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PRIVACY AND PROTEST
Privacy advocates harbor an even greater concern that the government and law enforcement are deploying ever-more sophisticated surveillance technology upon protesters as they exercise their First Amendment rights
19 CRIME MAP
A recap of select categories of crime occurring in the past month in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills, presented in map format, plus a reminder about our online interactive map with story details on public safety incidents.
22 OAKLAND CONFIDENTIAL
Duggan polling and donations; return of Tudor Dixon; county commission caucus drop outs; Woodward looks at Congress; Rosemary Bayer calling it quits; still in search of house hopefuls; plus more
45 MUNICIPAL
City community center bond won’t be on ballot; township trustee pay increased; Birmingham by the numbers; BAC updates approved; city fire chief put on paid leave[ plus more
Birmingham Next Executive Director Cris Braun writes about what it means to finally have a permanent gathering place or home for seniors in the community and making Birmingham a great place to
Alison Gaudreau, President of The Community House, writes about the Early Childhood Center and what’s special about the HighScope learning curriculum available there.
Gigi Nichols provides readers with quick takes on what is happening in the world of food and drink in the metro area.
We give our opinion on the lack of representation local communities have at the county level now that two commissioners have pulled out of the Democratic caucus, and we offer some thoughts on the new home for the Next senior services group.
Photo by Laurie Tennent
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C R I M E M A P
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m e p a g e a t d o w n t o w n p u b l i c a t i o n s . c o m . W a n t w e e k l y u p d a t e s o n p u b l i c s a f e t y s t o r i e s ? S i g n u p f o r o u r w e e k l y u p d a t e e m a i l n e w s l e t t e r a t d o w n t o w n p u b l i c a t i o n s c o m S e x u a l a s s a u l t A s s a u l t M u r d e r / H o m i c i d e R o b b e r y B r e a k i n g / e n t e r i n g L a r c e n y V e h i c l e t h e f t L a r c e n y f r o m v e h i c l e V a n d a l i s m D r u g o f f e n s e s A r s o n M a p k e y N O R T H
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Oakland Confidential is a column of political gossip/news, gathered both on and off-therecord We welcome possible items for this column which can be emailed to: OaklandConfidential@DowntownPublications com All sources are kept strictly confidential
GUBERNATORIAL GUESSES: Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, r unning for Michigan gover nor in 2026 as an independent, is sucking out all of the air in the room with his recent fundraising haul and polling numbers A recent Glengariff poll has him at 36 percent versus Democrat Jocelyn Benson at 33 percent and Republican Congressman John James from Macomb at 24 percent – in the metro Detroit area But not ever yone is convinced that Duggan will be the next gover nor of Michigan One Republican strategist noted that it will be difficult for Duggan to gain a majority of votes in the general election “He will do well in southeast Michigan, but he will pull numbers from the Democratic candidate, not the Republican,” noting that in 2022, then-candidate Tudor Dixon received just under 44 percent of the total votes to Gover nor Gretchen Whitmer’s 54 5 percent “ That’s the Republican base They ’ re not going to Duggan,” the strategist said A big question mark right now is if James becomes the nominee “I don’t know anyone who likes John James,” said one top Republican Another said, “James is good at with the D C crowd and money class He likes to show up to ribbon cuttings ” “ Tr ump may stay out of it (endorsing), which gives guys like Tom Leonard and Mike Cox hope,” said the first politico Leonard, a for mer state Speaker of the House, is cur rently traveling around the state and “getting a great reaction from the grassroots,” said officials from the Leonard campaign, who noted that “Leonard is the only candidate who can help the Republican par ty merge its two factions because he actually has an in depth policy plan that he executed as Speaker That is what we need now ” Some Republicans believe that if Leonard can get the nomination, there is a clear pathway for him to the gover nor ’ s mansion, while crowds are reacting to Cox “like an old fighter ” As for state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, some say fellow Republicans are unhappy with him that he took money from the leadership PAC that was targeted to regain the majority and has put it into his own personal campaign
DUGGAN COALITION: Much has been written about independent candidate Mike Duggan donors in the first six months of his campaign for gover nor As he amassed $3 2 million, out-raising all other candidates from both political par ties, some have been focused on the Republicans who have jumped on the Duggan train We took the time to review the approximate 1,800 names on the campaign finance repor t Our assessment – a coalition is for ming with notables from both par ties and from all industries What we found most interesting is the hundreds of donors from Oakland County and the well- over 100 from the Bir mingham-Bloomfield area in par ticular In no par ticular order, here are some of the familiar names of which you might be aware, many who gave the maximum $8,325 donation: Kathleen Trott, David Trott, Jeff Sakwa, Rober t Pliska, Nathan Kumar, Andrew Kumar, Anil Kumar, Denise Ilitch, Sheri Maibach, Ryan Maibach, David Schostak, Karen Sosnick Schoenberg, Michael Schwar tz, Mark Mitchell, Jeffrey Barker, Nancy Quigley, Peter Quigley, David Provost, Gretchen Davidson, Ethan Davidson, Fer n Kepes, Peter Ghafari, Sejaan Ghafari, Mara Kalnins- Ghafari, Elyse/David Foltyn, Stephen Polk, Sheldon Yellen, Nancy Lutf y, Frank Herber t, Feras Basha, Mahdi Basha, Ismael Mosa Basha, Lar r y Sher man, Charles McClure, Ron Boji, John Balardo you get the drif t
RETURN OF DIXON: In March of this year for mer 2022 gover nor candidate Tudor Dixon was expected to announce as a candidate for gover nor or the U S Senate, but then in July her campaign office issued the news that she would not be seeking either of those offices next year Instead, she said she
DUGGAN
BENSON
JAMES
would continue traveling the state promoting the message of Donald Tr ump Now we have it on good word that you can expect a for mal announcement soon – September 11 to be exact – that she will be seeking the Republican par ty nomination next year for the office of Secretar y of State We have also picked up a r umor that Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini, a Republican who ser ved at one point in time as a township super visor and then in the state House from 2011-2016, is also wrestling with whether he will also ask the par ty convention next year for the SOS nomination Incumbent Democrat Jocelyn Benson is ter m-limited and now r unning for gover nor Two Democrats have for mally announced for the SOS office Ingham County Clerk Barb Byr um has already thrown her hat in the ring Joining her is Aghogho Edevbie who has ser ved as deputy secretar y of state since 2023 Byr um was a member of the state House from 2007-2012, representing the 57th district Ebevbie, a lawyer, was at one time the assistant corporation counsel in Wayne County
RULES OF THE GAME:
Oakland County Commissioners Charlie Cavell (D -Bir mingham, Fer ndale, Berkley, Huntington Woods) and Kristen Nelson (D -Water ford, West Bloomfield, Keego Harbor) set off a firestor m recently when they announced they were withdrawing from the county board Democratic caucus because of what Cavell called “unethical behavior ” by county leadership – notably county commission board chair Dave Woodward (D -Royal Oak) and deputy county executive Sean Carlson “I think it’s more a culture and lack of professionalism and lack of caring about people Our budget does not go far for helping people who need it,” with looming federal cuts, alleged Cavell, stating that Woodward and Carlson were “hoarding money ” rather than spending it on poor households, seeming not to understand that “Oakland County has a long tradition of fiscal restraint He wanted to go on a spending spree like a dr unken sailor,” Woodward countered “Neither of them came to the caucus meeting and gave notice of their intent to resign If there was a problem, they should have come and spoken with any member of the caucus In any gover nment body, you have to be able to work with different viewpoints Instead, they went to the media ” A fur ther dagger thrown at Woodward was his consultancy work, as the county board is a par t-time gig for all commissioners He has recently been hired by Sheetz, the Pennsylvania gas station empire cur rently descending on the metro area, to the conster nation of many mom and pop stations “ We have laws in Michigan to prevent us from conflicts of interest, that require recusal from par ticipation, for compliance with the law and good gover nance, ” Woodward said His Sheetz representation, he said, does not represent any conflict of interest because it does not come before county business, and has been vetted by county staff and attor neys “My work was widely known in Oakland County,” and despite the media effor ts by Cavell and Nelson, it has not compromise his consulting work It seems to have backfired for the two, however, as they were stripped of all committee positions and work as soon as they lef t the Democratic caucus – meaning their constituents are lef t without representation “ The notion that you quit the caucus and keep all your toys – all your positions – is ir rational,” Woodward noted Checkmate
LEAVING
THE
(LOCAL) NEST:
Speaking of Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chair Dave Woodward, he has been mulling jumping into the open 11th District Congressional seat, with Rep Haley Stevens (D) r unning in the 2026 primar y for the open Senate seat, and it’s looking pretty likely he will announce his candidacy sooner than later
Cur rently, state Sen Jeremy Moss (D -Southfield, Bloomfield Township, Franklin, Pontiac) has been the only announced candidate for the open seat, and has racked up the available endorsements, including adding Rep Kristen McDonald Rivet (D -Bay City) to his list But sources on both sides of the aisle say Woodward has been lining up high profile donors, cutting Moss off from them at the roots “ There is a tremendous amount of suppor t for a r un, ” Woodward conceded, noting he is lining up “ suppor t and money I will make my announcement in a couple of weeks ” We hear there is still no Republican willing to take a dip
DIXON
WOODWARD
NEWS IN THE 10TH: The jockeying to fill Republican Congressman John James’ 10th District continues, with James powering on towards the gover nor ’ s mansion in 2026 The national organization Emily ’ s List announced it is endorsing candidate Christina Hines in the Democratic primar y Hines is a for mer Washtenaw County special victims prosecutor who is r unning against Pontiac Mayor Tim Greimel and for mer U S Commerce Depar tment official Eric Chung to be the Democratic nominee for the 10th District, which is made up of the souther n par t of Macomb County along with par ts of Oakland County, including Rochester and Rochester Hills On the Republican side, Macomb County attor ney Rober t Lulgjuraj of Sterling Heights has declared his candidacy, and r umors are continuing to swirl that Michael Bouchard, Jr – Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard’ s son – intends to jump in, along with for mer Rep Mike Bishop (R-Rochester, Rochester Hills), who ser ved in Congress for two ter ms when this was the 8th District, and for mer state Rep Rock y Raczkowski of Troy The nonpar tisan Cook Political Repor t cur rently rates the district as leaning Republican
GOOD BYE AND GOOD LUCK: State Senator Rosemar y Bayer (D -West Bloomfield, Commerce Township, Orchard Lake, Far mington Hills, Keego Harbor, Nor thville, Novi, Walled Lake), who represented Bloomfield Township, Bingham Far ms, Sylvan Lake, Aubur n Hills, Lake Orion, among other communities before redistricting, announced on her Facebook page “with great gratitude (and some sadness) that this will be my final ter m in the Michigan State Legislature ” She noted that prior to her political career, she had had a long and successful career in infor mation technology and had “happily retired ” In 2018, a strong desire to help improve the state – in education, protecting the waters, and providing improved mental health suppor t – motivated her to r un – successfully – for office the first time No solid r umors yet of who may announce for her legislative seat
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CANDIDATES (STILL) WANTED: Usually we expect a r ush of hopefuls from both par ties when it looks like offices are opening up in a coming election but that’s not the case yet this year when it comes to who may be looking at the two state House openings now that Representatives Donni Steele (R-54) and Natalie Price (D -6) have set their sites on openings in the state Senate We are hearing that there could be a likely primar y challenge for Steele as she seeks the 23rd district Senate seat About all we could wrangle out of a GOP source was that a guy with substantial personal wealth, and not someone who likes Steele, may give her a r un for the Senate We will stay on this one
THE FACES OF ROGERS: We are hearing more these days – from Republicans about the changing face of Mike Rogers, White Lake Republican, as he r uns for the 2026 opening in the U S Senate Those who knew him from when he ser ved in the U S House from 2001-2015 remember a lawmaker who was best described as a traditional Republican Nowadays? Not so Rogers has clearly evolved into a Tr umpian MAGA Republican, according to traditional par ty members, which is why Tr ump cleared the field of any other GOP members who may have wanted to r un in this race Rogers’ shif t in POV has drawn serious suppor t from hard-right donors like Tim Dunn, a Texas billionaire and Christian Nationalist who gave $5 million this year to the Great Lakes Conser vative Fund which backed Rogers to the tune of over $20 million in his 2024 nar row loss to cur rent U S Senator Elissa Slotkin Dunn has lead the push to remake Texas Republican politics and may now be concentrating on politics in the Midwest The Michigan Democratic par ty recently sent out a reminder release pointing out that Dunn and his political network have been associated with antisemites and white supremacists Said one Republican insider, the old Mike Rogers would have refused the Dunn donation Today? Nope
HINES
CHUNG
GREIMEL
ROGERS
BAYER
FA C E S
Dr. Robert DiPilla
As a dentist based in Birmingham, Dr Robert DiPilla knows all too well about the fear factor patients often associate with his profession In fact, he still remembers his own ordeals at the dentist when he was growing up. “One of the reasons I became a dentist is because those certain little traumas will stick with you,” he said
DiPilla takes a personal and comprehensive approach to his work for good reason “As a marketing strategy, dentists put fear in people that their teeth are going to fall out, but we’re very empathetic and sympathetic and we educate people,” he explained.
Professional training can be another factor “Dental schools teach the mechanics of the mouth and numbers and profitability,” said DiPilla, who mentors other doctors “But it’s about doing the right thing for the patient and taking a step back to find out what’s really going on and making sure they’re getting healthy and don’t have inflammation ”
He aims to make patients feel at ease. “I love when someone starts out fearful and now loves coming to the dentist,” he said “We have a more relaxed atmosphere at our new office People say: ‘Is this a dentist office or is this a spa?’”
While DiPilla may be known for high-profile smiles, he also provides transformative dental care to patients referred through local nonprofits, shelters and recovery centers Helping others with these pro bono procedures means a great deal to him “I was very blessed in my life and I believe that true success in life is giving back and teaching and mentoring and serving,” he said
DiPilla works closely with Grace Centers of Hope in Pontiac, a nonprofit with programs that includes support for domestic violence victims “It is a wonderful facility,” he said. DiPilla has also helped several cancer patients whose oral health was affected by chemo and radiation treatments He works with an oral surgeon for prosthetics
“At Grace Centers of Hope, I met a patient who’d covered her mouth for years after domestic abuse and meth use destroyed her front teeth We staged her care – extractions, interim prosthetics, then final restorations when she was stable in recovery When we handed her the mirror, she put it down and hugged the assistant first That moment captured why we do this work: people aren’t cases, they’re comebacks ”
DiPilla has also joined humanitarian missions in the Dominican Republic, where his wife is from, and where he partners with orphanages in remote villages to help with much-needed dental care.
“An eight-year-old at Casa de Luz hadn’t slept well in months because of a painful molar We treated the tooth, applied silver diamine fluoride to other lesions and gave her a soft brush with a simple routine – two minutes, twice a day,” he recalled “The next morning, she ran up smiling, saying, ‘No dolor’ (No pain). Her caregiver cried. It reminded me that dentistry is dignity. For that little girl, sleep, school and her smile came back at once.”
DiPilla's philanthropic outreach has meant a tremendous amount to him “Over the years, I’ve treated thousands – from multiple trips to Casa de Luz, to local outreach with Grace Centers of Hope and other local community programs My true metric of success isn’t the number of patients I’ve seen, but the continuity of care we provide, and whether we’ve prevented the next dental emergency.”
In the end, his legacy matters to him “When I am long gone from here and people say: What dentist did you go to and the answer is Dr DiPilla, I want them to say: ‘Those were good people ’”
Story: Jeanine Matlow
Photo:
Laurie Tennent
PRIVACY AND PROTESTS
CIVIL RIGHTS, PRIVACY ADVOCATES
WARN AB OUT SURVEILLANCE
B Y STACY GIT TLEMAN
Detroit and Michigan have a shadowy histor y of sur veillance and spying on activists that traces back to the 1940s. That is when the Michigan State Police was in its infancy and the Detroit police and the state for med what are of ten refer red to as the Red Squad It was a unit that specialized in political sur veillance and operated during the Civil Rights and Vietnam War eras. Undercover operatives attended meetings, sur veilled offices and meetings of cer tain organizations, and gathered infor mation on demonstrations and protests. The Red Squad investigated and documented most civil rights organizations, from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to Black power organizations such as the Black Panthers, as well as leaders from labor, antiwar and other such groups.
