Carol Beth Litkouhi is a Rochester Community Schools board trustee who asked a simple question: what are kids actually learning in the new ethnic and gender studies class? After filing an FOIA request, she was told no records existed. She appealed but they stayed silent…

Now she's in the middle of a First Amendment lawsuit.

We got into:

Carol Beth, thank you for making the time to come on and walk through all of this!

*Chapters*

~~~

Linda Ferrante has been recruiting for 28 years. She co-founded RFT Search Group out of Farmington Hills, focused almost entirely on family-owned and privately held businesses. She's been published in the Wall Street Journal. She's appeared on national radio. And two months ago, she replied to a LinkedIn post and accidentally became Spitfire Linda on Reddit.

Things we talked about in this episode:

Thank you Linda For sharing your story and your takes on recruiting!

*Chapters*

~~~

Matthew Wilk spent eight and a half years on the Northville School Board. He's a commercial real estate attorney who went on to work in lending.

When House Bill 6088 passed during Michigan's lame duck session and removed Wayne County communities' right to opt out of the regional transit system, Matthew paid attention.

In this episode we covered:

Matt, thanks for coming on and walking through all of this in detail.

*Update:* Wayne County Circuit Judge Kathleen McCarthy dismissed the lawsuit on June 1, 2026

https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/wayne-county-public-transportation-millage-on-ballot-lawsuit-dismissed/

*Chapters*

Jim Biga is a lifelong Livonia resident, a retired federal contracting professional, and the president of the Wolverine Dog Training Club. When the city began holding planning sessions around a proposed $150 million bond, Jim started attending and came away with questions.

He says the plan changed at each session, costs were hard to pin down, and he felt his questions weren't getting direct answers. So he and a group of residents started showing up at council meetings and talking to neighbors at coffee shops and grocery stores.

In April, 67% of Livonia voters said no to the bond proposal.

In this episode of Unlocking the Law, we covered:

Jim, thank you for your time and for the detail you brought to this conversation.

*Chapters*

~~~

Most people never ask a lawyer a question until they absolutely have to.

Our team posted in the All Things Livonia Facebook group and asked: 

In this special Q&A episode, we covered:

Thank you so much to the All Things Livonia Facebook group for contributing to this episode of Unlocking The Law!

~~~

Dillon England started a podcast on a whim because his wife suggested it.

He had two mismatching microphones and a camera that cut out every 30 minutes. But afterwards, he knew he wanted to be in podcasting for the rest of his life.

Dillon had worked in 100% commissions insurance sales and started a video editing company. 

Both didn't turn out the way he wanted, but it all lead him to discovering what he was destined to build...

In our episode, we covered:

Dillon built something real by failing at a lot of things first. But the thing that kept him going was a belief that the work itself was the point and that it wasn't about him.

Dillon, thank you for being the guy behind so much of what makes this podcast work, and for finally sitting in the guest chair. You are open, honest, and authentic - loved every minute of our conversation!

*Chapters*

~~~

Tyler Vines has been on the Livonia Police Department for nearly 14 years. He's been in patrol the whole time. Two months ago, he became president of the Livonia Police Officers Association.

He walked into that role and straight into a crisis.

Twenty-nine officers left the department in 2025. They hired five. The station they work out of is a patchwork of two buildings from the 1960s bolted together with a section added 40 years later. HVAC systems that require a call to DPW to adjust. Boilers breaking down with no parts available. A urinal pipe that leaked into the wall for weeks before anyone found it. The city is spending up to $400,000 a year just to keep the place standing. 

And in August, residents will vote on a millage renewal that funds officer wages, benefits, training, and equipment for the entire public safety department, police and fire alike.

We covered:

Livonia has a reputation for being one of the best departments in the state. The people there are good at their job. They show up. The question is whether the city is going to give them the tools to keep doing it.

Tyler, thank you for coming in to record. This is exactly the kind of conversation Livonia residents need to hear before August.

*Chapters*

Watch the Livonia PD Grappler Deployment here:

~~~

Brandon McCullough has built his political reputation on saying exactly what he thinks.

Sometimes, he told me, that's gotten him in trouble.

When the millage proposal was shot down in August, Brandon was in the middle of it, putting his strong opinions out online. When the dust settled, he had to sit with the reality that the city he grew up in still needed a new police station and a community that no longer fully trusted the people trying to build it.

Through that process, Brandon learned the hard way that humility in a leadership role goes further than being right.

In our episode we cover:

Brandon, thank you for your honesty and for your genuine care for this city.

*Chapters*

~~~

Jay Murray is a contributing writer at the Michigan Enjoyer who holds White House press credentials and has spent the last two years covering Livonia from the inside. He's lived there almost his entire life. 

He loves the city... but he's also watched it stall.

What he's found in Livonia surprised him... A suburb that still looks like 1982. A political machine dating back decades that still shapes Wayne County. Residents organizing in yellow shirts to protest chicken restaurants, car washes, and gas stations while an abandoned Sears building rots with dead animals inside. A city council caught between angry crowds and the law.

In this episode of Unlocking The Law, we cover:

Something specific that stuck with me from my talk with Jay is how easily nostalgia becomes resistance. People aren't always fighting against something new; sometimes they're just holding on to what's familiar, even when what's familiar is a decaying building with no plan.

Jay, thanks for coming on and bringing so much energy and honesty!

~~~

Veronica Cruz runs two nonprofits almost entirely on volunteer power, and she's seen people start with fire in their hearts and a cause they believe in... but very quickly reality hits.

✕ The paperwork takes months. 

In our episode, Veronica walks through what actually goes into building a nonprofit that lasts:

Starting a nonprofit requires a great vision and mission, but it also means building systems that outlive your own involvement.

Thank you Veronica Cruz for taking the time to talk!

*Connect with Veronica*

~~~