Vote 2015: Meet Saline City Council Candidate Linda TerHaar

City of Saline voters will elect three people to city council Nov. 3. The four candidates are Linda TerHaar, Jack Ceo, Heidi McClelland and Lee Bourgoin.

Name: Linda TerHaar
Age: 64
Family: Husband, Bruce Westlake, stepchildren and grandchildren
Occupation/Business: Retired as Head of the Shapiro Undergraduate Library, University of Michigan.
Relevant experience/education:  City Council Member for nearly five years, including two years as Mayor Pro Tem; long-time volunteer with leadership roles in several community organizations; 18 years of increasingly responsible management experience at the Shapiro Undergraduate Library, University of Michigan; professional education and Master’s degree in librarianship; completion of Level 1 in the Michigan Municipal League’s Elected Officials Academy.

Why do you want to serve on Saline City Council?

Citizens have a responsibility to contribute in their communities, and there are many opportunities in Saline. Service as a City of Saline Council Member is one of the ways I believe I can contribute effectively. After 20 years living here, I have a great appreciation of our community’s qualities and am committed to doing my best to have our community continue as an excellent place to be.  

Why should voters elect you to Saline City Council?

My training and experience have given me management, planning, and collaboration skills useful for the work of City Council.  I will work respectfully and constructively with Council colleagues, City staff, and Saline citizens. My priorities are to maintain and enhance the City’s ability to provide essential services; to anticipate and plan for longer-term challenges, especially financial and infrastructure needs; and to maintain Saline’s character as a superb place to live and work.

Name a few things Saline does very well. Name a few areas where Saline needs improvement.

The City has done well in the past couple of years with financial and budget management, as demonstrated by a two-level improvement of our Standard & Poor’s rating in July of last year. The City has experienced, knowledgeable staff members who take pride in their work and the quality of all City services. The City should expand long-term, strategic planning, especially for infrastructure and for future financial challenges. In the short term, we need to pay attention to infrastructure and the challenges of the Michigan Avenue construction project.

The city has gone back and forth on limits in the downtown parking lots. Should Saline enforce parking lot regulations with parking tickets? Does Saline need more downtown parking, and if so, would you support the acquisition of more property?

Parking is an issue about which nearly everyone has an opinion; opinions often differ widely. City Council has tinkered with parking over a period of months in the past year. While there may have been some small improvements, it is not clear to me that the general situation has improved significantly. I oppose having City Council take any further action on parking until we have sought expert review and analysis with recommendations for managing parking.

A common refrain heard from some residents is that the city shouldn’t be spending money on events and activities for the community. Do you believe that? Why or why not?

Community events and activities are important parts of building the community spirit and identity that contribute to our long-term health as a community, and I do think the City has an important supporting role. The City provides the setting, safety, and public works support that makes community events possible. At the same time, I firmly believe it is the responsibility of event organizers to be pro-active about working with the Saline Police Department and the Department of Public Works on ways to minimize the need for City support and to keep costs down.

Should the city actively encourage growth (by annexation or otherwise)? Why or why not?

Yes, the City should encourage careful, responsible growth. We should continue to seek growth through residential and commercial development within existing areas of the City.  Annexation can be a possibility, too, if it is considered in ongoing cooperation with our township neighbors, and if careful study shows infrastructure needs and costs are manageable within the cost of the new development.

The Rec Center membership is up 10 percent, but the facility has been dogged by expensive repairs. Do you favor continued support of the community facility? Why or why not? Are there ways to better financially sustain the center? Or is it just time to accept that such a facility comes with costs?

The Rec Center is well on its way to reaching the goal of being self-supporting through memberships and fees.  I think this goal is achievable, and it should continue to be our priority.

Despite the improved economy and the work of many officials, there are still vacancies and underutilized commercial buildings and property downtown, on the west end, and at the shopping plazas on the east side. What approach should the city take to find the right tenants?

It is not the City’s job to find or choose tenants for privately-owned property. The City should continue to promote and support a good climate for business, using all of the many economic and community development tools at our disposal.

There were issues this year that cast the DPW and SPD in a negative light. What should be done from the council table to ensure that public trust in the city departments is well-placed?

I value and am proud of our City staff, and I have great confidence in staff’s experience and expertise. Staff members take pride in their work. They work very hard for the good of the City. The two situations cited in this question are personnel matters, and I believe Council’s public response to both of them was correct.

There are several reasons, among them legal reasons, that it is inappropriate to disclose publicly information about personnel matters.  An additional high priority for me is that we do our best to protect individuals’ personal privacy. One of Council’s roles is to provide staff oversight and to ensure accountability; under our city’s governmental structure, Council carries out this role mostly through the City Manager. In both of the situations mentioned here, Mr. Campbell informed Council about what happened, who was involved, and what steps were taken in response. Council provided input and we asked for updates whenever there is new information. We have also taken what I believe are prudent steps to find additional help in our oversight role by engaging a law enforcement expert for an independent review of the Saline Police Department.

The AAATA’s “The Ride” now connects just east of town in Pittsfield Township. What, if any, public transportation do you believe is needed in the City of Saline? When would you like to see it start? And will you support funding the service with tax dollars?

Saline has funded public transportation for many years in the People’s Express service. I will continue to support funding this kind of service. In recent years, the City has asked for some improvement and expansion of the People’s Express service. AAATA made it possible to receive grant funds for a second People’s Express vehicle and this has been a great service enhancement. I would look to expand and build on partnership with AAATA to keep improving the transit connections the City’s residents will need and want in the future.

More News from Saline

• SOFTBALL: Saline Roars Back to Earn Split With Dexter Saline split its doubleheader with Dexter Monday to maintain its grip on the SEC Red.
• BASEBALL: Saline Rebounds to Split Doubleheader with Dexter Saline lost its first SEC Red game of the season against Dexter Monday but rebounded for a split to keep the Hornets atop the conference.