The Red Squad was disbanded in 1974 af ter it was exposed by civil rights organizations A cour t mandate revealed that by the time this law enforcement unit was disbanded, it had collected 1.5 million names and 38,000 detailed repor ts on individual citizens The Detroit Police Depar tment collected between 50,000 and 100,000 additional files on individuals
Now, 21st centur y civil liber tarians and privacy advocates harbor an even greater concer n that the gover nment and law enforcement are deploying ever-more sophisticated sur veillance technology upon protesters as they exercise their First Amendment rights, especially directed at the Tr ump administration and the growing controversy sur rounding the Israeli-Palestinian war
Peter Hammer, faculty director of the Damon J Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University Law School, remarked that the difference between how activists were monitored then and now shows how easily infor mation flows in the digital age
“Sur veillance has been around for a long time,” he explained “ The FBI began spying on meetings of the Communist Par ty beginning in the 1940s Infor mants would be sent into meetings and take notes Those notes would end up in a back file cabinet in some FBI office The notes were not exactly available at one ’ s finger tips or in real time ”
Now, Hammer said, there is an uncompromising stance towards the targeting of protests, and digital infor mation can be easily aggregated
“Sur veillance is much more weaponized than it used to be, and there seems to be among gover nment and law enforcement agencies a willingness to do it,” Hammer said Hammer continued: “ There is a chilling effect on the rights of protesters It is easy to engender upon the protesters that they are committing crimes, such as trespassing, which can be easily manufactured and built up by law enforcement, who can then justif y their retaliation tactics ”
Hammer said people “underappreciate how much infor mation they ’ re freely giving out to corporations and elsewhere that open them up to a wide range of legitimate privacy issues ”
“If people were only more aware of the privacy they are giving up digitally, they might think twice about it,” said Hammer “Or, perhaps, we have gotten to a point that people do not care and they just want the convenience of their smar tphones and all the things this technology can quickly deliver to them But there is a difference between companies knowing your social media and spending habits and the gover nment knowing your online activities Ver y quickly, our constitutional protections are being systemically dismantled through technological sur veillance ”
Jay Stanley is a senior policy analyst at the ACLU who keeps tabs on new and emerging technologies that impact our privacy To him, the landscape is changing around the rights of protesters, and not for the better
“Historically, our cour t system has placed the highest priority on making sure Americans feel free to express themselves, to disagree with those in power and to speak tr uth to that power, ” Stanley said “ Yet, we are living in an era where new technologies are giving gover nment agencies and corporations unprecedented new powers ”
These technologies, according to the ACLU, include enhanced facial recognition capabilities that can identif y a person from even the distance between one ’ s eyes The ACLU is also sounding the alar m on cameras that can pick a person out of a crowd based on their posture and gait However, this technology of ten gets it wrong and falsely identifies Black and Brown people, several of whom have been falsely detained and accused of crimes
“ There are big questions about how those new technologies should or should not be deployed by the law enforcement agencies and other security agencies that ser ve us, the American public,” Stanley said “ There has been a r ush to deploy power ful new sur veillance technologies into our communities without considering the culture of these communities and how they may change the American way of life ”
Stanley said the ACLU suspects that gover nment effor ts to track and keep records on protesters are increasing, especially as the federal gover nment is making the push for agencies to centralize and share data
Stanley said his organization is also concer ned about the dispropor tionate and of ten militarized presence of law enforcement at protests
“In many instances, we see a deployment of a dispropor tionately large presence of law enforcement that is meant to intimidate protesters, especially when law enforcement doesn’t like the message of the protesters,” Stanley said “ The ACLU’s big concer n is that, lurking behind all deployments of large police presences at protests and this technology, is that we end up in a world where it will become routine to track all of us in public spaces It is not difficult to link cameras and facial recognition technology, so the gover nment can keep track of us at all times ”
When protesting, the ACLU suppor ts the use of wearing head coverings or masks to hide one ’ s identity
The ACLU repor ts that several states are tr ying to revive “ arcane ” laws that prohibit the wearing of masks during demonstrations They harken back to an era when the Ku Klux Klan wore hoods during marches and ter rorized Black residents
In May, the Ohio attor ney general notified 14 universities that protesters wearing masks violate the state’s 1953 anti-mask law and r un counter to the state’s campus nor ms Violators could face penalties that include between six and 18 months in prison
Citing a 1953 anti-masking law used against the KKK, administrators at the University of Nor th Carolina war ned antiIsrael protesters that wearing masks while protesting violates this law
In May of 2024, Stanley wrote a post for the ACLU’s website about how these state anti-masking laws can have a chilling effect on anti-Israel protesters and hamper the willingness of protesters to show up for causes they believe in, especially controversial causes
“ There should be no systemic gover nment tracking of protesters to monitor which individuals are showing up at cer tain kinds of protests,” Stanley said when speaking with Downtown “Banning protesters from being masked but allowing law enforcement officers to mask is exactly the inverse of the way things should be in a democratic society ”
Yet sometimes, emboldened behind the shroud of a mask, a hood, or a checkered keffiyeh, anti-Israel protesters in the last 23 months since the beginning of the October 7th war that Hamas instigated with Israel have tur ned to intimidation, violence, harassment, vandalism, and in some extreme cases, murder And their violence is aimed mainly at the Jewish community
For example, in June of 2024, masked individuals in New York City, leaving a protest at an exhibit commemorating the October 7th massacre at the Nova Music festival in souther n Israel, boarded a subway, demanding that all Zionists raise their hands and war ned them it was their last chance to get off On college campuses, anti-Israel protesters, concealing their identities, have trespassed and vandalized campus buildings From Columbia to Yale to Har vard, activists have verbally threatened and harassed Jewish students and blocked their movement on campus
Responding to the juxtaposition of the right to conceal one ’ s identity at a protest and the outburst of violent incidents, Stanley said there are fir m, legal boundaries between free speech and violence
“If you engage in violence, masked or not, you should know you can be punished for that,” Stanley said “ Violence is illegal with some nar row exceptions, like self-defense But the wearing of a
mask (or other head covering) does not change the law When protesting, you do not have the right to directly threaten and intimidate people You can make broad statements that some people may find offensive, but you may not make statements that are threatening ”
Civil rights attor ney Deborah Gordon from Oakland County is also concer ned about law enforcement’s increased sur veillance activities at protests, but stressed the limitations of one ’ s privacy rights when protesting in public
Gordon cautioned that the gover nment and law enforcement can legally photograph and take sur veillance of protesters expressing themselves in public places Constitutionally speaking, Gordon said the Four th Amendment does protect private citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures Things covered under the Four th Amendment include seizure of one ’ s cell phone in the absence of a cour t-appointed search war rant, Gordon said This would also fall into the concer n of the legality of police tracking an individual through a phone’s GPS tracking
She pointed to the landmark 1967 case of Katz vs the United States, when a man was indicted eight times for transmitting gambling infor mation over a public pay phone to clients in other states and was caught by federal agents by wiretapping that phone Ultimately, the Supreme Cour t r uled that Katz was entitled to Four th Amendment protections for his conversations and that the wiretapping of a public phone booth, without a war rant, violated Katz’s reasonable expectation of privacy and therefore constituted an illegal search
“ This case, however, established that sur veillance (in public places) is not unconstitutional if you do not have an expectation of privacy,” Gordon explained “ This is an example of letter-to -thelaw cases that come up in law school lectures Yes, you have privacy rights from the gover nment in places you should expect privacy, such as a private residence But if you are walking and protesting in the streets of Detroit, you should not expect to have privacy ”
Gordon said that around 2019, there was an outcr y from civil rights organizations about the use and installation of cameras and facial recognition technology placed around downtown Detroit by the Detroit Police Depar tment (DPD) Today, the DPD monitors about 600 such cameras placed around downtown, some paid for privately, from its central real-time crime center
In 2020, the ACLU of Michigan fought a case where a Black Detroit man was ar rested outside his home, wrongfully detained when he was mistakenly identified as a person who shoplif ted a Shinola store due to images captured from one of these cameras
Over time, the ACLU filed several lawsuits involving mistaken identity in Detroit and declared that facial recognition cameras make many mistakes when it comes to people of color, and that this technology leads to lazy law enforcement investigations
While Detroit police may still use facial recognition, it must adhere to a strict set of policies
Gordon said the cour ts maintained that in cer tain instances, the use of facial recognition technology is legal and constitutional
Gordon said when the founding fathers penned the Constitution, they could not have imagined how we go about our 21st-centur y lives in the digital age, where ever yone is connected through the inter net and wireless technology
“Ever ybody ’ s got their cell phones out (at protests), and police are wearing body cameras, ” Gordon remarked “ You are being recorded The founders of the Constitution could not imagine the digital age we are living in, but this is how it works ”
Gordon said no one should expect that any data flowing wirelessly through the air to be private
“Beyond that, if the police tr y to get a physical hold of your
phone, that will require a war rant ”
Gordon said no cases have come across her desk involving those who feel that their civil rights or privacy have been violated due to par ticipating in protests
On the flip side of the masking debate is The Lawfare Project, a civil rights organization that describes itself as the legal ar m for American Jews
The Lawfare Project is in favor of passing “Unmasking the Hate” legislation at the state level Such legislation would allow law enforcement to pursue people who wear masks and threaten others rather than establish a widespread ban on face coverings There has been some success in passing such legislation on Long Island, N Y , which has banned the wearing of masks in public except for health or religious reasons, though it is facing an uphill battle in the cour ts
Gerald Filitti, senior counsel for the Lawfare Project, said when it comes to protests, there are two separate issues: preser ving the First Amendment to protest and peacefully gather and assemble, and covering and masking one ’ s identity with the intention to harass, intimidate, and act violently towards minority groups
Historically, New York City had anti-masking laws on the books that date back to the late 1800s to protect people from the activities of the Ku Klux Klan
“ We have seen people using coverings to conceal their identity while engaging in hateful and har mful conduct targeting minority communities, including the Jewish community,” explained Filitti “ The first mask bans in the United States were passed 150 years ago in New York City in response to the Ku Klux Klan marching and using intimidation tactics toward African Americans to prevent them from exercising their civil rights ”
According to Filitti, the key is to protect legitimate protests while preventing intimidation He said free speech is impor tant, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of making minority communities feel threatened Protesters need to remain peaceful and accountable for their actions, and having their faces visible to prevent anonymous acts of intimidation is a par t of accountability, he said
“ We respect and do not want to shut down any legitimate protests because that is one ’ s fundamental First Amendment right,” said Filitti, an alumnus of the University of Michigan Law “But we do want to assure that when protests take place, the people protesting are not effectively cur tailing the civil rights of others One’s right to speech does not mean that others, especially targeted minorities, have no right to be in a public space, or that Jews should feel intimidated, harassed or threatened Your right to speech does not mean I have no right to be in a public space or that I may feel threatened ”
Filitti said the Lawfare Project is disappointed in the ACLU’s masking stance and feels it has not strongly enough urged protesters to practice restraint in intimidating others
“ Yes, it is free speech to yell ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘Globalize the Intifada,’ but when they are wearing masks or head coverings connected to a ter rorist organization, the effect is tr uly intimidating,” Filitti said
Locally, since October 7th, 2023, this has played out on and off campus at the University of Michigan According to the AntiDefamation League, the University of Michigan was categorized as one of the top 10 campuses in the nation with the highest number of repor ted incidents, with 40 incidents of Jew hatred during this time This has ensnared Michigan Attor ney General Dana Nessel in a series of prosecutions against students and faculty who par ticipated in demonstrations and who have been accused of trespassing, vandalism, resisting ar rest, assaulting law enforcement, and other charges
While some charges have been dropped, other cases remain under investigation Notably, there was a series of vandalism and trespassing incidents where suspects lef t threatening marks, including slogans and symbols used by Hamas, on the private proper ties of the University of Michigan Provost Laurie McCauley, several regents, and for mer University of Michigan president Santa Ono Pro -Palestinian activists also defaced the Southfield law office of regent Jordan Acker and damaged the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit building on Telegraph Avenue in Bloomfield Hills on the first anniversar y of October 7th These crimes remain unsolved
Following the rise in protest activity and these crimes, the university stated that it expanded its use of contracted plainclothes security personnel in 2024 “to provide discreet awareness of potential illegal activities without escalating tensions” and said this was an industr y-standard approach used widely across college campuses, spor ting venues, and medical facilities ”
However, due to allegations from anti-Israel protesters that some individual contractors were allegedly spying on them, the University of Michigan changed course and severed ties with the investigation fir m
On June 8, the University of Michigan released a statement that “the university does not sur veil individuals or student groups, nor has it requested or authorized the sur veillance of any students on or off campus Unfor tunately, recent media repor ts have mischaracterized the role of contract security personnel who were engaged solely to suppor t campus safety effor ts ”
The statement continued: “ The responsibilities of the contracted personnel were limited to the obser vation and repor ting of criminal or suspicious activity on university proper ty to the Division of Public Safety and Security (DPSS) not sur veillance The DPSS has never followed a student off campus, nor targeted individuals or groups because of their beliefs or affiliations ”
The University added that upon lear ning that an employee of one of the contracted security vendors violated the parameters of behavior, that employee was fired from working with the company
The anti-Israel protests have personally affected University of Michigan Board of Regents President Sarah Hubbard Hubbard said protesters for months have pursued her In the shadow of the night, some drove an hour off campus to protest on her proper ty Masked, they chanted their pro -Palestinian slogans, lef t bloodied dolls wrapped in red-stained cloth, and pinned their demands on her front porch
Hubbard now needs security around her home and, at times, a police escor t to meetings where protesters shout at her for being complicit in “genocide in Gaza ”
Hubbard said the university suppor ts free speech, but protesters must obey the parameters set by the University ’ s Code of Conduct This includes applying for protest per mits and staging protests at allowable spaces and times Protesters cannot disr upt the flow of movement for the rest of the campus community and cannot disr upt events, lectures, or classes
“ The regents wish to create a campus environment that welcomes free speech and the exchange of ideas,” Hubbard said “ We expect the campus community to follow our Code of Conduct Free speech does not include harassment, vandalism, and protests on my lawn or the lawns of other members of the board of regents ”
Hubbard added that there is a dangerous line crossed when words of protesters tur n into violent actions This summer, the familiar chants and demands of the anti-Israel movement of “Free Palestine” were echoed by extremists who set ablaze the Pennsylvania Gover nor ’ s mansion in April af ter Gov Josh Shapiro
as his family celebrated Passover, executed two Israeli ambassadors in Washington D C, and torched Jews peacefully marching in suppor t of the freedom of Israeli hostages held in Gaza at a walk in Boulder, Colorado in May
Hubbard also remarked that when the chants of protesters encourage violent actions such as the mentioned hate crimes, those involved should expect consequences when state and federal laws are broken
At the campus level, Hubbard said the university acted to suspend cer tain groups only when their words tur ned to vandalism and harassment and other actions of agitation towards the campus community
“ Words that lead to hate acts have become nor malized,” Hubbard said “Perpetrators think they will just be forgiven, and that’s when there is a danger of people taking those words to the next step, which could include bodily har m We have already seen vandalism aimed at several leaders of the university, and that is a step beyond words That’s breaking the law Then you are dealing with not campus r ules, but state and federal law ”
