Bloomfield Township Board Picks Trustee Finalists

The Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees didn’t look too far for finalists who will be considered for the vacant trustee seat.

Scot Goldberg, chairman of the township’s Planning Commission, and Corinne Khederian, chairwoman of the township’s Zoning Board of Appeals, were the two candidates to get overwhelming support during a special study session Monday morning at Township Hall.

The two will have an opportunity to make presentations to the board and public at a special meeting at 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 8. The seat opened when Trustee Leo Savoie was appointed supervisor effective Aug. 1. Under Michigan law, the board has until the end of the business day Sept. 15 to appoint a replacement or face a special election.

Savoie said Monday that he wanted to avoid a time crunch and see if the board had consensus on a candidate before the next regularly scheduled board meeting Sept. 12.

The finalists were chosen from a field of 18 applicants to submit a resume, questionnaire and letter of intent by last Thursday’s deadline. Roughly a dozen were submitted on the due date. Board members Monday then narrowed the field to seven candidates without much discussion and reassigned their preferences.

Goldberg and Khederian were the top two names selected, with Mary Ann Jerge a close third, Clerk Jan Roncelli said. Neither finalist is a stranger to board members, but they each offer something different that appealed to different elected officials.

Goldberg is a physician specializing in internal medicine with a practice in Warren. Township Treasurer Dan Devine said he believed Goldberg would be a strong advocate for the coming public safety millage in 2012. “To have the credibility of a board member that could actually speak with certainty and experience on what response time means for a heart attack or stroke or choking victim would assist our mission,” he said.

Goldberg has a master’s degree in business, years of experience running a successful practice and could draw more interest and support from the many residents that work in the medical field, Devine added.

Khederian is an attorney and a longtime local political activist. She sought a trustee spot before, but, ironically, lost to Savoie in 2004, Roncelli said. In addition to grass-roots political activity, she’s been involved with the Birmingham Bloomfield Community Coalition Board and the Great Lakes Chapter of the Armenian Assembly of America.

Trustee Brian Kepes, the last trustee appointed in 2009, said he would like to take this opportunity to help diversify the board. Roncelli is the only female on the seven-member panel.

“Looking at the demographics, I think it would be good to have another woman on the board,” he said. “I would put that second to qualifications, but Corinne is clearly qualified. From what I’ve seen and heard from others, she does a fine job interacting with residents, which I think is very important.”

Savoie said the board could appoint a trustee following the presentations at next week's meeting.