This year Rochester Hills has an election Tuesday November 3 for Mayor, City Council, OPC, Library Board, and RARA. If you cannot go to the polls on November 3, you can still vote by going to city hall at the clerk”s office next to the term limited Mayor’s Office even on Saturday Oct 31.
I encourage you to vote for Ravi Yalamanchi. He understands our community with his eight years on City Council. He has a number of ideas to bring standards up and costs down. He believes in transparency, representative government and equal treatment across the board. He knows the laws, and will follow them. Instead of walking the grey line to get pet projects completed.
Everyone has two votes for the At-Large Council positions. I strongly suggest you vote for only one: Soule. We have not had diverse representation on our council, as well as boards and commission for 10 years. Susan Bowyer running for District 3 has been at the forefront on many issues and is actively engaged in understanding residents’ concerns and will show no fear when voicing her opinion on City Council. They are both thoughtful, knowledgeable and deliberate in pursuing solutions to the challenges in our community. Voting for Bill Soule and Susan Bowyer will increase the checks and balances while respecting the City Charter.
I have become known as a community advocate, volunteer, and most importantly, as an individual who is resourceful in finding the truth. I know these candidates will not resort to bullying to get their way. They will do the right thing, not for the shallow, self-serving reasons others have decided to run for office, but because of their integrity and passion for their community. Retaining someone who is going to any length to try and keep an office and paycheck just does not make sense.
Ravi is a problem solver, who demonstrates critical thinking skills with vision. All my votes are going to individuals who can understand the long-term consequences to each decision. In this way, we add worth to our community’s future. I want a Rochester Hills where the leaders can be trusted even when we are not in the room.
Thank you for your consideration and choosing to be an active participant on this important election. Don’t allow your friends and neighbors be the silent majority that stayed home on Tuesday Nov 3. A vote for the write-in, Mark Tisdale, or Dale Hetricks is the same as closing Eddington Boulevard and spending well over a million tax dollars to gain another retail development.
Lorraine McGoldrick, Rochester Hills
Please join me in voting for
RAVI Yalamanchi – Mayor (transparency and trust)
Bill Soule – At-Large Council (representative voice-make it your soul vote)
Susan Bowyer – District 3 City Council (strong voice for residents)
YES – OPC (transportation services)
Ryan Deel – Library Board (long-term planning and accountability)
FYI- I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.” Abraham Lincoln
We surveyed the voting records of 100 meetings from May 2008 through June 2011. First, a few important notes on the survey itself: Unanimous votes (7-0) were excluded. 85% of all Council votes are unanimous and cover administrative type items (i.e., consent decree, minutes approval)
The source of the data was the City Council minutes (listed on the City website).
| Councilman | Voting Record | % of time in the majority |
Notes |
| Combined | 188/193 | 97 | Endorsed Councilman as Group |
| Mike Webber | 179/193 | 93 | Endorsed by the Mayor |
| Nathan Klomp | 50/55 | 91 | Endorsed by the Mayor |
| Greg Hooper | 173/193 | 90 | Endorsed by the Mayor (no choice) |
| Ravi Yalamanchi | 143/187 | 76 | Not endorsed by Mayor |
| Jim Rosen | 104/188 | 55 | Not endorsed by Mayor |
What does it mean?
The Mayors endorsed Councilman (as a single group) voted in the majority 97% of the time. There were only 5 votes in 3 years where they were not in the majority.
Individual voting records are less than 97% as individual Councilman will occasionally vote in the minority. That had no impact on the majority decision.
The voting pattern was consistent across a three-year period.
What does it REALLY mean to you?
There is a DIRECT connection between who the Mayor endorsed for Council and the voting bloc on council who prevailed in nearly every vote over a three-year period.
Lack of checks and balances. Implied lack of transparency, deliberation and communication means less awareness of issues and opportunity for residents to weigh in on issues. Rochester Hills is looking more like Detroit politics with each day.
Wasteful spending, special interest, cuts in services to residents, backroom deals, and undisclosed gifts! MAKE IT STOP WITH TERM-LIMITS
Don’t Write him in – Vote him Out!
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