Meet City Council Candidate Zack Stanton

New Baltimore-Chesterfield Patch is profiling all the candidates for city council running in the Nov. 8 election. We recently learned about and . Today, we hear from Zack Stanton who is seeking an open four-year seat on council. Check back with us this week for more about other candidates.

Name: Zack Stanton

Age: 26

Years lived in New Baltimore: Resident for 26 years

Occupation: Communications/Digital Marketing Consultant

What inspired you to seek a seat on council?

I think we can do better, and that we need to get some fresh blood on city council to get things back on track. I grew up in New Baltimore and am proud to call it my home. But I think that for too long, we've settled for less than we're capable of. And I believe that it's important that we bring new people to the table who will work to change things for the better.

If elected, what specifically would you like to see done during your term?

I have three major priorities: create a more vibrant downtown by attracting businesses and helping the ones already here grow, working to make sure that city government gets the most value out of every tax dollar, and working to raise our quality-of-life.

The downtown has great potential, and I believe that we can help to fulfill it with methods like the streetscape redesign, creating a one-stop-shop within the city for entrepreneurs to get point-by-point instructions for what to do if they want to start a business here, and by promoting the downtown more robustly throughout the region. In the downtown, we have a basic foundation in place, we just need to build off it.

Within the city government, I think there are certain steps we can take to improve efficiency--both in terms of time and money. One relatively easy step would be to follow the model used by the Macomb Clerk's office and switch our computer programs to Google Apps--which are largely the same as the programs already used, they just cost a lot less (think of generic prescriptions vs. name-brand prescriptions). Doing so would immediately save the city thousands of dollars, which can be better used elsewhere.

And in terms of quality-of-life, aside from improving our rec department, I think that there's more that can be done with local organizations to reduce costs while improving services. There's a saying I like that "nobody washes a rented car." Basically, it means that in order to get people to take care of something, they need to have a sense of ownership; by getting even more people involved in our city, there's no doubt that we can become a stronger community.

What do you think the city’s biggest challenges are and how can the community overcome them?

Right now, every community in Michigan faces two major challenges: the economy and their local budgets. The problems are interrelated--when the economy is thriving and people are working, then government is able to work within its means more easily.

Regarding the economy, again, I think it's a matter of taking a few different approaches rather than some one-size-fits-all method. The city should work with local businesses to see how they can help one another--a thriving business in New Baltimore helps other businesses and our entire community. We should work to attract new businesses and investment. We should work to recreate the downtown into a place where people want to come and where businesses can find success. We should more actively promote the entire city--making people aware of who we are and what we have to offer--for instance, we've left unmentioned the fact that in 2009, New Baltimore was named one of the "25 most affordable" places in the nation by CNN/Money, whereas that should be a major point of pride for our community and something we can use to promote our town as a place to live and do business. And all of that will have the effect of lightening the load on our budget problems.

Further, by innovating and streamlining processes in city hall and throughout government--including looking into cost-saving partnerships with nearby communities and other levels of government--we can lighten our budgetary burden and sound up our fiscal outlook for yeas to come.

How would you improve the city’s downtown?

I'd like to see the downtown become a more vibrant place. More and more people say that they want to live in a community with a nice, walkable downtown; when you think of Macomb County, there are very few cities that can offer a downtown--and fewer still that can offer a waterfront like ours. Right off the bat, there are two easy things we can to attract and keep businesses here.

First, we should create a clear, point-by-point process for entrepreneurs to follow if they're interested in starting a business here in New Baltimore; I've talked with many business owners in our community, and this is something that has come up time and again. Second, we can more actively promote the rare asset that our downtown can be -- an actual downtown, with waterfront access. There is no reason that we cannot aspire to have the type of active business district that are enjoyed in Michigan's waterfront cities like Lexington or even Petoskey.
Beyond those basics, when you think of the three blocks that make up downtown, one of them--the Eastern side of Washington between Main and Front -- is owned almost entirely by the city. While parts of this block (like our remodeled MacDonald Public Library) should remain intact, this parcel of land -- which is right next to Lake St. Clair -- is potentially valuable and we should work to attract sustainable development that will build on site, and hopefully create space for ground-level retail or restaurants with residences up above. This would not only create another asset downtown to draw people in and help all the businesses downtown survive, but it would put this parcel of land back on the tax rolls -- bringing in new funds to the city, and allowing us to better promote the downtown.

How would you make changes, if any, to the Parks and Recreation Department?

I think it's clear that we need to improve the rec department -- both in terms of physical space and programs offered. Anyone who has been inside the rec department recently will be able to tell you that physically, it is not in good shape. The existing building was built in the 1940s not as a recreation facility, but as a movie theatre; the space is one giant cinder-block room that offers little in the way of actual facilities. In the summer, it lacks air conditioning, which makes it too hot to have activities going on inside. In the winter, it lacks insulation, and the heating that we pay for goes straight through the roof -- which causes the amount of tax dollars we waste on heating to go through the roof with it. Clearly, something needs to change.

Given the importance of a strong rec department to our entire community -- nourishing healthy kids and adults -- I would like to see us give a revamped rec center the serious attention it deserves. Over the last several years, we've begun to see the programs get up to par with those in neighboring communities, and we should work to continue that progress -- offering new programs and getting more kids and adults involved. 

How do you describe yourself?

I would say I'm pragmatic and interested in listening to what others have to say. Having worked in the political world before, I know that after all is said and done, a lot more is said than done -- which is why I like listening to others' opinions and hearing their priorities; it helps me get a better sense for how to actually achieve those priorities and get results that work for the largest number of people.

More personally, I would say I'm a hometown kid. I grew up here. My dad, Tom, started a small business here (the Voice Newspapers). My mom, Beth Bagley-Stanton, is a children's storyteller who works in local schools. This is my home. That's why I'm so interested in making sure that it becomes an even better place.

What are your hobbies/causes your passionate about?

Hobby-wise, I'm a fan of sports, movies, books, and the internet. To anyone who knows my dad, who has written several baseball books, it will come as no surprise that I enjoy watching Tigers and Lions games (and of my two brothers, I'm the sole Spartan against two Wolverines).

What’s one thing about you that would surprise people?

That's a tough one. I'll list two things. First, while I was in high school, I served as a Congressional Page, which allowed me to move to Washington and work on the floor of the U.S. House; I was there for the Sept. 11 attacks, and had the heroes of Flight 93 not downed their plane and it continued towards the capitol, I would likely have died that day.

On a lighter note, the second thing is that after graduating from college, I coached Quiz Bowl at for two seasons. It's not the most glamorous team sport (for sure), but I had a great time doing it.