No. 09
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
March 3 – 9, 2016
w w w . a s s o c i a t e d n e w s p a p e r s . n e t
Pre-registration for a
series of new classes offered
by Senior Services in Wayne
is now available. Classes will
take place at the Hype
Recreation facility.
See page 7.
Debra Wilhelm, who has
beenwith the township since
1993, has been named as the
new Assistant Northville
TownshipManager.
See page 6.
Vol. 131, No. 09
Vol. 69, No. 09
Vol. 69, No. 09
Vol. 16, No. 09
State Rep. Erika Geiss
made a special visit to
RomulusHigh School during
Legislator to Lunch Week
last month, where she met
with staff and students.
See page 5.
Vol. 131, No. 09
Vol. 69, No. 09
Vol. 69, No. 09
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
The new Westland Parks
and Recreation Director
began work last month,
immediately following con-
firmation of his appointment
by members of the city coun-
cil.
See page 7.
A meeting regarding the
new Partners in Your Safety
program of the Canton
Police Department will take
place at 7 p.m. April 13 at the
Summit on thePark.
See page 2.
Vol. 16, No. 24
A youth sports basketball
tournament is headed for the
Booker Dozier Recreation
Complex in Inkster this
spring.
See page 5.
Plymouth
Township
police officers continue to
work without a union agree-
ment, a situation that has
continued since their con-
tract expired in December
2014.
See page 3.
Despite losses in bothWayne
County Circuit and the
Michigan Court of Appeals,
members of the Plymouth
Township Board of Trustees
voted 3-2 last week to take their
disputed claim on 190 acres of
land to the Michigan Supreme
Court.
To date, the township has
spentmore than $77,000 in legal
fees pursuing their claimon the
land, part of a 323-acre parcel
that was once Detroit House of
Corrections property. The town-
ship purchased the land at a
Wayne County tax foreclosure
sale in 2011 for $606,000 which
was later ruled improper by the
courts, as the land has belonged
to the City of Detroit since 1919
and municipal land is exempt
fromforeclosure by state law.
That law and the additional
argument of Detroit attorneys
that the city had not received
adequate notice of any tax
delinquencywas first upheld by
Wayne County Circuit Court
Judge Robert Columbo, Jr. His
ruling was staunchly upheld by
a three-judge appeals court
panel last month. The judges
further upheld the state law
exempting municipally-owned
property from foreclosure,
despite township attorney
Kevin's Bennett's argument
before Columbo that the law
states the municipal land must
be for public use to qualify for
such an exemption. The
appeals judges ordered the
land returned to the City of
Detroit.
A 133-acre portion of the
Detroit-owned, 323-acre site on
Five Mile, west of Ridge Road,
was sold to a developer in 2006.
Detroit retained title to the
remaining 190 acres, the sub-
ject of the legal dispute. The
large parcel was never correct-
ly split into two sections accord-
ing to township and county
records and tax notices for the
The Van Buren Public
Schools will pay terminated
superintendent Michael Van
Tassel $290,528 to finalize his
contract with the district.
Van Tassel will also remain
on the school payroll as a con-
sultant for up to 10 hours a
week as needed until Jan. 31,
2017. His work as a consultant
will be completed off-site but he
could be called to the district
officers if interim superinten-
dent Shonta Langford-Green
determines he is needed.
Langford-Green was named
as the interim replacement for
Van Tassel at a heated meeting
of the members of the board of
education last week. She is the
Human Resources Director for
the district and will continue in
that capacity while being paid
an extra $100 per day as the
interimschools chief.
While the termination of Van
Tassel met with vocal approval
from the assembled crowd at
themeeting, the appointment of
Langford-Green was not
favored by everyone. Some
members of the audience sug-
gested that Langford-Green had
been supporting Van Tassel and
that the teachers and adminis-
tratorsmay not have confidence
inher ability to change the envi-
ronment in the district schools.
Barbara Rogalle Miller told
the board members that
Langford-Green had been part
of the administration in which
the community had no confi-
dence and suggested that the
board members contact the
Regional Educational Service
Agency (RESA) which, she said,
has a roster of qualified educa-
tors who will take on short-term
superintendent assignments.
