Politics & Government

Meet the Candidates for Mayor and Council

Voters will head to the polls Tuesday to vote and select who will run in the general election in November for mayor and city council.

Candidates for St. Clair Shores elected offices provided short biographies to Patch in advance of Tuesday's primary election.

Mayor 

Karla Anderson

Find out what's happening in St. Clair Shoreswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • Age: 55
  • Profession: Registered nurse, working as an immunization nurse through the Macomb County Health Department. 
  • Why you are running for mayor: My choice to run for city government is from the great passion I have for St. Clair Shores as evidenced by living here for 30 years and would like to continue to positively promote our city so we can attract families to move here. I believe in positive leadership and feel that I can bring those attributes to the city.

Nate Kaczmarek

  • Age: 30
  • Profession: Senior associate attorney at Kitch Drutchas Wagner Valitutti & Sherbrook.
  • Why you are running for mayor: St. Clair Shores is a great community with much untapped potential. New leadership is needed to find growth where the status quo has not. The city must promote the renovation of properties such as the Shores Theatre and open up the waterfront in order to attract new residents and the sort of walking traffic we need to sustain and grow the business community. Our city must also be more transparent and accountable to the residents. Every tax dollar must be accounted for and our budget must be made available and fully searchable via the Web. The city website should be revamped for ease of use and to provide clearer information. Every council meeting should be archived and made available via the Internet. I will work tirelessly to bring new growth and transparency to St. Clair Shores which will result in the kind of community and government we need.

Kip Walby

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  • Age:  46
  • Profession: Property/casualty broker
  • Why you are running for mayor: Because I care about the city, and believe I can work well within the framework we have established here in St. Clair Shores. I know that the budget issues are going to continue,  but I will work diligently to find solutions to these problems.

City Council

Patrick Biange

  • Did not respond.

Joe Backus (running as a write-in candidate)

  • Age: 47
  • Profession: Teacher at East Detroit High School
  • Why are you running for council: Between Memorial Day and June 20, several times people came up to me saying "I'm voting for you" and "Good luck in the election." I was surprised by this because my name isn't on the ballot. Then a couple times people came up to me saying, "You should run for council." One time, while I was going for a walk, someone driving on Harper pulled over and yelled this to me. Another person, as I was walking out of the library, said this to me. And then on the evening of July 19, someone came up to the fishing pier, and said they thought I should run for city council. So at about 8:30 pm, June 19, at the fishing pier, I decided to run as a write-in candidate ... Now, I am telling them "yes, I am" and how to do a write-in vote. I decided that now is the time to run because people were coming up to me suggesting this.

John Burtch

  • Age: 61
  • Profession: Attorney
  • Why are you running for council: I think I can do a better job than other individuals. I have no axes to grind. This is a purely personal decision to do something that goes beyond what I am used to doing.

Henry Castro

  • Age: 44
  • Profession: Team leader, Chrysler LLC, Warren Truck Assembly Plant
  • Why are you running for council:  Over the past 17 years I have grown to love St. Clair Shores, as a frequent visitor with family, and most of all since we purchased our home seven years ago. I want to see St. Clair Shores grow as the community it is. I have talked to residents that have stated they want St. Clair Shores to remain the residential area it is, rather than see it develop into a business city. I believe with some unconventional, or out-of-the-box thinking, we can all work together to make St. Clair Shores more attractive to people who currently reside here as well as those who are considering making St. Clair Shores their home.  I am running for council because I believe I can bring fresh ideas, along with fresh eyes and ears, to accomplish what we need to accomplish, nurture what we have and cultivate new residents and businesses in order to thrive in the future. 

Jack Downey

  • Age: 64
  • Profession: Retired from Riggers/Iron Workers Local 25
  • Why are you running for council: I would like to get in there and formulate a plan to make things function better and get along with other council members. I think there should be a moratorium on non-capital expenditures. We need to see where the dust settles in this economy and go from there. The seniors of this city are the main objective of this community, and I think they should be taken better care of in the senior center. This city has a lot things going for it if it was developed in a proper manner.  I believe some of these departments should be streamlined, and possibly consolidate some departments where needed. I firmly believe that a police reserve operation has to become reality within this city, this would be a cost saving factor to the taxpayers. I would support a reform of our city charter, some issues are plain and simple out-dated. I believe attitudes have to be addressed in certain departments. The employees of this city should remember that they work for the residents of this city, the residents in reality are their employers and should be respected as such.

