Campaign Platform

Public Safety

One of the primary responsibilities of local government is to provide for the safety of its citizens. Grandville has a long history of supporting its police and fire departments. We should continue this support by ensuring these departments receive the funding they need to employ the necessary personnel and purchase the necessary equipment to keep our community safe. The City should engage in responsible capital improvement planning to ensure it has a plan to provide the necessary funding for this. We should communicate with the Kent County Sheriff, Kent County Emergency Management, and public safety departments with neighboring communities to foster a better relationship and cohesive plan to respond to regional emergencies. 

Fiscal Responsibility

You must balance your checkbook each month and live within your means, and so should Grandville. The City has a triple-A bond rating. This allows the City to bond for future projects at a lower interest rate. This is critical to the City’s financial success. The City must also maintain an appropriate fund balance (savings) to ensure it can take care of necessary expenses on rainy days. Grandville has received high marks in its annual financial audits, attesting to its financial strength and transparency. We must keep property taxes as low as possible so residents keep more money in their pockets and the government must do more with less. 

Downtown & Economic Development

The City has come a long way with its development along Chicago Drive. It has created a more inviting presence in its downtown area with signage and its farmer’s market pavilion. The Grandville Downtown Development Authority (“DDA”) has an important role in working with the City to ensure we are creating a better downtown environment to attract shoppers. The policy of tax increment financing has ensured the DDA has had financial resources to invest in natural planting, trees, benches, and decorations creating a better façade in the downtown area. It’s important for the City to support policies that will encourage residents to buy local. Community events like Christmas at the Commons are important to building resident relationships. We also have long-term economic development opportunities with the commercial rehabilitation district on 28^th Street and Rivertown Mall that must be explored.

Parks & Recreation

The City recently adopted its five-year Parks and Recreation Master Plan. This plan is a roadmap to create a vision for the future and guide decision-making for parks and recreation facilities. It is crucial for the City to look to this document when planning and engaging in the capital improvement process to provide for what Grandville residents expect to see within the next five years. Implementation of this plan is crucial to upgrading park facilities, protection of our ecosystem, preservation of greenspace, pedestrian safety, and extension of our trail system. 

Sustainability

The concept of sustainability is defined as the practice of meeting current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The four P’s of sustainability include planet, people, principles, and profit. The City has begun to embed the concept of sustainability within its organizational culture and this must be continued. This ensures a better environment to protect our ecosystem, quality of life of residents, governance, and economic growth. 

Transportation

Residents of Grandville rely on a variety of modes transportation to meet their needs. The City’s partnership with The Rapid is crucial to ensuring that our residents without access to a vehicle can have long-distance transportation within Kent County. The City should also look to adopt policies that will expand its walkability with additional sidewalks and interconnectivity with our trails and parks. Our crosswalk guard program is important to the protection of pedestrians, especially schoolchildren, at main intersections. 

Government Transparency & Accountability

Sunlight is the best disinfectant; it should be the same for government. City financial records, meeting agendas, minutes, and other documents should be an open book for residents to see. City Council meetings are recorded and posted to YouTube for those who cannot attend in-person. Meeting agendas, minutes, and packets are available to be viewed on the City’s website. Upholding of the Michigan Freedom of Information Action (FOIA) is crucial to protect the right of a citizen to request information that is not readily available online. Mike will support the continuation of this within City government and will hold quarterly coffee hours at local businesses to provide residents an opportunity to meet with him to discuss City government.