The Battle Alley Bugle asked every candidate for Holly Village President and Village Council the same six questions.
Several candidates, for reasons of their own, answered.
Last up alphabetically is Shannon Cole, candidate for reelection to Holly Village Council.
Questions are the Bugle’s. Answers are the candidate’s. Responses are published as submitted, apart from minor formatting cleanup. The Battle Alley Bugle does not endorse candidates.
- What Village of Holly office are you seeking, and what is one concrete result you want to have accomplished by the end of your term?
I am running for a seat on Village Council. By the end of my term, I’d like Holly to have a sustainable infrastructure plan residents can understand, because municipal finance isn’t exactly light reading and our potholes do not get cheaper with age.
The reality is our roads, water, and sewer systems need significant investment and putting it off only makes it more expensive. We need to set priorities, be realistic about what we can afford, pursue every reasonable funding opportunity and be transparent with residents about what it will take to get the work done.
- Residents routinely ask Village government to solve problems controlled by Holly Township, Oakland County, the Road Commission, the railroad, the state, or somebody else entirely. Which problem are you most prepared to be blamed for despite having little or no direct authority over it, and what should Village officials do when explaining that fact somehow fails to fix it?
Data centers.
The Village does not have the land or infrastructure necessary for large scale data center development. Holly Township, however, is a separate municipality with its own elected officials, zoning authority and abundance of land, but if a data center were proposed in the Township, I fully expect someone will blame the Village Council anyway.
“That’s not our jurisdiction” shouldn’t end the conversation. Village officials can and should communicate with neighboring governments, advocate for residents when there could be impacts on traffic, utilities, the environment or quality of life.
- Holly promotes economic growth while treating its historic character as an economic asset. When development and preservation pull in different directions, where should the Village permit change, and where should it refuse? At what point does designing a new project to “fit in” become historical reenactment?
I think we start with Holly’s existing footprint and skyline. Our historic character is an economic asset and new development shouldn’t change the basic footprint and skyline. It is what makes people want to live, visit and invest here. That doesn’t mean every new building needs to pretend it was built in 1890. Development can be modern while respecting the scale and character around it. Green space matters too, and development should preserve mature trees where possible and incorporate thoughtful landscaping.
Our ordinances, Planning Commission and Historic District Commission establish the rules, and lawful businesses deserve a fair process.
My philosophy is grow Holly without erasing Holly.
- A proposal comes before Council that is legal, within budget, and recommended by Village staff, but the Facebook post about it attracts 63 angry comments. How much weight should those comments carry in your decision? Would your answer change at 100 comments—or if 40 of them came from the same person?
Public feedback matters. Facebook math does not necessarily equal public opinion.
Sixty-three comments could be 63 Village residents, 20 people talking back and forth, neighboring residents or 40 comments from one particularly motivated person. Why are they so motivated? Hmmmm.
I look at who is raising concerns, what those concerns are and whether new information has been presented. I also talk to residents away from Facebook. Ultimately, I make decisions based on facts, law, finances, professional recommendations and the residents I represent.
Good government can’t run on marketing campaigns from people seeking financial gains.
- Village government has substantially more things residents would like fixed than money with which to fix them. What service or investment would you protect even if doing so required residents to pay more, and what would you cut before making that request? You may invoke “grants” once. Then assume Holly did not receive one.
Well, there goes my plan to answer “grants and alternative funding” five times.
We hired Municipal Analytics to independently study Village finances. Their conclusion was that Holly already operates lean, is short staffed and that the public safety special assessment essentially saved the Village financially. I’m not going to invent waste for a better campaign answer.
I’m reluctant to give up local control of public safety. Local control means local decisions on how we are policed. Our last meeting showed this when we prioritize limiting truck traffic and our Chief of Police is acting on it.
We should still pursue efficiencies and outside funding, but sometimes the answer really is we need more revenue. I know, terrible campaign slogan.
- At the end of your term, what is one thing about Holly you hope has not changed at all, and one change you hope residents have come to accept was necessary?
I hope Holly is still a place where neighbors talk to neighbors, where we’re good stewards of our natural resources and we’re still meeting at the Donut Shop for the best cash paid donut around and a coffee that tastes like home.
What I hope changes is the idea that local government needs teams. Lately, our politics can feel like U of M vs. Ohio State rivalry, pick your side and assume the other team is evil.
These aren’t teams. They’re our neighbors, sometimes disagreeing about the same problems. I hope we get back to disagreeing without Facebook trials and outside influencers.
That concludes the three candidate questionnaires received by Monday’s 8 p.m. deadline. A complete list of candidates and their participation status will be posted later today.