Blight, Consolidation Focus of Forum Questions to Grosse Pointe Park Candidates

Four candidates seeking seats for three council seats answered a variety of questions Wednesday during a .

The questions heavily focused on blighted properties within the city and the city's acquisition of properties, including a building that is technically located in Detroit but very much a part of Grosse Pointe Park that previously housed the Deck Bar.

Current councilmen Daniel Clark, Robert Denner and Gregory Theokas along with new candidate John Teodecki spent about an hour answering the questions.

Clark, Denner and Theokas were positive about the progress the city has made in the last several years addresssing blighted properties. Teodecki meanwhile said while there has been some effort, there is room for progress to be made. He said and city acquired properties need to be rehabbed and resold to pay off the original bond used for their purchase and to help eliminate vacancies.

Theokas highlighted the city's program begun a few years ago that aims to reduce the amount of multi-family housing within the Park. He said the program has enabled the city to reduce multi-family housing by 150 units. The result and overall goals are "right on target" for the city, he said.

Clark defended the city's acquisition of some properties that were outside of the city limits explaining the purchase helped eliminate problems including prostitution and drug-dealing that were immediately adjacent to Grosse Pointe Park.

Not only are those undesirable activities but they were happening at the entrance of Grosse Pointe Park, Denner said, explaining it's the city's responsibility to help improve the gateway to Grosse Pointe Park. 

Consolidation was also at issue during the forum. The topic has been gaining more serious conversation within the Pointes and the , for which the final step was implemented this week.

Teodecki repeatedly noted the Park's strong public safety department and said the city needs to assess its strengths and try to achieve consolidations that capitalize on each of the Pointe's strengths. He noted that there has been no progress in this area but it is part of how the city is evaluated by the state for funding purposes. His goal, if elected, is to complete two consolidation projects--big or small--next year, he said.

Theokas emphasized the city's effort to maximize efficiencies and cost savings on its own because of the slowness of achieving any consolidations. He said he is not optimistic about achieving any and believes the city should continue its internal efforts to streamline resources.

Similarly, Clark said the talks related to consolidations among the Pointes has been just that: talk. The positive side of it is that the Park is not reliant on others, allowing them to make appropriate decisions that are best for the city, he said.

Meanwhile, Denner is frustrated that some sort of consolidation, such as the 911 dispatch, has not been able to happen. He said there has been "strong public support" for consolidation of dispatch, public services and firefighting and he is frustrated that no progress has been achieved.

Other topics of questions included:

• DTE services
• the selection of the city's new auditor
• the relationship between the council and the school district
• transparency of meetings, agendas and minutes

The forum will be broadcast on Comcast Channel 22 and AT&T Channel 99 at 7 p.m. daily Monday, Oct. 24 through Sunday, Oct. 30.