A little boy once asked President Kennedy how he became a war hero. "It was absolutely involuntary." The President replied."They sank my boat." City of Bloomfield Hills Blog 2011 Person of the Year.

Baldwin Library Director Doug Koschik     

 2011 Person of the Year

Our Person of the Year is Doug Koschik, the Director of the Baldwin Library. Of all the possible candidates  we could have picked, he is the one who in our opinion had the greatest impact on our city and the surrounding communities. What he accomplished, was accomplished in  a position he held for less than  a year. In 2011 he took on the added responsibility of negotiating a library contract with the City of Bloomfield Hills. That would involve going beyond Birmingham and Baldwin to The City of Bloomfield Hills and when things  blew up to Bloomfield Township  on behalf of Baldwin contract communities Beverly Hills and Bingham Farms.Totally devoid of acrimony Koschik waited for six months until the City of Bloomfield Hills passed judgement on the path this man had taken, and by the slimmest of margins (37 affirmative votes) allowed him to carry on  even more  audacious plans.Since that fateful election day, to start a dialogue, he has presented dramatic plans for a new and improved Baldwin  library. He and the Baldwin Library have also already promised  to cooperate fully with all  schools, public or private serving City of Bloomfield Hills students. Whether the schools will cooperate with Baldwin to enhance the education of City of Bloomfield Students remains to be seen. In the past  City of Bloomfield Hills students suffered as the Bloomfield School District simply routed assignments through the Township Library which City students could not use. The Baldwin Library was the first to speak on their behalf. (See December 30  post  Baldwin Library to Cooperate Fully With All  Schools Serving City of Bloomfield Hills Students.)

Most of what Baldwin Library Director Doug Koschik overcame or accomplished in the last year  is available in writing via meeting minutes in various communities. We want you the reader to know the whole story. We are compiling all the minute meetings and providing commentary which we will publish in the next couple of days. It is rather lengthy but we feel it is a story we should tell and you should read. If reading it now does  not suit your busy schedule save it for later. At least there will be a record of it. One advantage of a blog is that we are not limited by space.

Congratulations to Mr. Doug Koschik, an unwitting and involuntary  Hero/Role model and the City Of Bloomfield Hills Blog 2011 Person of the Year.