Paul Grondin St. Ignace residents will head to the polls Tuesday, November 3, to vote for either incumbent Paul Grondin or challenger Mary Elizabeth Nichols to be mayor of St. Ignace. Both candidates in the nonpartisan race say they are up to the task of being mayor and feel fully capable of doing the job, but only one will win the two-year seat. Mr. Grondin calls on his experience in city government as his greatest strength, while Ms. Nichols would like to bring a bottom line, business perspective to city finances.

Mr. Grondin, who has been the mayor of St. Ignace since 2006 and served on the city council before that, since 2002, said his experience and longevity in the city's government sets him apart from his challenger.

"I have over seven years of experience as a city council member and as mayor. I've been involved in many aspects of city government, from the hiring of a city manager to budgetary issues to contract negotiations and utility and infrastructure issues," he said. "I think I'm a positive person who has the qualifications and experience to continue to be mayor. I believe I'm doing a good job and feel comfortable asking the people of St. Ignace to re-elect me."

Mary Nichols Mr. Grondin became mayor in a special election in March 2006 after long-time mayor Bruce Dodson resigned so that his son, Eric Dodson, could become city manager. Mr. Grondin is a sergeant at the Kinross Correctional Facility and has been employed by the Michigan Department of Corrections for more than 20 years.

Ms. Nichols said because Mr. Grondin is a state employee, he may be too reluctant to make cuts or reassignments within the city's structure when necessary. She contrasts that with her experience in the private sector, which she said will help her to make tough decisions with the city's best interests in mind.

"My experience is within the private sector, where the setting and completion of tasks is critical to the very continuation of an organization. Timely performance and satisfaction of the client, in this case the citizen, is paramount," she said. "I am conditioned to the stress of budget and internal cost accounting as well as the supervision of a variety of skilled and unskilled laborers."

Ms. Nichols has completed undergraduate studies in English and French literature, administration of criminal justice, and graduate studies in social work. She ran unsuccessfully for a seat on city council in 2007.

Mr. Grondin earned an Associate's degree from Kellogg Community College in 1976 and a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice with a minor in political science from Western Michigan University in 1981.

City Finances

Both candidates believe that the city's finances need to be closely monitored and managed. Mr. Grondin said whoever is elected mayor will need to work with the city council and city manager to spend tax dollars wisely.

"The way the state is faring right now isn't too good," he said. "That impacts not only St. Ignace, but communities all over the state. We, as a council, are closely monitoring the budget information and updates that the city manager provides us. The council and I don't always agree on everything, but we're able to discuss our differences in a civil and respectful manner with each other to come together to make the decisions necessary that impact our citizens."

He said the potential 11% cut in state revenue sharing, in the yet-tobe approved state budget, may require the city council to trim a budget that's already "bare-bones" in some areas.

"Right now we have a balanced budget, but that's not to say we're not going to be impacted by the lack of funds that we get in revenue sharing from the state," he said.

Ms. Nichols is displeased with the performance of the current council and Mr. Grondin and believes there is room for improvement. She is claiming that the city is running on a deficit budget, but according to the city's auditors, the city has money to pay the difference between revenue and expenses.

The city brings in money from taxes, state revenue, charges for service, and other miscellaneous sources, which totaled $1,764,905 in 2008. City expenditures were more than that last year, $1,969,732, but additional transfers into the city's general fund from other city funds paid the difference, leaving the general fund with an additional $30,625.

Annette Eustice of the Cheboygan firm Rehmann, which audits the city's budget each year, said it is legal for the city to spend more than it brings in as long as it has enough money on hand to pay that difference.

Nevertheless, Ms. Nichols thinks it is unwise for expenses to exceed revenues.

If elected, Ms. Nichols wants City Manager Dodson and Treasurer Eugene Elmer to provide the mayor and city council with up-todate and accurate financial data for each of the city's funds to pinpoint and prioritize where cuts can and should be made, if state revenue sharing does decrease, to keep city spending in line with revenues.

"My concern is that city operations are brought into line with revenues, particularly as the revenue sharing from Lansing will be substantially reduced, whenever the state budget is finalized," she said. "I consider debt to be the primary concern. I don't think it's prudent to proceed on an unwise basis."

She also wants city expenditures to be more clearly outlined at each council meeting, so that there's no question of where taxpayer money is spent. She wants this information to be readily available to the public, as well.

Promoting the City

Mr. Grondin said it is important to be visible during the many events in St. Ignace that attract visitors from around the region, state, and country, throughout the year.

"One of our responsibilities as a council is to contribute to a climate which encourages visitors from across Michigan and across the country to visit and enjoy our community," he said. "Some of the events that we have during the year, like the car shows, truck show, Arts Dockside, Bayside Live, Fish Feast, Fourth of July, and pond hockey in the winter. These are all quality events and we must continue to do the promotional activities we do to convince people to come to visit St. Ignace and enjoy St. Ignace."

Ms. Nichols wants to keep in closer touch with city residents, rather than tourists. She said it is important for city residents to have a voice in city government.

"The mayor's role is to listen to the stated needs of the citizens of the City of St. Ignace, to oversee the operations of city hall and its management, and to see that those prioritized needs are met to the best of the mayor's ability," Ms. Nichols said. "There is a distinct difference between a leader and a cheerleader."

The city of St. Ignace has a strong-city manager, weak-mayor governmental structure, which means that the mayoral seat is largely ceremonial and the city manager runs day-to-day operations of the city. The mayor and council, which represent city residents, possess both legislative and executive authorities and primary control over the city budget.