This is not an official blog of the City. It is the work of Mark Kapel who is solely responsible for content.

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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Baldwin New Titles 6/26/2012


Tuesday’s Child by Fern Michaels: When nurse Sophie Lee, who has spent 10 years in prison for a crime she did not commit, is exonerated and released, she retreats to her attorney's home to avoid the media frenzy that surrounds her and must learn how to make her way back into the world and adjust to her freedom.

Summerland by Erin Hilderbrand:  After a fatal car crash during a summer celebration on Nantucket island, four teenagers question if the roots of the accident lie further in the past than they seem; is true healing possible, in even these most devastating circumstance; and, can true friendship ever really die? Check Availability



Courageous by Diana Palmer: When Special Forces Officer Winslow Grange returns home to Texas, he must employ all of his training to help a former associate from South America while trying to avoid Peg Larson, the daughter of his ranch foreman who is a distraction he cannot affordCheck Availability


1 Jump Street (DVD): A pair of underachieving cops are sent back to a local high school to blend in and bring down a synthetic drug ring. Check Availability


  • The Artist (DVD): George Valentin is a silent movie superstar who is losing his job and Peppy Miller is a young extra who has many prospects in her career. Check Availability


Monday, June 25, 2012

City of Bloomfield Hills Seeks Part Time Finance Clerk.

Employment Opportunities                                                                               

Part-Time Finance Clerk

Job Classification:  Non-Exempt
Reports To:  Finance Director / Treasurer
Position(s) Supervised: None
Purpose:
The Finance Clerk performs a wide range of bookkeeping, administrative and clerical functions under the direction of the Finance Director.
Essential Functions:
  • Assist Finance Director with biweekly payroll and related documentation and recording.
  • Reconcile bank statements for investments and other various accounts on a monthly basis.
  • Manage credit card statement submittals from dept heads and reconcile statements with receipts and record monthly journal entries.
  • Assist Finance Director with benefit management of employees and retirees and their records.
  • Respond to citizen inquiries and provide information regarding City operations, policies and procedures (phones/counter).
  • Process forms, documents and records as requested.
  • Compile and record receivable information for special assessment tax roll.
  • Respond to tax inquiries and related requests for information.
  • Update BS&A on-line system with tax payment information on a weekly basis.
  • Assist Finance Director with general ledger, A/P & A/R activity.
  • Assist with year-end payroll preparation, such as 1099’s and W-2’s.
  • Assist the Finance Director in the preparation of the annual budget and the annual audit report.
  • Invoice for self-insured dental plan.
Basic Functions:
  • Ability to process and research detailed data and compile a variety of financial reports.
  • Ability to organize, prioritize and work independently.
  • Ability to react to changing conditions or situations quickly.
  • Good telephone, public speaking and communication skills.
Minimum Education & Background:
  • Bachelors Degree in Accounting/General Business with emphasis in Accounting, Public Finance or related field from a university.
  • Four years experience in municipal accounting, tax administration or finance.
  • Proficiency in accounting procedures and practices.
  • Proficiency using Microsoft Word, Excel, BS&A, Fund Balance.
Minimum Environmental Expectations:
Little or no exposure to noise, weather conditions, machinery and hazardous materials.
Minimum Physical Expectations:
  • May occasionally require lifting boxes of material, office supplies, files, records and equipment weighing a maximum of 25 pounds to waist-high level.
  • Position often requires extensive periods of time working on a computer, sitting, telephone work and filing.
  • Position often requires extensive periods of time reading numbers.
  • Requires manual dexterity to operate computer and office equipment.
Filing Deadline: July 13, 2012

Sunday, June 24, 2012

2012 Voter's Guide to August and November Elections

This Voter's guide compliments of Amy Burton, City Clerk and her talented staff are available at City Hall.
 The Big and the Bold, that you need to know, is that  there are two upcoming elections to note. 


The first is the Tuesday August 7th Primary Election.
It will determine candidates for the fall general election.
For example four candidates seek office in the Republican Primary for State Representative in the 40th district. The winner of that primary will face a sole Democratic opponent  in the Fall General Election.
In the August 7th primary you may vote in either party primary. Your choice, but you can only vote for one party, and when voting you must request either a Democratic or Republican ballot.

