Politics & Government

Election 2012: Joe Bridgman, Plymouth Township Clerk Candidate

Joe Bridgman is seeking re-election as Plymouth Township Clerk.

Joe Bridgman

Office sought: Plymouth Township clerk
Party affiliation: Republican
Age: 46
Spouse/kids?: Wife Susan of 22 years and two kids, Alexander, 15, and Sydney, 8
How long have you been a resident of the township?: 16 years
What is your prior political experience?: I have served as a Republican precinct delegate for the past twelve years and as a board member of the Wayne 11th Republican Committee for the past three years. I won the election as the Republican candidate for Township Clerk in 2008.
What is your prior professional experience?: I’ve worked in the Plymouth Township Clerk’s office for nearly ten years; serving the first five and half as Deputy Clerk and the rest as Township Clerk. I have also gained experience in my profession through service as a Director of the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks and the Treasurer for the Association of Wayne County Clerks. Additionally, I take great pride in earning my designations as a Certified Municipal Clerk and a Master Municipal Clerk from the International Association of Municipal Clerks.
What made you decide to seek re-election?: I am seeking re-election because I want to continue serving the community I’ve called home for the past sixteen years. Over the past four years I’ve made great strides to increase transparency, efficiency, and accountability in our Township; I want to continue serving to further these efforts. I enjoy contributing to our community and see it as an honor to be able to serve my fellow residents.
What issues do you see affecting the township?: The potential reduction of Township services is something that will be affecting the residents in the foreseeable future. An additional issue is the decreasing tax base of the commercial/industrial members of our community. While residential taxable values have increased, commercial taxable values are going down from where it was four years ago;this problem is compounded by the increasing amount of tax appeals sought by these commercial/industrial landowners in our community. Lastly, the elimination of the Michigan Personal Property Tax  is something that looms on the horizon.
What is your plan to address those issues?: The Township needs to investigate the possibility of sharing/combining services with our neighbors. Regarding the issue of our commercial/industrial tax base, we have to work with our local business leaders to find solutions prior to their application to the Michigan Tax Tribunal. This could be done by negotiating the cost of appraisals, estimates and land-value beforethe appeal paperwork is filed. We must work with our State Senator and State Representative to ensure a reasonable replacement for the Personal Property Tax revenue.

Responses have not been edited. Are we omitting a candidate? If you are appearing on the ballot or actively running a write-in campaign, email john.mckay@patch.com.


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