Troy Community Coalition June Meeting

General Membership Meeting
Thursday
June 4, 2009
7:00 PM

Guest Speaker
Elizabeth Reader – Substance Abuse Counselor at Milford Counseling Inc.

Police and Fire Training Center
4850 John R
South of Long Lake
Troy, MI 48085

Monthly meetings are open to the public, light refreshments are served. Join us for an educational presentation, lively discussion, and information sharing.

Is John Lamerato Leaving Troy?

Has Troy Assistant City Manager John Lamerato accepted the City Manager job in Oak Park?

Troy City Council Regular Meeting Agenda — 6/1/09

Links to individual agenda items can be found at…
http://www.troymi.gov/Council/Meetings/CurrentAgenda.aspx

The complete agenda can be downloaded by clicking the link below.
Current Agenda

Kayaking Near Ketchikan

Visiting Our National Bird

The Bald Eagle in Sitka, Alaska.

Hello from Alaska

Greetings from Alaska!

New Site Plans Set for Troy Museum’s Historic Green

The May 25th issue of the Troy-Somerset Gazette states that the site plan for the Troy Museum’s Historic Green will "now go before the Zoning Committee and the Planning Commission before returning to City Council for final approval."

Actually, variances for the site plan were approved by the Board of Zoning Appeals at our meeting on May 18th.

Memorial Day 2009

Never forget...

Troy Public Library Cafe Opens

The Grand Opening of the Troy Public Library’s new vending café “Cup and Chaucer” is scheduled for Monday, June 1 at 6:30 pm. Over 190 entries were received in the “Name the Café” contest and the winner is Alanda Slusser. Mrs. Slusser will join Mayor Louise Schilling and the Troy City Council for the ribbon cutting ceremony.

For more information, go to...
http://www.troymi.gov/CommunityAffairs/PressRelease/NewLibraryCafeNameUnveiled.htm

City of Troy 2009 Memorial Day Observance

The City of Troy hosts its annual Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 25 at 11 am at Veterans Memorial Plaza in front of Troy City Hall (500 W. Big Beaver Road).

For more information, go to...
http://www.troymi.gov/CommunityAffairs/PressRelease/MemorialDayCeremony.htm

Special May Rates at City of Troy Golf Courses

Special rates are now in effect for both of Troy’s City golf courses: Sylvan Glen at 5725 Rochester Road, and Sanctuary Lake at 1450 South Boulevard.

For more information, go to...
http://www.troymi.gov/CommunityAffairs/PressRelease/GolfCourseMayRates.htm

The Return of Sonic?

After last Tuesday evening's Troy Board of Zoning Appeals meeting, a couple of individuals mentioned that the Sonic Drive-in variance request might be on June's agenda.

Oakland County May Cut Officials' Park Perks

Great idea. What took them so long to end these perks? See the story in the Detroit News at http://tinyurl.com/qlsd3t

They should next address their excessive compensation.

New Troy BZA Officers Elected

At tonight's Board of Zoning Appeals meeting, we elected new officers for 2009-2010.

Chairman: Glenn Clark
Vice Chairman: Michael Bartnik

Congratulations!

Cirque Amongus at Our Shepherd Lutheran School

I served as a volunteer at the Cirque Amongus event at Our Shepherd Lutheran School on May 15. Alex was a participant. Here's a pictures below of Alex.

For more information, go to http://cirqueamongus.com/

City Manager Should Not be "Presidential"

Michele Hodges, executive director for the Troy Chamber of Commerce, is quoted by the Troy Eccentric as saying: “(The new city manager) needs to be a bridge builder, who is credible, commanding, a statesman, progressive and might I even say presidential."

I agree with some of the qualities she is looking for but not all of them. I take exception to two of them. First, what does it mean to be "progressive?" Usually it means, "I agree with your philosophy." While I might think Ronald Reagan was a progressive, many individuals on the Left would probably disagree.

Second, I don't want the City Manager to be "presidential."  The City Manager answers to the seven members of the City Council and not to the voters.  He/she is the chief administrative officer of the City, not the CEO.

Troy Board of Zoning Appeals Meeting Agenda --- 5/19/09

The agenda can be found at...
http://www.troymi.gov/committees/Agendas/Zoning/Zoning20090421.pdf

Troy City Council Regular Meeting Agenda — 5/18/09

Links to individual agenda items can be found at…
http://www.troymi.gov/Council/Meetings/CurrentAgenda.aspx

The complete agenda can be downloaded by clicking the link below.
Current Agenda

Alex Appearing in "Robin Hood"

Alex played the Sheriff of Nottingham tonight in the production of "Robin Hood" at Our Shepherd Lutheran School.  He did a great job and we're proud of him.  All of the students were great!

Imagine

Stop Waterboarding and Stop Partial Birth Abortions

There's a controversy between Chetly Zarko and Bruce Fealk over "waterboarding." Check it out on Chetly's Oakland Politics blog. I hope that Chetly will not agree to Bruce's suggestion that he (Chetly) undergo waterboarding.

Instead of engaging in this stunt, I have a solution. If the Left will oppose partial birth abortion, then the Right will agree to oppose waterboarding.

What do you think?

Troy Town Hall Meeting for the City Manager Search

I attended the City's Town Hall Meeting tonight to garner citizen input on the search for a new Troy City Manager. It looked like there were around 20 interested citizens in attendance.

Andrea Sims from Waters-Oldani Executive Recruitment took notes from the comments made by the public.

