I want to thank all the voters in Bloomfield Township for exercising their right to vote and entrusting me with the role of Supervisor. I am honored to serve the community I call home by bringing my prior experience in government to the Township. I grew up in Bloomfield Village and graduated from Seaholm High School. Then while running a small business I served on the Bloomfield Hills City Commission including stints
as Mayor and Mayor Pro-Tem. From there, I served three terms in Michigan House representing the residents of Bloomfield Township in addition to other communities. Since, I’ve worked in roles of economic development for both Oakland County and the City of Novi.
This experience has prepared me well to better serve Township residents for the next four years. The job of the Board of Trustees is simple: insure residents have first-class service that provides a safe, clean, prosperous and fun place to live. From public safety to public works and beyond - if you live or work here, we should be considered the gold standard. I write this column three weeks into my term and am already hard at work on what I’ve dubbed my listening tour.
That means listening to residents, business owners, government partners, department heads, employees, and more on what is being done well and what can be done better. I’m planning to attend HOA meetings, conduct ride-alongs with our public safety and road crews, and have an open-door policy for all. As Supervisor, my role is to lead this community and lead it with great services that our residents expect. Fundamental to great service is great staff who share a common vision. I know we have hard working departmental directors and the board needs to empower them to carry out their functions. I get the pleasure of working with the other elected officials as a group to see this happen.
I took office in the midst of a compensation study. Recruitment, retention, and compensation are the keys to healthy work environment. This board needs more information on how the Township compares to other municipalities of similar size and scope to know how to best recruit, retain, and compensate. Especially in public safety, we can’t experience a revolving door of employees. We need the right information to attract and keep the best employees for each department and fulfill the vision of a premier government.
As I campaigned this summer, I heard many comments from residents about our roads and water and sewer rates. I plan to build relationships at the state and county level that will help achieve the replacements and repairs needed. I also know that economic development is important to growing the community and attracting future homeowners. I’ve heard requests for a downtown, public parks, and gathering spaces. We’ll explore all options of how this might be achieved or providing a comparable experience.
Want to participate in my listening tour? Reach out to my office so I can hear your ideas and questions. If residents have questions, I want to get them comprehensive and complete answers as quickly as possible. I am so excited to get to work for the residents, but I’m also focused on initiating great and lasting change for our community.
-Mike McCready