Board delays decision on interim supervisor
Shannon Price seeking appointment as Plymouth Township Supervisor delivers opening comments at their Board Meeting
Apr. 1, 2015, PLYMOUTH VOICE.
Plymouth Michigan News
After a grueling 4 ½-hour meeting Tuesday night, eight Plymouth Township Supervisor candidates were informed that the appointment of a successor to recently-resigned Richard Reaume would be delayed until Thursday.
Township Clerk Nancy Conzelman, once again elected President Pro-tem for the board of trustees, pushed for urgency in the decision, but her haste was tempered by the concerns expressed by both her fellow officials and members of the standing room only crowd. Many in the packed board room expressed concern that the decision had already been made ahead of time without due consideration of the original 10 applicants. Timothy Patino, manager of Travis Point Country Club in Ann Arbor and former Township Clerk Joe Bridgman withdrew their application and resumes prior to the meeting.
Conzelman wanted to move to have the meeting Wednesday night, but Trustee Kay Arnold resisted suggesting that both the board members making the decision and the candidates could use a little more time.
“Why not wait until Thursday?” she asked an obviously reticent Conzelman who reluctantly agreed to the 48-hour respite and voted in favor of a motion to reconvene the meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday. At that meeting, board members are expected to be prepared with their choice for first, second and third place candidates for the supervisor’s job utilizing an unusual point system to evaluate each of the remaining eight. First place choices of each board member will receive three points, second place two points and third place one point. The board members agreed to vote on a further methodology
During the Tuesday meeting, each candidate gave a 10-minute introductory speech and then answered a series of questions developed by trustees at the March 31 meeting. Four of the eight said that if they were appointed supervisor they would seek re-election in 2016.
Each of the eight spoke of the need to re-unite the board members.
“There’s something wrong that needs to be fixed, said Ray Byers. “I consider this a full time job.”
I want to bring back what made this community great, said Trustee Chuck Curmi, “Listening is my strong point.
“We all have to work together as a team…offered the rumored favorite for the job, current Wayne County Commissioner Shannon Price.
Ronald Bullotta, a manufacturer’s representative and president of Wordlore South Homeowners Association said, “We have a dysfunctional board…I’ve been known as change maker.”
Longtime trustee and 15-year resident Bob Doroshewitz, said he and his wife have given thousands of hours to the community, “I’m not a career politician and we’re very proud of that.” Doroshewitz also spoke about the need to end the block voting on the board, the mistrust among them and his knowledge of the history of several issues that face the township currently. “ I own my own vote,” said Doroshewitz. “This job is, “10 percent political and 90 percent management.
Nearly every candidate agreed that the fire department in the township is a problem that needs to be addressed and that the shuttered Lake Pointe station, closed for three years, should be reopened and properly staffed.
Current State Rep. Kurt Heise spoke to the board about many of the problems he sees including the block voting, distrust among board members, ongoing lawsuits regarding property and public safety. “You have a problem. There is an ongoing recall. You may not like it, but you need to face it,” Heise told the board members who will ultimately decide whether he becomes the next township supervisor.
Plymouth Voice.