State Representative Noah Arbit (D -20) said he has seen no concrete evidence of the establishment of a mass sur veillance system and record keeping on protesters However, he said he would not be surprised, judging how the Tr ump administration has made sweeping changes to the depar tment of justice to wield it to its agenda of cracking down on dissent and rounding up undocumented immigrants
“I haven’t seen any evidence of such a centralized data collection and sur veillance of protests, but it would not be surprising to me, ” Arbit said “Look how the depar tment of justice has been politicized There are clear political motives for cer tain investigations Apar t from the Nixon administration, we ’ ve never really had an administration that was just so heavy-handed in ter ms of targeting political opponents It does not instill confidence that people who are going out to protest are not being targeted because of their views I think there is a reasonable concer n that the federal gover nment is looking into this ”
Arbit believes that a great swath of the American population no longer believes the federal gover nment is going to protect its constitutional civil liber ties as it ignores cour t orders and works harder to protect Tr ump ’ s agenda and political interests
“ The gover nance at the federal level in place right now violates the spirit of American democracy and leaves Americans concer ned about their privacy, including when they go out on the street to protest,” Arbit added
Jeramie Scott is a senior counsel at the Electronic Privacy Infor mation Center (EPIC), a Washington, D C , based organization that focuses on gover nment sur veillance and consumer privacy issues EPIC contributes to amicus briefs that focus on the issue of sur veillance or Four th and First Amendment cases at the Supreme Cour t and appellate cour t levels
Scott said at times, it is not only the gover nment but vigilante individuals and other organizations that are tr ying to reveal the identities of some protesters to get them fired or even depor ted
Scott said that is why protesters are encouraged to wear masks and keffiyehs He said he could not point to specific incidences when those wearing facial coverings cross the line from free speech into violence Rather, he is more concer ned about what happens when law enforcement and ICE are masked
“ The only ones I have seen consistently that are emboldened when they wear face coverings are ICE and ICE contractors,” Scott said “I don’t think there is any evidence that backs up protesters wearing masks or other coverings becoming violent or threatening When protecting First Amendment rights, we must realize the role that our Constitution plays in protecting
Courtney Monigold
individuals from gover nment When you under mine those freedoms, we are in danger of falling from a democratic gover nment to an authoritarian gover nment ”
Outside of sur veillance of protesters, it is feared that the federal gover nment is casting a wider sur veillance net over all of us, which is causing great concer n from privacy and civil liber tarian advocates like Scott In the name of efficiency, the Tr ump administration is looking to break the siloed infor mation the gover nment keeps on us – from tax retur ns to health insurance claims to who is receiving food stamps and other federal or state assistance – and pool it into one central file on each individual residing in the countr y
For example, attor ney generals in 20 blue states, including Michigan, are going af ter the Tr ump administration’s demand that states tur n over infor mation on families receiving assistance from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
In a statement released on X on July 28 by attor ney general Nessel, she said she joined a lawsuit challenging the Tr ump administration’s demands that states hand over five years ’ wor th of their residents’ sensitive personal data, including data from more than 1 4 million SNAP recipients in Michigan
“It is the gover nment’s responsibility to be good stewards over the private, personal identif ying infor mation we request from our residents in order to effectuate these programs, ” Nessel said “ These families apply for SNAP benefits to help put food on the table, not for their data to be stockpiled and weaponized against them by the Tr ump administration That infor mation goes way beyond what you file in your tax for ms It includes your housing infor mation, landlord contact infor mation, how much you pay for your utilities, even how much you pay in medical debt ”
At the center of this controversy is the sof tware giant Palantir While Palantir claims that it is merely a sof tware developer whose sof tware platfor ms solve real-world problems in gover nment, organizational, and corporate settings, it has many critics, including EIPC ’ s Scott
“Palantir knows good and well at this point (how the gover nment is using its technology),” Scott said “ You’d have to be blind not to know that the Palantir sof tware is being used in ways that under mine people’s civil rights and privacy Of course, they are not directly collecting the data
Yet, as a sof tware company, it must take responsibility if it knows its sof tware is being used to target people for detainment or depor tation As a company, you cannot ignore how the tools and technology you are producing are being used ”
Local civil rights attor neys and law professors pointed to many in-place laws and policies that the executive and legislative branches of the gover nment should be enforcing, but seem to be ignoring
They include amendments to the Privacy Act of 1974
It established a code of fair infor mation practices gover ning the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of infor mation about individuals that is maintained in systems of records by federal agencies The law states that gover nment agencies must give the public notice of how records of individuals are used and makes it illegal to disclose records of individuals to other gover nment depar tments without the written consent The Privacy Act also provides individuals a way to access their records and sets strict parameters for agencies as to how they collect and keep records on individuals
Up until now, there was an expectation that gover nment agencies stored personal data on individuals and kept it private and separate from other agencies, with a few exceptions Only if authorities suspect that an individual is involved with criminal
activity could one agency access infor mation from another This was conducted on a case-to -case basis, under the approval of a cour t-appointed authorization, and only to obtain records for a criminal investigation or to provide evidence in a trial Executive orders (EO) issued by the Tr ump administration to create the Depar tment of Gover nment Efficiency (DOGE) could usurp all these nor ms In one EO issued in March, the Tr ump administration required the heads of ever y federal depar tment to have full and prompt access to all unclassified agency records, data, sof tware and infor mation technology
Foundr y, Palantir ’ s data integration program, is under the microscope It is designed to unif y and streamline data across gover nment agencies and can also be deployed to create solutions for non-gover nmental organizations and streamline corporate operations An adver tisement for Foundr y can be spotted in the ter minals at trhe Detroit Metropolitan Airpor t, boasting its help in facilitating automation, supply chain and manufacturing capabilities in the automotive industr y
But critics say the sof tware platfor m is designed to create nar ratives and histories of individuals based on a profile built on their digital trails and footprints to eventually create a sur veillance state
On May 30th, The New York Times published an analysis, “ Tr ump Taps Palantir to Compile Data on Americans ” It repor ted that Palantir received more than $113 million in federal gover nment spending since Tr ump took office This is in addition to existing gover nment contracts the company has with the Depar tment of Homeland Security and the Pentagon It has also begun contracting with the Depar tment of Health and Human Ser vices The ar ticle said that Palantir officials are also in communication with the Social Security administration and the Inter nal Revenue Ser vice, with interest in purchasing its sof tware platfor ms The ar ticle also repor ted that Palantir received contracts from the Biden administration to roll out the national vaccination program during the COVID pandemic
Also in May, a group of for mer Palantir employees vented their dire concer ns in a letter they distributed to the media Entitled “ The Scouring of the Shire,” the letter stated that af ter working there for some time, the for mer employees saw an erosion in the company ’ s preser ving its initial values of “transparency, upholding democracy, preser ving the spirit of free scientific inquir y, and ensuring responsible AI development ”
They wrote: “ We no longer believe Palantir ’ s executives are upholding these values By suppor ting Tr ump ’ s administration, Elon Musk’s DOGE initiative, and dangerous expansions of executive power, they have abandoned their responsibility and violate Palantir ’ s Code of Conduct ”
One of the signatories of the open letter is Juan Sebastian Pinto
Pinto graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in English and philosophy and wrote about architecture before accepting a position as a content strategist and communications specialist in 2021
An Ecuadorian immigrant who is aware of Palantir ’ s contracts with ICE, Pinto said he r uminated for a long time before accepting the position Pinto ultimately signed on because he was curious about what was going on in the tech world
“I hoped that Palantir could be a great oppor tunity to lear n how the world works to make it better,” he said “I was also attracted to the work Palantir did in various humanitarian fields It seemed like a great oppor tunity to work in a fascinating environment and meet fascinating people ”
Pinto expanded his job responsibilities from communications into sales and technical teams, explaining to potential clients
how Palantir ’ s sof tware platfor ms could be deployed in real-world applications These included global humanitarian food distribution, gover nment systems and public healthcare management
Then he began working with teams charged with defense-team applications and lear ned how ar tificial intelligence was being used to wage war fare through sensors, sur veillance, computers and automated decisions
“ What ultimately forced my hand in deciding to resign was Israel’s actions in Gaza following Oct 7th, 2023,” he said “It was Israel using Palantir ’ s technologies, coupled with the second Tr ump administration’s use of Palantir technology to help in the targeting and depor tation of immigrants, that forced me to speak out ”
Pinto, in his post-Palantir life, said he is writing about AI ethics, speaks at protests against Palantir, and par ticipates in protests against immigrant depor tations
In a harsh rebuke to the allegations from for mer employees and the The New York Times, a Palantir spokesperson writing to Downtown maintained that Palantir is merely a sof tware company that organizations use to improve data management and operations Palantir pointed to sof tware applications created for the World Food Programme and distribution, manufacturing, automotive, healthcare and defense systems
“ We are not a sur veillance company, ” stated the spokesperson “ We do not sell personal data of any kind We don’t provide data mining as a ser vice Unlike many technology companies, our business model is not based on monetizing personal data Instead, we develop and license sof tware platfor ms that enable our customers to integrate and analyze their data assets to make better decisions Privacy and data security are fundamental to Palantir and have been built into the sof tware’s architecture from the star t ”
The Palantir spokesperson harshly criticized The New York Times for “flawed, and at times malicious repor ting ”
“Since our founding, we have always placed the preser vation of privacy and civil liber ties at the center of our mission,” stated the spokesperson “ That is why the Times’ allegations falsely claim that Palantir is actively collecting data or other wise providing infrastr ucture for some
‘master list of personal infor mation’ to sur veil the American public is so reckless and ir responsible in its falsehood ”
The statement continued: “Palantir is not a vendor on any master database project to unif y databases across federal agencies Palantir has not proposed that the U S gover nment build a ‘master list’ for the sur veillance of citizens, nor have we been asked to consider building such a system for any customer Such a hypothetical project is fundamentally at odds with Palantir ’ s values and our commitment to work in suppor t of liberal democracies ”
The spokesperson stated that the letter from for mer employees did not represent the views of most cur rent staff at the company
“ The letter purpor ts to paint a picture of broad dissent,” stated the spokesperson “Palantir is not an ideological monolith, nor do we aspire to build a culture around a nar row set of beliefs or political affiliations To the contrar y, Palantir prides itself on a culture of fierce inter nal dialogue and even disagreement on difficult issues related to our work ”
Civil rights attor ney Deborah Gordon described Tr ump ’ s executive orders and the creation of DOGE as harsh deviations from how this countr y ’ s gover nment has r un under the Constitution
Guidelines for protesters
Par ticipating in peaceful protest is a First Amendment right protected by the Constitution and a par t of any thriving democracy But protests are increasingly being watched by law enforcement and gover nment sur veillance
Here are some tips compiled by the ACLU and Wired magazine on how to best protect yourself at a protest:
Before attending the protest, notif y a tr usted friend or family member before heading out to tell them where you will be Your rights are strongest in public for ums like streets, sidewalks, and in front of gover nment buildings Do not block access to buildings or inter fere with operations
Cell towers can log your presence through your mobile phone Stingrays (cell-site simulators) may capture phone data in bulk Law enforcement can monitor social media posts, photos and live streams at protests
If you choose to bring your phone, communicate with others via Signal, which is a secure, end-to -end encr ypted messaging app that offers the option to delete messages af ter they're sent You should also change the phone settings to airplane mode, tur n off GPS location, disable biometric unlocking, like FaceID or fingerprint features, and use a six-digit passcode instead
“Now, there will be the sharing and consolidation of records and data across all gover nment agencies,” Gordon said “ This has never happened before, unless there was a specific reason for it There was a time af ter the September 11, 2001 ter rorist attacks when law enforcement and intelligence agencies were per mitted to share infor mation But what the EO does surpasses all of these for a broad-spectr um sharing of all data This to me, is in clear violation of the Privacy Act I believe that there is no precedent when an executive order can supersede an existing law ”
Closed-circuit television and facial recognition can identif y individuals in crowds Wired advises protesters to dress in neutral clothing, wear a hat, sunglasses, or a mask or other head covering to hide one ’ s identity
You do not have to show identification if police demand it unless you are under ar rest, being ticketed or driving You also must identif y yourself to police if the officers have reasonable suspicion to believe you violated the law and there is a local law requiring that you show ID when the police have reasonable suspicion (as exists in Ann Arbor and East Lansing)
If ar rested or detained, authorities may access your devices, identification cards, or social media accounts According to ACLU Michigan, stay calm and keep your hands visible Don’t argue, resist or obstr uct police, even if you think they are violating your rights If you're detained, not having your ID on you might keep you stuck for longer
Ask law enforcement if you are free to leave If the officer says yes, calmly walk away Do not par ticipate in acts of vandalism
Gordon said it remains to be seen how all this will play out in the cour ts Already, Gordon said, there have been some pushback cases against the centralization of data kept by the federal gover nment
Asked if we are headed into Or wellian, Big Brother times, Gordon answered with an unequivocal: “ Yes ”
“I don’t know how we ’ re going to put the genie back in the bottle,” lamented Gordon “Congress right now seems incapable of getting it ar ms around this and is putting up no pushback You have an administration that does not care about privacy We are in unchar ted ter ritor y ”
FA C E S
L eon Ransmeier
Leon Ransmeier, the new head of the Architecture and Design department and faculty of the Industrial Design program at Cranbrook Academy of Art, gained much of the rich expertise he brings to the Bloomfield Hills campus through life experience and running a professional practice
Ransmeier explained that his creativity was sparked from an early age: “My dad is a ceramic artist, and I grew up in his studio ”
The designer, editor and entrepreneur has experienced life in many places
He was born in upstate New York and grew up in Asheville, N C , where he graduated from high school For college, he moved to Providence, R I , to attend Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and earned a BFA in furniture design – “a hands-on craft that gave me a strong foundation” – with a strong interest in architecture and industrial design He has also lived in Sante Fe, N M , the Netherlands, and New York City
“My freshman year at RISD I intended to study architecture but after placing out of a required history class, I took a history of industrial design class to fill in and became enthralled – it grabbed me,” he described.
For nearly 18 years, Ransmeier called New York City home, which is where he launched his industrial design company, Ransmeier, Inc , in 2010 His company has collaborated with celebrated brands such as Droog, HAY, Herman Miller, Maharam and Mattiazzi
While in New York, he also worked collaboratively on a book about the vibrant history of Herman Miller which was published in 2019. The book, Herman Miller: A Way of Living, focuses on the story of the renowned Zeeland, Michigan-based furniture company known for its significant role as a pioneer in American modernism and the innovative furniture designs that emerged in the mid-20th century
Ransmeier’s contribution to the book focused on editorial, organization and image research, which brought him to The Henry Ford in Dearborn to tap the museum’s extensive archives that hold a significant collection of Herman Millerrelated objects and archival materials
He noted there is also a strong connection between Herman Miller and Cranbrook Academy of Art Herman Miller is best known for producing one of the most significant furniture designs of the 20th century – the iconic Eames Chair and Ottoman, which was created by legendary industrial designers Charles Eames and Ray Kaiser Eames, who met at Cranbrook in 1940
Ransmeier’s new role is not his first experience at Cranbrook as he worked with his Designer-in-Residence predecessor on a semester-long design workshop in 2009, which culminated in the presentation of final designs in New York.
While it’s been an exceptionally busy summer with his move to campus and preparation for the fall semester, Ransmeier plans to “bring fresh energy and growth to the master’s level program by raising public awareness through international collaborations with museums and brands and by exposing students to a broad range of international artists, educators, curators, designers and the like.”
