By Roberta M. Gubbins
Legal News
Shane Goodale, a January Cooley Law School graduate, has announced his candidacy for the position of Meridian Township Treasurer. He is running unopposed.
Goodale believes becoming treasurer "will allow me to continue my role as a public servant while also allowing me to fill a new role as a lawyer."
Goodale has plans for the Treasurer seat.
"I intend to turn the full-time position into a part-time position. I feel that the position could be adequately performed with part-time hours. In making this a part-time job, I will work for less than half the current treasurer salary (base pay and benefits.) With the additional money that the township will save by my working part-time, I will ask that an additional public safety employee be hired. And, by working this in a part-time status, I will be able to pursue legal work to supplement my work-week by either starting my own firm or working for another firm."
Goodale believes he can apply the skills he learned in law school to decisions before him and the Township board. "Many areas of the law have a bearing on issues before the board like Constitutional Law, Property Law, Tax Law and Contracts law.
His other plans include:
* Continuing low-density development in the township. I will work to promote and enhance the parks and open areas of the township while finding incentives for businesses to develop and redevelop inside the urban areas of the township.
* Promote regionalism and cooperation in the tri-county area to enhance the entire area by seeking ways to share services and costs among the different cities and townships.
* Make the township ordinances more readable by using 'plain English' in drafting and revising those ordinances.
* Collaborate with other treasurers in the state to ensure that the township uses and integrates the latest technologies for the benefit of the township and its residents.
* And lastly, I will continue to be an active member of the township to ensure that the issues of its residents are being addressed.
Since graduation in January, "I joined the Michigan Association of Planning, Law Committee, the largest state chapter of the American Planning Association, known as the premier organization dedicated to urban and regional planning. The law committee is responsible for authoring new legislation and amendatory text for new statutes or proposed bills. They undertake research, analyze bill impacts, provide comparative analysis between bill drafts, meet with legislative appointed stakeholder workgroups and testify at House and Senate Committee meetings."
His other positions include:
* Member of the Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council's Community Reinvestment Fund Board, which is responsible for and administers a fund that engages underserved and marginalized populations in the planning process of all levels of government.
* Meridian Township Commissioner serving on the Planning Commissioner in Meridian Township.
* Brother of the Fraternal Order of Masons, Okemos Lodge
Goodale began serving the public while in law school, founding the Homeless Assistance and Prevention Project at the Open Door Ministry offering pro-bono services to the homeless. He received the Cooley Student Great Deeds Award for that and other volunteer activities at the Lansing campus Honors Convocation last fall.
He can be reached at: shane@shanegoodale.com.
Published: Thu, Jul 26, 2012
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