Candidate Profile: Candice B. Rusie For St. Clair Shores Council

Candice B. Rusie

Age (as of Election Day)

40

Position Sought

St. Clair Shores City Council

Party Affiliation

Non-partisan office. In fact, once elected our oath of office includes a promise to carry out our duties "free from partisan control."

Family

I am engaged to my fiance, Brad Templeman. My parents are Norma and Daniel, and my sister is Cassandra and my brother-in-law is John. They all live in the city. I am a proud aunt to the cutest nephew, Logan Daniel, who is almost 1 years old.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

Not that I'm aware of.

Education

I moved to St. Clair Shores with my family when I was 9 years old, and began attending Lake Shore Public Schools. I graduated Lake Shore High School in the "top ten" of the class in 1999. I received a full-paid academic scholarship to Wayne State University. I graduated WSU in 2004 summa cum laude with a BA in psychology. I received a full-paid academic scholarship to Michigan State University College of Law, which I graduated in 2007 magna cum laude with a Juris Doctor.

Occupation

Attorney. I was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 2007. I worked as a litigation associate for a few years, then moved to focusing on the provision of legal e-discovery services. In this capacity I also help lead a team of fellow attorneys on projects to deliver the best work product possible for the clients.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

I was first elected to the St. Clair Shores City Council in 2009, and was re-elected in 2013 and 2017.

Campaign website

My personal Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/Candi...

Why are you seeking elective office?

I have had the honor of serving the residents of this City since November 2009, and I would like to be chosen to continue the work for another term.
The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The answer is always the same - budget and infrastructure. Each year we are tasked with passing a balanced budget. Given the limitations on revenue streams, the fixed operating costs, the capital needs, and the rising cost of everything, this isn't always an easy task. But as a body working with administration, over the years we've been able to provide all the "needs," along with many of the "wants," all while working to correct some of the structural budget issues while maintaining a healthy rainy day fund. I'm proud to have been a part of the council that helped navigate the City through some truly tough economic times, including the fallout of the 2008 recession and its resulting impact on City finances. Re infrastructure, we need to continue to improve, replace, and invest in our aging infrastructure - from the streets we drove on and the pipes under the ground, to the City buildings our employees work in and the equipment they use and the playgrounds children play on. We will continue identifying the worst residential streets to prioritize for replacement. We will continue the great working relationship we've developed with the County and Commissioner Miller in continuing to find ways to reduce CSOs into the Lake. I'm excited that on our "menu" for American Rescue funds we're including potential renovation and expansion of our Police and Fire stations, as well as much-needed updates to our children's room at the Library. The City has done some great work improving our parks over the recent years. I've been honored to serve on the Playground Subcommittee and play a role in replacing old, outdated playground equipment and Splash Pad elements. I have more ideas and work I'd like to do here to help improve other play areas throughout the City.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Every candidate running has her or own strengths he or she would bring to the council table if elected. I'd like to highlight three things about myself. Firstly, by this November I'd have served on the city council for three full terms, for 12 consecutive years, which makes me the candidate with the longest record of service in the position. I've spent over half of my adult life working for the residents in this office. In fact, I've served on council just as long or longer than 7 of the other 12 candidates have lived in St. Clair Shores. Secondly, to the best of my knowledge, I'm the only candidate who has earned a law degree and law license. My legal education and background have assisted me with two of the most important tasks we do on council - reviewing and drafting ordinances, and voting on entering the City into contractual relationships. There's a lot at stake - from property and First Amendment rights and people's other freedoms when it comes to ordinances, to millions of taxpayer dollars, the buying and selling of real estate, and the purchase of important services when in comes to contracts - and I feel I've been able to contribute greatly to the review and discussion and ultimate decisions at the council table due to my education and background. Finally, unlike some other candidates, I am neither seeking nor accepting any endorsements from outside groups. Instead, I am focusing my platform strictly on City-related issues and on my record of service. The only endorsement that matters is that of the voters at the ballot box.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

