints,” she said. Giffin's squad car, a new black SUV with only 12,000 miles, is equipped with a camera, spotlights, radio-to-dispatch, a public address system, mobile printer, two microphones (one for a reserve officer), computer, lights, siren, fire extinguisher and shotgun located on her right shoulder. “There's so much going on around you. It took me the longest time to get used to everything,” Giffin said. Leaving the substation around 4 p.m., we quickly slide through the car wash and begin our patrol in heavy rush hour traffic. “During rush hour, we see people running red lights more than speeding. Some things I let slide because it's rush hour. Personally, I'm not a big ticket person,” Giffin says. Contrary to popular belief, “There is no quota but they like us to be proactive. Some officers will sit and wait until they're dispatched.” If Giffin has a slow day, which can come during early summer months (with the exception of the fourth of July), “I'll go through (outstanding) Commerce warrants and try to arrest people.” Otherwise, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office has an alcohol enforcement team, K-9 unit, marine patrol (dive and rescue team), special response team, parks unit, auto theft division, fugitive apprehension team, Friend of the Court warrants, and special investigations unit that may track warrants on a daily basis. We make our way over to Haggerty Road where a car was just rear-ended during rush hour traffic, with one of the passengers reportedly feeling dizzy from the crash. At least two EMS personnel respond to every call, with at least one police officer assisting every EMS call.
This is where we meet up with Giffin's boyfriend, Andrew Boring, who is speaking with the drivers and passengers of a light blue Chrysler minivan and white Porsche Cayenne. As we approach the van, serving in a backup capacity to the deputy and EMS already on the scene, Giffin notices a pill bottle and inhaler on the van's empty passenger seat. Questioning the driver, he assures us it is for acid reflux and asthma. “He was issued a ticket because he failed to stop in assured clear distance,” Giffin explains. She notices the air bags in his car didn't deploy and asks how fast he was driving. He tells her less than five miles per hour. Staring at a hood that is crunched up and a rear bumper that is pushed in, she shakes her head side to side. “We're constantly lied to every day. You need a lot of patience,” she said. hough most police cars have installed a safety measure so they can't be put in gear by someone attempting to steal the car, Giffin tells me she locked the patrol car that is not more than 20 feet away from us. “I locked the car because my purse is in the car, but you just never know,” she said, her voice trailing off. By 4:30 p.m., we are walking through the local Meijer store on Haggerty Road, looking for suspicious activity in the alcohol and electronics sections. “Just being there and (having) our presence might make someone not steal,” she says. “Meijer likes us to do walk throughs.” Walking through the alcohol aisle that is strewn with overhead cameras and is monitored by its own loss prevention personnel, Giffin notes teenagers usually steal the top shelf brands like Ciroc, Patron and Grey Goose. On a warm spring afternoon in a community surrounded by lakes, there is little activity in the electronics section. “People steal especially around Christmas time,” Giffin says. The few customers perusing the aisles wonder why police are in Meijer, while appreciative employees smile and wave. Returning to Giffin's car, she notices a PT Cruiser parked half in a handicap spot and half in a no parking zone, jutting into the middle of the road. After running the car's plates and checking the date of the handicap parking permit, she writes a ticket for improper parking to the owner of the vehicle and prints it out from her mobile printer. Giffin makes sure to snap a photo on her iPhone for proof, in case any discrepancies arise. Around 4:45 p.m., we are dispatched to our first call on Marella Lane, on a noise complaint. Turns out someone is riding ATV's and dirt bikes in a subdivision. As we approach the alleged rider's home, we see him standing shirtless on the roof with his black labrador retriever wandering alone in the front yard. He quickly comes down and puts on a shirt to greet us. After a brief conversation, we drive out of the neighborhood, waving to one of the 25 paid-on-call firefighters on our way out. Giffin says complaints from Marella Lane are
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frequent, but officers are required to respond to each and every call. She adds the high school game “water wars”, where high schoolers try to “tag” one another with super soaker water guns, takes up a lot of valuable time, forcing them to respond to numerous calls of suspicious activity, in addition to the dangers of teenagers recklessly driving around shooting water at passing cars. “We get calls about water wars constantly. We're dispatched to those every single day. We can't say 'oh, it's just water wars', because what about the one time that it's not? We have to respond to all calls.” We head back to the station before we are dispatched to another call around 5:30 p.m. A woman has locked her keys in her car in the parking lot of Lulu's Restaurant on Welch Road. While it appears to be a mundane part of the job, Commerce Township deputies provide complimentary lockout services when needed. Using tools already in her car, Giffin begins prying open the door and has it open not more than a minute or two later. “Oh my gosh. It was that easy?” the woman asks. At 6 p.m., we stop to get a drink at 7-Eleven when we are dispatched to the Lakes Area Rotary Carnival located along the M-5 and Martin Parkway corridor. An intoxicated woman with her two children is passed out near her car. We drive nearly 100 mph on a road with a 25 mph speed limit, through congested intersections, following closely behind Boring driving the EMS truck. Though Giffin usually leads the way, ambulance sirens are louder and harder to miss over the radio. “Two sirens are always better than one to clear traffic,” she explains. Multiple deputies and reserve officers who were assigned to patrol the fair are already on the scene when we arrive. eserve, or auxiliary police, are uniformed officers who assist fulltime officers on a part-time or volunteer basis. Last year, Commerce Township's reserve officers did over 22,000 hours of patrol time. “It saves the township money to put them in there and work for free,” she said. Though the situation was calm enough for only a few officers to handle, we assist by providing a PBT (preliminary blood test) test from Giffin's SUV. The woman blows a .23 (Blood Alcohol Content) and is released to her husband. The legal level for intoxication is .08. Pulling out of the fair, Giffin stops to make a call about a note that was left in her mailbox over the weekend. “It's been kind of slow today. It's only seven o'clock though,” she says. Many days, Giffin doesn't have time to eat dinner but when she does, she tries to eat around 7 p.m., when two more officers clock in. Depending on the day, different shifts rotate as to which can be the busiest. “I think you get different kinds of calls,” she said. During the daytime, there are often alarm calls when people open their buildings or offices for the day. “It's just kind of hit or miss,” she said.
