Meet the Candidates for Grosse Pointe Woods Council, Judge

Seven residents are seeking office this November. One is seeking re-election for the judgeship and the remaining six are vying for four open seats on city council.

Of those available seats, four are seeking election to full, four-year terms while two are vying for the partial term seat, which is two-years in length.

The candidates participated in . Questions focused heavily on .

Most of the candidates are newcomers. One is an elected incumbent and one is an appointed incumbent.

The candidates provided information to Patch upon request about their desire to hold office, their experience and what issues they would like to focus on if elected. Additional information was also gathered from their affidavits of filing, the Woods website and their own campaign.

The candidates seeking the Full-term seats:

Arthur W. Bryant

Bryant has lived in the Woods for 32 years and in the Grosse Pointes for 41. He is a retired engineer and manager from Ford Motor Co.

He highlights his last four years in office, during which he says he has been able to help maintain the Woods as one of the "premier cities of Michigan." He also notes his work with several of the committees that report to council, explaining it gives him a better grasp of the needs for each department. He also his professional experience, which included financial management and long and short term planning.

If elected, Bryant wants to focus on:

• stablizing home and commercial property values
• promote Mack Avenue businesses and their needs
• maintain city services
• support beautification efforts of the business district
• find financial support to repair roads

Jill M. Jarboe

Jarboe has lived in Grosse Pointe Woods for nearly three years. She is contract marketing professional and heavily involved with the organization of Grosse Pointe Relay for Life.

She highlights her desire to help shape the future of Grosse Pointe Woods--a city she and her husband intend to live and raise their family. Additionally, she highlights her professional experience, during which she has had to travel for SAAB to a variety of shows and events to market products to a wide-range of people--a skill she believes will translate well as a council member.

If elected, Jarboe would like to focus on:

• ensuring the most efficient budget
• not sacrifice any public safety officers in achieving an efficient budget
• making the Woods more pet-friendly by enhancing the dog park already established in Lake Front Park

Michael R. Koester

Koester has lived in the Woods for 28 years. he is a financial analyst for Chrysler who identifies areas of waste occurring within manufacutring plants.

He highlights his love of and dedication to the community as well as his desire to be an active resident. In addition, Koester believes his professional experience will assist him in reducing waste within the budget. His work requires him to interact with a wide-variety of people often with differing opinions--a skill that will translate well to the council and assist him in reaching common ground decisions without the "political rancor."

If elected, Koester wants to focus on:

• to improve the economic condition of the city by improving the Mack Avenue business corridor as well as encouraging home buying within the Woods
• to preserve the uniqueness of the Woods in both residential and business aspects--a feature he says should be promoted rather than diminished
• remove inefficiencies from the budget that will allow the city to maintain services without imposing higher tax burdens upon residents

Richard T. Shetler Jr.

Shelter has lived in Grosse Pointe Woods all his life. He works his family's automotive supplier business.

He highlights his family's history in the Woods, as he is third generation and his son is the fourth. He also highlights his volunteer role on the Senior Citizen Commission, his active participation during Grosse Pointe Woods council meetings and Grosse Pointe Public School board meetings as well as the support of several current council members.

Partial Term Council

Kevin R. Ketels

Ketels has lived in Grosse Pointe Woods for five years. He is the CEO and owner of his own company, KMED Research in St. Clair Shores. He is also a professor at Wayne State University.

Ketels highlights not only his professional experience but his perspective from a variety of roles, from business owner to company executive to professor to parent to community volunteer, all of which he believes gives him a wealth of knowledge to draw upon when making decisions. He also highlights his and his wife's careful search for the community that was right for them when they moved back to Michigan five years ago. They selected Grosse Pointe Woods because of its many amenities, such as the shopping and dining on Mack Avenue but also for its high level of public safety services, parks and its sense of community.

If elected, Ketels wants to focus on:

• providing strong fiscal management with an anticipation of dropping revenues
• to help operate the council in a transparent manner to allow residents the knowledge that the city is being operated to their expectations
• roadway maintainence and upkeep--an area that needs attention to maintain and improve housing and community values

Allison M. Secord

Secord has lived in Grosse Pointe Woods for nearly 30 years. She works for the Wayne County Register of Deeds and previously worked as an elementary school teacher.

She highlights her committment to the community, where she has chosen to live as an adult despite watching many of her friends and other young professionals move away. She also highlights her ability to think independently, be open-minded and her willingness to hear from residents. With a goal of keeping young professionals in the city, Secord wants to help "make Grosse Pointe Woods an even better place to live."

If elected, she wants to focus on:

• the budget and making the necessary cuts
• repairing roads with a possible voter-approved bond
• eliminating pay for the mayor and council members

Judge

Theodore A. Metry

Metry has lived in Wayne County for 44 years, according to his candidacy affidavit. He is an attorney practicing in both civil and criminal law.

According to his Facebook campaign page, Metry has served as the municipal judge for the Woods since January 2010. He's lived in Grosse Pointe Woods for 16 years and wants to continue making the community a safe place to work, live, raise a family and own a business, according to his campaign website.