Saline MI
10-13-2023 3:29am

LETTER: Brian Marl Endorses Jack Ceo, Chuck Lesch in Saline City Council Election

Dear friends -

Strong leadership is grounded in open and honest communication - in that vein, I wanted to provide some perspective regarding the upcoming City Council election.

The City of Saline has critical issues to deal with in the coming months and years, including rehabilitation of our wastewater treatment plant, infrastructure upgrades, improvements to our municipally owned recreation center, and the overall economic vitality of our community. All are fundamental to our residents' quality of life.

This is the time for thoughtful, seasoned leadership. We must elect forward-thinking individuals, capable of tangible accomplishments for the betterment of Saline.

By any objective measure, incumbent Jack Ceo & newcomer Chuck Lesch are the superior candidates. Councilmember Ceo is a retired law enforcement professional who has served thoughtfully and with distinction on City Council these past 8 years. Mr. Lesch is a former respected school board member and currently an active leader on our City's Parks Commission. Jack Ceo & Chuck Lesch are data-driven pragmatists, each with a record of substantial service to our community. Saline will undoubtedly benefit greatly from their presence on the Council dais.

Residents can vote for up to three individuals to serve on City Council. Brian Cassise and Jenn Harmount are also in the running. Both have been involved in City boards/commissions these past several years, which of course, I greatly appreciate. They offer different backgrounds and priorities. Residents should evaluate both to determine which individual they deem better suited for a seat on City Council.

A fifth candidate is also running. I wish her well in her personal and professional endeavors. However, she had her time on City Council, and was often disruptive and unprepared. Her contributions were negligible - we can and must do better.

Thank you for your consideration. Please remember to vote on or before November 7th. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. My contact information is provided below.

Regards,

Brian D. Marl
Mayor
City of Saline
734-272-3654
briandmarl@gmail.com

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10-13-2023 8:36am

In a Saline Post article from 7-28-2023, it states that Christen Mitchell's "time on city council came to an end after challenging Brian Marl in the mayoral race." I do not know Ms. Mitchell personally, nor is this an endorsement for her, but I can see from her background, she is professionally qualified and has already served 2 terms on city council.

That a mayor who has run largely unopposed his entire time in office has taken it upon himself to not only share his personal endorsements with the community, but also make disparaging comments about Ms. Mitchell, really rubs me the wrong way. This was not necessary.

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10-13-2023 9:04am

This was extremely unprofessional of the mayor. Endorsement of candidates by the sitting mayor is already a contentious issue and can be considered controversial. But to publicly disparage a former council member, not to mention one who RAN AGAINST HIM for mayor, is not only inappropriate but the epitome of sour grapes.
This kind of decision-making calls into question his endorsements with this behavior.

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10-13-2023 10:23pm

I'm sorry that the tone here distresses some, but this is a politcal campaign - in campaigns, we evaluate, debate and sometimes criticize the positions, backgrounds, and records of those seeking public office. This isn’t personal, it's politcal. Respectfully, I find it curious that my tone is questioned, but no one refutes the substance of what I articulated in my op-ed. Frankly, this speaks volumes. I appreciate the conversation - have a great weekend all --

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10-14-2023 2:53pm

You are the one accusing candidates of certain infractions; the onus is on you to provide proof, not us to refute it. But since you asked - Chuck Lesch did not serve everyone fairly during his tenure on the school board. He voted to keep LGBTQ students out of the SAS non-discrimination policy in 2010, stating that “since Michigan doesn't include LGBT folks in the state non-discrimination laws, Saline shouldn't have to either.” You did not include this in your supposed intention of well-informing your constituents.

This is a campaign- but it is not your campaign. Did you ask Chuck Lesch to run for Council? If so, is it then appropriate to endorsed him publicly? I’m sure you can appreciate how this can be seen as an attempt to stack the city council with people you prefer by attempting to sway voters.

Your opinions from a position of power are subject to more scrutiny than the general public. As the longtime mayor, you know this. Detracting ANY candidate was an unethical decision.

My source: https://pridesource.com/article/43792

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10-14-2023 3:32pm

Sorry, I couldn't disagree more - elections/campaigns belong to all of us - we all get a say & voice, regardless of popularity. Here again, instead of offering support for your preferred candidate, you criticize me for expressing opinions. And btw, it is now "unethical" for the Mayor to offer perspective on a political campaign?!? Give me a break - I'm happy to continue the discussion, but let's elevate the dialogue a little bit.

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10-16-2023 7:37am

I’m not showing support for any one candidate. That wasn’t my agenda- it was yours. My point was that endorsing candidates does not mean trashing others. Councilman Dell’Orco managed to do just that in his op-ed.
You also didn’t answer my questions. Did you ask Mr. Lesch to run? Is publicity endorsing him then not the best idea? If you do not see how those in positions of power can use their opinions to sway public opinion for their own benefit, then  either you are 1) very misguided 2) deliberately duplicitous 

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10-16-2023 10:05am

That's what we do in elections - attempt to persuade voters into a particular way of thinking - and btw, no one was trashed. I pointed out clear deficiencies in one candidate's record - knowing their limitations is undoubtedly in the public interest. Last, help me understand the logic here - if you encourage someone to run for elected office, you can't subsequently endorse them publicly? To me, this assertion seems uncommonly silly - please elaborate --

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10-16-2023 5:28pm

If you, as in the Mayor, asks someone to run and then endorses them while disparaging other candidates- yes, that is unethical. You didn’t even use Christen Mitchell’s name. You used all other candidate’s names. As I also pointed out, you didn’t list ALL of the other candidate’s “deficiencies;” including the ones you endorsed. 

The Mayor freely admitting to attempting to sway voters with incomplete and misleading information about his own city council is absolutely unethical. I don’t know why this needs to be explained. 

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10-16-2023 10:31pm

You just keep repeating that it's "unethical" - well, that doesn't make it so - I'll ask again, how specifically is this unethical? FYI - I did not make one misleading statement in my op-ed. I worked with Ms. Mitchell - her contributions were indeed negligible. Further, I'm never obligated to prove a negative. Since you clearly take umbrage with this point, feel free to offer some tangible evidence to prove me wrong -

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