No. 06
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
February 8 – 14, 2018
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
Wa y n e - We s t l a n d
Community Schools will
offer aSchools of Choice pro-
gram for the 2018-2019 year
for students in kindergarten
through grade 12.
See page 4.
Everybody will be Irish
during the St. Patrick's Day
Party to benefit the
Northville Educational
Foundation set March 17 at
the Meadowbrook Country
Club.
See page 3.
Vol. 133, No. 06
Vol. 71, No. 06
Vol. 71, No. 06
Vol. 18, No. 06
An old chemistry class-
room at Romulus High
School recently got a
makeover including a mural
painted by art students
which has become the talk of
the school.
See page 5.
Vol. 133, No. 06
Vol. 71, No. 06
Vol. 71, No. 06
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Warming up the stage is
the winter production at
Inspire Theatre, "Gone With
The Breeze," a musical-com-
edy set inHollywood.
See page 4.
Applications for the
Canton Township Citizens
Police Academy, set for
Thursday evenings begin-
ning April 12, will be accept-
eduntil the end of February.
See page 2.
Vol. 18, No. 06
State Rep. Jewell Jones
(D-Inkster) voted explained
his no on a series of bills last
week and questioned the
real motivation behind the
proposals.
See page 5.
A Plymouth man is facing
up to life in prison if convict-
ed of charges of assaulting
his ex-wife and stabbing his
son during his trial set for
March 14.
See page 3.
Belleville High School is
preparing for FIRST
Robotic Competition March
23 and 24 when members of
36 robotic teams from
schools throughout the state
will visit.
See page 2.
Attorneys for Wayne City
Councilman
Christopher
Sanders were expected to file
an appeal Monday following the
ruling of Third Circuit Court
Judge Robert Columbo last
Friday, clearing the way for a
May 16 recall election in the city.
Columbo ruled that recall
petitions submitted to Wayne
County Clerk Cathy Garrett
were valid and should be
accepted, overruling the chal-
lenge issued to the petitions by
Sanders' attorney John Pirich.
The challenge claimed the peti-
tions did not comply with MCL
168 544c (1) requiring language
indicating whether the circula-
tor was a State of Michigan resi-
dent and agreeing to adhere to
Michigan law if they were not.
Garrett had initially disallowed
the petitions based on the fail-
ure of the registered circulator,
Robert Boertje of Wayne, to
respond to the issues raised in
the challenge.
In a correspondence to
Boertje, Garrett stated, “I am
without authority to issue a Call
For Election due to the petition
not complying with MCL 168.544
c (1).”
Boertje, represented by attor-
ney Scott Ruark, appealed that
decision during the hearing
Friday during which Columbo
said that the 1,390 people who
had signed the petitions would
be “disenfranchised” if the peti-
tions were rejected. He ordered
Garrett to call for a recall elec-
tion and immediately begin that
process.
Boertje was in the courtroom
for the decision Friday but
Sanders did not attend the hear-
ing.
The basis for the recall, as
stated on the petitions, is that
Sanders voted in agreement
with a motion to extend the
terms of four council members,
moving election dates for the
city offices to coincide with state
and national election years. The
move was described as an effort
to save the cash-strapped city
about $40,000 in election costs.
See
Recall,
page 4
Columbo said that the 1,390 people
who had signed the petitions would be
“disenfranchised” if the petitions were rejected.
”
Northville City Manager
Patrick Sullivan has been cho-
sen as the new president of the
statewide association represent-
ing Michigan municipal man-
agers.
Sullivan was selected as the
2018 president of the Michigan
Municipal Executives (MME)
during the annual Winter
Institute which took place in
Ann Arbor Jan. 30-Feb. 2.
Sullivan succeeds Keith Van
Beek, Ottawa County deputy
administrator. Sullivan served
the past year as president-elect
of the organization.
“I'm truly honored to help
lead MME for the next year,”
Sullivan said. “This organization
does so much to develop and
support local government lead-
ers. I'm really proud of the work
we do in communities across
Michigan and will do all I can to
promote our profession.”
