The coming election

Please join me in voting for Brian Marl for Mayor

During the coming election, I intend to vote for Brian D. Marl for Mayor of the City of Saline. Brian has served for 8 successful years as our Mayor, and 4 years prior to that as a City Councilperson. He is able to devote his full attention to the duties of the job of Mayor, and does so with his quarterly coffee hours at City Hall that are open to the public; his weekly Public Service Announcements; his monthly Monday lunches with members of the Saline Area Senior Center; and his presence on Facebook, and office hours at City Hall. Brian is eminently open and available to anyone willing to sit and talk with him in a constructive conversation. As a life-long resident of Saline, he is familiar with the community, its people, and its challenges.

Right now Saline is in the midst of several important issues that will have a dramatic effect on all of our futures here. One immediate challenge is the need for improvement at the City’s water treatment and water production plants and infrastructure. It is an aging infrastructure that needs updating and expansion to accommodate the future of Saline.

Looking to the future, there is a need for the careful, systematic management of growth. There is a large development of new homes about to take place on the east side - the Layher Farms development. Next year we should see new homes coming in that development off N. Maple Road. Businesses in the Industrial Park are expanding their facilities. The east belt sewer will be expanding and improving to accommodate all that new growth. Additionally, the large vacant lot in town that was the former Chrysler dealership and Clark Gas Station cries for redevelopment as a prime location to expand our downtown businesses. There have been talks of expansion and annexation on the City’s western boundaries, too.

City Hall staff is changing and expanding with a new City Manager coming, and a new city DPW Director. We also have a new Assistant City Manager/Community Development Director, Mike Greene, and a new Human Resources department with services provided by Sage Consulting. In addition to all this, we have the normal day-to-day challenges that come with leading a City of 9,000 people in today’s age of pandemics, politics, and problems.

I know of no person better than Brian D. Marl to serve as our Mayor during such time as this. Brian is an unflagging champion for us all. He has instituted a new Risk Management Committee that is looking at the vulnerabilities of the City, and how to best manage them. He has appointed a new Diversity Committee to constructively deal with the issues of racism and exclusion that are all too well known. He is continuously trying to attract new business to the City, knowing that our strength and future success can only be accomplished with a strong, vibrant commerce. He has connections in County and State governments that serve us well in time of need. He is always willing to strive for consensus at the Council table by proposing new ideas or compromises when he sees meetings have slowed or stalled. We need a strong, steady hand at the helm to guide us through these waters. Brian is such a person. Brian deserves your vote to continue as The Mayor. Please join me in doing so.