Bloomfield Township candidates seek cooperation on board
Finding common ground seems to be the overriding theme in the 2016 Bloomfield Township trustee race.
Eight candidates are vying for the four open trustee seats on the township board. Three of the candidates are incumbents, meaning at least one new person will be joining the board this year.
In a Q & A sent out by the Birmingham Eccentric, a number of candidates listed cooperation among the board members as a top priority. They also named who they’re supporting for township clerk, treasurer and supervisor.
Because all eight of the candidates are running as Republicans, the four top vote-getters in the Aug. 2 primary will likely run unopposed in the November general election. Absentee ballots for the August election will be going out at the end of June.
Only one of the trustee candidates, Jeffrey Axt, declined to respond.
All seven members on the township board are up for re-election. Brian Kepes, who previously served as a board trustee, is seeking the Republican nomination for township treasurer. He’s running against incumbent treasurer Dan Devine.
The township supervisor, Leo Savoie, and the township clerk, Jan Roncelli, also face competition heading into the August primary. A candidate debate hosted by the League of Women Voters-Oakland area is scheduled for June 28 at the township hall.
Neal Barnett
• Age: 62
• Profession: Attorney/psychologist
Q: What are the two top reasons you’re running for office?
Barnett: To maintain and enhance Bloomfield Township’s fiscal stability and exemplary services, especially public safety and senior services.
To promote integrity and professionalism in Bloomfield Township governance.
Q: Are you supporting anyone for clerk, treasurer and supervisor?
Barnett: Yes, we are fortunate to have three outstanding candidates for these offices. I support Jan Roncelli for clerk, Brian Kepes for treasurer and Leo Savoie for supervisor.
Q: Are you running on any type of slate with other candidates?
Barnett: No.
Q: How are you involved in your community?
I have been in leadership positions in Bloomfield Township for more than 20 years:
• Trustee, Board of Trustees (12 years).
• Member, Planning Commission (12 years).
• Member, Election Commission (10 years).
• Alternate member, Design Review Board (10 years).
• Former member, Zoning Board of Appeals (three years).
• Former chairman, Bloomfield Youth Guidance (eight years).
• Former president, Oakland Hills Country Club Subdivision Association (eight years).
Kirk Brannock
• Age: 58
• Profession: Retired officer/president AT&T Corp.
Q: What are the two reasons you’re running for office?
Brannock: I have viewed firsthand that not all trustees consistently act in the best interest of the residents. As a retired executive with no self-interest, I will look out for the taxpayers’ interests first — period.
Fiscally responsible local government means you roll up your sleeves and get into the detail to ensure policies and procedures are in place to ensure solid management of tax dollars. As a trustee, I’ll add passion, energy and experience to drive better decisions for the residents of the township.
Q: Are you supporting anyone for clerk, treasurer or supervisor?
Brannock: I’ll work with whomever is elected. My board experience with both public companies and nonprofit organizations will be a asset to the township.
As a trustee, I can bring my business and operational expertise to the board to benefit the taxpayers ... my support will go toward those candidates that exhibit the same values as myself.
Q: Are you running on any type of slate with other candidates?
Brannock: I’m running for trustee based on “my” proven business leader experience. If teaming up with other trustee candidates with similar values benefits our residents, I would support that. Obviously, that takes agreement from the other candidates.
Q: How are you involved in the community?
Brannock: As the president of our homeowners association, I’m always looking out for the interests of our residents and have a proven track record doing that. My wife and I are also active in supporting Angel’s Place, which is an outstanding organization that cares for adults with disabilities in our community.
David Buckley
• Age: 51
• Profession: Account executive at Sanofi
Q: What are the top two reasons you’re running for office?
Buckley: Getting beyond this election and get the seven elected board members to work together. The public doesn’t like it and wants it to stop. I fully supported the supervisor’s decision last year to bring in Lew Bender to assist in finding common ground to build upon. Unfortunately, he did not provide the recommendations that some were looking for and his entire report was left never to be presented. I would start with some professional way to find common ground, create a “pact” or an informal code of conduct all members can agree on and move forward with the important issues facing our community.
Second, we have been operating in a reactionary format and allowing issues to get out of control when not necessary. Leadership is critical here and can only come from the supervisor. Recently, he told me rather informally the budget may face a crisis in the next couple of years due to slow property tax rebound and increasing costs. What are we doing about it? Will the public be included in the discussions? Why aren’t we discussing this if it is an issue?
