Lacking a quorum, Shores council
leaves two open seats unfilled

The Grosse Pointe Shores City Council chambers filled to capacity Tuesday night (March 16), with overflow into the hall. The crowd came anticipating the council would fill the vacancies left by the surprise resignations of Mayor Pro Tem Brian Hunt and Councilman Fred Minturn last month. But two council members were no-shows, denying the body a quorum, and thus the ability to make new appointments.

Mayor James Cooper called the absence of Dan Schulte and Ted Kedzierski “juvenile,” adding, “This is unprecedented.”

Shores government has been roiling in recent months, with a recall election set for next month, originally aimed at council members Cooper, Minturn, Hunt, Robert Graziani and Victoria Boyce. The resignations of Minturn and Hunt added to the confusion and hard feelings on the body.

Eleven residents had submitted their names as candidates for the two open positions. Those who came to Tuesday's meeting were allowed to speak from the podium.  Cooper said the body will reconvene next Tuesday (March 23).

The candidates are Alan Broad, Vito Cusenza, David Galbenski, Brian Geraghty, Bryan Lane, Janice Pemberton, Joseph Pugel, William Raffoul, Raymond Rahi and Richard Russell.  Mark Zmyslowski withdrew from the running Monday.

With widely varying backgrounds, the candidates include entrepreneurs and business owners, an educator, a physician, a lawyer and engineers. Each talked to residents about fiscal responsibility, transparency, inclusiveness and coming together as a community.

“We are one community here,” said Rahi. “Yes, we have disagreements, yes in some cases they are significant, yes in some cases they are going to be hard to work through, but let’s all begin to realize that we share much more common ground. It’s time that we begin to work together and act like one. We have a lot of work to be done. It’s time that we move ahead in a constructive manner.”

In other business:

• Public Safety Director Steve Poloni said there has been a slight increase in larceny from vehicles in the past couple of months. Poloni advised residents to take valuables like their iPods, purses and computers out of their cars and remove radar detectors from under the dash if they have them. The Shores public safety department was also recognized for stopping an armed robbery at a 7-Eleven in St. Clair Shores.
• Public Works Director Brett Smith notified residents that construction on Vernier Road is scheduled to begin sometime in June.
• Lake Shore Road south of Vernier is tentatively scheduled for repaving this July. Sidewalk ramps will be replaced, maintenance of the harbor is under way and more signage will be placed along city roadways.
• City Attorney Mark McInerney reported that the city had received a letter from the secretary of state dismissing formal complaints filed by Janice Pemberton and Dan Schulte in 2009. Additionally, a formal complaint by Robert Lee alleging a violation of the open meetings act with Shores public safety was found to have no basis, and no charges will be brought. Lee is the resident who organized the recall effort.
• Chamber of Commerce representative Sheldon Wardwell gave an update regarding a survey that will be conducted throughout the Grosse Pointe community. Wardwell said 3,000 residents will be randomly selected from voter registration lists from all the Pointes. A less extensive Internet survey will be available to all residents. The survey is not related to the one being circulated in Grosse Pointe Shores and will focus on issues that all five communities have in common. It will be released April 12. The deadline for the current Shores survey is March 25.

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