He added, “For me, this position is about creating opportunities to expose students to a myriad of paths that can be available to them and to support the next generation of designers as they pursue creative professions in this changing world ”
Aside from his career, Ransmeier is married with a two-and-a-half year old daughter and an English Setter. His wife grew up in Michigan and attended the University of Michigan and his sister lives in Kalamazoo, so this position comes with the perk of instate family connections When he has time, he enjoys “skiing in deep powder ”
Through Ransmeier’s years of experience in the creative business world, he offers this advice to aspiring designers and creatives: “Work hard, be prepared to fail and then keep working ”
Story: Tracy Donohue
Laurie Tennent
Photo:
Decision made on new home for Next
By Grace Lovins
Bir mingham City Commissioners
voted against placing a roughly $36 6 million bond proposal on the November ballot that would have asked residents to fund the constr uction of a new community and senior center at 400 E Lincoln, the location of the YMCA that the city purchased two years ago for $2 million as the new home for the Next senior ser vices group which contributed $500,000 toward total acquisition costs
The decision made during the Monday, August 11, meeting came just one day before the county deadline for submitting ballot language
The proposed project, a roughly 47,000 square foot facility for both Next senior ser vices and the Bir mingham YMCA, along with community use, was estimated to cost about $36 million with amenities including a pool, gym, walking track and community meeting rooms The bond would have covered design, constr uction, fur nishings and equipment with repayment spread out over 20 or 25 years at an estimated annual cost of between $169 to $192 for the average city taxpayer
Months ago the commission voted to table discussions on the community and senior center af ter receiving cost estimates for the building and lear ning that promised ear mark funding the city was depending on for the project had failed to materialize Discussion on developing a community and senior center evolved from the search for Next’s new home and the YMCA saying it wanted to remain in Bir mingham af ter they sold their existing facility to the city
During a standing-room- only workshop held on the matter before the regular meeting, city manager Jana Ecker outlined three options for the proper ty According to Ecker, commissioners could continue down the path of constr ucting a new building and issue a bond or they could op to go with an alter nate but unvetted plan, recently presented by the YMCA, which would include both renovating the cur rent building with some new additions for about $27 million which would also require issuing a bond
The third option would be to make upgrades to the cur rent building
Voters to decide candidates, school millage
conomic climate made the proposed arger project too big an ask of the axpayers
Voters in Bloomfield Hills will be deciding city commission members on the Tuesday, November 4, ballot, while in Bir mingham voters will cast ballots for both the city commission and the librar y board, and residents of the Bloomfield Hills Schools district will deter mine the fate of a sinking millage request
Five candidates filed by the Tuesday, July 22, deadline to seek three seats on the Bir mingham City Commission while six candidates filed in Bloomfield Hills for five commission seats For the Baldwin Public Librar y Board four candidates will compete for three seats
In Bir mingham, incumbents Katie Schafer, along with Jason Emerine, who was just appointed last December to fill a vacancy, did not file for reelection Five candidates filed for three seats Those filing include incumbent Andrew Haig, along with newcomers Zachar y Jennings, Bill Kolb, Kevin Kozlowski and Doug White Those elected in the non-par tisan November election to the seven-person board will ser ve four-year ter ms and receive pay of $5 per meeting which are usually held twice each month
For the Bir mingham Librar y Board, incumbent Melissa Mark did not file for election for another ter m Incumbent board members Danielle Rumple and Frank Pisano filed to r un again for two -year ter ms Also seeking to join the six-member board are Pamela M Graham and Omar Odeh Three members of the board are elected ever y two years to the unpaid positions
Voters in Bloomfield Hills will deter mine all members of the fiveperson board Incumbent David Fisher is not seeking another ter m but incumbents Brad Baxter, Alice Buckley, Lauren Fisher and Susan McCar thy all filed for another two -year ter m Also filing were Alan T Acker man and Anjail Prasad Brian Scott Jennings, af ter the filing deadline, for mally filed to r un as a write-in candidate Commissioners in Bloomfield Hills are paid $5 per meeting which are held once each month
Voters living in the Bloomfield Hills Schools area will be asked to approve a tax that would replace a sinking fund millage first approved in 2023 that is schedule to expire in 2026 The new sinking fund millage would be 1 5 mills for 10 years Revenue from the tax could be used, among other things, for school building constr uction and repair, school security measures technology purchases and purchase of vehicles including for student transpor tation
under the existing memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the city and Next by using the funding from the previously approved senior millage, which was the original plan when the building was purchased from the YMCA Originally the YMCA was to continue to occupy par t of the building until spring of 2026 and leave Bir mingham for a new facility planned for Royal Oak that fell through due to finances Once discussion tur ned to a possible new building at the site, the YMCA announced that it wanted to be par t of the new facility but had no funds to contribute to the constr uction The change in the YMCA decision seemed to complicate the process of planning for shared occupancy by the two groups
While commissioner Anthony Long and mayor pro tem Clinton Baller pushed to let voters decide on the bond even if they personally had
concer ns about the cost, a majority of the commissioners were reluctant to advance a bond vote with the rising constr uction costs, in par t due to Tr ump administration imposition of world-wide tariffs and the loss of the expected ear mark funding
“I have grave concer ns about putting this on the ballot as a flyer,” said mayor Therese Longe
“I think that it will cause lots of people to do lots of unnecessar y work and spend money I think that it will be a distraction from proceeding with the MOU as a stepwise process the way we ’ ve talked about, and about looking at perhaps going back to the community in May or August with a smaller bond if we decide to bring this back , ” she continued
Commissioner Andrew Haig suppor ted moving for ward with the lower cost MOU option, while commissioners Katie Schafer and Jason Emerine argued the cur rent
“I don’t think any one of us is ompelled to ask the community to pend $38 million, or $27 million, on his project,” Schafer said
Commissioner Brad Host, early in he meting, reminded fellow ommissioners that he has always pposed the new building and would ote against the ballot issue
At one point in the meeting, Baller proposed just changing the ballot wording for November to provide for a $20 million building but was nfor med by the city attor ney that any new bond proposal must first go hrough a review by bond analysts and bond counsel, not a task that ould be accomplished one day ahead of the deadline for putting omething on the November ballot
In the end, only Long and Baller uppor ted putting the bond on the November ballot The other five ommissioners voted against the motion
The city and Next will now proceed to implement the agreement at the time of the building purchase, making necessar y modifications to he building as the new home for Next The MOU also provided that he YMCA must vacate the building n May of 2026
Eight unions’ medical coverage change set
By Dana Casadei
The Bloomfield Township Board of Tr ustees on Monday, August 11, voted 7-0 in favor of making adjustments to eight labor unions’ medical, prescription, dental and vision insurance for 2026
The move will go into effect come Januar y of next year, and will have no impact on the cur rent budget because it will only be for the first three months of the year before a new budget These anticipated changes were included in the budget calculations for the coming fiscal year
Modifications for the medical insurance will change the in-network out- of-pocket maximum to $3,000 for one person and $6 000 for a family; decrease the payroll deduction to be more on track with local municipalities, even though the rates of $25 single and $50 family are still higher than many (this payroll deduction happens for 24 pays per year); and will allow for dependent children to stay on their parents insurance until they are 26, taking
away the prior requirement that those under 26 staying on their parents insurance had to be in school
Each letter of agreement across the unions came with the same modifications
“I think this is smar t for us to be able to do this and make it the same across the unions,” said tr ustee Chris Kolinski
the Bir mingham Musicale – Par tners with the Ar ts Award
In the case of Frink, the Cultural Council had this to say: “A lawyer by trade, he’s a force within his own neighborhood as “creator, per for mer, par ticipant and enthusiast of the ar ts ” Br yan Frink shares his home studio as a nur turer and suppor ter of local as well as nascent musicians and students with special needs: he is their muse; a volunteer, philanthropist, and, in the spirit of community, the host with his wife of an annual summer music festival on their front lawn, “Frinkstock ”
Even though the changes won’t go into effect until next Januar y, township treasurer Michael Schostak brought this before the board this summer because they ’ re under a bit of a time constraint In order to modif y the medical insurance plan for township employees they would need to notif y their insurance by November 1
Schostak said thee township will have all eight letters of agreement incorporated into each par ties’ collective bargaining agreement done by this fall
Of those eight labor unions, seven had ratified and signed the letter of agreement before the meeting Those seven letters were approved unanimously by the board, giving super visor Mike McCready and clerk Mar tin Brook the authorization to sign the agreements
A separate motion was made for the firefighters union which was not able to get its letter of agreement signed prior to the board of tr ustees meeting This motion passed unanimously as well, subject to union ratification
The eight labor unions that will be impacted are the Gover nment Employees Labor Council that includes the Bloomfield Township general employees, depar tment heads and deputy depar tment heads; Bloomfield Township DPW foreman, super visors, and maintenance employees; the Bloomfield Township police officers labor council and police depar tment command unit; the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local UA Bloomfield Township DPW; and the Bloomfield Township Association of Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 3045
Cultural Council 2025 Cultural Arts Awards
The Cultural Council Bir mingham Bloomfield, now in its 30th year, has announced the 2025 winners of the Cultural Ar ts Awards
Those being recognized include Br yan Frink – A Musical Driving Force – receiving the Cultural Ar ts Award; Rober t Schefman – Broadsdtroke Bard – Lifetime Achievement Award; and
As for Schefman, the council said he “is a ‘’stor yteller with a paintbr ush ” He is a celebrated local painter and sculptor of national renown: his works are in museums and private collections across the
countr y and his awards include the Kresge Ar tist Foundation Fellowship in Visual Ar t; the Pollack-Krasner Foundation’ The Ber nard Maas Prize, Ar tSer ve Michigan Ar tist Grant; The Ar ts Foundation of Michigan; Sculpture Space, Inc; and the University of Iowa Schefman is Professor Emeritus at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, where he spent 20 years teaching and mentoring students, and prior to that taught youth and adult classes at the Bir mingham Bloomfield Ar t Center, impacting several generations of ar tists in the community He has ser ved as mentor, juror, lecturer and a panelist; a lifetime of dedication to his own oeuvre and to the ar ts community
The Cultural Council noted the Bir mingham Musicale is celebrating 100 years giving concer ts, fostering talented young musicians, and per for ming community ser vice
The awards will be presented at a reception at the Bir mingham Bloomfield Ar t Center Friday, October 3, from 5-7:30 p m The event is free and open to the public
The Cultural Ar ts Awards are sponsored by the Cultural Council of Bir mingham Bloomfield, in conjunction with the Bir mingham Bloomfield Ar ts Center (BBAC), Bloomfield Community Television, Downtown Newsmagazine and The Community House
FRINK SCHEFMAN
Consultant chosen for civic center plan
By Dana Casadei
The SmithGroup was approved by the Bloomfield Board of Tr ustees to ser ve as the consultant to the township to oversee the campus master plan of the township’s municipal complex
“ They have a ver y long histor y and reputation They are a one-stop shop with the resources, and won’t be contracting out,” said Andrea Bibby, director of planning, building & ordinance “ Their plan is ver y aggressive in creating a township core group ”
Bibby said that this decision to use SmithGroup as their consultant came af ter multiple discussions with elected Bloomfield Township officials, including multiple members of the board of tr ustees
SmithGroup’s requested proposal cost of $75,500 was in the middle of the pack for the three fir ms that were asked to help create and develop a long-ter m conceptual campus redesign plan for the
township The other two fir ms that were not selected were Beckett & Raeder, and Giffels Webster
Af ter the most recent Redstone Space Needs Study of township facilities, which came with recommendations, the next step for the township was to consider a redesign for what will meet future needs for the public, introducing new concepts to the township campus Enter SmithGroup, which will be working closely with core members of Bloomfield Township throughout this project something that played a large role in why they were recommended by Bibby
Their plan will consist of a multisession workshops where they will co -create and test viable physical ideas with key stakeholders
Beyond just Bloomfield Township facilities, SmithGroup will discuss ideas such as appropriate mix of civic uses, and additional mix of uses, like something they could add as an amenity, among others
“I just want to point out this is not just necessarily brick and mor tar,”
Bibby said “It’s actually looking at the campus in its entirety and where
there could be improvements to bring us up to the more cur rent standards ”
Over the course of their plan
SmithGroup has it broken down into three different steps, including baseline due diligence, idea generation, and finalizing development options
During step one the planning process will begin with the Core Working Group meeting with groups and stakeholders to clarif y the township’s wants and expectations with this project They will also review the aforementioned Redstone Space Needs Study and develop a high-level block and stack programming document for the future of the civic center, which will be used to establish the initial volumes and massing for buildings identified as par t of the master plan
From there a co -creation and idea generation phase will take place, during which time SmithGroup will explore alter natives for future development oppor tunities for the township These concepts will graphically illustrate appropriate civic uses; additional mix of uses;
mobility and improved connectivity; open space, public realm, and street activation; and sustainability and resilience elements
When this second phase ends, SmithGroup will present the township with three feasible ideas to meet their programmatic needs
These ideas will get additional feedback and input from key stakeholders and township staff
Then a final presentation with the prefer red physical options and a high-level cost opinion of the prefer red concepts, as well as a professional rendering, will be presented
“ We’re doing planning now so we can plan in the future,” said tr ustee Chris Kolinski “ These plans are putting our ducks in a row for when we want to do that, whether that’s in a few years or 2033, we need to get these plans in place ”
SmithGroup anticipates their streamlined planning process will take three to four months
The motion passed 6-1, with tr ustee Mark Antakli being the lone no vote
City Towers plan sent back to planners again
By Grace Lovins
In a unanimous vote during the Monday, August 11, Bir mingham City Commission meeting, commissioners voted to retur n the Bir mingham Towers project, cur rently under constr uction at 479 S Old Woodward, back to the city ’ s planning board for fur ther review af ter the developer sought to modif y the building's approved floor plan, altering parking requirements
The five-stor y mixed-use development was originally approved in 2023 and is per mitted in the city ’ s D4 zoning district Originally, the plans called for one floor of retail two floors of office and two floors of residential units The proposed revision would change the floor plan to include two floors of retail, two floors of office and one floor of residential units
According to planning director Nick Dupuis, the change also triggered a request for a waiver of 49 parking spaces, a point that the planning board addressed during their review of the proposal during the July 23 meeting
Residents of the neighboring
Bir mingham Place development, in attendance at the commission meeting, have been raising objections to the new building
At the planning board meeting, board chair Scott Celin stated, “ There is no way that I can conclude that this proposed change would be anything other than detrimental to the sur rounding community, the sur rounding business owners and put an unneeded strain on the city ’ s infrastr ucture at a time when we ’ ve got other development coming online ”
The planning board at its July 23 meeting recommended denial of the proposed changes
Several members of the public, most residents of Bir mingham Place, criticized what they described as a patter n of changes, variance requests and postponements
Bir mingham Tower Par tners LLC, prior to Monday ’ s meeting, sent a request to the city to have their item postponed from Monday ’ s meeting until September Counsel for the developers, Ethan Holtz, explained that this time would allow them to “sharpen their pencils” and alleviate some of the concer ns raised by both the planning board and residents who
