Remember our last question to those seeking votes on November 5 to represent you as member of Saline City Council? [1-4]
If you could ask one question to the other three candidates, what would it be?
As readers of Saline Journal know, three of the four individuals rose to the challenge. We then took that content and offered all four candidates the opportunity to select from among all questions except for their own and answer it. None was told who had provided which, and all replies were submitted before any of the articles in this series was published here.
Three of the four candidates chose to participate. Here is what they said.
Question: “Did you ever see yourself running for public office?” submitted by James Dell’Orco.
Brian Cassise: “When asked if I ever saw myself running for a public office; the short and simple answer is no.
I am fairly shy and quiet however I have found that being involved and give back is far more rewarding than not participating at all. I see being on City Council as an opportunity to continue to learn and develop.
My interest all started back in 2017; shortly after moving to Saline I received my water bill and the included City of Saline FYI. In the FYI newsletter, there was an article about City Council and open positions. It sparked my interest to be more involved in the community so I attended a few council meetings and then pulled a petition to run. A few days later, I was notified that I didn’t meet the residency requirements and was encouraged to try again next year since there is a two-year residency requirement prior to seeking an elected position. I saw this as a minor setback but not a big deal.
2018 rolls around and again I saw the opportunity to run for City Council and contribute to the community. Since I wasn’t eligible in 2017, I figured this was my year. I pulled the petition to run for office and proceeded to walk the city streets of Saline to collected the required signatures. After gathering the necessary signatures and filling out the paperwork, I submitted the application to City Hall — only to find out a few days later that I didn’t meet the eligibility requirements again.
I was confused by this news: I was told the previous year to run next year. How could I not be eligible now? What I learned was the two-year residency requirement is not based on when you take office or when you’d be on the ballot. The two-year residency requirement is calculated based on when the petition is filed and I was unfortunately eleven days short of the two years. Having shown intent to run the previous year wasn’t enough.
Rather than being discouraged, these challenges have motivated me. Now that it’s 2019, I still have the same drive, perseverance and ambition to support the needs of Saline and strive to be on the Council. I hope to be elected and have the opportunity to lead the council and support the best interest of the City of Saline.
Question: “What is your greatest strength that would be beneficial to the city if elected to Council?” submitted by Brian Cassise.
John Ceo: “I believe that the greatest strength that I possess that would be beneficial to the city is the experience garnered from a long term of government service and the various leadership roles I have occupied, all tempered with a fair dose of common sense.”
Question: “Why should I vote for you for one of the open council seats?” submitted by John Ceo.
James Dell’Orco: “You should vote for me because I care very deeply about the citizens of this community being happy with where they live.
I will work tirelessly to represent the voice and interests of residents through careful analysis of the data before me and, when the data are not available, I will solicit the effort from staff to gather whatever information is required to make an informed and educated decision. I will arrive to the council table as a team player prepared to engage in thoughtful discussion with the other council members and the Mayor to reveal the best forward for Saline.
With that, it’s on to the most important question — and that’s when Saline voters will deliver the final answer, next Tuesday, November 5, 2019.
References
- “Exclusive interview with Kevin Camero-Sulak, 2019 candidate for Saline City Council in Washtenaw County Michigan” Dell Deaton (October 28, 2019) Saline Journal.
- “Exclusive interview with Brian Cassise, 2019 candidate for Saline City Council in Washtenaw County Michigan” Dell Deaton (October 29, 2019) Saline Journal.
- “Exclusive interview with John Ceo, 2019 candidate for Saline City Council in Washtenaw County Michigan” Dell Deaton (October 30, 2019) Saline Journal.
- “Exclusive interview with James Dell’Orco, 2019 candidate for Saline City Council in Washtenaw County Michigan” Dell Deaton (October 31, 2019) Saline Journal.
