Livonia News This Week

Former Mayor Jack E. Kirksey, who led Livonia for 16 years in two stints and built the recreation center that bears his name, died Oct. 13 at 97. At the Oct. 12 City Council meeting, all 17 speakers on the city's Flock license-plate cameras in closing public comment opposed them, and a motion to move the issue out of committee failed 1-5. Council's Oct. 26 meeting will take up condos at Seven Mile and Floral and a new restaurant on Haggerty Road. Comments are open below.

The Weather: A Dry Week, Warming into the Upper 60s

No rain is forecast on any day this week. Sunday, Oct. 18, is the coolest, clear with a high of 61° after a low of 36°. Monday, Oct. 19, stays clear at 65°, and highs hold between 66° and 68° from Tuesday, Oct. 20, through Saturday, Oct. 24, under mostly overcast skies. Friday, Oct. 23, is the warmest at 68°, with the mildest night of the week, 57°.

The News

Former Mayor Jack E. Kirksey, who led Livonia 16 years, dies at 97

Jack E. Kirksey, Livonia's mayor from 1996 to 2003 and again from 2008 to 2015, died Oct. 13 at 97, the City of Livonia said. As mayor he initiated the funding for and led construction of the Livonia Community Recreation Center, established the Fallen Heroes Memorial at Nehasil Park, led construction of the new 16th District Court and helped build the city's economic corridor along Haggerty Road, the city said. The recreation center was named for him in 2016, the year he and his wife, Patt, received the Livonia First Citizen Award.

Kirksey's public service began as a lifeguard on Belle Isle, according to the city. He served 25 years in the U.S. Air Force, active duty and reserve; served as Director of Probation for the 16th District Court; was elected a Schoolcraft College trustee; and served four terms in the Michigan House of Representatives.

The city and his family describe his education career differently. The city says he was a schoolteacher, principal and district administrator for 27 years in Livonia Public Schools. His family's obituary, published in The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, says he started his career as a teacher in the Detroit Public School District and became a principal in Livonia Public Schools, at Grant Elementary.

“Mayor Kirksey always led with humor. That was his secret sauce,” said Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan. “His legacy lives on in the places he helped build, the people he brought together and the spirit of community he helped strengthen.”

Patt Kirksey died in 2021; the couple were together 68 years, the obituary says. Kirksey had been living in an assisted living facility in Northville. No services are planned at this time, the city said. The family's obituary says a celebration of his life will be held at a later date, and that those who want to be notified can email [email protected]. He is survived by three children, three granddaughters and four great-grandchildren.

Source: City of Livonia, October 14, 2026; family obituary, The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, October 14, 2026

Flock cameras stay in committee; 17 speakers oppose them

Flock Safety license-plate cameras dominated the Livonia City Council's 2,050th regular meeting Monday, Oct. 12, though council took no action on the cameras themselves. Councilmember Brandon McCullough moved to send the topic from the Public Safety, Health and Environment Committee to the Committee of the Whole so all seven members would take it up together. The motion failed 1-5, with only McCullough voting yes.

Councilmembers Martha Ptashnik, Carrie Budzinski and Robin Persiconi praised committee chair and Vice President Patrick Brockway's handling of the issue; Ptashnik said moving it would restart the process. Brockway said more than a dozen questions are still awaiting answers, and that he was open to the move later, once Councilmember Eileen McDonnell, who was recovering from surgery, returns and the answers come back.

Seventeen speakers addressed Flock during the closing audience communication, and all opposed the cameras. Speakers cited records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showing outside agencies searched Livonia's Flock data more than 1 million times in July and August, including searches listing “immigration” and federal agencies as reasons. Five of eight speakers at the study session's opening public comment the same night also urged council to drop or rein in the cameras.

Source: Livonia Thrive, October 15, 2026

Council seeks 10 p.m. quiet hours, overrides staff on mowing bid

Council voted 6-0 Oct. 12 to have the Law Department draft an amendment moving the start of residential quiet hours from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m. The vote is a referral, not an ordinance change; a draft will return for first and second readings. Budzinski said events could still seek waivers.

Council voted 4-2 to award a one-year 2027 park mowing contract to the low bidder, Russell Landscaping Inc. of St. Clair Shores, for $84,518. The Department of Public Works had recommended Teddy's Lawn & Landscape of Livonia for two years, at $96,180 in 2027 and $92,050 in 2028. A motion to waive the sidewalk requirement for four new homes on Fairlane failed 3-3, so the sidewalk is still required.

Also approved 6-0: a $15,000 grant from the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence, a nonpartisan organization, for poll worker training, voter communication and related standards; three unmarked police vehicles; an Inkster Road resurfacing agreement with Wayne County; new ADA doors at City Hall; and the city's 2026 Transportation Asset Management Plan.

Source: Livonia Thrive, October 15, 2026

Seven Mile condos and Brome restaurant head to Oct. 26 votes

Council used its Oct. 12 study session, which takes no binding votes, to sort items for its 2,051st regular meeting Monday, Oct. 26. Six went on the consent agenda, where items are approved together without discussion:

Infinity Homes & Co.'s plan for seven attached, for-sale ranch-style condominiums facing Seven Mile and two single-family homes on Floral, replacing the vacant Up North Craft Bar at the southwest corner of Seven Mile and Floral. The Planning Commission recommended approval unanimously Sept. 1 with 11 conditions, including that units be offered only for sale for at least six months after occupancy.

