Grosse Pointe Park Mayor November 2 Election Candidate Guide

Voters head to the polls on November 2 to cast their votes for local leaders, ballot proposals and more. 

Get to know the candidates running for local office in your community with 101.9 FM WDET’s Candidate Guides. Surveys were distributed to candidates to complete and you can see the responses for candidates for Grosse Pointe Park Mayor below.

See a full list of races covered here.

Related Race: Grosse Pointe Park City Council

TRIEST

Michele Hodges

Age: 54


Current job: President and CEO of the Belle Isle Conservancy


Education: Urban Planning Degree, Michigan State University; Institute for Organizational Management; Economic Developers Institute; Institute for Public Administration; and Michigan Political Leadership Program.


About Michele Hodges: I am a mission-minded steward of communities, having worked to build them my entire career, most recently as the founding President and CEO of the Belle Isle Conservancy. Wearing that hat, I have developed considerable organizational acumen, with expertise in all areas presently impacting Grosse Pointe Park, including large capital projects, political complexity, donor management, transparency, and community engagement. When coupled with experience in the public sector and chambers of commerce, along with a multitude of service roles at a community and regional level (two current examples being the DAC and DSO), I am well equipped to move the cIty forward. I was recently selected as a member of WJR’s 2021 class of “Women who Lead”. Other forms of recognition include Crain’s Detroit Business Notable Women in Non-Profits and 40 under 40, WDIV’s Everyday Hero, and GSSEM’s One Tough Cookie. I have served local PTOs, the GPP Foundation, at St. Ambrose, and am presently a member of City Council, where I’ve been part of the Planning Commission, the Personnel, Sustainability, Finance and DEI Committees, led creation of an Ethics Committee, supported law enforcement and the business community. My husband and two daughters have called GPP home for 22 years.


Why are you running for Grosse Pointe Park Mayor? Put simply, my primary goal is to make great things happen for our community in a nonpartisan manner. I’ve been a builder of communities, and community, my entire career, and am perfectly prepared to lead at this important moment. I have the credentials, the track record, the experience, the grit, and the grace to lead us forward.


What is the most important issue facing Grosse Pointe Park? We have challenges ahead including huge infrastructure needs, underfunded liabilities, an obsolete marina, an underutilized school, and more. We must be diligent about addressing them.


How would you address that issue? If our team isn’t strong, nor will our results be. I will build an organizational culture that empowers our community to tackle these big issues, and I will ensure that our city administration is armed with the necessary tools to push solutions to the finish line. I will work to protect and grow the general fund in order to address liabilities, and I will leverage public-private partnerships to solve challenges like the marina and school.


What actions/decisions by the current mayoral administration or city council have you disagreed with? We’ve been through such a period of divisiveness, and I hope this community is hungry for the kind of leader who gets us out of our corners, who speaks a language we all can hear, and who does so with professionalism, dignity, and respect. I will work from a foundation of proven skill, and with a commitment to providing the right guidance, direction, accountability and management. I have no interest in politics, just leadership, and it is the kind of leadership this community deserves.


Courtesy of Lauri Read

Lauri Read

Age: 55

Current job: Attorney; Shareholder/President at Keller Thoma, PC

Education: BA Journalism, University of Kentucky, 1987; JD, Washington University, 1990

About Lauri Read: I was born and raised in Covington, Kentucky. I moved to Michigan in 1990, following law school, and have been an attorney in private practice since then. My husband, Don Kuhnlein, was born and raised here and, in 1992, we chose Grosse Pointe Park as the place to make our home and raise our family. Don and I have been involved in the community as scout leaders, PTO volunteers, GPP Little League, GPP Mutant swim team, CYO sports, and GP South sports volunteers. We are members of St. Ambrose Parish where I am in my twelfth year of teaching religious education. We have been fixtures at the parks, taking part in all our community has to offer. I am an avid runner, having completed my first Detroit Free Press Marathon in 1994. These days, friends and neighbors can usually find me catching the sunrise on the pier at Windmill Pointe Park on morning runs. I love sports of all kinds, especially college hoops; I am an avid reader, and I enjoy the local arts and cultural offerings from Grosse Pointe to our many cultural institutions in Detroit. We have been blessed to raise our three children in this community.

Why are you running for Grosse Pointe Park Mayor? I am running for Mayor of Grosse Pointe Park because I love this city. We have a great community and, above all else, it’s because of the residents. I believe in public service. We each have a responsibility to raise our hand to help make our communities stronger and make government work for everyone. I became an engaged citizen early on, attending my first city council meeting in February 1999. I would bring my children to meetings from time to time so they could witness their government functioning. In 2017, I ran for City Council and was elected. Since then, I have been a champion for residents, making government accessible to them and functional for them. I would like to continue the momentum I have helped build.

What is the most important issue facing Grosse Pointe Park? Without a doubt, our water infrastructure is the most important issue facing our city. The 2021 summer storms dumped raw sewage in nearly 75% of the basements in Grosse Pointe Park. The streets were flooded with stormwater, resulting in further damage to homes and property. Many of our families have not recovered. We all experience angst with every storm. The delivery of safe drinking water and the removal of sanitary and storm wastewater are core functions of city government. We must deliver the core services above all else.

