The Farmington Hills City Council is made up
of seven members -- all directly elected by the voters. Council
members serve staggered four-year terms and the Mayor serves a
two-year term. The Mayor is limited by City Charter to two
two-year terms. The Mayor Pro Tem, who serves in the Mayor’s
absence, is chosen by the Council members.
The Mayor and City Council members serve
part-time. Under our City’s Council/Manager form of government,
the City Council is responsible for policy-making, while the City
Manager, who is appointed by City Council, is responsible for the
day-to-day administration of the City. When the City Council makes
a decision on an ordinance or policy, the City Manager is
responsible for implementing it.
You are invited to attend meetings of the
City Council, which are held twice a month on Mondays unless
canceled for a holiday or other reasons. Please check the
Events Calendar.
Barry Brickner
Mayor
Barry Brickner was elected to the City Council in
November 1999, re-elected in November 2003, and re-elected
again in November 2007. He served as Mayor Pro Tem in 2001
and 2007. Prior to his election to City Council, he served
for four years on the Farmington Hills Planning Commission.
He is currently a member of the Commission for Energy and
Environmental Sustainability, the Brownfield Redevelopment
Authority, and serves as Council liaison to both the
Committee to Increase Voter Participation and to the Eight
Mile Boulevard Association, where he is a Past Chairman. He
also serves as the alternate delegate to the Southeastern
Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) and is a member of
the National League of Cities (NLC) Information Technology
and Communications Steering Committee. Barry participates in
the annual River Day event, and the Rebuilding Together
event. He is also part of the Eight Mile Boulevard Clean
Team.
A practicing attorney for over 35 years, Barry has lived in
Farmington Hills with his wife Cheryl since 1982. He and
Cheryl have two grown daughters, Kelly and Dr. Shawn.
Nancy Bates was first elected to City
Council in 1989. She served as Mayor in 1993 and again from
1999 - 2003. After a two-year hiatus, Nancy was again elected
in November 2005 to serve a four-year term on City Council,
and re-elected in 2009 to serve until 2013. Nancy has a long
and distinguished career in public service. She launched the
Commission for Children, Youth and Families in Farmington
Hills and played a major role in establishing the after-school
youth centers. Nancy organized and chaired the first
Commission on Aging, was a charter member of the Arts
Commission, and was instrumental in starting both the Mayor's
Youth Council and the Citizen Corps Council for Emergency
Preparedness. Nancy helped form the Community Foundation,
served on the Executive Committee and the Transportation
Committee of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments
(SEMCOG), where she was elected as Ambassador of the Year.
Nancy served on the Human Development Committee of the
National League of Cities (NLC) as Vice Presdent, and served
on the NLC Organizing Committee for Youth, Education and
Families, which later became the Institute for Youth,
Education and Families, where she also served. Nancy was one
of the four national finalists in the Women’s Leadership in
Municipal Government in 2008.
She is
currently the Council Liaison to the Beautification
Commission, Commission on Aging and the Mayor's Youth Council.
Nancy Bates is an alumna of Indiana
University and John Wesley College, a church elder, and the
mother of three adult children.
Michael R. Bridges
was elected to City Council in August 2008. Prior to joining
City Council, he served on the Farmington Area Commission on
Aging, the Financial Strategies Committee for the Farmington
Public Schools, the Board of Directors of the Farmington YMCA,
Farmington Public Schools PTA, and the North Farmington West
Bloomfield Youth Football League. He is the past chairman of
the Zoning Board of Appeals, is currently a member of the
Crime Prevention Advisory Board and liaison to Pension
Committee. He is also a member of the Michigan
Municipal League (MML) Municipal Services Committee, a
member of the National League of Cities (NLC) Policy
Advocacy Committee - Intergovernmental Relations, Finance
and Administration.
Michael has an
Associate Degree in the Arts from Jackson Community College
and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business from Spring Arbor
College. He is currently a senior sales representative for
Johnson and Johnson, the world’s largest comprehensive health
care service company. He and his wife Deborah have two
children, Michael Chad, 17, and Chauncey, 14.
Ken Massey is a proud lifelong resident of Farmington Hills.
