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No. 9
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
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February 28 – March 6, 2013
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
The
34th
Annual
Marshmallow Drop is planned
for 10 a.m. Friday, March 29 at
Attwood Park in Wayne for
children from toddlers to 10-
year-olds.
See page 4.
A benefit pancake breakfast
sponsored by the Community
Assistance Foundation is
planned for 8-10:30 a.m. March
2 at Romulus Community
UnitedMethodist Church.
See page 3.
A pair of suspects in thefts
from several CVS locations,
including one in Plymouth
Township and another in
Northville, have been arrested
inSaline.
See page 5.
Students from Northville
and inner-city Detroit are join-
ing forces to learn more about
world hunger and, most impor-
tantly, do something about it.
See page 3.
According to an announce-
ment
from
Township
Supervisor Linda Combs,
Arthur F. Mullen will replace
economic director and plan-
ner Terry Carroll who
resignedFeb. 8.
See page 3.
Vol. 128, No. 9
Vol. 66, No. 9
Vol. 66, No. 9
Vol. 13, No. 9
Vol. 128, No. 9
Vol. 66, No. 9
Vol. 66, No. 9
Inkster Police are still seek-
ing the identity of a man and a
woman who are suspects in
the armed robbery of a tax
preparation business on Feb.
14.
See page 4.
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
The merger of the Wayne
andWestland fire departments
seems to be proving profitable
for both communities accord-
ing to a report from Fire Chief
Michael Reddy recently.
See page 4.
Canton Township has been rated as the 33rd
safest of 432 municipalities with a population
of more than 75,000 residents in the entire
nation.
The ranking was completed by CQ Press,
which used a multi-step evaluation process
using statistics from the 2011 Crime Report of
the FBI. Crime rates for murder, rape, robbery,
aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle
theft are plugged into a formula that measures
howeach city compares to the national average
in each given category. Canton was the highest
ranking Michigan community, followed by
Sterling Heights coming in at 34th, and Troy at
36th.
Public Safety Director Todd L. Mutchler
credited the low crime rate to several factors.
“Our consistently low crime rate can be partial-
ly attributed to our proactive method of polic-
ing, and our ongoing partnerships within the
community,” saidMutchler. “Our police depart-
ment continues to receive a high level of sup-
port from the community and its elected offi-
cials,” he added.
That support was evident during a recent
township board meeting when Supervisor Phil
LaJoy noted that the township is committed to
providing the best possible public safety serv-
ice to residents.
“Public safety is one of the critical elements
of any community,” LaJoy said. “We have com-
mitted to the people to keep our service levels
up. Our whole thing is to keep Canton vibrant
and keep it moving forward. One of the basic
elements to keep it that way is public safety. We
want to have as safe a community as we can
possibly have, andwe need to equip our people
to do that.”
His comments came as part of the discus-
After 19 years, Joan
Noricks, the president and
CEO of the Canton Community
Foundation, has announced
her retirement from the organ-
ization.
See page 5.
See
Safety,
page 2
Public safety is
one of the critical elements
of any community.
”
Canton Township one of safest in nation
Romulus police mark Random Acts of Kindness Day
Vol. 13, No. 9
Group compares school superintendents’ pay
The superintendent of Wayne-
Westland Community Schools is
the highest paid inWayne County,
according to a new database com-
piled by the Mackinac Center for
PublicPolicy.
Dr. Greg Baracy, superinten-
dent of Wayne-Westland, has a
total compensation package of
$273,875 annually in a district
with an enrollment of 13,031 stu-
dents in 2012, according to the
study.
The study used 2012 salary and
benefit information provided by
school districts throughout the
state to determine the exact com-
pensation of superintendents.
The amounts reported represent
the total compensation package.
Superintendents earn an average
salary of $115,000 in Michigan,
according to the database
Utica Community Schools
superintendent is the highest
paid in the state with a total com-
pensation of $300,789 and an
enrollment of 29,541 in 2012.
Mary Kay Gallagher, the super-
intendent of Northville Public
Schools comes in as the 74th-high-
est paid superintendent in
Michigan, placing her in the top
15 percent with an annual com-
pensationpackage of $211,841.
While Gallagher's base salary
is actually $180,000 - the 21st high-
est in the state - insurance, pen-
sion, annuity, travel and other
expenses bring the lump sum to
$211,841, according to The
Mackinac Center. The district
enrollment was 7,302 students in
2012.
