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.