What's On the Ballot: City Commission Elections

The Nov. 8 election is upon us and on the ballot in Birmingham are four open spots on the Birmingham City Commission.

Wondering who the candidates are or what the issues are all about? Let Patch fill you in before you head to the ballot box.

Birmingham City Commission

What the school board does: The seven-member Birmingham City Commission is responsible for setting the policies for and governing the city of Birmingham. The commission sets the city budget, is responsible for hiring a city manager and approves certain projects within the city. Commissioners are elected to four-year terms.

Open spots: There are four open spots this fall.

Incumbents: Gordon Rinschler, George Dilgard, Tom McDaniel, Scott Moore

Challengers: Steve Knox, Doug Weaver, James Foxley and Vicki Walsh

Who are the candidates?

• 
  Age: 64
  Occupation: Rinschler is retired from DaimlerChrysler, where he last served as vice president of the minivan platform team. He owns Gordon Rinschler LLC, an automotive consulting agency.
  Previous elected experience: Rinschler was first elected to the city commission in November 2007; before that, he was the chairman of the Historic District and Design Review Commission and chair of the Birmingham Historic District Study Committee.
  Top priorities: Going forward, Rinschler said some of the most important issues for Birmingham include the budget, public safety, business development and the direction of the downtown district.

• 
  Age: 58
  Occupation: Moore is an attorney and counsel to Goldstein, Litt, Slinger PLLC, located in Farmington Hills.
  Previous elected experience: This would be Moore's fourth term on the Birmingham City Commisison, having served as a commissioner for the past 12 years.
  Top priorities: According to Moore, Birmingham needs to consider two important demographic groups moving forward — the city's aging population and young people. In addition, development is not only an important issue going forward, it's a point of pride for Moore. Business development has to continue in the city's various business districts, including the Rail District and Triangle District, Moore said.

• 
  Age: 40
  Occupation: Knox is an attorney and partner at the Seyburn Knox Law Group, located in Birmingham.
  Previous elected experience: This would be Knox's first experience in elected office.
  Top priorities: When it comes to development in the city, Knox said the dialogue shouldn't just be about bringing in "more," but improving the variety of shops and restaurants as well. "We need to promote our retail environment," he said, "and make it more vibrant."

• 
  Age: 72
  Occupation: McDaniel is the retired vice president of Asian and Pacific operations at General Motors Corp.
  Previous elected experience: If re-elected, this would be McDaniel's third term as city commissioner.
  Top priorities: For McDaniel, continuing to invest in the city's infrastructure is one of the most important issues faicng the commission in the years to come. In addition, the city must pay attention to development and business interests in order to position the city for the future.

• 
  Age: 31
  Occupation: Walsh has been an assistant prosecuting attorney in Macomb County for almost seven years and is currently in the criminal sexual conduct unit, where she prosecutes sex crimes on children.
  Previous elected experience: This would be Walsh's first elected experience.
  Top priorities: To Walsh, the biggest issue facing Birmingham now is public safety. "We have seen Birmingham change in the last few years," she said. "Nightclubs and bars have brought in more revenue and people, but they have brought more problems as well."

• 
  Age: 62
  Occupation: Dilgard is a financial analyst with Ally Financial.
  Previous elected experience: Dilgard is wrapping his first term as a city commissioner. Before being elected four years ago, he served five years on the Planning Board and one year on the Board of Zoning Appeals
  Top priorities: According to Dilgard, commercial and residential development in the city's Rail and Triangle districts will be key going forward. "These are areas with significant potential," he said. "The development standards we have implemented over the past few years are progressive and allow for flexible, quality project design."

• 
  Age: 39 
  Occupation: Foxley is the owner of Detroit Welding and Fabricating, located in Clarkston.
  Previous elected experience: If elected, this would be Foxley's first elected experience.
  Top priorities: Development is important to Foxley, who noted that the city should be promoting "the heck out of" the Rail District. This plan includes welcoming new bistros to the city, though perhaps taking a harder look at where they're located. When it's comes to maintaining and improving Birmingham's infrastructure, Foxley said it's important that quality be emphasized above all so as to protect residents' tax dollars.

• 
  Age: 66
  Occupation: Weaver is the medical director of heart and vascular services for the Henry Ford Health System.
  Previous elected experience: Though he's held no positions in Birmingham, Weaver has served on dozens of state health committees, was on the board of the Metro Detroit American Heart Association and elected president of the American College of Cardiology.
  Top priorities: According to Weaver, all residents and particularly city commissioners should be keeping an eye on declining property values and tax revenues. "Declining property values ... which are likely to continue in this uncertain economy, means we have to be fiscally prudent and not lavish in our city improvements."

For more: Read up on how each candidate fared in a .