Independent’s Maxine Heifner dead at 85

Maxine Heifner, who in 1994 first had the idea to start a new newspaper in Belleville to tell both sides of the story, died Sunday at the age of 85.
Maxine was an ultra-enthusiastic Republican, but she and other organizers gathered together community members who were avid Democrats and added a Libertarian until there were 12 investors –enough to start a paper at a $1,000 investment apiece.
It all started in late 1994 when Maxine and her husband George (who died in 2010) were in Arizona and Rosemary Otzman, who just got a computer, made up little newspapers to keep them informed on what was going on in Van Buren Township, where they lived.
Ron Manley at the Belleville Print Shop had a fax machine, so Otzman took the weekly newspapers there and Manley faxed them to Arizona.
Manley also made a few copies to put on his counter to give to customers.
That little newspaper grew into the Independent and Maxine and George Heifner worked tirelessly to help get content for the paper, deliver the papers to drop-off points at stores, and do anything they could to help.
Maxine was teased by the owner of the meat market then next to the Belleville Police Department about all the money she was making with this free newspaper because she delivered it each week in a fancy Lincoln.
Maxine and George, as a team, covered the swearing in of Tina Brooks Green as 34th District Court Judge for the first time. They loved covering parades and veterans’ events.
Maxine’s most compelling interest was politics at every level. She got up and spoke at township board meetings and, at one point, organized a full Republican slate to run against the incumbent Democrats.
Maxine donated her financial expertise to the Independent for years, setting up the bookkeeping and going after advertisers who refused to pay their bills. They hated to see her coming because she didn’t give up.
George was an electrician (as well as a Marine who served in World War II) and he wired up the Independent production room and took pictures for the paper. He was especially adept at climbing up high on structures to take long shots of events like the annual bridge walk.
When the couple moved to Arizona and then to South Carolina and then to Brownstown Township, they received their Independents every week and Maxine pored over the weekly financial reports.
A few weeks ago, she sent a message to the investors that she thought it was time for another rate hike.
Maxine didn’t like Donald Trump’s candidacy when the primaries were on, but after he was nominated, she softened a bit. “I’m not voting for Hillary!” she stated.
She filled out her absentee ballot and voted before she died.