TICKING OFF THE WRONG PEOPLE
There’s a saying from the Broadway show “Annie” – be careful who you step on as you climb up the ladder because you may have to see them again on the way down. Bloomfield Township Supervisor Dani Walsh may rue the days she failed to listen to that advice. Walsh, who is running for re-election in November against Republican challenger Mike McCready, luckily doesn’t have any Democratic primary challengers, because she will not receive any love in the form of endorsements from Democratic leadership in Oakland County. Reliable sources have confirmed that Oakland County Commissioner Marcia Gershenson (D-Bloomfield Township, West Bloomfield) will definitely not be endorsing Walsh in her election fight, telling some that she feels Walsh is toxic and creates a toxic work environment. Word is that Walsh has alienated Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter and County Commission Board Chair Dave Woodward (D-Birmingham, Royal Oak), and neither will speak to her – much less endorse her for a second term. “She asks with expectations and does it like a bull in a china shop,” said one who has witnessed her interactions. While McCready has been holding fundraisers and beginning to knock on doors, sources said they have heard Walsh has not been raising much money – at least yet. Her fundraising efforts may spiral after a controversial effort to lower requirements for Bloomfield Township police officers from four-years of college degree to two years is unrolled at an upcoming board of trustees meeting as a police recruitment tool. Those in the know assert it’s not the education requirement that’s an impediment to police staffing, but Walsh’s order to lower pay for officers (and department heads) as much as $20,000 less than other neighboring departments, including Birmingham, in an effort to “save taxpayers money,” rather than providing superior services. Penny wise but…