Royal Oak 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 Royal Oak Mayor below.

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Michael Fournier

Candidate did not respond to survey request. View campaign website.

Thomas Roth

Age: 60

Occupation: Global Account Director, Interos, Supply Chain Risk Management Software

Education:  B.G.S. University of Michigan

About Thomas Roth: I am not a politician. I am a father, husband, son, brother, and friend. 

As a young US Army Armor platoon leader, I learned to lead from the front. Royal Oak needs leaders who will lead from the front and work for the residents, not hide behind paid-for legal opinions as excuses to violate our City Charter and Ordinances to suppress or diminish voters’ rights.

When elected, I will ensure that leadership is responsive to residents’ priorities and concerns, not driving them. I will put a stop to wasting resident tax dollars on forced ideas and costly projects that affect residents’ quality of life and are not resident-driven and/or lack proper community engagement and studies. I will ensure a continued high level of Public Safety. I advocate for seniors. I will protect the green spaces we already have and work to create planning policies put in place that create MORE green space, not less as we have seen take place under the current administration. I will ensure that the city government is working on solutions to help address the environmental issues facing our residents (flooding, sewage & rats) instead of placing the blame or responsibility solely on the homeowner to solve. Finally, I will be inclusive of ALL Royal Oakers from EVERY walk of life.

Top Goals: 

• Bring back the voice of the citizenry of Royal Oak and foster collaborative decision-making
• Protect our property values
• Improve city services while lowering taxes
• Increase Greenspace
• Address the need for a Community Center
• Enhance Senior Services
• Restore ethical governship

Why are you running for Royal Oak Mayor: I’ve seen a complete disconnect between the current City Commission and those they are supposed to be serving, the citizens of Royal Oak. Over the course of the last 10 years, we have seen the voice/needs of the people quashed and dismissed. The actions of the current City Commission have served their own interests to stay in power and provide favors to their political donor versus being what was in the best interests of the people they are supposed to be serving. We have seen taxpayer land that generated over $1 million dollars in revenue given away for $1, a favored developer receiving $5.5 million that doesn’t have to be paid back, a $250 million bond debt that foisted on taxpayers without a vote, no-bid contracts awarded on a regular basis to political contributors and just a complete disregard for the resident who dares to challenge them or their policies. 

The latest in this was the way the Commission unilaterally decided to move the Veteran’s Memorial for the new Centennial Commons. They claimed they listened to the people. They barely spoke to the people and have completely excluded the Veterans. But they never sought out input from the primary stakeholder, and local veterans’ organizations that use the current parkland AND paid for the move to what was the current location across from the City Library. Instead, they sought out input from those they know they can solicit contributions to their political campaigns and made decisions that were beneficial to these special interests and not to veterans or the residents of Royal Oak. Iinput from those they know they can solicit contributions to their political campaigns and made decisions that were beneficial to these special interests and not to veterans or the residents of Royal Oak.

Most importantly THEY IGNORED THE CITY CHARTER THAT SAID ANY MOVE MUST BE DETERMINED BY A VOTE OF THE PEOPLE AND THEN LATER, IGNORED A CITIZEN PETITION TO PLACE THE REQUIRED VOTE ON THE BALLOT. If that isn’t voter suppression, I don’t know what is. 

What is the most important issue facing Royal Oak? There are a multitude of issues facing Royal Oak today, but the biggest issue is the massive debt and probable bankruptcy if spending is not under control.  From this year’s Adopted budget, found on Page 83 & 84, Royal Oak shows a continued structural deficit between $7 and $9 million annually.  This is even with the assumption of the public safety millage being renewed. By 2025-26, the deficit will have grown to $26.9 million. This is in addition to the $250 million of the current debt. In the city’s mind, there is only ONE way to handle this – increase taxes.

How would you address that issue? We need to look at how we spend money, PERIOD.  Every department within the city needs to be seriously examined and cost-cutting measures need to be put in place. These cost cuts must ensure that we maintain the level of city services and public safety our citizens enjoy.

No-bid contracts will be eliminated.  Everything we do must have competitive bids.  If one were to look at the money donated to my opponents, you will see it being filtered through the beneficiaries and friends of the current no-bid contracts.  They have been taking PAC money.  This PAC money is coming from those same beneficiaries and more.  This can all be examined through the Campaign Finance filings. 

We need to increase the tax base of Royal Oak, and this is not through new taxes.  We already carry an enormous tax burden.  We need to attract more businesses not just to the downtown area, but also along the Woodward Corridor and other commercial areas in Royal Oak. 

There are many ways for us to address this deficit, and all reasonable actions will be looked at by the new City Commission.

What actions/decisions by the current mayoral administration or city council have you disagreed with? Instead of attacking the current group, I will give you my counterpoints to their actions.

• Respect and follow the city charter.  This group did not vow to uphold the city charter when sworn in.
• Transparency of government and stewardship.
• Removal of no-bid contracts
• We will address the flooding problems through underground retention ponds.
• Removal of the blight along the Woodward corridor.
• Put Cannabis businesses in areas not surrounded by single-family homes.
• Protect single-family neighborhoods through sensible zoning.
• Disallow “Big-Foot” multifamily dwellings in and near single-family neighborhoods and along the Woodward Corridor.
• Instead of allowing more multi-family development, increase green space (this too will help with the flooding issues).
• Remove intimidation (including physical) and violations of 1^st Amendment rights.  We will introduce legislation to protect citizens from this intimidation.
• Listen to the People!