As one of the few residents to attend Clarkston City Council meetings on a regular basis, Teresa Coventry decided it was time to experience the twice-monthly gatherings from the opposite side of the table.
After filing the necessary documents, Coventry brings to six the total number of residents vying for three council seats.
Kristy Ottman is the council’s only incumbent to seek reelection, with five residents answering the call for write-in candidates.
‘I’m there for almost every meeting,? said Coventry. ‘I like to know what’s going on in the community.
Coventry owned Victorian Village, a downtown gift shop, for about three years and believes that experience would bring a unique understanding of Clarkston’s business community to the city council.
She also volunteered many hours to the PTA and Girl Scouts while her three daughters were growing up.
An adamant supporter of the Clarkston Police Department, Coventry believes the city has needs that are not relevant in the township. For example, she said, police are needed frequently in the downtown area to monitor the park, and to deal with traffic and parking issues on Main Street. She does not believe the city would be well-served by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department.
‘It’s a real concern of mine that a decision to bring back the (OCSD) could come sweeping through the city and we’d never get our own police back,? she said. ‘Cost-wise, we’d be at the mercy of the sheriff’s department.?
Coventry also cited concerns about watershed issues and the large volumes of traffic pouring through the city on a daily basis.
Frequently one of only four or five residents to attend council meetings on a regular basis, Coventry said the lack of interest is frustrating, and that the council could benefit from feedback and input from the community. However, she said, the disinterest is an occurrence in most cities.
‘People only tend to show up when they have a personal stake in being there,? she said.
Coventry, who likes to cook and cross stitch in her leisure time, has been married to husband Steve for 32 years and currently works along side him in several family businesses. The couple have three grown daughters and three granddaughters.