Oakland County Commissioners Honor Departing Colleagues

Board Honors Colleagues for Years of Service on County Commission

The Oakland County Board of Commissioners honored the public service of departing colleagues Commissioners Tom J. Berman, David E.S. Bowman, Hugh D. Crawford, Bill Dwyer, Wade Fleming, and Doug Tietz. Each of the commissioners received a proclamation and special plaque from the Board of Commissioners recognizing their service to their districts and to the people of Oakland County on December 6.

“It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve with these hardworking individuals,” said Board Chairman Michael J. Gingell. “Each one has proven themselves dedicated to their communities and deserving of recognition for their public service. On behalf of the Board, I thank them for their commitment and contributions as commissioners, and wish them all the best in their future endeavors.”

Commissioner Tom J. Berman (R-Keego Harbor, District 5) has served on the Board of Commissioners since January 2017, representing the cities of Keego Harbor, Orchard Lake Village and Sylvan Lake, as well as portions of the townships of Waterford and West Bloomfield. Commissioner Berman served on the Planning & Building and Public Services Committees, as well as the Board’s Study Group on Gun Violence. He co-chaired the bipartisan Ad-Hoc Committee on Election Infrastructure and was a vocal advocate of improving the local election system to avoid the issues experienced at the polls in the 2018 primary and to ensure that every Oakland County voter has their voice heard.

Commissioner David E.S. Bowman (D-Pontiac, District 10) has served on the Board of Commissioners since January 2015, representing the City of Pontiac. Commissioner Bowman served on the Human Resources, Economic Development & Community Affairs (EDCA) and Planning & Building Committees. He also served on the Job Evaluation Review Panel and the Community Development Citizens Advisory Council. Commissioner Bowman consistently demonstrated his commitment to the Pontiac community, always taking the time to recognize the special contributions and achievements of local citizens, churches and organizations. He was also a strong supporter of social and economic programs that he believed would best serve his constituents and community.

Commissioner Hugh D. Crawford (R-Novi, District 9) served on the Board of Commissioners from 2001 to 2008, including service as vice chairman from 2005 to 2008, before being elected to the Michigan House of Representatives. After serving as state representative, he returned to the Board in January 2015 and represented the cities of Northville and Novi, as well as Novi Township. Commissioner Crawford served on the Finance Committee and as vice chair of both the Planning & Building Committee and the Audit Subcommittee. He chaired the Legislative Ad Hoc and Coordinated Zoning Committees, as well as the Sanitary Code of Appeals Board and Airport Committee. During his many years in public service, he has proven himself a committed advocate for parks and lakes.

Commissioner Bill Dwyer (R-Farmington Hills, District 14) has served on the Board of Commissioners since January 2011, representing the villages of Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms and Franklin, Southfield Township, the City of Farmington and portions of the City of Farmington Hills. Commissioner Dwyer served on the Planning & Building and Legislative Committees, and chaired the Public Services Committee. He also chaired the bipartisan Study Group on Gun Violence, where his more than 40 years of distinguished service in law enforcement proved an invaluable asset to their work. Under his leadership, the Study Group established an annual gun safety lock giveaway that has provided thousands of free trigger locks to Oakland County residents and the Lock-It-Up-Oakland initiative, which provides discounts on safe storage devices to program participants. Commissioner Dwyer has helped make Oakland County safer for all residents through his contributions to these efforts, which encourage responsible gun ownership as an important means of preventing violence, suicide and tragic accidents. After his retirement from the Board, Commissioner Dwyer will remain in his current position as police commissioner for the City of Warren, and will continue to build on a long and successful career in public service.

Commissioner Wade Fleming (R-Troy, District 16) has served on the Board of Commissioners since January 2015, representing the City of Clawson and portions of the cities of Royal Oak and Troy. Commissioner Fleming served on the Finance and Economic Development & Community Affairs Committees, and served as vice chair of the General Government Committee. He chaired the Coordinated Zoning Committee and was vice chair of the Oakland County Community Home Improvement Citizens Advisory Council. Commissioner Fleming also served as chair of the subcommittees for the Board’s innovative School Drinking Water Station Program and its Local Road Improvement Program (LRIP) and was integral to the success of both these important initiatives. The School Drinking Water Station Program put hundreds of new, state-of-the-art drinking water stations into schools across Oakland County and LRIP provided millions of dollars in county matching funds to help communities repair and improve local roads.

Commissioner Doug Tietz (R-Troy, District 11) has served on the Board of Commissioners since January 2015, representing portions of the cities of Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills and Troy. Commissioner Tietz served on the Planning & Building and Public Services Committees. During his tenure, Commissioner Tietz has always advocated the importance of prioritizing roads and was a vocal supporter of the Board’s Local Road Improvement Program (LRIP).

Chairman Michael J. Gingell (R-Lake Orion) was also honored at the board meeting. He was presented with the chairman’s gavel, which the Board retired in recognition of his exemplary service and because he is the longest serving chairman (2011-2018) in the history of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners. Two other special honorees this morning were Commissioner Thomas F. Middleton (R-Clarkston) and Commissioner Christine Long (R-Commerce Township), who were both recognized for their service as chairs of the Finance Committee and General Government Committee, respectively. Commissioner Middleton has served as chair of the Finance Committee for the past decade. When he was presented with his retired gavel, he received bipartisan accolades for his leadership, thoughtfulness and dedication while serving in that role. Although she was unable to attend the board meeting, Commissioner Long was recognized by her colleagues for her 13 years of dedicated service as chair of the General Government Committee.

The members of the 2019-2020 Oakland County Board of Commissioners will be sworn in on January 9, 2019 at the Inaugural Ceremony, which takes place during the first full board meeting of the new term. More information about the Board of Commissioners is available at www.oakgov.com/boc or by calling 248-858-0100.