Park council candidates face voters
at League of Women Voters forum

Three Grosse Pointe Park City Council candidates met Wednesday evening (Oct. 14) at a forum in the municipal building to answer questions from residents.

The forum, hosted by the League of Women Voters of Grosse Pointe, included incumbents Daniel Corrigan Grano and James Robson, and challenger Laurie Arora.

Spectators submitted questions on note cards.

Arora said she would bring new energy, enthusiasm, accessibility and experience to city council.

“It’s amazing what a fresh set of eyes can offer,” she said. “My experience in making government more efficient and my proven ability to cut costs while maintaining services will be assets.”

Grano said he would continue to provide forward-looking leadership. Some of the accomplishments he highlighted include enhanced recycling programs, street repaving, park renovations and neighborhood and downtown rehabilitation.

He said his vision is of the Park as a prosperous, family-friendly community.

Robson highlighted his 16 years of experience, contributions to public safety and low-cost services.

“I’ve led the fight against crime and blight, and crime has declined 18% in 2008, “ he said. “We are facing some tough economic challenges, but your council has continued to provide the best possible services at lowest possible cost.”

None of the candidates believed cuts in city jobs are necessary. Robson said there are grants to examine, and Grano proposed a continuing consolidating of services with the other Pointes.

Much discussion centered on residents wanting to know where $5.6 million of the $7 million in bond money has been spent. Robson said he would commit to releasing purchasing details at the next council meeting. Also, a full disclosure statement will be in the next Park Communicator.

“That bond has been a lifesaver for Grosse Pointe Park,” he said. “We have spent those funds well.”

Grano said no decisions on the bond money were wrongfully made in private. Under state law, the city is required to negotiate such contracts in closed meetings. Also, he and Robson have always been available to answer residents’ questions.

Arora was concerned if the disclosure would provide enough detail of the purchases.

“$5.6 million is a lot of money and nobody knows what it has been spent on specifically,” she said. “I think all of that needs to be flushed out.”

When asked what the city's more pressing issues are, Arora cited the need for a more accessible and responsive government, increasing blight, home foreclosures and increasing property assessments.

“Instead of making decisions in a vacuum, we need to have more public input,” she said.

Grano’s list included high taxes and property values, downtown rehabilitation and development, and the need to be a family-friendly community.

“We need to continue the policies that the city council has started over the last four years to protect our property values,” he said.

Robson said remaining one of the safest Michigan cities should always be the Park’s No. 1 concern. He also said the fight on blight needs to continue, the budget needs to continue to be managed and art must be supported.

Speaking on the strained Detroit-Grosse Pointe Park relationship, Robson said “historically we’ve reached our hand out to the city of Detroit. Usually it’s been bit off.”

Grano said the Park wants to beautify the border with Detroit, but the neighboring city has just been uncooperative.

Arora said dialogue with Detroit does not only have to happen on the administrative level; meeting with neighborhood groups is also important.

“If we can improve the border part of Detroit that we hit, it only improves us,” she said. “We are competing with Grand Rapids and they are going gangbusters … so we have to work together.”

All candidates agreed on the need to market the city for young families or businesses to move here. They also said the tough economy does not make a tax increase necessary.

“I will resign before I approve any tax increase,” Robson said. “We are burnt out when it comes to taxes.”

Grano said the city would have to lose its revenue sources before he would approve a tax cut, but he does not see a situation like that happening.

On a rumored $1 million increase to maintain the level of public safety workers, Robson and Arora said they were opposed to layoffs but were unsure if that much money was needed to keep jobs.

Grano said he believes all departments should be funded equally and that would be too much of a tax burden for residents.

Regarding Mayor Heenan’s endorsement of the three city council incumbents, Arora said it appears there is a slate in this race and an independent voice is needed in that branch of city government. Grano and Robson said there is no slate and each current council member constitutes an independent voice.

Discussing residential rental property, Arora and Grano agreed there should be an updated master plan.

Three candidates of the six who were invited did not attend. Councilwoman Shirley Kennedy withdrew from the forum for an unspecified reason. 

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