Voting for Oxford Village Council candidates is going to require a little more effort than simply filling in the ovals next to some names on the Nov. 4 general election ballot.
A total of nine candidates are running for five seats and five of those candidates are write-ins. Write-in candidates include Bonnie Staley, Tanya Heuser, Denise Kabalka-Chesney, Tom Kennis and Dave Bailey.
‘I’m hoping some kind of change comes about from this, I really am,? Staley said.
A village resident for 38 years, Staley is dissatisfied with the current state of her local government.
‘There’s some things that I’ve seen and some things that occurred that I’m just not happy with and I can’t really complain about it if I just sit back and do nothing,? said the 72-year-old. ‘I can’t sit here and gripe about something if I’m not trying to do something to fix it.?
She didn’t wish to cast stones at anyone specific, but she believes there are council members who are not behaving as community leaders should, in her opinion.
To Staley, community leaders ‘should set an example? for their constituents by following all the local ordinances and paying their municipal bills in a timely manner.
‘Accountability? and ‘honesty? are two things she believes are lacking on council.
‘I don’t think there’s honesty all the way around and I don’t think there has been for years,? Staley said. ‘It goes way back.?
She would have gotten involved sooner, but Staley didn’t retire until two-and-a-half years ago. She owned and operated a medical case management company that earned a profit every year for 25 years. She also raised eight children.
‘I’ve been busy up to this point,? Staley said.
Staley would like to ‘leave a legacy? for her grandchildren who live in Oxford.
‘I’d like them to have a nice place to grow up,? she said.
If elected, Staley said her decisions would be made independently and based on what’s best for the community. She said she has no desire to use her office for personal gain and there’s nothing that could be used as leverage to influence her vote.
‘I don’t need anything, I don’t want anything from the village. I don’t owe any money,? she said. ‘There’s nothing they can do to change my mind once I make it (up). They will have nothing to do with the decisions I make.?
From financial expertise to helping others, Kabalka-Chesney, 53, has a diverse background that she feels could be an asset to council and its decision-making process.
‘I have a lot experience to bring,? she said. ‘I have so much knowledge (of) just about anything and everything.?
A village resident since May 2012, Kabalka-Chesney has a master’s degree in business administration and works in the auditing department for the firm Ernst and Young.
She’s had a real estate license for 15 years and owns a personal training business.
When Kabalka-Chesney is not busy working, she enjoys doing volunteer work for Beautiful Me, which offers mentoring services to young ladies, Kensington Church in Orion Township, the Ronald McDonald House and the Detroit Parade Company.
In the past, she’s volunteered for Meals on Wheels and St. Clement’s Catholic Church in Romeo. She was once honored as Macomb County’s Volunteer of the Year.
‘I believe in giving back to the community,? said Kabalka-Chesney, who is currently president of the Oxford Lakes Homeowners Association, which oversees a subdivision with 409 homes.
She is running for council because she wishes to help keep her subdivision and the rest of the village better informed about decisions that affect them and the process behind making them.
‘I know what the people in my subdivision are talking about,? said Kabalka-Chesney, who has two grown children. ‘I’d like to get out there and see what everybody else is talking about and dig into those issues more.?
Heuser, 43, is running in order to bring a new and fair perspective to council.
‘I think the village needs some fresh faces,? said Heuser, who’s lived in the village since 1997 and has spent almost eight year working for a brokerage firm.
She believes there’s ‘too much one-sidedness? in the council’s decision-making process and she hopes to bring some objectivity if elected to office.
‘When you’re on the village (council), you have to be a neutral party,? Heuser said. ‘You have to listen. You have to take into account everybody’s feelings, even though you may have your own opinion. I have my own opinions, but I can also be objective, look at the pros and look at the cons. You have to do what’s best for the community.?
She doesn’t believe all issues are simply ‘black or white.?
‘Sometimes there’s gray in between? and it’s a councilperson’s duty to look at all sides of an issue before making a decision in order to determine ‘who it’s going to affect and how it’s going to affect them,? according to Heuser.
‘I think there’s such a rush to get things approved that they don’t look at the big picture, or the whole picture, of how it’s going to affect everyone involved,? she said.
Heuser would like to bring ‘more openness? and ‘community involvement? to village government.
‘If you’re upset about something that did or didn’t happen and you didn’t come to any of the meetings, then it’s too late to do anything,? she said.
Bailey, who’s currently the village president and has served on council since 2009, filed as a write-in back when the municipality was lacking candidates.
‘I was very concerned when I saw there were four candidates for five positions,? he said. ‘I was horrified.?
‘I didn’t like the way that it made the village look,? Bailey noted. ‘It made the village look like the voters were apathetic. Not only the voters, but the candidates ? nobody wanted to run.?
Back in July, only incumbents Sue Bossardet, Maureen Helmuth and Bryan Cloutier, plus challenger Rose Bejma, had filed to appear on the November ballot.
At the time, Bailey, who’s an electronics engineer, stated publicly that he chose not to run because he might have to relocate elsewhere for employment reasons.
But he now says that’s no longer an issue and he has no plans to leave the village. ‘I’ve been here since 1991, so I’m pretty much settled in,? Bailey said.
Looking ahead, Bailey made it clear that if elected, he has no agenda other than to make the best decisions he possibly can as various issues arise.
‘I call’em like I see’em,? he said. ‘I don’t have any specific agenda. That kind of thing is, in my opinion, a little bit questionable . . . I haven’t had a specific agenda in the past, so why should I have one now? I just want to keep on doing whatever good work I can.?
Kennis, who serves on the village planning commission and lives in the Oxford Lakes subdivision, did not return phone calls seeking an interview.