As a candidate running for Springfield Township supervisor, Danny O’Neill is concerned about the challenges ahead.
The impending retirement of the current supervisor and clerk coupled with the same fiscal burdens facing communities across the state leave the township with some difficult choices, he said.
‘I’m very concerned with the future of our township,? he said, noting he’s a lifelong resident of the area. ‘We should run our township more like a business, and with my many business experiences I believe I’m the most viable candidate.?
Qualifications, he said, include previous experience managing ‘entire departments of small, medium large businesses.?
O’Neill, 43, currently works nights at Pepsi Bottling Group in Pontiac, where he’s been employed since 2005.
‘I’m just an assistant manager of the warehouse right now,? he said. ‘I roughly oversee 2 dozen employees, receiving and shipping over six million cases per year. I do forecasting, payroll, and help update inventories so my boss knows exactly what to order.?
Previous to Pepsi, O’Neill worked from 1995-2005 as an administrative assistant, billing department analyst and manager of collection department at Clarkston Medical Group and Clarkston Ambulatory Care Center.
From 1991-1995, he worked in Ortonville as a loader/operator, sales representative and assistant office manager at Harrison Hoe Excavating.
Over the next several years, O’Neill said, the township is looking at rising costs while watching an overall decrease in the budget.
‘All options must be on the table,? he said. ‘I’ll be one of seven members voting for what I believe is best for our short term and long term prosperity.?
Along with acknowledging and addressing the township’s fiscal challenges, O’Neill listed the following among his priorities:
‘More transparency in government: Putting township contracts, budgets and other documents on the township website, he said, will help create a more active citizenry.
‘Citizens may or may not realize the problems we’re facing,? he said. ‘Nor do they seem to have an avenue to come to the meetings to speak.?
‘Protection of property owners? rights: ‘property owners rights are very near and dear to my family, above just about everything else,? he said. ‘We need to maintain and preserve our pristine rural heritage without infringing on property owners rights. That is something I will fight strongly for and feel strongly about.?
The issue of property owners rights may have been one of the forces that drew him into the supervisor’s race.
Several members of O’Neill’s family spoke out against recent rezoning proposals they said would devalue property. While all conflicts have now been settled, the issue, for some, stirred up worries about the possibility of future rezoning.
‘Because my brother-in-law went to all the (zoning) meetings’he started to establish a friendship with Marc Cooper,? O’Neill said, referring to a township trustee.
?(My brother-in-law Len Gorz) introduced me to (Cooper) when I was informed both the clerk and supervisor were retiring. We formed a committee of three and we decided if we were going to run, let’s not rule out running on the same platform and issues of property owners rights, transparency in government and also acknowledge and address a decreasing budget.?
With the forecasted budget woes, he said, the township should consider fire and police services a top priority. While the fire fund is in good shape, O’Neill expressed concern over contract costs with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
Increasing costs could render the township unable to continue paying to have a detective on staff to investigate cases.
‘That person may or may not be the first one on the chopping block,? he said. ‘The very last resort would be to cut police the second to last would be another police millage.?
Although O’Neill doesn’t see the supervisor’s job as a part-time position, he said he was not opposed to ‘decreasing permissive duties in accordance with decreasing salaries, potentially.?
But, he said, it’s a decision that will require some time on the job to learn the ropes before a determination can be made.
‘I would not rule out lessening my salary based on duties, and stay at Pepsi,? he said. ‘But unfortunately, the supervisor’s position is the least likely to be less than fulltime, and it would never be part-time.?
Although he was open to a decrease in salary and duties for the supervisor, clerk and treasurer, O’Neill said he didn’t see a need to hire a township manager to fill the gap.
‘It seems township of our size does not have a great need for it,? he said, noting he would leave other officials to decide their own hours and duties.
‘We’re only 15,000 residents with a 5 million-dollar budget. For a township of our scale, the manager-type almost seems to backfire, cost money and create a whole new level of bureaucracy.?
An alternative, he said, would be cross-training so the supervisor, clerk and treasurer and other staff members could help out during peak times in other offices.
‘As supervisor I would not be opposed to being learned how to answer questions for the clerk and treasurer’s office,? he said.
O’Neill coaches little league baseball, volunteers for Lighthouse and SCAMP, as well as at Springfield Plains Elementary, where his children attend school.
O’Neill and his wife Karyn have been married 12 years. The couple has one daughter, Emilie, 9, and Riley, 7.
Primary election is set for Aug. 5. Springfield Township Board’s seven seats are all up for a vote, with 16 candidates running for a seat. See Clarkstonnews.com for candidate profiles.