By Judy Cunningham
I met Bill Bullard in the mid-1990s when he was a State Senator and I was Circuit Court Administrator/Judicial Assistant. I eventually came to know Bill well and will remember him as a friend and an integral player in Oakland County politics.
During my tenure as the County’s Corporation Counsel, Bill was a member of the County Board of Commissioners and soon became its chairperson. I worked with Bill on a myriad of substantive issues impacting all areas of county functions as well as procedural and parliamentary questions during board meetings. Bill’s sense of humor and quick thinking and wit were often the saving grace for what otherwise may have been a contentious meeting.
Bill was a smart, savvy, and strategic politician; in fact, he was the consummate pol. He counted votes before meetings, chatted up commissioners on both sides of the aisle, and had a thorough read on which resolutions would ultimately pass muster with the board. He knew how to move things along and get it done.
I recall Bill’s political acumen in managing sensitive jail overcrowding issues in 2007. The County Board passed a resolution creating a Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) charged with developing a plan to manage chronic overcrowding at the County Jail. Then Chief Judge Wendy Potts served as chair of the CJCC and asked me to chair a subcommittee to draft legislation to the Jail Overcrowding Emergency Act. (Originally enacted in 1980, this earlier law was not designed to address frequent and chronic jail overcrowding.)
Both the CJCC and my subcommittee had representation from all of the constituencies in the criminal justice system: the courts — circuit, probate, district; the prosecutor, the Sheriff, the Oakland County Bar Association, the County Commission, Pre-trial Services, and others. In short, everyone who had skin in the game.
During the course of our collective efforts, Judge Wendy Potts and I were invited to a dinner meeting with judges throughout the county to provide an update on the CJCC’s progress and efforts. We attended what we thought would be a productive meeting.
After the dinner, Judge Potts spoke to the group, reviewing the CJCC’s efforts, proposals, progress — and was met with a small but vocal minority of judges who were beyond “displeased” with some of our proposals, despite the fact that they’d been represented in these efforts. A few of them spoke with such vitriol, it was beyond uncomfortable.
In fact, it was such a disaster the next day two judges who had been there called me to apologize for the boorish and inappropriate behavior of their colleagues. I thanked them for their calls — AFTER telling them they had a bizarre way of treating their dinner guests!
I had, of course, advised Bill Bullard what happened at our dreadful meeting. A day or two later he called and said the group had another meeting scheduled in a couple of weeks and asked me to meet with them again — this time on my own.
“Are you serious? Are you out of your mind?” I said, “after the way we were treated?” Bill told me had had spoken to some of the group and assured me this time it would be different. He patiently urged me to go, so finally I said, “the only way I’ll go is if you go too. I’m not going alone.”
So, we attended that subsequent meeting and everything went like clockwork. Bill had worked his magic with the group before the scheduled meeting. He had a knack for working behind the scenes with people individually and in small groups to reach consensus.
Bill was fun, funny, witty, and charming when he wanted to be.
Bill could also be a worthy opponent if he disagreed with you. In my case, as the county’s attorney, I had to remind him a couple of times that my client was the County of Oakland and although he too was a client, I wasn’t his personal attorney and on certain issues couldn’t do his legal “bidding.” Needless to say, he wasn’t happy with me.
Eventually Bill took over as Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds. We continued to work together on county legal issues. When we disagreed, we nevertheless maintained a good working relationship and shared social occasions even after we both left our respective county jobs.
Bill Bullard had many political successes but he was most proud of his lovely daughter, Kayla. I think he thought of her as his best achievement and being her dad was his most precious role. He lit up when he talked about her. Kayla will miss him dearly as will so many of us who knew him and had the privilege to work with him.
Bill’s political acumen and legal background were invaluable in the many roles he played throughout his life. He was perhaps the quintessential “Chairman of the Board.”
—————
Judy Cunningham, a past president of the Oakland County Bar Association, served as Oakland County’s corporation counsel for 14 years before retiring in 2013.
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
http://legalnews.com/subscriptions
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
https://test.legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
