Open Forum
Pleasant Ridge Mayor Jeffrey Sherbow believes in old-fashioned government.
I
LESLEY PEARL STAFF WRITER
n 1986, the govern-
ment powers of
Pleasant Ridge insult-
ed Jeffrey Sherbow.
He didn't get mad. He
became the mayor.
Six years ago Mr.
Sherbow submitted an
application for a vacancy
on the city commission.
It was an interim posi-
tion, and three other res-
idents applied.
Mr. Sherbow was the
final interview. The
mayor asked him what
he thought of a specific,
proposed parking ordi-
nance. Mr. Sherbow
wasn't familiar with the
Pleasant Ridge Mayor Jeffrey Sherbow brings humor to his office.
proposal. None of the
other candidates was
asked similar questions.
Mr. Sherbow refused to
answer.
The city commission
members called a recess.
When they returned,
they named the new
interim commissioner. It
was not Mr. Sherbow nor
the three other candi-
dates.
Two weeks later, Mr.
Sherbow filed a petition
to run for mayor of
Pleasant Ridge.
"My slogan was: It is
time to be heard, time to
be able to speak and no
one should be denied
that inalienable right,"
Mr. Sherbow said.
He won with that. And
residents were serious
about the promise. Mr.
Sherbow's first few meet-
ings as mayor ran until 1
a.m. He refused to cut
anyone short.
There was tremendous
controversy between the
cities of Pleasant Ridge
and Ferndale at the
time. The construction of
1-696 interrupted travel
patterns and each city
had put up its own traf-
fic signs. A wall had been
erected at 10 Mile and
Ridge Road. Pleasant
Ridge had threatened to
contract a city other than
Ferndale for its fire pro-
tection. Mr. Sherbow
joined and became active
in the Southeast Oak-
land County Mayors
Association — discussing
problems and concerns
with other local leaders.
Within a year, relations
with Ferndale had im-
proved.
"I'm only a small part
of that," Mr. Sherbow
said. "The city manager
really runs the city in
Pleasant Ridge. I'm func-
tionally the head. I'm a
small cog in a somewhat
small wheel. You need
that attitude to make
your position work in a
city this size."
Pleasant Ridge boasts
2,600 residents.
"In small-town govern-
ment, the concept is old
town hall politics of 200
years ago. You get people
together in a room to
speak their mind, you
allow an open exchange
of ideas," Mr. Sherbow
said.
That's not to say it has
always been easy.
Mr. Sherbow and the
city council drew up a
five-year master plan for
Pleasant Ridge after Mr.
Sherbow's first victory.
Mr. Sherbow refers to it
as a "volatile document"
because certain residen-
tial areas in the city are
marked for redevelop-
ment. Many residents
were concerned the city
would buy up homes.
"It's my philosophy
that it's not the city's job
to buy homes," Mr.
Sherbow said.
However, residents'
fears were not calmed.
Three hundred people
showed up for the meet-
ing where the issue
would be discussed. Mr.
Sherbow entered with a
bullseye taped to his
back.
"People were hot over
the issue. I thought a lit-
tle levity would calm the
tension," Mr. Sherbow
said. "Maybe I think of
things too lightly and
people may get angry.
But in the grand scheme
of things, humor and an
open exchange is better
than seriousness and
tension beyond the point
of no return."
To date, city govern-
ment has not bought any
homes. It bought one lot
next to the recreation
building where a house
burned down.
Many were concerned
that the construction
of 1-696 would change
the borders of Detroit
from Eight Mile and
Woodward Avenue to 10
Mile and Woodward — at
least in theory if not on
paper. This has not been
the case.
"Our community has
changed a great deal
over the last six years,"
Mr. Sherbow said. "The
average age has decreas-
ed. Older folks have been
moving out and baby
boomers like me have
been moving in. It's a
natural progression. Now
people who couldn't
afford homes in Birming-
ham or West Bloomfield
are finding beautiful
houses here.
"Twenty years ago, the cc
makeup here was differ- co
w
ent. I moved here in
1978 and could count the
Jewish families on one c) ,
hand. In the 1950s-'70s,
this was a conservative,
Republican
bastion. OU
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on