I made three suggestions for those qualities I'd like to see in a future City Manager:
1. He/she should be visible in the community by attending selected community events.
2. He/she should either have some private sector experience or knowledge of private sector management techniques.
3. He/she should have the skills to adequately assist City Council in planning for the long-term future.

[caption id="attachment_2076" align="aligncenter" width="192" caption="Andrea Sims from Waters-Oldani Executive Recruitment"][/caption]

The Case for Civility by Os Guinness

Earlier tonight I listened to an interview of Os Guinness on "Issues, Etc" The topic was "Pursuing Civility in a Post Christian Age."

The interview focused on the book "The Case for Civility" by Guinness...

"The Case for Civility is a proposal for restoring civility in America as a way to foster civility around the world. Influential Christian writer and speaker Os Guinness makes a passionate plea to put an end to the polarization of American politics and culture that—rather than creating a public space for real debate—threatens to reverse the very principles our founders set into motion and that have long preserved liberty, diversity, and unity in this country."

You can order the book by clicking on this link to Amazon.

You can also listen to the interview by clicking on this "Issues, Etc." link.

The Detainees - 9/11

My Missing Troy Police Crime Reports

Are you wondering what happened to the Troy Police Crime Reports that used to be posted here? Well, approximately two weeks ago the Troy Police Department stopped sending them to me. So now you know what I know.

Alex's First Track Meet

Here's Alex running in the 200 Meter Dash today at Lutheran North High School. Unfortunately he didn't win.

Troy City Council Regular Meeting Agenda — 5/11/09

Links to individual agenda items can be found at…
http://www.troymi.gov/Council/Meetings/CurrentAgenda.aspx

The complete agenda can be downloaded by clicking the link below.
Current Agenda

Troy Civil War Camps for Middle School Students

What a great idea.  Too many students know so little about the history of our Nation. Students from each of Troy’s four middle schools (Baker, Boulan Park, Larson and Smith) will participate in daylong Civil War Camps held at the Troy Museum from 9 am - 2 pm on May 18-21, 2009.

Read more at...
http://www.troymi.gov/CommunityAffairs/PressRelease/CivilWarCamps.htm

George McGovern Condemns the "Employee Free Choice Act"

Former Democratic Presidential candidate George McGovern:

...My perspective on the so-called Employee Free Choice Act is informed by life experience. After leaving the Senate in 1981, I spent some time running a hotel. It was an eye-opening introduction to something most business operators are all-too familiar with -- the difficulty of controlling costs and setting prices in a weak economy. Despite my trust in government, I would have been alarmed by an outsider taking control of basic management decisions that determine success or failure in a business where I had invested my life savings. When it comes to labor disputes, both parties should be guaranteed a real chance for compromise under the joint economic threat of contract breakdowns...

Words of wisdom from former Senator McGovern.

Read the entire article at...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124165379013293871.html

Troy Police Hosts Inaugural “Race for the Badge” Fundraiser

The City of Troy Police Department is hosting its first annual “Race for the Badge” run and walk fund raiser on Saturday, May 16, at the Police Department Building, 500 W. Big Beaver. Money raised during the event will benefit the Troy Police and Fire Benevolent Association (TPFBA), which supports public service employees that experience personal tragedy ─ such as fallen fire fighters and police officers, and the family of Oak Park Public Safety Officer Mason Samborski, who was killed in the line of duty on December 28, 2008.

For more information, go to...
http://www.troymi.gov/CommunityAffairs/PressRelease/RaceforBadge.htm

Ping Post

Hey guys check it out! I'm posting via Ping.fm

Troy Town Hall Meeting: Executive Search for New City Manager

The City of Troy is holding a Town Hall Meeting for the Troy City Manager – Executive Search on Tuesday, May 12, from 5 pm – 7 pm at the Troy Community Center, Room 302, 3179 Livernois. The public is invited to attend and offer input.

For more information, go to...
http://www.troymi.gov/CommunityAffairs/PressRelease/TownHallMeetingMay12.htm

Oakland Co Uses Technology To Keep Citizens Current On Swine Flu

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson announced last Friday that the county has added new functionality to its website to keep citizens up to date on the status of the H1N1 (Swine Flu) outbreak. Citizens can now subscribe to receiving emails each time there is new information on the H1N1 Swine Flu in Michigan.

Email is nice but it's so "last year!"  Now if we could just get Brooks on to Twitter!

Read more at...
http://www.oakgov.com/about/news/2009/pr_09_23.html

Jill's New Troy Transportation Vehicle

I finished assembling our daughter Jill's new bicycle yesterday. In addition to Troy's Medigo bus, this is the only other way Jill can get around on her own.

Troy City Council Study Session Agenda — 5/4/09

This is the second study session to discuss the next fiscal year's budget.

The complete agenda can be downloaded by clicking the link below.
Current Agenda

Reconsidering the Troy-Birmingham Transit Center

As a former Troy City Councilmember, I'm sure that few people really care what I think about City issues. Well, I'll give my opinion on this anyway. While I thought building a transit center near the Birmingham train station was a good idea, I now believe this is not the best time to pursue the project.

My reasons are as follows:

1. The push seems to be closely related to the deadline set by the consent agreement with the property owner. Is the prospect of "losing" this piece of property a good reason to be spending significant tax dollars on the project?

2. Will building a transit center on this rail line truly promote alternative means of transportation? After all, the Birmingham stop is primarily used for passengers traveling to Chicago, not to locations in metro Detroit.

3. With the City of Troy making significant budget cuts and laying off employees, is this the best way to spend limited tax dollars?

What do you think?