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Elections

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Supervisor to Face 2 Challengers in Aug. 7 Primary

Tuesday deadline reveals a total of 23 candidates will be running for spots in Town Hall.

The Aug. 7 primary picture became clearer Tuesday night, as the final unofficial list of candidates who will be running for West Bloomfield Township Board and other positions was published. A total of 23 candidates will be pushing for spots in Town Hall. Every incumbent on the township board again seeks a spot on the board, including all three full-time elected officials. Each position is a four-year term. Candidates' school positions will file to appear on the general election ballot later this year. Judicial candidates had to meet a May 1 filing deadline. Candidates may also pursue running independent by collecting qualifying signatures or campaigning for write-in votes. Local candidates include: For more information including state- and…

Flaisher Announces Bid for West Bloomfield Supervisor Position

Critical of current board, the former supervisor plans to bypass the Aug. 7 primary by running as independent.

Former West Bloomfield Township Supervisor David Flaisher announced his bid to run again for the top office in town as an independent in the Nov. 6 general election. Flaisher was beaten soundly in the 2008 August primary by current Supervisor Michele Economou Ureste. As a result of that defeat, he said he's reconsidered the primary process in hopes of avoiding what he called "the mud-slinging campaign you're seeing now." "People are sick of it," said Flaisher, who hasn't run for any office since the defeat. "The board pretty much ran as a slate of Democrats back then when they promised to end fighting and now they're tearing each other to pieces." Now running as an independent after running for supervisor as a Democrat for two four-year …

Diana richmond

7:51 am on Thursday, May 17, 2012

David deserves to be back. We need the return of honest government.   more ›

Monday, May 14, 2012

Last Chance: Filing Deadline for Aug. 7 Primary is Tuesday

Become a candidate for several of the local and state seats in play in the next election.

If you are politically inclined and looking to make a difference in local, state or federal politics there's just a day left to get on the Aug. 7 primary ballot. All candidates for partisan and nonpartisan seats, except for judicial positions, need to file their nominating petitions or applicable fees by 4 p.m. Tuesday. Candidates must also complete an affidavit of identity to be on the ballot. Candidates for county convention delegate (precinct delegate) also must file an affidavit of identity Tuesday. Documents may be submitted to the Oakland County Clerk's Office, or Town Hall. The deadline to withdrawal expires at 4 p.m. Friday, May 18. Do you know about an important upcoming deadline? Share it in the comments below and we’ll consider …

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Third Time a Charm for BHS High School Consolidation Millage

Now the focus moves toward implementing the two-year transition plan for a unified Bloomfield Hills High School under one roof.

  The Bloomfield Hills Schools and Superintendent Rob Glass asked voters for one last shot to resolve a decade-long community dispute over the future of the district's high schools, and they got it Tuesday. The proposal approving use of $59 million in public bonds passed by a 61 percent margin, according to election results from the Oakland County Elections Office. Now, the focus will be on implementing a two-year, multifaceted transition plan to use the bonds to house both Andover and Lahser high schools under one roof on the current Andover campus. "Now we have to execute," Glass acknowledged amid the fervor of district supporters and volunteers celebrating the victory Tuesday evening at the Ultimate Soccer in Pontiac. "We've heard …

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Election Results: Bloomfield School Bond, Bloomfield Hills City Commission

With all precincts reporting, the vote is 61 percent yes for the school bond. In Bloomfield Hills, Dul and McClure win commission seats, edging Monaghan.

Results of the Bloomfield Hills school bond vote will be reported as they come into the Oakland County Elections Office.

Neal Charness

11:31 pm on Wednesday, May 9, 2012

I know the sense of loss and disbelief when the bond issue was defeated in 2010 by a combination of an ill planned measure and a coalition of people with antipathy towards the board/district due to personal agendas along with voters who are simply anti-tax. It is hard for those folks to deal with the repudiation of that coalition by the community--they were able to block progress for years and …   more ›

Critical Questions About the BHS High School Vote

Nearly a decade of often heated debate will culminate today in what the Bloomfield Hills Schools says will be the final vote on the high school dilemma.

