Dear BTL
I was appointed by the Ferndale City Council to fill the unexpired term of the late Councilman David Lennon. I am running in the Nov. 4 election to retain my seat. My candidacy is based on a personal commitment to stay involved in the decision making processes which govern the direction our city and our community will take now and in the future.
If elected, I would like to help defeat the proposed expansion of the Intermodal Freight Facility on the eastside of our city. In additiion, I would assist in recruitment of businesses for our commercial/industrial areas. I want to see a favorable resolution to the 8 Mile/Woodward bridge issue which would preserve friendly relations between Ferndale and the Green Acres Community of Detroit. Other issues are increased code enforcement and exploring ways to adequately fund ALL city services.
As a novice to political campaigning, I have become aware of how misconceptions can result from a misinterpretation of one's ideas. Rumors and false assumptions circulated throughout the community after I replied to a general question posed to me by a newspaper reporter. My reference was to the loss of 30 percent of our school age population in the past ten years. In no way was my answer meant as an anti-gay statement. Families with children is not, in my mind, a code phrase for homophobia. Gay individuals and couples have children too and all types of families with children are welcomed by me into our community and our schools. I merely voiced a concern about the plight of Ferndale's school system. Reduced student population results in significantly reduced state funding for our schools.
I am a plain-spoken person. Code words and phrases are NOT part of my vocabulary. As a person of color, I have experienced prejudice, bigotry and discrimination. Having been a victim of these immoral attitudes and practices, I long ago made a decision never to engage in such thoughts and behaviors but rather to view others as I wish to be viewed, which is, to quote Dr. Martin Luther King, "by the content of one's character."
Joe Trice
Ferndale City Councilman