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“Family trouble and domestic calls happen when people are getting home from work and have had a couple beers.” On our way to Quiznos at 7:30 p.m., a car cuts through the parking lot to avoid waiting at the light turning left from Benstein Road onto W. Maple Road. Giffin turns her overhead police lights on and pulls the vehicle over in front of Woodland Hills Drive. A Wolverine Lake and Oakland County deputy drive by separately and check to see if we need back-up. Most situations can be handled by one officer, but situations like domestic violence, some alarm calls, a breaking and entering in progress, assaults, accidents with injury, and suicide calls may require two officers. “A lot of people show up anyways,” Giffin said. They have each other's backs. The driver tells Giffin he's late for a "ball game". She checks his record and sees he has two prior accidents. She writes him a ticket for impeding traffic, which is a fine but will add no points onto his record. “I gave him a break and he thanked me,” she said. “People usually yell more than they thank me.” The computerized system Giffin uses to print tickets is about two years old, so although she has been working in the township for seven years, the system is somewhat new. “It's just a little break we can sometimes give and it's our discretion,” she said, if the driver hasn't had a ticket in the last year, the court allows officers to occasionally reduce the violation. We finally pick up Quiznos around 8 p.m. and bring it back to the substation. It's not long before we're dispatched to Stratford Villa Mobile Park about a suspicious circumstance – five teenagers were allegedly seen shooting up heroin in their car. Giffin says a large majority of the calls are from trailer parks and low income housing in the township. “Usually we're in and out of there all day. People peeping in windows, kids fighting,” she said. “The workload has increased, but we've had the same number of officers. With more people losing their jobs because of the economy, it means more people are stealing.” As we pull into the mobile park, a Wixom police officer waiting in the parking lot across the street follows us in. “See, we back each other, I'm telling you,” she said. “It's a tight-knit group of people, you always stick together.” A red Toyota Camry full of teenagers spots the police car behind them and makes a hard left to avoid the car. Two more Oakland County sheriffs pull in, surrounding the car in question. Four cop cars cause quite a commotion in the trailer park, with residents coming outside left and right to check out what is going on. All four officers seize the Camry, with Giffin putting the driver in handcuffs and in the back of her patrol car. The next suspect, with his name tattooed across his arm, gets handcuffed and put in a second patrol car after he gives the officers a fake name, despite the fact that he is so well known to the officers that they all know him by his first and last name. The third male, who has a medical marijuana
card, is free to leave and goes inside his home. Two female suspects are detained while police search the car. Recovered is nearly $500 in “rent money”, pill bottles, crack, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, needles, sets of real and fake identification, but no heroin. aylight is now gone, but Giffin remains fully alert and vigilant for any situation that may arise. She tells Westend she has only felt uncomfortable or fearful once during her career in law enforcement, while working at the Oakland County Jail and interacting with a man who murdered his wife and young children. The Camry's driver, who has now admitted to smoking marijuana earlier in the day and heroin in the past, is arrested for an OUIN, operating under the influence of narcotics, and is transported to the hospital for a blood test. In exchange for a ride home and leniency, the driver's girlfriend also admits to recently using heroin and agrees to tell her parents in front of an officer. “Depending on the parents, it may do more good than writing them a ticket or taking them to jail.” Heroin, a highly addictive narcotic drug, can get people hooked after only a few uses. “Hopefully, her parents can nip it in the bud,” Giffin says. The second girl being held, who had two forms of identification with two separate names and photos, was issued a ticket for disorderly conduct. She stays with us until the tow truck comes, explaining that the tracks or needle marks on both arms, ankles and neck are from a “major surgery” she recently had. Giffin is not convinced. She is taken to the substation, fingerprinted, and around 10 p.m., released back at Stratford Villa, where she says would stay for the night with a friend until she got a ride back to Novi to see her child. For the rest of her shift, Giffin finishes paperwork and follows up on investigations. “It depends on the day when I do paperwork,” she said. Larcenies and retail fraud mean more paperwork that day. Though it ends up being an eventful night, Giffin doesn't consider any calls fun or exciting. To her, suspenseful calls are the ones where she doesn't have a lot of information or is uncertain about what may happen, like a retail fraud in progress or a car chase. Her least favorite calls to take are ones where children are in danger. It's especially painful to have to perform CPR on infants. “You want to get there as fast as you can, but it's not a call you want to be on. But you do everything you can,” she said. Death notifications are also a grim part of her job. “You never want to go to that house and say your child isn't coming home from college. Parents aren't supposed to bury their children. It's supposed to be the other way around.” To cope with the difficult parts of the job, “You combine your training, information and make a decision about what you're going to do, but in the end we all go home at night. Officer safety is number one and nothing comes between it.”
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Middle Straits Lake Frontage $997,599 Magnificent, light and airy six bedrooms, 4.5 baths Country French home. Three levels with over 6,000 square feet. Vaulted gourmet kitchen with granite counters and stainless steel appliances. Entry level with new 5" hand-scraped Hickory flooring. Three gas fireplaces, great room, den and master bedroom suite. Master bath with heated floors, walk-in marble shower. Finished lower level walkout has full kitchen, mahogany Irish Pub Bar and two bedrooms. Southern exposure with 127' of lake frontage. Award winning Walled Lake schools. 213036575. Presented by RW Watson
Lake Oakland Lake Frontage $895,000
Lake Michigan Frontage $799,900
Beautiful lakefront home with 210' of lake frontage with all of the updates and amenities. Beautifully finished walkout lower level, fabulous in ground private swimming pool with fiber optic lighting. Fabulous stone fireplaces. First floor master bedroom. Updated and ready to move in. Four bedrooms with 3.1 baths. 213049806. Presented by Lee Embrey
Whole Ownership with direct access to Magnificent Lake Michigan and its beautiful sandy beaches right out your front door! This most desirable lower level, end unit condo has a spacious open floor plan with living room, dining room, wet bar, two bedrooms and two baths on the main floor. Lower level walkout has two bedrooms, one bath and a large family room. Freshly painted with newer neutral carpet. Exterior maintenance included. Move-in ready! Furnishings are negotiable. 212068518. Presented by Candice Cuyler
248.644.7000
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FACES
Lila Lazarus
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multi-lingual adventure seeker and highly-regarded journalist, Lila Lazarus is a remarkable overachiever who has distinguished herself through living well and volunteering her talents. After earning two master’s degrees in journalism and political science respectively, the Michigan native began her journalism career with a breadth of ambition. She worked as a news anchor and health reporter across the country until she was offered a job in metro Detroit to report for WDIV-TV (Channel 4). “It’s so special for a journalist to be called to their hometown.” Lazarus subsequently won multiple Emmy Awards and was honored by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. She eventually went on to report for WJBK-TV (Channel 2) until economic conditions in the industry forced her to redirect her career path. “I thought, ‘What am I going to do with my life?’ I believe those moments are a person’s greatest opportunity.” Today Lazarus runs Lila Productions, offering public speaking, yoga seminars, web site videos and producing documentaries through the St. Joseph Mercy Health System. She is able to make her own schedule while also conquering astonishing physical feats. “Every day I wake up and think, ‘What kind of wild adventures can I create today?’” Lazarus is an avid motorcyclist, water skier, golfer and tennis player. Her dauntless attitude toward fear has taken her from the depths of the Grand Canyon to the icy waters of the Straits of Mackinac where she swam for the 50th Anniversary of the Mackinac Bridge.
