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Page 32 2016 Voter Guide League of Women Voters COUNTY CLERK/ REGISTER of DEEDS Duties of the County Clerk/Register of Deeds include: maintaining public records and recording land ownership; publishing official actions of the County Commission and Circuit Court; and administering elections. ONE 4-YEAR TERM - Vote for no more than ONE Question 1 (150 Words or less): Please provide biographical information and explain why you are running for County Office and relevant qualities and skills you would bring to the position. BILL BULLARD, JR., Republican 1849 Lakeview Ln., Highland, MI 48357 I am the only candidate in the Republican primary with experience as Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds. As County Clerk/Register in 2011-2012 my mantra was “Online Not Inline”. We were successful in encouraging citizens to increase usage of electronic transactions which are more efficient to process and that resulted in shorter lines at the counters in the office. I won six national service awards for the innovative programs I initiated. I have been a Conservative leader in Oakland County government. Prior to serving as Oakland County Clerk I served six years as Chair of the Oakland Board of Commissioners. I led the Commissioners to adoption of Brooks’ multi-year balanced budgets for those six years. When Oakland County had to cut spending in the bad economic times I as a County Commissioner voluntarily took pay cuts for several years. LISA BROWN, Democrat P. O. Box 251552, West Bloomfield, MI 48325 I am a lifelong resident of Oakland County, a graduate of Michigan State University and the Detroit College of Law, former State Representative and current Oakland County Clerk/ Register. I have the knowledge, experience, heart, dedication, and leadership to continue moving the Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds Office forward. Being fiscally conservative, especially with taxpayer dollars, I have cut expenditures and saved the county millions, while bringing more services to residents. I started a National Association of Counties award winning program that allows fees for certified vital records to be reduced or waived for residents facing extreme hardship and receiving services from an accredited social service agency. I was one of four out of 83 county clerks to open their office during a small window of time when same-sex couples could get married in March 2014, officiating over 80 marriages in those few hours. COUNTY TREASURER Question 2 (150 Words or less): What are the top 3 Priority Issues that this county office should address and what actions would you, as an elected official, take regarding each of them? 1.) I will move the Clerk/Register’s office forward in increasing electronic transactions. Electronic transactions are more efficient to process benefiting the taxpayers. And the more citizens doing e-filing and e-recording the shorter are the lines at the counters in the office. 2.) I will improve the functions in the Register of Deeds office. Already I put in place “Deeds Express” whereby citizens can record a deed or other document in person in 3-4 minutes and take the document with them with Liber & Page showing where it is recorded. In the first year of operation we saved $50,000 in mailing costs. I will reinstate the streamlined recording system (cancelled by the present Clerk without any justification). 3.) As Clerk/Register I will lead a major effort in expanding mobile office visits and visits to Farmer’s Markets. The present Clerk promised to expand mobile offices but has failed to keep that promise. 1) I want to insure everyone has access to the ballot, so I have held voter registration drives around the county and will continue to do so. I have worked with the State’s Bureau of Elections and other clerks serving on the committee for the purchase of new voting equipment and will work with our municipal clerks to make our selection. 2) I will continue to fight fraud in the Register of Deeds office and empower homeowners. I brought Super Index, a free searchable database, and Property Records Notification, a free alert system, the first of its kind in the country, earning an award from the National Association of Counties, to Oakland County. 3) Continue providing accessibility to services by more local office visits, and programs I pushed for, like eliminating the fee for Veterans’ cards, lowering the birth record fee for seniors and the fee reduction/waiver program. The County Treasurer is the banker for Oakland County. The Treasurer is the custodian for all county funds including property taxes, state and local grants, inheritance taxes, and county fees - over 800 funds. By law, the Treasurer must invest them safely at maximum interest. The Treasurer works with local government to collect property taxes, account for money collected, and disperse the money to local governments. ONE 4-YEAR TERM - Vote for no more than ONE Question 1 (150 Words or less): Please provide biographical information and explain why you are running for County Office and relevant qualities and skills you would bring to the position. Question 2 (150 Words or less): What are the top 3 Priority Issues that this county office should address and what actions would you, as an elected official, take regarding each of them? JOHN P. MCCULLOCH, Republican 1609 Cedar Hill Dr., Royal Oak, MI 48067 Over the past 30 years as a CPA and attorney, I have developed expertise in the areas of