Monthly Archives: December 2022

Oakland Township Officers’ political ambitions prove to be more important than Oakland Township’s welfare

4 Replies

The Oakland Township Board failed to fill the vacant Township Supervisor position at the December 13th Board meeting. The vacancy was created when Supervisor Dominic Abbate resigned at the end of November.  The Board made five attempts to fill the vacancy.  All five attempts failed because three of the six Board members were interested in the position themselves.  Only one of the three Board members interested in the position himself was willing to vote for another candidate.  The personal ambitions of the other two candidates, along with their alliance with other Board Trustees, prevented ANY candidate from receiving the four votes required to fill the vacancy.  If the Board does not approve a candidate at the January meeting, a costly special election will be needed.

As previously reported on this website, there were five candidates interested in filling the vacant Township Supervisor position.  They were:

  • Treasurer – John Giannangeli
  • Clerk – Robin Buxar
  • Trustee – Andy Zale
  • Former Planning Commission member and ZBA member – James Carter
  • Former ZBA member – John Markel

Here is a summary of the motions and votes made by the Board members:

Treasurer John Giannangeli

  • Trustee Mangiapani nominated Treasurer John Giannangeli for the Supervisor position.
  • John Giannangeli seconded his own nomination.
  • During the discussion of the motion, Trustee Mangiapani asked John how he would follow-up on critical items if he was elected.
  • John refused to answer the question.
  • Trustee Mabry who was acting as Supervisor pro-tem, after getting input from Clerk Buxar, agreed that questions would not be allowed.
  • John then explained why he was qualified for the Supervisor position.
  • Resident input was provided.
  • Trustee Mangiapani, John Giannangeli, and Trustee Zale voted in favor of the motion.
  • Since it took four positive votes to approve the nomination, the vote failed.

Clerk Robin Buxar

  • Trustee Mabry nominated Clerk Robin Buxar for the Supervisory position.
  • Trustee Elder seconded her nomination.
  • Robin then explained why she was qualified for the Supervisor position.
  • Resident input was provided.
  • Trustee Mabry, Robin Buxar, and Trustee Elder voted in favor of the motion.
  • Since it took four positive votes to approve the nomination, the vote failed.

Trustee Zale

  • Trustee Mangiapani nominated Trustee Zale for the Supervisory position.
  • Trustee Zale refused to second his own nomination.
  • There was no other Board member who would second the nomination.
  • Clerk Buxar indicated that the motion failed due to no second.

Resident John Markel

  • Trustee Mangiapani nominated resident John Markel for the Supervisory position.
  • There was no other Board member who would second the nomination.
  • Clerk Buxar indicated that the motion failed due to no second.

Resident James Carter

  • Trustee Mangiapani nominated resident James Carter for the Supervisory position.
  • There was no other Board member who would second the nomination.
  • Clerk Buxar indicated that the motion failed due to no second.

The Board meeting ended without the Supervisor position being filled.  The Board must decide within 45 days of the vacancy being created.  As a result, the Board MUST decide at their first Board meeting in January, or there will be a costly special election to fill the position.  Oakland County would determine who would be on the special election ballot.

You can watch the meeting proceedings by clicking on the following:

Why is this important to the Citizens of Oakland Township?

The person who sits in the Supervisor position is critical to the success of our Township. He/she has the responsibility to lead the Board effectively and efficiently through complex and controversial issues based on the existing laws and ordinances that govern our Charter Township. Issues that come up need to be dealt with in a manner that comprehend the desires of the residents of the Township. 

The Treasurer and Clerk Positions are also critical to our Township. The Oath of Office that our Treasurer and Clerk took when they were sworn in, would best be served if they continued to fulfill their commitment to those positions. If they are interested in the Supervisor position, they can run for that position in 2024.

From the author’s perspective, we have two candidates that are eminently qualified for the Supervisory position. They are Andy Zale & James Carter. Both individuals had demonstrated their ability to lead Township Commissions through complex issues while involving residents in a non-confrontational manner.  In addition, Trustee Zale was the only Board member who was willing to vote for someone other than himself for the Supervisory position.

The political ambitions of our Township’s Treasurer and Clerk, coupled with the strong alliances they each formed with other Township Trustees, resulted in the gridlock visible at this Board meeting. Many of them indicated that any of the three Board members would make a good Supervisor, but they were not willing to switch their votes away from their preferred candidate, even though they had already been defeated.

There may be enough time between now and the 2024 election to find citizens willing to work on behalf of the Township, not their own political ambitions or friendships.

Richard Michalski

Who are the candidates to fill the vacant Oakland Township Supervisor position?

4 Replies

At the November 15, 2022 Oakland Township Board meeting, Supervisor Dominic Abbate announced that he had submitted his resignation letter with an effective date of November 30th. The Board has 45 days to fill that position after the resignation takes effect. At the November 15th meeting, the Board asked that any current Township Board member, as well as any other Township resident interested in filling that position, should fill out an application and submit it to the Township Clerk’s office by December 1. The list of potential candidates is now known. It is anticipated that the decision will be made at the December 13th Board meeting.

