Farmington Hills

2 vying for mayor
while 5, including 1
incumbent, seek 3
council seats.

JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR
Special to the Jewish News

g

ood working relationships
between different groups in
the city and the govern-
mental bodies has led to a
tough fight for candidates seeking to
drive incumbents from their seats in
Farmington Hills.
The city's population grew from
58,056 in 1980 to 79,784 in 1998,
according to actual and estimated
Census Bureau statistics. The growth has

council and the school board have led
to mutual cooperation and joint pro-
grams. Last year, when the city man-
dated the wearing of helmets for chil-
dren riding bikes, skateboarding or in-
line skating on city property, the
schools responded by adding instruc-
tion on helmets and safety to their cur-
riculum at all appropriate grade levels.
A youth services director employed by
the city works with the school children
and the schools; city police officers act
as liaisons in the schools as well.
Perhaps the best proof of the good
relations between the school board
and the city council can be seen in the
after-school activities at two municipal
buildings, one middle school and the
local YMCA. There, from 150 to 500
kids play and learn from 2:15 to 5:30
p.m. every day without a program fee.
According to Todd Lipa, the city's pro-

gram director of youth and family ser-
vices, the after-school program is a
success because of the support it
receives from both the city council
and the school board.
"We have a tremendous amount of
collaboration between the city council
and the school board," Lipa said. "I
don't know of a single negative voice
when it comes to this program."
The race for three city council posi-
tions includes incumbent Vicki
Barnett vying for another four-year
term. Other candidates include Barry
Brickner, Christopher McRae, Paul
Molin and Ronald Oliverio.
City council members receive $1,800
a year in pay, unless voters approve a
ballot proposal raising that rate, set in
1973, to $5,000 a year.
In the mayor's race, Nancy Bates and
George Sarkisian are battling for the
two-year position vacated by Aldo
Vagnozzi. The pay for that position will
increase from $2,700 to $7,500 per year.
if the same ballot proposal passes. ❑

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Tuesday, Nov. 2, is

Election Day in many

local cities. Today,

we profile candidates

in Oak Park and

Farmington Hills, but

include a companion

list of all candidates

in many other cities.

41 ••TVVA-7..:177;::4.

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What role doyou see the city playing in further elevating the scope and vision of the local multicultural commission? Is the commission's
work thus far on target?

projects or areas of discontent should the city be addressing in partnership with the school board?

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brought a number of different ethnic
and racial groups to the city, including
Jews, Chaldean, Muslims, African-
Americans, Asians and others. The
sheer volume of groups prompted
Farmington Hills and neighboring
Farmington to form a
multicultural/multiethnic commission,
a coalition consisting of representatives
from a wide variety of racial, cultural
and ethnic backgrounds.
David Gad-Harf, Jewish
Community Council of
Metropolitan Detroit executive
director, says socioeconomic factors
play into the reason for the harmony
in Farmington Hills.
"(The different groups) get along
because there aren't issues that divide
them. They are of the same socioe-
conomic status. They are profession-
als, business people, who want their
children to get a good education,
want to maintain their neighbor-
hoods and increase their property
values," he said. "If there are going
to be problems, they would be in
the schools."
Good relations between the city

10/22
1999

2O Detroit Jewish News

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