operations, regulations, legal and risk management, as well as fiscal management in both the public and private sectors. I have extensive experience as a Chief Executive Officer for a five county regional park system as well as countywide water, wastewater and storm water systems in the Metropolitan Detroit. I also have served on several retirement and deferred compensation boards in the public sector. I have managed annual budgets of over $250 million. I was County Commissioner for 10 years and Water Resources Commissioner for 12 years. As County Commissioner, I served 3 years as Chairman of Finance and 5 years as Chairman of the Board. I have served on Retirement and Deferred Compensation Boards. ANDY MEISNER, Democrat P. O. Box 2197, Royal Oak, MI 48068 I have been Oakland County Treasurer since 2009 after serving 6 years as a State Representative. I am running for re-election to continue my work securing Oakland County’s financial future, fight the lingering effects of the foreclosure crisis and maintain our AAA bond rating. The policies that I’ve put in place as treasurer has helped generate over $177 million dollars for Oakland County taxpayers. I am currently Trustee and Treasurer for Oakland Community College, the largest community college system in Michigan. As Oakland County treasurer, with over 30 years of accounting, financial and investment experience I would be a dependable and effective administrator of county funds and resources. You can count on me to: • Constantly study and monitor county investments and banking functions to achieve maximum efficiency and return and to protect our AAA bond rating. • Look at ways to improve office functions to provide an even higher level of customer service to the citizens of Oakland County. • Make preservation of principal the top priority when selecting investments for county funds. • Work with state Legislators and the Michigan Department of Treasury on tax related issues and the implementation and administering of state prescribed programs. My top priorities are securing our financial future, protecting our property values and maintaining our AAA bond rating. I will continue to work for policies that aren’t only good for Oakland County’s bottom line but also for our citizens. One such policy has been creating 14,000 payment plans keeping families in their homes and collecting needed revenue for the County.
League of Women Voters 2016 Voter Guide Page 33 WATER RESOURCES COMMISSIONER The Water Resources Commissioner has control over legally established drainage systems in Oakland County. The Water Resources Commissioner also has duties and responsibilities that include operating water and wastewater systems, managing engineering and construction projects and establishing and conducting environmental programs. Additionally, the office is responsible for dealing with pollution prevention efforts, soil erosion control and enforcement. ONE 4-YEAR TERM - Vote for no more than ONE Question 1 (150 Words or less): Please provide biographical information and explain why you are running for County Office and relevant qualities and skills you would bring to the position. ROBERT E. BUXBAUM, Republican 12851 Capital St., Oak Park, MI 48237 I’m a PhD, Professional Engineer, worked in engineering, and taught engineering at MSU. My specialty is separations, with continuing education is water/ sewage. I’ve a wife and three children, live locally, and own a company, REB Research, that manufactures chemical products. I bring engineering to the job, and think I could do it better than currently. I think I could save money and provide cleaner water and better sewage treatment. I think I can avoid flooding of roads and basements like in 2014, and the poisoning of lakes and beaches – that happens now twice a month. I discussed my thoughts with L. Brooks Patterson; he liked them, as did Mark Hackel -- the heads of Oakland and Macomb county respectively, a Republican and a Democrat. Now, if I can get elected, I’ll try to make these good things come to pass. JIM NASH, Democrat 27490 W. Ten Mile Rd., Farmington Hills, MI 48336 I am an Army veteran, living in Michigan 22 years with my wife of 31 years, in her childhood home. Our four children and three grandchildren all live in Michigan. I served eight years as an Oakland County Commissioner from Farmington Hills, introducing the concept of sustainability and green building to Oakland County. I organized and hosted six Annual Green Building Workshops, bringing experts to educate local officials and citizens about the economic, energy and environmental benefits of sustainable development. As Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner, I have worked across the aisle to significantly improved collaboration with Oakland communities, improved morale and efficiency in the organization, brought operational efficiencies saving millions for communities, overseen new asset management programs. I have led regional and state stormwater control efforts and organized four annual Stormwater Summits to bring experts from around Michigan and the US, to help our local governments to deal with stormwater. COUNTY COMMISSIONER Question 2 (150 Words or less): What are the top 3 Priority Issues that this county office should address and what actions would you, as an elected official, take regarding each of them? 1. Clean water, reliably delivered at a pressure suitable for fire-fighting. The key here is balance: the right additives but not too much; the right sources, pipes and pumps. 