Q: Are you supporting anyone for clerk, treasurer and supervisor?
Buckley: I’m supporting our treasurer, Dan Devine.
Q: Are you running on any type of slate with other candidates?
Buckley: No.
Q: How are you involved in your community?
Buckley: I served as an Oakland County commissioner, vice chair of the Oakland County Republican Party and a precinct delegate for 12 years. I served on the boards of the American Diabetes Association, Angel’s Place and the Down Syndrome Guild.
Geoff Hockman
• Age: 47
• Profession: Owner of Bloomfield Sports Shop
Q: What are the two top reasons you’re running for office?
Hockman: I enjoyed serving three years on the Bloomfield Village board; I’m currently serving as the fire chief in Bloomfield Village and I would like to serve my community at the next level. As a member of the township board, I’d like to help return civility to board meetings.
Q: Is there anyone you’re endorsing for clerk, treasurer and supervisor?
Hockman: No, I’m open-minded and I look forward to respectfully serving with those who are elected.
Q: Are you running on any type of a slate with other candidates?
Hockman: I’m running on my own merit. Rather than being part of a slate, I plan to listen to all sides of issues and make sound decisions based on what is best for the residents of Bloomfield Township.
Q: How are you involved in your community?
Hockman: I’ve been a member of the Bloomfield Village Fire Department since 2008 and I am currently serving in my second year as Bloomfield Village fire chief. I served as a member of the Bloomfield Village board from 2011-14. I speak to high school and middle school business classes about the challenges of owning a small business. I work closely with and support many youth sports teams in Bloomfield Township.
Corrine Khederian
• Age: 57
• Profession: Special Assistant to Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson
Q: What are the two top reasons you’re running for office?
Khederian: First, I take great pride in the services that the township offers to our residents. Our police, fire, DPW departments and all service provided are top-notch. We must strive to continue that level of operation. We also have worked very hard to attain the highest bond rating possible for a community, and we have to ensure that we maintain that. That requires continuous, diligent, dedicated effort by the township officials. That is an effort I am — and have been — more than willing to make.
Second, I am also proud of accomplishing transparency with our treasury so our citizens are aware of what is going on financially here at the township. I would like to continue to maintain this policy of transparency in my next term. We have researched and recognized that in order to maintain our services and quality of life at the township, our investments, should be guided by professionals. We have created advisory committees that consist of investment trained professionals to set us on the right investment track so we make the best choices in the future based on the best return on our money for the benefit of only our citizens and community and no one individual or firm.
Q: Are you supporting anyone for clerk, treasurer and supervisor?
Khederian: Yes, I am supporting Leo Savoie for supervisor; Jan Roncelli for clerk; and Brian Kepes for treasurer.
Q: Are you running on any type of slate with other candidates?
Khederian: No, I am running independently of the candidates I have endorsed. I feel that while I endorse certain candidates that the voters should make a decision not just based on endorsements but based on my body of work during my longstanding relationship with the township and whether I am worthy of re-election. While endorsements play a small role in how voters vote, it is my track record serving the township that should be the determining factor.
Q: How are you involved in your community?
Khederian: I have been involved in the community in a variety of ways for almost 14 years. In 2003, I campaigned in support of a public safety millage and since that time I have also been Chair and a member of the Township Zoning Board of Appeals and became a Trustee in 2011. I have served as a member of the Election Commission since 2011, as well. For a number of years I served as Director of District Affairs for then-State Sen. John Pappageorge, which brought me into contact with people across the community in a variety of ways. I also served as a room mother at my children’s schools. I organized efforts to help troops overseas and chaired a national scholarship organization and co-chaired the Armenia Fest Committee for the state of Michigan and served as a board member for the Birmingham-Bloomfield Community Coalition. I’ve also been active in the Oakland County Republican Party and served as vice chair of the party in 2008.
Michael Schostak
• Age: 37
• Profession: University faculty /business consultant
Q: What are the two top reasons you’re running for office?
Schostak: Over the last couple of years, I have watched the township’s internal politics become more bitter and toxic, almost to the point of dysfunction. As a homeowner with a young family, my vested interest in the long-term stability and strength of the community compels me to bring a fresh voice to the board of trustees. I was raised with traditional values where service to others and helping to make the world a better place is expected; indeed, running for office is a continuation of my involvement in communal and charitable organizations. It is something I have wanted to do for as long as I can remember, dating back to an early experience challenging the government over my tax return.