Brome Modern Eatery, a full-service restaurant in the former PNC Bank at 19450 Haggerty Road. Staff notes and the floor plan give 64 indoor and 40 patio seats and 56 parking spaces; the parking table on the petitioner's site plan still lists 51 indoor seats and 47 spaces. The Planning Commission recommended approval 5-1 Sept. 22. The owner now plans to replace the old drive-thru canopy with an addition of up to roughly 2,300 square feet for a second tenant, which must return to the Planning Commission.

Also on consent: a smaller, no-cost state conservation easement for Bell Creek at Fox Creek Golf Course, a $56,644.85 brush chipper, up to $250,000 for outside fleet repairs, and a referral of a state-required residential backflow inspection program to committee. A $162,029.95 backhoe and two leaf vacuums costing $185,082 go to the regular agenda at Budzinski's request while McDonnell awaits answers from the administration. Ptashnik said the updated 2027 budget council votes on Oct. 26 will differ from the preliminary version shown so far.

Source: Livonia Thrive, October 16, 2026

Planning Commission recommends EV charging lot on Levan Road

The Livonia Planning Commission voted 3-1 Tuesday, Oct. 13, to recommend rezoning 0.29 acres at 15150 Levan Road, between Five Mile Road and Jamison Street, from C-1 to C-2 so an electric vehicle charging lot can be the principal use. Commissioner Peter Ventura voted no. The conceptual plan shows two Level 3 fast chargers and 13 spaces, and the petitioner offered a conditional rezoning limiting the site to EV charging. Rennolds Ravines residents submitted a 25-signature petition and raised stormwater, creek erosion, lighting, noise and security concerns. City Council holds its own hearing and makes the final decision.

The commission voted against a waiver use for a truck and trailer storage yard on the unpaved western portion of the former Contractors Steel site at 36555 Amrhein Road, after commissioners called the plan too preliminary; the motion recommended denial. The petitioner has 10 days to appeal in writing to City Council. The commission recommended approval of outdoor storage for a contractor yard at 34426 Rosati Avenue with nine conditions, and voted 4-0 to recommend a permanent drive-thru windscreen for Chick-fil-A at 11700 Middlebelt Road.

A proposed ordinance setting rules for future zoning moratoriums was tabled to Tuesday, Nov. 10, with commissioners asking staff and the Law Department to spell out how a threat is determined and to shorten the time period. Four of the seven commissioners attended.

Source: Livonia Thrive, October 16, 2026

Chicago-area school worker charged after Beverly Park sting

Christopher Thomas Mertens, 55, who works in maintenance at a high school, was charged in a criminal complaint filed Oct. 13 with travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, the FBI said. The federal charge carries up to 30 years in prison, The Detroit News reported. Mertens first contacted an undercover profile named “Caleb” on the dating app Taimi on Sept. 23; when he asked the profile's age, the officer replied “15,” according to the complaint, ClickOnDetroit/WDIV Local 4 reported. WDIV says an FBI agent worked with Livonia police and its Special Victims Unit; FOX 2 Detroit and The Detroit News identify the Livonia unit as Livonia Undercover Resistance to Exploitation (LURE).

Mertens was arrested Monday, Oct. 12, after arranging to meet “Caleb” at Beverly Park, FOX 2 Detroit reported; investigators tracked his vehicle in part with Flock license-plate cameras.

Source: The Detroit News; ClickOnDetroit / WDIV Local 4; FOX 2 Detroit, October 14, 2026

Also this week

Charles TenBroeck, who records conversations in public with Meta glasses and posts them online as “Tom Rizz,” pleaded guilty in Wayne County to fleeing police. He is expected to be sentenced Wednesday, Dec. 9, ClickOnDetroit/WDIV Local 4 reported.

Manuel Sarkis Bardakjian, 40, pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and second-degree home invasion in two May incidents on Bristol Drive and Bloomfield Drive in which prosecutors say he wore a white hazmat suit. A felony firearm charge and an assault charge were dismissed. Sentencing is Friday, Nov. 6, ClickOnDetroit/WDIV Local 4 reported.

Corewell Health plans to outsource emergency room staffing at its Troy, Grosse Pointe and Lenox hospitals, and likely Livonia's, to TeamHealth, a private-equity-backed staffing firm, a Deadline Detroit column reported.

Source: ClickOnDetroit / WDIV Local 4, October 12, 2026; Deadline Detroit

What's next

City Council's 2,051st regular meeting, Monday, Oct. 26, takes final action on the Seven Mile condominiums, Brome Modern Eatery and the 2027 budget. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Manuel Sarkis Bardakjian is sentenced Friday, Nov. 6. The Planning Commission takes up the zoning-moratorium ordinance again Tuesday, Nov. 10. Charles TenBroeck is expected to be sentenced Wednesday, Dec. 9.

Source: Livonia Thrive; City of Livonia; ClickOnDetroit / WDIV Local 4

Metro Detroit

Van Buren Township approves Google data center site plan

The Van Buren Township Planning Commission voted 5-1 at its Wednesday, Oct. 14, meeting to approve the site plan for a Google data center near Interstate 94, The Detroit News reported. The approval lets the developer, Panattoni, move ahead with utility installation and site work, said Ron Akers, the township's director of municipal services.

The project, dubbed Project Cannoli, covers 282 acres east of Haggerty Road and north of the I-94 North Service Drive. It is projected to use between 2 million and 3.6 million gallons of water a day and 1 gigawatt of power, and comprises five buildings, three of them data processing buildings, according to township planning documents. It will employ 50 to 200 people, said Panattoni partner Adam Kramer, who said the company hopes to break ground before the end of 2026. The commission gave preliminary site plan approval in February.

Residents spoke against the project, citing property values, noise, utility use and dust from work already under way at the site. A consulting engineer said the data center's water use will not draw from the township's system.

Source: The Detroit News, October 15, 2026

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