“If we’re going to brand ourselves, we have to start somewhere,” said Van Buren Township Clerk Leon Wright in announcing a change in township addresses from Belleville, MI 48111 to Van Buren Township, MI 48111.
At the end of the Nov. 21 township board meeting, Clerk Wright explained that he went to the Secretary of State and explained the situation.
He said in 1986, the post office moved from downtown Belleville to Van Buren Township and didn’t change its address to Van Buren Township.
He said he gave her the street addresses in the township and now they are listed as Van Buren Township 48111 as the preferred address, with Belleville and Sumpter Township as accepted designations.
Clerk Wright said now people can go to the Secretary of State’s office to get their drivers’ licenses changed to read Van Buren Township without charge, if it’s almost time to update their licenses.
He said to give the Secretary of State time to complete the changes, he is estimating Jan. 1 as the time it will be official.
Clerk Wright said when residents order things on line, their addresses will come up Van Buren Township.
He said Sumpter Township can do that, too, if they want to, and he’ll be glad to help them.
Supervisor Kevin McNamara said he Googled himself and it was the first time he came up with a Van Buren Township address. He said he and his son will be changing their addresses on their driver’s licenses.
“We need our own identity,” agreed Trustee Paul White.
Trustee White said recently he was arranging for a prescription to be filled at Walmart in Belleville and they told him there was no Walmart in Belleville, so he switched it to another pharmacy.
He found out later that Walmart is listed with a Van Buren Township address and that’s why his doctor’s office couldn’t find it in Belleville.
As of Friday afternoon, the U.S. Postal Service was asking those using the mail to use the default city of Belleville, MI for the 48111 zip code “whenever possible.”
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1 Comment
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Leon Wright changing things to fit his own agenda and not caring what the public wants. What else is new?
Belleville is a beautiful community and a beautiful lake. Although I live in Van Buren, I also live on Belleville lake. Most people don’t realize that Belleville is barely over 1 square mile, but just associate it with everything surrounding the lake. There are 1,240 townships in MI, and if I tell people I’m from Van Buren Twp, it probably wouldn’t mean much to anyone. BUT WE HAVE A WALMART AND ARE GETTING A MENARDS! Who cares. With very few real lakes in the area, that’s what people know and that’s how I will continue advertising it. If Leon wants to get the name of the lake changed, then I may start telling people I’m from Van Buren Twp. But until then, I’m going to use the landmark that people can associate with.
And don’t get me wrong, I understand that he is proud of VBT and wants the world to know who we are. But why not take it to a vote? Why not listen to the people. Why just make the change and tell people to update their drivers license and start changing their mailing addresses rather than seeing what the people he serves truly want.
Oh, that’s right, because he doesn’t think he serves the people. He just serves himself and his cronies. Time for a change in city hall!