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Chelsea City Council election 2013: five candidates for the three 4-year seats

There are five candidates running for three 4-year seats on the Chelsea City Council in the Nov. 5 election.

Here are profiles of each person in alphabetical order.

Cheri-Albertson-head-shotCheri Albertson is a 32-year resident of Chelsea, is married to husband, Bill, and has children John and Cammila.

A psychologist, Albertson graduated from Finney High School in Detroit, then attained a BS from Central Michigan University with a dual degree in public administration and community. She attended the University of Michigan School of Social Work and the Institute for Social Research/Central for Political studies. Her Ph.D. is pending from Walden University.

Albertson has been on the Chelsea City Council for the last 10 years and was also a member of the Village of Chelsea Charter Commission. She currently serves as the City Council liaison to the Chelsea Planning Commission.

When asked why voters should cast a vote for her, she says, “Unwavering commitment to ethical practices in representing the interests of all of Chelsea residents.”

Her top two key issues are: “To maintain open and accessible city services. When, or if, any resident, at any time, requires clarification, answers, or access to expressing a concern/need, all residents of Chelsea should be made to feel confident that they will be treated with respect.  Being a steward of Chelsea means being the voice on council of those not present, those who would ask questions if they knew which questions are important, those who believe themselves to be outside of this access. This city belongs to you.”

“Fiscal responsibility – To assure that every penny of every taxpayer dollar is used judiciously until it squeaks.”

Why is Chelsea a great place to live? “Open, friendly, vibrant, interesting, sophisticated, casual, dressed up, peaceful, exciting, reassuring, safe, happy – home,” she said.

What one thing would she change about the city? “Let’s fill the empty spaces on Main Street.”

And to end on a fun note, what’s her favorite vegetable? “Anyone who knows me knows it’s – beets, beautiful beets, with rutabaga in a close second.”

 

Melissa-Johnson-head-shotMelissa Johnson grew up in Chelsea, left the city, then returned more than six years ago.

Johnson, 41, is married to husband, Mark, and they have three children, Zane, 10, Jack, 7, and  Tennessee, 2.

She is a former assistant city attorney in Minnesota, and currently, is a stay-at-home parent who graduated from Chelsea High School in 1990. She then headed to the College of Wooster, where she received a BA in 1994, and from there she got her J.D. from Indiana University School of Law in 1998.

Johnson was appointed to the City Planning Commission in May 2011 where she continues to serve the city. She’s been a member of the Chelsea Center for the Arts’ Scholarship Committee since Sept. 2008 until the present. She’s also served on the board of the Chelsea Center for the Arts and has coached for Chelsea Rec and has volunteered in her children’s classrooms at North Creek Elementary and South Meadows Elementary.

Why should voters chose her? “I will use my experience as a city attorney, as a Chelsea City Planning Commissioner, and as a long-time resident and community volunteer to maintain and improve infrastructure and safety, ensure fiscal responsibility, and engage our residents and business owners in an effort to develop a vision and plan for growth and development so that Chelsea will be an even more attractive place to live, work, and play.”

When asked about her top two key issues, Johnson had this to say: “The top two things that I would like to see the City Council work on are first, developing with its constituents are a community development plan and second, a complete streets ordinance. The city should establish a long term and comprehensive community development plan.  We currently have a master plan that sets the vision for the character and land use of the city. A community development plan would incorporate the master plan vision and values but also would engage the community at the next level to identify strategies and goals for economic and quality of place development. I would like to see Chelsea adopt a complete streets ordinance. A complete streets ordinance would require the city to design a transportation system that would consider all users—pedestrians, bicyclist, motorists and commercial truck traffic—and all ages. The goal would be to improve safety, accessibility, connectedness and mobility for all users. “

In her opinion, what makes Chelsea a great place to live? “There are so many reasons Chelsea is a great place to live, with wonderful natural resources around us and a charming downtown, but the thing that defines Chelsea the most is its residents’ support for one another and the community, including our neighborhoods, schools, businesses, nonprofits and organizations.”

What one thing would she change about Chelsea? “To keep our city dynamic and to make it more attractive and livable for people of all ages, I would like to see more energy and resources devoted to enhancing the quality of life, specifically in the areas of recreation, wellness and social/entertainment, for our younger generations.”

Johnson chose red peppers are her favorite vegetable.

She also has a Facebook site: www.facebook.com/MelissaJohnsonforCityCouncil

 

Jim-Myles-head-shotJim Myles, 63, is a 19-year resident and an innkeeper of the Chelsea Victorian Inn since 2000.

He has been married to wife, Kim, for 24 years, has one son and five grandchildren. Prior to opening his own business with his wife, he was a residential home builder, developer and restoration contractor for 35 years.

Myles graduated from Fairfax High School in 1968 in Fairfax, VA, then graduated from George Mason University in 1973 with a BS in Sociology.

He formerly served eight years on council and was a member of the Chelsea Downtown Development Authority for 12 years. He currently serves and was one of the charter board members of Preservation Chelsea, a group that supports and encourages the growth and dynamics of a vibrant downtown and community while promoting the awareness of the historic significance of Chelsea’s heritage in hopes to protect and encourage adaptive reuse of significant historical structures in this community. The organization also serves to promote community awareness of how historic destinations are a source of income for the community and promotes interest and sustainable tourism to our community.