spoke during the public hearing
Ultimately, the commission unanimously decided to adjour n the public hearing for the developers’ request to postpone their proposal and instead asked Bir mingham Towers to retur n to the planning board for another public hearing and present any new infor mation they have that would address the concer ns previously brought up by the board
Township considering earlier meeting start
By Dana Casadei
The Bloomfield Township Board of Tr ustees is considering moving the star ting time for township board meetings to 6:30 p m rather than the cur rent 7 p m star ting time for meetings
While no for mal vote was taken on the issue at the Monday, July 28, meeting, the idea of moving the meetings to an earlier star ting time was raised by township clerk Mar tin Brook
Brook told tr ustees that he had sur veyed a number of communities in Oakland County and found varied
star ting times for the gover ning board meetings, some as early as 6 p m
The clerk said he suggested the earlier star ting times and said he felt the public would still have time to attend the star t of meetings
The proposal did receive some pushback from tr ustee Mark Antakli who raised the issue of r ush hour traffic for residents leaving work to attend meetings and also noted that some schools were requiring students to attend meetings which could pose a problem for student athletes
Tr ustee Chris Kolinski appeared to favor the earlier star t and noted that some meetings r un late and an earlier star t would allow tr ustees to have a “fresh(er) perspective” when deciding issues
Overall, comments by board members seemed to be in suppor t of the earlier star ting time
At the suggestion of township super visor Mike McCready, the board agreed to table the issue to allow for possible public input and for township treasurer Michael Schostak, who was not at the Monday meeting, to weigh in on the issue
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The Maple five-story project to change plan
By Grace Lovins
Developers of a five-stor y building, The Maple, set to be constr ucted at 35001 Woodward Avenue in Bir mingham is looking to adjust the floor plan which was previewed by the city ’ s planning board during their Wednesday, August 13, meeting, with the developers planning to eliminate one of two underground parking levels
Plans for a new five-stor y mixed use building, said planning director Nick Dupuis, were last discussed by the board back in June Per Dupuis, the applicant is proposing to eliminate the second level of underground parking and shif t some of the building usage
During the board’s review of the plans in June, they expressed concer n over traffic relating to the new use
Working with the city ’ s consultants, Fleis & Vanderbrink, Dupuis said the proposal actually eliminated some traffic He added that the fast-food restaurant without a drive through use that was originally used to calculate that number had since been removed
Dupuis also explained that even with the change to the parking str ucture, the building still meets the requirements laid out in the zoning ordinance Given the use, the building is required to provide 36 off-street parking spaces, and the single level of underground parking holds 47 spaces
The site, known throughout the city as the location of the Hunter House restaurant, has been through an arduous process due to conflicts between the proper ty owner and owner of Hunter House For several years, plans for a new development at the location had been blocked while the two par ties sor ted out the situation
Planning board members collectively gave Dupuis the green light to handle the change administratively but did not take a for mal vote as the item was a preapplication discussion
Ordinance updates for open space set
By Grace Lovins
Following years of study and draf ting between Bir mingham city planners and the city ’ s planning board, an amendment to open space standards of the city ’ s zoning ordinance was approved by commissioners during the Monday, August 11, meeting
The update includes changes to the paved sur face limitations for proper ties zoned as single-family residential, said planning director Nick Dupuis, which
adds that of the 40 percent minimum required open space for these developments that a minimum of 75 percent must be vegetated open space Per Dupuis, per meable pavers and other hardscape materials do not count towards that percentage
A change was also made to the definition of imper vious sur faces to exclude stone Dupuis explained that when the planning board took up discussions on the ordinance amendment, many thought stone would be a per vious sur face, ultimately leading the board to remove the ter m Dupuis and commissioner Jason Emerine stated that these updates had been a work in progress for several years now Emerine, who had been a planning board member at the time, explained that a big problem with including stone in the definition was that city staff was enforcing stone as an imper vious sur face He said that many infiltration trenches and stor mwater management basins designed to infiltrate water have stone at the bottom, but argues it is counterintuitive
The city ’ s new definition now reads that an imper vious sur face is any sur face that restricts the infiltration of water into the ground excluding sidewalks three feet or less in width in the front open space
While it was noted by mayor pro tem Clinton Baller that par ts of the amendment leave it up to interpretation, Dupuis explained that residents or developers aggrieved by a decision from the city ’ s building or engineering depar tments can petition the board of zoning appeals to review their case
Commissioners unanimously approved the ordinance amendment in a 7-0 vote
Business group seeks input on downtown
The Bir mingham Shopping District (BSD) is in the process of sur veying local residents and visitors to the city to deter mine what they would like to see added to the business mix in the downtown area
BSD officials say the sur vey is par t of the group ’ s attempt to enhance the downtown community environment, grow the local economy and help the group shape its development effor ts All respondents to the sur vey will automatically be entered to win one of eight $200 prize packs redeemable at downtown merchants, including a Taste of Bir mingham gif t basket, full of gif t cards and goods from downtown eateries
The shor t five-minute sur vey can be accessed at https://tinyurl com/5n77x55k
Designs for Chester parking garage okayed
By Grace Lovins
Af ter a second review by the Bir mingham City Commission, schematic designs for interior and exterior updates to the Chester Stree parking garage were approved by commissioners during the Monday, August 11, meeting
The city ’ s design contractor, BCT Design Group, was directed to continue on to analyze and develop designs for the remaining parking str uctures
Commissioners selected BCT Design Group last November to develop interior and exterior aesthetic designs for all five of the city ’ s parking str uctures The designs were expected to include new lighting fixtures and recommendations for locations and lighting controls, paint color selections and ar tistic elements such as graphics, landscaping and str uctural design elements
BCT came to the commission in May to present the initial schematic designs Based on the feedback from that meeting, BCT came back with more refined details on the ar tistic elements, signage and lighting
The designs recommend four spots on the bottom two levels of the str ucture as oppor tunities for ar t installations with the most visibility and public impact BCT also incorporated oppor tunities for exter nal ar t displays on areas on the west side of the garage with lighting
As par t of the commission’s feedback from their previous review, BCT and the city ’ s parking director, Aaron Ford, worked with Corbin Design, a design fir m hired to establish the city ’ s branded wayfinding signage, to create the designs and markings for the str ucture The wayfinding markings in the garage reflects the wayfinding signage designs meant to be placed throughout the city
Most of the commission’s discussion focused on the oppor tunities for ar t or messaging on both the interior and exterior of the garage Mayor pro tem Clinton Baller, mayor Therese Longe, and commissioners Brad Host and Andrew Haig each recommended bringing the city ’ s Public Ar ts Board into the project to provide ideas on various ar t installations or themes that could be used in the str uctures City manager Jana Ecker confir med that the city will get the board star ted on developing ideas Commissioners voted 7-0 to approve the schematic designs for the Chester Street garage and direct
Fire chief put on paid administrative leave
Bir mingham City Manager Jana Ecker, effective Thursday, July 17, put Bir mingham Fire Chief Paul Walls on paid administrative leave
In an email announcing the leave, sent to city commissioners and depar tment heads, Ecker said that Matthew Bar talino, assistant fire chief, would ser ve as interim fire chief, “pending fur ther investigation ” Ecker also wrote, “ This decision was not made lightly, but was necessar y in light of my responsibility to ensure the safe, effective, and efficient operation of the city Steps have been taken to ensure that all ser vices and operations continue without inter r uption ”
When Downtown Newsmagazine contacted Ecker by email with questions of how long the leave is anticipated to last and whether the cause for the leave was job per for mance related or of a personal nature, the publication was supplied only with infor mation mir roring the email sent to city officials, with the city manger stating that this was all the infor mation that could be supplied at this time
Wells has been with the depar tment for approximately 27 years and was named fire chief in August of 2019 He was still on administrative leave in late August
BCT and city staff to begin looking at the city ’ s remaining four parking str uctures
Portrait of Birmingham by (phone) numbers
By David Hohendorf
A por trait of downtown Bir mingham drawn with data provided by a location analytics fir m, was unveiled at the Thursday, August 7, monthly meeting of the Business Shopping District (BSD) board of directors
The detailed look at visitors to the city in the past year was prepared by the Main Street America organization which works with municipalities nationwide The repor t was based on data developed by the Placer, ai fir m that works nationally for major fir ms and communities by smar tphone tracking of users ’ location and duration of stay Data collected by the fir m is refined enough to exclude duplicates of the same phones when analyzing infor mation about who is visiting the city on a given day The repor ts produced by the fir m are used by businesses to plan in order to cater to those coming into downtown areas
In 2024 Bir mingham’s downtown business community had 1 8 million visitors, according to the repor t August was the busiest month for the downtown area with 934,000 visits
According to the data por trait of the city, 35 percent of all visits took place on Fridays and Saturdays, and 29 percent of visits took place from noon – 2 p m and in the 6 – 8 p m time frame
Overall, according to the repor t, annual visit counts showed slight growth in 2024 when compared with the two prior years
In ter ms of the origins of visitors, 16 percent last year came from the 48009 zip code for Bir mingham, while 15 5
percent of visitors came from Blomfield Hills and Bloomfield Township zip codes of 48301, 48302 and 48304 Residents of Franklin (48025) accounted for 5 1 percent of visits last year and Royal Oak (48073) visitors accounted for 2 7 percent All other zip codes accounted for 60 5 percent of all visits in 2024
The repor t also noted that Bir mingham visitors were “slightly less ethnically and racially diverse” when considering the makeup of visitors, with 76 5 percent White visitors and 9 percent Black visitors to the downtown area
The data analytics fir m also said that 68 percent of visitors were likely to have a bachelor degree as opposed to the Oakland County profile of 51 percent degree holders
In ter ms of time spent by visitors once in the downtown area, 24 percent of visits lasted 10-30 minutes; 54 percent stayed one hour or longer; and 18 percent stayed longer than 2 5 hours
The Placer, ai fir m also developed psychographics for those visiting downtown Bir mingham last year
Visitors to the downtown area in 2024, according to the fir m, had higher median incomes of $129,200, against a county median income of $92,000
The fir m also posited that 61 percent of visitors were considered ‘Power Elite” from the most exclusive neighborhoods, while 19 percent of visitors were classified as “Booming With Confidence” which consists of prosperous established couples in the peak ear ning years who are living in suburban homes
Trustee compensation increase approved
By Dana Casadei
Meeting compensation increases for tr ustees were approved at the
Bloomfield Township Board of Tr ustees meeting on Monday, August 11
As of September 1, 2025 tr ustees will eceive $325 per meeting and then their tipend will increase again to $400 per meeting on April 1, 2026 The ompensation increases are being rolled ut this way so there won’t be a need or a budget amendment, officials said When compared to other local ownships, such as West Bloomfield and Nor thville, the new stipends are still ower than those received by the West Bloomfield tr ustees, who receive 11,500 per year, only meet once a month, and do not have to attend to eceive the stipend, unlike Bloomfield Township tr ustees who must be in ttendance In 2012, West Bloomfield r ustees were adjusted from $6,000 to 9,000, and in 2016, they were adjusted o $11,000 per year
“I look at these boards that I compare us to – West Bloomfield, Nor thville Township – and see what they ’ re getting paid and want to put us more in line,” said tr ustee Chris Kolinski “ This $325 does not create a budget amendment, which is impor tant; it also star ts to put us more in line with what other communities are paying, and what they expect out of these seats ” Not all the tr ustees agreed on the compensation increase though, including tr ustees Valerie Mur ray and Mark Antakli, who both voted no on the increase
“I was ok with staff raises, but sitting in this seat is an honor I just have an issue with raising for electeds ” Mur ray said I m not comfor table with this and voting on the increase ”
Antakli noted West Bloomfield and Nor thville, two cities that were used in comparison to come up with the amount for the pay increases require their townships to follow best practices by the Depar tment of Treasur y while Bloomfield Township does not This did not sit well with treasurer Michael Schostak, who was taken aback at Antakli’s statement that the township does not follow best practices, which he said they do
“ That’s ludicrous that we don’t follow best practices compared to the Depar tment of Treasur y We are a AAA rated community, which was just reaffir med three weeks ago You’re just lobbing out molotov cocktails,” Schostak said “ You’re not providing any basis of fact that make that statement tr ue that’s really insulting to us, especially those who work in the financial depar tment because we have the highest rated audits we could possibly have ”
The compensation increase was approved 5-2 by the board
FA C E S
Kim Koontz
From an early age, Kim Koontz, author of the three-part series “The Catalyst," has had a vivid imagination and a knack for fictional writing.
“Writing is something that has always come naturally to me,” she said. “I love wordsmithing my way through things I have an active imagination I don’t think you can be a writer without an active imagination ”
Koontz describes “The Catalyst” as a cross-genre series “It is Christian, historical, fiction and fantasy,” she said The book takes place in the early 1900s on a horse farm in Greenville, Iowa. The series follows the character, Benjamin Paulie, on a spiritual, equestrian journey that tests his courage and determination W ith characters of all ages, “The Catalyst” is intended to draw a wide variety of readers
“There’s not that one blueprint reader that I can target My youngest reader is eight-years-old. My oldest reader is 81-years-old,” she said.
Koontz’s Christian background has had a considerable impact on her life, and on her writing
“You don’t have to be a Christian to enjoy the book There is something in it for everyone But, there is a spiritual aspect ”
Koontz felt spiritually compelled to write the series. It is her hope that the book impacts readers in a positive way
“We all have a gift and a talent, and we’re supposed to do something with that,” she said “For me, it was this story It’s meant to uplift and connect people ”
The first book of the series, “The Catalyst: The Waiting,” took Koontz four years to write.
“I wrote the first book entirely by hand,” she said “When typing on the keyboard, there was a disconnect So, I grabbed a pen and a notebook and that’s where it came out That’s where the book lived and the characters were able to take root While writing it, the hours just melted away I never had writer's block. I never struggled with a scene. It all came so naturally to me.”
Set in the era of The Great Depression, Koonz spent endless hours researching for the book
“I researched just about everything, every little nuance about that era,” she said “Writing the book took a lot of imagination, but that wasn’t enough That only took me so far It required a lot of research because I wanted the reader to feel like they were there. But I will say, my imagination took me further than any research ever could ”
Currently, Koontz is writing the second book, “The Catalyst: The Gathering ” “The second book bleeds into World War II,” she said “The Catalyst: The Gathering” is slated to be completed by November 2025 Thereafter, she’ll begin writing the final book of the series, “The Catalyst: The Reckoning.”
As a working mother of two teenage boys, “The Catalyst” has been a labor of love that Koontz writes in her spare time
“I write in the early morning, late at night and on the weekend,” she said “It’s been great because I can bounce visuals off my sons They’ve been very supportive. I’ll ask my son, ’Can you visualize this? Does this resonate?’”
When she’s not writing, Koontz is a client service associate at Diversified Portfolio
“Diversified Portfolio is located in Bloomfield Hills,” she said “They are geniuses when it comes to finance I really love where I work ”
When in Bloomfield Hills, Koontz often frequents the Bloomfield Deli
“There are so many great restaurants in Bloomfield Hills,” she said.
