Current City Housing Plans
Michael Willard believes the current Royal Oak Housing makeup does support all constituents and only caters to certain demographics leading to an outdated, homogenized housing model affecting the quality of life. He considers it key for any City to thrive to have a balanced housing market which Royal Oak no longer has like it has in the past.
Michael understands the needs and wants of current and future Royal Oak residents. The proposed neighborhood housing models for the new Master Plan for the City are misaligned with what a majority of Royal Oak residents sought. The new plan is an externally fabricated municipal “boiler plate” scheme. It replicates what has been done to the Downtown Area and other neighboring cities. If this occurs, the end result is every part of the City looking identical which no one wants.
How would Willard resolve this issue:
Willard would propose that any new housing go through a vetted, well thought out process involving impacted community members where not every 3000 sq. ft plus “house” or mid/high rise luxury apartment/condo project is “rubber stamped” approved for lots/property where it does not align. He would propose a “like or less” replacement for residencies aligning with the neighborhood makeup. He proposes to develop a legitimate sustainable strategy that focuses on what people actually need. He will do his best to keep Royal Oak’s diverse character of its neighborhoods.
Current City Government Makeup
Michael Willard believes the current elected Royal Oak Government does not support their constituents concerns and needs. He believes it’s imperative for any City official to be a service of the public and not a hinderance.
Michael believes elected Royal Oak Government officials needs to be by neighborhood/subdivision and not collectively. Royal Oak is a diverse City and the majority of elected Royal Oak Government staff reside in the same hyper-local area. Unfortunately, the current elected City Staff is forcing unnecessary developments without considering others views.
How would Willard resolve this issue:
Willard would propose to divide the City Commission into districts and have a weighted system for specific neighborhood items.
City Government Finances
Michael believes the current Royal Oak Government is wasting financial resources on projects that do not benefit its constituents. He vows to stop the non-essential spending on outdated projects where the costs outweigh the benefits to the community.
Examples: Sheets Gas Station and Kroger Developments. Hiring of external firms who do not live or understand Royal Oak and dictate how the future of Royal Oak is shaped, unnecessary road calming/parking/and bike lane projects.
How would Willard resolve these issues:
Michael Willard would not allow these projects to occur as they do not provide any advantages to constituents of Royal Oak besides tax implications. Willard would seek active community involvement committees as they are the ones who have to live with the decisions and not rely on external firms that are being paid with Royal Oak tax dollars. Willard would reduce the involvement of Royal Oak Government and focus on essential services, quality of life, and public safety while maintaining fiscal solvency.
City Government’s Roles
The Royal Oak Government is overstepping by not listening to constituents leading to the decline of Royal Oak’s vibrancy and instead focusing on hiring marketing/public relations firms and agencies to promote a questionable narrative.
How would Willard resolve this issue:
Michael is a true believer of community building and not using it as a product. To quote a product developer “When the product being pitched/sold is the community, you have lost community”. Willard believes the community are the necessary drivers of a City and should not be the end product. The bending of Royal Oak Government to solely large corporations and specific companies needs to end.