The Second is Tuesday November 6th General and National Election.
Here you can vote for  candidates from all parties. You will vote for successful candidates in all offices of the August 7th primary (Except for Precinct Convention Delegates)  and The National Presidential Elections, School elections  and more.













Precinct 1 City Hall Fire Station 45 East Long. Northeast Corner of Woodward and Long Lake. The small door far left, is the one you use.



















Precinct 2 Congressional Church. Heading South on Woodward turn right at Cranbrook Rd.  Then turn immediate left and you will enter a long drive which leads to the Church which is actually behind the trees

To enlarge type below click on it with your mouse



Saturday, June 23, 2012

Baldwin New Titles 6/5/2012



The Third Gate by Lincoln Child: Believing he has discovered the burial chamber of a near-mythical Egyptian pharaoh and a mystical double crown, famed archaeologist Porter Stone and his team suffer bizarre accidents that Professor Jeremy Logan is brought in to investigate. Check Availability


A Conspiracy of Friends by Alexander McCall Smith:  There's never a dull moment for the residents of Corduroy Mansions: Berthea Snark is still at work on her scathing biography of the only loathsome Liberal Democrat member of Parliament--her own son, Oedipus; literary agents Rupert Porter and Barbara Ragg are still battling each other for first crack at the manuscript of Autobiography of a Yeti; fine-arts graduate Caroline Jarvis is busy blurring the line between friendship and romance; and William French is still worrying that his son, Eddie, may never leave home, even though Eddie's got a new wealthy girlfriend. But uppermost on everyone's mind is Freddie de la Hay--William's faithful terrier (and without a doubt the only dog clever enough to have been recruited by MI6)--who has disappeared while on a mystery tour around the Suffolk countryside. Check Availability


Mission to Paris by Alan Furst: Arriving in Paris on the eve of the Munich Appeasement in 1938, Hollywood star Frederic Stahl is unwittingly entangled in the region's shifting political currents when he discovers that his latest film is linked to the destinies of fascists, German Nazis, and Hollywood publicists. 


Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (DVD): Hiding out in a remote part of Europe, Johnny Blaze continues to struggle with his curse when he is recruited to save a young boy from the devil .Check Availability

Goods Deeds (DVD): A successful, wealthy businessman, Wesley Deeds has always done what's expected of him, whether it's assuming the helm of his father's company, tolerating his brother's misbehavior at the office or planning to marry his beautiful but restless fiance, Natalie. But Wesley is jolted out of his predictable routine when he meets Lindsey, a down-on-her-luck single mother who works as a cleaning person in his office building. Outspoken, impulsive and proud, and also recently evicted, Lindsey struggles to make ends meet for herself and her young daughter. But when Wesley offers to help her get back on her feet, his innocent good deed ignites an unexpected attraction, and suddenly Wesley finds himself caught between the life he thought he wanted and the powerful desires of his heart. Check Availability


Thursday, June 21, 2012

Baldwin New Titles 6/19/2012


A Place in the Country by Elizabeth Adler: Newly-single mother Caroline Evans dreams of restoring an old barn into a restaurant, but her chance at happiness suddenly hangs in the balance as whispers of murder and vengeance find their way to her and her daughter Issy, hovering in that limbo between girl and young woman, begins to make some dangerous choices. Check Availability

The Risk Agent by Ridley Pearson:  When a Chinese National working for an American-owned construction company is grabbed off the streets of Shanghai in broad daylight and his one-man security detail goes missing, the security firm Rutherford Risk hires two unique outsiders to locate the two hostages ahead of the deadline. 
Check Availability




Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich: Dazzling her patrons with scrumptious cupcakes at her Salem, Massachusetts, bakery, Elizabeth Tucker continues to fall for the irresistible Diesel, who protects her from a villain who is seeking mystical stones tied to the seven deadly sins. Check Availability


Jeff who lives at home (DVD): This is story of one man's hilarious search for the meaning of life. As slacker Jeff stumbles toward enlightenment, he uncovers answers to his nagging family's problems. Jeff has no idea where he's going, but when he finally gets there, he might just find out what it's all about. Check Availability











