Absent Candidates Respond to Patch Reader Questions

Mike Fournier and Kyle DuBuc did not attend the Royal Oak Patch Candidate Forum. Here are their responses to Patch reader questions.

Mike Fournier

All of the candidates have been pounding on doors. Describe what it is like. Recall a memorable encounter with a voter—pleasant, unpleasant, humorous or informative.

• I have gone through life believing that you can learn something from everyone you meet.  This includes the countless people I have met during this campaign.  One afternoon, I was speaking with a man about his expectations of city government.  He first complimented DPS about fixing a "hole" in his street and then made the point that he writes two positive letters for every "complaint" letter.  His statement was a reminder that no matter how much we focus on our problems, we cannot forget about what makes us great.  It is through our strengths that we will overcome our challenges.  Lets remember to look for the good in everything and everyone.

If a new millage is requested, should it be for the General Fund or dedicated to Public Safety?

• If absolutely required, I believe a General Fund millage would be more appropriate.  Considering most of our General Fund is spent on public safety, a General Fund millage would have the same impact as a dedicated millage without "handcuffing" public safety options down the road.  Our city government needs to be lean, nimble and adaptable to change.

We know that the Department of Public Services is shorthanded, but can’t we contract out Snow Removal? Last year was terrible.

• We can outsource anything, but the question really is: Can we get more snow removal for less expenditure with the quality we expect?  It will always cost more (private or public) to remove snow quicker and more often.  We have to balance our needs appropriately and make sure we don't pay for excess capacity, but ensure we have quality standards that DPS and the City Commission can be held accountable to.

How do we get more business-friendly ordinances applied along strips like Woodward or Eleven Mile?

• Let's first understand what ordinances are preventing businesses from being successful and why. Hindering ordinances are generally symptomatic of a bigger problem.  We should tackle the disease, not just the symptoms.  I prefer joint proposals made by organizations like "11 Mile Has It All" and residential associations that focus on solutions that work for everyone versus pitting businesses against residents.  

Kyle DuBuc

All of the candidates have been pounding on doors. Describe what it is like. Recall a memorable encounter with a voter—pleasant, unpleasant, humorous or informative.

• With the help of supporters I have knocked on over 5,500 doors throughout the city and spoken to thousands of voters.  I go out at least four or five times a week because I am committed to reaching out to residents to discuss the issues our community is facing.  What has stood out to me is how positive people are about our city and how proud they are.  People aren’t interested in divisive politics or negative campaigning.  Sure we have things we can improve on and we all know times are tough, but at the end of the day, this is a great community to live in and I have been very moved by how positively people have been responding to my message about keeping Royal Oak strong.

If a new millage is requested, should it be for the General Fund or dedicated to Public Safety?

• We need to have a conversation with all residents about what level of services we want and then decide how best to move forward with funding those services. With regard to public safety, clearly we can't maintain what we have or restore lost officer positions without additional revenue. But as I’ve been out knocking doors, residents have expressed a wide variety of concerns in addition to police and fire ranging from park maintenance to code enforcement, and those issues need to be a part of the conversation as well.  But either way, there is no doubt that in order to maintain the quality of our city, we must raise revenue.  To say otherwise is to give the easy politician’s answer.  Anyone who says we can jut fix this with accounting gimmicks or grants isn't paying attention. Michigan doesn't have any money, DC is out of money, and there is no magic solution that asks nothing of us. This is our community and it is our responsibility to preserve it. 

I know that the Dept of Public Services is shorthanded, but can’t we contract out Snow Removal? Last year was terrible.

• I am willing to explore this possibility, however this is more a question of how much we want to invest in snow removal and not a question of seeing if a contractor can do a better job than the city.  As the Mayor pointed out after one of the several major snowstorms we were slammed by this last winter, Royal Oak has 212 miles of road to clear including the mile roads and downtown areas, and we have 12 to 14 underbody plows at any given time depending on available staff.  However, since we have a team of folks who not only plow the snow but support all of our infrastructure issues, the occasional water main break can take about 4 plows off the street. Compared to our neighboring cities which are sometimes cited as having superior snow removal service, we have roughly four times the road to cover but only two times the equipment.  With these resources we generally have all pavement clear in about 36hrs from the end of a storm.  The fact is that to have it done faster would require more trucks and more staff, which, whether we’re talking about the city or a contractor, would require more money.

How do we get more business-friendly ordinances applied along strips like Woodward or Eleven Mile?

• The first step to getting business-friendly ordinances applied anywhere in the city is getting business-friendly people elected to the commission.  We need our city to be perceived as a place that welcomes and encourages new business development.  Then we need to have a conversation with existing businesses and potential investors about what they think is needed.  We can also encourage development along corridors like Eleven Mile and Woodward by using tools such as a Corridor Improvement Authority (CIA) along 11 Mile Road to operate like a DDA and capture tax revenue to support economic development in this area.  I also support ongoing membership in the Woodward Avenue Action Association and think we should explore partnership opportunities in support of economic development along Woodward.

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