11/08/2024
Thank you to the Bloomfield Township Community for allowing me to serve you. I have been focused on getting the transition ready for the employees and the new Board of Trustees. But today I finally had a chance to reflect on the election and let this sink in that my time serving has ended. I am also overwhelmed with is a sense of gratitude and thanks, as well as pride in what we accomplished together. Although there was so much more we had planned for the 3rd term, in the last 8 years, and especially in the last 4, we absolutely moved mountains together!!
The last 8 years have truly been an honor to serve the residents, employees, business owners, service providers, and community at large in Bloomfield Township. Looking back to 8 years ago, I ran as Trustee because the Township had lost its way. It was mired in infighting on the board, community outrage at almost every meeting, an unhappy workforce filled with union grievances, many citizen lawsuits, slashed services and staffing levels from 2009-2019, and almost losing the Maple and Telegraph northwest corner to a 4 story storage facility instead of the current restaurants, shops, and businesses. In 2019, the State of Michigan intervened and put Bloomfield Township on a corrective action plan due to inadequate financing of key programs like retirements, and the world became divided due to Covid. As a Trustee I saw change was needed, and that was the catalyst for why I decided to run for Supervisor to bring stability, honor, prosperity, and identity back to the Township I lived in and loved my entire life.
The community put their trust in me to get us out of the darkness and back into the light. Together we turned the Township around completely and although there were more plans for improvement and growth in a second term, I proudly leave the Township in the best shape it has been in since 2009. With a complete overhaul of budgeting, bringing technology upgrades, giving the leadership a chance to revamp their departments based on the needs of today, no drama or fighting at the board level for almost 4 years, and working with developers to bring new ideas that focused on businesses that benefit the community, together we brought Bloomfield Township out of the drama and financial issues and into the light of prosperity with a roadmap to success with the 5-year strategic plan.
As Supervisor, I had 4 straight years of surpluses, brought back all services, received Millions in grants from friends from the county, state, and federal level as well as from partnerships, renewed staffing to pre-2009 levels, had no union grievances from active employees for the last 3 years, received a review from the fire department of having over a 90% approval rating (higher than any previous Supervisor), supported and invested in our Police Department, all of which led to some employees staying years past their retirement date, and Bloomfield Township was once again, a leader among the metro area with reinventing and reimagining local government to become the gold standard. I am so thankful to have worked with so many wonderful and talented people internally and externally, competed a strategic plan that has already garnered national attention and holds the board accountable to the community, and I am am extremely excited to see many of our new development projects break ground and come to life, such as the Olympic Training Center (one of only 3 in the USA), Tee Times recreational restaurant, and an indoor pickleball club, I'm excited to see those places put Bloomfield Township on the map again. There is so much for the community to be proud of here in Bloomfield Township, and after 8 years of being on the board, as I transition from Supervisor, back to resident, I look forward to seeing the Township continue to thrive on the path of growth and prosperity that we built together.
Thank you to everyone I met along the way that made the last 8 years so memorable. I thank you for your trust, your kindness, your friendship, and your shared love of Bloomfield Township. I know I will cross paths with many of you again, so this isn't goodbye, but simply until we meet again.
Sincerely,
Dani Walsh
SEMCOG, Southeast Michigan Council of GovernmentsMichigan Townships Association Bloomfield Hills Schools Michigan Education AssociationBirmingham-Bloomfield Eagle Fems for Dems Birmingham Bloomfield Area Democrats Oakland County Times Road Commission for Oakland County Michigan Department of Transportation Executive Office, Oakland County, Michigan The Oakland Press Detroit Free Press Hour Detroit Magazine Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber Dani Walsh Williamson
