By Scott Sullivan
Editor
Five of six candidates for four open two-year seats on the Douglas City Council addressed issues at a Holland League of Women Voters-sponsored forum Oct. 2 in the Saugatuck-Douglas District Library.
Incumbents Greg Freeman, John O’Malley, Neal Seabert and Randy Walker joined challenger Dana White giving two-minute opening statements, then addressed audience questions compiled by League moderators. Challenger Jeff West was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict. The general election will be Nov. 5.
Speaking alphabetically were:
- Freeman, retired from the University of Chicago Medical Center, said he was appointed by council in January 2023 to fill the seat of Doug Topper, who resigned after 27 days on the job.
Freeman listed infrastructure needs — striking an agreement with the Kalamazoo Lake Sewer and Water Authority for those services, state-required replacing lead service lines and repairing the Ferry Street Culvert — as top priorities. - O’Malley, first elected in November 2022, is sales supervisor for a beverage distributor and active locally volunteering. He concurred about city infrastructure needs being vital.
“Trouble is, we don’t know the price tag,” he said about costs to reopen Ferry Street, closed between West Shore Drive and Campbell Street since Aug. 2 after a sinkhole was found threatening roadway safety.
“State grant requirements are prohibitive,” said O’Malley. “We’ve started a process to find out what costs will be, then we can figure out how to pay.”
Seabert, council’s most-veteran member at 10 years in, noted in that time the city has gone through three managers and six planning and zoning administrators.
“That’s a lot of change,” he said, adding he finds current staff and manager Lisa Nocerini very capable. “I agree, dealing with infrastructure needs is crucial.
“We also have an issue with deer population that our 1.8-square-mile city needs to work together with neighbors Saugatuck city and township to address.”
Walker, a licensed counselor who worked 30 years in mental health before retiring in 2019 with her wife to run Lakeshore Pet Boutique, concurred infrastructure needs are urgent.
“We also need to look at funding renovating 415 Wiley Road (see related story in this week’s paper) into a new city hall and police station,” Walker said.
White said as a 27-year Douglas resident and 26-year builder, that experience would be valuable dealing with infrastructure issues.
“We have what, an eighth of mile of Ferry Street closed within city limits?” he asked. “Saugatuck city (which relies on Ferry to reach Park Street homes plus tourist attractions like Oval Beach and Mt. Baldhead) stands to benefit far more from its repair. We should call on them and the township to pay their repair shares too.”
The forum explored many more issues during its 1:25:20 entirety. To view it online, go to www.youtube.com/channel/UCOLWRc7X8C2ZNUvDrJV79Eg.
