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City Council Candidates Share Views
Candidates vying for one of Council's four-year seats are Dean Baker, Mary Elizabeth Nichols, Steve "Frenchy" DuFresne, and incumbents Willie LaLonde, Merv Wyse, and Paul Fullerton. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the conference room of Little Bear East Arena and Community Center at 275 Marquette Street. A new regulation this year requires voters to show photo identification at the polls. Each candidate, including Mayor Grondin, was given the same list of six questions to answer for The St. Ignace News, and their responses appear below. Mr. Fullerton did not respond. Profiles: Mary Elizabeth Nichols Occupation: Unemployed owing to disability. Family: Widow, no surviving parents, siblings, or children.
Dean Baker Occupation: Retired construction worker and carpenter. Family: Wife, Gwen, a daughter, Jacquelyn Baker, a stepdaughter, Bridgett Pfeiffelmann-Anzlon, and a stepson, Karlton Pfeiffelmann. Education/ qualifications: Associate's degree in architectural drafting and design from North Central Community College in Petoskey in 1993. He is a former member of the St. Ignace City Council, serving from 1989 to 1993, and has served on the city's Zoning Board of Appeals. Steve "Frenchy" DuFresne Occupation: Barber and owner of the St. Ignace Barber Shop.
Education/ qualifications: He is vice president for Mackinac County Sportsmen Off-Road Vehicle Association and is a master mason. He is a member of the Straits Area Sportsmen's Club and developed and constructed, as a volunteer, a free disc golf course at Silver Mountain. Merv Wyse Occupation: Vice president of operations at First National Bank of St. Ignace. Family: Wife, Judy, and five children, Jonathan, Jordan, Meredith, Jess, and Josiah. Education/ qualifications: Graduate of Engadine Consolidated Schools; earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration at Lake Superior State University; served two non-consecutive terms on City Council; serves on Zoning Board of Appeals, St. Ignace Chamber of Commerce (since 1978), and is a youth director at Glen Memorial Baptist Church since 1986. William "Willie" LaLonde
Family: Wife, Donna, and three daughters, Kayley, Mallory, and Lydia. Education/ qualifications: 1981 graduate of LaSalle High School; a member of City Council for eight years, and is a 22-year veteran volunteer firefighter with St. Ignace Fire Department. He is also a member of the Lions Club and volunteers as a coach for youth softball, baseball, and soccer. Questions Asked of Each Candidate: 1. Define the role of a Council member? NICHOLS: The council member is the duly elected representative of the interests of the citizens. In St. Ignace, it is often difficult for a citizen to get the attention of a council member. Each is elected "at large," unaccountable to a specific precinct or ward. A person with a concern can call or mail six council members and the mayor. Most of these folks don't use an answering machine and fail to return a call if a message is left with the children.
I own an answering machine and return phone calls. I also have email, and I am available weekends and before and after standard office hours. I would only be one vote, but I do want to hear from you, because, chances are, if it bothers you, it will really ire me. I have loudly criticized Council members as "bobble heads" in that their decisions are seemingly made in unison. Rarely have I seen any question which has only one perspective, yet most of Council's decisions are immediate and unanimous. BAKER: A council member is a member of the legislative body of the city and is thereby responsible, collectively, with the entire council, for the public peace and health and for the safety of all persons and property of the city. This is done through the enactment, repeal, or amendment of all by-laws, resolutions, and ordinances that are consistent with the city charter that is set by federal statute.
