Huntington Woods/City Commission
The Candidates
On The Questions
Mary
White
Please
provide
biographical
information.
Registered nurse specializing in cardio - -
vascular care. Married to Louis White, a
lifelong resident of Huntington Woods.
Married and the mother of three children,
two at Burton Elementary. Former presi-
dent of Huntington Woods Residents As-
sociation, American Heart Association
(Southeast Oakland Division), Hunting-
ton Woods Children's Co-op. Current
Huntington Woods Fourth of July Parade
volunteer, Huntington Woods House Tour
docent and exhibitor. Served on execu-
tive board of religious school parents
membership committee at Congregation
Beth Shalom.
Why are
you
running?
What do
you see as
some of the
key issues?
How do you
plan to
address
these
issues?
44
Huntington Woods - Vote for one. Two-year term.
Phyllis
Kramer
Oak Park/Mayor
Robert F.
Paul III
Gerald E.
Naftaly
Certified Public Accountant. Age 39. Thir-
teen-year resident of Huntington Woods.
Married with two children; both attend Bur-
ton School. Business degree from Michi-
gan State University. Huntington Woods
Pool Task Force member. Board member,
Huntington Woods Residents Association,
Women's American ORT. Life member of
Friends of the Huntington Woods Library,
Girl Scouts of USA. Member of Burton
School PTA, Michigan Association of CPAs,
MACPA public service and information
committee, MACPA Metro Detroit chapter
advisory board, MACPA small practition-
ers committee.
I am 35 years old and have a degree in ac-
counting from Michigan State University.
I am currently employed by Genesee Cut
Stone & Marble Co. in Flint I have been a
resident of Huntington Woods for 8 1/2
years and have been very involved in the
city during this time. Some highlights are:
Parks & Recreation Advisory Board, 1991-
1995; Citizen Advisory Committee on Pub-
lic Safety Consolidation, 1994-1995; Burton
Community Park supporter and volunteer,
Huntington Woods Men's Club member
since 1987, Woodward Steering Commit-
tee member, Dream Cruise; Junior Achieve-
ment volunteer and Huntington Woods City
Commissioner since January 1995.
I am 43, single, a lifelong resident of Oak
Park. I have a bachelor of business-ac-
counting degree from Wayne State Uni-
versity and am employed as vice
president-investments with Paine Web-
ber. I was elected city councilman in
1977, re-elected in 1979, 1983 and 1987,
elected mayor in 1991 and re-elected
in 1993. I am serving as city council liai-
son on the recreation advisory board,
planning commission, ethnic task force
and retirement system trustees. I am a
regional chairman of the Michigan Mu-
nicipal League, a member of the Anti-
Defamation League, member of Michigan
Planning Association and other religious
I have lived in Huntington Woods for 11
years. It has given me tremendous satis-
faction to be an active member of our
community. I believe my long experience
serving on community boards has given
me an understanding of the high stan-
dards our residents expect from their city
government.
We need commissioners to represent all
the citizens of Huntington Woods. Our cur-
rent commission consists entirely of men
who are members of one organization.
When the opportunity arose to fill a va-
cancy on the commission, another mem-
ber of the organization was selected, even
though qualified non-members of both sex-
es applied.
I am running for the balance of the term
I was appointed to because I have always
enjoyed being involved in the city. I feel
that Huntington Woods is a great place to
live and I will continue to work both
through the commission and with other
groups to maintain the community and
continue to strengthen the spirit from all
of its citizens.
I enjoy working with our residents for the
benefit of our community. As a lifelong
resident, I've seen the city evolve into a
rich. culturally diverse community. I'm
old enough to be a veteran council mem-
ber and young enough to provide the en-
ergy and drive
to help get
things done.
This city coun-
cil is a great
team to work
with and I'm
proud of our
accomplish-
ments.
Infrastruc-
ture, public
safety and fi-
nances.
Representation
and accountabil-
ity, budget prior-
ities and public
safety.
The key is-
sues are the
annual bud-
get and long-
term capital
improve-
ments.
Since there are no candidates running
against the incumbents, there is no race.
Oak Parkers deserve a high level of city
services. The city council has worked
well, along with our city manager and
staff, to review services and improve ef-
ficiency. I believe the residents appreci-
ate our efforts and approve of city
operations and services.
We need commissioners who understand
the value to our community of the recre-
ation center, pool, library, Burton School
and the parks. A strong infrastructure must
be balanced by a strong community struc-
ture. I oppose merging the Huntington
Woods and Berkley Public Safety Depart-
ments. The proposed savings of less than
$20 per year per household is a poor trade-
off for losing control.
My accounting background and years of
business ownership give me an excellent
grasp of the budget process. Going
through the budget process once already
also gives me some added experience to
bring back to the table during the next
budget session. I'd suggest various task
forces be set up to study the different ar-
eas that need improvement, such as the
pool task force committee formed earli-
er this year. These areas should include
the city buildings, parks, roads, pool and
water system. The commission will then
have to prioritize the expenditures and
wrestle with the funding of these projects.
We continue to monitor all aspects of the
city with the help of many volunteers.
Homeowners and businesses continue
to make additional investments in their
community. For this we are appreciative.
I will endeavor to continue this develop-
ment through the leadership of this city
council.
Our roads, water and sewer systems need
basic upgrading. Continuing a patchwork
approach without fixing the underlying
problems will be a continuing financial
drain of the city's resources. We must ad-
dress public-safety concerns of our citi-
zenry, including whether we need an
additional police officer and evening dis-
patcher. I'm opposed to the merger. I want
to ensure that the taxpayers of Hunting-
ton Woods get the greatest bang for their
buck. Young struggling families must be
able to afford to live here. Our older resi-
dents, who may be living on a fixed in-
come, must not be priced out of the city.