Turf Battles West Bloomfield positions attract several candidates. BILL CARROLL Special to the Jewish News T wo West Bloomfield retirees want to go back to work full time in a new job: supervisor of the 31-square-mile, 20,000-acre Oakland County township with a population of 65,000. Allen Adelberg, who is Jewish and currently a West Bloomfield trustee, retired two years ago as a financial analyst for Ford Motor Company, after 35 years with the firm. Michael Madigan retired last year after 34 years with the West Bloomfield Police Department. They're battling it out on the Republican ticket of the Aug. 3 primary for the right to oppose Jewish incumbent Democrat Supervisor David Flaisher in the Nov. 2 general election. Flaisher, completing his first four-year term, is unopposed in the primary. The job's salary is $96,000 a year. Six candidates — four of them Jewish — are run- ning for four nominations in the Democrat race for the board of trustees. They are incumbent Smart Brickner, and Gerald Chudler, Larry Horn and Robert Spector. The other two are Heddie O'Connor and Catherine Shaughnessy. Four Republican trustee candi- dates are assured of spots on the November ballot because they have no opposition in the primary. They are incumbent Debbie Macon, plus Roberta Boyle, Todd Kokko and Diane Reis-Harnisch. A total of four from the two parties will be elected in November for four-year terms. There will be at least two new faces on the board because Adelberg and Steven Kaplan, who also is Jewish, are not seeking re- election. The latter is running for Oakland County's 48th district judge post. Trustee compensation is $100 per meeting. Incumbent Denise Hammond (Republican) and Sandra Shipper (Democrat), who is Jewish, are unop- posed in the treasurer's contest, which has a $93,000 a year salary. Maxine Brickner, who is Jewish, the wife of Smart Brickner, and a member of the Library Board, is unopposed in the Democrat race for township clerk. But a battle is shaping up on the Republican side between incumbent Clerk Sharon Law and challenger Nancy Reed. The job also pays 593,000 a year. He also favors making it easier and less costly for res- idents to obtain permits for home improvements. He wants to create a better business climate and maintain property values — while strictly enforcing environ- mental laws. Adelberg Profile Adelberg, 61, has lived in West Bloomfield for 30 years, and is completing his second term as a trustee, having been appointed to the board in 1998. He and his wife, Penny, have two children and two grandchildren. Adelberg is a gradu- ate of Detroit's Mumford High Adelberg School (1961) and Wayne State University. He holds a BA degree in accounting and an MBA in finance. He's vice president of the West Bloomfield Optimist Club and co-chair- man of the Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament, which has brought $70,000 to local charities in the past four years. He's not affiliated with any synagogue. Michael Madigan, Republican Making his first bid for public office, Madigan retired from the West Bloomfield Police Department with the rank of detective lieutenant, supervising 17 people and handling budgets. He feels there's poor morale among township employees, mainly because of lack of communication, "and it's affecting service to the public." He says public safety is his strong suit, and traffic congestion is the township's main problem. "We must go forward as soon as possible with the east-west road widenings, intersection roundabouts and improved traffic light timing on all thoroughfares, especially northbound Orchard Lake Road," he asserted. "There should be more officers in the police traffic bureau." Madigan also wants to make sure wetlands are main- tained, preserving wildlife and trees. " But we have to keep the aura of a suburban bedroom community" For West Bloomfield Supervisor Allen Adelberg, Republican Adelberg says his main goal in the supervisor's race is to "get David Flaisher out of office," and points to his trustee position background and experience in "com- munity leadership and budget and business matters" as the best way to do it. "According to the residents I talk to, the biggest issue in West Bloomfield involves roads and traffic congestion," he said. "We've had the longest pending improvements in our roads in state history. It's about time the improvements were made, such as the widening of Orchard Lake and Maple roads. We need to be proactive, not reactive." 7/30 2004 14 Madigan Madigan Profile Madigan, 58, and his wife, Sally, have five children and five grand- children, and have lived in West Bloomfield for 30 years. He attend- ed high school in Dearborn, then Northwestern (Mich.) College and Oakland Community College. He was vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police #128, and the fam- ily belongs to Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church. David Flaisher, incumbent Democrat As his role in the most significant accomplishments in the past four years, Flaisher points to voter approval of a public safety millage increase (in 1992), building a police station addition and hiring four more officers; a new $3.5 million fire station on Maple Road, with 10 more firefighters; re-instating Saturday hazardous waste collections at West Bloomfield High School, and progress on the township's master plan to help ease traffic congestion. Answering his critics on delays in implementing road improvements, he stressed that traffic round- abouts are planned for Maple and Drake roads (2005), then Maple and Farmington roads (2006), widening of Orchard Lake Road to six lanes, 14-Mile to three lanes, and eventually Maple to four lanes. "But one of our biggest problems continues to be lack of cooperation, along political lines, from the clerk and treasurer (both Republicans) who are exceeding their authority on every issue," asserted Flaisher. 'Also, the day I was sworn in, I was faced with an insolvent water and sewer department. Rates had been frozen for five years, so we had to raise rates by 25 percent. The department is on a sound basis now, and I voted against another rate increase recently (a 9 percent hike passed, 5-2)." The biggest issue ahead for the township, according to Flaisher, is the rise in health care costs for employees and retirees. "I proposed $2 to $3 million in budget cuts — mainly for employees to pay more for health care — but the rest of the board opposed this," he said. Flaisher Profile Flaisher, 52, has lived in West Bloomfield for 16 years. He gradu- ated from Detroit's Cass Tech High School and Wayne State University with a business degree. He former- ly was a CPA for 18 years. He and his wife, Enid, have a daughter and they belong to Adat Shalom Flaisher Synagogue. He always brings the halavah to the Orchard Lake Middle School PTO ethnic meals. Flaisher is vice pres- ident of the Michigan Townships Association, Oakland County chapter, and treasurer of the county's Association of Township Supervisors. For Township Trustee Stuart Brickner, incumbent Democrat Brickner, running for a third term, is deeply involved in the township's infrastructure, serving as chairman of the Water and Sewer Committee and Transportation and Roads Committee, as a Planning Commission member and past chairman of the Lakes Area Advisory Council. "I want to continue working to relieve road conges- tion, drainage problems and lake pollution, keep builders from damaging wetlands, prevent basement flooding and improve water quality," he said.