​Understanding the origin of biases – how they impact human dynamics, perceptions, and interactions
 
CLINTON TOWNSHIP – Clinton Township Supervisor Bob Cannon announced today that all Township staff would attend a diversity and inclusion workshop. The workshop, titled, “If You’re Human, You’re Biased: How Our Biases Impact Our Decisions, Perceptions, and Interactions,” has been scheduled for all general full-time and permanent part-time employees during October and November.  
 
“Implicit bias is about attitudes toward individuals and social groups,” said Cannon. “The stereotypes we learn when we are young can stay with us to the point where we can act on them unconsciously. The seminar will help us recognize how implicit bias affects our perception of people, and the decisions we make,” he said.
 
The workshops are conducted by Jocelyn Giangrande, Founder and President of Sashe LLC, a workplace diversity and inclusion consultancy. Giangrande has more than 25 years of experience conducting diversity and inclusion seminars. Over time, she has shown organizations like Henry Ford Health System ways to recruit, retain, and promote staff in an environment where diverse talents, perspectives, and backgrounds have an opportunity to contribute and thrive.
 
The training objectives cover how individual and organizational culture impacts biases and behaviors; how our biases are formed, are fed and how we utilize them, and how to identify and build skills to manage biases while enhancing awareness and sensitivity.
 
Each two-hour workshop includes 35 employees and will be held on the GoToMeeting platform or inside two training centers for employees who do not have access to a private office. All stations at the centers will be appropriately distanced and sanitized.  

CLINTON TOWNSHIP – The Clinton Township Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is back in full swing. In 2019, a new work plan was adopted and approved by resolution of the Township Board of Trustees. One of the plan’s goals is to promote a façade improvement program to enhance the Gratiot Avenue corridor.
 
“Getting the Façade Improvement Program off the ground took some time because of the pandemic, but we’re going now with a $50,000 investment into the Gratiot corridor,” said Township Supervisor Bob Cannon. “These funds will help our business owners leverage their own dollars to improve storefronts and encourage redevelopment,” he said.
 
Cannon added that the long-term goal is for the Township to assist projects which promote economic diversity and growth within the DDA district. “Aesthetic improvements will stimulate economic development and ultimately increase our tax base,” he said.
 
Brandon Jonas, Clinton Township’s Director of Economic Development, said other communities have similar programs – to correct and prevent deterioration in a DDA district, and in some cases, to encourage historic preservation.
 
“Creating a development incentive gives our DDA a marketing advantage over other communities in attracting new businesses and creating new jobs for the township,” said Jonas. “These improvements can lead to new foot traffic, more revenue for local businesses, and more redevelopment opportunities in the DDA,” he said.
 
Jonas said the program would increase property values along the Gratiot corridor and improve the marketability of the area. “Improvements to existing structures can stimulate private investment in areas that would have otherwise remained undeveloped or underdeveloped,” he said.
 
Each person or entity seeking funds under the Façade Improvement Program must submit a complete application proposal, with three estimates from contractors of their choice, to the Clinton Township Planning and Community Development Department. The application will be reviewed to ensure it aligns with the purposes of the DDA development, which are to eliminate actual or potential deterioration and hazards to the public or bring new or expanded employment opportunities to the district.
 
“The DDA will reimburse an applicant up to 50 percent of the cost of the project, with a maximum reimbursement of $5000,” said Jonas. “All grants are awarded when the project is complete, and after paid invoices and documentation are submitted to the DDA,” he said.
 
For information on how to apply, go to www.clintontownship.com/dda and click on DDA Façade Improvement Plan.

As a result of postage delivery delays, I strongly encourage you to please do not return your Absentee Ballot using the USPS for the November Election.

Using one of the six secure Collection Drop Boxes listed below will guarantee your vote will be counted on Election Day.
​

• Civic Center 40700 Romeo Plank Rd.   
• Police Department 37985 S. Groesbeck Hwy.
• Fire Station #5: 43800 Elizabeth St.
• Fire Station #1: 1129 S. Gratiot Ave
• Fire Station #2: 21250 15 Mile Rd. access off of Sharkey St.
• Heritage Estates: 15430 18 Mile Rd.

The Collection Drop Boxes are emptied by Election staff, daily, including weekends.

Thank you,

Kim Meltzer
Clinton Township Clerk
40700 Romeo Plank Rd.
Clinton Twp., MI  48038
586-723-8051 Office
586-723-8181 Fax
 

CLINTON TOWNSHIP – Details have emerged as to the financial support Clinton Township will receive from relief programs funded under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act.
 
Since the Act passed in March, Clinton Township Supervisor Bob Cannon and the Board of Trustees have been actively searching for grant money to support services and shore up finances affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
 
“We aggressively sought out federal and state assistance where it existed to not only help bolster service to residents but to support staff as well,” said Cannon. “We’ve incurred costs directly related to the coronavirus to make the Civic Center safe for visitors and staff,” he said.
 
Cannon added that the Township offices have been open and safe for public use since June 15.
 
In July, the Township applied for the Public Safety and Public Health Payroll Reimbursement Program (PSPHPR), which was created to reimburse eligible municipalities for public health and safety payroll expenditures. The program included $200 million in funding, beginning with reimbursement of April and May payroll expenditures. 
 
