first name
Jonathan
Address
5114 Whispering Oak, West Bloomfield, MI 48322
I've lived in West Bloomfield for 30 years, am married for 30 years with 4 adult children, their spouses, & 6 grandchildren. I'm Jewish and have belonged to Temple Israel my entire life.
My work background is fairly diverse, having worked for Detroit Edison, IBM, Arthur Andersen audit, Compuware, Thompson Reuters Health, and retiring from BCBSM having managed a team that annually launched Medicare Advantage plans for nearly 500k seniors & retirees. For 12+ years was Board Chair, Treasurer, Board Mbr of Oakland County's Community Mental Health - OCHN supporting 30k persons with MI, DD, and SU special needs with a $500m annual budget of public Medicaid funding.
There are 2 dysfunctional depts that report to the Supervisor: Planning & Development. It takes 2+ yrs for homeowners, business owners or developers to get permits to improve or expand their homes, businesses or buildings. The Board fights with each other. This lack of respect & the Building Dept operations must be fixed.
West Bloomfield is a friendly, beautiful, diverse, and close-knit community to live, work, worship, and shop. The Board & Staff doesn't reflect the diversity or friendliness of our community. I would end the lack of civility by Board & Staff and interactions with the community.
Ordinances conflict with other ordinances. Staff & Dept Leaders are difficult to work with, and processes are dysfunctional. I would empower the staff and have dept heads update & simplify the ordinances and processes..
There's a lack of transparency and predictability. It’s not clear what are all the steps, where one is in the process, or how long to expect.
I'd implement report cards to communicate to the community our progress (good or bad) on improving ordinances, processes, average times for applications, permits, project approvals, or inspections along with how many times we helped navigate through these processes. The numbers will be bad at first, but as we improve it will reflect our progress.
I am running for Township Supervisor because I believe local government has the greatest effect on people's everyday lives, and I want to continue making a difference at that level.
As the current Supervisor, I have worked to improve communication with residents as well as internally. I initiated the engagement of a grants specialist firm to increase revenue at a time when the federal and state governments are sending fewer dollars to municipalities.
As an elected official, I have strived to allow reasonable development that does not harm our precious lakes and woodlands. I have worked to address traffic issues, both when there is new development as well as generally.
have been involved in community organizations: the WB/Lakes Area Democrats (chair), United We Walk (co-chair), Friendship Circle, and WB Optimists (past VP).
I have a law degree and MBA.'s in Business Administration, and Bachelor's in Economics.
1) I will continue to address areas that enhance the quality of life for residents, such as public safety, lakes and woodlands, and roads/traffic. I will work within the township and other agencies such as the Road Commission to improve the quality of our roads, and address traffic safety and congestion.
2) We need to streamline our ordinances to reduce costs and delays to applicants. I support ordinance and code changes to help large and small businesses to move to or expand in West Bloomfield, without damaging our township's natural beauty.
3) West Bloomfield is a diverse community and all voices need to be heard. This provides for better decision-making.
