Candidate Profile: Lauri Read, Grosse Pointe Park Mayor

GROSSE POINTE PARK, MI — Voters will elect a new mayor in Grosse Pointe Park in November's general elections.

To help readers make informed choices, Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Lauri Read is running for mayor of Grosse Pointe Park against Michele Hodges. Here's how she filled out profile:

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Age (as of Election Day)

55

Position Sought

Grosse Pointe Park Mayor

Party Affiliation

Nonpartisan

Family

Don Kuhnlein, husband (57), children: Katharine Kuhnlein (23), Daniel Kuhnlein (22), Jane Kuhnlein (16)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

BA, Journalism, University of Kentucky, JD Washington University

Occupation

Attorney, 31 years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Grosse Pointe Park City Council

Campaign website

www.read4gpp.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am running for Mayor of Grosse Pointe Park because I love this city. We have a great community and, above all else, it’s because of the residents. I believe in public service. We each have a responsibility to raise our hand to help make our communities stronger and make government work for everyone. I became an engaged citizen early on, attending my first city council meeting in February 1999. I would bring my children to meetings from time to time so they could witness their government functioning. In 2017, I ran for city council and was elected. Since then, I have been a champion for residents, making government accessible to them and functional for them. I would like to continue the momentum I have helped build.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Without a doubt, our water infrastructure is the most important issue facing our city. The 2021 summer storms dumped raw sewage in nearly 75% of the basements in Grosse Pointe Park. The streets were flooded with storm water, resulting in further damage to homes and property. Many of our families have not recovered. We all experience angst with every storm. The delivery of safe drinking water and the removal of sanitary and storm wastewater are core functions of city government. We must deliver the core services above all else.

My first public action was to request a standing agenda item on water infrastructure for the foreseeable future. We must keep this issue at the forefront and keep residents informed as to what we are doing, how we are doing it, how much it costs and how we are paying for it, and what the outcomes are. I am talking to the experts, including our city engineers and civil engineers outside of city government. I am a strong proponent for a regional solution. We signed a 30-year contract with GLWA this year. We need them to commit to provide the capacity and resiliency to fulfill the contract and to ensure that their other partner communities are doing their part. And, because the conversations I am having at the local, state, and federal level make clear that there is no quick and easy fix, we need the state to grant us a relief option. I am not a fan of dumping, but the alternative is to dump wastewater in residents’ homes and then to dump tons of contaminated debris in landfills. We cannot allow that to persist. The state’s permitting process is to ensure that we have taken the steps necessary so that any discharge is truly an emergency.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I have most experience as an elected official of anyone on the ballot for mayor or council. Should I be elected, I will be the only member of the council to have completed a full term, My opponent has not fulfilled the term of office she sought in November 2019. I have used my education and the skills, honed over thirty-one years as a practicing lawyer for the benefit of the city and our residents. My accomplishments on behalf of our residents are many and are listed below.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Infrastructure

• Building and maintaining our infrastructure is a primary function of municipal government. I am committed to making infrastructure investment, maintenance, and innovation part of our ongoing focus and commitment.
• BudgetThe budget is a policy document and reflects our priorities as a community. I support setting and monitoring the municipal budget with short- and long-term goals to ensure our ongoing fiscal health.

Public Safety

• I support our public safety department and am committed to providing them with the training and resources they need to serve and protect us.

Community

As an avid park user for 30 years, I support our residents-only parks and am committed to maintaining and enhancing them for generations to come.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

• I believe that actions speak louder than words. I have been a woman of action since my election to the Grosse Pointe Park City Council in November 2017. As a lawyer, I give every matter that comes before council the same due diligence and attention to detail that I give my own clients.

The Residents

• I am most proud of the service I give to my fellow residents. I have been accessible and helpful since day one. In fact, I was helping residents navigate city matters prior to my election. I believe in serving others and in helping create an inclusive and accessible city government. Residents know that they can call, email, or stop me on the street. I will get answers and help them problem-solve. It’s always been about the residents for me.