“We started (swimming) at night, in the dark,” she said. “The water was cold. The wind and waves were high. Once I start something, I do not quit.” Each year she traverses 21 miles across the Grand Canyon each way. “I always wanted to see the Grand Canyon, but who just wants to see the Grand Canyon? I never turn down an adventure.” Lazarus is also a longtime Big Sister through Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. “It’s the best thing I ever did in my life,” she said. Little Sister Toni Murphy, who is now a Big Sister to another girl, graduated from Michigan State University and became a real estate tycoon. “She drives a nicer car than me now!” Lazarus is also Michigan’s Ambassador of Motorcycle Safety, was appointed to the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and serves as the president of Kids Kicking Cancer. “We teach these kids to breathe in the light and breathe out the darkness. When they have the opportunity to dance, sing, or just have fun, they take every advantage of it. Spend five minutes with these kids and you’ll learn how to live a better life.” As a longtime Commerce Lake resident, she thrives in the area and likens it to living in Northern Michigan. “You can just hop on a kayak and paddle to Kensington.” Lazarus is to be married to Ed Fernandez, the general manager at WXYZ-TV (Channel 7), any day. “He’s the love of my life and he says he’s just trying to keep up with me.” Story: Katey Meisner
Photo: Laurie Tennent
MUNICIPAL Sanitary sewers available for homes The Wolverine Lake Village Council voted unanimously on Wednesday, May 9, to establish a special assessment district (SAD) to extend the village's sanitary sewer system to 30 more properties. Each property in the special assessment district will have to pay the same basic price to extend the sewer line. Treasurer Mike Kondek said SAD hook up costs are $15,962 per home if the bond resolution is approved. The village is marketing and advertising bonds in the amount of $481,369. Engineering will determine the final costs after assessing individuals homes and will provide individual quotes. “It's quite costly to hook up,” administrative assistant Judy Whittle said. “Residents petitioned in 2004, street by street, to get sewer lines. Little by little they financially completed all the streets around the lake,” Whittle said. She said residents periodically petition for a special assessment district to help pay for the hook up, which is required if their septic tank fails or there is an addition of 100 square feet or more to the property. “Otherwise, it's volunteer,” she said. For this SAD, 32 property owners petitioned to sell a bond which would be retired through their yearly tax bill over a 10-year period, but subsequently two opted-out, leaving 30 residents. The first year is interest free and “there is no need to tie in, unless you want to,” Kondek said. Engineer Mike Powell said it normally takes about three weeks to hook the sewers up, but the work can be done in a week-and-a-half if there is an emergency situation. He pointed out that if residents delay hooking up, the cost of materials and labor may go up. Kondek expects to have the money by Sunday, June 30. “It moves pretty quickly,” council president pro tem Ed Sienkiewicz said regarding the process. Residents interested in signing the petition can call the village at 248.624.1710 . Two names are already on a new petition, according to village administrator Sharon Miller. “If you want to join all, you have to do is call, but at least 25 residents need to be interested,” in order to proceed, Whittle said. westendmonthly.com
Beaumont plans to look at Commerce By Hayley Beitman
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s Beaumont Health System and Henry Ford Health System end merger talks and go their separate ways, Beaumont plans to revisit the development of 35 acres located on Maple Road between M-5 and Welch Road in Commerce Township. In 2007, the Commerce Township Planning Commission gave Beaumont Hospital site plan approval to develop a $70 million dollar and approximately 167,000 square foot medical facility in Commerce Township. The Commerce Downtown Development Authority (DDA) supported approval of the site plan for the medical center, which included a freestanding emergency center, doctors' offices, rehabilitation services, diagnostic imaging, nuclear medicine, laboratory services and a women's health center. Beaumont broke ground in April 2008 and expected the project, which never came to fruition, to be completed in August 2009. Since the proposed Beaumont-Henry Ford merger was called off in mid-May, Beaumont Hospital plans to revisit the development of the property. “We consider the Commerce Township property an important asset to our health system. The planning process had been on hold during merger talks, but now we will be revisiting the development of the property,” Shane Cerone, senior vice president and president of Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, said on Tuesday, May 28. Commerce Township planner and DDA director Kathleen Jackson confirmed the piece of land is still owned by Beaumont, but said she had not heard of any updates, including plans to develop the property.
Tower placement still under discussion By Hayley Beitman
The Commerce Township Board of Trustees on Tuesday, May 14, continued discussion about the placement of a proposed water storage facility following receipt of a civil engineering report on the various options facing the township. The township requested that civil engineering company Giffels Webster evaluate various alternative sites for the proposed water storage facility. The firm evaluated six alternatives, including elevated and ground storage at Fire Station No. 1, Dodge Park No. Five, and the Nike missile site of Wise Road. Giffels Webster recommended the board consider ground storage at the fire station. “It is our opinion that Option B (Ground Storage in the Vicinity of Fire Station No. 1) can be located south of the Fire Station No. 1 site on the hospital property; it can be screened from neighboring residential neighborhoods; and should not be objectionable to the neighbors. It might not make sense to continue evaluating other sites if Option B is the preferred
alternative,” partner Loren Crandell of Giffels Webster wrote in an e-mail to Commerce Township Supervisor Tom Zoner. Residents living nearby had expressed concerns with putting a water storage facility behind Fire Station No. 1 or beside DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, worried their property values might decline. Crandell advised they can move the facility back and cover it with trees. “People won't be able to see it,” Crandell said. “(Fire Station No. 1) is probably the best alternative in the long term,” speaking in details of at least 40 years. The board unanimously agreed to take no action at the meeting. “There was no intention to have any decision made at the meeting,” Zoner said, noting that residents will be informed before the board decides to make a decision. “There was only one person (from the public) there.”
Optimist Club honors public safety officers The Lakes Area Optimist Club honored five local fire and police department members for their
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service in Commerce, Wixom and Walled Lake at a weekly breakfast held on Thursday, May 2. Five honorees, Thomas Moore of the Commerce Township Fire Department, Michael Smith of the Wixom Fire Department, Matthew Salow of the Walled Lake Fire Department, Shannon Giffin of the Oakland County Sheriff's Commerce Township Substation and Denise Santiago of the Walled Lake Police Department were honored at the 7:30 a.m.breakfast at the Walled Lake Big Boy restaurant at 800 N. Pontiac Trail, on the corner of Pontiac Trail and W. Maple Road. “Each of the chiefs of those jurisdictions' departments picks someone who's not only a good worker but gives back to the community as well,” said Lt. Clay Jansson, the Commerce substation commander. “It could be that they work with kids or do volunteer work. It's that they go above and beyond what they are required to do. We thank and recognize the law and fire and emergency personnel that service this community.” The Lakes Area Optimist Club President Susan Pizzuti said the breakfast was held in May because it is national law enforcement month. “We do it every year. The Lakes Area Optimist Club goes to all the fire departments and police departments and asks the chiefs' to nominate an employee they'd like to honor.” Pizzuti said each chief comes with the honorees to the breakfast provided by the Optimist Club. “One station's guy had all his employees pick who they thought deserved to come,” she said of how the nomination system works. After the regular weekly meeting and special prayer to watch over all law enforcement officials, the breakfast began and the honorees received plaques. “Our job is to help children of the community. Of course, law enforcement tries to help everyone. Our motto is: children first,” she said. “It's one of the events we like to do to make sure we honor all the local law enforcement and so they know they're appreciated.” 47
Wolverine Lake adds police officer The Village of Wolverine Lake Police Department has added a reserve police officer to its staff for the first time in over 15 years. Reserve police officers are used to supplement full and part-time police officers, but in 1998, the last volunteer marine patrol officer left, and since then the department has not added any officers. On Wednesday, May 8, the Wolverine Lake Village Council voted unanimously in support of hiring Rick Perry as a reserve police officer for the department. “It's our first reserve officer in quite some time,” captain John Ellsworth said. “We're looking forward to having an extra body in the car with us and an extra set of eyes and ears.” Ellsworth said he is hoping to hire more reserve officers in the upcoming year. “We're hoping to have six by the end of 2014,” he said. “We're going through the hiring process on a slow pace, as funds allow.” Perry will be an active part of the department, assisting the five full-time and four part-time police officers. Ellsworth is also in the process of applying for a COPS federal hiring grant, which could add more officers to the department.
