City of residence
Wayne
Age
73
Family
Wife, Mary Haidous
Children: 5 Children
Grandchild: 12
Education
High School
Vehicles owned
Ford Escape
Professional Experience
Small Business Owner
Political Experience
County Commissioner
Mayor of the City of Wayne
City council-City of Wayne
Race/ethnicity
Caucasian
Incumbent?
true
The most pressing issue facing Wayne County was and is the financial stability, including the jail project. We continue to work with the administration to improve the efficiency of providing county services, while maintaining important vital services.
Roads and drainage also need to continue to be addressed. The county is committed to helping our local municipalities in this area.
Enhance the infrastructure in Wayne County, that will be able to accommodate future economic development and growth.
Given the financial situation that Wayne County was facing, steps needed to be taken to address the financial burden. There is no doubt that they were difficult decisions, but hopefully in the future these steps will allow the county to enhance the services that they provide to local municipalities and to their own employees.
There is a lot of work to do in this area. It is very important that the commission and the administration work as a team to identify the vital services. These services will ensure that Wayne County is a safe and vibrant area that can facilitate future economic development and growth.
We must enhance the economic infrastructure. As we can see with downtown Detroit, the resurgence of business and industry is attracting people to the area. We must continue to do this in our local municipalities as well.
Another thing we can do is ensure our schools are well supported. Flourishing school districts attract families and we must support our schools and help them achieve their maximum their potential.
It is important that we work with the state, as the state is trying to establish a new education training program based on the needs of industry. Currently the industry is lacking applicants that have the required skills in manufacturing and the trades. Providing our youth access and exposure to the trades is very important. These are skilled jobs that require post secondary training; thus are well paid.
The RTA (Regional Transit Authority) also has the ability to enhance the mobility of people to access jobs that they normally may not have access to.
The roads tend to be the area that I receive most feedback from my constituents. It is important that we continue to set priorities with regards to roads based on the condition of the road and the traffic usage of the roads. The most deteriorated roads, that get the most use need to be addressed first.
We would like to continue to expand and enhance our services that we provide to Seniors and Veterans in Wayne County. We are working very hard to provide the very best for them, but we must continue to explore unique funding opportunities to enhance the services we provide.
Lastly, we would like to continue to enhance the health and human services we provide to Wayne County residents.
Wayne County's greatest asset is its people, but aside from that we have the airport and large industry (such as Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, health care providers).
It is important that we continue to work with them to enhance their human and natural resources for them to be able to compete in the global market.
Downtown Detroit has experienced great growth and with that growth municipalities surrounding Detroit have benefited. It is important that the City of Detroit continues to grow and the schools in Detroit continue to grow.
As we know, there are many county positions where people are retiring. It is important that we aggressively pursue talent and offer fair compensation. There is no doubt that we have financial issues that don't allow us to compete with the private sector in terms of compensation. Although, compensation is not the only factor. We must continue to build an environment that people enjoy and want to work in and find people who are dedicated to being a civil servant and improving the services we provide to the people of Wayne County.
Whatever the outcome is of the union-led petition, I will respect it. At the end of the day, I serve the people of Wayne County on the same capacity (if not more) as I did in the City of Wayne (21 years in Wayne) and the average pay was $3,000 per year.
By evaluating current infrastructure and establishing a priority needs list. Aging infrastructure needs to be addressed based on need and usage. We must ensure our financial stability is addressed, so we can work on future projects to address the aging infrastructure.
The industry regarding this topic is changing. With recent events around the country, we see the increased use of body cameras. This is something that we probably do not want to be behind the curve on. This will help ensure our law enforcement has the latest equipment that will help protect their safety.
No, I do not.
I think it is important that we continue to work with the State to ensure that our public schools are properly funded. Also, it is equally important that we work with and support or local school boards to address the needs of our community. Also, I currently am appointed the Governor’s Talent Investment Board. The board is bringing employers, organized labor and community-based organizations, including apprenticeship programs, to make recommendations on how to best develop workforce talent across the state and work with schools to help prepare our students for those jobs.
We provide assistance to struggling cities, in terms of CDBG grants, parks and recreation, and provide assistance as requested from the local municipalities (as far as our resources allow).
Health and Human Resources, Senior (Meals on Wheels), etc.
The large portion of this issue lies on the shoulders of local municipalities. Although, our Sheriff's Department and Prosecuting office provide the support they can (which is limited due to our financial constraints).
We will continue to educate our citizens about the effects of gun violence on our youth and our whole community.
Yes. I believe this will allow our citizens to access different employment opportunities, that could be limited today due to transportation issues.
Also, it will increase the accessibility to Wayne County points of interest. In order for us to continue to grow, we need to increase accessibility.
Yes. The Democratic nomination.
No.
No.