Township Leadership
West Bloomfield voters to choose from among 14 candidates.
BILL CARROLL
Special to the Jewish News
Ec
otly contested races for clerk
and treasurer are enlivening
the Nov. 2 election cam-
paign in West Bloomfield Township.
Fourteen candidates — eight of
them Jewish — are competing in the
major races: clerk, treasurer, supervi-
sor and for four seats on the Board
of Trustees; all are four-year terms.
The township's population is
65,000.
There will be at least two new
faces on the board as the contest pits
four Democrats against four
Republicans. Incumbents Allen
Adelberg and Steven Kaplan are not
seeking re-election. Adelberg made
an unsuccessful run for supervisor in
the August primary, being upset by
Michael Madigan. Kaplan is running
for judge of the 48th District Court,
which includes West Bloomfield.
Township voters also will have one
local millage issue to decide —
whether to add 18 more miles to the
existing 64 miles of safety paths for
walkers and bicycle riders in the 31-
square-mile township. The proposal
asks authorization to levy up to two-
tenths of a mill for 15 years
($775,000 the first year) "for the
purpose of acquiring, constructing,
improving and maintaining safety
paths." If approved, it would mean a
tax increase of 20 cents per $1,000
on property; a home valued at
$100,000 would be taxed an addi-
tional $20 the first year.
SUPERVISOR
Two candidates, one position.
Annual salary: $96, 000
'TN
10/15
2004
32
David Flaisher, incum-
bent Democrat
Completing his first
four-year term, Flaisher
stressed the biggest
issue facing the town-
ship is the negative bal-
ance in the general
fund, and where to cut costs.
"We've spent close to $1 million in
excess of revenues," he explained,
"and I proposed $2 million to $3
million in budget cuts recently —
mainly for employees to pay more
for health care — but the majority
of the board opposed this. Maybe
the two new people on the board
will bring fresh ideas and help
change the board inaction."
Flaisher cites progress in comple-
tion of a police station addition and
hiring more officers, a new fire sta-
tion on Maple Road, resuming haz-
ardous waste collections and the
township's master plan to ease traffic
congestion. This includes planned
intersection traffic roundabouts and
the eventual widening of Orchard
Lake, Maple and 14 Mile roads.
He pointed out he has saved
money on bond interest — and
pushed for a $200,000 federal grant
to provide police and firefighter
training by the U.S. Homeland
Security Department as well as addi-
tional local specialized hazardous-
materials training.
He wants to ensure Henry Ford
Hospital on Maple Road wins its
legal battle for a 300-bed expansion.
David Flaisher profile
Having worked as a CPA for 18
years, Flaisher, 53, is Jewish and
graduated from Detroit's Cass Tech
High School and earned a business
degree from Wayne State University.
He and his wife, Enid, have a
daughter and have lived in West
Bloomfield for 16 years. He and his
daughter volunteer in the West
Bloomfield Community Fame
Games each year, and he's a member
of the Orchard Lake Middle School
PTA. The family belongs to Adat
Shalom Synagogue.
Flaisher is vice president of the
Michigan Townships Association,
Oakland County Chapter, and treas-
urer of the county's Association of
Township Supervisors.
Michael Madigan,
Republican
Winning the
Republican primary by
104 votes, Madigan
now seeks to upset
Flaisher — just as the latter did four
years ago over longtime incumbent
supervisor Jeddy Hood.
"I'm getting a very positive reac-
tion from the people I meet around
the township, and I plan to deal
with the public better and have an
`open door policy'," Madigan said.
He wants to take a "hard look" at
the budget, get each department to
develop a five-year plan, freeze hir-
ing and implement "day-to-day con-
trols."
Retired after 34 years with the
West Bloomfield Police Department,
Madigan was a detective lieutenant,
supervising 16 people and handling
budgets. He says public safety is his
strong suit. He wants to maintain
well-trained and well-equipped
police and firefighters.
Traffic congestion continues to be
a major township problem, he adds,
and he agrees to move forward with
intersection roundabouts and major
road widenings, plus improved traf-
fic-light timing on all thoroughfares,
especially northbound Orchard Lake
Road. He wants to preserve wetlands
and wildlife, while "keeping the aura
of a bedroom community."
Michael Madigan profile
Making his first bid for public
office, Madigan, 58, and his wife,
Sally, have five children and five
grandchildren and have lived in West
Bloomfield for 30 years.
He attended Dearborn High
School, then Northwestern (Mich.)
College and Oakland Community
College. He was vice president of the
Fraternal Order of Police #128 and
still is affiliated with other law-
enforcement organizations. The fam-
ily belongs to Our Lady of Refuge
Catholic Church in Orchard Lake.
TRUSTEE
Eight candidates, four posi-
tions. $100 per meeting,
including committee meetings
Stuart Brickner, incumbent
Democrat
Brickner, running for his third
term, declares the main issue facing
the township is "finan-
cial stability — or even
survival; we may be on
the brink of insolven-
cy.
He said, "We're
spending almost a $1
million more than we're taking in,
and one of the reasons for this nega-
tive balance is that we're paying far
more than our share to the Tri-Cities
Fire and EMS services merger
arrangement (which provides safety
support to Keego Harbor and Sylvan
Lake). We must make cuts and not
take on new financial obligations."
He urges the new board to be har-
monious and "behave in a fiscally
responsible manner." He's especially
critical of the current township treas-
urer and clerk, alleging the former
has "lost about a million in under-
performing interest revenue through
poor investments," and the latter "is
always absent from her job."
Brickner is deeply involved in the
township's infrastructure, serving as
chairman of the board's Water and
Sewer Committee and
Transportation and Roads
Committee and as a Planning
Commission member. "I want to
continue working to relieve road
congestion, drainage problems and
lake pollution, keep builders from
damaging wetlands, prevent base-
ment flooding and improve water
quality, " he said.
.
Stuart Brickner profile
A West Bloomfield resident for 27
years, Brickner, 61, is a financial
adviser-attorney in Southfield.
He graduated from Detroit's
Mumford High School, Wayne State
and Detroit College of Law, and has
practiced law for 35 years. He has
participated in many community
activities, including the Metro
Crusade of the American Cancer
Society and the United Way Walk.
He and his wife, Maxine, have been
married for 38 years and have two
children. She is running for town-
ship clerk. Brickner belongs to the
Temple Israel Brotherhood.