Residents worried about fire cuts Fears that budget cuts may result in full-time firefighters becoming part-time volunteers prompted residents to pack the regular meeting of the Walled Lake City Council on Tuesday, May 7. A letter was sent out to residents by a concerned resident that read, “Because of budget shortfalls, the city manager has proposed to change the operations of the fire department to all part time and lay off three captains and fire marshal, loosing (sic) a combination of over 90 years of experience. This would close your fire house and delay emergency response to fires, car accidents, medical emergencies. The proposal is scheduled to take effect July 1, 2013.” Currently, the Walled Lake fire department is comprised of four fulltime employees, and the city has proposed making the department part-time, but fire chief Ken Van 48
Haggerty to be reconstructed next year By Hayley Beitman
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aggerty Road between North Pontiac Trail and Richardson Road in Commerce Township and West Bloomfield will undergo a reconstruction in two phases beginning in 2014. The reconstruction is being accomplished through the use of federal and tri-party funds, where $150,000 will come from West Bloomfield Township; $150,000 from Commerce Township; $300,000 from the Oakland County Board of Commissioners; and $300,000 from the board of Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC). Additional grant amounts of $1.3 million will come from the federal surface transportation program and $1.1 million from the federal high priority program to complete the project. The total cost of the project is $3,300,000, which includes contractor payments and construction engineering, with $900,000 making up the total estimated local share amount. “We are using this year's funds for next year's project,” Commerce Township Supervisor Tom Zoner said at the township trustee meeting on May 14. The reconstruction will create an additional lane, taking the road from its current two lanes to three lanes. Trustee Robert Berkheiser ensured the project will not impose on any land from either sides of the road. Phase one of the project includes Haggerty Road from Richardson Road to Oakley Park Road, which was agreed upon last year. Phase two includes North Pontiac Trail to Oakley Park Road. The project is divided into two phases but it's really one big project, Zoner said.
Sparrentak said that any discussion is still preliminary, and that any changes in the department could take weeks. Walled Lake Finance Director Colleen Coogan gave a presentation explaining the city's financial situation and where the deficit claim originated. “Walled Lake finds itself in a budget deficit,” Coogan said. She explained the structural deficit comes from a rich pension and benefit program and recommended ways to alleviate the problem. About a dozen residents spoke, urging the city council to explore the possibility of a millage or task force to discuss ways keep the full-time firefighters. Council member Casey Ambrose thanked Coogan for her financial presentation. "I think there is a lot of misinformation out there," mayor pro tem Linda Ackley said. The city council met on Saturday, May 11, to discuss the new budget, which will be approved by Monday, June 10. Walled Lake's fiscal year begins Monday, July 1.
Decker Road work plans on track The reconstruction and improvement plans for Decker Road in Walled Lake are moving along, with work likely to begin right after school gets out for summer, despite project bids exceeding original estimate. At the Walled Lake city council meeting on Tuesday, May 21, department of public works coordinator Lisa McGill presented the city council with an update on plans for Decker Road construction between W. Maple and S. Commerce roads. The estimated construction cost was originally $1.04 million; $850,000 is federal stimulus money and the remaining $189,400 is Walled Lake's portion. McGill informed city council members that all bids came in higher than expected. Cadillac Asphalt was the lowest bidder at $1.17 million. “Because that amount is over 10 percent (12.79 percent), it required justification from the city in order to move forward with the project,” she
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said. “The city’s engineering consultants, Boss Engineering, reviewed the bid specs and drafted a letter justifying the extra cost.” The letter was sent to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to be reviewed by its commission and administrative board for approval. McGill said the project was released on Thursday, May 16, and will continue moving forward. “Boss Engineering is coordinating a pre-construction meeting, which should happen within the next week or so.” She said dates will be narrowed down at the meeting, but the project is still scheduled to start and finish in one construction season, with a portion of the road open before school starts in the fall. “It is tentatively planned to start mid-to-late June and to be completed by Tuesday, October 1,” she said. “The north end of Decker will be done first so that it is complete before school starts in September.”
Walled Lake audit fees declining The Walled Lake City Council unanimously approved a negotiated contract for auditing services for the city for 2014-2016 with independent auditor Pfeffer Hanniford & Palka at its Tuesday, May 21 meeting. The current contact expires on Sunday, June 30, and city council members unanimously approved the continued use of Brighton firm Pfeffer Hanniford & Palka for auditing services from 2014 through 2016. Walled Lake City Manager Dennis Whitt negotiated an agreement that is less expensive than the current contract and will provide auditing services for 2014, 2015 and 2016. The current contract states the audit fee for 2013 is $29,700. Whitt negotiated an agreement that will not exceed $29,000 for each of the next three years, respectively. “It's really an amazing deal,” Walled Lake Finance Director Colleen Coogan said of the $700 decrease in service fees. Though Whitt noted the amount is not a substantial decrease, mayor pro tem Linda Ackley pointed out that a few years ago, the amount was upwards of $40,000 because there was more work involved. 06.13
Liquor licenses considered for revival By Hayley Beitman
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Murals, photos installed around town In an effort to bring art to the city of Walled Lake, photography and painted murals are being installed around the city as an independently organized subproject of the Detroit Institute of Arts Inside|Out program that is taking place through June. The photo mural, "Putting Walled Lake on the Map", was installed on Sunday, May 19. The photo shoot took place on Saturday, April 20 as an Earth Day event to incorporate water in each of the photos and bring awareness to its importance. The painted mural "Water…and It Was Good", was installed at 126 Ferland St. at 7 a.m. on Saturday, May 25. Other locations with murals throughout Walled Lake include Barrell's of Wine at 136 E. Walled Lake Dr.; Goddard Talmay Insurance Agency at 347 N. Pontiac Trail; Tuffy Muffler at the corner of Maple Rd. and Pontiac Trail; and Bayside Sports Grill at 142 E. Walled Lake Dr. “What I wanted to do was bring more art and culture to Walled Lake. It all started out with the urban design committee. I had a little bit of extra time in my life that I could commit to a volunteer position. I saw no substantial projects or changes happening. Between Maple and Pontiac Trail, everybody was driving through it at 45 miles per hour and not stopping,” project leader and volunteer Valerie Kemp said. “From that point it just snowballed into the mural.” As an environmentalist herself, Kemp wanted to advocate the protection of the environment and highlight the beauty of Walled Lake. “The objective of its creator is to put the camera into the communities' hands and have them give the mural purpose through the faces that they photograph and the theme that they put behind it. This form of expression lets people inside the community express themselves outside on building walls,” she said. "The DIA Inside|Out project gave me a springboard to bring more art into Walled Lake and try to transform this lakefront diamond in the rough into what it was meant to be, a place where people can come and enjoy the lake.” The projects are a combination of efforts from co-creator Kemp, photographer Jennifer Hansen, photographer Jon Kopacz, photographer Carl Amyoni, volunteer Dave Dodson, lead painter David Bollman of SouthPaw Studios, Walled Lake Consolidated School District (WLCSD) art teacher Andrea Novak, retired WLCSD art teacher Mary
Grosvener, WLCSD's Cindy Scarpace, artist Nick Lidster, and Dita and Sean Clouser of Picture Perfect Sets. “They're the one's that kind of took on the project,” Kemp said about Dita and Sean Clouser. “It's all on sign boards they donated and it's in their warehouse. They're the ones that the project is all under.” Kemp said the project will remain up until property owners or weather determine that it needs to come down.