Legal compliance

• We are a nation of laws. The highest functioning governments maintain compliance with their charter, all applicable state, and federal statutes, and establish policies and procedures for the best practices in carrying out city business.
• As chair of the ordinance review committee, I have advocated for codification of our city code. That is the standard for modern city governments and affords our residents and their contractors a user-friendly means of reviewing the city code. I am happy to report that this process is underway and will be a great benefit to our residents who will no longer have to navigate the code, section by section to find what they need.
• These measures, and those listed below, are the hallmarks of an effective city government; they instill the confidence of the residents and create an efficient government.

Planning commission

• Beginning in July 2018: I pointed out that our planning commission was not in compliance with state statute for commissioners’ terms, number of commissioners, the required annual meetings, and published bylaws.
• I worked with the administration to correct these deficiencies as they came to my attention. We fixed the appointments in July 2018. The planning commission adopted bylaws in August 2020. I advanced an amended planning commission ordinance as chair of the ordinance review committee, which we unanimously adopted on March 28, 2021, making us compliant with the applicable state statute.
• In September 2018, I also began advocating for the use of professional urban planners and public engagement in revising the Master Plan. As a council, we voted to pursue a formal, professional Master Plan in January 2020, which is a recognized best practice in urban planning. Our residents deserve an intentional and professional Master Plan to guide development, make the best use of assets, and provide for a resilient infrastructure.

Tax Increment Finance Authorities: DDA and TIFA

• Prior to my service, many residents were unfamiliar with our tax increment finance authorities. Together, these boards capture and spend around $1 million in tax dollars annually. The council approves their budgets and development plans, but they otherwise operate independently. Thus, it is important that they operate transparently and in compliance with state statute. Changes to the Recodified Tax Increment Financing Act in 2018 imposed additional requirements on the boards, including the composition of the body, that a member could not serve as director, the holding of informational meetings, and the adoption of by-laws. I raised these compliance issues in 2019, and by the spring of 2020, we successfully resolved them.

Short-term rental advocacy

• Beginning in early 2019 and most recently in May 2021, I advocated for our residents to protect our local zoning from state preemption which would have allowed short-term rental as a permitted use of all residential property. I drafted a resolution to the State House Committee on Commerce & Tourism, which we unanimously approved as a council, opposing the legislation as written and advocating for local control of zoning. I argued our case to both Rep. Joe Tate and Sen. Adam Hollier. For now, the pending legislation is dead, but I will continue to advocate for local control should the state legislature try again.

2021 Storm and Response

• On the morning of June 26th, I first communicated with the city administration at 6:07 AM and stayed in contact all weekend, helping to get information out to residents. I walked and biked the neighborhoods to assess the damage. It became clear that the damage was widespread and major. That morning, I contacted our state representative and state senator, asking them to seek a declaration of emergency from the governor. That afternoon, I participated in the Wayne County Emergency Response Team’s Zoom call.
• I continuously pushed out information to residents. I engaged local civil engineers. I educated myself on local and regional water systems. It’s clear that, while we may have deficits in our system, we must press our partners, particularly GLWA, to invest in their system and deliver the services we contracted and pay for.
• I requested a standing agenda item on water infrastructure to keep this issue in the forefront and keep residents informed of our efforts and outcomes.

Council policies and procedures

• When I began my service in November 2017, I requested that the full council packet be posted to the city website with our agenda so the residents could have the same information their council does. This is the recognized best practice in municipal government and promotes openness and transparency. With the August 27, 2018, agenda, administration began publishing our full council agenda and packet on the city website.
• As importantly, as chair of the communications committee, I implemented a revised council agenda which includes holding public comment on agenda items before the vote, giving residents an opportunity to be heard before the council acts.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Work hard, be honest, have fun, and LISTEN.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Please visit my website (www.read4gpp.com) and my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/read4gpp) to learn more about me and my campaign.