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September 28, 2017
City OK’s purchase of new defibrillators
W
ESTLAND
Members of the Westland
City Council took a request from
Fire Chief Michael Stradtner to
heart last week.
The council members
approved the purchase of five
new cardiac monitor/defibrilla-
tors through Physio Control for
$159,758, replacing units origi-
nally purchased from 2008-2010
that are now being recalled by
themanufacturer.
“This was an essential pur-
chase to address any potential
issues that could have been
experienced with the continued
use of the recalled devices,”
notedMayorWilliamR.Wild.
Philips is experiencing a
class 1 recall issued from the
Federal Drug Administration
concerning battery connection
issues that may prevent the
device from powering up,
charging, and delivering an
electrical shock therapy. The
units being replaced are includ-
ed in the recall and currently
Philips has no solution in place
to correct these devices, nor are
they able to repair current
devices.
Westland fire officials had
reached out to Zoll Medical and
Physio Control for loaner
devices and removed the affect-
ed units from service while
reviewing the situation and
awaiting council approval. This
purchase is being funded
through
the
Capital
Improvement Fund.
“I am very pleased with this
purchase and thankful to our
city leaders in recognizing and
delivering on our current needs,
to enable our department to
continue to deliver quality
care,” commentedStradtner.
“These new units will help
the Westland Fire Department
to continue to deliver the
patient care our community
expects from their professional
firefighters,” commentedWild.
ments.”
“Coleman and this group com-
pletely discounts what Mayor
Wild has accomplished for this
city during the past decade. I
fully understand political cam-
paigning, but this has just gone
too far,”Warren said.
Warren claims that Coleman
does not tell voters that he does
not pay taxes in the city as he
rents a flat above Westland Lock
and Key and he disputes
Coleman's claim that he is a
teacher.
“He gives music lessons part-
time,” Warren said. “He implies
to voters that he is a school
teacher which is false. He may
pay taxes indirectly, but he does-
n't have the same skin in the
game as a homeowner, that's for
sure.”
Coleman said that he is a part-
timemusic instructor and that he
went to a part-time status to cam-
paign for themayor's job.
Warren also claims that
Coleman, 34, and his cousin,
incumbent City Councilman
Peter Herzberg, 26, have repeat-
edly misinformed residents
about the crime statistics in the
community.
“Thatman (Coleman) said that
'crime is rampant' in our commu-
nity and that the police lost 25
percent of the officers. That is
just not accurate. During the
recession and home mortgage
crisis, when the city lost about 45
percent of our funding, the city
had to cut about 10 percent of
officers, but the mayor and chief
rearranged the department to
bring on civilian employees to do
desk work to get officers out on
the street.
“As far as crime in this city
goes, if you live here, you know
those statements are not true. We
have some crime, like every city,
but as far as criminals roaming
up and down the street, that's just
another lie,”Warren said.
Coleman, however, repeated
his claims about rampant crime
and said that he could point out a
victim of robberies at any inter-
section in the city.
“Armed robbery is becoming
common,” he said and added
that “break-ins are increasing” in
the city. He insisted that his 25
percent cut in police staffing was
accurate and based on figures
taken fromthe city budget.
“If this is true, why won't the
police department endorse
Coleman or Herzberg?” Warren
countered.
He is also critical ofHerzberg.
Warren said that the reported
accounts of Herzberg loitering at
a school bus stop and taking pic-
tures of students was indicative
of his character.
Two police reports weremade
in April 2016 by parents con-
cerned for the safety of their chil-
dren who reported a man with
“spiky” hair taking photos of
them from his car near the
school bus stop.
Herzberg, who claims to oper-
ate an educational consulting
firm, was serving on the city
council at the time of the inci-
dent. He was identified and
interviewed by police officers
and the subsequent report
quotes him as admitting to “pre-
tending” to take pictures of the
children. He said his actions
were an effort to deter the 10-
and 11-year-olds who had been
playing pranks near his father's
home. He told police that he had
actually taken no photos and the
pretense was his attempt to stop
the children from tampering
with thehouse and vehicles.
Warren was most irate at the
conduct of Coleman and
Herzberg supporters, whom, he
claims, have used racial epithets
and have made threats against
minorities in the city.
Those claims, too, are substan-
tiated by police reports which
detail one of Coleman's support-
ers using the N-word regarding
the appointment to a city com-
mission of a black man. The
woman, a vocal supporter of
Coleman, also told the clerk at
the reception desk in city hall
that “someone should put a bul-
let in his (Wild's) forehead,”
according to the police report.
Just last month, in another
incident reported to Westland
police, amale Coleman/Herzberg
supporter also used threats and
abusive language with a local
minority business owner during
a dispute regarding the place-
ment of campaign signs.
“As an Afro-American, I sense
this clearly,” Warren said. “I have
lived in Westland for 40 years
and I recognize racism when I
see it. Move Westland Forward
has a racist agenda and this is
becoming a racist campaign no
matter how they deny it.
“We would never have
obtained the 50th Best City to
Live In award with the policies
they support,”Warren said.
Coleman said that he felt the
issue was a matter of negative
campaigning.
“I'm talking about city issues
and they're throwing personal
attacks,” he said.
A local senior citizen, who
asked not to be identified, said
that she was extremely annoyed
during a recent meet-the-candi-
dates forum at the Westland
Friendship Center when
Coleman responded to a ques-
tion saying that he intended to
“clean house” and fire several
department heads and hire a city
manager.
She said she understood him
to say that the title “city manag-
er” was a “big hint as to who it
wouldbe.”
Warren repeated his claims
that Coleman and Herzberg are
being untruthful and dishonest
withpotential voters.
“Look, I love politics,” Warren
said. “I love a factual discussion
about issues. But this? This is
just insulting to the voters and to
the political process. These two,
and Move Westland Forward are
giving our whole community a
black eye.”
Election
FROM PAGE 1
I have lived in Westland for 40 years
and I recognize racism when I see it.
”