Parks/rec master plan to be updated A proposal to update the five-year master plan for parks and recreation in Commerce was approved by the township board on May 14. The Commerce Township Parks and Recreation Committee presented two proposals for the master plan update and the township board unanimously accepted the bid by livingLAB in the total amount of $23,900. The five-year master plan proposal will cost $13,900, plus an additional $10,000 for forestry management plans, for a total of $23,900. While the forestry management plans are not part of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources requirements, they are needed to be eligible for various grants, according to township supervisor Tom Zoner. Registered forester and certified arborist Mike Barger with Mike's Tree Surgeon's, Inc. will work with livingLAB to evaluate four of the township's most heavily wooded park properties. At the meeting, Barger spoke and stated he will go to each of the four parks, Dodge Park No. Five, Robert H. Long Nature Park, Hickory Glen Park and Ralph C. Richardson Community Center and Park, to identify insects and diseases, as well as how best to manage them. “These are tools for us to use,” said Michelle Holmes, who has been on the parks and recreation committee for 18 years. “I'd rather be proactive than reactive.” “I agree with Michelle that we do need to increase tree planning,” trustee Robert Long said. With two square miles of parks, “it could get very, very expensive,” he said. “We had $25,000 budgeted; this comes to (approximately) $24,000,” trustee Bob Berkheiser added. The project with livingLAB will take between five and six months to complete. The current master plan expires in December 2013.
he Walled Lake City Council is considering pursuing special liquor licenses as a new way to bring economic development to the city. City council members on Tuesday, May 21, listened to a presentation from Brighton's director of community development Lauri French and Brighton's Downtown Development Authority (DDA) director Matt Modrack on how the city of Brighton has used redevelopment liquor licenses as an economic tool. Valerie Kemp, a Walled Lake resident who volunteers on the city's urban development committee, said she reached out to Brighton after seeing how successfully Brighton had utilized the liquor licenses as redevelopment tools, and then approached Walled Lake with the idea. “Last week, I presented it with Lauri French to the Walled Lake DDA and it was very well received. They made a motion to move it on to the city council for consideration,” Kemp said. “It will be a game changer if Walled Lake decides to move forward. (I believe) it is really a no-brainer, especially facing the gloomy present budget situation. The city of Walled Lake has the opportunity to transform its future from the present budget cuts and city layoffs, a gloomy picture, to development and hiring, a ray of sunshine.” The city of Brighton has proven that for their municipality, redevelopment liquor licenses are a successful economic development tool, having created over $18 million in new development and redevelopment over the past five years. At the city council meeting, Modrack explained how it can benefit Walled Lake. “We like to try and help our fellow communities succeed. When our communities succeed, our state succeeds,” he said. Modrak explained that these kind of special liquor licenses were made available through Public Act 501 of 2006, and the law allows the Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC) to issue new liquor licenses to businesses which qualify in the area. A minimum of $200,000 has to have been spent by the business in improvements over the past five years. A city may get one license for every $200,000 in improvements spent. When applying for the license, applicants must show a plan to spend more than $75,000 in improvements over the next five years. The licenses through the MLCC cost $20,000 each and a percentage of that would come directly back to the city of Walled Lake. The licenses are also tied to the building address, but ownership can be transferred in the community. “This is a wonderful example of cross community collaboration. I am so thankful that they (Brighton) are a community which has open-mindedness regarding sharing of information across community lines and accepted my invitation to present this information to Walled Lake's city council,” Kemp said. “The timing was perfect. It's the perfect scenario. It just so happened they're redoing their budgets and talking about cuts, and it just so happened at the same time, I was looking at redevelopment liquor licenses.” According to the presentation, Walled Lake's potential for success is high, with the ability to draw from nearby areas.“Walled Lake can draw from Wixom, Novi, West Bloomfield – cities that actually have a higher economic demographic than Walled Lake. If we make Walled Lake that dining destination, it will draw restaurants and dining facilities and be a dining location,” Kemp said. The city council didn't make any decisions at the Tuesday night meeting, but it is something that is being considered. “I think a lot of this sounds very good,” mayor William Roberts said. “This might be something to look at.” Kemp said she is hopeful the council will consider redevelopment liquor licenses. “There's not really an option except cuts, cuts, cuts. This gives them a chance to realize some revenue and some growth and foster economic development,” she said. “This is the solution. It might not stop the cuts right now because we don't have any income from the redevelopment yet but it's going to change the future. It's going to transform Walled Lake.”
Odds of winning the U.S. Open twice
Odds of having a child diagnosed with autism
1/1.2 billion
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Ernie Els encourages you to learn the signs of autism at autismspeaks.org Early diagnosis can make a lifetime of difference. © 2012 Autism Speaks Inc. “Autism Speaks” and “It’s time to listen” & design are trademarks owned by Autism Speaks Inc. All rights reserved.
FACES
Judge Daniel A. O’Brien
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akland County Probate Judge Daniel A. O’Brien’s journey to the bench essentially started in a modest Irish Catholic home where politics were discussed every night around the big oak table. “When I was growing up, my dad and his friends would sit around our kitchen table arguing about politics and law,” he said. “I learned how to listen to arguments and recognize good arguments from weak ones.” Raised in a middle class home, O’Brien was the rowdiest of seven siblings and his road to distinction was one of diversity and sacrifice. “I’ve done many different things. It really gives me a broad view of people,” he said. “I’ve worked as a mechanic and until I became a judge, being a cement truck driver was my favorite job of all time. Sounds crazy, but I loved it.” Prior to earning a law degree, O’Brien got his bachelor’s degree in engineering from Michigan Technological University. He and his wife, Katie, moved to Dallas for four years where he worked as an electrical engineer for Texas Instruments. It was not long before he realized he belonged in the courtroom. O’Brien and his wife moved back to Michigan and in with his parents while he attended the University of Detroit Mercy-School of Law. “It was actually great,” he said. “My dad and I got to watch our favorite show, Star Trek. We’d have a beer together and talk. My mom was always keeping us fed and my wife was very supportive.” After earning his law degree, O’Brien worked in the Court of Appeals; he served as a magistrate and assistant prosecutor for Oakland County. He then worked in private practice as a trial lawyer before running for Oakland County Probate Judge in 2008. “I really think what gave me the confidence that I could be a good judge was my experience as a trial lawyer and as a magistrate for eight years. I know exactly what it’s like to be in (the lawyer’s) shoes.” Despite his professional achievements, O’Brien has maintained the priorities instilled in him by his late mother and father, who helped transform him from a rambunctious youngster to an honorable and respected jurist. As a regular volunteer at the Baldwin Center and South Oakland Shelter, O’Brien assists in overseeing and ensuring the safety of the homeless while they stay overnight in the shelters. “We look after them and keep them safe when they’re asleep. They’re vulnerable and someone needs to be awake for their safety. “ O’Brien and his wife have remained in the same low key West Bloomfield home for 20 years so they could provide their three daughters with the finest education. While his goal is to win re-election to his current seat, little has changed O’Brien from his modest upbringing. “I cut my own lawn. I go up on my roof and replace shingles that get damaged by the wind. I replace my own brakes on my car and so on. I’m just an ordinary guy.” Story: Katey Meisner
Photo: Laurie Tennent
EDUCATION
Walled Lake Schools outsources bussing
THE CHOICE
By Hayley Beitman
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The Walled Lake Consolidated Schools Board of Education voted 7-0 on Thursday, May 2, to approve the use of Dean Transportation services instead of continuing to provide it as part of a district service. The privatization move is part of an effort to address a projected budget deficit for the coming school year, which district officials say has developed because of reductions in funding from the state. After 13 sessions and negotiations with Walled Lake Transportation Association since August 2012, the administration recommended Dean Transportation provide services for Walled Lake Schools, starting with the 2013-2014 school year. Superintendent Kenneth Gutman sent an e-mail out on Thursday, May 2, reassuring parents that Dean Transportation has an excellent safety record, will offer jobs to current bus drivers and will compensate drivers at a competitive rate. “We are doing everything we can to make decisions that keep cuts as far from the classroom as possible, balance the budget, and continue to offer a quality educational experience for our students and families,” the e-mail said. The transition process will begin immediately and the Walled Lake Consolidated School District will submit a balanced budget to the state by Sunday, June 30, the superintendent said. Gutman said he expects reductions will amount to approximately $10 million. "I'm very proud that Dean Transportation, headquartered in Lansing, has been awarded a contract with the Walled Lake Consolidated Schools. I look forward to working with the community and the district and all of the staff there. We certainly are intending to offer all the staff that have an interest and qualify to continue employment, and we will look forward to the
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opportunity," owner of Dean Transportation Kellie Dean said. Contracting with Dean Transportation will save the district $1.428 million annually and over $4.2 million over the next three years of the contract, school officials said.