2. Sewers and drains should work like they’re supposed to, and look good at a decent price. I plan to use the expansion of I-75 as a golden opportunity to separate the storm and sanitary sewers. I plan to add anaerobic digestion to save money and make the sewage smell better. Weir dams are cheaper than underground cisterns. They control floods, clean the water and provide low cost fishing spots. With them, rivers live and look nice. Bicycle paths can serve as flood rains and cheap bio-remediators. It’s working art on a large scale. 3. Honoring the people and environment. Water worker is a skilled job. They deserve to be treated well. Workers are protectors and environmental stewards. The Flint crisis has exposed the issue of lead in drinking water. Here in Oakland County we have a very pure water supply, Flint got into trouble when they left our system and operated without proper corrosion control. In the water systems we test, homes sampled generally show no detection of lead. I support testing in public schools. Stormwater is the most pressing issue facing Michigan. In Oakland, all our facilities operate within our permits: treating the combined storm-sanitary wastewater to eliminate bacterial pollutants. Separated stormwater runoff is not treated so whatever pollutants it carries off streets, parking lots and roofs ends up in our lakes and streams. I am working across the aisle, regionally and state-wide, to help solve this pollution problem. Finally, I will continue working with our regional partners to make the Great Lakes Water Authority a stronger regional organization, for now and the future. Oakland County has a 21-member Board of Commissioners which functions much like a state legislature or city council. The Board acts on proposals of the County Executive; can override an executive veto by two-thirds vote; passes the general government budget; and makes appointments to County boards and commissions. ONE 2-YEAR TERM - Vote for no more than ONE Question 1 (150 Words or less): Provide biographical information and explain why you are running for County Commissioner and relevant qualities and skills you would bring to the position. MICHAEL J. GINGELL, Republican 5040 Rockaway Ln., Clarkston, MI 48348 I have been involved in local government directly for the past 18 years and indirectly all of my life. My family started the town of Gingellville (Orion Township) over 100 years ago and has served the community for decades. Small town values, 23 years of private sector business experience in the Information Industry, academic knowledge and local government experience are the items I bring to the County Commission. I am a Sr. Vice President at Wiland Automotive and have domestic and international business experience. I possess a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Oakland University and an MBA from Wayne State University. I have strong moral values, a proactive approach to government and a proven track record. County Commissioner - District 1 Question 2 (150 Words or less): What are the top 3 Priority Issues that the County Commission should address and what actions would you, as a commissioner, take regarding each of them? I will continue to be fiscally responsible. I will spend our tax dollars responsibly, provide critical services and seek opportunities to reduce the size of government. I will prepare Oakland County for the future by taking the necessary actions today. I will lead Oakland County in supporting economic development, job creation and increasing home values. I will continue to address economic viability by supporting initiatives that bring businesses and jobs to Oakland County. I believe that a strong business community is vital to Oakland County. I will continue to focus on activity that will create demand for housing in order to increase housing values. Our homes should be valuable assets. MICHELLE BRYANT, Democrat 4912 W. Stonegate Cir., Lake Orion, MI 48359 I am a Michigan native who received my master’s of business administration degree from Walsh College. Over the last 25 years, I have served as a military officer, registered nurse, healthcare executive, presenter, consultant and advocate for high quality and safe patient care. My body of work extends from for-profit and non-profit health systems to academic in a variety of geographic locations as well as I am well known throughout the healthcare industry for my expertise with accreditation and regulatory agencies. My experience includes clinical operations, nursing, education, quality assurance and improvement, risk reduction, infection prevention and control, patient safety, research, medical staff services, and utilization management. My leadership and quality improvement background will allow me to be effective in setting our local government’s priorities. My top three priorities are safe roads, water (drinking & recreational) as well as high quality and safe patient care for the community and other veterans. If elected as the Oakland County Commissioner for District 1, I would: 1. Work to understand the concerns of the citizens, available data, allocated funding and rationale as well as barriers to improvement. 2. Build partnerships and collaborations with key stakeholders. 3 Establish and implement a written quality control and/or improvement plan which includes monitoring for continuous improvement as well as sustainment. 4. Will provide updates to district 1 citizens and local leadership on status of outcomes.
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