Meet the Candidates for Mayor and Council in the General Election

Candidates for St. Clair Shores elected offices provided short biographies in advance of the general election Tuesday.

Mayor

Nate Kaczmarek

• Age: 31
• Profession: Senior associate attorney at Kitch Drutchas Wagner Valitutti & Sherbrook.
• Why you are running for mayor: Attracting residents and businesses is my top priority. I will push for private investment to revitalize the Shores Theater and build a fresh water aquarium or other attraction to draw new visitors and businesses. With aggressive leadership, our city can attract outside attention and grow once more. SCS should set the clean water example and work to curb the contamination of our lake. I will fight to see that other communities no longer get away with pumping waste into our waterways and not rest until the nightmare of PCB contamination is behind us. Residents desire strong public safety and quality governmental service that they can afford. We must expand our tax base through growth to avoid tax increases. I will work to streamline services for savings and review each department to ensure that residents are getting the sort of efficient and quality service we expect in the private sector. 

Kip Walby

• 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

John Burtch

• Age: 61
• Profession: Attorney
• Why are you running for council: My wife told me to stop being an armchair politician. I hope to demonstrate an approach to being elected that provides a statesman-like example for our young people.

Jack Downey

• Age: 65
• Profession: Retired from Riggers/Iron Workers Local 25, 48 years of service and life-long resident of St. Clair Shores.
• 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 unnecessary, 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 (Incumbent)

• Age: 56
• 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: Dear Resident, 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’m 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 will work to expedite the removal of sub-standard houses. End tax authorities that rob our general fund of critical dollars and prevent infrastructure improvements to our neighborhoods. I have a history of being involved in 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 your city council, 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.

Anthony Tiseo

• Age: 42
• Profession: Financial adviser with LPL Financial
• Why are you running for council: I am running for City Council because I have lived in St. Clair Shores all my life. I want to raise my family here and I am a local business owner as well. My background as a Financial Advisor coupled with my 5 years of experience as a St. Clair Shores Planning Commissioner along with my builders license will be helpful in making decisions for residents and how we spend their tax dollars. I will support our seniors, work hard to keep our families safe, preserve our parks, renew our neighborhoods and continue to be fiscally responsible. I am committed to community and dedicated to progress. Integrity counts. Morals Matter.  The residents of our great city deserve honest hardworking leaders.  Please consider me,  Anthony Tiseo for St. Clair Shores City Council on November 8th.

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.