Politics & Government

On the Ballot: Rick Karlowski, City Commission

Royal Oak Patch looks at the Royal Oak candidates who are seeking a four-year term in the Nov. 8 election.

Age:  53

Family: Not Married

How many years as a Royal Oak resident: 5 years

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Occupation: Sr. Engineer with General Motors

Previous civic experience: Member of Zoning Board of Appeals

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Answers to Key Issues

Following are Karlowski's answers to questions asked at the on Sept. 28.

What is the right retail/restaurant mix for downtown?

“Our downtown is an asset. I work with a great deal of young engineers at GM and they come to Royal Oak and they buy houses and condos because of our downtown. Having said that, we do definitely need to get more balance. The DDA has had a study done that says 'Here are some retailers that would fit into your downtown and your demographics.' We have to start proactively seeking out businesses that we want.”

How do you feel about the Fresard property/Kroger issue?

“I also agree with what the Planning Commission did. Having said that, I am often perplexed as to why people have to bring in complete and total site drawings to the Planning Commission for the first time. Could we have gotten Kroger to change the plan a little bit easier had they been able to bring a sketch as to what they wanted? They would have been denied right away and then they could have gone back and spent the big money on the type of architecture we obviously wanted.”

What is your opinion of the non-motorized plan?

“I would also like to support a non-motorized plan – a walkable downtown, a walkable city, a city that has bike lanes is preferable. However we have to realize this city is quite old. Everyone is going to have to understand that we can’t just shut down major thoroughfares. It’s extremely expensive. Where we can make adjustments, I think we should look into it.”

Here are responses to questions from the Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce Legislative Committee.

What compelled you to run for the City Commission and what issue would you like to address first if elected?

When it became clear there might be a majority who would support a tax increase to maintain the status quo, I got interested. After three sitting commissioners encouragement me, I decided to run. First issue - review how we do business in City Hall. We need to optimize, not just downsize. 

Everyone agrees that it is important to bring jobs to Royal Oak. What three specific changes would you propose to implement job creation?

  1. Eliminate need for complete drawings for first review at the Planning Commission. Approve the concept with simple drawing before you require details.
  2. Combine Building, Planning, and Engineering to streamline processes and prevent contradictory interpretations on ordinances.
  3. Be clear as to what is required by the Master Plan/Zoning, and apply consistently.

It is important to stimulate all business corridors, including those outside of the downtown area. What specific actions would you undertake to accomplish that? 

Begin with what I stated in question 2, then determine what issues under City control are hampering development (overly restrictive/outdated ordinances, inefficient permit process) and implement changes to address them. In short, ask those who would be investing for suggestions, and, if reasonable and consistent with the Master Plan, implement them.

Contact Information

Phone: 248-979-7907


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