I am running for Lake Orion Village Council to bring collaboration, professionalism, and a positive working relationship to the Council. I want to help build a stronger financial foundation today, so Lake Orion is prepared, prosperous, and positioned for the future. This includes strengthening collaboration among Council members, Village staff, the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), and the Lake Orion Police Department.
I am a 28-year resident of the Village of Lake Orion and bring 39 years of Information Technology leadership experience with AT&T and EDS. My career has included operations, engineering, architecture, mergers and acquisitions, and divestiture responsibilities.
I bring a proven ability to identify both foreseeable and unforeseen issues, develop and implement both tactical and strategic solutions, and engage the right resources to achieve successful outcomes. I would bring that same leadership, problem-solving, and forward-thinking approach to serving our community
My top three priorities for Lake Orion are:
1. Effective, collaborative local government: I will promote respectful, professional relationships among Council members, Village staff, the DDA, and Police Department. Good government requires listening, transparency, collaboration, and working through differences while putting residents first.
2. Planning for Lake Orion’s future: I will support long-term planning for Village finances, infrastructure, development, and community priorities. Decisions should anticipate future needs, protect Lake Orion’s character, and deliver measurable results.
3. Fiscal responsibility and opportunities: I will identify unnecessary or duplicative spending, pursue grants and outside funding, and explore shared services with Lake Orion Township to reduce costs. I will work with the DDA to ensure approved developments move forward promptly, strengthening the Village’s finances and tax base.
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I’m an 8-year resident of Lake Orion Village and area resident since 1992. My primary reason for running for Village Council is to build stronger relationships between the residents and Council based on transparency, honesty and empathy. I bring 41 years of engineering and leadership experience at Stellantis (Director) & General Motors. Currently, I serve Oakland County Sheriff as a Marine Deputy and manage two other active businesses. Throughout my careers, my strengths have been in problem-solving, analyzing complex issues, bringing people together, and developing practical paths towards successful outcomes. I look forward to putting my experience to work for the Village of Lake Orion Village.
My top three priorities/actions for the Village of Lake Orion are:
A) Prioritize the Village’s most important issues with meaningful input from residents, including infrastructure needs requiring long-term planning and funding. I will work to identify, prioritize and develop practical plans to address these issues.
B) Transparency, honesty and empathy with residents – no exceptions. I will work to promote open communication, listen to residents, and ensure they have access to the information behind Council decisions.
C) Responsible long-term fiscal planning, including contingency planning when appropriate. I will work to maximize grant opportunities and other available funding while protecting the Village's long-term financial stability.
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I have never had any political aspirations. I’ve never enjoyed politics, but eight years ago I was led to run for village council for the first time. It wasn’t on my “to-do someday list.” I’m a mom of two boys that I homeschool and work in Christian ministry with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. However I believe in serving the community you are rooted in and I had been volunteering on the parks committee for a couple of years at the time I first ran. Eight years later, I wasn’t sure if I was going to run again. If you want the truth - I haven’t been excited about it. In that time my kids have gotten older, I’ve finished a masters in Theology, I travel internationally for work, and my family has sacrificed for me to serve the village, but I still love this community and want the best for it. I still believe I have something to offer as I bring valuable experience and knowledge to the role of council member having also served 2 years as president pro tem and 2 years as president.
1. Having leadership that serves with integrity. 2. Leveraging the resources we have in partnership with the DDA to get the maximum value for our residents especially when it comes to infrastructure improvements. 3. Looking at the big picture to plan for the future and realize cost reductions for residents now.
It is no secret that the current council is challenging. We need leadership that is committed to serving the community, not personal interests, and committed to serving with integrity. We also have an incredible partner in the DDA, and if we have a council committed to collaboration, we can maximize new revenues to control costs for residents when we look to the future to further water system upgrades, road projects, natural spaces, and more. Looking at the big picture requires us to align available funding with major projects, plan ahead, and bring new projects on board efficiently to share in the cost of infrastructure to reduce water and sewer fees.
I am running for Lake Orion Village Council because I firmly believe our community deserves strong financial accountability, responsible representation of taxpayer resources, and greater collaboration represented on Council.
I am proud to be running as part of a team alongside William Hughes, Justin Yurgens, and Donald Connery, aligned by a commitment to thoughtfully and transparently represent our community’s best interests.
This team offers a practical and community focused approach to the Council with heavy focus towards strengthening financial oversight, identifying opportunities to better utilize resources, and ability to make informed decisions around the key issues/weaknesses facing our community outlined below.
I believe our teams collective professional experience and commitment to collaboration enables and positions us for delivering these initiatives effectively and responsibly.
1. Fiscal Responsibility/Financial Accountability
One of my top priorities would be ensuring that village funds are managed responsibly, transparently, and with the long-term financial health of The Village in mind. As costs to community members continue to rise, we must carefully evaluate spending, prioritize essential services, seek efficiencies, and make responsible decisions that provide the greatest value to residents.
2. Collaboration and Efficiency Among Council Members.
I believe in respectful communication, collaboration, and putting the interests of the community ahead of individual agendas. Village residents simply deserve a represented council that works together effectively with the aligned goal to improve our community for its residents.
3. The continued increase around cost of services, maintaining infrastructure, and operating the village is a significant concern. We need to recognize these challenges without placing unnecessary financial burdens on residents.
I am running for Lake Orion Village Council along side 3 other candidates, William Hughes, Donald Connery, and Nate Thering, in hopes that together we can stop the mismanagement of the Lake Orion Village's finances. Together we believe we can stop the unprofessional conduct during regular meetings that has plagued our village government for the last two terms, and move quickly to make the hard decisions for our budget. I believe we can build a better relationship with the LO Township to combine services and save the village tax payer's money, along with cutting the waste to create a budget surplus that will help us with crushing debt, and the ability to pay for the unseen expenses as they come up instead of issuing special assessment districts and relating the cost back to the tax payer! I have owned and run my own businesses successfully for the last ten years, have BA in business management, and a successful back ground in business finance.
1. Finances. A budget that has zero room for any more debt, or to pay for the emergencies and or unforeseen infrastructure expenses. It's time to cultivate a relationship with the Lake Orion Township and seek to combine services where we can, and it's time we finally look at the expenses in our budget line by line to eliminate waste.
2. Our current council has a few members that cannot follow any sort of order, and are extremely unprofessional. I will seek to restore a professional working environment that is conducive to working alongside the other council members and tax payers this council serves.
3. It's time to get help for our water bills in this village. The decisions that led to our current situation cannot be changed, but we can pick up the pieces and find help from our state government, and county government for the vital service.
