Township Officials' Feud Escalates to 'Bizarre' Kidnapping Claim

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A longtime political feud between two Bloomfield Township officials took a recent unexpected turn when one of them accused the other of kidnapping his daughter.

Bloomfield Township Supervisor Leo Savoie told Hometownlife.com that he found Treasurer Dan Devine’s accusation “bizarre.”

“I didn’t even know he had a daughter,” Savoie said. “I was stunned when I first heard that my name came up.”

Devine’s 24-year-old daughter was quickly found after her May 1 disappearance.

Other township officials said they were perplexed and worried.

Township Clerk Jan Roncelli said she talked to Devine about his assertion. “I don’t know how he came to that conclusion,” Roncelli told the newspaper. “I’m very perplexed over this whole thing.”

The acrimony between the two men dates back to 2011, when Savoie was chosen over Devine to fill a vacancy on the board of trustees.

During Savoie’s 2014 re-election campaign, Devine filed a complaint with state election officials alleging campaign finance laws, but the complaint was dismissed on lack of evidence. In April, Savoie claimed Devine wasn’t working a full 40 hours and lobbied trustees to reduce his salary and responsibilities. The township board declined to take action.

About two weeks later, Devine filed a missing person report for his daughter. Police Chief Geof Gaudard told Hometownlife that Devine said there was a “very credible” possibility that Savoie was behind her disappearance.

The daughter, a private nanny and substitute teacher for many area school districts, was found 10 minutes later.

The latest volley in the feud raises questions about Devine’s judgment for Township Trustee Brian Kepes.

“We have over 280 employees … we have hundreds of millions that we’re investing,“ Kepes said. “I’m concerned.”

Devine told Hometownlife.com that township police shouldn’t have spoken publicly about the report.

“The comments I made were confidential and it involved a private family matter,” Devine said. “And I’d think any township resident would prefer it was kept that way. I’m a township resident as well as an elected official and I expect confidentiality to be respected by the police department just like any resident would.”

The next meeting of the township trustees is at 7 p.m. Monday, July 13, at the township offices, 4200 Telegraph Road.