See
Lawsuit,
page 3
See
Schools,
page 6
Canton Township Director of
Public Safety Todd Mutchler
will be leaving his position to
join the staff in Northville
Township.
Northville
Township
Manager
Chip
Snider
announced last Friday that
Mutchler has agreed to become
the Deputy Director of Police
Services effectiveMay 9. He will
report directly to John Werth,
director of public safety in
NorthvilleTownship.
Mutchler will retire from
Canton Township position,
where he is paid $131,628 annu-
ally, onApril 30.
Werth said that Mutchler was
“a perfect fit” and called him
“exceptional at all levels.”
“Todd brings extensive expe-
rience and will add the neces-
sary leadership and depth that
will assist our transformation,”
Snider said in a prepared state-
ment.
That transformation is due,
Werth confirmed, to department
retirements and attrition.
“Two lieutenants have
recently retired and I have all
new sergeants. I have a very
young department,” Werth said.
“I am giving up the day-to day
operations of the police depart-
ment.”
“John Werth and I have
worked with Todd in the past
and have the utmost respect for
his experience and accomplish-
ments,” Snider said. “We have
developed a trusted relation-
ship that will enable us to cohe-
sively manage the changes cur-
rently happening in the Public
SafetyDepartment.”
Mutchler has been with the
Canton Police Department for
28 years, starting as a patrolman.
He has served at all leadership
levels and became public safety
director in 2012. He holds amas-
ters degree in interdisciplinary
technology from Eastern
Michigan University where he
also earned his bachelors
degree in criminal justice. He
graduated from the FBI
Academy in 2014. He will be
paid $114,000 annually as the
deputy director in Northville
Township.
Snider said that Mutchler has
a breadth of perspective and
experience and a solid back-
ground in building and main-
taining strong relationships with
See
Mutchler,
page 2
Going Wild
Red Wings alumni will face
off against mayor’s team
Mayor William R. Wild and
his Westland Wild Wings are
once again getting ready to lace
up their skates to challenge
Darren McCarty and the
Detroit Red Wing Alumni in
the 7thAnnual HockeyNight in
Westland charity event.
The game will begin at 7
p.m. March 18 at the Mike
Modano Ice Arena located at
6210 N. Wildwood in Westland.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
“This annual event draws
more than 800 spectators and
has raised thousands of dollars
to benefit improvements to the
Mike Modano Ice arena,” said
Wild.
The annual alumni game
has turned into one of the most
anticipated and popular events
in the city, according to a pre-
pared statement from Wild's
office.
Tickets for the game are
prices at $10 for adults and $5
for children. Those younger
than 3 will be admitted at no
cost.
Tickets are on sale now and
can be purchased at Wild's
office in city hall, the Mike
Modano Ice arena and North
BrothersFord.
Tickets are available online
at
com/hockeynight/. Seating is
limited.
Other activities planned for
the evening include “score-o”
and “chuck-a-puck.” There will
also be several raffles.
This year, as part of
Westland's Compassionate City
Initiative, Wild is asking event
attendees continue to help out
residents of Flint by bringing a
water donation to the hockey
game or a monetary donation
in the formof a checkmade out
to the City of Westland. Anyone
who brings a donation will
receive a ticket for a special
raffle of a $50 visa card, spon-
soredby ParksideDental.
For more information got to
.
Westland Mayor William Wild, left, and former Red Wing Darren
McCarty will face off again during the annual charity hockey game
March 18.
I’m very excited and looking forward to having
Todd become a part of our team. His organizational
leadership and his values will bring a
new dimension to our public safety department.
”
If we win this, we would be taking property from the
people of Detroit. I totally disagree with this. It (the
property purchase) has stunk from day one
and we all know it. It's time to move on.
”
Northville recruits Canton safety director
Township to take land deal to Supreme Court
Fired superintendent will continue as consultant
There will be a
Downtown Development
Authority (DDA) in the City
of Belleville for another 30
years following approval of
an amendment by city coun-
cilmembers.
See page 6.