“The Catalyst: The Waiting,” is currently in preorder on Amazon The book officially launches on September 23, 2025
Story: Katey Meisner
Photo: Laurie Tennent
B U S I N E S S M AT T E R S
Alternative to tanning
Bir mingham newcomer Pure Glow, located on 282 W Maple Road, is a franchise business owned and operated by Erinn Moss, who also owns Bir mingham’s Dr ybar Pure Glow star ted in Boston ten years ago and recently began franchising, with new branches launched in Phoenix and Dallas The Bir mingham location marks the third franchise in the growing chain The business offers custom airbr ush spray tan ser vices and sunless tanning products that provide a healthy and safe alter native to traditional tanning salons or har mful UV exposure As an elevated version of the traditional spray tan, the handapplied airbr ush tans are craf ted for those who seek a flawless, natural-looking glow According to Moss, Pure Glow plans to become a “disr upter ” to the tanning salon industr y “Some of the benefits include organic ingredients, that are skin nourishing It’s streak free, smell free and never orange, ” she said In addition to single visits, Pure Glow offers customers monthly memberships which include two sessions per month or unlimited membership Contact Pure Glow for package details
Outdoor apparel/gear
Moosejaw, the Michigan-bor n outdoor apparel and gear retailer, closed its operation at 34288 Woodward Avenue in Bir mingham in August of 2024 For mer patrons of Moosejaw will be happy to know a similar operation, Half-Moon Outfitters, has opened in the same location Half-Moon Outfitters is a chain of outdoor stores specializing in apparel and equipment for adventure and travel The privately owned company was founded in 1993 in downtown Charleston, South
Carolina and cur rently has locations in South Carolina, Georgia, Nor th Carolina, Florida, Texas and Michigan The Bir mingham store is HalfMoon’s 17th location nationwide and its second in Michigan the first being in Grosse Pointe, which opened in November of 2024 The retailer car ries a wide variety of brands, ver y similar to the brands car ried by Moosejaw including Patagonia, Chaco, Hoka, Vuori, Arc’ter yx, On Running, Blundstone, Holka, Birkenstock, Helly Hansen and The Nor th Face “Our goal is to car r y a wide assor tment of quality brands and offer top notch customer ser vice We actually have a collection of for mer Moosejaw employees who are all outdoor exper ts They work here but they are doing the things that we promote and sell,” Jason Connors, Half Moon Outfitters District Manager
Two new sweet spots
Yumiis (pronounced YOU-meez) Ice Cream Shop has officially opened its doors at 205 E Maple Road in Bir mingham The stylish new parlor is owned and operated by Dia Woods, who also designed the interior With seating for about 20 guests, the shop features plush pink velour chairs and gold accents Yumiis offers a menu of rolled and scooped ice cream, along with matcha beverages and fresh donuts A standout item is the signature Nacho Ice Cream a treat made with waffle chips for dipping into creamy ice cream Woods, a Southfield native, lef t Michigan in 2014 to attend Georgia State University, where she first discovered the concept of rolled ice cream Inspired by the idea and motivated by a sense of home, she retur ned to Michigan to launch her dream business in the hear t of Bir mingham “ There’s no place
like home,” says Woods Yumiis is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a m to 9 p m , and Friday through Sunday from 11 a m to 10 p m
SHOCK Gelato, a popular ar tisanal gelato brand founded in Buenos Aires in 2017, has opened its first U S location at 335 E Maple Road, Bir mingham The company, which now operates 10 stores in Argentina, is known for its handcraf ted, high-quality gelato made with authentic techniques and ingredients The Bir mingham gelateria is owned and operated by Ignacio Gerson, who also co -founded the acclaimed Detroit restaurant Barda, which gained national attention in 2022 as a James Beard Award finalist Looking for a lifestyle that was less demanding than the restaurant business, Gerson eventually sold his stake in Barda and tur ned to a new oppor tunity bringing SHOCK Gelato to the U S through a connection with his cousin, Luciano Barosio, the company ’ s co -founder Gerson is passionate about SHOCK’s mission to deliver authentic, ar tisanal gelato, and is excited to introduce its rich flavors and craf tsmanship to American customers for the first time Shock uses local ingredients sourced in Michigan not only guaranteeing a superior taste and freshness but also suppor ting the local economy Shock’s menu also includes exquisite cakes and “masitas,” all created by pastr y chef and gelato master, Barbara Lafage Schock is open ever y day, 11 a m to 11 p m
Business Matters for the BirminghamBloomfield area are reported by Gigi Nichols. Send items for consideration to GigiNichols@downtownpublications com Items should be received three weeks prior to publication
VOTER GUIDE
Downtown Newsmagazine will be providing a Voter Guide for the November general election in our October issue which will mail in late September. The Voter Guide will also be posted on our website. We will also be providing our recommendations on candidates in the October issue
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N E X T N O T E B O O K
Next’s new chapter
For the past 48 years, the Bir mingham Public Schools provided area seniors a dedicated space to gather, lear n and build lasting friendships It was a mutually beneficial ar rangement seniors suppor ted school initiatives while gaining an invaluable sense of community within the familiar halls of the for mer Midvale Elementar y School
As the demand for preschool has increased, beginning in 2027, the schools plan to utilize the entire Midvale facility for young lear ners We are deeply grateful to the district for giving Next the space it needed to launch, grow and thrive
Just like the 38 other senior centers across Oakland County where older adult ser vices are a municipal function, the time has come to make that shif t here as well, with the City of Bir mingham stepping up to expand its suppor t
Next will still operate as a 501(c)(3), maintaining its fundraising model for program operations as we do now, but Next is ready at last to act on something that has been elusive for far too long a per manent location that promises to ser ve older residents well into the future Two years af ter the city ’ s purchase of the building at 400 East Lincoln, with Next contributing a half million dollars to the purchase and another two hundred and fif ty thousand in grant money to the endeavor, we are feeling optimistic
This achievement represents far more than finding adequate space; it marks the city ’ s fundamental commitment to recognizing and suppor ting a vital segment of our population Our older residents have contributed to our community in untold ways through their work, their taxes, their volunteer effor ts, and their civic engagement They've literally helped create the foundation that suppor ts the city we enjoy today
The security and predictability that comes with a per manent location is immeasurable For years, uncer tainty about our facility has hampered longter m planning and program development Now, with a stable home base, Next can confidently prepare for the expanding senior population that demographic projections clearly indicate is coming This foresight allows for strategic growth, ensuring that ser vices can scale to meet increasing demand while maintaining quality and accessibility
Perhaps most impor tantly, this facility will become a tr ue community hub where meaningful connections flourish We know how critical social engagement is for seniors isolation isn't just unpleasant, it's genuinely dangerous to both mental and physical health This new location will be the one space in our community where seniors can feel completely at home A place where programming, design, pace, and atmosphere are calibrated specifically for their comfor t, interests, and social needs It's a space where seniors know they belong, where their perspectives are valued, and where their continued growth and engagement are actively suppor ted
Bir mingham has historically invested in a wide variety of amenities and facilities ser ving diverse populations Dozens of parks with playgrounds and ball fields, two golf courses, a hockey rink and skate park, public schools with collegiate-level athletic facilities and sophisticated per for ming ar ts venues, and the list continues
Let’s capitalize on this moment to prioritize investment in our older residents with the same dedication and resources we have throughout the community Bir mingham is a great place to grow up, let’s also make it a great place to grow old
Cris Braun is Executive Director of Birmingham Next
Finding the right first lear ning experience for your child is a big decision At The Community House’s Early Childhood Center, little lear ners become big thinkers through a world-class education Our nationally respected HighScope lear ning cur riculum helps young children thrive not just before kindergar ten, but far beyond
HighScope is more than a preschool program; it’s a philosophy of active, handson lear ning that puts your child at the center of discover y Instead of simply listening, children explore, experiment, and create This sparks curiosity, deepens understanding, and builds critical thinking skills they ’ll car r y into school and life
In our classrooms, play has a purpose Through guided activities, children lear n problem-solving, decision-making and teamwork Our emphasis on social-emotional growth helps children develop empathy, manage emotions, and resolve conflicts Children take an active role in choosing activities, managing materials, and caring for their space, which instills responsibility and pride in their work
Because ever y child is unique, we create individualized lear ning experiences that meet each child where they are Teachers tailor activities to interests and abilities ensuring ever y child feels confident and suppor ted
Research from Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development shows HighScope graduates of ten have higher academic per for mance, stronger social skills and fewer behavioral challenges later in life
At The Community House’s Early Childhood Center, we don’t just prepare children for kindergar ten we give them the confidence, skills, and love of lear ning that last a lifetime To schedule a tour or lear n more, please call (248) 594-6411
Masterclass, Lunch & Learn Series Retur ns to The Community House this fall with two engaging new sessions
On October 15, join Dan Er vin, Vice President of First Merchants Bank, for Thriving Amidst the Chaos of Uncer tainty and Change, a power ful session on leading with confidence and resilience through life’s unpredictability
On December 10, Wendy Jones, Founder and CEO of Next Steps 4 Seniors, presents Redefining Home; Navigating the next steps of senior living, an insightful look at the differences between independent living, assisted living, and nursing homes, debunking myths and reimagining what home” can mean as we age
Each class r uns 11:30 A M to 1:30 PM , includes lunch, and is $45 Registration opens September 1 at communityhousehelps org
Registration is now open for Fall Activities and Enrichment at The Community House
Early Access to OUR TOWN Ar t Show The OUR TOWN Ar t Show & Sale will be revealed exclusively at the VIP Par ty on October 30 from 6-9 p m Enjoy a festive night out, meet the ar tists, and be among the first to purchase their ar twork The show continues October 31 through November 1, free and open to the public from 9 a m to 5 p m Ticket sales begin September 1 at communityhousehelps org
Join us at The Community House on Monday, September 16, from 5:30 to 7 p m for an evening of connection, appreciation, and vision Hosted by Board Chair Camille Jayne New president Alison Gaudreau will share her vision for the next chapter of The Community House Enjoy complimentar y appetizers, beverages, and valet
Join Bir mingham Youth Assistance and Har vard Medical School psychologist Dr Christopher Willard in a workshop on building resilience through mindfulness training Designed for middle and high school students and parents, this program teaches par ticipants to stop stress, boost emotional strength, and rewire the brain for improved per for mance in academics, ar ts, and athletics November 6, 7 p m at Groves High School Advanced registration required at www bir minghamyouthassistance org
Alison Gaudreau is President of The Community House in Birmingham
Cris Braun
Alison Gaudreau
P L A C E S T O E AT
The Places To Eat for Downtown is a quick reference source to establishments offering a place for dining, either breakfast, lunch or dinner The listings include nearly all dining establishments with seating in the Birmingham/Bloomfield area, and then some select restaurants outside the immediate area served by Downtown.
Birmingham/Bloomfield
220: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 220 E Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 646 2220 220restaurant com
5th Tavern: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner daily No reservations Liquor 2262 S Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302 248 481 9607 5thtavern com
Adachi: Japanese. Lunch & Dinner daily. Liquor. Reservations 325 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham 48009 248 540 5900 adachirestaurant com
Andiamo: Italian Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 6676 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301. 248 865 9300 andiamoitalia com
Beau’s: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 4108 W Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301 248 626 2630 beausbloomfield com
Bella Piatti: Italian Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 167 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 494 7110 bellapiattirestaurant com
Bell Bistro: American Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Liquor Reservations 185 N Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 829 7900 bellbirmingham com
Beverly Hills Grill: American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 31471 Southfield Road, Beverly Hills, 48025. 248.642.2355. beverlyhillsgrill.com
Cityscape Deli: Deli Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Monday-Saturday No reservations 877 W Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302 248 540 7220 cityscapedeli com
Commonwealth: American Breakfast & Lunch, daily No reservations 300 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009 248 792 9766 gocommonwealth com
Dick O’Dow’s: Irish Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 160 West Maple Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 642 1135 dickodowspub com
Eddie Merlot’s: Steak & seafood Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 37000 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248 712 4095 eddiemerlots com
Einstein Bros Bagels: Deli Breakfast & Lunch, daily No reservations 4089 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301 248 258 9939 einsteinbros com
EM: Mexican Lunch, Saturday, Dinner, TuesdaySaturday Reservations Liquor 470 N Old Woodward Ave, Birmingham, 48009 947 234 0819 embirmingham com
Embers Deli & Restaurant: Deli Breakfast & Lunch, Tuesday-Sunday Dinner, TuesdayFriday No reservations 3598 West Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301 248 645 1033 embersdeli1 com
Flemings Prime Steakhouse & W ine Bar : American Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 323 N Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 723 0134 flemingssteakhouse com
Beyond Juicery + Eatery: Contemporary Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 270 W Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009; 221 Cole Street, Birmingham, 48009; 3645 W Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301; 4065 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301; 1987 S Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302 beyondjuiceryeatery com
Big Rock Italian Chop House: Steakhouse Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 245 S Eton Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 275 0888 bigrockitalianchophouse com
Bill’s: American Breakfast, weekends, Lunch, Wednesday-Sunday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 39556 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304. 248 646 9000 billsbloomfieldhills com
Birmingham Pub: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 555 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248.885.8108. thebirminghampub.com
Birmingham Sushi Cafe: Japanese Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 377 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009 248 593 8880 birminghamsushi com
Bistro Joe’s Kitchen: Global Lunch and Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 34244 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 594 0984 bistrojoeskitchen com
Bloomfield Deli: Deli Breakfast & Lunch, Monday-Friday No reservations 71 W Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248 645 6879 bloomfielddeli com
Brooklyn Pizza: Pizza Lunch & Dinner, daily Liquor No reservations 111 Henrietta Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 258 6690 thebrooklynpizza com
Café Dax: American. Breakfast, daily, Lunch, daily No reservations Liquor 298 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 283 4200 daxtonhotel com
Café ML: New American Dinner, daily Liquor Reservations 3607 W Maple Road, Bloomfield Township. 248.642.4000. cafeml com
Café Origins: Global Breakfast and Lunch, daily, Dinner, Monday-Saturday No reservations 163 W Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009 248 742 4040 originsbirmingham com
Casa Pernoi: Italian Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 310 E Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009 248 940 0000 casapernoi com
Churchill’s Bistro & Cigar Bar : Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 116 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 647 4555 churchillscigarbar com
Greek Islands Coney Restaurant: Greek Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 221 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009 248 646 1222 greekislandsconey com
Griffin Claw Brewing Company: American Lunch, Thursday-Sunday, Dinner, TuesdaySunday No Reservations Liquor 575 S Eton Street, Birmingham 248 712 4050 griffinclawbrewingcompany com
Honey Tree Grille: Greek/American Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, daily No reservations 3633 W Maple Rd, Bloomfield, MI 48301 248 203 9111 honeytreegrille com
Hudson’s Place: Pizza/Coffee/Takeout Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations 1087 W Long Lake Road, Bloomfield, 48302 248 540 2266 hudsonsplacepizzeria com
Hunter House Hamburgers: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 35075 Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 646 7121 hunterhousehamburgers com Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse: American Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 201 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 594 4369 hydeparkrestaurants com
IHOP: American Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily No reservations 2187 S Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301 248 333 7522 Ihop com
Joe Muer Seafood: Seafood Brunch, Sunday, Dinner daily Reservations Liquor 39475 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248 792 9609 joemuer com
Kaku Sushi and Poke’: Asian Lunch, MondayFriday & Dinner daily No reservations 869 W Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302 248 480 4785, and 126 S Old Woodward, Birmingham, 48009 248 885 8631 kakusushipoke com
Kerby’s Koney Island: American Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 2160 N Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248 333 1166 kerbyskoneyisland com
La Marsa: Mediterranean Lunch & Dinner daily Reservations. 43259 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48302 248 858 5800 lamarsacuisine com
La Pecora Nera: Italian deli Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations 135 Pierce St Birmingham, 48009 248 940 5613 lapecoraneradetroit com
La Strada Italian Kitchen & Bar : Italian Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 243 E Merrill Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 480 0492 lastradaitaliankitchen com
Leo’s Coney Island: American Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 154 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 593 9707 Also 6527 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301 248 646 8568 leosconeyisland com
Lincoln Yard and Little Yard: American Little Yard take-out hours: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily Lincoln Yard hours: Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations. Liquor. 2159 E. Lincoln Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 653 5353 eatlincolnyard com
