Candidates running for a one-year term on Clarkston City Council member, ending Nov. 11, 2019, include Michael E. Cascone and David Marsh.
Michael E. Cascone had a 45-year career in corporate and municipal risk management, 20 of those years working directly with, and managing other, in providing risk management services to municipal Risk Management programs in seven states. This includes the Michigan Municipal League’s Property and Liability Pool and MML Workers Compensation Fund, which provide risk financing coverage to the City Council.
“This has given me a wide view of operations and how to safely and economically complete them by eliminating or at least reducing potential risks that would have an adverse influence on the entity,” Cascone said. “What I will not bring to the table are preconceived or inaccurate opinions based on other than the facts on the table at that point in time.”
Top issues include time consuming and costly liability lawsuits, bad press, a hostile environment and much negativity.
“For a small city, half mile square with 800 residents, councils serving prior to the current, especially during 2015 have as an old saying goes, ‘broken into jail’ numerous times,” he said. “This must stop.”
Issues also include lack of documented safety/risk management programs to aid in maintaining Michigan’s Governmental Immunity Protections, and compliance with existing standards objectively, including the City Charter, Master plan, Zoning Ordinance, Historical District and others that exist to guide Council in decision making.
To solve these, first, really listen to and study objectively issues that come before the council, he said.
He added, “some of which that have been in the past and certainly will be in the future – may sound out of council’s comfort zone. Outside ‘this is how we always did it,’ but inside ‘this is how we should to it.’ Focus on the facts, consult local legal and/or the MML’s staff of competent attorneys. Compare the issue against existing guidelines/rules/laws objectively to the best of ability. There is no middle. There is no emotion involved. There are no sides. There are facts. There is functional implementation. If policy created previously, possibly years ago does not fit our city today and/or tomorrow – then change them.”
Numerous risk reduction programs already exist, mostly via the Michigan Municipal League Risk management Programs – including written and onsite visits – which we already pay for as one of the benefits of participating in the MML Liability and Property Pool and the MML Workers Compensation Fund, he said.
Existing council has made some tough decisions regarding the “parking problem,” including the Depot Road angled and the Main/Washington corner paid parking, Cascone said.
The Depot Road change created considerably more parking spaces. As with most decisions it also introduces potential risk. The risk hazard of backing out into moving traffic has increased, he said.
“The paid parking lot 25 years ago would have been an outrage to the character of, at the time, our village,” he said. “We are no longer a village but a city.”
The need for such a move to a paid parking lot is a result of the significant increase of vehicles carrying passengers from outside our city to enjoy our great retail/restaurants. A win/win/win for all, he said.
“We have implemented several creative ideas, let’s now monitor the expected results and fine tune if necessary,” he said.
The only development opportunities lie within about the two and a half blocks of our existing retail/restaurant area. Those possible development projects must be addressed as they come before Council with open minded, fact seeking, rule compliance decisions, he said.
“There are only two choices available to Council, implement existing rules and regulations, or change them. I have mentioned ‘sides’ previously. Restaurants have ‘sides,’ City Council should not. There is only one side – the City of the Village of Clarkston.”
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David Marsh is the director of operations for Oakland Fuels, and has lived in the Clarkston area for 45 years, eight years in the Village of Clarkston.
“I believe Clarkston is at a tipping point and if not corrected, very soon, we will lose the unbelievable gem we have,” Marsh said.
His top issues are age-friendliness; commercialists vs. preservationists; and honesty and integrity.
“It is sad to see some of our beloved residents forced to move out of Clarkston and into a more age-friendly environment,” he said. “I will help develop an age-friendly Community Plan, which will entail a comprehensive review of the current ‘age-friendliness’ of Clarkston and review the policies, ordinances, charter, community infrastructure, community services and transportation systems.”
The plan will include recommendations on future initiatives, policies and directives which will lead to Clarkston reaching a more age-friendly status that will allow those of us who love this village to stay here much longer, he said.
“What we do here today will be left for future generations,” he said. “Let’s make sure we pass on this charming village, we all choose to live in, as a place future generations will also aspire to live.”
This election comes down to commercialist vs. preservationists, he said.
“There are certainly parts of the charter that need to be updated, but ‘preservation of the character of the community’ should remain in the preamble forever,” he said. “I am 100 percent behind all the great businesses we have in Clarkston as long as they don’t negatively affect our residents. We are a bedroom community with a vibrant downtown district, not vice versa.”
You don’t decide what your core values are; they just are what they are, he said.
“My core values consist of wanting the city to be fair and just,” he said. “In life, not everything is fair, and not everything is just, but our government should be. We can sit down and find common ground on most topics, but as soon as the camera is on, it’s all about ‘which side’ are you on or which group are you going to make angry.”
We need people on City Council who want to discuss city business openly and honestly without the constant half-truths and bullying we see today, he added.
“We need to learn how to talk with each other again instead of past each other,” he said. “We need dialog instead of monologue. Our conversations must be more intelligent and respectful because honest two-way, empathetic, non-judgmental communication is critical to have a more enjoyable and more productive city government. This is possible, and I hope to help make it happen.”
The current and previous parking committees have made some very successful recommendations to Council, Marsh said.
“We have seen parking added around the downtown district and parking taken away from some of our residential streets,” he said. “The addition of the lots were opened by Mr. Roth and Mr. Adler have given the city enough parking for the moment, but those lots are not guaranteed to be open in the future.”
Carlisle Wortman’s parking study is due very soon, he said.
“We should consider all options, but we should especially wait to hear their recommendations,” he said.
Managing Clarkston’s development into the future while maintaining its traditions as a village is really the key question we all care about, he said.
“We want to keep the ‘village’ feel we know and love, yet we also want to stay a vibrant destination,” he said. “Enlarging and developing do not go hand in hand.  We have not enlarged our commercial district, and nobody could sensibly argue that we have not successfully developed it.  The key is to keep honest residents who believe in the charter and love this community on the HDC, Planning Commission, ZBA and City Council.”
Cast your vote on Election Day, Nov. 6.