Wanderlust (DVD): After George loses his high-stress Manhattan job, he and his wife Linda hit the road and wind up crashing at Elysium, a free-spirited community of hippies, tree-huggers, and the occasional nudist. Check Availability

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Budapest Edition of City of Bloomfield Hills

 Bloomfield Hills város



Ez nem egy hivatalos blogja a város. Ez a munkája Kapel Mark, aki egyedül felelős a tartalomért.
Look familiar ? It should . It's today's Blog about the St. Hugo's Rummage sale. It was published in English at 3:40 pm today, June 20th and this now 10:15 pm same day it is posted on Google HU  which is Google Hungary.   To access it all you have to do enter the City of Bloomfield Hills in the Google an  HU search engine. This blog and our 45 East Long City Hall Web site appear in close proximity. You can read either in English or Hungarian with a click of the mouse. Most likely most Hungarians interested in us are skilled enough in English to read us in that language. The Hungarian translation for us is a novelty. It's a small world and  Google is making it smaller. Incidentally all our regular posts offer in the upper right hand corner a translation box which will allow you to translate the City of Bloomfield Hills  into any one of a hundred  plus world languages. 
Say for example your live in mother in law is struggling in English, but her parents were Hungarian missionaries and she was born in China where she lived until she was 22 before marrying a now deceased Russian Diplomat.  No publication will keep her in the loop better than the City of Bloomfield Hills. 
Language teachers I have know have told me to beware machine translations. There are mistakes.
Well there are always spelling, punctuation, grammar, and syntax errors in the original English language version of the City of Bloomfield Hills Blog. We have considered hiring a proof reader but funding for staff expansions has yet to come so who are we to criticize the mistakes of computers? If daylight savings time is discarded and Budapest is on Central European time  then it is  7 am in Budapest right now. There are two million people there  about the same as metro Detroit and both cities are built on concentric rings the radiate out from the City's Center. Close your eyes and you can almost hear the metal on metal squeals of breaking yellow trams taking people to their jobs in Buda or Pest.. Maybe somebody with the European equivalent of 4G is reading this, on a lap top on a tram right now. Is it more fun than pen pals ? Not  really but maybe it is the advent of 21st Century Pen Pals.


SZERDA, JÚNIUS 20, 2012


Szent Hugo turkálás Eladó kezdődik ma este


Ha már ajándékozó tételeket tudod, hogy 20 részlegek nem joke.Christmas is megvan a saját osztályának. Oda korán és talán még kap a régi angol karácsonyi témájú Punch Bowl Én utólag egy Frosty a hóember a betétet. Úgy gondolom ez lesz az alatt 1 $. A betét azonban eltávolítható. Bemutattam előtt ajándékozó azt. A hölgy vesz bejövő gondoltam, hogy elég okos, de észrevettem után feladja a tételt, hogy a lapka nem tért vissza a tálba. Talán majd felbukkan máshol 5 cent.
Azt kell mondanom, hogy az ajándékozó is kaptam. Valaki (én hiszem Szent Ferenc) azt mondja, még inkább tagolt formában.
Rendszeresen a katolikus Könyváruház felkeresi az egyházközség vagyunk részt. Mivel attól függően, hogy a kényelem a Mass menetrend meglátogatjuk több Parish, mi fut a katolikus Könyváruház gyakran. Hiszem, hogy van valami köze van a törvények vagy a valószínűsége. Egyébként van egy dohányzóasztal könyvet vettem észre, több mint egy alkalommal. A drámai és a fedelét és címmel M AKE egyenes az ösvény, a 300 éve Zarándoklat érsekség Detroitban. Gyanúm dollár volt 30, de soha nem kérdeztem. Amikor megláttam az egyik a turkálás eladó kértem, de őszinte voltam róla. Essek nyitva a fedelet, találtam egy képet Msgr.Tocco a lelkész a St.Hugo 's, aki feleségül vette minket csaknem negyed századdal ezelőtt. Valójában ő írta alá a könyvet. Saját kijelentése, hogy az a tény, amely valószínűleg fel az árat jelentősen kaptam küldeni a könyvet hölgy fejét.
Ő nem több, mint fújva karácsony Lady volt, a Punch Bowl-betéttel. Azt hiszem, ha a munka elég turkálás értékesítési láttad az egészet. "Két dollár," mondta. "Azok a könyvek kaptak el, hogy minden tagja a Parish. Most jönnek vissza a turkálás eladó" tette hozzá egy kotyog a nyelv. Nem volt változás, így mentem Dunkin Donuts a "jó ok" dupla csokis fánk, hogy a termelt change.When kaptam vissza a Szent Hugo könyve Lady azt mondta, hogy amíg elment a könyvet, lement az ára 1 $.Megköszöntem neki bőven, és megígérte, hogy elmondja mindenkinek a The St. Hugo turkálás eladó.

