Bloomfield Township Recognizes Longtime Residents

The Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees recently honored two longtime residents who have made a difference locally through philanthropy and enhancing women’s roles in politics.

Proclamations outlining the accomplishments of Barbara Moorhouse and Jeanne Hackett were read into the public record at Monday’s Board of Trustees meeting at Township Hall.

Moorhouse retired last month as administrator of the Women Officials’ Network (WON), an organization dedicated to helping women seek political office and get involved in public policy matters. She co-founded the group in 1997 and has helped numerous local women get politically active and achieve elected office, including former Township Clerk Wilma Cotton, current Trustee Corinne Khederian and current Clerk Jan Roncelli.

Specifically, Moorhouse has organized training opportunities to educate women on the process of seeking elected office, and she created a platform for them to network and share ideas.

“Through WON, this quiet and determined woman has encouraged other women to seek political appointments and run for office,” Roncelli said.

The group regularly meets in Township Hall.

“The township, through its residents and otherwise, has been very supportive,” Moorhouse said during her brief remarks Monday.

Moorhouse has also been actively involved in the League of Women Voters for more than three decades and recently received the League of Women Voters of Oakland County’s Charlotte Yaverski Citizen Education Award. She was also recently recognized with a special proclamation from the Oakland County Board of Commissioners for her service.

She is also affiliated with the American Association of University Women, the Birmingham Community Education Central Advisory Council and was a senior analyst with the Michigan Campaign Finance Network.

Outside of politics, Moorhouse is the founding president of the Friends of the E.L. Johnson Nature Center and is committed to land preservation, environmental education and recreation goals.

Moorhouse said she intends to spend more time with her husband, Al, and continue their passion of traveling the world on cruises. She said she’s also looking forward to spending time with her family, including new grandchild Zoey.

Pam Hansen, chairwoman of the village of Franklin’s Planning Commission, was recently named Moorhouse’s successor.

Service Beyond Self

The trustees also honored Jeanne Hackett, longtime resident of Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield village, who is known for her altruism and generosity, Roncelli said. Through the years, Hackett became a particularly strong advocate for the Community House, Common Ground, Leader Dog for the Blind, Cranbrook Education Community, Cranbrook Institute of Science, the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center and the Village Club Foundation.

She was joined in all her causes by her late husband, Robert Hackett, for whom the Bloomfield Village offices are named. The village hall hosts Precinct 28 on Election Day and remains very active, according to Roncelli. The couple had two daughters, five grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

The Bloomfield Hills Rotary Club recently named her a Paul Harris Fellow in recognition of outstanding commitment to philanthropic causes, said village resident Kay White Meyer, a longtime friend who nominated Hackett for the award.

She said she did so to recognize Hackett’s great humanitarian work and attitude for service above self, one of the Rotary Club’s principal ideals.

“She’s just a fabulous personality and an example of how to grow older gracefully and still take part and be active in their community,” White Meyer said.

Hackett was unable to attend Monday's meeting.