The superintendent of the
Romulus School District, Carl W.
Weiss was paid $208,253 with an
enrollment of 3,684 students in
2012. Weiss retired effective Dec.
31, 2012.
The superintendent in Inkster
Public Schools, Mischa Bashir, is
paid $200,220 with a reported
enrollment in 2012 of only 2,965.
In the Van Buren Public
Schools, Superintendent Michael
Van Tassel is paid $171,250 with
an enrollment reported at 5,584.
As the superintendent in the
Plymouth-Canton Community
School District, Dr. Jeremy
Hughes is serving on an interim
basis while the search for a per-
manent district leader continues.
His compensation package was
reported at $700 a day with an
enrollment census of 18,973 stu-
dents for 2012..
“While compensation for
superintendents only amounts to
about 1 percent of public school
spending, the public should have
easy access to this particular
information,” said Michael Van
Beek, Mackinac Center director
of education policy, in a press
release. “As CEOs of districts and
often the highest paid govern-
ment employee in a local commu-
nity, superintendent pay deserves
an extra level of public scrutiny.”
Other district salaries reported
included:
• Novi Community Schools -
$233,128
• Farmington Public Schools -
$277,867
• Livonia Public Schools -
$251,684
• Bloomfield Hills Schools -
$259,763
•BirminghamSchools - $253,396
•BrightonSchools - $183,683
• Rochester Community Schools -
$235,679
• South Lyon Community Schools
- $259,260
•Troy Schools - $273,615
•WalledLakeSchools - $269,565
• West Bloomfield Schools -
$230,798
See the full database at
http://www.mackinac.org/depts/epi/
salary.aspx.
Dr. Greg Baracy
Mary Kay Gallagher
Several drivers in Romulus got
quite a surprise when they were
stopped by Romulus police offi-
cers recently.
Rather than awarning or traffic
ticket, they received a thank you
and a gift certificate for Little
Caesar's Pizza, all part of the sec-
ond celebration of RandomActs of
KindnessDay in the city.
Officers stopped several people
and caught them “obeying the traf-
fic laws” while driving, biking or
walking in the community Feb. 15
to present themwith one of the gift
cards, courtesy of the Romulus
Police Command Officers
Association.
“Unfortunately, many times citi-
zen interactions with police offi-
cers are a result of a traffic viola-
tion, so for the second year in a
row on National Random Acts of
Kindness Day we wanted our
interactions to be positive and
basically thank those citizens for
obeying the traffic laws - and give
them something to show our
appreciation,” said Romulus Chief
of PoliceRobert Dickerson.
Mayor Alan Lambert said the
police department initiative was a
success and thanked the Romulus
Command Officers Association for
donating the funds to purchase the
gift cards.
“This is another great example
of little things police officers can
do to make a positive impact on
the community,” Lambert said.
See
Kindness,
page 2
Romulus Police Ofc. Paul Kline thanks resident Archie Crooks for his
safe driving with a gift certificate during Random Acts of Kindness Day
Feb. 15.
A 29-year-old former Plymouth
Township woman was allegedly
strangled and her body dismem-
bered by her live-in boyfriend in
theirFarmingtonhome last week.
Kaitlin Elizabeth Herir, whose
family home is in the Lake Pointe
subdivision
in
Plymouth
Township, was killed by strangula-
tion, according to the Oakland
County Medical Examiner. Her
body was discovered by police last
Saturday in the Farmington home
she shared with her live-in
boyfriend.
According to reports from the
Farmington Police Department,
officers responded to the 23800
block of Colchester at about 1O
p.m., Feb. 23 on a report of a miss-
ingwoman.
Officers spoke to Herir's
boyfriend who told them she
dropped him at home about 12:30
a.m., Feb. 22. The man told police
that the woman then left to attend
a party and had not been seen
since.
Officers contacted friends of
Herir, who told police they had not
heard from her since she left the
party to pick up her boyfriend
fromwork, according to police.
As part of the investigation, offi-
cers checked the home for any
signs of foul play and found what
appeared to be bloody plastic. The
boyfriend was then detained
pending further investigation.
According to police, detectives
interviewed the boyfriend and he
told them he and Herir had a ver-
Former Plymouth woman found strangled, dismembered
See
Death,
page 2