Elkezdtem a feleségemmel, aki egy kicsit megdöbbentett, hogy én valóban vettem valamit, amikor a cél az volt, hogy eladják. A $ 1 kiadás csak 11 centtel több, mint a fánk (amit nem tett említést) a múltbeli gyülekezési. Ő nem törődik a Frosyt the Snowman Punch Bowl de ő volt értékelni azt a tényt, hogy a fehérnemű Lady tetszett ágynemű. "Hát igen," mondta: "Néhány dolog, hogy még nem is lett skatulyából húztak ki."

A 38. oldalon az új könyvem vásárlás Találtam egy úgynevezett Szent Kereszt Plébániatemplom Magyar. Rájöttem, hogy kellett lennie, hogy a zárt ago.This év tavaszi Én akkor fejezte be az első természetesen a magyar a birminghami Közösség Felnőttképzési.Ez volt az első magyar során sikerült teljesen. Általában kerülök elindult nyelvi ineptitude.Only 14 millió ember beszél magyarul, és többségük él vagy akörül Magyarországon. Ennek eredményeként a magyarok nem használják nyelvüket, hogy a tárgyaláson beszélt rosszul. Talán ez segített, hogy ezúttal én oktató volt orosz. Magyar vagyok, a zseniális szedés ki a szavakat.

"Beke Es Minden" volt könnyű. Béke és Mindig. Semmi gond nincs. "Áldás" Nem is tudtam, de én viszem a szót, a "jó" Mindenesetre most tudok tovább magyar nyelvtudás és a ténylegesen találni kívül használja ki azt a Motor City. Valami feleségem azt mondta, hogy soha nem fog megtörténni. Aztán megütött. A kifejezés "van abban, hogy megadja, hogy megkapjuk." Ez az én nem is pontosan, de én egyre közelebb.

Ha meglátogatja a Szent Hugo turkálás eladó akkor biztosan megkapja. Az így részt tud nyújtani később olyan módon, amely megfelel a célra. A Big Guy nagyon jó kapcsolatban, hogy az ilyesmit. A móka 06:00-kor kezdődik.

St. Hugo's Rummage Sale Starts Tonight


If you have been donating items you know that 20 departments is no joke. Christmas even has it's own department. Get there early and you might even get the Old English themed Christmas punch bowl I retrofitted with a Frosty the the Snowman insert. I would imagine it is going for under a $1. The insert is however removable. I demonstrated it before donating it.  The lady taking incoming  thought it quite clever but I noticed upon surrendering the item  that the insert was not returned to the bowl. Maybe it will turn up elsewhere for five cents.
I  should say that in donating I also received . Somebody (I will guess St. Francis)  says so in a more articulate form.  
On a regular basis the Catholic Book Store visits the parish we are attending. Since depending on the convenience of the Mass schedule we visit more than one Parish,  we run into the Catholic Book Store frequently . That I believe has something to do with the laws of  probability. Anyway there is a coffee table book, I have noticed on more than one occasion. It has a dramatic cover and and is titled Make Straight The Path, a 300 year Pilgrimage of The  Archdiocese of Detroit.  My guess was $30 but I never asked. When I saw one at the rummage sale I asked but I was honest about it. Flipping open the cover I discovered a picture of Msgr.Tocco  the Pastor at St.Hugo's who had married us in almost a quarter of a century ago. In fact he signed the book. My revelation of that fact which would probably up the price significantly got me sent to the head book lady.
She was no more blown away than the Christmas Lady was with the Punch Bowl insert. I suppose if you work enough rummage sales you've seen it all. "Two dollars," she said."Years ago those books were given  to every family in  the Parish. Now they are coming back for the rummage sale" she added with a disapproving  cluck of the tongue. They had no change so I went to Dunkin Donuts for a "good cause" Double Chocolate donut that produced change.When I got back to St. Hugo's the Book Lady said that while I was gone the book had gone down in price to $1. I thanked her profusely  and promised to tell everyone about The St. Hugo's rummage sale.