Schools add extra days to school year Walled Lake Consolidated Schools will have an extra full day of school on Tuesday, June 11, and a half-day on Wednesday, June 12, to make up for a lost day when approximately 25 percent of its bus drivers called in sick on Wednesday, May 8. Superintendent Kenneth Gutman sent a letter to parents on Thursday, May 16, explaining the extra day is required to ensure the district meets state requirements. “After conferring with the Michigan Department of Education, we have learned, as a result of the lost day of instruction last week, that Walled Lake Schools does not meet the required number of days for the school year and we will have to add a day to make up the lost day.” If Walled Lake Schools were not to make up the extra day, it would cost the district $732,745, or $113,449 per hour of lost instruction. According to the letter, at least 75 percent of the 15,400 students must attend the extra day to meet state requirements. “Therefore, we are asking that you please send your children to school on these last days of school,” Gutman said. “We apologize for this inconvenience, we apologize that our children lost a day of instruction, and we are working to ensure that this does not happen again. Thank you for your patience, understanding, and partnership.” The “sick day” action by the bus drivers was reportedly in protest of the recent decision on the part of the school board to outsource transportation as part of a cost containment effort. 06.13
FACES
Peter Nielsen
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he victim of a debilitating case of Crohn’s Disease and the product of an abusive home, current fitness guru Peter Nielsen came to Michigan from New York with just $600 in his pocket. By the age of 26, Nielsen had become a respected television personality, a motivational speaker, an award winning body builder and a millionaire. Yet as a teenager, Nielsen was faced with saving his mother’s life from his abusive father. “The last experience I had was my dad putting a telephone cord around my mom’s neck. I saw my mom turning blue and gurgling and I went against my dad and I hit him with my best shot. The biggest lesson I learned from my dad was what not to do as a man.” “I was programmed to fail,” Nielsen said. “We are all in the middle of the storm, but if we surrender (to God), there is a reason and a purpose.” Through physical, mental and spiritual strength, Nielsen was able to overcome his past while managing his battle with Crohn’s, an inflammatory bowel disease. From an 86 pound 15-year-old, he worked his way to the top of the body building world, earning the title of Mr. International Universe and Mr. World. At the age of 23, Nielsen started “Peter’s Principles,” a now syndicated television segment that airs every third Friday of the month from 12:30-1 p.m. on WXYZ-TV Channel 7. He also spreads his message of health, nutrition and wellness Saturday mornings on ABC News and Sunday mornings on “Good Morning America.”
“Peter’s Principles is all about hope,” he said. “It’s about living a healthy lifestyle and being the best you can be. God has a way bigger plan if we get out of our own way. The common denominator of people failing is that they lose hope in themselves.” In addition to “Peter’s Principles,” Nielsen speaks on WJR 760 AM from 8-9 p.m. every Sunday. He also owns five health clubs across the U.S. He has created fitness videos and is a respected author. “Principles of Hope,” Nielsen’s fourth book, was just released in April 2013. Despite his unrelenting schedule, Nielsen travels to 20 schools each year to inspire children to be active and healthy. “It’s all part of a message to live a safe and healthy lifestyle.” A Milford resident, Nielsen has two teenage daughters of his own whom he calls the most important things in his world. “I’ve been very blessed with two very beautiful young ladies.” A public advocate for Crohn’s Disease sufferers, Nielsen became a celebrity spokesperson for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, allowing him to spread his intoxicating positivity to others afflicted. According to Nielsen, there was no drug, money or therapy that could heal his medical obstacles and difficult past. “The only thing that truly pierced my heart was God,” he said. “God has showered me with favor.” “If I could and had to, I’d do it all for free,” Nielsen said. “I’ve lived a life of 20 men and I feel so fortunate and humbled.” Story: Katey Meisner
Photo: Laurie Tennent
Expires 6-30-2013
PLACES TO EAT The Places To Eat for Westend is a quick reference source to establishments offering a place for dining, either breakfast, lunch or dinner. The complete Places To Eat is available at westendmonthly.com and in an optimized format for your smart phone (westendmonthly.com/mobile), where you can actually map out locations and automatically dial a restaurant from our Places To Eat.
Amazing House Chinese Restaurant: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, Monday–Friday, 3-10 p.m. No reservations. 1130 E. West Maple Road, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.669.8896. Anaam’s Palate: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2534 Union Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48382. 248.242.6326. Applebees Neighborhood Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 9100 Highland Road, White Lake, 48386. 248.698.0901. Backyard Coney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 49378 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393. 248.926.9508. Bayside Sports Grille: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 142 E. Walled Lake Drive, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.669.3322. Biffs Coney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 3050 Union Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48382. 248.366.7400. Big Boy Restaurant: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 5834 Highland Road, Waterford, 48328. 248.674.4631. Big Boy Restaurant: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 800 N. Pontiac Trail, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.624.2323. Big Boy Restaurant: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Beer & Wine. 7726 Cooley Lake Road, Waterford, 48327. 248.363.1573. Billy’s Tip N Inn: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 6707 Highland Road, White Lake Township, 48383. 248.889.7885. Boon Kai Restaurant: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1257 S Commerce Road, Commerce, 48390. 248.624.5353. Buffalo Wild Wings: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 5223 Highland Road, Waterford, 48327. 248.674.9464 Carino’s Italian Restaurant: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 500 Loop Road, Commerce Township, 48390. 248.926.5300. Carrie Lee’s of Waterford: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 7890 Highland Road, Waterford, 48327. 248.666.9045. Casey’s Sports Pub & Grill: Deli. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 1003 E West Maple Road, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.669.5200. China Garden: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner daily. No reservations. 49414 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393. 248.960.8877. China House: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner,
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daily. No reservations. 901 Nordic Drive, White Lake Township, 48386. 248.889.2880. China King: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 4785 Carroll Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48390. 248.363.9966. China Queen: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1130 E Maple Road, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.669.8896. CJ’s Brewing Company: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 8115 Richardson Road, Commerce Township, 48390. 248.366.7979. Coffee Time Café: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1001 Welch Road, Commerce Township, 48390. 248.624.0097. Coyote Grille: American. Lunch, MondayFriday; Dinner, Monday-Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 1990 Hiller Road, West Bloomfield, 48324. 248.681.6195. Dairy Queen: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 10531 Highland Road, White Lake, 48386. 248.698.2899. Daniel’s Pizza Bistro: Pizza. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2510 Union Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48382. 248.363.7000. Dave and Amy’s: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 9595 Highland Road, White Lake, 48386. 248.698.2010. Dave’s Coney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No Reservations. 901 Nordick Drive, White Lake, 48383. 248.889.3600. Dickey’s Barbecue Pit: Barbecue. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 4825 Carroll Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48382. 248.360.4055. Dobski’s: American, Polish. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6565 Cooley Lake Road, Waterford, 48327. 248.363.6565. Eddie’s Coney Island: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1749 Haggerty Road, Commerce Township, 48390. 248.960.1430. El Mariachi Mexican Restaurant: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 602 N Pontiac Trail, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.926.6180. El Nibble Nook: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations for 6 or more. Liquor. 2750 Haggerty Road, West Bloomfield, 48323. 248.669.3344. El Patio Mexican Restaurant: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 7622 Highland Road, Waterford, 48327. 248.666.5231. Five Guys Burgers & Fries: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 5134 Highland Road, 48327. 248.673.5557. Gest Omelets: American. Breakfast & Lunch, daily until 4 p.m. No reservations. 39560 W 14 Mile Road, Commerce Township, 48390. 248.926.0717. Golden Chop Sticks: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 47516