My priorities if elected as a township trustee would be the following: public safety and security, transparency, responsiveness and efficiency. Bloomfield Township is a great place to live, but there are always improvements that can be made. For example, I think more attention needs to be paid to the next generation of families moving into the township and what their needs and desires will be for the next 10-20 years. I invite voters to review my website (www.MichaelSchostak.com) to get more details.
Q: Are you supporting anyone for clerk, treasurer and supervisor?
Schostak: Like all township voters, I plan on doing extensive due diligence on the candidates, on their records and future plans, as I hope to be working with them come November. I am bothered by the negative tone of the campaign so far and I am concerned that facts are getting obscured by the incendiary rhetoric. I encourage all voters to review the actual quarterly and annual reports for the various departments on the township website and the auditor’s report, which is also available there. I am looking for the candidates to speak with specificity to my issues of security, transparency, responsiveness and efficiency in their campaigns. I am looking to the future, not what happened in the past.
Q: Are you running on any type of slate with other candidates?
Schostak: No, I am an independent thinker and always have been throughout my life. I have worked in collaboration on teams throughout my career and expect that I will have no problem doing so once elected to the board with whomever the voters put there. Political expediency should never be prioritized over resident interests.
Q: How are you involved in your community?
The most meaningful area for me is my teaching at the Ilitch School of Business at Wayne State. Over the last year, I have had the opportunity to not only teach several finance classes, but also individually mentor college and MBA students looking to break into the work force. The feedback I have received privately and publicly validates the success I have had in impacting these students.
Besides teaching, I serve on the executive board of the Penn and Wharton Alumni Club of Michigan and am co-chair of the Alumni Interview Program. I am also a member of the Regional Advisory Board of the Anti-Defamation League, the international civil rights advocacy and education group. Finally, I serve on the finance committee of my children’s school.
Danielle Walsh
• Age: 44
• Profession: Senior business development manager for a global corporation.
Q: What are the two top reasons you're running for office?
Walsh: Our current board votes against competitive bidding and doesn't use a strategic plan. I plan to bring the standard business practice of requiring competitive bidding on all professional services and contracts. I will also help develop a strategic plan for our city so we do not continue to work on the current short-sighted and inefficient model, which has no regard for our long-term sustainability.
Our current board does a very poor job of keeping the community informed and they are not honest or transparent with their intentions, such as when they tried to sneak through a 24-hour, four-story storage facility at the corner of Maple and Telegraph. I was born and raised in this town and the people here are one of our most valuable assets. There is a brain trust here, filled with intelligent professionals, who can help us to guide this town on a path where we are sustainable, without selling out to developers. The current board consistently keeps citizens in the dark and is focused on connections to developers, rather than their connections to the citizens. I will let the community know what is being worked on in their city and solicit their opinions on a regular basis.
Q: Are you supporting anyone for clerk, treasurer and supervisor?
Walsh: Yes, I support the candidates that share the same desire to bring back competitive bidding and strategic planning to our community. I do not support any candidate that votes against competitive bidding or auditing of the water and sewer department because that goes directly against honesty and transparency.
Q: Are you running on any type of slate with other candidates?
Walsh: I am running as an individual. However, I do support various candidates that share in the same values of competitive bidding, strategic planning, getting the community more involved in the decision process, auditing the water and sewer department, all of which will help protect the AAA bond rating we received in 2010.
Q: How are you involved in your community?
Walsh: At St. Owen Catholic Church, I have volunteered for over 20 years as a catechist (Sunday school teacher) and cantor. I was also voted onto the Parish Council for three terms and volunteer with the bell choir.
I started collecting supplies for “warming packages” and hand them out to the homeless in Detroit. I collect coats, scarves, gloves and blankets and then wrap them up in individual packages to be handed out. This way, I knew that my donations were going directly to those in need, since I was delivering them myself.
I help out with many charities that look for volunteers to fix houses, plant urban gardens, help feed the homeless ... my parents taught me at a very young age to give back to others, because it is only through giving that you truly find happiness.
jgrossman@hometownlife.com | 586-826-7030 Twitter: @BhmEccentric