I started with my wife who was a little taken aback that I had actually bought something  when the object was to divest. The $1 expenditure only eleven cents more than the donut (which I didn't mention) passed muster. She didn't care about the Frosty the Snowman punch bowl but she did appreciate the fact that the Linen Lady liked her linens. "Well yeah, " she said "Some of that stuff hasn't even been unwrapped." 

On page 38 of my new  book purchase  I found a Holy Cross Hungarian Parish. I figured it had to be something that closed years ago but I went on line and found them. There was even a phone number. I called and got an answering machine which answered in English. Naturally I was thrilled. This Spring I had just completed my first course in Hungarian at  Birmingham Community Adult Education. It was also the only Hungarian course I managed to finish . Usually I get booted for linguistic ineptitude.Only 14 million people speak Hungarian and most of them live in or around Hungary. As a result Hungarians aren't used  to hearing their language spoken badly. Maybe it helped that this time my instructor was Russian. In Hungarian I am  a whiz at picking out words however.

Beke Es Minden  was easy. Peace and Always. No problem there. Aldas I didn't know but I'll take their word for "good " At any rate now I can  further my knowledge of Hungarian and actually find addition uses for it in the Motor City. Something my wife said would never happen. Then it hit me. The phrase is "It is in giving that we receive." That my not be it exactly but  I am getting closer.

If you visit the St. Hugo's Rummage sale you will certainly receive. The giving part you can provide later in any manner that suits your purpose. The Big Guy is pretty good about that sort of thing. 
The fun starts at 6pm.See you there !

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

A short digression to consider a heretofore unsuggested suggestion. American Tower part 3.


What did we learn from the American Tower proposal ? Well there does not seem to be  really compelling before and after pictures. What has been provided often shows a not so bad befores and a only slighty if at all improved afters.

We do see a need for the tower however and that need has not been  communicated or is not widely understood .We mentioned at the that last planning meeting some commissioners thought (at least initially) that the tower would improve the bars on  their flip phones. It won't. American Tower says that increase is unrelated to their current proposal and that coverage will come later  as an improvement to cellular mounted antennas  on Christ Church Cranbrook.

What Clemis tower will do is provide increased county wide public safety communications and  enhanced in building coverage  for police, fire, and emergency units. That is the need.

To fulfill it American Tower wants to lease land at the DPW lot. To cover their costs American Tower also wants to put rings on the 120 foot sufficient Clemis Tower and boost it's height to 140 feet in order to attach antennas for other cellular carriers.

Some have questioned the 20 foot tower addition. Some have questioned the location of the DPW.

We believe we will be the first to to question any location in the City of Bloomfield Hills.

Since cellular signals  pay no attention to city limits the ideal solution in our opinion would be to place the 140 foot tower in a small but struggling strip center in an adjacent city. Troy the city of the future today  has always been more adventurous than us. Instead of disguising the tower as a tree one could disguise it as a 120 foot gorilla, a space person, or robot wearing a 20 foot cell phone carrier crown. It would serve as an attraction for  shoppers. The merchants could compete with themed displays in their stores to further enhance the Jurrasic Park/Star Wars effect indicated by 140 foot attention getting,  but public serving devise.  


Seriously, we are not kidding. There is time and place for everything. The Clemis/American Tower people decided the City of Bloomfield Hills would be an ideal place for the tower in part because we don't have any monster towers. Probably for the same reason the City does not have a used car lot  or a 24 hour a day video game arcade.

Some say the City of Bloomfield Hills has the word "Sucker " written all over it. My wife says it every time a friend  recommends a craftsman or service provider who does "great work at a great price" in communities like Pleasant Ridge, or  Huntington Woods. We  get an estimate and   it doesn't matter that our kitchen is much smaller than the friend who's culinary tastes require aircraft hanger proportions. We always get the four times as much "Bloomfield Hills " price.When my wife  points out the discrepancy there is no disagreement or lowering of price. Just a vague reference to pricing as pricing. When the bidder leaves and my wife has wadded the proposal up and thrown in the general direction of the trash, I hear the immortal words, " I swear the City of Bloomfield Hills has the word... written all over it !"


