Six candidates race to fill three spots on Mount Pleasant City Commission
City Commission candidates speak at the Student Government Association Candidates Forum on Oct. 15 in the Bovee University Center Auditorium.
The Mount Pleasant City Commission consists of seven citizens each elected for staggered three-year terms. City commission holds their meetings at 7 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month.
Six candidates are running for three open spots on the Mount Pleasant City Commission. A mayor and vice mayor will be chosen among the commissioners.
The candidates running are Barry DeLau II, Amy Perschbacher, Rick Rautanen, Petro James Tolas and incumbents Lori Gillis and Nicholas Madaj. With the exception of Madaj, all of the candidates are Central Michigan University alumni.
Madaj – currently vice major – and Lori Gillis were both elected in 2015 and are running for re-election. Their terms will end Dec. 31, 2018.
Central Michigan Life reached out to each candidate to ask why their campaign should interest student voters and how they could benefit CMU.
DeLau grew up in Mount Pleasant and in 2002 he earned a Masters of Science in Administration from CMU. He is now owner of 3 Ball Properties LLC – a domestic limited liability company.
"My goal for CMU would be to work toward increasing student interaction and involvement in our community," DeLau said. "I have had the pleasure of having many CMU students become a big part of my family’s life over the years.
I have never regretted this opportunity and consider myself fortunate. Unfortunately, too many local residents don’t recognize the fact that the CMU students are a large contributor to the success of Mount Pleasant. I believe that by providing a different perspective, offering some new ideas and some basic common sense, I can help the city commissioners to better serve the citizens of Mount Pleasant."
Gillis is a lifelong resident of Mount Pleasant and has served on the Mount Pleasant Planning Commission and city commission for three years. She has a degree in computer science and business from CMU.
"I want to increase student involvement within our community," Gillis said. "I believe we need to develop a collaboration of varied internships with our local businesses so students will have beneficial and relevant employment experiences to remain a part of our Mount Pleasant community after graduation."
Madaj was appointed as Mount Pleasant's vice mayor in 2018 after serving serving on several boards and commissions and working with legal services for local governments. Madaj attended Michigan State University College of Law and is currently a research attorney for the 55th Circuit Court in Clare and Gladwin counties.
"The contributions made by students, faculty, and staff – CMU is certainly an asset to this community," Madaj said. "Therefore, I fully support continuing the efforts of city officials, university administrators and student leaders to work together to address neighborhood and housing-related issues.
In fact, I have supported measures to increase mixed-use developments in order to further diversify and enrich the living experiences around CMU. To further benefit students, I would also be supportive of expanding the city’s recycling program to help benefit the environment and exploring new ways to make the community more bikeable and walkable to ensure greater mobility and pedestrian safety throughout the city."
Born in West Michigan, Pershbacher moved to Mount Pleasant in 2009 to attend CMU where she earned a psychology degree and a masters in arts counseling. She now works as a downtown property manager, a mental health therapist at Ronan Psychological Associates and as a faculty member at Jackson College. She ran for city commission last year as well.
"Mount Pleasant has relatively few town versus gown issues," Perschbacher said. "As a city commissioner, I will work to expand the positive relationships between the city and university. Forming closer partnerships between the city, MMC and CMU can help us to tackle the problem of maintaining reasonable and affordable housing ... increasing the desire for businesses to invest in Mount Pleasant, creating jobs that sustain a quality of life that will benefit all of us. If we are successful in growing a partnership of respect and strength then many students may chose to remain in the Mount Pleasant area after graduation and this will have a positive impact on our future."
Rautanen has served as planning commissioner, city commissioner and vice mayor of Mount Pleasant. He is a former CMU student and graduate of Rollie Denison Leadership Institute. He is currently the future general manager of Holiday Inn on Pickard Road.
"I have the necessary experience to benefit the citizens of Mount Pleasant, both year round, and students," Rautanen said. "I was involved in the successful redevelopment of numerous student rental buildings along Washington and Main (streets) through student friendly zoning policies over the years. Our city must be inclusive of the best interests of the students and the University, which both contribute so much to our way of life here in Mount Pleasant, Union Township, and Isabella County."
Tolas has been an active member of Mount Pleasant for over 50 years. He has served on the zoning board of appeals for eight years and is the owner of four local businesses including Tolas Oil and Gas. He has a degree in business administration from CMU.
"The city is totally out of control right now," Tolas said. "The current commissioners are anti-student and anti-business. In the 60s, we had business people on the commission. As an alumnus, I am for CMU and the students. I want to get back to common sense."
Those registered to vote in the city of Mount Pleasant will have the opportunity to vote for no more than three of these candidates on Nov. 6. For more information on the city commission candidates visit onyourballot.vote411.org.