Ron Frederick

  • Age: 55
  • Profession: I work with several National Advertising companies representing them in the Midwest.
  • Why are you running for council: There is still much left to do in infrastructure, the waterfront, water quality, plus attracting businesses and families to our community. I am truly inspired by the newest generation and want to leave them a solid place to raise their families while rewarding them by creating value for our homes and property. There are numerous programs to protect. And new ones to conceive. I have always felt that the best idea wins and have worked hard to make those happen.

Chuck Hall

  • Age: 59
  • Profession: Retired—GM Engineering
  • Why you are running for council: I have chosen to run for City Council because it is my belief that I that I can make a large difference in a small community. I am concerned with the outcry from our residents regarding the values of housing, coupled with the decline of state shared revenues. I have always maintained that these issues are directly related to the quality of life for our residents of St. Clair Shores. I have a history of being involved in an active participation role with our city government. I recently submitted a proposal to council to have our current solicitation ordinances strengthened so as to provide better protection for our seniors. In 2010, I introduced the results of a five-year observation study with recommendations to enhance our parks and recreation facility and activities. With a goal to attract young families to purchase homes in our city. As a lifelong resident and a candidate for the primary election, I look forward to the opportunity to be selected by the residents to serve this community as their council person. A person they can reach out to.

Randy Rose

  • Age: 34
  • Profession: Senior System Engineer/Architect in Microsoft and Novell Technologies
  • Why you are running for council:
  1. Fiscal responsibility and using the “rainy day fund” only for emergencies.
  2. Strengthen our Parks and Recreation Department.
  3. Strengthen our Senior Center and services the community center can offer.
  4. Create a friendly environment to encourage new business to move into the city, work with existing business to get there input on what they would like to see changed in the city to make it easier to do business in St. Clair Shores.
  5. Utilize technology to streamline how the residents interact with the city.
  6. Improve city services (Snowplowing, potholes, etc … ).

Chantel Ticconi

  • Age: 24
  • Profession: Litigation support specialist. 
  • Why you are running for council: I am passionate about the city of St. Clair Shores and I value the community because of the morals, ethics and standards that it is known for. I am running for City Council for a number of reasons. First, I want to restore confidence in our system of government by protecting local ideals and values. I want to help City Council become more transparent and accessible to the residents. I believe by listening to the residents, City Council can work more efficiently. Second, I want to ensure we, as a city and as a community, are doing everything possible to protect our lake. As a county we are failing. I want St. Clair Shores to lead by example. We must send a clear message: Polluting and allowing invasive species to be carelessly brought from other bodies of water is unacceptable and we will not accept the current condition of our lake! I plan to work closely with the residents, environmental organizations and neighboring cities to ensure we are doing everything in our power to protect Lake St. Clair.  Third, I want to work with City Council to develop new ideas and ways to create revenue. I believe we can work together to find ways to attract and retain new businesses and families. A better business district creates more jobs, and brings more people to the city. We need people to see what St. Clair Shores has to offer.  Last, I want to protect the vital public services our community relies on.  I do not believe young families will want to move to a city with an overworked, underpaid, understaffed police and fire department. Protecting those who dedicate and risk their lives to protect others is a top priority for me.

Anthony Tiseo

  • Age: 42
  • Profession: Financial adviser with LPL Financial.
  • Why are you running for council: I love this city and I think I can make a difference.

Chris Vitale

  • Age: 38
  • Profession: Chrysler Product Quality Initiative Trainer, Warren Stamping Plant.
  • Why you are running for council: I'm running for council because I love the neighborhoods and the people of this city. I love being able to walk down Harper and grab an ice cream cone, or ride my bike down to the park. These are the things I never want to see change. However, a loss of population and state revenue-sharing will mean some change is inevitable. I want to be sure our city remains as fiscally strong as possible, to weather any threat of service consolidation, or to enter any negotiation with surrounding cities in a position of strength. I am also troubled by the actions and lack of professionalism I've witnessed in our community development department. This includes the way the NSP and HUD homes have been handled, the way businesses have been treated, and even the tone used to speak to individual residents. I think our priorities in this area have been misplaced. Given the easy access to major expressways, our lake and parks, our schools, and our solid neighborhoods, I think St. Clair Shores should be one of the first cities any new home buyer would consider, but too often we are seen as "just another" core suburb. It's time we begin marketing the difference.


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