John Ceo is one of four candidates running to serve on Saline City Council starting in January of 2020. Three seats are up for election on the upcoming November 5, 2019 ballot.
Earlier this month, Saline Journal invited each individual to share his thoughts with our readers on a specific series of questions. Responses from Mr Ceo appear below. Responses from the other candidates will appear in separate articles this week.
Saline Journal: “What would you list as your top four priorities for Saline City Council in 2020?”
John Ceo:
- The city’s infrastructure for the present and the future
- Sufficient downtown parking
- Properly managed growth of city staff
- Properly managed growth of the city’s boundaries.
Saline Journal: “Is there a ‘proper’ length of time for a member of City Council to serve? If so, how long would you recommend, and why?”
John Ceo: “I think that the proper length of service for a city councilperson varies on a person to person basis. If a person is still well in tune with their constituents, and still has the mental capacity to absorb new facts and deal with new challenges, they should continue if they want to. If they don’t have those abilities, they should be (and probably will be) voted out of office.”
Saline Journal: “Reconcile the following aspects of Saline: Autonomous shuttle assembly, downtown car shows, new car dealerships.”
John Ceo: “Autonomous shuttle assembly represents the future, downtown car shows represent the past, and new car dealerships represent the present — each a key part of our automotive history in Saline.”
Saline Journal: “To what extent, in what ways is it appropriate for members of City Council to participate in locally-oriented Facebook Groups?”
John Ceo: “It is fine for members of council to participate in Facebook Groups to the extent that they are reporting factual information about the happenings around town, and to keep their fingers on the pulse of what’s going on.”
Saline Journal: “How would you assess the City of Saline in terms of preparations for dealing with a mass casualty event?”
John Ceo: “Among the many things that government does for the community (many times without their knowledge), one of them is to plan for the worst in a variety of situations.
Mass casualties are planned for by the County with hospitals, ambulance services, and other emergency services so that if the worst occurs, we are prepared.
Once Saline began to call Huron Valley Ambulance (HVA) for ambulances to evacuate casualties, HVA would react according to the County’s Emergency Action Plan. That would include an on-site triage person who would code injuries per a color-coded injury designation, and then the ambulance would be dispatched to the appropriate health care facility (hospital) for that type of injury.
The plan is extensive enough to be able to dispatch victims to hospitals throughout Michigan.
At some point, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at Washtenaw County might also be activated to oversee and/or assist with the operation.
Saline Journal: “Which park would you choose for an October weekend campout with your least-outdoorsy relative? Explain.”
John Ceo: “If you mean which city park, I would say none of them, as they are not equipped for camping (no showers, no electrical hook-ups, no sewer hook-ups).
I would suggest to the non-outdoorsy type relative that they retire to our guest bedroom here at our house with their own private bath. Here there are no insects or other critters, and a thermostatically controlled climate to keep them comfortable in any kind of weather. A fully equipped kitchen and a well-stocked larder complete the picture.”
Saline Journal: “If you could ask one question to the other three candidates, what would it be?”
John Ceo: “Why should I vote for you for one of the open council seats?”
Candidate-provided biographical sketch:
My name is John Joseph Ceo, Jr, but am commonly known as Jack.
My wife Pam and I have been married for 44 years. We have two grown children, John, III, and Christina. They are both married, to Crystal and Andrew, respectively. John and Crystal have two sons, Jack and Ryan.
I have both a Bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Eastern Michigan University. I served three years in the US Army, from 1969 to 1972, leaving with the rank of Captain.
I worked for twenty-six-plus years for the Ann Arbor Police Department in a variety of positions, from 1972 to 1999, retiring as Deputy Chief; and then for the Saline Police Department from 1999 to 2011, retiring from there as Deputy Chief. My final job was working for Washtenaw County as a Technical Services Assistant, helping to manage the County’s emergency radio system consisting of about 2,300 radios, and seven tower sites. I did that from 2011 to 2016.
I have been on City Council since January of 2016, and am just completing my second two year term there. Pam and I are parishioners at St Andrew’s Catholic Church here in Saline, and are active with the Saline-Brecon and Saline-Lindenberg sister city organizations.
