Lacking a quorum, Shores council
leaves two open seats unfilled

Grosse Pointe Shores city council chambers filled to capacity Tuesday night (March 16), with overflow into the hall. The crowd came anticipating the council would fill the vacancies left by the surprise resignations of Mayor Pro Tem Brian Hunt and Councilman Fred Minturn last month. But two council members were no-shows, denying the body a quorum, and the ability to make new appointments.

Mayor James Cooper called the absence of Dan Schulte and Ted Kedzierski “juvenile,” adding, “This is unprecedented.” read more...

Recall-targeted Shores council
is looking for two new members

Grosse Pointe Shores officials are trying to fill City Council seats left empty by the abrupt resignation of two members amid pressure from a citizen recall movement.

Mayor Pro Tem Brian J. Hunt and Councilman Fred Minturn announced their resignations at the Feb. 16 council meeting, days after recall petitions aimed at them, Mayor James Cooper and two other council members were certified for an election later this year. The recall movement began after the council voted to raise taxes by 1 mill, in response to falling revenues. read more...

Metry takes oath as Woods muni judge

Ted Metry was the last of the November election victors to take the oath of office, officially swearing his duty to the Grosse Pointe Woods Municipal Court before Monday's (Dec. 21) city council meeting. Metry's wife, children, parents and friends came to watch him be sworn in by Wayne Circuit Court Judge Michael Hathaway, as Mayor Robert Novitke and others witnessed. Metry assumes his duties New Year's Day. read more...

Shores councilman asks public for
input, involvement in new year

The Grosse Pointe Shores City Council kept with the spirit of the holiday season Tuesday night (Dec. 15) and encouraged more involvement from residents in the coming year.

“I’d like to talk about perhaps adding one or two people to each of the community’s key committees,” said Councilman Ted Kedzierski. “I think it’s important to be more inclusive, to be more open with city business.” read more...

Shores council looks at the numbers
and doesn't like what it sees – red

In its most civil meeting in months, the Grosse Pointe Shores City Council invited private accounting firm Plante & Moran to address the city’s less than optimistic financial status.

The presentation, given by Dave Herrington and Jenny Cederstrom, was divided into two audit periods – a one-year audit that ended on March 31, 2009, and a three-month audit that ended on June 30. The difference between the two periods is the Shores emergence from a village to a city. read more...

A crowded field vies for the
Woods Municipal Court bench

Editor's note: This story has been updated.

The election of Judge Lynn Pierce to Wayne Circuit Court last year vacated her position with the Grosse Pointe Woods Municipal Court, which also provides services to the Shores. In a year when the Woods municipal elections turned into a full slate of unopposed incumbents and newcomers, the court election is the only race with any contention.

The court's jurisdiction includes civil matters up to $3,000 and criminal misdemeanors occurring within the city, where punishment does not exceed 93 days. The court also handles arraignment, setting bail and preliminary examinations in felony cases, as well as traffic offenses, city charter and ordinance violations, and landlord-tenant disputes. The judge's position is part-time.

Below, three candidates respond to a GrossePointeToday.com questionnaire about themselves and their candidacies. Two others submitted individual statements. read more...

Shores council, residents squabble
over recall, state investigation

Grosse Pointe Shores Mayor James Cooper might be a little tentative next time he asks the public’s opinion at the next City Council meeting.

Roughly 20 residents took the microphone Tuesday (Oct. 20) in a rough-and-tumble two hours – most of which concerned a recall effort aimed at Cooper and four council members, and which swiftly became loud and emotional. read more...

Shores council adopts master plan
over some residents' objections

In a 4-2 decision, the Grosse Pointe Shores City Council voted Tuesday (Sept. 15) in favor of adopting the Master Land Use Plan on the recommendation of the Planning Commission.

About  a third of the three-hour meeting, which turned into a pointed discussion between the council and residents, was used to discuss the master plan.

The state requires every zoning community to have a master plan that must be renewed every five years, even if no changes are made. read more...

Local-government administration
drew Vick from a young age

Editor's note: This week GrossePointeToday.com presents a series of profiles of the chief executives in our municipalities–the city managers. 

Brian Vick knew all along that local government was the career he was seeking. The evidence was in his college studies.

Vick, 40, graduated from high school in 1987, and after a four-year stint in the Marine Corps, studied public administration at Michigan State University. Having had experience with government at the federal level, Vick was not impressed and knew he was not interested in working in that area.

An internship at the state capital gave him a taste of Michigan government, and while he was at Michigan State, he met a city manager from Farmington, whom he talked to about the job. He felt it would be an ideal fit for him. 

He graduated in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in public administration and continued his education at the University of Michigan, where he earned a master’s in the same field.

Vick is familiar with the Pointes, having grown up in the Park, Woods and Farms, so when the opportunity to work here came up, he took it.

“I was the assistant to the city manager in Grosse Pointe for 10 years,” said Vick. “Some of the day-to-day operations included solving personnel matters (such as) grievances and code enforcement.”

He held that job from 1995 to 2005, when he left to become the city administrator of DeWitt, a small mid-Michigan community.

“I was attracted to that position because it was near Lansing and I could be close to football tailgating,” Vick said. During that time, his wife had also gone back to school so it was a good fit for the family. read more...

Coyotes prove tough to eradicate;
animals are spotted regularly in area

After months spent trying to eradicate them, coyotes appear to still have a strong presence in Grosse Pointe Shores and surrounding areas.

Anecdotal sightings of the animals are common, usually late at night, and a police report in the Shores last month indicated a resident saw one attack and kill a cat.

Woods resident David Damore said he spotted several coyotes near the Lochmoor Country Club golf course earlier in the year, and started tracking them on a Google Map. (See below.) read more...