Township promise made and promise kept

Politics are a promise game. We all know that those running for office – and even once they're in office – offer a gallon of promises and usually deliver on a pint. So we are particularly pleased with the Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees, and Supervisor Mike McCready in particular, for keeping their commitment to the residents of the community on updates regarding the 2025-2029 Strategic Plan – something sorely lacking in the previous administration.

A transformative strategic plan, developed by the consulting firm BerryDunn, was unanimously approved by the board of trustees in late October 2024 under then-supervisor Dani Walsh, after campaigning on it in 2020. The ambitious and highly requested plan was accepted just one week before the 2024 election, and McCready took over as supervisor. The goal of the strategic plan, which saw high levels of community engagement, was to “create a roadmap for enhancing the prosperity and beauty of Bloomfield Township into the future.”

According to the township, the strategic plan is a work in progress which can and should adapt to the needs and desires of residents, businesses and employees. Identified as the top five priorities are: a vibrant lifestyle; welcoming community; enhancing the community's character; reliable infrastructure; and having a best-in-class government, all of which are being implemented by township department staff, with the guidance and direction from the township board. There is a metric and scoreboard to check in on the township's website.

Notably, McCready and township clerk Martin Brook and treasurer Michael Schostak are walking the walk by not only implementing many of the plan's priorities but reporting back to the board as well as the community – providing progress reports. We commend them not only on the transparency offered to all stakeholders, but by providing a true example of leadership for other board members, department heads and all employees to follow.

At the January 26 board of trustees meeting – which was open to the public, televised on local cable and available on the township's website for viewing – McCready gave an update on all they have accomplished since last October – significantly, the hiring of a human resources director, which Bloomfield Township, with well over 400 employees, had never previously had. McCready reported they are also hard at work establishing an employee retention plan along with an employee recruitment plan to streamline hiring for departments such as police and public works, two of the township's largest departments.

Creating a vibrant lifestyle has led to three new restaurants and another expanding just since last October, McCready reported, nearly 600 new customers at the popular Senior Center in 2025, and the relaunch of Friendship Club to serve people experiencing dementia. As the township does not have any parks, a common request, they are actively working with Oakland County Parks and Recreation, a metric which will be updated in the next few months.

Brook is actively working to revisit the township's tree preservation and protection ordinance and to update many current zoning ordinances. Schostak is leading the bicentennial committee celebration set for 2027, along with best-in-government improvements, including negotiating union contracts.

Infrastructure, a less glamorous but critical topic, is an organization-wide goal, McCready emphasized, from internal, with new technology updates performed, to external, with water projects completed for the South Bloomfield Highlands and Vernor Estates neighborhoods.

We commend McCready for attending numerous homeowners' association meetings, creating a relationship and liaison between Township Hall and neighborhoods, along with his delegation of tasks and open dialogue with community members, within the township and Township Hall.