He was first elected to City Council in November 2003. Ken
served our community as Mayor Pro Tem in 2006 and 2010. He
is a member and past chair of the Farmington
Hills/Farmington Emergency Preparedness Commission. Ken
advocates nationally for Farmington Hills as a member of the
National League of Cities (NLC) Public Safety and Crime
Prevention Steering Committee and will be the organization’s
chair in 2012. Ken is the liaison for the NLC on the
Department of Homeland Security Consortium. He also serves
in several capacities on the Board of Directors of Botsford
Hospital. Ken previously represented residents and their
interests as President and trustee of the Farmington Area
Council of Homeowners Associations and remains active as a
member of his subdivision's homeowner association board. Ken
attended Farmington Public Schools, graduating from North
Farmington High School. Community involvement was important
from an early age with his participation in civic groups and
in scouting, where he earned the rank of Eagle Scout.
Ken holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern Michigan
University and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas
Southwestern Medical School. He has also completed
fellowships at the University of Arizona and the Michigan
Hospital Association. Ken works as the Managing Director of
Research and Clinical Operations for a biotech company and
venture group located in Farmington Hills. Ken and his wife
Katherine have two adult children.
Randy Bruce was first elected
to the City Council in 2003 and was re-elected in 2007 and
2011. He has also served as Mayor Pro Tem in 2005 and 2009.
He is the Council liaison to the Commission for Energy and
Environmental Sustainability and the Farmington Area Arts
Commission, and is also a member of the 47th District Court
Sobriety Court Advisory Committee. He was a member of the
Human Development Steering Committee of the National League
of Cities (NLC) from 2003 until 2010, and was chair of this
committee in 2010. He was a co-founder of the Suicide
Prevention Committee and the Intergovernmental Task Force
with the City of Farmington and the Farmington School
District. Before his election to Council, Randy was a member
of the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), where he served as
secretary, vice-chair, and chairman. He is past president of
the Forestbrook/Pebblebrook Homeowners Association and was
previously elected as a precinct delegate.
Randy has a B.S., M.A., and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
from Wayne State University. He is currently Director of
Neuropsychological Services at Special Tree Rehabilitation
Systems in Romulus and also has a private practice treating
children and families. He is a 25 year resident of the City
and has a daughter, Gina.
Cheryl Oliverio is serving her
fifth term on City Council, having first been elected in
1993. She served as Mayor Pro Tem in 1997 and again in 2003.
She serves as Council liaison to the Historic District
Commission, the Historical Commission and the Parks and
Recreation Commission. She is also a member of the 47th
District Court Sobriety Court Advisory Committee. Cheryl has
been involved with the Citizens for Transportation Safety,
Citizens Against Violence in Schools, River Day, and the
Farmington Area Community Women.
She has also served as an
Alternate Delegate to the Southeast Michigan Council of
Governments (SEMCOG) from 1993 to 1995, Cub Scout Pack 45 Den
Leader, and a Farmington Football Backer.
Cheryl is a Warranty
Administrator for Sellers Buick Pontiac GMC in Farmington
Hills. She has lived in the City for 22 years and has four
sons: Nick, Kevin, Joe, Alex, and five grandchildren.
Contact Cheryl at (248)
871-2500.
Richard Lerner
Council Member
Richard Lerner was elected to City Council in 2011. Prior to
joining City Council, he served on the Farmington Hills
Parks & Recreation Commission. He is passionate about
volunteering and serving the community. Richard has been a
scout leader, a soccer coach, an organizer of the middle
school ski club, and served on Farmington Public Schools
Advocates for Excellence in Education committee. He
currently serves on the Board of Directors of the
Farmington-Farmington Hills Optimist Club and the Xemplar
Club of Farmington & Farmington Hills. He is a past
President, Treasurer and current Director of the Quaker
Valley Farms Association, Vice President of the Farmington
Area Inter-Agency Council, and webmaster for the Farmington
Area Goodfellows.
Richard is a graduate of the Maxwell School of Public Policy
at Syracuse University, with a B.A. degree in Economics. He
worked for Alco Standard and Mead Corporation in various
sales and management capacities in New York, Connecticut and
Michigan before starting his own business in 1993. He owns
companies specializing in Business Process Optimization and
Project Management Training and Consulting, and IT Support
Services including Web Presence Design and Management. He
and his wife Maureen have two children enrolled in
Farmington Public Schools.
