Annual Report

On October 3, 2007, Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson hosted a salute to election workers who have served more than 25 years. This event was held in the Oakland County Board of Commissioner’s Auditorium. We are proud that Bloomfield Township had five election workers with a combined service of 165 years. Pictured below are: Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson, Doris Brannigan (33 years of service), Theresa Shea (33 years of service), Sue Hehs (27 years of service), Deputy Clerk Tina Barton, County Commissioner Marcia Gershenson, County Commissioner David Potts, and County Commissioner Karen Spector. (Not pictured are election worker Betty Clark (44 years of service) and election worker Virginia Whittington (28 years of service).

Earned certification as a Certified Municipal Clerk, March 2007
Elected Vice President, Oakland County Clerks Association
Appointed Director, Women Officials’ Network
President, Detroit Chapter, National Tooling & Machining Association
Immediate Past Chairperson, Small Business Association of Michigan

Michigan Township Association
$500 Academic Scholarship, August 2007

Appointed Chair of the Customer Service Task Force.
This group consists of 12 members who are responsible for working in conjunction with department heads and elected officials to implement customer service policies and coordinate employee programs.

Commendation from the American Red Cross for her efforts organizing blood drives held annually at the Township for the last five years.

Codified over 600 ordinances

In 2005, the Bloomfield Township Clerk’s Office took on the task of codifying over 600 ordinances. This was a 2-year process that involved reviewing all of the existing ordinances and their amendments. Every department in Bloomfield Township was engaged in the process, but the Clerk’s Office spearheaded the project. The end result is a Code of Ordinances that is codified, state law compliant, and available 24/7 on our website.

Users have the capability of searching for any topic within the code. All new ordinances are continually added to the site and are codified on a quarterly basis.

Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks’ Conference, June 26 – 28, 2007, Troy Marriott, Troy, Michigan

Clerks’ Educational Workshop, one-day seminar sponsored by Washtenaw, Oakland, and Wayne County Clerks in Canton, MI, December 6, 2007.

Conducted school elections for 4 school districts

2007 introduced a change in the voting process. The Michigan Supreme Court ruled on July 18, 2007 that a provision of Michigan election law which requires voters to either present picture identification or sign an affidavit if they do not have picture identification with them is constitutional and enforceable. While this requirement was originally enacted by the State Legislature in 1996, the requirement was never implemented due to a prior ruling issued through the Attorney General’s office.

New poll lists were also implemented that provided our workers with a label for every voter registered in their precinct. This label was then placed in the poll book. Previously, our workers had to write each voter’s name in the poll book. By switching to these labels, it allows the workers to process the voters more efficiently.

In May, our office conducted a school election for the Bloomfield Hills and the Pontiac School Districts. In November, we conducted an election for the Avondale and Birmingham School Districts.

On February 1, 2007, the Clerk’s Office hosted a luncheon at the Centerpointe Marriott Hotel. This luncheon provided recognition to 155 election inspectors who worked at least one of the three elections held in 2006. It was a grand affair that was attended by sponsors of the event, members of the Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees, and special guest speaker, Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson. The "Dream Girls" of the Clerk’s Office danced to James Brown’s "I Feel Good" hit song. It was felt by all that this was the proper sentiment to express given the many challenges that were faced during the 2006 election year.

Oversaw the processing of 442 requests

Issued 144 permits/licenses

The Clerk’s Office accepts and processes applications for various permits. In 2007, our office issued the following permits/licenses:

• 24-Hour Liquor License - Issued 31 licenses
• SDM/SDD Liquor License – Issued 1 license
• Wholesale Distributor Liquor License – Issued 1 license
• Raffles – Issued 3 licenses
• Auctions – Issued 9 licenses
• Solicitation – Issued 26 licenses, denied 5, and revoked 1
• Fireworks – Issued 5 Permits
• Right of Way – Issued 34 Permits
• Wetland – Issued 34 Permits for projects within wetland boundaries

Carol Miller organized and hosted blood drives on 08/29/07 & 12/26/07. Over 50 employees donated blood during their free time.

Special Assessment District (SAD) presented by Jan Roncelli
Howell Nature Center, Howell, MI, September 8, 2007

In 2005, the Bloomfield Township Clerk’s Office became a certified Passport Acceptance Agency. Since that time, we have accepted hundreds of passport applications. We also offer passport photos as a service. The fee is $10 per set of photos. You will find our staff to be knowledgeable about passport requirements. We attend classes annually provided by the United States Department of State to ensure that we have the most recent information available.

To obtain a passport for the first time, you may apply in the Clerk’s Office with two photographs of yourself, proof of U.S. citizenship, and a valid form of photo identification such as a driver’s license.

You can renew by mail if you meet the following requirements: Your most recent passport is available to submit and it is not damaged; you received the passport within the past 15 years; you were over age 16 when it was issued; you still have the same name, or can legally document your name change.

You can get a passport renewal application form by downloading it from the following website.

If your passport has been altered or damaged, you cannot apply by mail. You must apply in person.