Little Daddy’s: American Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 39500 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248.647.3400. littledaddys.com
Luxe Bar & Grill: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 525 N Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 792 6051 luxebarandgrill com
Madam: American Brunch, weekends Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner daily Reservations Liquor 298 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 283 4200 daxtonhotel com
Market North End: American Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 474 N Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248.712.4953. marketnorthend.com
Marrow: American Butcher shop and eatery Breakfast and Lunch, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations 283 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009 734 410 0405 marrowdetroit com/restaurant
MEX Mexican Bistro & Tequila Bar : Mexican. Brunch, weekends Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 6675 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301 248 723 0800 mexbloomfield com
Middle Eats: Mediterranean Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations 42967 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield, 48093 248 274 328 middleeats com
Nippon Sushi Bar : Japanese Lunch, MondayFriday, Dinner daily No reservations Liquor 2079 S Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302 248 481 9581 nipponsushibar com
Olga’s Kitchen: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 2075 S Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48302 248 451 0500 olgas com
Original Pancake House: American Breakfast & Lunch, daily. No reservations. 33703 South Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 642 5775 oph-mi com
Phoenicia: Lebanese Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 588 S Old Woodward Birmingham, 48009 phoeniciabirmingham.com
Roadside B & G: American Brunch, weekends, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1727 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield, 48302 248 858 7270 roadsidebandg com
Salvatore Scallopini: Italian Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Beer & W ine 505 North Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 644 8977 salsbirmingham com
Shift Kitchen & Cocktails: Small Plates Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 117 W illits Street, Birmingham, 48009 248.452.1355. shiftbirmingham.com
Sidecar : American Lunch and Dinner, daily Liquor 117 W illits Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 792 2380 sidecarsliderbar com
Slice Pizza Kitchen: Pizza Lunch and Dinner, daily Liquor 117 W illits Street, Birmingham, 48009. 248.792.3475. slicepizzakitchen com
Social Kitchen & Bar : American Lunch & Dinner, daily Brunch, Saturday & Sunday Reservations Liquor 225 E Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009 248 594 4200 socialkitchenandbar com
Steve’s Deli: Deli Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday Breakfast and Lunch, Sunday No reservations 6646 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield, 48301 248 932 0800 stevesdeli com
Sushi Hana: Japanese Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 42656 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48304 248.333.3887. sushihanabloomfield.com
Sy Thai Cafe: Thai Lunch, Monday-Saturday, Dinner, daily No reservations 315 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, 48009 248 258 9830 sythaibirmingham com
Sylvan Table: American Dinner, daily
Reservations Liquor 1819 Inverness Street, Sylvan Lake, 48320 248 369 3360 sylvantable com
Tallulah W ine Bar and Bistro: American Dinner, Monday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor. 55 S. Bates Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 731 7066 tallulahwine com
Terra Kitchen & Cocktails: New American Lunch and Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 260 N Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 556 5640 dineterra com
Teuta: Diner Breakfast and Lunch, daily No reservations 168 W Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009 248 590 2113 teutabirmingham com
Thai Street Kitchen: Thai Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday No reservations 42805 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Township, 48304 248 499 6867. thaistreetkitchen com
The Franklin: Oyster Bar Brunch, weekends, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 32760 Franklin Road, Franklin, 48025 248 771 4747 thefranklinmi com
The Gallery Restaurant: American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Beer & wine 6683 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, 48301 248 851 0313 galleryrestaurant2 com
The Moose Preserve Bar & Grill: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 2395 S. Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, 48302 248 858 7688 moosepreserve com
The Rugby Grille: American Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 100 Townsend Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 642 5999 rugbygrille com
Toast: American Breakfast & Lunch, daily; Reservations Liquor 203 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 258 6278 eatattoast com
Touch of India: Lunch, Tuesday-Thursday, Saturday & Sunday Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations 297 E Maple Road, Birmingham, 48009 248 593 7881 thetouchofindia com
Townhouse: American Brunch, weekends Lunch & Dinner, daily. No reservations. Liquor. 180 Pierce Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 792 5241 eatattownhouse com
Whistle Stop Diner : American Breakfast & Lunch, daily; Liquor No reservations 501 S Eton Street, Birmingham, 48009 248 566 3566 whistlestopdiners com
W ilder’s: American Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 458 N Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 771 0900 wildersbirmingham com
ZANA : Modern American Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 210 S Old Woodward Avenue, Birmingham, 48009 248 800 6568 zanabham com
Zao Jun: Asian Lunch, Tuesday-Sunday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 6608 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Township, 48301 248 949 9999 zaojunnewasian com
Royal Oak/Fer ndale
Ale Mary’s: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 316 South Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 268 1917 alemarysbeer com
Anita’s Kitchen: Middle Eastern Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 22651 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220 248 548 0680 anitaskitchen com
Beppé: New American Lunch, Saturday and Sunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations Liquor 703 N Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.607.7030. eatbeppe com
Bigalora: Italian Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 711 S Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 544 2442 bigalora com
Blind Owl: International/American comfort Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 511 S Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 216 1112 blindowlrestaurant com
Cafe Muse: French Breakfast & Lunch, Wednesday-Monday Reservations Liquor 418 S Washington Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067 248 544 4749 cafemuseroyaloak com
Coeur : New American Small Plates Brunch, Sunday, Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 330 W Nine Mile Road, Ferndale, 48220 248 466 3010 coeurferndale com
Crispelli’s Bakery and Pizzeria: Italian Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 28939 Woodward Avenue, Berkley, 48072 248 591 3300 crispellis com
The Fly Trap: Diner Breakfast & Lunch, daily Dinner, Thursday-Sunday No reservations 22950 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale 48220. 248 399 5150 theflytrapferndale com
Grand River Brewery: American Brunch, Saturday & Sunday Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 1 E 14 Mile Road, Clawson, 48017 248 607-3631 grandriverbrewer
Gus’ Snug: Irish Lunch and Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 38 S Main Street, Clawson, 48017 248 607 3631 gussnug com
HopCat: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 430 S Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 744 2544 HopCat com
Howe’s Bayou: Cajun Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySaturday No reservations Liquor 22949 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220 248 691 7145 howesbayouferndale net
Imperial: Mexican Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations. Liquor. 22848 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220 248 691 7145 imperialferndale com
Kacha Thai Market: Thai Lunch and Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations 205 S Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 942-4246
KouZina: Greek Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations 121 N Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 629 6500 gokouzina com
Kruse & Muer on Woodward: American Lunch, Monday-Saturday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 28028 Woodward Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067 248 965 2101 kruseandmuerrestaurants com
Lily’s Seafood: Seafood Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 410 S Washington Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067 248 591 5459 lilysseafood com
Lockhart’s BBQ: Barbeque Brunch, Sunday Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 202 E. Third Street, Royal Oak, 48067. 248 584 422 lockhartsbbq com
Masala: Indian Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations 106 S Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 850 8284 food orders co/royaloakmasala
Mezcal: Mexican. Bruch, Sunday. Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 201 E Nine Mile Road, Ferndale, 248 268 3915 mezcalferndale com
Noori Pocha: Korean Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySunday No reservations Liquor 1 S Main Street, Clawson, 48017 248 850 7512 nooripocha com
Oak City Grille: American Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 212 W 6th Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 556 0947 oakcitygrille com
Oak Parker : American Lunch and Dinner, daily No reservations. Liquor. 13621 W Eleven Mile Road, Oak Park, 48327 oakparkerbar com
One-Eyed Betty’s: American Breakfast, weekends, Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 175 W Troy Street, Ferndale, 48220 248 808 6633 oneeyedbettys com
Pastaio: Italian. Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations Liquor 208 W 5th Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 565 8722 eatpastaio com/royal-oak
Pop’s for Italian: Italian Brunch and Lunch, weekends, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 280 W 9 Mile Road, Ferndale,48220 248 268 4806 popsforitalian com
Redcoat Tavern: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 31542 Woodward Avenue, Royal Oak, 48073 248 549 0300 redcoat-tavern com
Ronin: Japanese Dinner, daily No reservations
Liquor 326 W 4th Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 546 0888 roninsushi com
Rosita’s Cocina: Columbian Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor Inside Café Muse, 418 S Washington Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067. 586.354.0929 rositastreats.com
Royal Oak Brewery: American Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations Liquor 215 E 4th Street, Royal Oak, 48067 248 544 1141 royaloakbrewery com
Sozai: Japanese Dinner, WednesdaySaturday Reservations 449 West 14 Mile Road, Clawson,48017 248 677-3232 sozairestaurant com
The Modern Vegan: Vegan Brunch, weekends, Lunch and Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations 304 N Main St, Royal Oak, 48067 248 206-7041 tmvrestaurants com
Three Cats Café: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch, Tuesday-Sunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations. Liquor 116 W 14 Mile Road, Clawson threecatscafe com
Tigerlily: Japanese Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 231 W Nine Mile Road Suite A, Ferndale, 48220 248 733 4905 tigerlilyferndale com
Toast, A Breakfast and Lunch Joint: American Breakfast & Lunch, daily No reservations 23144 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, 48220 248 398 0444 eatattoast com
Tom’s Oyster Bar : Seafood Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 318 S Main Street, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.541.1186. tomsoysterbar com
Trattoria Da Luigi: Italian Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 415 S, Washington Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067 248 542 4444
trattoriadaluigi business site com
Vinsetta Garage: American Lunch and Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 7799 Woodward Avenue, Berkley, 48072 248 548 7711 vinsettagarage com
Antica Nova: Italian Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 1695 E Big Beaver Rd, Troy, 48083 248 422 6521 anticanova com
Cafe Sushi: Pan-Asian Lunch, Tuesday-Friday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor 1933 W Maple Road, Troy, 48084 248 280 1831 cafesushimi com
Capital Grill: Steak & Seafood Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 2800 W Big Beaver Road, Somerset Collection, Troy, 48084 248 649 5300
CK Diggs: American & Italian Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 2010 W Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48309 248 853 6600 ckdiggs com
The Dime Store: American Breakfast and Lunch, daily No reservations Liquor 6920 N Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48306 248 963 0941 eatdimestore com
Ernie’s on the Creek: Modern Mediterranean Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 543 N Main St #201, Rochester, 48307 248 710 8808 erniesonthecreek com
Grand Castor : Latin American Lunch and Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 2950 Rochester Road, Troy, 48083 248.278.7777. grancastor.com
The Jackson: Modern American Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 184 N Adams Road, Rochester Hills, 48309 248 709 9453 thejacksonrestaurant com
Kona Grille: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 30 E Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48083 248 619 9060 konagrill com
Kruse & Muer on Main: American Lunch, Monday-Saturday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 327 S Main Street, Rochester, 48307 248 652 9400 kruseandmuerrestaurants.com
Loccino Italian Grill and Bar : Italian Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily Liquor Reservations 5600 Crooks Road, Troy, 48098 248 813 0700 loccino com
The Meeting House: American Brunch, weekends, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations Liquor 301 S Main Street, Rochester, 48307 248 759 4825 themeetinghouserochester com
Mon Jin Lau: Nu Asian Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1515 E Maple Road, Troy, 48083 248 689 2332 monjinlau com
Morton’s, The Steakhouse: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 888 W Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48084 248 404 9845 mortons com
NM Café: American Lunch, Monday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 2705 W Big Beaver
M E T R O I N T E L L I G E N C E R
Metro Intelligencer is a monthly column devoted to news stories, tidbits and gossip items about what s happening on the restaurant scene in the metro Detroit area Metro Intelligencer is reported/created each month by Gigi Nichols who can be reached at GigiNichols@DowntownPublications com with news items or tips, on or off the record
Focused on heritage and community
The Mifsud family patriarch and entrepreneur Joe Mifsud, his son Jordan, and daughter-in-law Kelcie has launched Six Spoke Brewing Company in Corktown Named as a nod to Motor City ’ s six major roadways or “spokes” that meet in a wheel-like middle – a hub where all roads connect – Six Spoke aims to keep that communal, “hub” spirit alive Housed in a historic 1910 building that once ser ved as a roller-skating rink, the space has evolved over the decades, from donut factor y to auto repair shop, snowplow business to taxi depot Now, it’s reimagined as a uniqure brewpub An immigrant family from Malta, the Mifsuds ar rived in Corktown in the mid-1920s and have remained rooted in Detroit ever since “I’m ver y proud to have been bor n in Corktown and continue to invest where my grandparents settled af ter moving to Detroit from the small island countr y of Malta in the early 1900s,” Joe Mifsud shares “Corktown has grown and changed and we are happy to do so as well, all while respecting its histor y ” The interior of Six Spoke features original concrete floors, reclaimed wood finishes, one of Corktown’s longest bars, moody drop lighting, stainless steel tanks, and a custom mural by Detroit ar tist Haylie Mousseau Six Spoke is par tnering with head brewer Richard Chesstnutt, a bronze medal-winner at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival with over 10 years of brewing experience The cur rent beer list includes Corktown Kölsch, Beach Bus Mango Wheat, Ver nor Hazeway Hazy IPA, Nasher ’ s American IPA, MI Central Line Sour and A Woodward Wheat Six Spoke Brewer y will host rotating food tr ucks for now and plans to open its own kitchen in the near future 2445 Michigan Avenue, Detroit sixspokebrew com
Tiki-inspired brunch
Weekends just got better in downtown Fer ndale as Tigerlily, 231 W 9 Mile, opens early with the launch of a special “Aloha Br unch” menu featuring tiki-inspired breakfast and lunch offerings from 10 a m to 3 p m , Saturdays and Sundays Tigerlily ’ s Aloha Br unch menu includes a blend of traditional br unch classics and those with unique tiki flavors, such as Eggs Benedict ser ved over a bao bun, and protein choices like glazed ham, spam, Kalua-style pork, house-made lox and lobster On the sweeter side, Tigerlily Executive Chef Br uce Allen has whipped up Big Island Pancakes a Hawaiian-style pancake that’s bigger and fluffier than classic flapjacks available with toppings like liliko’i (passionfr uit) butter, yuzu blueber r y sauce, ber r y compote, or ser ved with karaage chicken bites for a unique take on chicken and waffles Aloha Br unch also features a selection of libations, including mimosas (available by the glass or tower), Bloody Mar y, bellini and other classic br unch drinks Br unch classics, such as biscuits and gravy, bacon and eggs, cor ned beef hash, and egg scrambles are available, as well as breakfast sandwiches made on toasted Japanese milk bread Chef Allen a longtime pitmaster who headed up the barbecue programs at Rosie O’ Grady ’s, Woodpile BBQ, and Cattleman’s, lef t his executive chef position earlier this year at Braglio Far ms Hospitality, in Baltimore, to help launch a new menu concept with Hometown Restaurant Group In addition to the new br unch menu, Allen has revamped some of the dinner menu at Tigerlily, such as retur ning the beloved bao buns to the menu, and fusing slow -smoked brisket, pork and other flavors into ramen, hibachi and other dishes 231 W 9 Mile Road, Fer ndale tigerlilyfer ndale com
James Beard Foundation Pop-Up Dinner
The James Beard Foundation has announced that its celebrated “ Taste America” culinar y series is retur ning for the second year to Detroit with an exciting pop-up dinner on Tuesday, September 23 at 6 p m at Coriander Kitchen & Far m, 14601 Riverside Boulevard, Detroit The series celebrates culinar y excellence and the local independent restaurants at the hear t of our communities bringing together chefs and food lovers for unique dining experiences across 20 U S cities “Our Taste America series showcases the independent restaurants and visionar y chefs who are leading American food culture for ward through excellence and through the kind of positive leadership our industr y needs,” said Clare Reichenbach, Chief Executive Officer, James Beard Foundation The Detroit dinner will feature Chef Sarah Welch from Mar row and Mink, Detroit, recognized as one of the industr y ’ s finest culinar y
Oceania Inn: Chinese Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor The Village of Rochester Hills, 3176 Walton Boulevard, Rochester Hills, 48309 248 375 9200 oceaniainnrochesterhills com
P F Chang’s China Bistro: Chinese Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. Somerset Collection, 2801 W Big Beaver Rd , Troy, 48084 248 816 8000 pfchangs com
Recipes: American/Brunch Breakfast & Lunch, daily No reservations Liquor 134 W University Drive, Rochester, 48037 248 659 8267 Also 2919 Crooks Road, Troy, 48084 248 614 5390 recipesinc com
RH House: American Brunch, weekends, Lunch and Dinner, daily 2630 Crooks Road, Rochester Hills, 48309 No reservations Liquor 2630 Crooks Road, Rochester Hills, 48309 248 586 1000 rh house com
RH Social: Pizza/Sports Bar Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 6870 N Rochester Road, Rochester Hills, 48306 248 759 4858 rochesterhillssocial com