Uncle Mike who is actually a couple of months older than City of Bloomfield Hills will also hear about it and mutter the equally famous (at least to us) combination word  "whaddygonado" in a monotone lament.

Monday, June 18, 2012

American Tower Proposal for the Planning Commissio Part 2.


The Presentation starts with  seven pages of illustrations and technical drawings.If you don't understand them don't worry.  They are for illustrative purposes  and will give you an artists rendering of what is being proposed.  You may however make them bigger by clicking on the drawing with your mouse.

Then there is a four page letter with photographs describing the proposal. 

Then there are four pages of before and after graphics indicating the advantages of tower height and how the tower will improve "in building" communications.

                                                                     Title Sheet
To make illustraions bigger click on them
Location Plan
Engineering Site Plan

Site Grading Plan

Site Elevation 1
Site Elevation 2
Legal Description




The above  shows the coverage area of 85 foot tower. The rectangle around the circle is the City of  Bloomfield Hills. Coverage is weak in the southern part of the City and in the upper left hand corner (Hickory Grove and Lahser.  Increasing the tower height to 120 feet (below)  still misses the western and south east corners  of the City and has enormous spill over beyond city limits. Both measurements were made on 2011-04-05 which wou;d have been two months before initial correspondence with City began.

The below  "in building coverage" with no tower in the City shows poor coverage in the Northeast corner of the City where there are single family  homes but no buildings. Again the center rectangle with the letters mTPD is the City.
With the new tower all is better as indicated below.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

The 353 Day and Still Ongoing Saga of American Tower and the City of Bloomfield Hills. Part 1

The surprise guest at Tuesday's City Planning Commission  meeting was a Public Hearing for the American Tower 140 foot Communications Tower planned for the DPW lot on Kensington Road,


If you don’t know much about this issue you are not alone.  Aside from the publication you are now reading  there has very little coverage. Even some of the Planning commissioners were confused and though perhaps the Tower has something to do with improved cell phone reception for residents which it does not. Perhaps it would be a good idea to begin at the beginning




 In 2011 and 2012 American Tower has appeared three  times before City Commission.


The first correspondence was sent to City Manager Jay Cravens on June 25th 2011. A copy of that correspondence can be found on the bottom left side of this  page  under the archived Post 2011/July/Communications tower , Stealth or otherwise.


A month later on July 26 2011 they appeared before City Commission at a 5 pm Monday Commission Work Session but made no formal presentation because they were told by Mr. Cravens that the agenda of that that day wouldn't allow for it.  The minutes of that meeting are below.


 77  days later on October 11th  American Tower was back with sketches that were shown only to the commissioners. The October 11th  Meeting minute notations are below.


Of note because they will be factor in future meetings  are the remarks of  then Commissioner (now Mayor) Sarah McClure and then Mayor (now Commissioner) Zambricki. 
Of particular note is the City Manager's statement that the City Commission should give authorization  before the planning commission hears the petition.


 133 days later at a February 21st 2012.  Mr Cravens told City Commissioners that American Tower was planning another visit. It seems they wanted to know if  the City would lease them the land a fact he mentioned at their last visit. The implication was why should they bother if the City would in the end decided not to lease them the land.


21 days later On March 13th  American Tower again appeared before City Commission. Mayor Zambricki was absent so the meeting was chaired by Mayor Pro tem  Sarah McClure.   City Manager Cravens sent the following correspondence t0 City Commissions which included detailed illustrations.







60 Days  Later on June 12th Planning Commission meeting agenda has the following agenda items...


The Planning Commission will consider the the request for a site plan to construct a wireless communications tower at 1805 Kensington Road , City of Bloomfield Hills Public Works Property.


It was presumed that American Tower would present the necessary information and documentation for the Planning Commission to approve the proposal and send it back to the City Commission for final approval.


