There has been a lot of division in this town over the last few years. How would you leverage your position as a local leader to help heal the community? Be specific about ideas you would bring to the table.

Over the last few years, Harbor Springs, like every community in the country, has seen an increase in incivility. I like to think we are better than the rest of the country and I believe that starts with a commitment from the mayor and city council to set an example. We need to be open to the opinions of our neighbors and to provide them space to express those opinions without fear of retaliation, bullying, or the loss of friendships. It sounds simplistic because it is.

I want to schedule coffee with the mayor and open forums where citizens can feel free to come and share their suggestions, concerns and opinions before issues rise to the level of a ‘required’ city council decision. Champion those individuals willing to work with their neighbors who have differing opinions to develop real solutions that serve the people of Harbor Springs rather than one side or the other. Allow members from the general public to serve on boards to round out the community perspective. An informed decision is far superior to one made in isolation.

I honestly believe that the healing has already begun but we need to commit to working together to continue that process. I have heard the words, transparency, communication, and respect. I am committed to help turn those words into action.

As mayor I would take the city to the people by hosting:

1. Mayor’s coffee hour - 1 hour at a local cafe to chat with residents
2. Office open house Casual drop in hour at city hall
3. Neighborhood pop ins - visits to existing community events rather than creating new ones

I have had success simply walking around downtown, stopping in to visit with local businesses, and taking a few minutes to talk with owners and employees. It is a casual way to hear what’s on their minds, answer questions, and stay connected with the community.

We need to allow City Hall to do their jobs, not micromanage as has seemingly been done in the past few years. Honesty and transparency, which I feel has been done but needs to be continued. Face-to-face communication, being present at meetings, understanding that not everyone is right or wrong and not everyone is going to be happy with everything. Use social media as a tool for information and communication not a weapon for debate and doubt.

I’ve previously sat on council for 4 years, I’ve been involved in the community at different levels for many years and currently sit as Fire Chief and I run a successful construction company. I’m hopeful for all these experiences to play a roll.

Healthy debate is a good thing, and I encourage input that is factual and sensible. If you can't make a point in 3 minutes, write it down and send it in. Council is there to listen and make the best decisions based on facts. Insults and hyperbolic ranting at a public meeting is beyond inappropriate and I won't tolerate it.

I do believe we are turning the page on that issue. But keep in mind - people get angry when they feel ignored. Every two weeks, residents stand up during public comment at City Council. Almost always, they hear silence. No answer, not even a follow-up question. Council cannot take up a new issue on the spot, but silence tells people their voice does not count. I think we should make note of every question people ask during public comment and give each person some type of response by the next meeting even if it's “we're still looking into it.” People will not always like the answer, but they'll know someone listened. Healing also means staying humble about our role. The City Council's job is to empower our city manager and staff to run the city well and preserve what is best about Harbor Springs.

As noted above, the divisions that have grown over the last few years are of great concern to me. My long tenure in this town, coupled with my knowledge of the historical resort character of the region (Harbor Point, Wequetonsing, Ramona Park, Menonaqua, Bay View, etc.) gives me great sadness when I contrast the images of those past times with the schisms I see today. I attribute these "schisms" to a growing dis-connect between the various social strata within the community. Historically, for example, there were close, intimate, and long-term interconnects between the "resorters" and their staff, housekeepers, groundskeepers, shopkeepers and so on. This resulted in a totally integrated community and what I have termed a "symbiotic" relationship between the townspeople and the resorters. This is fractured today with construction, maintenance, landscaping, event planning every year being performed by larger and more remote companies and corporations who employ more and more non-local workers. Thus we have lost the closely knit community of yesteryear. If we wish to reverse this trend it will require far reaching changes to current City structure. My long term interest in Community Planning and my confidence that we can make the necessary changes if we really want to make me feel that these are viable and desirable solutions. I am certain that if we truly focus on fundamentals we will find a great deal of agreement for a common vision for the future of Harbor Springs.