Rochester Chop House: Steak & Seafood Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 306 S Main St , Rochester, 48307 248 651 2266 kruseandmuerrestaurants com
Ruth’s Chris Steak House: Steak & Seafood. Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 755 W Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48084 248 269 8424 ruthschris com
Sedona Taphouse: American Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 198 Big Beaver Road, Troy, 48083 248 422 6167 sedonataphouse co
Silver Spoon: Italian Dinner, Monday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 6830 N Rochester Road, Rochester, 48306 248 652 4500 silverspoonristorante com
Stumblebum Beer Co : American Lunch, Thursday-Sunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations Beer 1965 W Maple Road, Troy, 48084. 248.307.7204. stumblebumbeer com
Too Ra Loo: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 139 S Main Street, Rochester, 48307 248 453 5291 tooraloorochester com
West Bloomfield/Southfield
Aurora Italiana: Italian Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 6199 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Twp., 48322. 248.782.3000. auroraitaliana com
Aurora on the Lake: Italian Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 2323 Union Lake Road, Commerce Township, 48382 248 360 6650 auroraitaliana com
Bigalora: Italian Lunch, Monday-Saturday, Dinner, daily No Reservations Liquor 29110 Franklin Road, Southfield, 48034. 248 544 2442 bigalora com
The Fiddler : Russian Sunday, Dinner, ThursdaySunday Reservations Liquor 6676 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322 248 851 8782 fiddlerrestaurant com
Mene Sushi: Japanese Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations. Beer & W ine. 6239 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322 248 538 7081 menesususi com
Nonna Maria’s: Italian Dinner, TuesdaySaturday Reservations Liquor 2080 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48323 248 851 2500 nonamariasbistro com
Pickles & Rye: Deli Lunch, & Dinner, daily No reservations 6724 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322 248 737 3890 picklesandryedeli com
Road, West Bloomfield, 48322 248 737 7463 prime29steakhouse com
Redcoat Tavern: American Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday No reservations Liquor 6745 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322 248 865 0500 redcoattavern com
Shangri-La: Chinese Lunch & Dinner, Wednesday-Monday Reservations Liquor Orchard Mall Shopping Center, 6407 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322 248 626 8585 dinesangrila com
Stage Deli: Deli Lunch, & Dinner, TuesdaySunday No reservations Liquor 6873 Orchard Lake Rd , West Bloomfield Township, 48322 248 855 6622 stagedeli com
Vive: American Lunch, Monday-Friday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 33080 Northwestern Hwy, West Bloomfield Township, 48322 248 406 8065 viverestaurantmi com
Yotsuba: Japanese Lunch & Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 7365 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48322 248 737 8282 yotsuba-restaurant com
West Oakland
Volare Ristorante: Italian Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 48992 Pontiac Trail, Wixom, 48393 248 960 7771 ristorantevolare com
North Oakland
Clarkston Union: American. Breakfast, Sunday, Lunch, & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 54 S Main Street, Clarkston, 48346 248 620 6100 clarkstonunion com
Kruse s Deer Lake Inn: Seafood Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 7504 Dixie Highway, Clarkston, 48346 248 795 2077 kruseandmuerrestaurants com
The Fed: American Brunch, Saturday & Sunday Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 15 S Main Street, Clarkston, 48346 248 297 5833 thefedcommunity com
Rudy’s Steakhouse: Steak Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 9 S Main Street, Village of Clarkston, 48346 248 625 3033 rudysprimesteakhouse com
Via Bologna: Italian Dinner, Monday-Saturday No reservations Liquor 7071 Dixie Highway, Clarkston, 48346 248 620 8500 joebologna com
Union Woodshop: BBQ Lunch, Saturday & Sunday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 18 S Main Street, Clarkston, 48346 248 625 5660 unionwoodshop com
Detroit
Adelina: Italian Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 1040 Woodward Ave, Detroit,48226 313 246 8811 adelinadetroit com
Joe Muer Seafood: Seafood Lunch, MondayFriday, Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 400 Renaissance Center, Detroit, 48243 313 567 6837 joemuer com
Johnny Noodle King: Japanese Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 2601 W Fort Street, Detroit, 48216 313 309 7946 johnnynoodleking com
Lady of the House: New American Brunch, Weekends, Dinner, Thursday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 4884 Grand River Ave Unit 1C, Detroit, 48208 313 230 4678 ladyofthehousedetroit.com
Mario’s: Italian Lunch, Saturday & Sunday, Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 4222 2nd Avenue, Detroit, 48201 313 832 1616 mariosdetroit com
Mezcal: Mexican Brunch, Weekends, Lunch and Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 51 W Forest Avenue, Detroit, 48202. 313 974 7441 mezcaldetroit com
Midtown Shangri-la: Chinese Lunch & Dinner, Monday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 4710 Cass Avenue, Detroit, 48201 313 974 7669 midtownshangril-la com
Motor City Brewing Works: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Beer & W ine 470 W Canfield Street, Detroit, 48201 313 832 2700 motorcitybeer com
Oak & Reel: Italian Seafood Dinner, Wednesday-Monday. Reservations. Liquor. 2921 E Grand Boulevard, Detroit, 48202 313 270 9600 oakandreel com
PAO Detroit: Asian Fusion/Pan Asian Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 114 W Adams Avenue, Suite 200, Detroit, 48226 313 816 0000 paodetroit com
Parc: New American Brunch, Saturday & Sunday Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 800 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 48226 313 922 7272 parcdetroit com
Prime + Proper : Steak House. Dinner, daily. Reservations Liquor 1145 Griswold St, Detroit, 48226 313 636 3100 primeandproperdetroit com
Soraya: Japanese. Lunch, Tuesday-Thursday, Dinner, Monday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 160 W Fort St, Detroit, 48226 313 262 6078 sorayadetroit com
Sullivan’s Steakhouse: Steakhouse Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 1128 Washington Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48226 313.591.2495. sullivanssteakhouse.com
Supergeil: Berlin Doner Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday No reservations Liquor 2442 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, 48216 313 462 4133 supergeildetroit com
Tap at MGM Grand: American Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 1777 Third Street, Detroit, 48226 313 465 1234 mgmgranddetroit com
The Apparatus Room: New American. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 250 W Larned Street, Detroit, 48226 313 800 5600 detroitfoundationhotel com
The Block: American Brunch, Weekends, Lunch & Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 3919 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, 48201. 313.832.0892. theblockdet.com
The Dime Store: American Breakfast & Lunch, Thursday-Tuesday No reservations Liquor 719 Griswold Street #180, Detroit, 48226 313 962 9106 eatdimestore com
The Peterboro: Chinese American Dinner, Wednesday-Sunday Reservations Liquor 420 Peterboro Street, Detroit, 48201 313 462 8106 thepeterboro com
The Statler : French. Brunch, Dinner, TuesdaySunday Reservations Liquor 313 Park Avenue, Detroit, 48226 313 463 7111 statlerdetroit com
Vertical Detroit: Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday Reservations Liquor 1538 Center Street, Detroit, 48226 313 732 WINE verticaldetroit com
Vivio’s Food & Spirits: American Lunch & Dinner, daily No reservations Liquor 2460 Market Street, Detroit, 48207. 313 393 1711 viviosdetroit net
The Whitney: American Brunch, Sunday Wednesday-Friday, Tea Service, Friday & Saturday, Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 4421 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, 48201 313 832 5700 thewhitney com
Wright & Co.: American Dinner, TuesdaySaturday No reservations Liquor 1500 Woodward Avenue, Second Floor, Detroit, 48226 313 962 7711 wrightdetroit com
Zuzu: Asian Fusion Dinner, daily Reservations Liquor 511 Woodward Ave suite 100, Detroit, 48226 313 464 7777 experiencezuzu com
talents and changemakers as par t of the Foundation’s annual class of “ Taste of Twenty ” chefs who will present an exceptional menu in collaboration with Alison Heeres of Coriander Kitchen & Far m Hosted at Coriander Kitchen & Far m, the guests at the Detroit dinner will enjoy a delectable one- of-a-kind multi-course menu, in addition to wine pairings The collaborative menu will feature dishes sourced from small and local pur veyors as well as the bounty that can be found in and around the Coriander Far m Tickets for the Taste America Detroit dinner are on sale now at jamesbeard org/tasteamerica
An ode to the Grateful Dead
Lost Sailor Fish and Gour met is a new market in Sylvan Lake that offers a unique hybrid concept that combines a seafood market with a few tables for casual dining as well as car r y- out With a focus on fresh, sustainably sourced seafood and prepared dishes, it brings a high-quality, approachable option to the local dining scene The menu features rotating selections such as oysters, clams, and fresh fish, along with ready-to -eat items like seafood rolls, salads, and seasonal sides Guests can enjoy food on-site or shop a curated selection of fresh seafood, meats, produce, and gour met groceries to prepare at home Owner and operator David Kraus has nearly 40 years of experience in the food industr y and has held leadership roles at Michelin-star red and nationally recognized restaurants Locally, Kraus orchestrated the openings of Adachi and Zana in Bir mingham and Zao Jun in Bloomfield He describes the restaurant’s name, drawn from a Grateful Dead song, as reflecting the spirit of discover y: “ The name ‘Lost Sailor ’ reflects our belief that tr ue discover y of ten comes from venturing off course, whether in life or in the kitchen,” said Krause 2534 Orchard Lake Road, Sylvan Lake lostsailorgour met com
Comings and Goings
Four Man Ladder Hospitality the team behind Detroit’s Grey Ghost, Second Best, and Basan has opened its newest concept: Little Ghost, at 22305 Woodward Avenue in Fer ndale Marking the group ’ s first step into the fast-casual space, Little Ghost delivers a bold, focused menu built around its cult-favorite burger, chicken sandwich, and signature sides Designed for speed and flavor, the nearly 1,000-square-foot spot caters to the grab-and-go crowd with a convenient walk-up window, takeout, and local deliver y Little Ghost is now open 7 days a week ser ving lunch and dinner: Sunday-Thursday 11 a m –10 p m , Friday-Saturday 11 a m –12 a m
Several notable Metro Detroit dining establishments have recently closed, with two shutting their doors per manently and another temporarily closing for a concept overhaul
Pink y ’s Roof top, located prominently at the cor ner of Main Street and West Eleven Mile Road in Royal Oak, was a par t of the Adam Merkel Restaurant Group This restaurant group also owns several other well-known establishments including Diamonds Steak & Seafood, The Silver Pig, and Cello Italian Restaurant in Howell, as well as The Pearl Room in Royal Oak Pinky ’ s quickly rose to popularity as a vibrant and photo -friendly roof top spot, known for its bold pink floral murals and trendy, moder n interior design The restaurant officially announced its closure via a hear tfelt post on Facebook, thanking its patrons: “for an amazing six years ”
Another loss to the Metro Detroit dining scene is House of Barbecue in Clawson The restaurant, which had operated for three years at 220 S Main Street, said its goodbyes with a celebrator y “Farewell Fiesta” that featured a whole hog roast Co -founder and head chef Collier Willis shared on Facebook that the restaurant was facing ongoing complaints from neighbors about the smell of smoked meats Due to those complaints, the City of Clawson requested that the restaurant reduce smoker use to just two days per week Unfor tunately, as Willis explained, that restriction was not viable for their business model As a result, House of Barbecue has closed its doors and is cur rently searching for a new home Updates on a new location are expected in the future
The Statler, a French/American bistro located at 313 Park Avenue in Detroit, is undergoing a major transfor mation Originally opened in September 2021 by the Joe Vicari Restaurant Group, it is now temporarily closed A Facebook post from the restaurant states: “ The Statler is temporarily closed as we undergo a full redesign something tr uly wor th the wait Thank you for your continued suppor t ”
Focus on moving Next to new home in 2026
While it’s been a long and arduous jour ney by Bir mingham officials, city commissioners and the leaders of the Next group, it appears that the non-profit organization that has ser ved the senior segment of the community for decades is finally preparing to move into its new home
Next has been ser ving the needs of those 50+ years of age in Bir mingham, Bingham Far ms, Beverly Hills, Franklin and sur rounding areas for nearly five decades The non-profit has been housed in the Midvale Elementar y School, thanks to the Bir mingham School District which also ser ves the same geographical area But in the spring of 2027 the district plans on using the school building for early childhood development education, which prompted the search for a new place for Next
We have to admit there were times in the last couple of years that we had our concer ns The city of Bir mingham in 2023 purchased the building at 400 East Lincoln which has been the base of the YMCA in Bir mingham for years Of the purchase price of $2 million, the Next group put up $500,000, along with the proceeds of a $250,000 grant to help fund initial preliminar y work on the project, which included an assessment of the building that suggested that it would be preferable to build a new building rather than rehab the cur rent str ucture But then the situation became more complicated
The YMCA was originally going to remain in the cur rent building until mid 2026, at which time it was going to join an ambitious plan for a new and larger YMCA to be built in the Royal Oak area,
Voter Guide next month
Voters in Bir mingham and Bloomfield Hills will be casting ballots in the November general election this year to deter mine the future look of their city commissions and in Bir mingham some positions on the Baldwin Public Librar y board will be decided Residents in the Bloomfield Hills Schools district will decide the fate of a millage request
To help gather infor mation for voters, Downtown Newsmagazine will be publishing in its October issue, and posting online, a Voter Guide in which candidates are being asked to answer a number of questions Our October issue will be mailed on September 23, just as early voting begins
On this page in our next issue we will also be offering our editorial opinion on the candidates we think voters should consider when casting ballots
which failed to develop due to finances So then the YMCA decided it wanted to remain in Bir mingham, although it had no funds to contribute to the project It was a decision that helped balloon the size of the building that was going to be planned which tur ned into an approximate $36 million project Voters were going to be asked this year to approve proposed bonds and funding it over 20-25 years
Federal tariffs and the loss of a promised ear mark that would have covered a quar ter o the building costs forced the city commission to rethink how to proceed In recent weeks the city commission, on a split vote of 5-2, decided that the ask was simply too much to put before voters
So now a memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreed to by the city and Next at the time of the purchase will be implemented and some updating of the first floor of the building will take place, under written by an approximate $3 million fund from a three-year millage voters approved for the new home of the seniors group As outlined in the MOU, Next would occupy at least 75 percent of the building
A rough estimate of a time frame for all of this means a development fir m already working on the project will now develop an improvement plan for the str ucture, then a request for proposals will be issued At some point in the first half of 2026 a fir m should be hired to do the actual constr uction work
According to the cur rent three-year lease with the YMCA, that group is supposed to exit the building by June of 2026, although there is talk that the YMCA may ask for an extension, which will only delay constr uction in our view We hope that request will be rejected by the city YMCA members from the city can use the Royal Oak facility two miles down the road and it’s time to get moving on whatever work needs to be done to provide a home for Next, which means clearing out the second floor, closing the pool and reimagining use of that space
The quicker the better when it comes to letting Next move into its new home
Petty games and the loss of representation
There's an old saying in politics that when you throw dar ts at a board, you better be sure you're going to hit the bullseye
Unfor tunately, Oakland County Commissioners Charlie Cavell (D -Bir mingham) and Kristen Nelson (D -Water ford) never lear ned the r ules of the game That has lef t them with publicity, but little else to show for their effor ts of throwing dar ts – or better yet, stones And for voters in their districts, it has lef t them without proper, much less adequate, representation on the Oakland County Board of Commissioners
You may have read some salacious stories in the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News about Oakland County Board of Commission Chair Dave Woodward working as a paid consultant for the gas station chain Sheetz, which has been invading metro Detroit with its popular 24/7 convenience stores known for their made-to - order food options, gas, large selection of products, including groceries and other items In many communities, there has been local backlash to Sheetz entering the market over concer ns about its impact on local businesses But that is not what prompted Cavell and Nelson to announce they were withdrawing from the commission s Democratic caucus and call local media to air their grievances
Rather, their anger and vitriol was tur ned not against Sheetz, but against Woodward, alleging improper conflict of interest and a lack of professionalism
We acknowledge we have not always been in agreement with Dave Woodward, whether on a policy issue or on the fir m hand he holds on the Democratic caucus, in the Senator Chuck Schumer mold, but we have never questioned his ethics or professionalism He is a politician, in a tr ue sense, and he does know how to play the game – meaning he shows up prepared, knows the r ules and plays to win As he should He's been doing it a long time and has risen through the ranks
A county commission gig is a par t-time $54,000 a year job, and just about all of the commissioners have another full or par t-time job For Woodward, it s as a paid private consultant For Cavell, it has been as a fundraiser Another works for Ford One commissioner worked for years for the mayor of Pontiac Another r uns an apple orchard and far m
In a proper for m of gover nment, if and when an item comes before the commission that could potentially be a conflict of interest, the commissioner is required to recuse themselves from voting Woodward has pointed out that Sheetz has no business in front of the board of commissioners, and
county gover nment officials reviewed and approved his outside work Fur ther, he countered that neither Cavell nor Nelson ever brought up their concer ns to him nor any other member of the Democratic caucus – they merely resigned from the caucus, telling us that there is “unethical behavior ” by county leadership as well as a budget that they do not feel goes far enough to take care of poor people in the county in light of looming federal cuts
“If there was a problem, they should have come and spoken with any member of the caucus In any gover nment body, you have to be able to work with different viewpoints Instead, they went to the media, Woodward said
As a result of their refusal to work with their fellow Dems, Cavell and Nelson were stripped of all their committee assignments and other work – standard fare in gover nment, although they cried foul That leaves their constituents essentially without political representation on the county board We recommend voters remember that in 2028, when their ter ms are up, and find new candidates, both Democrat and Republican, to r un for those districts Because Cavell and Nelson are not wor thy of representing the office
