Sherry Archibald:

·  AGE: 43.

·  RESIDENCE: 3131 E. Village Lane.

·  OCCUPATION: Director of community services, Community Action Agency of St. Clair County (formerly EOC).

·  POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: None.

·  EDUCATION: Associate degree in accounting from St. Clair County Community College; bachelor's degree in business leadership from Baker College of Port Huron.

·  FAMILY: Husband, Robert; three children.  

"Will the new council promote boating for Port Huron like keeping the Black River Canal finally dredged out or allowing alcohol consumption on the south side of Black River downtown." Submitted by Rick Niemietz, seconded by Chad Noetzel 10-27-09.

"Do you favor a ‘Ward System’ or ‘At Large System’ for our city, and why?” Submitted by Mike McCarthy seconded by Chad Noetzel 10-19-09.

"I remain firm in my believe that every council member should be concerned with and represent every resident of the city. Some say that a ward system will unit the city as it will allow each to feel they have a voice and a specific individual to go to with concerns, others including myself remained concerned that the division between North and South will be expanded to divisions between neighborhoods within the north or south. I have from the beginning voiced these concerns but have also stated that I would be supportive of a hybrid system that would combine the two with a greater number of seats being selected through the ward system and the remainder selected at large. I have listened to the residents who believe this system would provide better representation and would support it. I have not changed my position on this issue".

"What is your opinion of Port Huron's city income tax? Submitted by Alice O'Neil, seconded by Chad Noetzel 10-2-09."

"I believe one of the biggest issues hurting the city is the high cost of living and doing business in the city. The property tax is already higher than the surrounding townships and when the income tax is added in it certainly drives people to look outside the city limits for a home. I have spoken with several realtors who will all tell you that when showing homes within the city the high cost of owning a home here is the primary reason potential buyers look elsewhere. This is especially true for those who work outside the city.  Residents who live in the city yet work outside the city come back to Port Huron at the end of the day bringing their income with them. They pay for their home, their property taxes, generally shop and eat in the city and still on top of that they are required to pay 1% of their income to the city. Income they could keep just by living in any of the surrounding townships.  At the pre-primary debate I spoke of wanting to see the city eliminate the income tax. I realize that the city depends on this revenue and eliminating it especially during hard economic times will be difficult however, I firmly believe that the city would make up the revenue through other means and eliminating the city income tax would attract more homeowners into the city. Though I would be remiss to promise the elimination of the income tax during my two year term should I be elected, I will certainly be a strong advocate for eliminating it. One possible solution may be to begin phasing it out over time so the city isn’t faced with the loss of revenue all at once but over a period of time.  We must also recognize that this must be one of many solutions all put into place as it is not the only issue facing the city and preventing people from looking here when considering relocating. "

"This forum has been set up for the candidates to ask the questions. Do you feel that the opportunity to ask questions should be offered to non-candidates as well? " Submitted by James Fisher 9-16-09

"While I welcome the opportunity to answer questions from the residents of Port Huron I feel that decision is up to the person offering this interactive dialogue as he will be the one having to field the questions, post those he feels acceptable and also post all the candidates answers. I do believe it would be a great opportunity for residents to be able to pose questions to the candidates and compare their answers on the issues. Like the candidates, I feel residents should have to use their name when presenting a question. "

"How do the candidates feel about having fundraisers outside of Port Huron city limits. Do they get most of their contributions from non residents or from residents? Also do they feel that township resident contributions can sway their opinions and how they vote?" Submitted by John Edison 9-11-09 

"Many of the council candidates have friends and family who would like to support them in their campaign that are not residents of the City of Port Huron. As non-residents, donations are one of the few ways they can show their support. I do not see a problem with a candidate receiving donations from non-residents. I do have a problem however with any candidate who would let any donor (resident or not) sway their vote on any issue. Council members are elected to vote on behalf of all residents of the city not for individual personal agendas. In addition, I believe that the growth and success of the surrounding townships, villages, and cities is affected by the growth and success of the city itself and encourage all non-residents to take a greater interest in Port Huron and its future. Together we can all make Port Huron and the surrounding areas a greater place to live. "

"How do you like the work new city manager Bruce Brown is doing ? Please give examples of what you liked or disliked so far." Submitted by Mark Byrne 9-3-2009.

