Editor's Note: The following is the first part in a two-part story that focuses on outgoing Van Buren Township Supervisor Cindy King's career and accomplishments. Please see next week's edition for Part 2.
Advertisement
Van Buren Twp. Supervisor Cindy King has been involved at Van Buren Township for 26 years.
Looking back on more than a quarter of a decade of public service, King recalls her years of governmental involvement.
After coming to work for Van Buren Township as a senior in high school, she began as a co-op employee assigned initially to the Treasurer's Office and later transferred to the Clerk's Office in 1978.
Following graduation, she was hired full-time to reward her hard work and stayed at the Township until I resigned in Dec. 1984.
"At that time, I was the secretary to the Chief of Police. I then spent the next four years working: two years for Coca-Cola Bottlers of Detroit and two years working for Willow Run Community Schools which was another job I very much enjoyed by the way," King said.
"In 1988, a woman with whom I had worked at Van Buren, who had also resigned her employment, ran for township clerk and was elected."
Because of her former Township experience and their mutual regard for each other, she was appointed as Deputy Clerk.
"I served as Deputy Clerk from 1988 to 1992 when she chose not to seek reelection to the Clerk's position," King said.
"I then ran for Township Clerk in 1992 and 1996. In 2000, then Township Supervisor, Helen Foster, decided not to seek reelection and asked me to consider running.
"I decided to do so and ran in 2000 and was reelected in 2004."
King felt serving as Township Clerk and all her other work experience at the township hall helped her in transitioning to the Supervisor's position.
"However, it is much more challenging serving as supervisor than it was as clerk. I quickly learned that it is very different to be responsible for one department and have legislative duties as compared to serving as Township Supervisor and being the individual ultimately responsible for the operations of all departments and also performing one's duties as a legislator," she said.
"Without question, understanding basic municipal operations including how purchases are made, contracts crafted, development of ordinances, knowledge of local ordinances, etc. helped in performing my Supervisor duties."
With authority comes responsibility and challenges.
One of the biggest challenges is
The ongoing effort to educate the residents about why you make the decisions you do and the deliberation that you give in deciding upon a course of action and how that decision is be in their best interests," she said.
"A second will always be having the financial resources to provide the services, infrastructure and capital improvements needed based upon what the community wants."
King's work effort is tireless and exhausting. An eight-hour work day, five days a week is something King can't even remember.
"Serving as Township Supervisor is not a job really, it's more of a lifestyle. I work everyday, because as Supervisor you are never truly "off duty," she said.
"I take paperwork home every night and usually spend at least an hour or two either at night or first thing in the morning trying to keep up with my reading.
"It has been important to me to stay abreast of latest technologies, development trends, legal challenges to laws and ordinances in other communities."
The twice a month, televised, higher profile Board of Trustee meetings are merely a small part of the seemingly endless work schedule for King.
"The Township Board meets twice a month with two work study sessions before each Board meeting," she said. "I also serve on the township's LDFA and DDA which can meet monthly although that has not been the case lately."
In her role as Supervisor, she also is the chairwoman of the Conference of Western Wayne which meets monthly except during the summer months.
"Because of my involvement with CWW, I also serve on Wayne County 's Facility Inclusion Committee, a recommending body to the County on requests by companies who seek to operate waste treatment/landfill facilities within Wayne County and thus, must be accepted by the County into the County's Solid Waste Management Plan., sh esaid.
"We meet as needed. I also am Vice-Chairwoman of the Downriver Sewer System Joint Management Committee and have been on the Executive Committee since its inception in 2001.
That committee meets bi-monthly with the Executive Committee meeting bi-monthly prior to those meetings of the entire committee."
In addition, King serves on the Board of Directors of the Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority, the township's general liability insurance carrier that meets monthly.
"I also serve on their Audit and Marketing Committees who meet as needed. During the past few years, I have involved in several committees working on development of the Detroit Region Aerotropolis." She said.
"I am the only local official on the Executive Committee of the Aerotropolis."
King also serves on the Marketing Committee and on the Task Force.
"This project is one I care very much about and I hope to see the Detroit Region Aerotropolis come to fruition.
"Finally, I serve on the Van Buren Civic Fund who meets monthly," she said..
"Yes, all of this keeps me busy, but it benefits Van Buren as I have an ability to influence decisions, including legislative ones made at the State level that can impact our community.
"As you know, the township does not operate in isolation and County, State and Federal legislative bodies and their decisions do impact how local government provides services, receive financial support, etc."
King has accomplished a stunning array of projects in her term as Supervisor.
"Biggest achievements" somewhat translates to "legacy."
In addition to the caliber of the executive staff at township hall, I would add helping foster an image of Van Buren in which our community is respected throughout the region for our innovation in economic development through attracting such companies as Visteon and Ricardo, the growth and professionalism in the Public Safety Dept., achieving an A rating from Standard & Poors and being able to make so many capital improvements," she said.
These include the development of a parks system, going from only Van Buren Park to Van Buren Park, French Landing, Quirk, Haggerty Sub and now Riggs Heritage Park, building two new fire stations and the Belleville Road streetscape.
All of those improvements were completed without any tax or millage increases.
Not all stories are guaranteed to appear
online. The Web edition contains a reasonable
sampling of the print edition stories.
For the most complete news coverage, we invite you to
subscribe
to the print edition of the paper.
TOP JOBS
