David Goldberg was elected to be the new council president for the village of Franklin this past November. Goldberg was previously a trustee on the Franklin Village Council.
By: Mary Genson | Birmingham-Bloomfield Eagle | Published February 17, 2025
BIRMINGHAM — Franklin Village Council President David Goldberg was elected to his position this past November.
Goldberg brings a well-rounded perspective to his role, as aside from living in the village for an extensive period of time, he also has experience at the local government level.
In addition, he has ambitious career experience that can help him in his position.
Goldberg has been coming to Franklin since he was a child. His family moved to the Birmingham Farms subdivision when he was 7 years old and growing up, he spent a lot of time in Franklin.
In 1999, Goldberg and his wife, Courtney, moved to Franklin when their second child was born.
They now have three children, Rachel, 27, Jake, 25, and Paige, 20. All three children were raised in Franklin and his two daughters were active in Franklin’s softball league.
Around 2005, he became involved in local government. At the time, he was building a house and spent some time addressing ordinance issues with the Franklin Village Planning Commission. After that experience, he decided to try to get involved.
His first volunteer position with the village was as a liaison for the village of Franklin on the Birmingham Area Cable Board. Then, he was on the Franklin Village Planning Commission for 15 years, serving as chair for the last 10.
In February of 2022, Goldberg was appointed to the Franklin Village Council. That term ended in November of that same year after he was elected to be a trustee for a four-year term.
When William Lamott, Franklin’s former council president, decided not to run again, Goldberg resigned from his previous trustee position and ran for president. He was elected for a four-year term, which he recently began.
“I think he will be good and continue to emphasize issues that I felt were important, so I feel comfortable with the way it’s going,” Lamott said.
Given that Goldberg has been a trustee for the last three years, his transition to president has not required much settling in.
He is aware of issues pertaining to the village, and Franklin’s focus has been on settling in the new new chief of police, along with the new village administrator and three new trustees on the Franklin Village Council.
Some of the council’s top priorities this year include addressing budgetary concerns, flood control and stormwater management, sidewalks, and improving communication between the village and residents.
Outside of his work with local government, Goldberg is a practicing attorney. His main areas of practice are real estate and land use. Due to the experience he gained from his career, Goldberg said the setting of local government meetings are very comfortable to him.
“Being a land-use attorney, I have been going to planning commission meetings and council meetings and presenting to local governments for my entire career,” Goldberg said.
Goldberg is also a licensed real estate broker, with a real estate brokerage company. He is also a licensed builder and certified Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy storm water management operator. However, he does not currently practice in those areas.
He said the village is working toward putting aside money to enhance amenities and increasing connectivity.
“We are definitely looking forward to the next couple years of some positive transition downtown,” Goldberg said.