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A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
5
March 15, 2012
C
ANTON
- N
ORTHVILLE
- P
LYMOUTH
He asked Trustee Ron
Doroshewitz where the township
was getting fire department man-
agement advice, “from Mr.
Edwards' brother-in-law?” he said,
referring to Township Treasurer
Ron Edwards. Edwards has been
named as the chief opposition,
along with Supervisor Richard
Reaume to settling a contract with
the firefighters' union.
Doroshewitz answered that he
had met with the firefighters
“three years ago” to discuss the
issue but in a “Columbo moment”
at the end of the three-hour meet-
ing a fire union representative told
him the numbers they were dis-
cussing didn't include legacy costs.
The trustee was interrupted by
Firefighters Union President Dan
Atkins who said it was not a three-
hour
meeting
and
that
Doroshewitz was misremember-
ing.the incident.
Edwards then interrupted both
of them heatedly telling Adkins,
“You have been spreading lies and
rumors and ruining this communi-
ty for threemonths.”
Werth attempted to continue,
telling the board that this situation,
“boils down to leadership.” He also
said, in referring to the firefighters
and the concessions they have
offered the township, “I would love
to negotiatewith these guys.”
Earlier in the meeting Edwards
accused Township Clerk Joe
Bridgeman of causing the dissen-
sion in the township.
“All these problems seem to
have stared in your office,”
Edwards told Bridgeman, who cast
the only dissenting vote on the lay-
offs and station closing and has
been the lone dissenting vote sev-
eral times during the controversy.
“That's because I listen to the
people, show concern and answer
their questions. They are the ones
who put me here and I respect
them. Some of you guys, well, I
don't know,”Bridgeman said.
While one resident thanked the
board for taking the action needed
to balance the fire department
budget, many others expressed
their concern for their safety and
their property values, along with
anticipated insurance rate increas-
es due to the reduced fire safety
capability.
“Our (Northville) transport gen-
erated $442,000,” he said. “Get
somebody to run this place. Get a
fire professional.”
In a direct comment to Reaume,
Werth said, “Richard, you've got to
be honest with the public. You
need to answer questions from the
people.”
The controversy began when
the City of Plymouth left the joint
agreement for fire service with the
township, leaving an operating
budget shortage of about $900,000.
The city now depends on
Northville in a joint fire protection
agreement.
Township officials began layoffs
in the department and thwarted an
attempt by a citizens' group to
place a special assessment district
on the ballot last month by increas-
ing the citizens' petition l-mill
request to 10 mills, after being
ordered by the courts to accept the
petitions and allow the residents to
vote. The millage failed when the
Citizens' Action Group of Plymouth
withdrew their support for the
increased levy.
The group has filed an appeal
with the court which has not yet set
ahearing date.
The township is currently in
binding arbitration with the fire-
fighters' union.
Meeting
FROM PAGE 1
On the heels of the popular com-
edy, The Love List, Tipping Point
theatre changes directions with an
intriguing play about facts, fiction,
trust andbetrayal.
Linda and Michael are success-
ful, married writers with a feisty
partnership high in intellectual
banter and friendly competition
that works well until Linda
receives an unexpected diagnosis
and is given only three weeks to
live. Each keeps a prolific, private
diary and Linda tells Michael he
may read hers after she is gone, but
she wants to read his now. He
reluctantly gives in and as Linda
reads his journals, the play travels
back in time and she learns of her
husband's infatuation for many
years with Abby, a young woman he
met at awriters' retreat. But are the
diary entries truth or fiction? And
is Lindahiding her own secrets?
“This warm and wonderful play
is filled with innate theatricality
and beauty. Steven Dietz has a true
gift for dialogue in that you discov-
er something that appears decep-
tively simple is, in fact, emotionally
layered”, said Director James R.
Kuhl.
“Fiction's twists and turns keeps
things lively as you unravel the
truth from the lies. It is exciting, it
is touching
and it will leave you thinking
about it for days.”
Tipping Point Theatre opens the
fourth show in its 2011-12 birthday
season with this fast paced and
witty production through April 15.
The curtain rises at 8 p.m.
Thursdays through Saturdays, with
matinees at 3 p.m. Saturday and 2
p.m. Sunday at the theatre located
at 361 E. Cady St. in Northville.
Tickets are $28 to $30 for adults
and $26 to $28 for students and sen-
ior citizens, and are available by
calling the box office at (248) 347-
0003.
This production is supported, in
part, by an award from the
Michigan Council For Arts and
Cultural Affairs and the National
Endowment for theArts.
Tipping Point presents ‘Fiction’
Speaking up
Northville Township Trustee Marjorie Banner testifies in support of legislation introduced by State Rep.
Kurt Heise, center, to protect large townships from annexation attempts. Canton Township Supervisor
Phil LaJoy, at left, also traveled to Lansing to testify before the committee. Heise brought western Wayne
County officials to Lansing to testify in favor of his legislation to protect large Michigan townships from
hostile annexations by neighboring cities. LaJoy and Banner spoke before the House Local,
Governmental and Regional Affairs Committee on House Bill 4007, which would prevent the type of
annexation attempt that occurred in Northville Township in 2008. “I'm honored to have the support of our
local officials on this important piece of legislation,” said Heise, R-Plymouth. “The bill is essential in order
to encourage economic development in large-scale townships throughout Michigan. The bill allows
townships such as Canton, Northville and Plymouth to move forward with potential economic develop-
ment efforts without having to worry about a hostile takeover by a neighboring city.”