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No. 7
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
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February 16 - 22, 2012
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
Wayne CityManager Robert
English said the city may have
to take up to $1.2 million from
the fund balance in addition to
a planned new special assess-
ment tax.
See page 5.
The City of Romulus unani-
mously approved the funds to
purchase and train a new K-9
officer, as well as the first year
maintenance cost for the ani-
mal at themeeting thisweek.
See page 5.
One of the prizes Saturday
night at the Plymouth
Historical Museum auction
fundraiser is a ride in a 1930
Packard driven by 101-year-old
Margaret Dunning.
See page 3.
A 60-year-old woman from
Northville died from injuries
she sustained after being
struck by a car on Seven Mile
Road earlier thismonth.
See page 5.
Photography by Bruce
Giffin, Faces of Detroit - Focus
andRefocus, will be on exhibit
at the Western Campus of
Wayne County Community
College District through April
2.
See page 4.
Vol. 127, No. 7
Vol. 65, No. 7
Vol. 65, No. 7
Vol. 12, No. 7
Vol. 12, No. 7
Vol. 127, No. 7
Vol. 65, No. 7
Vol. 65, No. 2
Auditions for performances
of The Vagina Monologues will
take place tomorrow, Feb. 17
and Saturday, Feb. 18 at the
Floyd B. Simmons Center,
29150Carlysle in Inkster.
See page 4.
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Westland has extended the
June 2011 agreement to share
water department services
with Canton Township. The
municipalities will share the
cost of an employee to assist
Westland.
See page 3.
Michigan
House
of
Representatives Democrats have
introduced an ethics and cam-
paign finance reform package to
close the revolving door between
the public and the private sectors,
according to a spokesman from
the political party. He said the new
legislation would also provide citi-
zens with greater transparency
and accountability from elected
and appointed officials.
“It is time to put an end to back-
door politics and make our gov-
ernment open and accountable to
the people we are serving,” said
State Rep. Dian Slavens (D-
Canton). “The governor called for
an ethics reform package in his
State of the State Address and my
Democratic colleagues and I are
happy to put forth a package of
bills that fulfill that call. This pro-
vides a great opportunity for a
bipartisan effort to create much
needed changes inLansing.”
The package contains 16 bills
and one constitutional amend-
ment and looks to address corpo-
rate accountability, campaign
finance and ethics reform. Among
other things, the House
Democrats' package of bills would
create a 2- year “cooling off” peri-
od for elected officials and a one
year period for department direc-
tors who attempt to move directly
into lobbying to close the revolving
door between public and private
work. It would also require per-
sonal financial disclosure from
appointed and elected officials.
Michigan is one of only three
stateswithout such requirements.
Slavens said the bills would
also strengthen conflict of interest
provisions for legislators, prohibit
state elected officials from apply-
ing for or accepting state grants,
and make it illegal for individuals
to solicit or accept campaign con-
tributionswhile in a state facility.
Jeanette Williams, a recre-
ation and facility specialist
with Canton, has earned
Certified Park and Recreation
Executive certification.
See page 3.
Michael Joseph Sutton, 41, of
Canton Township, was ordered to
stand trial in the death of Frank
Jones of Romulus following his
preliminary examination last
week in 34th District Court in
Romulus.
Sutton will face charges of
first-degree murder, felony mur-
der and torture. According to
police investigators, Sutton and
the 57-year-old Jones had an inti-
mate relationship which ended
when Jones' son, having not
heard from his father for several
days, traveled to his home in the
15600 block of Springhill in
Romulus on Jan. 7. He discovered
his father in a pool of blood, lying
facedown in the bathroom. Jones
hands had been tied behind his
back and a plastic bag taped over
his head, police investigators
said.
Jones cell phone and car were
both reportedmissing at the time.
Canton Township Police found
the car in the FordRoadWalmart
parking lot the day after Jones'
body was discovered. The Wayne
County Coroners' Office deter-
mined the cause of death as blunt
force trauma.
Romulus police used phone
records, in part, in gathering evi-
dence
against
Sutton.
Investigators described the death
as a brutal slaying and noted that
there were at least three areas of
the victim's home that indicated a
strugglehad takenplace.
Jones was a registered sex
offender, according to police
reports, and had served three
years in prison for child sexually
abusive material or activity,
according
to
Michigan
Department of Corrections
records. Jones had been released
fromprison inAugust of 2009.
If convicted of the charges,
Sutton faces life in prisonwithout
parole. He had lived in the
Autumn Ridge apartment com-
plex at Cherry Hill and Lotz
roads prior to his arrest shortly
after Jones' death.
It is time to put an end to back-door
politics and make our government open
and accountable to the people we are serving.
”
Ethics legislation proposed in Lansing
Conflict of ‘interest’?
Citizens group files court appeal;
request for fire run records denied
Plymouth Township residents have filed
suit with theMichigan Court of Appeals in an
effort to derail the 10-mill question members
of the Township Board of Trustees placed on
theFeb. 28 ballot.
After more than 4,000 residents petitioned
for a 1-mill Special Assessment District to
preserve both the Emergency Medical
Service and Advanced Life Support in the
township, and four court hearings, board
members were ordered by a
judge to place the question
on the ballot. Rather than
the 1-mill requested on the
petitions, however, the
board members hiked the
ballot request to 10mills.
The appeal, filed by
Northville attorney Greg
Stempien, charges that the
replacement of the petition
language violates the consti-
tutional rights of the citizens
to petition their government
for their right to vote.
Citizens Action Group of Plymouth repre-
sentative Tom Kelly said the group, which
originally circulated and submitted the peti-
tions to the township board and brought the
court actions demanding the right to vote, has
withdrawn their support for themillage ques-
tion in its current form and members area
actively promoting a “No” vote on the issue..
“We're urging residents to vote NO on this
violation of constitutional rights,” said Kelly.
Kelly further stated that this was not the
intent of the group nor does it reflect the
desire of those who signed the petitions seek-
ing the vote.
In a related issue, the response time of
firefighters in the City of Plymouth has come
into question by citizens who allege that two
and three calls have been made before fire-
fighters or Emergency Medical Personnel
respond under the new joint service
arrangement with theCity ofNorthville.
The City of Plymouth left the longstand-
ing joint service agreement with Plymouth
Township Jan. 1, this year and now
depends on Northville City Fire Services
for emergency calls.
That change prompt-
ed the township board
members to attempt to
reduce the fire budget
by nearly $1 million, the
loss in revenue they
claimed would take place
without the city contribu-
tion.
The township board has
been negotiating salary
reductions and concessions
with the firefighters union,
all of which have been
agreed to by the union,
according to Firefighters Union Treasurer
Greg Mangan. The contract, however,
remains unsettled.
The township board has continued to pur-
sue other options, such as hiring a volunteer,
on-call department with lesser qualifications
and no Advanced Life Support training.
These volunteers can also live as far as 15
miles outside the township after the adoption
of new rules by the board who also agreed to
ahigher hourlywage for the volunteers.
The threat of reduced medical and emer-
gency services was the initial impetus to the
petition drive. Residents sought a 1-mill spe-
cial assessment district to preserve the fire
department services, which the township
board members denied, repeatedly. The
issue, with the increased rate, was placed on
the ballot only after a court order.
One resident, who asked not to be named,
See
Conflict,
page 2
Suspect to face murder, torture charges
Michael Joseph Sutton
We're urging
residents to
vote NO
on this violation
of
constitutional
rights.
”