Incumbent Higgins challenged by Councilmember Tobin in Lincoln Park mayoral race

By SUE SUCHYTA

Sunday Times Newspapers

LINCOLN PARK – Incumbent Mayor Michael Higgins and City Councilmember Maureen Tobin are running for the top spot in the city in the Nov. 5 general election, with basement flooding and infrastructure problems on residents’ minds. 

Why are you running for mayor?

HIGGINS: I said two years ago that if I could not bring the city forward, I would not seek re-election. Stating this, I believe the city is moving forward. 

I reorganized ordinance enforcement, doubling the number of officers. 

The Sears building is down, and soon new business will be there. 

With $2 million to replace lead lines, I turned our department head loose to seek out grants, and we are replacing two pump houses, seven roads on the north end, spending $20 million on lining sewer lines and we built a brand-new animal shelter. 

 

I did this in budget, and now have a $7 million rainy day fund. 

Homes and businesses are being built here for the first time in a long time, and our property values are rising faster than anywhere in Wayne County. 

I have no other job and am at city hall every day. I am a full- time mayor and know what’s going on. 

TOBIN: I decided to run for mayor because I believe the residents should have a choice. I feel that there should be more than one candidate on the ballot, and that running unopposed is not in the best interest of the citizens of Lincoln Park. 

Candidates should be heard on the issues and bring their thoughts and plans to the residents and give them a chance to choose who will lead them. 

What will you do to prevent basement flooding?

HIGGINS: We are replacing two pump houses that were built in the 1930s. 

‘We have found a mistake made when separating the sewers in the 1970s and had it replaced. 

I worked with the Downriver Conference and Wayne County on the north creek project to get trees cleared that will allow water to flow when cities must dump water. 

I am putting together, with CDBG, a way for people to get back flow preventers. 

I also have our engineering firm doing tests in part of the city looking for more issues. 

 

TOBIN: This is a priority, not only for me, but for our city management, our DPS and our engineering firm. We are working diligently now and we will be working diligently continuously to find and correct this issue. 

What will you do to address aging infrastructure problems like the system-wide water leaks and the water main breaks?

HIGGINS: The city has bought equipment that is designed to find water leaks. We are in the process of hiring a three-man crew that will search the whole city for water leaks. 

I will keep looking for more grants to keep lining our water lines. 

We bought and installed water clamps that will help slow water pressure building in the city. 

TOBIN: We are rebuilding pump houses, upgrading the basin, we are working on water lines, relining, and replacing them in areas that have a history of water main breaks. 

We are doing smoke testing and testing with cameras, looking for issues that we are fixing. 

I will look for more state and federal funding to address this and find grant money to help. I will bring attention to our state representatives and Congress. 

I will make these issues heard and get the attention we need to get the resolution for our residents, so they are safe in their homes that they have worked so hard for. They deserve better and I will do everything I can to make this happen. 

What will be your top three priorities as mayor, and why?

HIGGINS: Infrastructure in Lincoln Park has been ignored and kicked down the road for too long. We must find grants and do what needs to be done now. 

Parks are the same: When the city went broke, the parks were forgotten. We need to reinvest in the system. A park system is one of the first things families look at when moving to a city.

The budget must always be looked after. We only have so much money and we must spend wisely. 

TOBIN: My biggest concerns involve water issues, flooding, main breaks and water loss. The flooding issues are a main concern because of the health and safety issues and the cost to the residents. It is heartbreaking on all fronts. 

The water main breaks are overwhelming, not to mention the inconvenience to residents, the workload to our DPS workers and the conditions left behind after a break is repaired. This is an infrastructure issue, as we are replacing the water lines we hope to decrease the main breaks. All this is in the works, but it will take time to get where we need to be. 

Roads are another priority. We have a plan, but we need to look at the plan every year and look at the roads on the plan before the paving season starts and re-evaluate them. Some roads deteriorate faster than others. We need to update this plan annually. 

I also want to see better maintenance in our parks. It is time we budget for a park maintenance crew. Our parks need to be cleaned, have garbage picked up, graffiti removed, and equipment cleaned and maintained. Our families deserve to have nice parks to take their children to, and I want to see more programs for children in our parks during the summer months where they can have supervised games and crafts. I have plans to develop this program.