Six candidates running for three trustee seats on Blissfield Village Council
BLISSFIELD — Six names are on the Nov. 8 ballot vying for three open trustee seats on the Blissfield Village Council.
Incumbents Michael Gunter, Barbara McHenry and Timothy Watters are being challenged by Eric Rogers, Laurel Scott and Bob Valdez — Blissfield’s current village president who is not seeking reelection to that post but is looking to remain on the village council in the role of trustee. The trustees serve four-year terms.
The Daily Telegram previously profiled James Eitzen and Matthew Knoblauch, the two candidates running for Blissfield village president, in a separate story.
Polls for the Nov. 8 election are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Blissfield voters will be able to vote in person at the Blissfield Township Fire Department, 299 E. Adrian St., on Election Day. Absentee ballots are available from the township clerk’s office.
The Daily Telegram provided questionnaires to each of the six trustee candidates. The following are their responses, lightly edited for clarity. Due to the number of candidates, this story will run in two parts with Scott, Valdez and Watters in the second part.
Michael Gunter
Age: 44.
Occupation: Dispatcher, Emergent Health Partners, Ann Arbor.
Spouse/kids: Shelby Hamilton, girlfriend.
Volunteer/community service experience: Blissfield Main Street/DDA board 2011-present, current design committee chairman, village council trustee 2003-10 and 2014-present, village president 2010-14.
Why are you running for this position? I am running to continue my long-standing efforts to make Blissfield a better place to work, live and play. I have spent a large number of years dedicated to the village and its residents, with no other motive than to make those improvements happen.
What do you think is the main challenge facing the village of Blissfield and what should be done about it? There are a number of challenges that our village faces. The main one would be the amount of investment we need to put into our infrastructure with an already tight operating budget. We also need to retain the services that we provide our residents while keeping a mindset that everything is costing more these days and how we can utilize our funding most efficiently. Other challenges we face are private investment in the village, both commercial and residential. The village council will need to seek new funding mechanisms and advocate for development that best suits our village’s needs.
What do you see is the primary role of village government? To set policy based on the needs of the village and its residents and to set that plan into action with direction to our administration and staff. It is not to micromanage our employees. I am a strong believer in the chain of command structure that our policies have set in place and knowing how to guide our village’s finances and operations while working with our village administrator and department heads to make that happen.
Why should people vote for you? I hope that people would vote for me based on my history of serving my community and the record that I have built of putting the needs of the village as a whole as a priority in the decisions and votes I have cast. I have no agenda other than to do everything in my power to make Blissfield a better place than when I was first elected. While I know I can’t possibly make everyone agree with my choices 100% of the time, I hope that our residents can see my intentions are always fair and conscientious.
Barbara McHenry
Age: 72.
Occupation: Owner of The Packrat and Sugar Boys Soda Fountain (inside The Packrat).
Spouse/Kids: Widowed. I have one daughter, Tammy, and two sons, Chad and Kevin. I also have five grandsons.
Volunteer/community service experience: I have volunteered with the Camp Fire Girls, various aspects at First United Brethren Church, Blissfield Chamber of Commerce, DDA/Main Street design committee (currently secretary) and DDA/Main Street board (currently secretary).
Why are you running for this position? I am running to renew my seat on the council because I want to continue making a difference for Blissfield. My priorities would be honesty and integrity in all village aspects. I would strive to keep our spending down and to support saving for our next water and wastewater treatment plants.
What do you think is the main challenge facing the village of Blissfield and what should be done about it? I think our biggest challenge in the future is replacing our outdated and worn out infrastructure. We continue to support our administrator in looking for alternate ways to fund these projects. Some ways would be grants, ARPA funds, state funding and/or federal funding. There are several big projects that will each require in-depth study of possible grants and funding alternatives.
What do you see as the primary role of the village government? I see the primary role of the village government as operating the village as smoothly as possible. That would include setting procedures, policies and ordinances of the village. That task would be to make sure they are clear, concise and up to date. The follow through would be that those procedures, policies and ordinances would be enforced and handled fairly, in that all residents and businesses are treated equally.
Why should people vote for you? Vote for me because of my honesty and integrity. I have lived in or just outside of Blissfield most of my life. I love this town and all it represents. I want to see us continue to thrive for all our citizens. My 10 years of experience as accounting/office manager at the YMCA and my 21 years owning a business have helped me understand how the elements of our village work together. My term on the village council has added insights and awareness of the intricacies of this village. I would appreciate your vote so that I can work to keep our village a great place to live.
Eric Rogers
Age: 55.
Occupation: Timber frame design and CNC programmer at Timbercraft Homes, Tecumseh.
Family: Two sons, ages 27 and 24, and two grandchildren.
Volunteer/community service experience: 20-year Blissfield Little League volunteer as coach, vice president of several divisions of baseball, player agent, treasurer and league president. Blissfield Athletic Boosters parent representative and internal auditor.
Why are you running for this position? I have lived in Blissfield all of my life and regularly attend the council meetings. I believe that I have a good understanding on many of the village issues and that I will help to make sound decisions if I am chosen to represent the citizens of Blissfield.
What do you think is the main challenge facing the village of Blissfield and what should be done about it? There are several infrastructure projects that will be coming before the board, such as lead water line replacement, pedestrian bridge repairs, replacement of the water line under the river, and wastewater treatment plant laboratory upgrades. Secondly, the need to update village ordinances to better match the changes in our current regulatory environment as well as allow for future changes to be made to allow for progress. And lastly, work on the current and future budgets that will continue to be challenging to provide our current and future services to our village residents.
What do you see as the primary role of the village government? The primary role of the village council is to make decisions for budgetary items, expenses, human resources, allocation of equipment, personnel and physical resources, develop and execute policy and procedures necessary for the operation of the village on behalf of the citizens that elect them.
Why should people vote for you? As I mentioned above, I am a lifelong resident of the village of Blissfield. I feel that I have a good understanding and a feel for what the residents are looking for from their local government. I listen, do my research and gather as much information as I can to make sound decisions. I am not afraid to ask questions if there is something that I am not clear on. I am willing to take on the difficult decisions and work with others to find the solutions in the best interest of our village residents.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: 6 running for three Blissfield Village Council trustee seats