Myles also says he participated in the committee that secured a listing of downtown Chelsea on the National Register of Historic Places – an effort that included representatives from the Chelsea Area Historic Society, Preservation Chelsea and the Chelsea DDA.  This designation took place in 2011.

He was also on the building committee for the new Chelsea District Library and assisted in the concept of adaptive reuse of the old McKune House Library with the new addition. “This adaptive use is a true example of how one can blend the old with the new,” he says.

When asked why residents should vote for him, Myles says, “Being a resident of,  and having a successful business in downtown Chelsea for a long time, along with my previous experience on both council and DDA — makes my contribution to the council unique and provides a valuable perspective in decisions that affect both aspects of this community: businesses  and residents. This combination of experiences, makes my perspective different from that of anyone else running or currently on the council or DDA, and gives me insight that others vying for council don’t possess.  My unique perspective can help make a difference when details or facts need to be considered and weighed by council before taking action.”

What are his top two issues? “Connection between our government and the citizens of our city has been slowly eroding in the last eight to 10 years. There needs to be a more concerted effort to bring our government and what it does for its citizens to their attention through an easier and more user friendly process.

Consistency and enforcement of our ordinances needs to be addressed along with accountability for decisions around their enforcement or lack thereof.  Arbitrary action is not a sustainable approach. “

What makes Chelsea a great place to live? In his opinion, “Residents of Chelsea express and exhibit without fail, great pride in their claim to this city as their home, and my experience with the people who work for us in the city offices, as a resident and business person, is that they too share that pride of ownership and desire to make the City of Chelsea a great, friendly and uniquely better place to live.”

When asked what one thing he would change, Myles says, “Striking a better balance between the needs of business and those of our residents when the council and DDA are faced with decisions that impact both essential elements of our vibrant city: respecting and caring for city assets and honoring taxpayer input needs improvement.”

His favorite vegetable? Fresh asparagus spears, lightly sautéed in olive oil with just a hint of garlic.

 

Marcia-Parker-head-shotMarcia White Parker, 61, is a 31-year resident of Chelsea and has a son, Trevor.

The realtor graduated from Ann Arbor Huron High School in 1970.

She was appointed to a vacant seat on the City Council in 2012 and is a former Planning Commissioner with a long history of serving the community in other capacities.

Parker has been a library volunteer assistant technology director with classes, an election worker, a member of the Chelsea Area Chamber of Commerce, serves as a CAP/DART representative from the City Council, is the chairwoman of the Economic Development Committee and is the City Council liaison to the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Chelsea School Board.

Why should voters elect her? “I am committed to our community; I am collaborative and make decisions based on logic not emotion, I do not have my own agenda.”

Parker’s top two issues are:  Continued growth in our business community and working with our surrounding townships for the common good of all stakeholders. She does not want to see unplanned growth and become a concrete jungle with no sense of continuity.

What makes Chelsea a great place to live? “The citizen’s and business owners make Chelsea a great place to live.”

If Parker could change one thing about Chelsea, what would it be? “I would like to see our city streets improved from the ground up, not just the surface. Go underground and replace water sewer lines and then do the surface. “

What’s her favorite vegetable? Petite green peas.

 

suntheimerDustin Suntheimer was appointed to the Chelsea City Council to fill a vacancy last year, and he’s lived in the city for nine years

The 42 year old is married to wife Mimi and they have three children, Sebastian, 16, Grace, 11 and Sierra, 8.

Suntheimer is a Senior Laboratory Representative at the University of Michigan Department of Pathology, MLabs Division. He graduated from Hillsdale High School in 1989 and was an exchange student  at Colegio San Luis Beltran in Colombia, South America from 1989 to 1990. He then attended and graduated from the University of Michigan in 2002 with a BA.

Suntheimer hopes to be elected to City Council after being appointed to council in 2012 and was sworn-in in January, 2013. He also serves as the city’s liaison to both the Farmers’ Market committee and the Recreation Council.

He is a Master Mason at the Olive Lodge #156 of Chelsea, which supports the Summer Reading Program at the Chelsea Public Library, sponsors the Child Identification Program, and sponsors local scholarships.

Why should voters choose him? “So I can continue questioning the status quo and listening to the citizens of Chelsea to make a positive contribution to our community.”

His top two issues are to create incentives to bring a greater level of participation in our local unit of government, and to ensure that Chelsea remains an attractive location for families and for businesses.

What, in his opinion, makes Chelsea a great place to live? “Chelsea is a unique place in the heart of Southern Michigan that derives its character from the residents who have built a vibrant, safe, and welcoming community that continues to exemplify what it means to live in small town America. “

What one thing would he change? “One change I would like to see in Chelsea is an increase in the diversity of businesses moving to our city.”

And his favorite vegetable? Peas.

 

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6 thoughts on “Chelsea City Council election 2013: five candidates for the three 4-year seats”

    • Hi Jeff:
      There is one other candidate who has a Facebook page, and she is running in the 2-year race. That story will publish tomorrow.
      Lisa

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