Farmington Hills/City Council - Vote for three. Four-year term.
The Candidates
On The Questions
Please
provide
biographical
informaticin.
Why are
you
running?
What do
you see as
some of the
key issues?
How do you
plan to
address
!, these
issues?
L
42
Dennis
Fitzgerald
Terry
Sever
Council member 1989 to present; mayor,
1993; assistant to Rep. Jan Dolan; orga-
nizing chairman for Commission on Ag-
ing; delegate to Southeastern Michigan
Council of Governments. Initiated Farm-
ington Flills Volunteer Center; Member,
Josephson I astithte of Ethics; founder, Art-
Start Pre-School. Former owner two lo-
cal businesses. While mayor, started
Commission for Children, Youth, and Fam-
ilies. Instrumental in securing $400,000
funding for youth centers at no additional
cost to local taxpayers. Charter member,
Arts Commission; selected member of Hu-
man Resources Committee for National
League of Cities; member, Community
Foundation; alumna of Indiana University
and John Wesley College; church elder.
Married 28 years with two children. Farm-
ington Hills resident for 27 years. Teacher,
coach at North Farmington High School
for 16 years; bachelor of arts/master of arts
from Michigan State University; registered
investment adviser for 16 years. Chairman,
Farmington Hills Parks and Recreation
Commission for 12 years; chairman, Say
Yes to Ice Arena; chairman, Ice Arena Ad-
visory Committee; chairman, Swimming
Pool Study Committee; chairman, Bike
Way Steering Committee; chairman, Her-
itage Park Task Force; member, Senior Ad
Hoc Facility Committee, Woodland Hills
Task Force, Ice Arena Finance Committee,
Year 2000 Financial Task Force.
Farmington Hills resident for almost 29
years. Married with four daughters and six
grandchildren. Graduate of Detroit Central
High School. Co-founded the Homeown-
ers Council of Farmington Hills. Elected
member of the Charter Commission; elect-
ed to Council in 1984; served as mayor in
1987. Chaired: Senior Housing Commis-
sion, Housing Commission, Building Au-
thority. Member/secretary of the Planning
Commission for 5 1/2 years. Past presi-
dent of the Michigan Municipal League; ex-
ecutive director of
the Longacre
House (formerly
the community
center).
Married, three children. Current mayor-
pro tern. Mayor in 1989. Council 1985-
1995. Past president of the Michigan
Jaycees. Past vice president of U.S.
Jaycees. Past chairman of the Founders
Festival.
Children are our most important resource,
and I am concerned about them. Their
lives seem to be bombarded with drugs,
alcohol and other negative options. In
1993 when I was mayor, I formed a Com-
mission on Children, Youth and Families.
In cooperation with others, this commis-
sion works to develop after-school cen-
ters for our middle-school children.
Surveys indicate this is the age where pre-
vention programs are most likely to be
successful. Our plan is to provide a pro-
tective environment with positive activi-
ties and appropriate role models. I hope
to be re-elected to assure this initiative
is fully implemented.
After serving Farmington Hills residents as
chairman of the Parks and Recreation
Commission and other committees, I feel
I have the background to serve the com-
munity in another leadership role as a
member of the city council. Moreover, I
am anxious to move the city from its peri-
od of growth into a new era of maintain-
ing what we have created: continued
delivery of human services like police, fire,
recreation and meeting senior needs—all
directed at making Farmington Hills the
best city in which to live, work, raise a fam-
ily and retire.
I believe that the
Council has
strayed from the
sense of history
and purpose set
forth by the founders. Farmington Hills was
founded on the premise of open govern-
ment, listening to citizens' input and acting
in their best interest regardless of a coun-
cil members personal feelings. Elected of-
ficials must understand that they are an
extension of the electorate and act accord-
ingly. This is not "Big Brother" government
I will work to bring back to the citizens this
philosophy and direction that have served
our city for more than 20 years. That effort
will retum citizen confidence in government
I am running for office so I may contin-
ue to make an impact in my communi-
ty. As a council member, I have been able
to improve the quality of life in Farming-
ton Hills. Making tough decisions and
working for residents has always been
very important to me.
