Transparency A Key Issue For Clerk Candidate

DEARBORN, MI — Tuesday’s primary election is an important one in Dearborn. Voters will be asked to select single candidates for mayor and clerk to run in November’s general election. Five candidates are running for clerk.

Patch recently sent questions to the candidates. The idea is for the candidates to introduce themselves and their ideas to voters. What follows is a verbatim transcript of the questions and answers from candidate John Schimizzi:

Basic biographical information

Supervisor at NAIAS Security.
Edsel Ford High School 1994
BA in Management from Davenport University 1998
MBA in Strategic Management Davenport University 2000

Worked for United Airlines at the Reservations Center in Dearborn from January 1997 to January 2016 as a Reservations Operations Representative. Managed staffing for over 600 agents, wrote training manuals, facilitated training classes and was the leader of numerous projects. I will take the experiences I have had learned throughout life, as well as what I have leaned in earning my Masters Degree in Strategic Management to the City Clerk position.

(For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Dearborn Patch, click here to find your local Michigan Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Why are you running for Clerk?
I've lived in Dearborn my entire life and am proud to call Dearborn home. When something goes wrong in your home, you need a leader to step up and fix the problem. I am the leader the city of Dearborn needs as the next City Clerk.

The City Clerk position has been underutilized. Until the last couple of years, not many people knew who our City Clerk was or what they did. I plan on making the position a department that our residents will be proud of.

Transparency will be huge and I plan on being very active throughout the community. Not just in political matters, but in other functions throughout the city (school functions, club events, etc...).

I plan on getting our younger voters more involved in the election process. I plan on making sure our residents know that when they vote, their vote will be counted. I will make sure that our residents know that the City Clerk will be someone our residents can trust in making the tough decisions that need to be made.

What are your top priorities for your term if you win?

Technology. Technology changes every day. The City Clerk department must be aware of new and future software programs that will help Dearborn.

Elections. Training classes and workshops will be conducted throughout the year for election workers. We must practice the same policies and procedures at every precinct. Everyone needs to be on the same page.

Establishing a close working relationship with both the Mayor and City Council. Whenever called upon to help, I will.

Trust. I want the citizens of Dearborn to be able to trust me and my decisions. I will always do what is best for our citizens of Dearborn.