 In anticipation of that American Tower was also an Agenda item on the City Commission meeting for that evening where it was expected final approval or further modifications to effect a conclusion  might be forthcoming.


Neither of the above occurred .



Why ? Maybe it's like homework which despite the passage of years and decades never goes away. There will always be forms to fill out and protocols to be followed. You can say that half of life is showing up that but does at the very least obligate you to show up.


On June 12th American Tower did indeed show up for the rpm Planning Commission meeting and did for all intents and  purposes do their homework. There was a proposal and and exhibits A, B, C, and D meant to make their points. Copies  of said may not have been distributed at the door but it had been submitted to the City and and put in the agenda packet for the meeting and on the City's web site.


It had also been graded by the city's consulting firms for zoning and engineering  and found to be deficient in points. Those deficiencies would preclude an immediate green light back to City Commission but was a start.


Let's look at what American Tower had after a year preamble to say in writing.












































Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Train Wrecks or Triumphs! Out With the Old! In With the New as City and Planning Commission Discuss Intertwined Issues!


Agenda Packet for Today's 4pm Planning Commission Meeting 


Agenda Packet for Tonight's 7:30pm City Commission Meeting

Copy of June 11th Latest Tree Ordinance Revision

Every administration, be it presidential or otherwise, begins  by  inheriting  a number of crises from it's predecessor and  how it handles them will often determine it's success or failure. Sometimes, as in the war in Vietnam the mistakes of the old regime are simply compounded and carried on. Sometimes in the case of  Watergate, they are ignored, denied, or attributed to mean spirited critics until they explode. Sometimes in the case of  Nixon's pardon they are the result of misplaced loyalty which adds fuel  to the fire.

For the Chief It is not a matter of intelligence or even political savvy. Johnson and Nixon had plenty of the latter.  Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Herbert Hoover were brilliant men whose administration started promisingly   but were doomed   by a gross misreads. Wilson believed of that American people would embrace the League of Nations. Hoover believed the nation could and would  automatically right itself from the great depression.

Tonight in the City of Bloomfield Hills we begin the Administration of Mayor Sarah McClure. She inherits depending on your view point the train wreck or triumph of the tree ordinance which is now entering it's second year.She also inherits the ongoing  American Tower saga   presumably a  proposal for a "much needed communications tower"  which plagued by a series of seemingly random reappearances and disappearances is also approaching a one year in anniversary.

How these issues are resolved will be first test of the new administration.  While one  may argue that it is not  fair test that is just the way it is. On May 11th 2010 an overflow crowd of angry residents attended Mayor McCready's  very first meeting. They were upset by handouts  distributed by the Public Safety Department which told of discussions of possible outsourcing of the dispatch department at the  upcoming Commission Meeting. The minutes of that meeting contain no hint of the fury present. You can gain insight into that by the number of citizens listed as speakers. McCready completely defused the situation by listening to every one who wished to speak and asking intelligent questions. He would then go on to lead  a very successful administration which in many ways united a divided city. Shortly prior to his term's conclusion one area publication wrote , "As mayor, McCready has shown great respect for resident opinions, allowing them to express themselves at public hearings, listening to theirs  point of view and then responding in kind".


Some come to office with an agenda.Things promised or things one want to accomplish.. It often starts with good intentions (drain the swam) and ends with a crimony  (fighting off alligators). Some come to office with nothing more than a great smile and an attitude that says we'll figure it out when we get there.

What does Mayor Sarah McClure plan or want ? You can read her book which is the City Survey. The questions were per City Commission minutes were developed  by  her and City Manager Jay Cravens (expected to be a trusted  adviser in the new administration. They worked together on numerous projects last year). The survey questions were verbalized to the survey people who wrote the actual words that appear on the survey. A careful reading will divine motive in some of the questions.
 The results  of the survey and possibly implementing them is the first new order of new business for the new administration. The buzzword  used is "goals and objectives."

To learn more about the new Mayor and the new administration you may also observe them at Tonight's City and Planning Commission Meeting. All three pivotal topics will  factor, oddly enough in both meetings. For that reason we will  discuss both meetings by together by topic. The Agenda Package for both meetings is at the top of this page. The American Tower information is presented in great detail in the Planning Commission packet. The latest  June 11th revision of the Tree Ordinance is also provided.