Meet the Candidates for West Bloomfield Township Treasurer

The Aug. 7 primary election is drawing closer every day, but how much do you really know about the names on the ballot?

Patch is interviewing candidates running in the Aug. 7 primary, including positions on the West Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees: Supervisor, Clerk, Treasurer, and Trustee.

On Monday, we covered two candidates for Supervisor: the incumbent, Michele Economou Ureste and challenger Jonathan Warshay. On Tuesday, we covered two candidates running for Clerk: the incumbent, Cathy Shaughnessy, and challenger Neha Patel.

Stay tuned. On Thursday, Patch will feature interviews with candidates for four spots on the board.

Continue reading for highlights from interviews with Weingarden and Farber. To read the complete interviews, check out the following on Patch:

Hot topics

Township voters will vote on two incumbent board members for treasurer who have generally stayed out of strife between the board. A difference in opinion on investment policy stands between the incumbent, Weingarden, a former finance executive, and Farber, a trustee who operates a private law practice.

Farber said in his interview with Patch that he would institute a practice of cash flow analysis, which he believes would aid investments decisions and transparency in government. He adds that he would take advantage of an "ability to invest up to 10 percent of our township funds in longer maturing bonds and CDs (up to five years)" as permitted by township policy.

Weingarden, meanwhile, said she has fought to improve township policy by investing government-insured securities further out on the yield curve

New ideas

Weingarden has defended new initiatives undertaken in her first term; including township website improvements to accommodate for accessibility to over-the-counter, online and phone payments for tax, water, permit and dog license payments. A vendor could be selected to help provide that service, she said, as a request for proposal as been issued.

Farber points out that West Bloomfield could utilize its population of professionals in order to get citizens involved in a committee to ensure best practices.

For more on the 2012 election in West Bloomfield, visit its Topic Page on Patch.

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