A council member should represent the will of the people and also to make the tough decisions that have to be made in the best interest of the city. WYSE: A council member actively participates in the community he and she serves. It is in this participation that the Council member listens to the community's citizens, notices the needs of the community, and seeks citizen ideas for improving the community. It is then the council member's responsibility to use his and her voting rights on Council to enact laws, ordinances, and resolutions that will best meet the needs of the community. LaLONDE: The role of the City Council is to set the budget for the city and set policy. Council hires all department heads. The day-to-day operations are carried out by the city manager and overseen by the council. 2. What are two major issues facing St. Ignace? NICHOLS: (1) The oppressive water and sewer rates, which function as an inhibiting tax on families and business and a distinct disincentive to the formation to new and diversified business interests. (2) The pervasive apathy and disinclination of the good people who live here to exert a participatory influence on local democracy. This legitimate reaction is certainly understandable, given the decades of rude disservice to those who pay the bills delivered by those who dine at the public trough. BAKER: A) The city lacks a long-range, comprehensive road maintenance and repair plan. I would like to see one adopted by ordinance so the money can't be used for something else. Any time I have asked about one I've been told, 'Well, we did this road and that one this year, we did that one last year.'What we need is a 15- or 20-year plan with a yearby year breakdown. B) I see a division in the city. Some are disenchanted and fed up and will not participate either by voting or in an open forum. By doing this, they widen the gap and stack the decision-making process against themselves. There are also those with special interests who will not budge from their view and are usually the more vocal. In my view, the latter tend to be the most influential and thus widen the gap and the disenchanted withdraw all the more and say, 'I told you so.' The disenchanted need to come join in, be respectful, but let your voice be heard. The more vocal need to be still for a moment, be respectful, and listen; there may be some good ideas out there. DuFRESNE: Lack of quality of year-around jobs and lack of quality at the city's Little Bear East Arena and Community Center. WYSE: We cannot deny the fact that our economy is dependent on tourism. In light of that, the issue faced is making St. Ignace a destination for tourists, not a "drive-thru" community. Capitalizing on the natural beauty of our area and magnifying the rich history of our area is an imperative part of this equation. Hand-to-hand with this is the need to create a stable economy that keeps our community conducive to year-around, small town living. We need an economy that supports local services such as our city government, schools, hospital, emergency services, quality water and sewer facilities. LaLONDE: I believe getting our water and sewer funds back in the black and securing funding for our upcoming sewer project, which most of it is required by the state's Department of Environmental Quality, is one. We also need to find a way to fix some of our city infrastructure. Most notably, our neighborhood streets and our city hall building are two of the biggest projects that need some work. 3. Who should protect the city charter? The citizens or City Council? NICHOLS: Just as the U.S. Constitution provides the framework for our nation, so the city's charter does for the function of our city. There exists a direct relationship between official misconduct of elected officials and the apathy of the governed. All it takes for evil to prosper is for good people to do nothing. Despite the impassioned protests of the mayor and the dedicated inaction of six of the seven members of Council, the protection of the charter is clearly within the duties of Council. So strongly did the framers of our charter intend to have allegations of official misconduct investigated and adjudicated that Section 4.11 authorizes Council to compensate special legal counsel "for extensive hearings before quasi-judicial or administrative tribunals." Council's recent failure to authorize payment of the monies to the child of a council member and misappropriation of public funds are separate issues involving Council's recent inaction. Given the general ignorance of the charter by the mayor and some council members, it is clear that other avenues, including the request for a special prosecutor from the state's office of the Attorney General in Lansing, are appropriate in the attempt by ordinary citizens to restore integrity. BAKER: Council should protect the charter, collectively and as individual members. I also believe it is a citizen's right and duty, along with diligent research, to bring to Council's attention to a suspected violation. The recent nepotism charge brought before Council is a good example of what can go awry. Council ruled there was no violation of the charter. Had there been a violation, it would be simpler to deal with. There would be a penalty meted out according to charter guidelines and there would be closure. Now the perception of wrongdoing will remain, nothing Council does will make that go away, and it will linger. From the beginning, when all the research about the definition of nepotism was going on and the effort to justify this hiring, there