Ferndale Council Votes to “Ban the Box,” Removing Criminal History Question from Applications Ferndale, MI – On most employment applications there is a box that many people check in dread, knowing that by being honest about their past, they are likely to be passed up for consideration. “Have you ever been convicted of a felony…
Guest Blog: Getting Millennials Interested in Local Government (Samantha Audia, Michigan Municipal League, May 1, 2016) While attending the League’s Capital Conference last month, I had the pleasure of sharing breakfast with local officials from Hazel Park, all of whom took a moment to update me on the new and exciting things happening this year…
Hazel Park Residents Come Together for John R. Design Charrette (Matt Bach, Michigan Municipal League, April 16, 2016) Hazel Park, MI – Hazel Park residents, city leaders and business owners got good news from an urban planner during a special design charrette kick-off meeting Tuesday. The news – Hazel Park has a tremendous market potential…
Berkley Selects Matthew Baumgarten as Finalist for City Manager (City of Berkley Press Release, Feb. 23, 2016) Berkley, MI – The Berkley City Council reached a consensus to make a conditional employment offer to Matthew Baumgarten, City Administrator of Lathrup Village, to fill Berkley’s vacant city manager position.The search committee composed of Mayor Pro-Tem Steve…
Berkley Down to Four City Manager Candidates, Meet them Feb. 19 (MML Press Release, Feb. 9, 2016) BERKLEY, Michigan —The search for the next Berkley City Manager is down to four. Thirty-five candidates applied for the Berkley City Manager’s position and four finalists have been selected for interviews later this month. The Michigan Municipal League’s…
Wolverine Lake Seeking New Village Administrator (Crystal A. Proxmire, Dec. 8, 2015) Wolverine Lake, MI – After 25 years of service, Village Administrator and Clerk Sharon Miller will be leaving her position with Wolverine Lake. The Michigan Municipal League is working with Wolverine Lake officials in the search for her replacement. According to www.mml.org, the…
Berkley Public Safety Director to Serve as Interim City Manager (City of Berkley Press Release, Oct. 19, 2015) The City of Berkley announces that Public Safety Director Richard Eshman will serve as the Interim City Manager following the October 16th retirement of Jane Bais DiSessa. An ad hoc committee has been appointed to identify candidates…
Ferndale Voters to Decide on Funding for Roads, Parks and City Services (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 10, 2015) The May 5, 2015 ballot will not only have a state wide sales tax increase proposed, but two local proposals as well for voters in Ferndale. One will be a millage to continue funding City Services, and…
Ferndale Voters to Decide on Funding for Roads, Parks and City Services (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 10, 2015) The May 5, 2015 ballot will not only have a state wide sales tax increase proposed, but two local proposals as well for voters in Ferndale. One will be a millage to continue funding City Services, and…
Melanie Piana: Twenty Years Revitalizing Downtown Ferndale (Melanie Piana, Ferndale City Councilperson, Orig. Meltropolis, Jan. 9, 2015) In the December 2014 Ferndale Friends issue, I responded to questions about the 3-60 development project. My intent was to expand on that response here, but that intent evolved into answering my personal question “when DID Ferndale determine…
Ferndale Promotes Sewer Line Insurance Program (Crystal A. Proxmire, Nov. 15, 2014) Ferndale residents have until Nov. 30 to sign up for low rates for sewer line insurance through Service Line Warranties of America, a program approved by the City of Ferndale. Though SLWA is an outside company, The City of Ferndale has endorsed the…
Student Could Win Trip to Congress of Cities in Leadership Essay Contest (MML Press Release, intro by Jay Foreman, Sept. 6, 2014) As we know, today’s teenagers will become tomorrow’s leaders. Who will they ultimately be and how will they get there? Some will take themselves into this direction consciously while others will get there…
Throw Back Thursday: Guest Columns Through the Years (Crystal A. Proxmire, Aug. 21, 2014) Since the oc115 first launched in June 2009 as the Ferndale 115 News, we’ve had the pleasure of presenting many insightful guest columns that people could learn from. As we begin a new push to find work worthy of sharing, here…
Pleasant Ridge Adopts Resolution Supporting Proposal 1 (Crystal A. Proxmire, June 25, 2014) EDITORS NOTE: For balance we ran a guest column on opposition to Proposal 14-1. Read that opinion at https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/08/04/guest-column-no-on-proposal-14-1/. At their most recent City Commission meeting, Pleasant Ridge officials passed a resolution in support of Proposal 1, which will be on the…
Pleasant Ridge Residents Invited to Meet City Manager Candidates April 11, Interviews April 12 (Crystal A. Proxmire, April 6, 2014) Though City officials do not yet know who the candidates will be, they are inviting Pleasant Ridge residents out for a meet and greet with those who will be interviewing for City Manager. The event…
Revenue Sharing Reviewed: How Cities Have Been Impacted (Michigan Municipal League Press Release, March 23, 2014) Communities from Marquette to St. Joseph and everywhere in between are among the Michigan cities that lost hundreds of millions of dollars in “statutory revenue sharing” over the past decade because the governor and Legislature diverted the funds to…
WA3 Welcomes Mayors Metzger and Waterman to Board (Adapted from WA3 Press Release, March 12, 2014) 2014 and the recent mayoral elections bring three new leaders to the Board of the Woodward Avenue Action Association (WA3), a collaborative effort to promote the 11 communities along M1. From the far north is Pontiac’s mayor Deidre Waterman. …
WA3 Welcomes Mayors Metzger and Waterman to Board (Adapted from WA3 Press Release, March 12, 2014) 2014 and the recent mayoral elections bring three new leaders to the Board of the Woodward Avenue Action Association (WA3), a collaborative effort to promote the 11 communities along M1. From the far north is Pontiac’s mayor Deidre Waterman. …
Oak Park Mayor McClellan’s 2014 State of the City Address (Marian McClellan, Mayor of Oak Park, March 6, 2014) The following is text of the Oak Park State of the City Address given March 6, 2014 by Mayor Marian McClellan.) Thank you, City Manager Tungate. Since your arrival in 2012, you have brought critical change,…
Pleasant Ridge Seeks City Manager (Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb 11, 2014) The City of Pleasant Ridge has embarked on the search for a long-term City Manager. The job posting went live on the Michigan Municipal League website with details about what they are looking for, and offering. “The ideal candidate must also possess the leadership…