Traffic is always a concern. With the Pro-
: posal A cap, the continued cost-effec
y tivelfw014491 tax dollars is crucial.
evogoAtotiorust be closely moni-
tored :Webaiit many young children and
senior Citizens, which makes public safe-
ty a serious issue. Density and land use
are issues about to reach closure, with 94
percent of the land developed and 3 per-
cent undevelopable, leaving only a few
very difficult pieces. But they must be Care-
fully planned. Blight is an issue that should
begin to have focused attention as should
the social infrastructure, that is, the dai-
ly environment in which children and fam-
ilies live.
Making the budget stretch to maintain a
high degree of human services such as
recreation and public safety. Leading city
administration to the challenges of main-
taining structures, streets, parks, etc., rather
than managing the projects that created
the development. Redevelopment of ex-
isting properties that are showing signs of
wear. Pavement management and traffic
mitigation.
Insuring that future land use does not have
a negative impact on the citizens and the
city as a whole. To date the city has exer-
cised good fiscal policy. In light of shrink-
ing revenue-sharing income, we must be
more selective in setting fiscal priorities,
making certain that they serve the basic
needs of the city, i.e. police and fire, street
maintenance, continued sidewalk installa-
tion, intensive attention to our mature
neighborhoods and insuring our quality of
life with sound legislative decisions with-
out additional taxes.
Continue to improve the Grand River cor-
ridor, acquire vacant land protecting our
neighborhood environment. Develop a
diversified after-school teen program.
Preserve our open land. Make certain the
ice arena pays for itself. Improve our road
system and reduce congestion. Promote
new development, not more develop-
ment, in our older areas of the city.
It is time for a city-wide traffic study, using
stop-light phasing and othertechnologies
to maximize the flow options. The proposed
road modifications will help, but much of
our congestion is pass-through traffic. The
blight issue is one Council is addressing
with the Eight Mile Corridor Study, and the
Grand River improvements are
under way. Blight conditions
will require constant monitor-
ing as the community ages.
Our parks and youth centers
will be significant in the devel-
opment of a family-friendly so-
cial infrastructure. Sidewalks
are a safety issue and should
be built as capital improvement
funds are available.
Explore ways to create new or more rev-
enue sources in the budget. Review pro-
gram user fees and challenge them to
cover maintenance costs as well. I'd sup-
port an EMS system that allows city-trained
public safety officers to provide ambulance
transportation. Encourage city adminis-
tration to create a comprehensive pave-
ment management system to identify,
repair and replace needs. Visit other cities
that made the transition from growth and
development to service, delivery and main-
tenance. Update ordinances, zoning reg-
ulations, zoning enforcement and master
planning. Explore methods of moving traf-
fic through our city. Consider extra lanes
during rush hours or one-way streets.
To insure proper land use, we must in-
vite, with high profile notification, public
input. This will guarantee the final deci-
sion can be made with the full use of the
democratic process. I will work toward a
strict fiscal policy to insure that no spe-
cial interest group will be served. We can-
not keep recommending special funds
that will ultimately incur financial hard-
ships on the citizens unless this need has
been fully discussed in public and the re-
alistic consequences fully exposed. I will
recommend that targeted funds be set
aside in the budget to address our infra-
structure needs.
With state and federal grants, the city can
progressively improve Grand River. We
must recognize the value in maintaining
older sections of our city. The city can
within its own means acquire land to
avoid further development. Now that we
will have built a beautiful ice arena, we
must manage it in a way that will pro-
duce enough revenue to pay all the op-
erating expenses as well as the debt. As
we encourage redevelopment, we should
not give into the pressure of more de-
velopment in our city.