The Plymouth Township Primary Has Huge Implications For Residents

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It is the day before the Plymouth Township primary. The campaign has been the dirtiest I have ever witnessed in a local election. There are a few candidates who have engaged in absolutely shameful and unethical acts. Incumbents are nervous, and with good reason. Nobody trusts them anymore.

The relationship between the Plymouth Township Board of Trustees, and the residents that they were elected to serve is fractured. It is dysfunctional in every way you can imagine. All it takes is a visit to one of the Plymouth Township Board of Trustees meetings to become painfully aware of this fact.

I have actually likened Plymouth Township, under the current leadership, to Hazzard County, of Dukes of Hazzard fame. Although I have yet to see the General Lee, I can identify the three main troublemakers.

Boss Hogg:

One would naturally think that "Boss Hogg" would be Supervisor Richard Reaume, but I think differently. The "Boss Hogg" of Plymouth Township is most definitely Treasurer Ron Edwards. He is the ringleader of this trio. He is the bully, the puppet master. Ron Edwards calls the shots, and if you get in his way, he will steamroll you.

I have studied this man for awhile, and it is evident to me that he takes great pleasure in confrontations with those who dare stand up to him. He considers taking people down a sport, much like others would consider hunting a sport. Some folks go deer hunting, Big Ron goes head hunting. I have watched him at meetings, and he actually smiles while he eviscerates those who dare to disagree with him.

The evidence is overwhelming, it is almost beyond comprehension how this man has managed to stay in office so long with his history. It is a history full of bullying, as in the infamous 911 call, and the assault controversy involving Clerk Joe Bridgeman, who was doing nothing more than following the law in his role as Plymouth Township Clerk.

There is the apparently botched land purchase of the DeHoCo Property that is now involving the City of Detroit, and may even lead to Plymouth losing the land that they spent roughly $600,000 to buy.

There is evidence that he used his position to exact revenge on at least one business person, when he lost a small claims lawsuit for non-payment. There are also the two lawsuits against the man, that taxpayer money had to pay to settle. The evidence is overwhelming. Ron Edwards is Plymouth Township's "Boss Hogg."

Roscoe P. Coltrane:

Even though Richard Reaume is the Plymouth Township Supervisor, even though he is the supposed leader of this Board of Trustees, and even though he chairs the meetings, he is nothing more than the evil Sheriff. Just as Boss Hogg gives Roscoe his marching orders, Ron Edwards gives Richard Reaume his marching orders.

Let's go back to the time when Mr. Edwards, having been elected to a 4 year term by the voters, was shopping his services to the city of Warren. This is like a player who signs a 4 year contract with the Wings, and 2 years into the contract, he decides he wants to be a free agent. I, along with all other Red Wing fans, would be calling that player a traitor. Mr. Edwards never thought he would be caught. He thought it would stay under the radar.

When the city of Warren turned him down, they couldn't get in touch with him, so they sent a letter to the Charter Township of Plymouth. As per policy, Mr. Bridgeman was obligated to make this letter available to the Board, which made it public information.

This infuriated Mr. Edwards to the point of an alleged physical confrontation right in the Plymouth Township Hall. WDIV reported on this matter, and ultimately Mr. Edwards escaped charges.

This put a target on Mr. Bridgeman's back, and Mr. Ron Edwards gave his Sheriff, Richard Reaume his marching orders. Destroy this man any way you can. Mr. Reaume proceeded to pen multiple letters sent out to Township voters chastising Mr. Bridgeman. His first letter to the voters turned out, after my fact checking, to be full of misinformation, and one of the accusations was actually, an out and out lie.

None of that deterred Mr. Reaume in any way, because he has no opponent in this Primary. So basically, Mr. Reaume has been able to have a free hand, with no worries regarding the electorate, to do Ron (Boss Hogg) Edwards bidding. Mr. Edwards says write a letter, Richard Reaume complies, Mr. Edwards says endorse this candidate to beat Mr. Bridgeman, Mr. Reaume does it. Mr. Edwards says jump, well, you get the point. Richard Reaume, is Plymouth Township's "Roscoe P. Coltrane."

Enos Strate (The Bumbling Deputy)

Poor Bob Doroshewitz. He is reduced to being Enos, the bumbling deputy to the more powerful tandem of Boss Hogg and Roscoe P. Coltrane. Mr. Doroshewitz has a proclivity to be the bumbling board member, as well as a bungling candidate, but unlike the sometimes likable Enos, there is nothing to like about Mr. Doroshewitz.

Mr. Doroshewitz is very compliant to Mr. Edwards though. In Mr. Edwards pursuit of the Clerk's Office, he has used Mr. Doroshewitz as one of his assassins. This was evidenced in the thinly veiled accusations made about the character of Mr. Bridgeman at a June Board of Trustees meeting. He also made an absolutely bizarre motion trying to usurp the Clerk's Office power to run the Township elections. The matter ended strangely because not one of his colleagues was stupid enough to support his resolution, leaving the motion to die an inglorious death.

It should be noted that after an exhausting search of the Township's web site, less than one motion per year for the last 10 years has ever died for lack of support. A hundred or more motions a year, and less than one per year dies for lack of support because it cannot get even one person to support it. Pretty funny huh? Not really. Pretty pathetic would be a better description.

This was nothing more than a clumsy attempt at political gamesmanship, that ended up making Mr. Doroshewitz look very vindictive and mean spirited. Kind of like his (cough) colleague on this board, Mr. Edwards.