Several existing Board members indicated that they are interested in the position as well as two other Township residents. They include:

  • Treasurer – John Giannangeli
  • Clerk – Robin Buxar
  • Trustee – Andy Zale
  • Former Planning Commission member and ZBA member – James Carter
  • Former ZBA member – John Markel

In order for the position to be filled, at least 4 of the 6 seated Board members will have to approve the candidate. This could prove to be very interesting, since 3 of them are interested in the Supervisor position themselves. In order for one of the existing Board members to be selected, he/she would either have to gain the vote of the OTHER three Board members (David Mabry, Jack Elder and Lana Mangiapani), or one of the candidates interested in the position, would have to drop out and vote for him/her. The potential for ‘grid lock’ exists in selecting one of the three seated Board members. One of the other two candidates could become a ‘dark horse’ candidate for the position.

What follows is the author’s assessment of the situation:

If John Giannangeli was selected, the critical position of Treasurer would have to be backfilled. John has an extensive financial background and is well suited for the Treasurer’s position. That is why the voters selected him for that position in the last election. Having to backfill the Treasurer’s position could negatively impact the Township. Andy Zale could potentially fill the Treasurer’s position, since he is a personal financial consultant. Residents need to form their own opinion on John’s demeanor and ability to lead a team based on his behavior in handling previous controversial issues before the Township Board.

If Robin Buxar was selected, the similarly critical position of Clerk would have to be backfilled. Robin has done a good job in our recent election. There are follow-up items that need to be understood and possibly improved upon based on results of the last election. Prior to the last election, she was unable to fill a critical clerk support position in a timely manner, so she had to personally step in and do some of that work. Her personal compensation over that period of time was significantly increased as a result. She is a strong leader, but there is no clear candidate to backfill a vacant Clerk position. In addition, the 2024 election is very critical, and our Township cannot afford to have any issues in that critical election. Her experience would best serve the Township if she remained our Clerk.

If Andy Zale was selected, there would be no risk to the Financial or Clerical matters in our Township. Andy was a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission. He has demonstrated his skill in leading a team through complicated issues when he was Chairperson of the Parks and Recreation Commission. His ability to efficiently and effectively chair a meeting with controversial topics has been demonstrated. He also has been a member of the Oakland Township Safety Path and Trails Committee, so he is very familiar with the wide ranging features and needs of our Township.

As stated above, in order for any of the above candidates to be selected, he/she would have to gain the support of the other three Board members or one of the three interested candidates would have to drop out. If ‘grid lock’ occurred, the nomination of either James Carter or John Markel could become a reality. Both of these men have exhibited interest in the Township for years. Both have held appointed positions in our Township’s commissions or boards.

James Carter was an Oakland Township Planning Commission member for 18 years (1997-2015). He was the Chairperson of that Commission for a large number of those years. He is very knowledgeable about our Township Ordinances and Planning process since he was also a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals. He has demonstrated his ability to listen to the residents on issues that impact them while leading the Planning Commission through complex and controversial issues. James has been in the information technology field, and has formed and owned businesses in that field.

John Markel has been active in Township matters for at least the last 10 to 15 years. He participates in many Township Board meetings during the discussions on the matters before the Board. His recommendations to the Board frequently deal with well documented and transparent processes for the Township Board’s and staff to follow. He is involved in the Auto Industry and is very familiar with the Quality Standards defined by QS9000 requirements. He has served on the Zoning Board of Appeals for 3 years. He was Chairperson of the ZBA for one year.

Why is this important to the citizens of Oakland Township?

The person who sits in the Supervisor position is critical to the success of our Township. He/she has the responsibility to effectively and efficiently lead the Board through complex and controversial issues based on the existing laws and ordinances that govern our Charter Township. Issues that come up need to be dealt with in a manner that comprehend the desires of the residents of the Township.

The Treasurer and Clerk Positions are also critical to our Township. The Oath of Office that our Treasurer and Clerk took when they were sworn in, would best be served if they continued to fulfill their commitment to those positions. If they are interested in the Supervisor position, they can run for that position in 2024.

From the author’s perspective, we have two candidates that are eminently qualified for the Supervisory position. They are Andy Zale & James Carter. Both of these individuals had demonstrated their ability to lead Township Commissions through complex issues while involving residents in a non-confrontational manner.

The process and criteria that Board will use to select the best person for the position is not clear. However, citizen input may have an influence on their thinking. The author has shared with you his thoughts on the matter. If you want to potentially impact the Board’s decision, I suggest you contact the Board, and share your thoughts with all six of them.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS MATTER WITH THE BOARD, I HAVE ATTACHED THE EMAIL LINK TO OUR TOWNSHIP MANAGER, ADAM KLINE. YOU COULD ASK HIM TO FORWARD YOUR EMAIL TO ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS. HERE IS ADAM’S EMAIL ADDRESS:

akline@Oaklandtownship.org

Richard Michalski