  Pass or fail, today's vote will mark the beginning of a new era in Bloomfield Hills Schools history. Here's a last-minute primer for those heading to the polls. For previous coverage, visit the Bloomfield Hills Schools High School Consolidation Millage Topic Page. The district plan calls for roughly $79 million to merge the high schools under one roof. Voters are being asked to approve $58.6 million in bonds (1.16 mills) to make it happen. The owner of a home with a taxable value of $250,000 is expected to pay $290 annually; and the owner of a home with a taxable value of $150,000 is expected to pay $174 annually. The district's existing bond debt, however, is set to decrease in 2014 due to a reduction in Sinking Fund millages approved …

Ashley Jedinak

2:19 pm on Wednesday, May 9, 2012

As a student that attended Andover 7 years ago, I can tell you this is a great plan. At that time the roof was caving in and dumpsters collected rain water and snow melt in the hallways. The schools are completely outdated, and in no way could compete with other schools in the area. Not to mention, Lahser was (and I assume still is) sinking 1/4 inch every year. Are these the type of environments …   more ›

Friday, May 4, 2012

POLL: Voters Go to Polls Tuesday; Too Many Election Dates, or No?

Three polling dates in six months raise question of whether there's a better way.

Ready for a half-year of serial balloting? Voters will elect municipal leaders and consider school millages in a number of Southeast Michigan districts Tuesday, three months before Aug. 7 statewide primaries to nominate candidates for Congress, the legislature, courts and county offices. Those seats get filled Nov. 6. Springtime votes are needlessly costly and inconvenient, critics say,  particularly now that a 2011 state law moves all school board elections to the first Tuesday in November of even-numbered years – coinciding with the selection of a president or governor. That move is intended to reduce "the number of election dates so as to provide more consistency and predictability for potential voters," state Joan Hunault of the state …

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Patterson Files for Re-Election: What Can He Do for Our Town?

The five-term Oakland County executive is seeking another four years.

In an effort to continue what he calls a "legacy of leadership", L. Brooks Patterson filed for re-election as Oakland County executive Thursday morning at the county clerk's office. Patterson is seeking his sixth term. "My administration has a legacy of leadership that is unmatched," Patterson said in a statement Thursday. "Our economic diversification initiatives and budgetary innovations were in place long before others began to see the necessity of adopting similar programs. Plus, we have embraced the effective use of applied technology and enjoy a quality of life second to none here in Oakland County." The statement from the Friends of L. Brooks Patterson, his re-election campaign, listed his accomplishments over the past 19 years. …

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Bloomfield Hills Commissioner Enters Crowded GOP Field for State House

Mike McCready formally announced Wednesday bid to replace term-limited Chuck Moss in representing Sylvan Lake, Keego Harbor, and Orchard Lake Village.

The race for the Republican Party candidate to represent Keego Harbor, Sylvan Lake and Orchard Lake Village in the State House of Representatives just got a little more crowded. Bloomfield Hills City Commissioner Mike McCready formally announced his bid for the 40th District in Lansing next fall on Wednesday afternoon. The 40th District is composed of the aforementioned areas we well as Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township. Current Rep. Chuck Moss, (R-Birmingham), is term limited and is expected to run for state State Senate in 2014. Oakland County Commissioner David Potts, and Birmingham Board of Education member Robert Lawrence announced their candidacies for the house seat earlier this year, while West Bloomfield attorney …

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Rep. Brown to Run for Oakland County Clerk

The West Bloomfield Democrat expects to challenge the incumbent Bill Bullard Jr. in the November election.

Michigan Rep. Lisa Brown on Tuesday came out swinging against Oakland County Clerk Bill Bullard Jr. in announcing she intends to run for his position in the November election. Brown, 45, a second-term Democrat who lives in West Bloomfield, said she would run on a platform of changing "the county culture of party politics trumping good government." "It is unacceptable that our county clerk, in his own words, encouraged legislative leaders in Lansing to sidestep public input, while orchestrating one of the most blatantly partisan undertakings we have seen ever seen in Michigan – let alone Oakland County," Brown said in reference to controversial redistricting measures taken by the Republican-controlled county commission. "It’s clearly a …

Karen M Faett

11:43 pm on Sunday, April 22, 2012

Mr. Bullard has turned the county clerks office into one of the best run offices in MI. The implementation of the internet services has already saved this count thousands of dollars. It would b foolish to have anyone else in the clerks office at this time if Oakland County wants to continue to lead the road to recovery in this state!   more ›

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