Community

• Over the past two years, City Council meetings become less accessible by having the meeting time moved up an hour and the citizen comment period curtailed. Mark, is making a second run for City Council after having narrowly lost his two month, one-person, campaign in a crowded 2023 campaign season because he believes our community can achieve so much more for all residents and businesses.

• City Council is non-partisan, which is why Mark who leans center-Left, had a Treasurer who leans center-Right.

• Mark tries to do as much door to door and word of mouth outreach as possible.

• In the 2021 City election, over 10,000 people voted absentee and over 6,000 in person.

  1. This means that absentee voters essentially will determine elections. If you identify with this candidate, please spread the word about this candidate throughout your Portage network!

• Visit the About page to look at the City Council meetings which Mark has brought community issues and concerns to City Council.

Issues

• Good Governance:

  1. Change City Council Meeting time back to 7PM to help ensure working families with young children can do their afterwork/school routines and then attend a meeting.

  2. Work to solicit highly quality and representative community members to join Boards for helping shape what is brought to the City Council.

  3. Engage the County and local businesses to improve conditions for our working residents.

  4. Improved transparency and partnerships with the community, businesses, and public sector entities

     • Candidate Campaign Finance Reports - Link

• Transportation:

  1. Ensure whole community accessibility to the newly established "downtown" corridor on Portage Rd. between E Centre and Osterhout.

  2. Partner with local businesses and Metro to explore subsidized/free transit for employees.

  3. Work with Kalamazoo County to establish sidewalks along Sprinkle Road, between Vanrick Dr. to Carrie Ln.

  4. Work with the City to establish sidewalks along Romence Road, between Portage Road and Sprinkle Road.

  5. Improve bus route timing, enabling West-East transportation that does not require a ~45 minute transfer.

  6. Install more bus stalls so riders can be treated with dignity and escape the elements while waiting for the bus.

• Housing:

  1. Work to ensure development favors everyone, not just the wealthiest.

  2. Balance high density/affordability with land use optimization, evaluating under utilized commercial areas and revising building ordinances

     1. Mark knows that it may be cheaper for developers to clearcut a forest rather than deal with old buildings/land use, however, this does not mean that this is the right thing to do. Especially when we have old buildings and land sitting underutilized and derelict, not contributing optimally to our local economy.

• Business:

  1. Improve business & economic development by establish a Business Council to create synergies for improved economic outcomes, relieving worker shortages across sectors and increase local commerce flow to small businesses.

  2. Ensure that accesability for all Portage residents is a priority in the planning and development of any proposed downtown area.

• Education:

  1. Working with the Board of Education and schools to help rebalance “school of choice” in our community, helping ensure both Portage Northern and Central remain equally competitive in their academic offerings for all Portage youth.

  2. Job training/Apprenticeships for HS students with partnership with local businesses

     1. Help youth see a future career path for themselves.

     2. Help youth build a resume with experience while still in school.

     3. Help our talented you envision a future for themselves here in Portage.

• Environment:

  1. Work to establish community Expanded Polystyrene recycling.

  2. Enhance invasive species prevention activities.

  3. Keep Portage a “Natural Place to Move” by stabilizing our natural areas with adjustments to areas cleared for development, to protect our natural resources and community appeal.