2 Year Term - Voter for not more than 1City Council members are elected to a 2 year term to the Manistee City Council, which is the legislative authority and governing body for the city. It is responsible for hiring and overseeing the city manager, setting policy and adopting ordinances and resolutions. It is also responsible for the adopting a budget to fund the city's operations.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Campaign Phone
(231)397-2208
Educational background
I have an Associate of Arts degree from West Shore, a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Social Studies and a major in Language Arts, Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction / Special Education, and Educational Leadership. I have certifications as a Special Education Administrator, a K-12 Principal, Special Education Supervisor, a Special Education Director, and a Teacher Consultant.
Occupation/Current Position
I work within the Educational Field
My name is Seth Pratt. Many residents know me as one of the quadruplets or the guy that walks his beagle around town. I graduated from Manistee. I have a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education, a Master's degree in Special Education, a Master's degree in School Administration and certifications allowing me to work at the State level. I serve as a board member for the Alternatives for Area Youth. I have coached numerous activities for area youth. My family owned/operated a business in downtown Manistee for years. I have experience with rental properties. I can help promote businesses, address residents' concerns and encourage housing and childcare solutions for residents. I am running to help citizens. I want to improve services, supports, and available community resources. I want to ensure all residents have a voice and are heard. Recently Fire and EMS services are a large area of concern. I want to ensure that all residents are safe. I want to take Manistee from good to great!
I believe that the City should seek out grant opportunities available at the state and federal level. There are many opportunities available that assist local governments in meeting the unique needs of their municipality and residents. Grant opportunities should be sought that help offset the costs of needed projects and improvements. I believe that we should be seeking grant opportunities to address city streets, city infrastructure, and other community concerns when they are available. Applying for and receiving grants allow the City's dollars to go further because it offsets the amount of money that the City has to allocate to a project, which ultimately allows the City to tackle more projects and address more concerns that require financial resources that would be beneficial to residents. I would look into state and federal funding available for childcare and housing solutions that would benefit local families and individuals.
I believe that ensuring residents have access to quality drinking water is essential. We have made great strides to address concerns with our local drinking water by making improvements to our treatment facility. This has been beneficial to every citizen. The City's water department regularly tests and monitors the city's drinking water to ensure that it is not only safe for area residents, but that it also adhers to state and federal standards. I will continue to support all policies that make improvements to our current practices of ensuring residents have access to quality drinking water. Waste management is also an area of concern that needs to be addressed. I believe that as a community we need to continue to promote curbside recycling within the city. I also believe that we need to make recycling options user friendly for residents. I would also encourage the City to explore additional options related to trash pickup that may save residents money from our current practice.
My first priority is to represent all residents. If elected, I will ensure that all residents have a voice and are able to provide input regarding local issues. I believe that we should go back to holding work sessions and explore hosting townhall meetings for residents to bring forward concerns/ideas. My second priority is to improve the living conditions of all residents. This is done by seeking out quality and affordable housing and childcare options, beautifying community resources and properties, improving streets, eliminating blight, and lowering taxes. In order to address housing and childcare we need to collaborate with the county. This will allow us to pool our resources/talents. For housing, we need to look at our current rental enforcement policies/enforcement. We also need to look for ways to rehab vacant/blighted properties. For childcare, we need to look at what city owned properties could be available for childcare facilities and offer incentives to potential providers.