Sullivan has been the
Northville city manager since
March 2006. His previous gov-
ernmental experience included
10 years as superintendent of
the City of St. Clair; four years as
assistant village manager and
village clerk of Beverly Hills;
manager of the Village of New
Haven and township clerk of
Lenox
Township-all
in
Michigan. Sullivan received a
master's of public administra-
tion degree from Oakland
University, and a bachelor of
public affairs degree from
Wayne State University. His pro-
fessional memberships include
the International City/County
Management Association,
Southeast Michigan Council of
Governments, and he is a board
member of MME. He has been a
member ofMMEsince 1990.
During his one-year term,
Sullivan said he will focus on
increasing awareness of the pro-
fession to help attract a newgen-
eration ofmunicipal executives.
“Baby Boomers are retiring
and leaving all levels of our
workforce, so we need to make
sure we attract great leaders to
carry on our work,” Sullivan
said. “Part of that is making sure
the leadership of MME is more
diverse going forward. We need
to let everyone who has the tal-
ent and passion to lead local
governments know that we are
going to welcome and support
them.”
In addition to selecting
Sullivan as president, the organ-
ization elected president-elect
Fenton City Manager Lynn
Markland, vice president
Ludington City Manager John
Shay, and trustees City Manager
of Marine City Elaine Leven,
Marquette
County
Administrator Scott Erbisch,
and Sturgis City Manager Mike
Hughes.
While great enthusiasm sur-
rounds the potential sale of
undeveloped land located in
Plymouth Township that once
was home to the Detroit House
of Corrections prison-farm, and
the subject of a protracted legal
battle, Plymouth Township
Treasurer Mark Clinton expects
the municipality will merely
“break even” on the deal.
The undeveloped vacant
land is located within the highly
acclaimed Five Mile Corridor
located at Five Mile and Ridge
Road. Northville Township
Supervisor Robert Nix II along
with Plymouth Township
Supervisor Kurt Heise said they
look forward to the time when
the vacant land in the Five Mile
Corridor a turns into a success-
ful “Michigan International
Technology Center-Business
Park.”
The Plymouth Township par-
cel is listed for $4,485,000, or
$33,691 per acre. One benefici-
ary of the sale is Wayne County
and another is Plymouth
Township which still owes the
Bank of Ann Arbor $356,000
after paying $250,000 in quarter-
ly payments of $17,681 since
borrowing funding to buy the
land at an erroneous tax sale.
In 2011, township officials
purchased the land, which at
one time had been valued on
tax rolls at more that $15 mil-
lion, during a tax foreclosure
sale for $606,149.98, the amount
of foreclosed taxes, interest, and
fees. One hundred ninety acres,
of the land was subsequently
returned toDetroit by the courts
after lawyers for the city proved
the foreclosure was unlawful
and the resultant tax sale
invalid. That acreage was part
of a 323-acre parcel on which
Wayne County foreclosed when
the recorded owners, Demco 54,
a subsidiary of DeMattia Corp.
failed to pay taxes.
In the fall of 2016, Plymouth
Township reached a settlement
agreement with Wayne County
Treasurer Eric Sabree to settle
the ongoing legal dispute after
the 190-acre parcel of land was
returned to Detroit. Sabree and
township officials agreed to the
See
Land,
page 3
Northville city manager to lead state group
Sale of former prison property planned
Judge’s recall decision is appealed
Sweet stuff
Making Maple Syrup tours will be available
at Maybury Farm in Northville at 1; 1:45,
2:30 and 3:15 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays
March 3 through 31. Space is limited on the
tours which begin with a wagon ride to the
Sugar Bush. Visitors will learn about the
maple tree, how to tap it and then collect the
sap. Visitors will then go to the Sugar Shack
where they can watch the sap be converted
into maple syrup. After the tour, the Maybury
Farm General Store will offer hot drinks and
snacks for purchase. The cost is $7 per per-
son and children 2 and younger are admit-
ted free with a paid ticket but must ride on
laps in the wagon. Group tours are available
for any group of 15 or more paid admis-
sions. Call (248) 374-0200 to book a private
group Maple Syrup tour. Maybury Farm is a
program of the Northville Community
Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organiza-
tion. The Farm receives no tax dollars and
relies on admission, donations, grants and
volunteers to maintain operations.
Northville City Manager
Patrick Sullivan
Don Howard
Staff Writer
