EWISH SSANCE Front Lines D 1 G New Chief Of Staff Matthew Schenk is moving up in Wayne County government. The assistant Wayne County executive has been named the new chief of staff and assistant deputy CEO by Executive Robert Ficano. Schenk, a 13-year attorney and Wayne State University Law School graduate, replaces Nancy Mouradian, who retired this year after 26 years of service, and William Wolfson, who is retiring this year. "It has been rewarding to be part of a team that is focused on getting things done," Schenk said. "This is an opportunity that I am grateful to be offered and I look forward to being more involved as we implement County Executive Ficano's aggressive agenda to move our region forward." In 2003, Schenk joined Wayne County as a principal attorney with Corporation Counsel. He was responsible for providing legal advice to the county on ordinances, budget matters, resolutions, contracts, development projects and Freedom of Information Act requests. Previously, he had been a senior legislative analyst and a legislative assistant in Corporation Counsel with the city of Detroit. "Matt pays close attention to detail and interacts well with people," Ficano said. "His leadership Matthew Schenk skills will enhance our efforts to move forward: to build relationships and to create a strong admin- istration. During his time with the city, Schenk played a leadership role in the casino development agreements and bringing the Super Bowl there. With the county, he was instrumental in several executive initiatives, including development of an expansion and reno- vation proposal for Cobo Hall Convention Center, development of the Wayne County Land Bank, development of Regional Mass Transit, the proposed Aerotropolis development plan and construction of the new Chrysler Engine Plant in Trenton. Schenk and his wife, Jessica, have three children. - Robert Sklar, editor Herschel Fink Classy Courtwork Herschel Fink, the nationally known First Amendment attorney based in Detroit, is a Leader in the Law as bestowed by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. Selection was based on his distinguished defense of the First Amendment, including representation of the Detroit Free Press in legal wrangling that yielded perjury and obstruction of jus- tice charges leveled by Wayne County against former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his then chief of staff, Christine Beatty. Fink is a partner in the Litigation Department of Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP. His newest honor applauds his legal success as well as his qualities of character: integrity, inspiration, leadership, ser- vice as a role model. - Robert Sklar, editor 'Murderer' Released Connie Keel is leaving a California prison this week after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger chose to support a parole board decision to free Keel after she served 30 years in prison for a crime committed by her husband. Former Detroiter Elliot Darvick participated in a campaign started by a fraternity brother who is a law student at the University of Southern California. Darvick designed a Web site to pressure Schwarzenegger into a rarely used move to release a prisoner. In 1980, Keel was convicted of being an accessory to murder while, according to Darvick's Web site, "she stayed in a car paralyzed in fear while her abusive husband and his cousin made a spur-of-the-moment decision to rob a liquor store and shoot the clerk." Keel became a model prisoner while serving her life sentence. - Alan Hitsky, associate editor ECO Judaism jN Gown The annual Jewish News rec- ognition of top Jewish high school seniors will be published May 21. The deadline for editorial listings of a student's achievements is May 1. The deadline for congratulatory advertisements is May 13. For complete information for both listings and ads, go to JNonline.us and click on the Cap & Gown button on the home page. A8 April 2 0 2009 Kitchen Tips • Make sure there are at least four inches of space between the back of your refrigerator and the wall so circulating air can carry off the heat buildup from the refrigerator's coils. • Microwave small meals. Microwaves are great for many cooking tasks and use one-third the energy of an electric oven. During the summer, they will not heat up your kitchen like an oven will. Toaster ovens and crock pots are also options. • Compost, compost, compost your organic kitchen waste. Compost fruits and vegetables, teabags and cof- fee grounds, as well as leaf and yard waste. Compost makes valuable fertil- izer and reduces the amount of waste in landfills. Keep a covered container at your sink to hold the waste and make a weekly or bi-weekly trip to the compost. www.epa.gov/compost/ www.epa.gov/cpg/products/compost . htm Jewish Thought On The Environment "That I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh." — Genesis 9:15 Please contact Michigan Coalition on the Environment & Jewish Life for global warming presentations: (248) 642-5393, ext. 7, mi-coejl®jfmd.org or www.mi-coejl.org . Source: MI-COEJL, copyright 2009 Advertising Sales Publisher/President Arthur M. Horwitz ahorwitz@renmedia.us Sales Director: Keith Farber kfarber@renmedia.us Account Executives: Ann G. 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