City Council, Mayor Candidates Discuss Issues

The performance of the city manager, the current City Council and library's operations were among issues discussed Tuesday evening by candidates running for a spot on Troy's governing body during a candidate forum held at the  and hosted by the League of Women Voters Troy Area.

Two mayoral candidates and eight city council candidates participated in the forum, which was moderated by Charlie Langton, a legal analyst for WJBK TV and frequent host on Community Media Network television in Troy. Those vying for the position of mayor included:

• Robin Beltramini has served on City Council since 2001. She is a 16-year resident of the city and serves as vice chairwoman of Troy Youth Assistance, chair of the Troy SmartZone Board, is on the board of trustees for the Michigan Municipal League and a panel chair of the National League of Cities.
• Janice Daniels has spent 17 years working in mortgage financing and has a background in accounting, sales, marketing and new business ventures. She is a member of the Women's Commission and a former member of the Troy Chamber of Commerce.

City Council candidates included:

• Bruce Bloomingdale is a retired Structural Steel Field Superintendent and has been responsible for multimillion-dollar projects. He coaches soccer and is active in community projects, such as Save Troy Library.
• James Campbell is the managing director of Future Tool and Machine Inc., and past business owner. He is a Troy Citizen graduate and has been involved in the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts of America, the Troy High School Band, and is a member of the Brownfield Redevelopment Committee.
• Allen D'Aoust is a retired United States army sergeant and a licensed paramedic. He served in combat in Afghanistan and has been married 13 years to a lifelong Troy resident. He has more than 20 years experience as a leader in hospitals, emergency medial services and the Army.
• Amin Hashmi has served the Troy community for more than 10 years. He holds a masters degree in mechanical engineering from Wayne State University and works at General Motors as a vehicle safety performance engineer. He previously served as a research engineer for Boeing and Maritime Engineer on international vessels.
• David Henderson is a Realtor with Real Estate One in Troy and a previous Troy business owner. He is a lifelong resident of Troy and previously started franchises with the in Troy.
• Doug Tietz is a business owner and graduate of the University of Michigan. He is a member of the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance, Toastmasters International, and the . He attends Our Shepherd Lutheran Church with his wife, Amy.
• Neil Yashinsky is a technical consultant for an eCommerce software company and owns a small business that specializes in Internet marketing. He is also an election precinct chair and co-founder of Troy Residents United for a Strong Troy (TRUST). He also coaches Troy Youth Soccer League/Birmingham YMCA.

Candidates had a chance to answer various questions during the hour and a half forum, however, not all the same questions were asked of all candidates.

Questions were submitted by audience members. The following are some excerpts form the candidate's responses:

Give a letter grade to Troy City Manager John Szerlag and tell us why

Beltramini: A “B.” John Szerlag negotiated with seven unions, three of which had 100 percent membership that could invoke Public Act 312, binding arbitration… he got a 10 percent cut or better out of all of them. On the down side, I think he could have been more forthcoming with information earlier and more complete.

Daniels: I would give John Szerlag a “C,” possibly a “C minus.” He never would have sought out those employee concessions had we not defeated the 1.9 millage in February. I’m very concerned about the way information was kept from us in important financial decisions.

Henderson: I give him a “B minus to a C.” As others have said, information wasn’t given to the public that was believable and necessary for us to make a good decision at the polling booths. Two weeks after the last ballot was passed by the city, he found $2.6 million that we all knew – he knew – was going to come in, yet had he presented that prior to the election it would have changed the complexion of the election.

Campbell: I wouldn’t give him an A, B, C, D, or E. I think I would mark him on a curve because there isn’t just one person in this city who makes decisions… honestly, I don’t think its fair for anybody to rate one person’s job in this city. 

Hashmi: I would give him a “B plus,” because he finally acted upon some of the corrections that weren’t done a year before. If he would have done that, what we have seen now, the information that we got recently… we would have cut some costs and done some work on the budget.

Bloomingdale: I marked on my paper a “B plus,” but I think I’m going to upgrade it to an “A minus.” I think John Szerlag is a fine civil servant. I think he’s done this community a great job. He started out advising us as a community that we are in serious financial condition right from the get go. Right when the 1.9 mills was put on the ballot.

I don’t think that it’s right to attack any public servant who is on our payroll in an open forum. Secondly, nobody works well under criticism… you praise in public, you criticize in private. That’s the way I intend to operate with all our city employees if I’m elected.

Tietz: It’s two grades actually, because you have to grade the city council. They are people that guide the city manager, and the City Council is in the D to D-minus range. Frankly, they have let the city manager run wild. Not letting that $2.6 million come to the public’s attention, I mean that is absolutely their fault and they should be held accountable for it… that’s been asked for… the fact that the city’s wages and benefits hasn’t been disclosed, that’s been asked for and it hasn’t been done. That’s the problem.

D’Aoust: I would give Mr. Szerlag a “B to a B plus,” but once again, I would agree that it’s a combined effort of the city manager and the city council. I think John Szerlag has done a very good job with what he has been given, but there is still a lot more that needs to be done.

Yashinsky: If you look at our bond rating, it’s AAA, that saves us money day in and day out, and I think John Szerlag does deserve credit for that. I have walked a lot of streets in my election for city council and I’ve run into a lot of individuals who are very frustrated with Mr. Szerlag. I would probably grade him down in terms of the attitude in which he’s engaging people. … There is improved transparency that is starting to occur, I would give him a B overall.

Kempen: In regard to restructuring and managing a budget, I would give him a B, maybe even a B plus. In the other class, I would say, as far as being forthcoming and his budgetary proposals, I am real concerned with some of those. In that class I would have to give him a D. 

How important is the Troy Public Library being open on Saturday, and what could be done to change the hours?

Hashmi: Saturday is more important; I don’t know why we have chosen Sunday. I would rather have Saturday because Sundays are very busy for the community. 

Yashinsky: The library used to be funded at about $5.2 million… now it’s about $2.6 million. The reason it was closed on Saturday is because it is the most expensive day. Now, that’s painful for people, but it’s also one of the best ways to save money and still maintain our obligation of 55 hours per week. I would love to see the budget restored, not only to include Saturday hours, but also a lot of the programs were cut that my kids certainly enjoy, and I think its very important to encourage an atmosphere of literacy and reading.

Tietz: This is the problem with government… we pay the tax dollars and they get to decide what to do with it. It should be the opposite way around. We have paid our fair share in taxes. That library should be open on Saturday, and it should be up to the government to figure out how to make it happen… I’m incredibly frustrated that the library is closed on Saturday.

If elected, what would you do to remedy the over taxation of $2.6 million that was recently found?

Daniels: I don’t know if you can call it over taxation. It was employee concessions that were found, but mysteriously we weren’t told about that until two weeks after we gave the city a $3.1 million tax increase. What I would do first is make sure that Troy is fiscally sound. I don’t want to see the DDA go bankrupt. We have to make sure our systems are sound and I would consider giving that money back to the taxpayers in the following year in a millage decrease.

Beltamini: In the three year budget process, we look at projections going out, because frankly budgeting a year at a time is what got us into this mess… that $2.6 million, the sitting council right now has already authorized spending about $800,000 of it. It’s $1.8 million for next year, and then $2.6 for the following year. I would agree … we need to see where our needs are before we start throwing money back because we would have to ask for more later.

A recorded telecast of the forum will be replayed on Community Media Network cable with times and dates to be determined. For more information visit the CMNtv website.