New Mayor Wants Ferndale to be Open, Accepting, Business-Friendly

Ferndale Mayor Dave Coulter delivered a nontraditional State of the City address on Thursday at .

“I had fun," Coulter said. "I think that people enjoyed it more than the boring old State of the City address.”

It was different because Coulter recently took over the mayor's seat. Usually, around this time, the hosts a traditional State of the City address for the mayor. However, since , taking over a seat left vacant by former , the Chamber felt that it would be better to meet the new mayor as he gets up to speed on the issues.

"We really just wanted a casual event and Mayor Coulter might not be fully in the loop for a State of the City address," Chamber Executive Director Jennifer Roosenberg said.

The event included a Ferndale Family Feud-style game prior to a short speech and a brief question-and-answer period with Coulter.

Some of the questions asked were about Coulter's past jobs and which events are hosted by the Ferndale Chamber of Commerce. The mediated the Family Feud-style game.

After the game, the mayor took some time to say a few words about himself and the city.

“I love public service because it’s a primarily problem-solving business,” said Coulter, addressing a diverse audience that included residents, Rotary Club members, former mayor Covey and Ferndale Public Schools Superintendent Gary Meier.

The mayor wanted to save tough questions about the Headlee Override for his public meeting from 5-7 p.m. on April 11 at , but he did offer residents some words of encouragement highlighting “diversity” and “inclusiveness” as some of the city's strengths.

“One of my goals is to make sure Ferndale is the most business-friendly place in Oakland County,” he said, also encouraging residents to reach out to him to discuss the good and the bad of the city. “If what you are doing is legal, I am open (to it)."

Coulter left an open invitation to anyone looking for an accepting city. “We want you here. If you want to grow as a community, you need to be open to people who don’t exactly look like you and or act the same way as you do," he said.

Jerome Raska, owner of and a Chamber of Commerce member, said as a small business owner he is optimistic about the future.  

“The new energy and vibrant personality of the mayor, of course coupled with his experience in government and budgeting, can only propel (Ferndale)," he said.