NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Axt 248-705-8195
Release Date: April 21, 2016
Jeff Axt announces run for Bloomfield Township trustee
Jeff Axt, a Detroit businessman and active Bloomfield Township resident, has announced his candidacy for township trustee.
A Republican, Axt will be on the August 2, 2016 ballot.
“I am troubled by the discourse in township government and want to bring respect and professionalism back to township hall,” Axt said. “We need to make sure that doing the people’s business is the top priority of every township official.”
Axt noted that he was moved to run because of various disputes between factions of the township’s elected officials. “The focus needs to be on governance and not personalities,” he said. “We need to set personal differences aside and direct our energies at doing what is best for our citizens,” he said.
According to Axt, every issue that comes before the Board should be viewed first and foremost as how it will impact the taxpayers of Bloomfield Township. “Special interests should take a back seat to residents,” he added. “We need to make sure that Bloomfield Township is open for business but not up for sale.”
A former General Motors executive, Axt operated a successful women’s retail apparel business for several years, overseeing a staff of 20 and a $3 million annual budget. He now works as the president of a non profit property rights organization and manages a $2.9 million real estate portfolio.
He has been a champion of “smart growth” strategies that balance the needs of business, local residents and the environment. His advocacy helped defeat a pipeline expansion that threatened the environment and landowner property rights in Oakland, Macomb and St. Clair counties.
If elected township trustee, Axt pledges to govern with openness and transparency. “We definitely need to shine a light on how township government operates for all to see,” he said. “Government must work for its citizens period. Insiders and the politically connected must not have a louder voice than everyday residents.”
The fact that eight candidates have filed for four trustee seats on the Bloomfield Township board shows that the status quo is not working, Axt noted. “Voters must differentiate between candidates who represent ‘business-as-usual’ from those candidates who will drive positive change,” he said.
Axt also pledges to keep Bloomfield Township’s streets and neighborhoods safe and sound and is committed to maintaining the high level of services that township residents greatly deserve.
Axt lives in Bloomfield Township with his wife Renee, two-year-old son Wolfgang and his 89-year-old father, Robert. He is currently the parish council chairman for the St. John’s Armenian Church of Greater Detroit, with responsibilities for a $2.5 million budget, a charter school, and the parish’s endowment fund. He has served on the boards of numerous other civic and non-profit organizations across southeast Michigan.
“I’m in this race because I care about this community and I want to keep it a great place to live for senior citizens like my father and for the next generation like my son,” Axt said.