How would you address that issue? My first public action was to request a standing agenda item on water infrastructure for the foreseeable future. We must keep this issue at the forefront and keep residents informed as to what we are doing, how we are doing it, how much it costs and how we are paying for it, and what the outcomes are. I am talking to the experts, including our city engineers and civil engineers outside of city government. I am a strong proponent for a regional solution. We signed a 30-year contract with GLWA this year. We need them to commit to providing the capacity and resiliency to fulfill the contract and to ensure that their other partner communities are doing their part. And, because the conversations I am having at the local, state, and federal level make clear that there is no quick and easy fix, we need the state to grant us a relief option. I am not a fan of dumping, but the alternative is to dump wastewater in residents’ homes and then to dump tons of contaminated debris in landfills. We cannot allow that to persist. The state’s permitting process is to ensure that we have taken the steps necessary so that any discharge is truly an emergency.

What actions/decisions by the current mayoral administration or city council have you disagreed with or, if you are the incumbent, what are you proud of accomplishing in your tenure? I believe that actions speak louder than words. I have been a woman of action since my election to the Grosse Pointe Park City Council in November 2017. As a lawyer, I give every matter that comes before council the same due diligence and attention to detail that I give my own clients.

• The residents: I am most proud of the service I give to my fellow residents. I have been accessible and helpful since day one. In fact, I was helping residents navigate city matters prior to my election. I believe in serving others and in helping create an inclusive and accessible city government. Residents know that they can call, email, or stop me on the street. I will get answers and help them problem-solve. It’s always been about the residents for me.
• Legal compliance: We are a nation of laws. The highest functioning governments maintain compliance with their charter, all applicable state, and federal statutes, and establish policies and procedures for the best practices in carrying out city business. As chair of the ordinance review committee, I have advocated for codification of our city code. That is the standard for modern city governments and affords our residents and their contractors a user-friendly means of reviewing the city code. I am happy to report that this process is underway and will be a great benefit to our residents who will no longer have to navigate the code, section by section to find what they need. These measures, and those listed below, are the hallmarks of an effective city government; they instill the confidence of the residents and create an efficient government.
• Planning commission: Beginning in July 2018: I pointed out that our planning commission was not in compliance with state statute for commissioners’ terms, number of commissioners, the required annual meetings, and published bylaws. I worked with the administration to correct these deficiencies as they came to my attention. We fixed the appointments in July 2018. The planning commission adopted bylaws in August 2020. I advanced an amended planning commission ordinance as chair of the ordinance review committee, which we unanimously adopted on March 28, 2021, making us compliant with the applicable state statute. In September 2018, I also began advocating for the use of professional urban planners and public engagement in revising the Master Plan. As a council, we voted to pursue a formal, professional Master Plan in January 2020, which is a recognized best practice in urban planning. Our residents deserve an intentional and professional Master Plan to guide development, make the best use of assets, and provide for resilient infrastructure.
• Tax Increment Finance Authorities: DDA and TIFA: Prior to my service, many residents were unfamiliar with our tax increment finance authorities. Together, these boards capture and spend around $1 million in tax dollars annually. The council approves their budgets and development plans, but they otherwise operate independently. Thus, it is important that they operate transparently and in compliance with state statutes. Changes to the Recodified Tax Increment Financing Act in 2018 imposed additional requirements on the boards, including the composition of the body, that a member could not serve as director, the holding of informational meetings, and the adoption of by-laws. I raised these compliance issues in 2019, and by the spring of 2020, we successfully resolved them.
• Short-term rental advocacy: Beginning in early 2019 and most recently in May 2021, I advocated for our residents to protect our local zoning from state preemption which would have allowed short-term rental as a permitted use of all residential property. I drafted a resolution to the State House Committee on Commerce & Tourism, which we unanimously approved as a council, opposing the legislation as written and advocating for local control of zoning. I argued our case to both Rep. Joe Tate and Sen. Adam Hollier. For now, the pending legislation is dead, but I will continue to advocate for local control should the state legislature try again.
• 2021 Storm and Response: On the morning of June 26th, I first communicated with the city administration at 6:07 AM and stayed in contact all weekend, helping to get information out to residents. I walked and biked the neighborhoods to assess the damage. It became clear that the damage was widespread and major. That morning, I contacted our state representative and state senator, asking them to seek a declaration of emergency from the governor. That afternoon, I participated in the Wayne County Emergency Response Team’s Zoom call. I continuously pushed out information to residents. I engaged local civil engineers. I educated myself on local and regional water systems. It’s clear that, while we may have deficits in our system, we must press our partners, particularly GLWA, to invest in their system and deliver the services we contracted and pay for. I requested a standing agenda item on water infrastructure to keep this issue in the forefront and keep residents informed of our efforts and outcomes.
• Council policies and procedures: When I began my service in November 2017, I requested that the full council packet be posted to the city website with our agenda so the residents could have the same information their council does. This is the recognized best practice in municipal government and promotes openness and transparency. With the August 27, 2018, agenda, administration began publishing our full council agenda and packet on the city website. As importantly, as chair of the communications committee, I implemented a revised council agenda which includes holding public comment on agenda items before the vote, giving residents an opportunity to be heard before the council acts.