Birmingham/City Commission

The Candidates
On The Questions

Please
provide
biographical
information.

Why are
you
running?

What do
you see as
some of the
key issues?

How do you
plan to
address
these
issues?

Farmington Hills/Mayor - Two-year term.

City Council

Brian B.
Savage

Paul
Sowerby

Aldo
Vagnoni

Vicki
Barnett

Thirty-eight years old; Birmingham/
Bloomfield resident for 38 years, last six
in Birmingham. Self-employed business
forms distributor. Twelve years' man-
agement experience as general manager,
managing partner and business owner.
Five years' experience as a management
consultant to the restaurant and con-
struction industries. Attended Michigan
State University and graduated from Re-
gents College, SUNY with a degree in sci-
ence. I'm a governing member of the
Founder's Society DIA; a member of the
Cranbrook Art Museum; the Economic
Club*of Detroit; and the American Eco-
nomic Association.

A 23-year resident of the city of Farming-
ton Hills. Served on the Parks and Recre-
ation Commission, Zoning Board of
Appeals and Year 2000 Committee. Past
member of the city council. Have provid-
ed free legal advice for the seniors of the
Farmington Hills area for the past four
years. A 51-year old practicing attorney
with offices in the city. Army veteran. Be-
lieves we should respect and provide for
our seniors.

1 served as mayor in 1991; as council
member in 1987, re-elected in 1989 and
1993; and as mayor-pro tern in 1990. I
was Farmington-area PTA president; a
member of the Commission on Aging and
Library Board. Elected to Farmington
School Board in 1969, serving until 1973:
I have been married to Lois Carl for 46
years and we have four children and six
grandchildren. I am an usher at St. Alexan-
der's Catholic Church and volunteer for
Farmington Families in Action, a South-,
east Oakland County homeless program,
and for the United Way. Graduate of
Wayne State University and a World War
II veteran.

1972 Groves High School graduate with
honors. 1981 bachelor of general stud-
ies degree, with honors, University of
Michigan-Dearborn. 1993 master of busi-
ness administration, with distinction, Uni-
versity of Michigan-Dearborn. Married
and mother of two children. Homemak-
er and civic activist, former small-busi-
ness owner, religious school teacher and
professional singer. Co-founder and chair
of Citizens Alliance for Responsible Ed-
ucation. Active in community service and
local politics in Farmington Hills for over
14 years. From 1991 through 1995,
served on the Farmington Hills Commit-
tee to Increase Voter Participation.

I do not see anything being done about
Birmingham's problems. The city needs
creative solutions for its problems and I
have yet to see any offered. Parking is a
perfect example; unless or until a com-
prehensive solution is arrived at we will
continue to chase away the people (shop-
pers) that we want and desperately need
for a viable downtown. Unless I am on the
city commission, there is no way that I
can be assured that appropriate and long-
overdo solutions to our problems will be
designed and implemented.

It is time the business of the city is con-
ducted like a business. It is important to
review the city budget to be sure the needs
of the citizens are properly prioritized. We
must change from a development-focused
city to a maintenance-focused city. I favor
the use of term limits. It is time the city
council develops a common agenda with
the residents of the city. We need to elect
a mayor who understands and reflects the
concerns of the people. We must stop
these constant millage requests which skirt
the Headlee Amendment.

Having supported the popular election of
mayor, I want to make sure that the first
person to serve in that position has the
qualifications, experience, background
and temperament to do so. I served as
mayor in 1991. At the conclusion of that
term, the administrative staff and other
council members praised my efforts. The
administrators said "Aldo Vagnozzi, in his
year as mayor, will be remembered for
his outstanding leadership in bringing
sides together ... and in his total support
and commitment to numerous programs
benefiting the community."

I want to promote the interests of the res-
idents and protect the unique character
of each neighborhood that makes Farm-
ington Hills so special. I want to keep
Farmington Hills a great place to live and
raise kids and continue to provide the
highest-quality services to residents at
nearly the lowest cost of any city in Oak-
land County.

City services need to be maintained while
making departments more responsive to
the residents' needs. This will be more dif
ficult with the consolidation of four de-
partments into two and budgets that are
already stretched. We should not accept
city services that are of a lesser quality
than we are accustomed to Increasing al
ready high taxes to maintain service lev-
els cannot be an option. Second,
commercial activity downtown must be
increased and directed. The viability of the
shopping district is important The down-
town must provide an important ameni-
ty, a source of entertainment a place for
socialization and a source of revenue.

Establish term limits, maintain our infra-
structure and stop the divisiveness between
city council and the residents.

Traffic, density and re-establishing a good
working relationship with the residents. I
have worked on traffic problems such as
getting passing lanes installed on two-
lane roads and widening intersections. I
have consistently opposed developments
that are too dense for our community, no-
tably Timbercrest at 12 Mile and Middle-
belt. I have fought to increase the number
of citizens notified about city business. I
was the author of the successful program
to allow residents to call in questions dur-
ing council meetings.

The two ma-
jor issues in
Farmington
Hills are un-
controlled
development
and traffic.

An atmosphere of cooperation and shared
purpose needs to be instilled in city de-
partments. Department downsizing and
consolidation can help. Subcontracting
of city services as opposed to privatiz-
ing city services is and should be utilized
to reduce the expense of non-recurring
needs and to reduce overall payroll bur-
den and the expense of purchasing and
maintaining equipment. The downtown
has two interlocked needs: the growth of
the Principal Shopping District and build-
ing additional shopping traffic. The city
can approach these needs by offering non-
monetary inducements to direct and
promote growth and develop a compre-
hensive and non-adversarial parking pol-
icy.

Term limits will lead to more responsible
government and end the "Good Old Gang"
network of politics as usual at city hall. Rein
in the tax-and-spend liberals who have sent
five tax requests to our residents within
the past fiscal year. While it is important
to maintain our infrastructure, we must be
sure our current resources are properly
prioritized. The divisiveness between city
council and the residents must stop. We
must make city government more acces-
sible. I will defend the best interest of the
residents and not allow special interests
and private agendas to interfere.

I will work closely with the Council of
Homeowners Associations, as `I have in
the past, on zoning, notices and traffic. I
have called for reinstituting my earlier pro-
posal of meeting regularly with home-
owner and condo associations. I will
propose as homeowners and residents
agenda soon after the election. I will push
for lowering the density in various zon
ing classifications. I will push to further
protect the pristine areas in our commu-
nity. 1 do not accept contributions from
developers who will come before the
council in the future. I want certain plan-
ning commission and zoning board of ap-
peals meetings televised.

Require that future development be con-
sistent with the needs of residents and
in harmony with the surrounding neigh-
borhoods. Review the city's master plan
and rezone in favor of lower density. Have
city council intervene at the earliest pos-
sible stage of a proposed development
to protect the interests of residents. To
address the traffic issue, begin regional
planning with surrounding communities
and the Oakland County Road Commis-
sion to develop common east/west and
north/south traffic corridors. Recapture
more of our state tax dollars for traffic
and road improvements.

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