Sharlan Douglas Announces Run for Royal Oak City Commission

Sharlan Douglas, a 20-year resident of Royal Oak, has announced a run for Royal Oak City Commission.

Douglas, who owns Douglas Communications Group, is currently a member of Royal Oak's Planning Commission. 

There are three open seats on the City Commission. As of Wednesday, Jeremy Mahrle, Diane Hargan and incumbent David Poulton have also pulled petitions to run for city commissioner.

Douglas' announcement is as follows:
Sharlan Douglas, a 20-year resident, planning commissioner and business owner, has announced her intention to run for a seat on the Royal Oak City Commission in the November election.  

“Royal Oak has so much going for it today,” she said in making the announcement. “I think I have the experience, skill and vision to help the city maintain that momentum. We need to make the right decisions to protect and grow home values, keep our neighborhoods safe and grow the economy.”

The campaign will hold its inaugural fundraising event at the new, 212 restaurant on Tuesday, June 18 from 5 to 7 p.m.

Douglas owns Douglas Communications Group, a public relations and social marketing firm with strength and experience serving clients in economic development, real estate development and community planning. She was the founding executive director of the Eight Mile Boulevard Association, where she forged consensus among the leaders of 17 local and county governments and state agencies, raised nearly $4 million and remade the image of Eight Mile Road in the eyes of the news media and regional residents.

“At the Eight Mile Boulevard Association we found common ground among the elected leaders from 13 communities and three counties. I fostered a spirit of collegiality and would bring that experience and commitment to the commission table.”

She is the former president/CEO of the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce and was a vice president at the Metropolitan Center for High Technology, Michigan’ first business incubator.  She spent five years in account management with one of Detroit’s top public relations counseling firms following positions in broadcasting and journalism.

Douglas served as communications director for the campaign to approve a public safety millage, approved by 67 percent of the voters in the November, 2012 election. She’s been a Royal Oak Planning Commissioner since 2005 and has served on municipal committees for economic development, the library’s strategic plan and the Lafayette Street parking structure. She is the secretary-treasurer of the Michigan Association of Planning.

Douglas received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University and studied urban planning at Wayne State University.

A longtime member of Stagecrafters, Douglas has directed, appeared in and work backstage for many theatrical productions. She lives in a 1918 Arts and Crafts style home with her husband, his mother and a rescue dog.