had to be red flags going up. It should have been dropped. The city manager did admit that a couple of meetings ago and apologized, and I commend him for that. However, the perception remains and in many minds there was a violation of the charter and it cost the city $1,600. DuFRESNE: The city council members take an oath to uphold the city charter. If that doesn't happen, the people should hold them accountable. WYSE: Bear in mind that council members are citizens of St. Ignace. Council is a small group of citizens representing a much larger contingency of citizens. It is Council's responsibility, on behalf of the citizens, to act within the scope of the charter and uphold it. LaLONDE: Both citizens and Council should protect the city charter. The citizens voted for the present charter in 1969. Council's job is to make sure the charter is followed in every way and the citizens should also make sure that this is done. 4. Besides taxes, how should city government be financed? NICHOLS: That our city is still in deficit is not news. Having received a copy of Council's proposed debt-reduction plan, which is awaiting Michigan Department of Treasury approval, I am now studying it and learning more of Council's approach to eliminating the city's prolonged debt. I bet that continued outrageously high water rates and little else will be dedicated to erasing it. Where do these water and sewer debts originate? The past city manager, mayor, and Council refused to implement appropriate water and sewer rates until such time as the deficits mounted to unmanageable dimensions. Every family faced with huge medical bills or an unexpected layoff cuts out luxuries from the family budget. Fewer vacations or making the car last a little longer are just some of the common sense approaches "the little people" have to make every day to cover budget shortfalls. While constituents are burdened with high water and sewer bills, city funds are spent on renting movie screens for tourists, bonuses for employees, and "sweetheart" contracts for selected members of the "Just Us Club." This waste does not flourish because of the absence of prudent fiscal policies; this waste continues in spite of them. The possibility of "administrative efficiencies" abound. The will to tighten the belt is absent. BAKER: The city could earn capital through leasing unused city property and vacant space in city hall. By increasing the scope of its recreational program and charging for participation, it could increase its revenue and recreation could more easily pay its way. An additional recreation complex could house activities and refreshments like virtual golf and skeet and trap shooting, three-onthree basketball, pool tables, and rock and rope climbing. As a payas you-play system, it could be open to visitors and neighboring communities. Using debit cards would save on wages. It could even be leased out. Little Bear East could be used for a series of week-long musical events with nightly performances by different artists. Buying property and turning it into parks or free-for-use events not only decreases our tax base, it increases each individual's tax burden because those taxes have to be made up somewhere. Also, maintenance and upkeep costs increase the burden on the taxpayers. If the city is going to buy taxable property and remove it from the tax rolls, they must develop it in such a way as to bring that revenue back into the city treasury. DuFRESNE: [No answer given] WYSE: Different scenarios within city government's need for financing may dictate what types of financing are available and feasible. City personnel have been very successful in writing grants and obtaining them. There has been much benefit to our city through these grants. The charter does allow for bond issues and borrowing from financial institutions, however, because of interest, these types of financing are less desirable. LaLONDE: Obviously, taxes make up the largest part of how the city is financed. We have revenue generated from the marina, Little Bear East, the water and sewer funds, and some rentals. All that revenue goes back to those areas to help maintain them, we need to get more customers on our city water and sewer, and more groups and/ or conventions using Little Bear and our marina to continue to see more boaters every year. Increased revenue in these areas would help in our overall financial future. 5. What can City Council do to stimulate economic development? NICHOLS: Council can do relatively little to stimulate or diversify the local economy. Locally, however, I think that the efforts of the city manager might better be re-directed to having the $400 million, state-of-the-art alternative fuels plants, which has already been funded by private capital, located locally in Mackinac County, where the city business might derive substantial spin-off benefits. Instead, the mayor and Council have directed the city manager to study the possibility of bringing a derelict 384-foot-long vessel to Dock 3 to be loaded with dead tires. The last time I checked, one email from Mackinac County had been sent to locate the processing plant here, while the folks in DeTour will probably rejoice when the city manager succeeds in snagging the Arthur K, Atkinson, out of service since 1981 and reported loaded with asbestos and possibly leaking oil, for local job opportunities. It might also help if the Chamber of Commerce would respond to repeated telephone calls and emails, and the DDA could also install a working e-mail system. BAKER: This is a difficult question when taking