Recently, two sitting Parks Commissioners, Ann Marie Rogers and Roger Schmidt, along with Beth Markel, the wife of Zoning Board member, John Markel, have alleged that four other sitting Parks Commissioners have violated the Open Meeting Act. They allege that the four Parks Commissioners participated in communications, affecting the Township Parks, outside an Open Meeting. An article in the Oakland Press gives some additional information on this allegation.
It is interesting to note that one of the defendant Parks Commissioners was ‘served the papers’ for this lawsuit by the husband of Maureen Thalmann, a Township Board member, after a Parks Commission meeting.
Why is this important to the citizens of Oakland Township? Oakland Township has never been plagued with the level of lawsuits that have occurred since the new Board members and Parks Commissioners were elected in November of 2012. The environment that exists between the various Boards and Commissions has never been so dysfunctional. Only time will tell how this gets resolved in the courts, but one needs to ask “What has changed that caused these issues to occur now?” Why would the papers have been served to one of the accused defendants by the husband of Trustee Thalmann?
Richard Michalski
Oakland Township Watchers 
we received a note in our mailbox from you all about a meeting on april 13th in regards to the township suing us homeowners, but when we looked at the agenda and listened to the video of the meeting there was no mention of it. there was a closed meeting prior to the public meeting. was that when it was discussed? this is in regards to the deer point subdivision and the blue heron nature preserve( the dump of a park behind out homes) that they say we are encroaching on.
thank you
Hi Nina,
I am not sure what you are referring to. The editors of this website have not been involved in any notes that have been placed in mailboxes regarding the issue you are talking about. We are sorry we cannot help you. I would suggest that you contact the Township office directly and inquire there.
Please let me know if the document you received in your mailbox said it came from ‘Oakland Township Watchers’.
Richard Michalski – one of the editors of Oakland Township Watcher Website
April 16, 2016
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