No. 17
NEWS YOU CAN USE, NEWS YOU CAN TRUST
75¢
April 23 – 29, 2015
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
Making the most of an
educational experience, bid-
ders at the fourth annual St.
Mary Parish and school auc-
tion can "learn" to be a televi-
sion reporter or radio per-
sonality.
See page 4.
Clean Sweep, a project
Mayor LeRoy D. Burcroff
began 16 years ago in
Romulus, will take place on
Saturday, May 9 this year.
See page 2.
New Plymouth Township
Supervisor Shannon Price
has responded quickly to the
concerns of some residents
with property bordering
McClumphaPark.
See page 5.
Information about the
millage request of the
Northville Public Schools set
for the May 5 ballot is now
available from theNorthville
Educational Foundation.
See page 3.
Members of the public
can take their chances
against former members of
the Detroit Tigers baseball
team beginning at noon May
16 at Belleville High School,
for a price.
See page 5.
Vol. 130, No. 17
Vol. 68, No. 17
Vol. 68, No. 17
Vol. 15, No. 17
Vol. 130, No. 17
Vol. 68, No. 17
Vol. 68, No. 17
For home delivery of The Eagle call 734-467-1900.
Dr. Hassan Saab has been
named as the new Deputy
Director of the Department
of Public Service in
Westland.
See page 4.
Eight book lovers will be
handing out copies of one of
their favorite books this
month as part of the Canton
Public Library Canton Book
Project.
See page 3.
Vol. 15, No. 16
Foreclosure Prevention
Counseling will take place at
the Leanna Hicks Inkster
Public Library from 5-7:30
p.m. Monday, April 27.
See page 2.
William Melendez, the
Inkster officer seen on a
patrol-car videotape severely
beating a suspect during a traf-
fic stop, has been charged with
misconduct in office, mistreat-
ment of a prisoner and assault
with intent to do great bodily
harm less than murder by
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym
Worthy.
The charges carry a maxi-
mum five-year and a 10-year
prison sentence respectively.
Melendez, 46, was also fired by
Inkster City Manager Richard
Marsh, Jr. on April 15, follow-
ing the completion of the
investigation into the incident
by the Michigan State Police
and a departmental investiga-
tion ordered by Inkster Police
Chief Vicki Yost. Melendez was
officially fired by Inkster after
a five-day suspension accord-
ing to his union representative,
Teamsters Local 214 Business
Representative Al Lewis. He
was also fired from his part-
time detective position in
HighlandPark, officials said.
The incident achieved state-
wide publicity and went viral
on the internet after Gregory
Rohl, the attorney for Floyd
Dent, the 57-year-old Detroit
man beaten during the Jan. 28
traffic stop, released the video-
tape in defense of his client
who was arrested on drug
charges. Rohl said at the time
that further videotape fromthe
patrol car showed Melendez
planting drugs in Dent's car.
That claimwas apparently val-
idated by the state police
investigation which resulted in
the decision by Worthy to dis-
miss the remaining possession
of cocaine charges against
Dent. The charges of assault
and resisting arrest were dis-
missed against Dent at his ini-
tial arraignment in 22nd
District Court before Judge
Sabrina Johnson after the
videotape was shown. Dent
has no criminal record.
Dent was admitted to a local
hospital following the arrest
and processing at his Inkster
Police Station. He was hospi-
talized for two days for treat-
ment of his injuries which
included a broken eye socket.
The
videotape
shows
Melendez pulling Dent from
his vehicle executing and
maintaining a choke hold on
him while continuing to strike
him in the head. Dent used his
right arm in an apparent
attempt to shield himself from
Melendez' blows, preventing a
Plymouth attorney Joe
Barone has been appointed to
the Wayne County Commission
to fill the vacancy created by
the departure of Shannon
Price, who resigned from the
commission to accept the
appointment as Plymouth
Township supervisor.
The commission accepted
Price's resignation and subse-
quently appointedBarone at its
April 16 meeting. Barone will
represent the 10th Commission
District, which includes Canton
Township, Plymouth and
PlymouthTownship.
Price,
R-Plymouth
Township, was appointed as
the new supervisor on April 2,
replacing Richard Reaume,
who opted to retire. Price
began his second two-year
term on the Wayne County
Commission on Jan. 1. The
term runs through Dec. 31,
2016.
“It's a bittersweet moment
for me,” Price said in his resig-
nation letter, which became
effective April 10. “I enjoyed
working with every single one
of you on the commission, but I
have a tremendous opportunity
in front ofme.
