Candidate Profile: John D. Caron For St. Clair Shores Council

John D. Caron

Age (as of Election Day)

50

Position Sought

St. Clair Shores City Council

Party Affiliation

Non-Partisan

Family

Single

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

None

Education

Lakeview High School Class of 1989. Bachelors of Science in Metallurgical Engineering from Michigan Technological University. Masters of Science in Engineering from Purdue University

Occupation

Engineering Manager – General Motors (28 years)

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

St Clair Shores City Councilman since 2012

Campaign website

N/A

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am seeking re-election to continue to serve my community. Keeping the City’s finances strong and balanced is key to continue our investments in Police, Fire, Parks and Recreation, Senior Activities, Streets, and Infrastructure is always my focus. Absolutely No Defunding of our Police! 5 straight years of a balanced budget with a 5% reduction in the City’s millage tax rate shows strong fiscal discipline. Continuing an efficient government will keep bringing new business developments to our community. I will continue to encourage community engagement through our City’s boards, commissions, and committees.
The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing our City Council is always maintaining fiscal stability, and this is what I intend to do about it. I maintain a sharp eye on the budget and spending of the taxpayers’ dollars that has been entrusted to the City. I review every line in the budget to look for savings and more efficient ways of getting the work done. I also look for other funding options for special projects that are important to the community. If the City does not have fiscal stability, then many other issues arise. Stability leads to investments in our Police, Fire, Parks and Recreation and our infrastructure.

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

Experience in knowing how government works and how to get things done is the major difference. This is not a job where you just wake up one day and decide you want to be on City Council. It takes studying and research to understand the complexities and determine solutions. In my time on City Council, we have gone from structural deficits with large drops in revenue to growing revenue with surpluses. We managed to keep all the city services during those times and are now expanding what we can offer our residents. 5 straight years of a balanced budget with a 5% reduction in the City’s millage tax rate shows strong fiscal discipline.

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

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

As a City Councilman, I spent every day looking at case numbers in the area to ensure that I was informed on the data and the science. We made sure the City Administration was taking every reasonable precaution while keeping the City functioning and serving the residents. As the numbers subsided, we held large outdoor events since people needed to go out and be apart of the community again after being distant for so long. These events hosted by the City I believe gave people the confidence that it was okay to live their lives again and that we can move back to normal. Due to our fiscal stability, the City did not have to reduce any full-time staff or reduce any services during COVID because we knew that is what our residents deserved.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Our resident only lakefront parks are jewels for our City. We have done major improvements to those parks in the past few years with more to come. I will always protect their “resident only” status. Neighborhood parks will also receive more improvements. Our Code Enforcement conducts over 3,000 inspections a year pushing for self-compliance with our ordinances. This keeps our neighborhoods free of blight to remain an attractive place to live. Our codes and zoning ordinances must remain competitive to attract quality businesses. We must ensure developments fit with our neighborhoods and serve the future needs of our residents.

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

The City has built a new courthouse, renovated and expanded the Senior Center, and has $5.6 Million worth of city building improvements with funding that does not use property tax dollars. The City has continued rebuilding our infrastructure with 46 new street replacements and 48 new water mains replacements during my time on City Council. In the past five years, over $3.8 Million in new Fire equipment approved including a quint aerial fire truck, a new standard fire truck, and 3 new ambulances. Also, 25 new Police patrol vehicles and new in-car cameras and body cameras. Over $5.5 Million approved for Parks and Recreation improvements including 5 new play structures for neighborhood parks, a revitalized Blossom Heath Park and more improvements to Brys Park and Kyte Monroe during the past five years. All of this is possible by having strong fiscal management and the understanding of funding mechanisms available for these major improvements.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Be honest and be yourself.

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

Being a City Councilman requires a person to be very active and engaged in our community. I serve on several boards and commissions to serve the residents of St Clair Shores beyond my responsibilities on City Council. I work on projects with our Beautification Commission to enhance the beauty of our City. I work with our Animal Care and Welfare Committee to ensure our ordinances and procedures protect our pets and designed to keep them healthy. I serve on the Southeast Macomb Sanitary District (SEMSD), which is a partnership between St. Clair Shores, Eastpointe and Roseville that links the sanitary sewer systems of each City to the Great Lake Water Authority. After reviewing the finances, I convinced the SEMSD Board to refund $2 Million back to the member communities ($774,097 to St Clair Shores) which could be used by each City for their own infrastructure needs. This fiscal review also led the SEMSD to reduce the rate it charges each community. That led to St Clair Shores being able to reduce its sanitary sewer charge to our residents by 2.9%. I don't just show up to meetings. I do the research and the hard work to get things done.