Royal Oak Voters will have a challenging time using the November ballot, which will require them to make decisions in four governance arenas: Candidates for City Commission, City taxes, City Charter amendments, and School taxes. Use the links below to reach documents and dialogue about those four arenas. This segment of VersagiVoice will reflect ongoing dialogue between now and the election, and will be kept in place until after the election, for your convenient reference. Return to the Home Page for links to previously published related material. -- FJV 08 September 2005

Absentee Ballots go out in early October.
VersagiVoice suggests absentee voters be in no hurry, that they monitor developments closely for a few weeks before returning their ballot.

Now, what?
VersagiVoice begins looking at the results of the 2005 Election

Post-2005 Election thoughts -- 1
About the Candidates
Voters re-elected two incumbents: Mayor Jim Ellison and Commissioner Carlo Ginotti. City elections are non-partisan [Thoughts about 2003 Election] but Ellison and Ginotti are recognized, respectively, as Democrat and Republican. Had more people voted a straight party ticket, the election results would have been either Ellison, Lelito, Godek, and Ginotti -- or  -- Konczal, Ginotti, Miller, and Martin.

It is reasonable to characterize the incoming 43rd Royal Oak City Commission as:

Democrat: Ellison, Drinkwine, Lelito
Republican: Ginotti, Andrzejak, Capello, Miller

Some city hall observers insist that an undercurrent of party partisanship influences many commission decisions. Others, VersagiVoice among them, maintain that it is the rare issue which is affected by Democrat/Republican bias.

Lelito was one of the candidates who made a point of his party affiliation during his campaign, and he'll be watched closely, as will be Steve Miller. Both are likely to disappoint partisans by judging each issue on its merits.

Post-2005 Election thoughts -- 2
A tabular analysis of the votes -- ballot item by ballot item
Before the Election, Democrat County Commissioner Dave Woodward and I exchanged predictions about the number of voters who would turn out. And we each made a guess about this or that item. [See] -- FJV

Post-2005 Election thoughts -- 3
The Moods of the Voters
The moods which colored the 2005 Royal Oak Election remain and are reflected in the last two emails received by VersagiVoice before Election Day. It is from here that City and School leaders must begin to rebuild civil dialogue. [See]

What the Voters Decided in 2005
(Vote-count from City website)

Election 2005 Coverage:

The Candidates and comments from and about them. 

Budget Dialogue 

The School Bond
One advantage that a website has over print media is that a website can justify grouping and retaining past material, giving readers ongoing reference points from which to judge the continuing debate.

The Proposed Charter Amendments will bring the City Charter into compliance with State law. 

Versagi's 4-year Budget Plan
in which he urges the city commission to "do it all at once."

Selected Letters to VersagiVoice

The candidates in their own words
Candidates for Royal Oak elected office were invited by VersagiVoice to present a Position Paper. Instead of being asked questions to answer in some specific order, they were encouraged to offer their thoughts in free-flowing narrative style, "saying what you want to say, how you want to say it." The documents and any published dialogue about them will remain in place until after the election. So far, both mayoral candidates and two candidates for commissioner have responded. [Go]

Dissolve the Downtown Development Authority?
VersagiVoice contends the DDA should be dissolved. Planning Director Tim Thwing, who does most of the DDA's work, disagrees.

School District tries again
Royal Oak Schools makes its third attempt to get a bond approved. See current and past dialogue.

The school district has provided a 1-page summary about school financing, including an explanation of "hold harmless," about which VersagiVoice had been asked to seek clarification. [See] 

Also see Coffee Conversation with Moline

Town Hall Meetings
Officials, residents talk taxes.

Civics 101.

Also see Post 2004 Election thoughts. 

• 3 Commissioner openings
• 1 Mayoral slot

Candidates for Commissioner:
Carlo Ginotti . . Dan Godek . . Gary Lelito . . Glennon Martin . . Stephen Miller
[See]

• Headlee Override
  1.75 mills

• 7 proposed amendments

• $69.5 million
• to be paid over 15 years

Previous VersagiVoice coverage