Woodward will remain chair of Oakland County Board of Commissioners for 2021-2022 term
David Woodward ( DRoyal Oak) will remain chairman of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners for the 2021-2022 term, a position he has held since 2019. On Wednesday, the 21-member board of commissioners held their first meeting of the new term to be sworn in, amend and adopt the board rules, appoint members to leadership positions, and assign others to various board committee positions.
“Working together, this Board will do everything possible to get us all through this pandemic, and help our local small businesses recover,” said Woodward. “With this new term, we will take all necessary steps to protect the most vulnerable, keep our residents safe and lead Oakland County’s governing body to ensure future prosperity for everyone.”
The board also welcomes four new commissioners including Charlie Cavell (DFerndale), Yolanda Charles (D- Southfield) and Karen Joliat (R-Waterford Township) are new commissioners, and Chuck Moss (R-Birmingham), who also served as a county commissioner from 2000-2006.
In addition to Woodward retaining his position, the commissioners elected Marcia Gershenson (D-Bloomfield Township) to remain as board vice chair.
Other board leadership positions were also approved including Democratic and Republican Caucus chair and vice chairs. The board still holds its 1110 Democratic majority.
Republicans Michael Spisz (R- Oxford) and Michael Gingell ( R- Lake Orion) were elected by their GOP colleagues as caucus chair and chair while Democrats Kristen Nelson (DWaterford Township) and Janet Jackson ( D- Southfield) were elected caucus chair and vice chair by their fellow Democrats on the board.
“Each new term is exciting, as we meet and greet the new faces that we will be working closely with over the next two years,” said Spisz. “I welcome our new colleagues and look forward to working together with each of them as we come out of this pandemic and revitalize our county.”
As Democratic caucus chair, Nelson said she is committed to building a stronger, more resilient team as a Democratic majority.
“Our county executive has set a tone of civility and unity, and I plan to follow his lead in this new position,” she said. “The Democratic Caucus and Republican Caucus will inevitably have differences, but the door must always be open to seek common ground and solve problems.”
One of the new board rules involves the distribution of board and committee materials, including agendas and associated packet materials. These items must now be posted and distributed no less than 72 hours prior to the commencement of a board or committee meeting. In addition, all grant applications in excess of $50,000 must now be reviewed and approved in the form of a resolution by the board before it can be executed.
The following commissioners were sworn in to serve for the 2021-2022 term:
• District 1: Michael J. Gingell (R-Lake Orion)
• District 2: Bob Hoffman ( R-Highland Township)
• District 3: Michael Spisz (R- Oxford)
• District 4: Karen Joliat (R-Waterford Township)
• District 5: Kristen Nelson ( D-Waterford Township)
• District 6: Eileen T. Kowall (R-White Lake)
• District 7: Christine Long (R- Commerce Township)
• District 8: Philip J. Weipert (R-South Lyon)
• District 9: Gwen Markham (D-Novi)
• District 10: Angela Powell (D-Pontiac)
• District 11: Tom Kuhn (R-Troy)
• District 12: Chuck Moss (R-Birmingham)
• District 13: Marcia Gershenson (D-Bloomfield Township)
• District 14: William Miller (D-Farmington)
• District 15: Adam Kochenderfer (R-Rochester)
• District 16: Penny Luebs (D- Clawson)
• District 17: Yolanda Charles (D-Southfield)
• District 18: Charlie Cavell (D-Ferndale)
• District 19: David T. Woodward (D-Royal Oak)
• District 20: Gary R. McGillivray ( D- Madison Heights)
• District 21: Janet Jackson (D-Southfield)
Here are the 2021-2022 board standing committee assignments as approved by the board:
Economic Development and Infrastructure
• Miller, chair
• Charles, majority vice chair
• Weipert, minority vice chair
• Markham
• Cavell
• Spisz
Public Health and Safety
• Luebs, chair
• Powell, majority vice chair
• Hoffman, minority vice chair
• McGillivray
• Jackson
• Nelson
• Cavell
• Gingell
• Kuhn
Finance
• Markham, chair
• Cavell, majority vice chair
• Kowall, minority vice chair
• McGillivray
• Powell
• Charles
• Moss
• Long
Legislative Affairs and Government Operations
• Nelson, chair
• Gershenson, majority vice chair
• Kochenderfer, minority vice chair
• Jackson
• Luebs
• Joliat