BY PHIL CUSTODIO
Clarkston News Editor
Incumbents Jason Kneisc, David Marsh, and Scott Reynolds are running for three, two-year Clarkston City Council seats in the Nov. 5 election, and former Mayor and council member Joe Luginski is running for one, one-year City Council seat, term ending Nov. 9, 2020.
“I believe the city is currently on a good path and I want to continue in helping it improve and guard against complacency,” said Kneisc, 43, who has lived in Clarkston for more than six years.
Marsh, who has lived in the Clarkston area for 46 years, is running for reelection because he believes in getting involved and participating in the community he loves and plans on living in for the next 50 years.
Reynolds, 51, is running for his second term in office.
“Simply put, I feel that I can continue to add value to the city, have a willingness and the time to engage and participate plus bring alternate approaches to situations that arise,” he said. “Some good work has been started and put in motion and I would like to see that type of collaboration continue within the city. I am not a politician.”
Kneisc’s top priorities include
• Analyze and implement opportunities improving city municipal offerings while lowering taxes;
• Improve data collection efforts in the city so that decisions can be made less with emotion and more with facts; and
• Work with associated stakeholders in order to provide the framework for the city to be successful through any potential economic downturn.
On parking and road issues, he would give the city a B on parking and a D on roads, but getting better.
“With the roads, we need to have a continuous improvement plan that allows us to perform scheduled maintenance,” Kneisc said. “We are working toward that while improving roads that have been neglected for too long.”
The top priorities for Marsh include focusing on codifying the ordinances over the next two years.
“These meetings will be open to the public and we hope to have input from those that wish to be heard,” he said. “Another item I will focus on is maintaining the look and feel of the already charming and quaint city that we all love. Finally, keeping in mind that we want the city to be age-friendly and a community that supports aging in place, I wish to keep informed on what we can continue to do to make that possible.”
Road work is underway in the city, he said.
“We can all see that progress is being made, most recently at Miller Road and at the corner of Waldon and Main,” Marsh said. “Streets are a continuous challenge for every community and I believe we are headed in the right direction. There are close to 100 extra parking spots not currently being used in the city when you add the Washington Management paid parking lot on Depot Road.”
This year, Reynolds celebrated 25 years with an automotive supplier, which has afforded him a solid foundation in economic thinking and challenge process, he said.
“I am not a big fan of terms like ‘this is how we have always done things,’” he said. “Change is constant and if we can find better alternatives that bring value to the Village of Clarkston, I believe this to be part of our obligation as council members.”
Reynolds has served on the Finance Committee, Parking Committee and a three person group that supported personnel matters with the city manager.
“Clearly in a small town we need to be mindful of our budget,” he said. “Many costs and revenue that the city sees are fixed. Therefore, the finalization of a five-year capital plan is critical for fiscally responsible planning.”
The long standing lawsuit regarding FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) documents against the city will be heard by the Michigan Supreme Court mid next year, he said.
“I would like to see permanent closure to this case and if the withheld documents are in fact city property, that they be released officially,” Reynolds said. “Last, I would like to see a development to start at the property located at the intersection of Waldon and Main Streets. The planning commission created a change in zoning to allow for some creativity to occur at this location. I feel that the city would be open to entertain creative solutions in this space that could be permanently beneficial to the city.”
This year, residents will have seen clear movement in the improvement of roads and sidewalks, he said.
“For years prior, much of this work was not completed and in my opinion it was due to a lack of funds,” he said. “The creation of a paid parking lot at Washington and Main has now established a funding mechanism to accomplish much needed work.”
Two years ago, the city commissioned a study of the health of the roads and sidewalks in the city, which then created a priority plan for improvement, Reynolds said.
“The longer the city waited to make significant repairs, ultimately, the costs would rise to complete this work,” he said. “So we took action by partnering with the Road Commission to piggy back off them for discounted work at Waldon Road/Main Street intersection and Miller Road.”
In early spring, significant sidewalk repairs were made as well, he said.
“Working in the area of safety, specifically to address speeding issues on Holcomb, the Oakland County Sheriff and residents of Holcomb have all reported positive reductions on speed on this road, which is the direct result of the installation of ‘Your Speed Is’ signs that were installed at both the north and south ends,” he said. “One of the reasons I volunteered to be on the finance committee was to be able to work to ensure important projects like those noted above continue to be prioritized. Path forward, I will continue to volunteer to be on this committee.”
Luginski did not provide responses regarding his candidacy. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5, at Precinct #1, City Hall, 375 Depot Road.