“You have a tremendous
task ahead of you, but you
know that,” he continued. “I
have great stories about getting
things done here.”
Price supported the
appointment of Barone as his
replacement. The Wayne
County Charter says the com-
mission shall fill a vacancy by
appointing someone who is a
registered voter from the dis-
trict and of the same political
party as the departing commis-
sioner.
Barone, 43, has been an
attorney with Barone Law
Offices PLC in Plymouth since
1997. He is the managing part-
ner and is a member of the
state bars of Michigan and
Illinois. He has extensive expe-
rience in several areas of law
and served as the Northville
Township interim prosecuting
attorney. In 2008, he narrowly
lost in a race for judge in the
Plymouth-based 35th District
Court.
“I would like to offer my
thanks to Commissioner Price
for his outstanding public serv-
ice while serving on the com-
mission and my expression of
congratulations and well wish-
es for his continued success in
his new role as Plymouth
Township supervisor,” Barone
Water rates in Canton
Township will increase by 8.6
percent following approval of
the new rate by members of the
board of trustees last week.
The new rate could increase
typical homeowners' quarterly
bills from $358 to $389 based on
use of about 32,000 a quarter.
That is an additional $31 quar-
terly or $124 annually for each
household in the township.
In a plan to offset the
expense, township officials have
been negotiating a purchase of a
water storage tank from the
Detroit Water and Sewerage
Department which is one of two
located in the township. The
tank, located near Joy and
Morton Taylor, would allow the
township to store water and
ease the usage fromDetroit dur-
ing peak morning and evening
hours.
At the meeting last week,
Supervisor Phil LaJoy said that
talks regarding the purchase of
the tank are continuing and that
he is hopeful some agreement
couldbe reached this summer.
LaJoy told the board mem-
bers that the two sides are close
to reaching an agreement. The
purchase would be a cost-effi-
cient alternative to the township
installing a new storage tank or
water tower, which could be a
significant financial burden.
LaJoy said he was hopeful that
the township could save “a lot of
money” with the purchase of an
existing tank fromDetroit.
Talks with Detroit have been
under way since last year.
Detroit Water and Sewerage
Department Director Sue
McCormick discussed the issue
Members of the Wayne City
Council were again divided on
the issue of city-wide voting for
each council seat despite voter
approval of election by
precincts.
A resolution calling for at-
large or city-wide voting for
each council seat was again
stymied by a tie vote during the
councilmeeting recently.
Voters approved two charter
amendments last November,
one establishing term limits for
elected offices in the city and
the other requiring city council
members be elected from
wards or precincts. While bal-
lot language was specific that
the mayor was subject to city-
wide voting, the ballot did not
spell out the requirement that
the candidate from each ward
be elected by voters only from
that ward.
Ron Roberts, who initiated
the ballot initiatives, made it
clear to the members of the
council during a meeting last
month and again last week, that
the petition language was clear
on this point and only the ballot
language was less specific. He
cautioned the council members
he believes are attempting to
circumvent the intent of the
changes that they are violating
thewill of the voters.
“The intent of the petitions
and the vote was very clear,”
Roberts said, and he urged the
council members to follow the
specific language of the origi-
nal petitions.
“There is no doubt of the
intent. Do we have a council up
there that is going to break the
law and go against the oath
they took?” Roberts said. “The
law was passed by the majority
of voters. Therewas no ambigu-
ity. The attorney general
approved this; they don't have a
dog in this fight.”
His opinion was seconded
by community-activist Chris
Sanders who said it was clear
what people voted on.
“It seems to some people
like the ballot question lan-
guage was purposely vague,”
Sanders said. “The intent of
this changewas very clear.”
Without a clear specification
in the local governmental char-
ter, at-large voting is the accept-
ed norm throughout the state,
according to the office of the
See
Charges,
page 2
See
Barone,
page 5
See
Voting,
page 4
See
Water,
page 3
”
Melendez, 46, was also fired
by Inkster City Manager
Richard Marsh, Jr. April 15...
Inkster officer faces charges in arrest
Joe Barone
I would like to offer
my thanks to
Commissioner Price
for his outstanding
public service while
serving on
the commission...
”
County commission appoints Barone to seat
”
The intent of the petitions
and the vote was very clear.
”
Talks with Detroit
have been under way
since last year.
Wayne council still divided on ward voting
Canton water rates to increase by 8.6 percent
