Patch Mailbag: Mayor's Supporters Have Their Turn

(The following letters represent the opinions of the authors, and not an institutional opinion from Patch. We will accept election-related letters to the editor through Wednesday, Oct. 28, and want to hear from all sides.)

If It’s Not Broken, Don’t Fix It

Never has the saying, “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” made more sense than it does with regard to the upcoming mayoral election in Rochester Hills.

I’m a bit older and clearly remember when term limits were implemented, and why. Term limits were put in place to remove elected officials who were unproductive and complacent, those who had grown too comfortable in their elected position to work hard and effectively.

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I can assure you that in no way, shape, or form does Mayor Bryan Barnett fit into that category. Our mayor is as energetic and enthusiastic as he was when he first took office. His love for our city has not wavered one bit — and his drive to make Rochester Hills the very best place to live and work is as great as it ever was.

In Rochester Hills, we are on a winning streak and the smartest move by far will be to keep on the track we are on. How fortunate we are to have had elected officials who realized how counterproductive it would be to force voters to make a change just for the sake of change.

If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Let’s keep a good thing going with Mayor Barnett.

— Jack Dalton, past president, Rochester Hills City Council

Gas and Oil Leases a Non-Issue

I will be enthusiastically voting in support of our current mayor, Bryan Barnett, for a variety of reasons, and encourage my fellow residents to do the same. Mayor Barnett has done an outstanding job at the helm of our city and I wholeheartedly support his bid to continue.

To be fair, how do you criticize a mayor who has led the city through a major economic recession only to have it come out the other side bigger and better than ever?

What can you say about a mayor who has led the city to a 99 percent satisfaction rate among its residents, a top 10 best places to live in America rating, and the safest city in Michigan status?

It must be very frustrating to mount a campaign against such overwhelming success.

It seems the only thing left to do is to yell “not fair!” because I am hearing a lot of that lately. Well, this is not a playground and with my vested interest, I will not base my vote of what others consider fair.

I want what is right and what is best for my city, therefore, I strongly urge my fellow residents to write in Mayor Barnett and keep this good thing going.

— Michelle Miller, Rochester Hills

Keep a Good Thing Going

My husband, Ravi, and I are the owners and operators of both Tim Horton’s locations in Rochester Hills. Over the last two years we have gotten to know Mayor Barnett and have been wonderfully impressed. He has supported our growing business and has proven to genuinely care about our operations. We are proud to do business in the Safest City in Michigan and Ravi and I look forward to writing in Bryan Barnett to keep this good thing going!

— Anita Saini

Look at Facts, Safety Record

As a 31 year resident of Rochester Hills, and a career law enforcement official, I and my wife strongly support Mayor Bryan Barnett for a write-In third term as mayor of our wonderful city.

Mayor Barnett has been and will continue to be a positive leader for our community. All one needs to do is look at what has been accomplished under his leadership since 2006. Just the fact that Rochester Hills was recognized as one of the 10 best places to live in America says it all. In addition, our city was named the safest city in Michigan under the mayor’s leadership.

With Mayor Bryan Barnett’s guidance, Rochester Hills is a place our children and future generation will want to live. In our case, our daughter, son in-law, and three beautiful grandchildren have settled in Rochester Hills, and we couldn’t be happier.

Thanks Mayor Barnett for you strong faith and strong leadership. I urge all voters of Rochester Hills to look at the facts, and write-in Bryan Barnett’s name as our mayor.

— Richard Patterson, Rochester Hills, retired chief of police