Nicole Rice Announces Saline City Council Candidacy

The race for Saline City Council is beginning to take shape.

City of Saline voters will elect the mayor and three members of Saline City Council this November.

Brian Marl last week announced he is running for a sixth term as the city's mayor. To date, it doesn't appear that anyone has declared their intention to challenge Marl.

Incumbents Dean Girbach and Janet Dillon have declared their intention to run for re-election. City Clerk Terri Royal said Dillon's nomination petition has been verified and approved - the only one approved so far.

There will be at least one new face on council. Councillor Dawn Krause announced she will not seek another term. She is moving to Scio Township.

Ann Arbor Street resident Nicole Rice has announced her intention to run for council.  According to a press release, Rice was originally from northwest Ohio and spent 10 years working for organizations that served Congress, the federal government and the military.

Rice works for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as a communications expert. She's communications chair of the Summerfest event and volunteers with Saline Main Street. She is married to Christopher, a retired officer of the US Army.

Rice promised to put her communications skills to work for the city.

“I see a gap between the decisions being made in the city, and the understanding amongst citizens of how and why said decisions are being made. I hope to bridge that gap through open communication and finding innovative ways to reach all residents and constituents of Saline,” she said. “We need to make sure we understand the needs of our community. It’s the only way to sustain the positive direction in which the city is currently headed.”

Learn more about her campaign here.

The deadline for filing for the election is July 22.

All terms are for two years.

Krause has already endorsed Rice. 

At Monday's council meeting, council approved Rice's appointment to the city's Code Review Committee. Councillors Girbach and Dillon both voted against the appointment, which was supported by Mayor Marl and Councillor Jim Dell'Orco, who is council's liaison to the committee. Girbach said he opposed the appointment because he believed the role was best filled by an attorney or someone with experience with drafting and reviewing ordinances.

The mayor's recommended appointments to committees are typically rubber-stamped by council with the approval of the consent agenda. Councillor Dillon asked for three appointment requests to be removed from the consent agenda for discussion.

"I just don't see that piece to the puzzle to understand that we are being fair and diligent in the selection of people and that we aren't just picking our friends and family," Dillon said. "I'm getting more and more concerned about the way in which people are being appointed. And so I would like to have a more clear process"

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