Dean Girbach is one of three candidates running to serve on Saline City Council. Three seats are up for election on the upcoming November 6 ballot. [1,2]
Earlier this month, Saline Journal invited each individual to share their thoughts with our readers on a specific series of questions. Responses from Mr Girbach appear below. Responses from Janet Dillon ran yesterday and responses from Christen Mitchell will run tomorrow in Saline Journal. [3]
Saline Journal: “What would you list as your top five priorities for Saline City Council in 2019?” [4]
Dean Girbach:
- WWTP odor abatement and Nova Filter (quality of life) [5,6]
- Organizational review and assessment (vulnerability to change)
- Utility infrastructure needs — now and the future (capacity, transmission lines, facilities)
- Economic impacts (key indicators show 2019 may be the start of a slow down)
- Public enhancements (need for public space to accommodate events, markets, etc)
Saline Journal: “In what year were you first elected to Council? Since that time, what decision do you most regret? Why?”
Dean Girbach: “I was first elected in 1997, serving six years, then again in 2010.
Regret most, the loss of a skateboard facility. It was a good idea, but not evaluated fully nor executed well. Council then reacted too quickly to public outcry and failed to come up with a solution to continue the use. A lesson in how one’s emotions need to be checked before moving forward with minimal information.
Saline Journal: “If you were to choose one issue with which you’d like your name associated as a Council champion twenty years from now, what would that be? How did you, personally, advance that cause?”
Dean Girbach: “Infrastructure and facilities improvements.
I made it a priority our city invested in water systems, sewer infrastructure, and municipal buildings. I was a deciding vote in moving forward the reconstruction of our current city hall. I encouraged and supported public votes for a water treatment plant and road millage. I supported every building project to prepare Saline for the future, with a main goal of addressing poor working condition, OSEH violations, inefficiency and known inadequacies with regards to emergency preparedness.
Saline Journal: “How important is it for any given member of Council to be ‘in sync’ with the voters? local businesses? Explain.”
Dean Girbach: “Extremely. Understanding the trends, needs and issues which are identified by those we serve drives priorities. However, along with that knowledge come several interpretations. Strategic planning and policy making requires sufficient input and ideas to find workable alternatives for the resources the city has available.” [7]
Saline Journal: “Please describe your view of ‘history’ in terms of the future of Saline.”
Dean Girbach: “Saline has always been a very desirable place to live. The schools, its location and other attributes will continue to place pressure on growth in and around the core. Much of which I have personally experienced and noted.
Saline historically has experienced waves of growth and stagnation like most communities, fortunately it has also managed to weather these cycles well due to forward thinking and anticipation.
We are now, however, facing many more unknowns in terms of funding, physical capacities, and clearly unstable state/federal governments. It is more clear than ever to fully integrate citizen participation, expand local planning efforts, find committed leadership, and develop sound goals and priorities before the next cycle begins.
Saline Journal: “With more than a dozen scarecrow creations once again adorning local store fronts, with which do you most personally identify? How so? [8]
Dean Girbach: “I’m old school Star Wars, so I’ll go with Yoda placed in front of Old National Bank. Although ‘little’ in physical resemblance, I identify with Yoda from a perspective of many years of wisdom, somewhat brief on words, yet always driven to balance outcomes against those who would use The Dark Dide of The Force to harm.” [9]
Additionally, each candidate was offered the opportunity to put forth a question of their own and then answer it for publication here.
Dean Girbach: “Why do you want to serve when the general public views all government as suspect and ineffective?
Answer: Despite all the chatter, a safe, free and truly representative system begins here at home. If we do not participate, we will lose our rights, our freedom and eventually our lives.
References
- Dean B Girbach – Saline City Council (Facebook Page).
- “City of Saline Departments and Elected Officials: Saline City Council” Saline.
- “Major Political Party Candidates Have Answered Questions In Races Of Local Interest To Saline Michigan” Dell Deaton (October 12, 2018) Saline Journal.
- Candidates were requested to limit their responses to ten words or less per item.
- “Department of Water Production and Wastewater Treatment” Saline.
- Nova Water Technologies (home page).
- “City of Saline: Community Vision Tour 2020” Saline.
- “Saline Scarecrow Contest” Borer Family Chiropractic.
- “Yoda” Star Wars.
