A voter makes his selections in a past election in Southfield
By: Kathryn Pentiuk | Southfield Sun | Published October 12, 2023
SOUTHFIELD — In addition to the election of new city council members in Southfield and Lathrup Village, Southfield voters will also find two charter amendment proposals on the ballot Nov. 7.
One amendment would change the city treasurer from an elected to an appointed position, and the other would change the city clerk from an elected to an appointed position.
“The City Council unanimously voted to put this on the ballot for November. And it was a business decision. I support it as mayor. I think it’s time; 85% of Michigan communities appoint their city clerk and their city treasurer. Southfield is the only community in Oakland County that has an elected clerk and treasurer,” Mayor Kenson Siver said. “The only requirements by city charter are that you live in Southfield for at least a year and that you are a registered voter.” Siver explained that the jobs of the city clerk and city treasurer have become much more complicated than when the city charter was written in 1958. “Anybody just can’t walk in and do the job.”
The proposed charter amendments appear on the ballot a year after the former Southfield city clerk, Sherikia Hawkins, resigned from her position following her plea agreement that dismissed five of the six felony counts related to fraud charges in the 2018 general election. Hawkins pleaded “no contest” to misconduct in office, which is an offense punishable by up to five years and/or a $10,000 fine.
According to the city of Southfield’s Proposed Charter Amendments Fact Sheet, appointed clerks and treasurers will be required to meet minimum standard criteria and qualifications, such as experience, as set by the city administrator and will operate as other city departments, reporting to administration. They would be subject to performance reviews and could be terminated for unsatisfactory job performance and removed for cause, including for misconduct in office or neglect of duties. Their qualifications, job descriptions, and wages/benefits, including all statutory responsibilities and any additional responsibilities, would be established by the City Council. Candidates would be vetted and appointed by the city administrator, with the City Council’s confirmation.
However, elected clerks and treasurers are only accountable directly to the voters and are only required to be residents of the city of Southfield and a registered voter. Currently, they can only be removed from office by the governor or a voter recall. They can’t be required to hold office hours, attend training or obtain qualifications, if not specified by state law.
Current city clerk candidate Janet Jackson, who will appear on the November ballot with candidate Gabi Grossbard, spoke against the charter amendments.
“This answer could seem self-serving, and I don’t want to go into a clerk’s position looking like I’m being self-serving when the clerk is really, really supposed to be unbiased in their activities. But this position has been an elected position since its inception. And I don’t think it should change now. I think that the voters will have the opportunity to decide on Nov. 7, and what their will is how we will go forward. But I feel that it’s great that the voters have an opportunity to decide.”
Grossbard was still deciding on the amendment.
“I’ve listened to both sides, and both sides really make a good argument for why to vote for it and why to vote against it. To me, there’s no perfect solution. I was at a forum the other week where the people saying that you should vote ‘no,’ they don’t see any pluses to the side that says ‘yes.’ And the people who say ‘yes’ are saying that they don’t see any pluses to the side who says ‘no.’ I happen to see pluses on both sides and negatives on both sides. Which is why, ultimately, I’m still contemplating, and I haven’t decided which way I’m going to vote on this.”
On Aug. 8, Jackson, an Oakland County commissioner and AT&T administrator, 62, led with 5,474 votes, or 65.87%. Grossbard, a licensed Medicare specialist, 50, came in second with 14.42% of the vote. Turnout for the contest was 18.01%, with 22,224 votes cast of the 123,425 registered voters. The candidates competed to advance to the November ballot for a term ending Nov. 17, 2025.
Grossbard said he eagerly awaits November with the goal of applying his unique background of owning and operating an auto repair shop to the role of Southfield’s new city clerk.
“Clearly, it would be best if the name on the ballot had previous clerk experience. But that’s not the reality. So we have to look for what is the next best thing. So to see what would fit best, we need to look to see what the clerk position does,” Grossbard said. “The clerk position runs a staff. The responsibilities are record keeping, filing paperwork, being meticulous, customer service, being timely, efficient and being transparent. And being able to answer as a business owner, one goes through a lot of similar things.”
He said that the similarities between the city clerk position and his prior experience include creating a positive environment that prioritizes customer service and the employee experience, and keeping paperwork, reports and licenses organized.
Grossbard emphasized that his goals include a strong focus on customer service, the processing of documents in a timelier manner, the ability for residents to get their passports at the Clerk’s Office rather than the post office, and overall transparency with the community and the Clerk’s Office.
Grossbard hopes for a “seamless transition into the position that builds upon the foundation of the current city Clerk’s Office.”
Jackson’s goals also align with a more customer service-focused atmosphere in the Clerk’s Office. She also advocates for efficiency and innovation, specifically when it comes to implementing technology to enhance services and streamline systems. She explained that working as a county commissioner for 14 years, she’s seen many changes and enhancements within her work environment utilizing new technology. Though some people are apprehensive about changing operations at first, she’s noticed the positive impact that new programs have had on helping people do their jobs more efficiently.
“I just want to see, when I go into this office, how much of it is surrounded with technology and what processes that could be improved.”
Drawing from her experience in administration, Jackson explained that she feels that she’s learned to work “in ever-changing workplaces,” and the soft skills she has allow her to come in with a keen eye to learn the operations first before she begins making suggestions on how things can be done differently.
Jackson said the Clerk’s Office has an opportunity to work with residents more closely; one example is through community involvement to increase voter participation and uphold the Voting Rights Act.
“I’m familiar with several groups that already do voter engagement activities that we could help increase. I feel as though we can work with the schools a lot better, because election day workers can assume those positions at 16 years of age. So we have an opportunity to engage young folks by marketing the voting process to our young people in high school.”
For more information regarding the primary election and upcoming general election, visit oakgov.com/government/clerk-register-of-deeds/elections-voting. To access the Southfield Proposed Charter Amendments Fact Sheet, visit cityofsouthfield.com/news/city-southfield-proposed-charter-amendments-fact-sheet.