A Triangle of Nepotism or Just Crony Politics?

The required disclaimer:  I am a blogger, not a reporter.  I write my opinions, and they are my own and not representative of the views of Patch or its employees.  I do not work for, nor am I paid any compensation by Patch.

Nancy Conzelman is Plymouth Township's new Clerk. She won the election, and she also withstood a recount. She actually gained some votes in said recount, so her final margin of victory was 15 votes. These are the facts, and it is time to move on.

There are also some other facts that are probably a little less comfortable for Myth Nancy, and I'll share them with you. What? You want to know why I call her Myth Nancy? Well, I can explain that real quick.

Myth Nancy declared herself as a candidate for public office, and then basically went into seclusion.

She never showed up for Plymouth Township Board Meetings.

She acknowledged her receipt of Patch's candidate response questionaire, but never actually bothered to answer any of the questions, like the other candidates did.

She was a no-show at the League of Women Voters candidate forum.

So, based on the fact that I have attended pretty much everything that the candidates attend, and never once laid eyes on her, she became pretty much a myth to me. I knew her name, because she had Township Supervisor Richard Reaume send a letter to me endorsing her, but I never had the chance to meet the woman who would be my Clerk.

I really wanted to meet her before I had a chance to vote, too. I had a question or two for her. I wanted to know if she had fact checked the letter that Mr. Reaume wrote. I wanted to know if she had apologized to her opponent for the untruths it contained about him.  

Sadly, I was never able to ask these questions, because she was nowhere to be found.

Declared for public office, and then vanished into thin air. Poof! Gone!

So that is why I call her Myth Nancy. That name is gone, however, because now that she has won the election, I suddenly see her at the Board of Trustee meetings, and once she actually takes her seat, and becomes my employee, I will be able to ask her questions anytime I feel the need.

One of the first questions I will ask her is how does she reconcile the fact that her campaign received money and an endorsement from Mr. Reaume, when her husband, Mr. Steve O'Conner sat on a very important Commission in Plymouth Township?

What? You want to know what Commission Mr. O'Conner sat on, and why this is so important?  I can answer that question.

Mr. Steve O'Conner, who is the husband of Nancy Conzelman (No, I don't know why they do not share the same last name) sat on the Plymouth Township Compensation Commission.

The Plymouth Township Compensation Commission is a five-member Commission appointed by the Township Board. Their terms are staggered from 1 to 5 years.

The Compensation Commission recommends salaries for the Township elected officials.

Their determination shall be the salary unless the Township Board by Resolution adopted by two-thirds of the Board of Trustee members rejects the determination.

So let's review.

Mr. O'Conner, who is Nancy Conzelman's husband with a different name, sits on the Compensation Commission that has been making recommendations on Mr. Reaume's salary, and suddenly, Mr. Reaume is donating to Mr. O'Conner's wife's campaign, and writing letters endorsing her to a six figure job.   

It should be noted that not one person donated more money to Nancy Conzelman's campaign than Plymouth Township Supervisor Richard Reaume.

Is this what we can call rewarding your friends? Pretty sure it is. Were they friends before Mr. O'Conner was appointed to the Compensation Commission? I do not know the answer to that question, but I do know a person they were friends with, and that is Plymouth Township Trustee, Mr. Robert J. Doroshewitz.

Yes, the Conzelman/O'Conners are friends with Bobby & Tammy Apple Doroshewitz. They are neighbors, and even nicer, they are also Facebook friends. Well, at least Bobby and Nancy are Facebook friends. So how cozy is that? Facebook friends. Neighbors. Compensation Commission. Six figure salary. Reward your friends. Nepotism.

Definition of Nepotism: Favoritism shown by somebody in power to relatives and friends, especially in appointing them to good positions.  

Based on the definition of nepotism, one can easily make the case that Mr. Steve O'Conner benefited from nepotism, and one can just as easily make the case that Nancy Conzelman benefited as well.  It doesn't take a genius to figure this stuff out, it just takes a little time to dig up these inconvenient truths.

This reeks of the type of crony politics that we see daily from the Ficano administration in Wayne County, and it is happening right here in sleepy little Plymouth Township.

It makes one wonder how Nancy Conzelman will repay these favors? I do not know the answer to that question yet, but I will be watching with baited breath to see who she appoints as her Deputy Clerk.

Nancy, you can keep hiding until the day you take office, but when that day comes, you will have to answer the questions of the taxpayers. They are the ones who will be paying you that six-figure salary. These folks are your employers.

Mr. O'Conner, I want your resignation on Mr. Reaume's desk, and it had better happen before your wife takes her six-figure seat...