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Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393. 248.960.3888. Grand Aztecha: Mexican: Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6041 Haggerty Road, West Bloomfield, 48322. 248.669.7555. Greek Jalapeno: Greek, Mexican. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 6636 Cooley Lake Road, Waterford, 48327. 248.363.3322. Green Apple Restaurant: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 7156 Cooley lake Road, Waterford, 48327. 248.366.9100. Haang's Bistro: Chinese/Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 225 E Walled Lake Drive, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.926.1100. Highland Grille: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 7265 Highland Road, Waterford, 48327. 248.666.8830. Highland House: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2630 E. Highland Road, Highland, 48356. 248.887.4161. Highland House Café: American, Pizza. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 10719 Highland Road, White Lake, 48386. 248.698.4100. Hong Kong Express: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 5158 Highland Road, Waterford, 48327. 248.673.7200. It’s a Matter of Taste: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2323 Union Lake Road, Commerce, 48390. 248.360.4150. Jennifer’s Café: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 4052 Haggerty Road, Commerce Township, 48390. 248.360.0190. Jenny’s Restaurant: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1186 E West Maple Road, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.669.8240. Kennedy’s Irish Pub: Irish/American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 1055 W Huron Street, Waterford, 48328. 248.681.1050. L George’s: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1203 S Commerce Road, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.960.5700. Leo’s Coney Island: American/Greek. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 6845 Highland Road, White Lake, 484386. 248.889.5361. Leo’s Coney Island: American/Greek. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 4895 Carroll Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48382. 248.366.8360. Leo’s Coney Island: American/Greek. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2210 Teggerdine, White Lake, 48386. 248.779.7085. Leon’s Food & Spirits: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 29710 S. Wixom Road, Wixom, 48393. 248.926.5880. Lion’s Den: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 4444 Highland Road, Waterford, 48328. 248.674.2251 Lulu’s Coney Island: Greek. Breakfast,
Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1001 Welch Road, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.669.1937. Maria’s Restaurant: Italian. Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2080 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48323. 248.851.2500. Mexico Lindo: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6225 Highland Road, Waterford, 48327. 248.666.3460. Mezza Mediterranean Grille: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1001 Welch Road, Commerce Township, 48390. 248.926.2190. Moonlight Mediterranean Cuisine: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1123 E West Maple Road, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.859.5352. Nick & Toney’s: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday; Sunday until 3 p.m. No reservations. 9260 Cooley Lake Road, White Lake, 48386. 248.363.1162. North Szechuan Empire: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 39450 W. 14 Mile Road, Commerce Township, 48390. 248.960.7666. On The Waterfront: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 8635 Cooley Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48382. 248.363.9469. Panera Bread: Bakery, Deli. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 5175 Highland Road, Waterford, 48327. 248.618.0617. Pepino’s Restaurant & Lounge: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. No reservations. Liquor. 118 W Walled Lake Drive, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.624.1033. Red Lobster: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 479 N Telegraph Road, Waterford, 48328. 248.682.5146. Red Robin: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 3003 Commerce Crossing, Commerce Township, 48390. 248.926.2990. Root Restaurant & Bar: American. Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday. No reservations. Liquor. 340 Town Center Blvd, White Lake, 48386. 248.698.2400. Rudy’s Waffle House: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 674 N Pontiac Trail, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.669.7550. Samuri Steakhouse: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 7390 Haggerty Road, Wet Bloomfield, 48322. 248.661.8898. Shark Club: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 6665 Highland Road, Waterford, 48327. 248.666.4161. SIAM Fushion: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 6845 Highland Road, White Lake Township, 48386. 248.887.1300. Siegel’s Deli: Deli. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 3426 E West Maple Road, Commerce Township, 48390. 248.926.9555.
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Sizzl in Subs & Salads: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 2051 N Wixom Road, Wixom, 48393. 248.960.0009. Swasdee Thai Restaurant: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 6175 Haggerty Road, West Bloomfield, 48322. 248.926.1012. Sweet Water Bar & Grille: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 7760 Cooley Lake Road, Waterford, 48327. 248.363.0400. Taqueria La Casita: Mexican. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 49070 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393. 248.926.1980. Thai Kitchen: Thai. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 7108 Highland Road, Waterford, 48327. 248.886.0397. The Lake’s Bar & Grill: American. Lunch, Tuesday- Sunday; Dinner daily. Reservations. Liquor. 2528 Union Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48382. 248.366.3311. The Library Pub: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 6363 Haggerty Road, West Bloomfield, 48322. 248.896.0333. TJ’s Sushi & Chinese Restaurant: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 8143 Commerce Road, Commerce Township, 48382. 2484.363.3388. Town Lake Family Restaurant: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner daily. No reservations. 1186 E. West Maple Road, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.669.7550. Uptown Grill: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 3100 West Maple Road, Commerce Township, 48382. 248.960.3344. Village Grill: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 1243 N Commerce Road, Commerce Township, 48382. 248. 366.3290. Volare Risorante: Italian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 49115 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393. 248.960.7771. VR Famous Fried Chicken: American, Cajun. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 47520 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393. 248.926.6620. Walled Lake Coney Island & Pizza: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 1203 Commerce Road, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.624.8531. White Palace: Mediterranean. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 6123 Haggerty Restaurant, West Bloomfield, 48322. 248.313.9656. Wilson’s Pub n Grill: American. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 2256 Union Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48382. 248.363.1849. Wonton Palace: Chinese. Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 5562 Cooley Lake Road, Waterford, 48327. 248.683.5073. Woody’s Café: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. 235 N. Pontiac Trail, Walled Lake, 48390. 248.624.4379.
