Surprise Supervisor

Underdog triumphs to take the top job at West Bloomfield Township Hall.

BILL CARROLL

Special to the Jewish News

eminiscent of David ver-
sus Goliath, Democrat
David Flaisher, a political
unknown, bested
Republican Jeddy Hood, the giant of
West Bloomfield politics, to win
election to a four-year term as town-
ship supervisor in one of the biggest
political upsets of recent local histo-
ry. His victory margin was 1,361
votes: 16,330 to 14,969.
Flaisher, a soft-spoken, unas-
suming certified public account-
ant, was one of several Jewish
candidates — most of them
Democrats — to triumph in
West Bloomfield on Nov. 7. On
Election Day, Democrats made
strong inroads throughout
Oakland County, once heavily
Republican but no longer.
West Bloomfield had a
turnout of 76 percent at the
polls: 34,150 voters out of
44,500 registered, and 7,700 of
them connected the black arrow
for a straight Democratic Party
ticket vote. Some 6,200 others
voted the straight Republican
ballot. The Democrats' help
gave Vice President Al Gore a
57-43 percent majority in the
township in his presidential bid.
Flaisher, 49, winning his first try at
elective office, ran pretty much of a
spartan campaign, getting only about
$900 in contributions. But he appar-
ently received the right kind of
advice from several veteran
Democratic politicians, including
Stuart Brickner. He served as
Flaisher's campaign manager while
achieving re-election to his second
four-year term as township trustee, a
job that pays S100 per meeting
attended.
Democrat Steven Kaplan, topping
the list of candidates for trustee with
18,727 votes, had enough to oust
incumbent Republican Raymond
Holland. Kaplan was followed by
Brickner, 16,786 votes, and
Republican incumbents Allen

Adelberg, 14,579, and Debbie
Macon, 14,033. Democrat Arnold
Sabaroff missed by just 352 votes.
After giving incumbent Republican
Township Clerk Sharon Law a tough
fight, Democrat Ruth Bornstein lost
17,139 to 14,036.

Dems Fought Hard

Township Hall observers, who spoke
on condition of anonymity, said
Hood was "shocked and hurt" by her

win. "I just took my victory in stride,
but it's really tough to beat an
incumbent." He's receiving some on-
the-job training. Township election
laws don't provide a November-to-
January transition period. He was
sworn into office Nov. 13 with the
other winners and took over the
$86,600-a-year job a week later on
Nov. 20.
Since last April, when he left his
job and decided to work full time on
the campaign, Flaisher hadn't been

"I could see

then I had

the backing of

Road, and other people with com-
plaints about local issues.
"I could see then I had the backing
of the grassroots of the community.
They volunteered to pull their groups
together and do all they could to sup-
port me."
Active for a long time in a home-
owners association near Walnut Lake
and Farmington roads, Flaisher really
got involved in community matters
when he joined others in an unsuc-
cessful bid to block a huge condo
project at Walnut Lake and
Orchard Lake roads. He
asserted that Hood was
"rude" to residents and devel-
opers who attended those re-
zoning hearings. He asserted
that Hood was "out of touch
with the needs of the com-
munity" and displayed a "lack
of leadership and profession-
alism." In response, Hood
said none of these assertions
have merit.

the grassroots of

Strategy

Brickner said his strategy was
to get Flaisher to tone down
what looked like the makings
of a negative campaign and
— David Flaisher
to be more positive and mod-
erate, highlighting the power-
ful local issues and his cre-
dentials to do the job.
sure how he would fare. "No one
"I worked with David almost every
came forward to challenge the
day
to try to do some unusual things to
incumbent, so I felt I had to do it," .
get
attention,
like the anti-Jeddy Hood
he said.
signs, but not be nasty and to leave out
the blatant negatives," said Brickner. "I
also helped Ruth Bornstein with her
Grassroots Backing
campaign, plus my wife, Maxine, who
Then, about three weeks before the elec-
was elected to the Library Board."
tion, Flaisher received a cryptic phone
A newcomer to the non-partisan
call, asking him to come that night to
Library
Board race, Maxine Brickner
Barnes & Noble Booksellers on Orchard
got
the
most
votes, 14,395, for the
Lake Road in West Bloomfield.
four-year term. The job carries no
"About 10 people showed up, repre-
compensation.
senting homeowner groups from all
Because of meager donations,
areas of the township," Flaisher
Flaisher had to spend about $7,000 of
recalled. "They were from the area
his own money, holding one low-key
that opposed the building of the
fund-raiser. "People seem reluctant to
Edison substation on Halsted Road,
contribute
money because they fear
the area that opposed the new condo-
minium development at the corner of
SUPERVISOR on page 16
Orchard Lake Road and Walnut Lake

the community."

defeat in a bid for a third term. They
said the fact she lost wasn't surprising
because she was regarded by some as
being "just too arrogant" in her rela-
tions with residents, builders and
developers.
Hood discounts this theory, and
said what actually hurt her chances
were the changing demographics of
West Bloomfield. "David Flaisher
didn't beat me — the Democratic
Parry bear me," she said. "The
Democrats did a great job of getting
the vote out. Many people called me
later to apologize. They said they
were so intent on getting Gore elect-
ed that they voted the straight
Democratic Parry ticket, which
excluded a vote for me. They
thought my election was safe.
Flaisher is relatively calm about the

11/24

2000