Falik Looks Forward to Serving on Bloomfield Township Public Library Board

Longtime Bloomfield Township resident Joseph Falik is a regular user of the public library, and now he's looking forward to playing a role in maintaining it for future generations.

"I hope soon to introduce my grandchildren, who are not yet readers, to the pleasures of reading at the BTPL,” said Falik, who was appointed as trustee of the Bloomfield Township Public Library Board last month.

He will be formally sworn in at the board's next meeting on Aug. 16. Falik has lived in Bloomfield Township for 29 years, where he and his wife, Deborah Hecht, raised their two sons, Ben and Sam. They have two grandchildren, Judah and Phoebe.

During that time, he's grown attached to the library and has become a regular patron.

“I particularly appreciate the friendly, helpful staff and volunteers, the new bookshelf and the special programming, such as musical events,” he said. “The audio book selection is great. So are the gardens, thanks to the Friends of the Library."

An attorney and independent mediator, Falik retired in December from a 20-year career on the legal staffs of GMAC and General Motors, where he was general counsel to the GMAC Insurance Group, a multiline, international insurance company, reinsurer and broker.

Previously, he was a partner with Wise & Marsac in Detroit, specializing in insurance law and litigation. He represented large companies in that position as well, including The Dow Chemical Co. and Underwriters at Lloyd's, London.

He said he intends to maintain his mediation business, albeit at a reduced schedule, but notes there is not a lack of "conflicts out there that people want to have resolved."

Falik, who earned his bachelor and law degrees at Columbia University in New York, also serves as co-president of Temple Kol Ami, a 350-family Jewish Reform congregation in West Bloomfield. His other community activities include sponsoring and advising Summer In The City, a volunteer service organization in Metro Detroit, since its founding 10 years ago.

Eight residents applied and interviewed for the library trustee position, which opened in May when former Trustee Lyle Dahlberg resigned after a year on the board. Falik's term ends in 2012 and he said he intends to run in that November's election to retain the post. He also said he is looking forward to bringing his expertise to this new challenge.

“It’s a great opportunity for public service to be able to join the board of an institution that is so important to our community,” he said. “The library will be facing some interesting challenges, financial and otherwise, and I believe I can be helpful in coming up with solutions."

He explained that his top priority is to preserve and extend the quality of library services despite revenue reductions.

"I’m also interested in making the most of our existing partnerships with Cranbrook, the Detroit Public Library and the Bloomfield Hills Schools, and possibly developing partnerships with other similar institutions in the area," he said.

He also said the nonresident restrictions that were put in place recently are not well understood.

“With the recent decline in property values, BTPL’s revenues dropped, and cutbacks were made in many areas at BTPL," he said. "The decision to introduce some nonresident borrowing restrictions was just one of many decisions driven by the revenue situation, and I hope it will be temporary."

"For nonresidents who live in Birmingham, nothing has changed," Falik explained. "Residents of Bingham Farms and Beverly Hills continue to have the same borrowing privileges at Baldwin (Public Library in Birmingham) and continue to be able to use the Bloomfield Township facility — the outstanding periodicals reading room, for example — although for borrowing books, they now will have to use Baldwin."