I am one of the incumbents. Although I disagree with my colleagues on occasional issues, I think overall the current council has done a great job helping to move the city forward through some difficult times, and has worked together well to help solve the challenges we've faced and to take advantage of the opportunities afforded to us.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I have been constantly impressed with the strong and steady leadership of our City Manager, Matt Coppler, in rising to meet the myriad of challenges the pandemic presented in order to ensure the necessary work of the city got done safely and in compliance and that we were able to continue to provide the essential services our residents expect and deserve from St. Clair Shores. He and the staff worked through some difficult times and circumstances and navigated through the new, ever-changing, and sometimes contradictory recommendations and mandates. One thing that COVID truly highlighted for us is the importance of technology, something the current council has been focused on updating and improving. This will continue even after the pandemic as we work with and challenge administration to find ways to utilize the resources we have to continue to offer online services and streamline processes for the people who need to do business with the City.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Continuing park renovations. Continuing support of Police and Fire services, as well as our Library and Senior services. Continuing fiscal responsibility and good stewardship of City resources. Continuing insisting on fair bidding processes - which includes voting against "no bid" contract extensions. Continuing advocating for residents and promoting City Hall accountability. Continuing working to protect our residents' Constitutional rights (which should be every elected officials' number one priority). Continuing improving communications and technology. Continuing updating ordinances. Continuing my outreach on social media.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

By November, I'd have done this job for 12 years. I know that serving on council is a "part-time job" with full-time obligations and responsibilities. I recognize that the job extends far beyond the council table. I recognize that it requires personal and professional sacrifice at times, and that it has its challenges. During my three terms, I believe I have done the job to the best of my ability on and away from the table. At the table, I do my homework and research, prepare for meetings, listen to all viewpoints, and ask questions. I'm not afraid to vote "no" if I think something should be done differently or better. I don't believe good "ends" ever justify faulty "means." As a result, I can explain and stand by every vote I've taken over the years. Away from the table, I spend a lot of my personal time fielding questions and concerns on various residents groups on Facebook, and working with administration to follow up on resident issues. I advocate for and support our local restaurants and businesses. I am also an active volunteer and spend much time representing the City at events and engaging in community service.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

It's not in words, but rather in actions and example set. My grandmother Ma was a caring, generous person, who always could be counted on to volunteer to reach out and lend a hand to a friend, family member, neighbor or stranger in need - even when it wasn't always the easiest for her to do so. She always put others first, and didn't think twice about doing without if it meant she could help someone else. Especially now that she's gone, I recognize the sacrifices she made and value the example she set for me and try to carry it on in my own life through my own service to the community. Help out where and when and however you can, and work to make things a little bit better for someone.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Two things. First, I am active on social media. I enjoy helping residents by finding and fielding questions and concerns, and by providing information to them. You need to find ways to meet people where they are, and they're on Facebook. I can't always solve every issue, but I try. I find that people really appreciate feeling heard by someone in their local government. It also helps me be a better councilmember - it's another way of educating myself on different viewpoints as well as helping me to identify where problems may be. Even though this type of outreach isn't part of the official "job description," I find that it's become an invaluable and expected part of the job.

Secondly, another thing I am proud of is my record of community service. This is another thing that I think has become an invaluable and expected part of a councilmember's position. I do a lot of things in and around the city. I clean beaches and the shoreline, volunteer at the Community Garden, and have personally adopted two "adopt a roads" in the city for litter clean-up. I've volunteered each year collecting money for the Goodfellows and sorting food at the food drive at the post office. I volunteer with the Kiwanis and with several organizations to assist the homeless. I've volunteered with a program for adults with special needs. I'm a member of the Women's Civic League. I am a Relay for Life team captain raising money for cancer. I participate in many Halloween events at schools and churches and at the park in October. I've coached Science Olympiad teams for a local elementary. I've sponsored a girls' 8U little league team for a number of years. I've helped out at several school and church fairs. I've provided, and run, many glitter tattoo and rock painting tables at events throughout the city over the years. I've dressed up as various costumed characters for a number of events on a strictly volunteer basis. I've wrapped gifts for foster kids and have sponsored kids on the "adopt a child" Christmas trees. I've donated many raffle baskets and sponsored many fundraising program booklet ads and made many donations over the years to various causes. This is the second year I'm providing a community service scholarship through a local pageant organization. In 2017, I introduced the "painted rocks" project into St. Clair Shores by creating and running the "St. Clair Shores Rocks" Facebook page, and I've helped support and promote our local restaurant community by creating and administrating with other residents both the "SCS Dinner Club" Facebook page as well as the "Nautical Meals" Facebook group. Recently I've gotten interested in using my platform to help create awareness for blood and platelet donation given the critical supply shortages which threaten to negatively impact patient care nationwide, and have overcome some "needle anxiety" to personally donate both whole blood and platelets several times since, with future donation appointments already scheduled. I believe doing this work is another way to contribute to helping to make St. Clair Shores and the surrounding community the best place possible. I like to help bring awareness to the various causes I am involved in both to encourage others to get involved, as well as to demonstrate to the people of St. Clair Shores that I take my position seriously and am working hard to do the job they hired me for.