06.13
BUSINESS MATTERS New drive-in opens The Corner Car Hop, a new drive-in restaurant, has opened at 725 E. Walled Lake Drive. “Walled Lake’s family stop” is owned by husband
and wife Dita and Sean Clouser of Picture Perfect Sets, Inc. Dita, a Walled Lake resident of 22 years, has always loved vintage car-hop driveins and wanted to open her own in Walled Lake. “I love this little town and Sean loves it too; he moved here from California. We redid everything inside and got all new appliances, too,” she said. The approximately 1,200 square foot space, which was once a pie stand, is where all the food is prepared before it is brought out to your car. “There are not very many drive-ins left here in Michigan. I
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wanted to bring back that vintage style and make it family-style,” Dita said. The restaurant serves all-beef hot dogs and burgers made with fresh ground sirloin from the local butcher. “I just wanted it to be a high school place like it used to be on Happy Days where it’s safe and there’s no alcohol. It’s mostly high school kids working there and they love their job.” As an artist, Dita made all the hats and aprons for the car-hop girls. “We’re so artistic and I just love the vintage.” The Clousers are offering different specials and themed nights, such as Harley night and classic car night. Their future plans include incorporating a drive-in movie theater on the lake, “so boats can pull up, eat food and watch old movies.”
attraction and small town so we can get to know our customers and get to build a relationship with our clients here,” owner Ka Hang said. Their restaurant was previously located in Grand Rapids. The bistro features five inside tables and six tables on the patio. “We’re kind of a little bit small but yet big enough to accommodate some tables,” she said. “Our food is cooked fresh and every dish has its own distinct taste and sauce. We take pride in our cooking so we like to make everybody happy.” Yang’s husband, Her Hang, is the chef.
Urban contemporary gallery Lost Marbles Art Gallery opened at 103 E. Walled Lake Drive in the beginning of April. “The owner and I
New Asian bistro Thai and Chinese restaurant Haang’s Bistro has opened at 225 E. Walled Lake Drive in Walled Lake. “We chose Walled Lake because we love the view here. We always wanted something with the lake
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were doing something else previously and we evolved that business into what we are now,” manager Alexandra Borngesser said. “We’re a counter culture art gallery featuring urban contemporary style art. We carry fine art, but our main focus is glass.” The gallery also carries apparel and jewelry hand-made in Detroit. “We have our shows in pairs of traditional fine art and someone who is a glassblower.” Borngesser said they decided to open Lost Marbles Art Gallery in Walled Lake because it is where owner David Dodson lives. “Walled Lake is a blank canvas. There’s a lot of opportunity to bring art and culture to the area. Nothing like this exists here. We felt like it was a good opportunity to provide Walled Lake with our approach to a gallery.” Their first show was held on Friday, April 12. “It went really well,” she said. Business Matters for the west Oakland area are reported by Hayley Beitman. Send items for consideration to HayleyBeitman@downtownpublications.com. Items should be received three weeks prior to publication.
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ENDNOTE
Ethics board resolve conflicts
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hen researching this month's story on ethics ordinances, we were pleased to discover that all three of the communities this publication covers – Commerce Township, Walled Lake, and Wolverine Lake Village, have some form of institutionalized ethics policy. While many people believe a lot of what is in an ethics policy represents common sense, in an era where common sense isn't as common as it once was, every municipality should have an ethics policy or ordinance in place. Commerce Township and Wolverine Lake each have policies created around the same time, in 1999 and 2000, respectively, which cover the code of conduct for both employees and elected officials. The city of Walled Lake and its DDA have ethics rules and regulations going back to the 1970s, and it would behoove city officials to update their policies to reflect today's ethical circumstances. Their rules and regulations only cover employees, and like the other municipalities, it would be wise to have an ordinance or policy regulating the behavior of elected officials as well. That is an overdue action for them to take. We would like to see the three municipalities take the next appropriate step as well, as some other communities have done, and that is to set up an ethics board, which would include the city,
village or township attorney, to hear cases where there could be a question or complaint about the ethics of a government official or employee. An ethics board allows for an impartial, professional way to resolve disagreements, and permits a board or council to have a means of enforcement if they provide an opinion to the board or council that an ethical boundary has been crossed. Commerce Township Supervisor Tom Zoner stated that the township's personnel policies are more of a formality than a necessity. Yet, when there was a perceived conflict of interest with a DDA official a few years ago, the individual turned to the Michigan Townships Association and a DDA attorney for resolution, who determined there had not been a conflict of interest. If there had been an ethics board, they could have made an impartial ruling, and sent the recommendations to the township board who would have had the final authority – and the knowledge – to resolve the disagreement and either admonish the individual or ask him to step down. As it was, even though the township attorney suggested there was a conflict, with the other two opinions in hand, the DDA member refused to step down. Ethics comes from a branch of philosophy that addresses questions of morality, and the concepts of good and evil, right and wrong,
virtues vs. vices, and what is appropriate justice for a crime. The key to a good ethics ordinance, or policy, is to avoid even the whiff of impropriety or conflict of interest. As someone said, “If you have to ask, then it's probably unethical.” An ordinance allows a community to ask the questions, explore appropriate answers and find the solution which fits the situation. By not having an ordinance or policy, it precludes the ability to ask the question, often until there is an actual problem. We all know now that Kwame Kilpatrick's mayoral administration was monstrously corrupt, but if we just look at the original text message/sexual affair instance by instance, how many people take home a work cell phone? Make a personal call on it? Use it for a personal text? Hopefully, misdeeds as gross as Kilpatrick's are not regularly done, but as we all know, minor transgressions lead to major ones. By having a policy which states what is allowed—and what is not—it permits officials, employees and members of the community to operate from the same page. A clean one. An ethics board allows for the professionalism and authority for a municipality to maintain its ethics in an era where common sense is often open to personal interpretation, and an ethics board can make recommendations to the ruling council where a final decision in terms of a remedy can be rendered.
Schools right to outsource bussing
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alled Lake Consolidated Schools, like many other schools around the state, had to make an extremely difficult decision at a recent school board meeting. With a looming budget deficit and financial constraints a reality for the district, the school board decided to outsource the district's transportation services for the upcoming school year. We applaud their prudent fiscal responsibility, and for their wisdom in choosing their students’ education over workers' salaries they could no longer afford. On Thursday, May 2, the Walled Lake Schools Board of Education voted 7-0 to approve the use of Dean Transportation services instead of continuing to provide bussing to students as part of a district service. The privatization move is part of an effort to address a projected budget deficit for the coming school year, which district officials say has developed because of reductions in funding from the state. Like many school districts, Walled Lake is confronted with significantly less per pupil funding from the state than in years gone by,
coupled with employee salaries, pensions and benefits which outstrip funding. According to administration sources, district officials held 13 separate sessions attempting to negotiate with the Walled Lake Transportation Association since August 2012, without reaching a workable resolution. Ultimately, in the best interest of the district and its constituents, the administration recommended that Dean Transportation provide the services for Walled Lake Schools, beginning with the 2013-2014 school year. Walled Lake Schools Superintendent Kenneth Gutman stated that contracting with Dean Transportation would save the district $1.428 million annually, and over $4.2 million over the next three years of the contract. That's real money, and a real and significant savings, both to the district and to taxpayers. Additionally, by contracting with Dean Transportation for the district's bussing services, Gutman is able to submit a balanced budget to the state by the mandated date, June 30, 2013. Of course, not everyone is happy. A transportation “sick out” occurred on May 8,
when approximately 25 percent, or 120 of its bus drivers, called in sick to protest the district's decision to privatize its transportation services. School had to be cancelled for all of the district's 15,400 students, other than high school students taking advanced placement exams that day, which could not be rescheduled. That's unacceptable, and inconsiderate on the part of the bus drivers, who put their demands above students' needs to get to school. Now, students and teachers in the district must extend their school year by a day and a half, going until June 12, in order to receive state funding because of the selfish actions of some transportation workers. According to director of community relations Judy Evola, there are 15,400 students in the district and approximately 12,000 students, almost 80 percent of the district's students, use the district's transportation services. The district acted in good faith for all of those 15,400 students and their parents by choosing to outsource the transportation services for the 12,000 who use it on a daily basis.
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