No Response

"A few months ago the City Council removed funding for the EDA and hired their own Economic Development director. Do you support the direction this council has taken?" Submitted by John Edison Palmer 8-27-2009.

"I am a strong believer that “viable” partnerships are essential to the future of the city. Unfortunately I do not believe I, nor the residents of Port Huron, have all the “inside” information necessary to determine if the partnership with the EDA was a “viable” partnership that was good for both the City of Port Huron and the EDA or a partnership that was no longer “viable”. While I strongly support the city’s initiative to become more personally involved and even a leader in economic development I am concerned with the current council’s desire for the city to stand on their own and do it all alone. I am even more concerned with the manner and urgency in which the funding to EDA was pulled. Forming strong  partnerships and strengthening existing partnerships is critical if the City is to be successful in economic development, creating jobs and improving the lives of the residents of Port Huron. At the same time, severing partnerships that are no longer “viable” or that cannot be mended may also be necessary at times. It is very important that when considering when to end a partnership we are certain it is not now nor will it be “viable” in the future and that we do it in a professional, respectful manner. "

"I do not believe anyone indicated that any matters were “trivial matters” but that a great deal of time was spent on some issues that could have been decided on much quicker and very little time spent on other issues that were much more critical to the future of the city. Specifically, it took, or it certainly appears to the public that it took less time to hire a new city manager, less time to turn down the small business incubator project, less time to pull the funding from EDA, less time to make changes to the McMorran Board and replace Larry Krabach, etc. etc. than it took to decide on drinking in the park, the use of fire pits in Port Huron and whether or not Johnny Dog, a veteran, could sell hotdogs on Edison Parkway."

The current city council drastically reduced the pay for the new city manager compared to the previous city manager, would you favor reducing the pay  level for department heads and eliminating severance pay when they quit?  Submitted by Chad Noetzel 8-12-2009.

"While I am not in favor of reducing salaries for department heads currently employed at the city, I do support re-evaluating the salary and benefits for all positions when replacing outgoing staff. Not only would it be unreasonable to expect, it would be financially irresponsible to pay a new less experienced department head the same salary and benefits as an outgoing tenured department head. New staff should be paid based on education and experience within a pre-determined salary scale set by the city manager and approved by the council. This scale should be based on the pay rate of similar positions in cities similar to the size of Port Huron, what the budget can afford and what would be reasonable in order to obtain and keep quality staff."

1.  What strategy should the city employ for economic development?

""To be successful and sustain economic development it is imperative for the city to be innovative, capitalize on existing assets and develop partnerships wherever possible. Everyone is a potential partner from developers, foundations, government, colleges, businesses and organizations to neighboring cities and even Sarnia. Education is also key to economic development. Higher education improves the employability of our work force and helps attract new employers and students to the area. We must expand educational opportunities, strengthen existing partnerships and form new ones. To be successful, we must work together for the greater good of all, the city and the surrounding areas."

2. What should be done to pay the debt from the sewer separation project?

"It's unfortunate Port Huron is faced with such a monumental debt and the task of deciding how to pay it off. As residents, we must be concerned where the money will come from to tackle the debt without raising rates or taxes, but we must face the inevitable: The debt must be repaid. Every effort should be made to keep rates where they are, however, we need to start addressing the debt, not keep pushing it into the future. Further budget cuts, grants and new sources of revenue need to be explored to start paying the debt and prevent future increases."

3. After economic development, what is the biggest issue facing the city?

"Rising unemployment and the lack of living-wage jobs is by far the biggest issue facing the city. Next to that, there are several issues: education, tourism and the fact we are an aging city. Like many older cities, many of our homes and buildings are decaying. Commercial buildings are no longer cost efficient to operate. Vacant, blighted properties are detracting from our neighborhoods, industrial park and downtown. We need to continue the community development efforts city staff and others have started, seek additional revenue to further address these issues and make the city attractive to new businesses and residents."

4. What would you do with McMorran Place if you had the final say?

"There is more to the decision regarding McMorran than having the final say. The decision is tied entirely to adequate funding. Funding aside, I would make it a state-of-the-art arena and entertainment center. The Silver Stick hockey tournament is an example of the kind of events that could be hosted at a state-of-the-art facility bringing in revenue. A decision must be made to move forward and a very aggressive plan put into place. A new board and general manager were appointed, guide them and give them time to accomplish what they were appointed to do."