Another lowlight for Mr. Doroshewitz is his debacle at the league of Woman Voters candidate forum. Remember the League of Women Voters candidate forum? The one that Roscoe er Richard Reaume tried to prevent? Told them they couldn't have one? Claimed there was a policy? Then when he found out that his own lawyer ok'd it, decided to create a policy at the last minute? Then when just about everybody within a hundred miles was outraged over this, he canceled his "very special meeting" of the board at the last possible second? Ya! That League of Women Voters forum!

Well everything was going good, and we were down to the last words by the last candidate, who just happened to be Mr. Robert Doroshewitz (Door-shev-its). So what does Enos er Robert Doroshewitz do? He tramples all over the rules, in a completely unethical personal attack on another candidate. With his golden chance to have the last word, the moderator ends up with the last words, and those two words were "shut up" or "quit talking" or something like that. After the bizarre ending, Jennifer Mann had some last words for Mr. Doroshewitz as well, and I am guessing that they were rather pointed.

Mr. Doroshewitz also had to apologize for his bumbling behavior to the Plymouth Observer, actually admitting that he knew as the words were coming out of his mouth, that he was making a big mistake. So why didn't you just shut your mouth then Mr. Doroshewitz?

Bumbling? Yes. Likable? Not so much.

Every time Mr. Doroshewitz tries to act cool, he ends up looking like the fool, and THAT is why Mr. Robert Doroshewitz is Plymouth Township's "Enos Strate."

There you have it. Plymouth Township's version of the Dukes of Hazzard villains. This would be funny, almost hilarious, if it were not so embarrassing. These three men are an embarrassment to Plymouth Township. I have talked to a couple other elected officials in neighboring communities, and they are laughing at us. Literally laughing at Plymouth Township. They do not understand how these guys keep getting reelected. One even told me that the people of Plymouth Township are getting exactly what they deserve, by continually electing these men. That person is right, and it's embarrassing.

It's embarrassing to all those who go about their business in an ethical and civil manner. It's embarrassing to the first responders who put their lives on the line everyday, only to be treated like dirt in contract negotiations, and publicly berated because some big shot elected official couldn't get out of the fireworks as fast as he felt someone of his stature should.

The bad press is embarrassing, the snickers from other public officials is embarrassing, and to borrow a phrase right from Ron Edwards own mouth, "it needs to stop, we are better than that." Mr. Edwards was talking about something entirely different though.

He was talking about people sending political ads that are critical of his record. The thing is, I have looked at them, and I have yet to see anything that is not true. He just doesn't like the light of day being shined on his behavior. The behavior of a bully.

A quick word about Nancy Conzelman. Just the facts. Nancy Conzelman is running for Plymouth Township Clerk. She wants us voters to hand her a job that pays in the neighborhood of a hundred thousand dollars a year. She was handpicked by Ron Edwards, and by extension, Richard Reaume, to unseat the man Mr. Edwards rages against.

The interesting tidbits most folks don't know about her, are that her husband, Mr. Steve O'Conner currently sits on the currently 4 (should be 5) person Plymouth Township Compensation Committee. People probably don't know this because they have different last names for whatever reason.

His term runs through 2014. The Compensation Committee is appointed by the Board of Trustees, and they recommend the salaries for the elected Board of Trustees. The only way to overrule their recommendation is by a resolution with 2/3 super majority vote of the Board.

So, Richard Reaume writes multiple letters of endorsement for Nancy Conzelman, even though her husband sits on the board that sets his salary? Hmmmm

Richard Reaume doubled down on this support by actually donating $500 to her campaign. Does this sound strangely like the soon to crumble Robert Ficano political machine?

Nancy Conzelman, for her part, refused to participate in the League of Women Voters candidate forum. I am pretty sure that she did this on the advice (or orders) of Mr. Edwards & Mr. Reaume, in order to remove any chance Mr. Bridgeman would have for making his case for reelection. It was a rotten thing to do by all involved.

Nancy has also refused to respond to simple, generic candidate response forms the Patch and the League of Women Voters sent out to her. Nancy Conzelman, who has no experience whatsoever in the duties she would be expected to perform as Clerk, has run a stealth candidacy.

She announced her intention of running for public office, then crawled under the nearest rock, content to let Richard Reaume run her campaign for her. Her behavior is foolish and arrogant, but I suspect she is just following the marching orders she was given by the dynamic duo of Rich/Ron.

Nancy: If you want the taxpayers to give you a job that pays six figures, you have to show up for the darn interview! NOBODY with any sense at all, hands a six figure job to a candidate who refuses to show up for the interview for cripes sake!

So there you have it. My last blog before the election. Many have challenged my opinions, and that is great, but not one person has ever challenged my facts. Not one candidate or incumbent have challenged the facts I have stated in the many blogs concerning this election.

Mr. Edwards has not challenged one fact.

Mr. Reaume has not challenged one fact.

Mr. Doroshewitz actually challenged my opinions once in a reply to my blog, but then he quickly deleted his words. This man just cracks me up. Enos Strate.

In Plymouth Township, the Primary decides a lot of things. It is generally a Republican leaning Township, and all of the incumbents are declared Republicans. If you want to see change on the Board of Trustees, you're chance is Tuesday, August 7th. That is the day change can occur.

If you want to see change, and decide to wait until the general election to vote, you will have waited too long.

The people of Plymouth Township deserve better government than what we are currently getting, but in the end, we will get the government we deserve...