According to the Michigan Department of Treasury, 600 applications were received, with $350 million requested, which exceeded available funds. As a result, the Treasury is paying 50 percent of the amount requested by each applicant. Clinton Township’s share totals $2,177,954 and is scheduled for deposit this week.
 
Also, Clinton Township has been awarded $170,000 under the First Responder Hazard Pay Premiums Program (FRHPPP). FRHPPP was created to reimburse or pay for qualifying bonuses provided to first responders who have performed hazardous duty or work involving physical hardship related to COVID‐19.
  
“This reimbursement helps with the reduction in revenue sharing we see from the State due to the pandemic,” said Township Supervisor Bob Cannon. “The hazard pay premiums are a nice gesture of appreciation to our first responders and hopefully will serve as a stimulus for our local economy,” he said.
 
Early on during the pandemic, after safety protocols were in place, Cannon and Township staff have frequented area restaurants in support of the local economy.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP – The last day to respond to the United States Census is Sept. 30, 2020. Although time is running short, it takes very little time to fill out the 10-question survey, and the three options to respond are still available – online, by phone, or by mail.
 
To date, Clinton Township residents have responded to the 2020 Census in record numbers, but Township officials are determined to focus on the few difficult to count areas.
 
“It’s the children in those areas that we need to count,” said Township Supervisor Bob Cannon. “Children stand to benefit as a result of being counted because our region receives federal dollars for programs and services based on a full and accurate count,” he said. Cannon, a former teacher who taught for more than 25 years in the Utica Community School District, believes school-aged children in hard-to-count areas of the Township are the key to communicating the Census message to their parents.
 
Cannon, along with Deputy Supervisor Elizabeth Vogel are using the Township’s remaining Census grant dollars to purchase and distribute about 125 children’s backpacks, loaded with school supplies and health and safety essentials. The backpacks also include three census activities appropriate for third, fourth, and fifth graders and a final reminder for parents to get online, call or mail in their Census response.
 
“This year, I think parents postponed their annual shopping for school supplies because of the uncertainty of how and where will classes will proceed,” said Vogel. “I’m crestfallen that so many kids missed out on the annual tradition of picking out their school supplies. I hope these backpacks will bring an added sense of excitement, and even normalcy, as they dive into this new school year facing so many extra challenges.”
 
Vogel went on to say that teachers are also in unchartered territory when it comes to their preparation for the upcoming school year.  “We’re offering teacher kits as well that include a variety of PPE as well as teacher guides they can use to talk about the census in the classroom,” she said. Vogel said the distribution of the backpacks would take place next week.
 
To respond to the Census online, go to www.my2020census.gov; by phone, call 844-330-2020, or fill out the questionnaire mailed to your household in mid-April. Once complete, return it to U.S. Census Bureau, National Processing Center, 100 Logistics Avenue, Jeffersonville, IN 47144.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP – Every year, Clinton Township recognizes and honors the men and women who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.
 
“We held our first ceremony to commemorate Patriot Day on the Friday after the attacks, and I am proud that we’ve held a ceremony on September 11 of every year since,” said Township Supervisor Bob Cannon. “We are the only community in Macomb County that can proudly say that,” he said.
 
Last year, the Township extended its annual tribute beyond those who died nineteen years ago, to include first responders and workers who cleaned up the debris and are now suffering illnesses as a result of their proximity to ground zero. “September 11 continues to impact Americans and will for decades to come,” said Cannon.
 
The Annual Patriot Day 2020 ceremony in Clinton Township will begin at 2 p.m. on September 11, at Fire Station Number 4, located at 42591 Romeo Plank Road at the corner of Greenfield Road. The event is open to the public and is in-step with social distancing guidelines.
 
“On Patriot Day, we’ve always honored the military and first responders, as well as those who died during the attacks,” said Cannon. “This year, we’ll continue to recognize all of those groups, with an additional emphasis on our firefighters.”
 
Clinton Township Fire Chief Tim Duncan was planning to celebrate the fire department’s 75th anniversary in October, but the lingering effects of the pandemic led to a decision to recognize the milestone on Patriot Day. It’s then he will publically announce a fundraising campaign to erect a statue in honor of firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty.

“We consider Fire Headquarters (Station 4) to be one of the gateways into the Township Civic Center area, and we look forward to having a landmark such as a statue for people to visit,” said Duncan. “It’s our desire to remember those we lost as well as dedicate a portion of the brick paver patio project to township residents that passed away due to fire-related causes,” he said. 
 
Proceeds from the sale of memorial bricks and benches will be collected by the Clinton Township Firefighter’s Fund and will go toward the cost of the memorial statue.
 
Featured speakers at the event are two of Clinton Township’s first responders who will share their stories and memories of a fellow officer and firefighter who died in the line of duty. Lt. Anthony Coppola, CTPD, will speak about officer Richard Vauris, who was killed in the line of duty, and Lt. Rob Kokko CTFD will talk about the loss of his partner firefighter Dave Sutton.
 
The ceremony will also include the Clinton Township Police Department Honor Guard and the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 154 Honor Guard.

Below: Artist rendition of firefighter's statue.