Fiduciary obligation

From Dale Mahrle, West Bloomfield Township:

I am writing in support of West Bloomfield Supervisor Michele Economou Ureste and Trustee Steve Kaplan for using their personal funds to obtain a judicial opinion to reduce legal liability for the township. In my opinion, these two board members were successful and the public owes them a debt of gratitude. The press coverage regarding their declaratory action should have emphasized the ruling from the Oakland County Circuit Court that agrees with Ureste and Kaplan that it is not proper for a trustee to divert income earnings to a fund and not to pay taxes (on that income).

By supporting Trustee Larry Brown in his quest to avoid reporting his trustee income earnings, board members Trustee Gene Farber, Clerk Cathy Shaughnessy and Trustee Howard Rosenberg are as much to blame as Brown. Just like the issue of selecting Richfield as the new single waste hauler in 2009, Brown had a personal interest in the outcome and he should have sought to recuse himself from voting on the issue for the township not to issue him a W-2 tax form for his income earnings. As fiduciaries, Farber, Shaughnessy and Rosenberg have a duty to the township and the public, and not to their board ally, Brown.