Candidate Profile: Matthew Berard, Rochester Hills City Council

ROCHESTER HILLS, MI — Voters will decide a new Rochester Hills City Council Member At-Large 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.

Matthew Berard is running against David Walker for Rochester Hills City Council At-Large. Here's how he filled out his profile:

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Age (as of Election Day)

34

Position Sought

Rochester HIlls City Council Member at-large

Family

Wife Kelly. Sons Jack, 4, and Charlie, 2.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.

Education

Rochester Community Schools (Meadow Brook Elementary, West Middle School, Rochester High School); Oakland University - B.A. Political Science; University of Detroit Mercy School of Law – Juris Doctor.

Occupation

Lawyer for 8 years, but began working in legal profession at age 18 (for the past 16 years).

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Village of Lake Orion - Zoning Board of Appeals; Board Member - 2017-2018

Campaign website

www.MattBerard.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I grew up in Rochester Hills, I went to school here, and now I am raising my own family here. I am running for City Council because, as a proud father, I am passionate about the future of Rochester Hills and I want to ensure it is a great place to live for generations to come. I have a long track record of public service. I earned my Eagle Scout award in 2003, and before I became a lawyer, I worked for the YMCA, the Prosecutor’s Office, and Oakland County Circuit Court. If elected to City Council, I would bring my commitment to public service, my background as a lawyer, the independence to scrutinize (not rubber-stamp) proposals, bold and diverse ideas, and my experiences as a 24-year resident of the City.

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

Over-development has eroded our greenspaces and caused related issues that go unaddressed. We cannot continue to over-develop the City, then widen the roads as our solution. This is not sustainable. I will require strict adherence to zoning designations, established setbacks, and ordinances. While it may be more expensive to re-use developed properties, I would encourage it because my focus as a City Councilmember is to preserve our community for generations to come, not to maximize the profits of developers. Along these lines, I want the City to actively purchase natural priority 1 area land solely for the purpose of preserving it as green space by using the millions of dollars that remain of the $10 million green space millage (passed by voters in 2005) and which has gone vastly underutilized.

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

I believe there is simply a fundamental difference of philosophy when it comes to the direction our City is heading in terms of overdevelopment and what needs to be done now (in 2021) to address it. There is only a finite amount of land within the 32.9 square miles of Rochester Hills and every day we see new developments and green space being eroded. My goal is to preserve as much green space as possible. My biggest concern is that the City already has problems with population density, traffic congestion, and a number of other associated issues that flow directly from overdevelopment. And while economic investment is good, it cannot be the sole goal (to the exclusion of all other considerations) of City Government to attract new developers to increase the tax base by any means necessary, even if it means forever changing the natural settings and character of the community that drew so many of us here in the first place. We have to be mindful of the consequences we are facing of not responsibly developing our city. As it is, the City does not have the resources to maintain the infrastructure it has, and adding even more strain on roads and water/sewer infrastructure will cost more in the long run, not to mention the other costs that will be needed when the population increases (e.g. cost of employing more police officers, building more schools, etc.).

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

Overdevelopment has eroded our greenspaces and caused related issues that go unaddressed. We cannot continue to overdevelop the City, then widen the roads as our solution. This is not sustainable. I will require strict adherence to zoning designations, established setbacks and ordinances. My focus as a City Councilmember will be to preserve our community for generations to come, not to maximize the profits of developers in the present.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Infrastructure - There are infrastructure issues that we know are coming that will require action. Whether you ever plan to buy or lease an Electric Vehicle (EV) or not, the reality is that the influx of EV's are going to present challenges for local municipalities. Thus, the City needs to be prepared and act swiftly to incorporate the infrastructure for the installation of EV charging stations as automakers continue to announce a shift to manufacturing EV’s. Further, the City is aging and will need more investments in local and city roads, sewer and water lines, and addressing flooding in our city.

Renewable Energy - We should work to incorporate clean and renewable energy at City facilities, use hybrid or electric vehicles for City business, and provide incentives for homeowners and business to use reliable and renewable energy.

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

I am particularly proud of my work ethic. I became an Oakland County employee at the age of 18 and a full-time County employee by the time I was 20, all while I completed my undergraduate degree from Oakland University in evening classes. I continued that same schedule for law school, working full-time during the day and attending law school in the evenings. Also, in my first year practicing law, I took and passed four bar exams during that one year period and also worked toward my private pilots license at the same time. I am no stranger to hard work, multi-tasking, and devoting the time and attention to detail needed to serve on City Council (all while raising my two beautiful boys with my wife, Kelly).

The best advice ever shared with me was:

My father always said "it's better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it." This could apply to taking an umbrella with you on a walk, or to bringing extra copies of exhibits to a courtroom for trial. But it really embodies something I learned in the Boy Scouts: Be Prepared. Throughout my life, I have always tried to think ten steps ahead to foresee what could be needed - or what challenges could arise - in the future so that I can be prepared. It is the same approach I will take when analyzing issues or proposals as a City Council Member At-Large.

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

I want to personally thank you for taking the time to learn more about both candidates. It is critical to our democracy to have an active and informed electorate. After comparing both candidates, I am confident that my vision for the future of Rochester Hills and my background growing up here makes me the right choice to lead Rochester Hills as a City Council Member At-Large. I respectfully ask for your vote in this election on November 2