into consideration the economic health of the state. It will take time but I think the city should be concentrating on how to bring in more private investment to increase our tax base. Because of logistics, I do not believe small industry is the most logical way to go, however, it should not be ignored. In the near future, many baby boomers will be retiring. Even now, many of them want to sell their homes and move from the big city but they cannot sell because of the economy. I know that waterfront development is an unpopular idea, but stop for a moment and consider the increasing tax burden on our present and possibly declining population. I know it is an unpopular subject but I believe commercial and condo development on the waterfront is the most prudent way to proceed and it would increase our tax base exponentially. Consider, along with added tax revenue, the people living in those condos buy food, gas, eat out, and spend money on entertainment, just like the rest of us. All phases of construction would have to be open to qualified local contractors. DuFRESNE: When people try to bring new growth into St. Ignace, we need to work with them, instead of against them. We have a new Planned Unit Development ordinance. We should use it the way it was intended. WYSE: The continuation of working closely with the Chamber of Commerce, the Visitors Bureau, the Special Events Committee, HOME, and other such organizations is imperative. These groups can serve as the "eyes and ears" that Council needs to find what is happening and what needs to stimulate the economic development. LaLONDE: We are a tourist area, but we need more year-around jobs. We need to advertise two of our biggest assets, which I believe are our deep water port and our close proximity to I-75. These two assets should be able to benefit both our tourism and be a selling point to try and get some kind of year-around business to come to our great town. 6. What should City Council do to protect the downtown waterfront? NICHOLS: The City of St. Ignace is a viable entity in itself, not a mere doormat for Mackinac Island. The ferry services are not prevented from purchasing non-waterfront properties and shuttling tourists to docks for travel to the Island. Any waterfront development must strictly adhere to all zoning committee provisions so that the community at large is not disadvantaged by high-rise development. I remain seriously doubtful of the hasty plans being discussed by Council concerning the contemplated millage and purchase of the parcel adjacent to American Legion Park. I've heard all sorts of discussion about the number and quality of commercial appraisals, but am I the only one who'd like to see some survey stakes in the ground before a 10- or 20-year millage commitment is discussed, much less finalized? And, what about the pollution potential of this parcel? And the seller retains certain riparian rights. What are we buying? Do we even know, in writing, whether the seller's asking price is negotiable, or are we spending time and money hustling around, trying to get things in order to make grant applications, only to be faced with a seller who's unwilling to negotiate? BAKER: I have seen some of the literature put out by the Michigan Municipal League featuring small cities and towns that have turned their declining economic condition around by taking some huge and risky financial investments with taxpayers' money. However, they seem to have a pretty good tax base to begin with, are in more heavily populated areas or near large cities. People can easily take a one- or two-hour drive, have lunch at a sidewalk cafe, visit some galleries and shops, have dinner at some new restaurant, and drive home the same day. We're not that near to a densely populated area and we don't have the tax base to tap into. So where do we begin? Council should sit down with the Planning Commission, DDA, and an ad hoc citizens grop and discuss alternatives to the ordinances and current restrictions on waterfront development. They are too restrictive and reduce the value of the property, limit the development possibilities, and may even restrict an owner's right to a fair return on investment. It is possible to allow development and retain view and access. We need to entice people who will invest in and live in our city. DuFRESNE: Enforce the zoning ordinance, but at the same time, realize that the city cannot afford to buy, develop, and maintain every piece of lakefront property. So we should look to private investors willing to work within the guidelines of the city to develop available lakefront properties. WYSE: Our city is blessed with a downtown waterfront that has natural beauty. We don't have to make it beautiful, it already is beautiful. If the waterfront is allowed to be built up, fewer people have use of or view of the water. City Council should do what it can reasonably do to protect the waterfront and should do what it can to exploit it. LaLONDE: In our most recent master plan, the citizens said that saving our waterfront was one of the most important things that they would like to see. I believe we have done that with our zoning for waterfront properties, which only allows for 20-foot buildings on the water. The citizens did not say that when a piece of waterfront property comes up for sale, that we should buy it, that is not the city government's job. I don't believe the city can afford to see any more property come off the tax roles, especially lake front property, which is most valuable. |
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