Helen Barwig

Age: 59 Residence: Oxford Township
Occupation: Community activist
Why honored: For showing that a government
watchdog can make a difference.

She proves that you really can fight city hall

“Her persistance, under extreme criticism, is the best representation of what citizenship requires. That people do what they must, however unpopular it might be, because they know they are right.” --James Renfrew, 28-year resident of Oxford Township

very town should have a Helen Barwig. While others spend evenings lounging in front of the television, the Oxford Township woman regularly shows up at her local government meetings, taking notes and taping proceedings.

    She also gets actively involved — over the last two years she has inserted herself into an ongoing dispute about the rising costs of police services in the Oakland County community where she has lived for 34 years. In the process, she has made some enemies while helping save hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars.

    “She spends more time at meetings than some of our elected officials,” says Oxford Township Supervisor Bill Dunn. “We encourage our citizens to attend meetings because that’s how we get our feedback. But Helen doesn’t need any encouragement. And she certainly provides us with feedback.”

    Explains Barwig, a former accountant: “I want to be informed about my community. I’ve been going to meetings for 10 years. Parks and recreation meetings are probably my favorite. They’re the friendliest.”

    Some government sessions, of course, haven’t exactly been pleasant. Barwig has been rebuffed frequently in her pursuit of public record documents. Officials even set special rules to limit her questions.

    But, at least partly as a result of her questions, things have changed in Oxford Township, a rural community of 12,000: Two police millages were defeated, a controversial chief was removed from office and the township-wide safety authority was revamped to ensure accountability.

    “I supported the creation of the Oxford Emergency Safety Authority and joint (village and township) police department because I thought it was a good idea for a small community and made sense,” says Barwig.

    But she changed her mind and, over the last two years, wrote and circulated newsletters criticizing Chief Gary Ford, the safety authority and pending millage renewals that ultimately failed.

    Among her accusations against Ford: That he misstated his job qualifications and misspent funds, including the purchase of riot gear and pepper spray during the Detroit newspaper strike.

    Her actions resulted in angry, face-to-face confrontations with police officers, longtime neighbors and even strangers. A reserve officer and his wife now face charges for making late-night telephone threats to Barwig and a township trustee after the millage failed.

    Barwig notes if the millage had passed, she and her neighbors would be paying double what it costs them now to contract sheriff’s department patrol services.

    “In the year 2000 we’re still picking up August 1999 bills,” she notes.

    James Renfrew, who has lived in the township for 28 years, compares Barwig to a character in Henrik Ibsen’s Enemy of the People, who finds himself shunned by neighbors after letting visitors know of a danger in their town.

    “Her (Barwig’s) persistance, under extreme criticism, is the best representation of what citizenship requires,” says Renfrew. “That people do what they must, however unpopular it might be, because they know they are right.”

    Barwig believes citizens should attend civic meetings, wherever they might live.

    “If you’re not there to hear it all, you miss a lot,” she says.

    — Mike Martindale