It’s a sign of our era — when countless Americans distrust government — that firefighters in one of Michigan’s most affluent communities worry about a millage vote next month.
If most voters in Bloomfield Township vote no, as they did for a police-and-fire measure with a bigger price tag last year, a projected 22 firefighter/paramedics could lose their jobs, Fire Chief Mike Morin says.
That fear has pushed younger troops to think about leaving. And because they're highly trained, they’d be snatched up quickly by cities like Sterling Heights, Morin said. Last week, the chief met with employees from all three shifts, imploring them not to leave — not yet — but instead to see what the voters do.
Seeing what voters do on March 10 is on the minds of countless public employees, from fire halls to school rooms, as communities across Oakland County and Michigan prepare to approve or defeat tax measures.