New Council members, Mayor Sworn In; McGinnis Named Mayor Pro Tem

Troy's governing body on Monday night welcomed four new members to its makeup, and with it a shift in priorities that include establishing new days of operation at the library, increased transparency in accounting and an evaluation of a proposed transit center that has been in the making for nearly a decade.

Council, mayor take oath

Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Michael Warren stressed the importance of the oaths he administered before swearing in councilmen James Campbell, Dave Henderson and Doug Tietz. A separate oath was given to Troy's newest mayor, Janice Daniels.

Daniels and the council nominated and approved councilwoman Maureen McGinnis to serve as Mayor Pro Tem, whom also took the oath of office Monday.

The signs of change were obvious from the start of the meeting, which drew at least 100 audience members, including state Rep. Marty Knollenberg (R-Troy), County Commissioner and former councilman Robert Gosselin, supporters of the newly elected councilmen and mayor, as well as candidates who failed to get elected during last Tuesday's election.

"In some ways, I wish everyone was force to run for office so that they would understand the challenge involved. I see a lot of passionate people coming up to the microphone and I would like to remind them that there is a human being behind there," council candidate Neil Yashinsky said during public comments, urging the audience to be respectful of all of the candidates... these are just members of the our community, they have been chosen by our community, they deserve our respect and maybe, a little bit of patience."

Council members allowed those in the audience, which filled the seats and lined the back door and walls on the side of the chamber, to comment for as long as they liked, rather than the normally allotted 3 minutes. More than two dozen audience members stayed for the entire meeting – also a departure from the typical meeting.

While the council agenda appeared relatively uneventful early Monday, new members brought up several issues that had been addressed during the council and mayoral campaigns.

Transit center discussion

Councilman Wade Fleming suggested holding a study session for new council members to get up to speed on the transit center. Daniels suggested having area attorney Dave Wise attend the study session regarding the transit center so he could provide an opposing viewpoint. The issue was tabled in favor of an informational meeting Monday about the transit center to allow city staff to provide an update of the project.

The proposed $8.4 million transit center recently received funding from the Michigan Department of Transportation. The project would create a multi-modal train station that would replace the current Birmingham station. The station would serve the Pontiac/Detroit to Chicago corridor that is transitioning to a high speed rail line. The Birmingham station served 23,895 passengers in 2010, up from 17,979 in 2009 and 19,375 in 2008.

Push to open library on Saturdays

Daniels introduced a resolution to require the to be open on Saturdays beginning Dec. 3. Currently, the library is closed Saturdays but open Sundays. 

Fleming suggested requesting the library director and city staff come up with a proposal that would allow the library to be open on Saturdays.

McGinnis said that while she "isn't opposed to having a discussion" about opening the library on Saturdays, she said people should expect that there "will be tradeoffs," suggesting that other services or hours of operation may have to be cut.

Council approved tabling the issue until its Nov. 28 meeting, when it expects to see a plan, with Daniels voting against the idea of waiting to set a date.

"I think it's important we send a message to the community that this is a can do council ... we are going to open the library on Saturdays, and we are going to make it work," she said.

City pay, benefits to appear on city website

Daniels also recommended council direct the city manager set up a process to have all city employee salaries and benefits, city contracts and the city's check register posted to the city's website. 

The salary and benefits information wouldn't include names, but rather positions.