Well everyone
Everyday there are more and more things happening. Today my campaign treasurer, strategist and wife, told me that the article the Livonia Observer was going to run which listed the candidates that they were endorsing came out. The very first photo and name listed was 'Lucas McGrail'. So I have made their 'elite 8' for the primary election in September. If I win and move on to the 'Fab 4' I will have to work even harder to gain their endorsement again for the general election.
See the link below to read the on line article that ran in today's paper. Thank you for your continued support and with your encouragement I will be the next member of Livonia city council.
http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090820/NEWS10/908200550/1027/news10/Here+are+our+picks+for+City+Council+primary
Friday, August 21, 2009
Livonia City Council candidates take aim at issues
On August 12th I participated in the League of Women voters forum which was held in the council chamber at Livonia City Hall. It was a town hall format and consisted of 10 of the 11 candidates for the council. We were given a 1 minute opening remark, were given 1 minute to respond to questions that were asked by the audience, and a 2 minute closing remarks.
I must be honest and say that I really enjoyed myself and felt like I was right at home. I thought that the LWV's conducted a very through and comprehensive event and that it was a great opportunity to get some air time on local cable. Afterwards I have about a dozen people come up and tell me that I did a great job and that I had earned their support. What a great night.
Below you will find the link to the Livonia Observer's website which summarized the forum and listed 3 of the 10 or so questions asked of the candidates. Thank you to everyone for their continued support. I strongly believe that if interest continues in this manner, I will win the primary and be a strong contender for the general in November.
http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090818/NEWS10/308180004/1027/Livonia-City-Council-candidates-take-aim-at-issues
I must be honest and say that I really enjoyed myself and felt like I was right at home. I thought that the LWV's conducted a very through and comprehensive event and that it was a great opportunity to get some air time on local cable. Afterwards I have about a dozen people come up and tell me that I did a great job and that I had earned their support. What a great night.
Below you will find the link to the Livonia Observer's website which summarized the forum and listed 3 of the 10 or so questions asked of the candidates. Thank you to everyone for their continued support. I strongly believe that if interest continues in this manner, I will win the primary and be a strong contender for the general in November.
http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090818/NEWS10/308180004/1027/Livonia-City-Council-candidates-take-aim-at-issues
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Chamber of Commerce - Candidate Interviews
On August 10th, our candidate was interviewed by the Livonia Chamber of Commerce. He was asked two questions about the election which were:
1) Knowing there is going to be reduced revenue, what are you willing to do with the City budget and how will that affect attracting businesses to Livonia?
2) What difference can you make as a member of the Livonia City Council?
If you use this link to the Chamber of Commerce's website to view all the candidates you can listen to what our candidate had to say in response to these questions. Feel free to view all the candidates as well to see how our candidate measures up.
www.livonia.org/candidates.asp
Thank you for your continued support. Speramus Meliora.
1) Knowing there is going to be reduced revenue, what are you willing to do with the City budget and how will that affect attracting businesses to Livonia?
2) What difference can you make as a member of the Livonia City Council?
If you use this link to the Chamber of Commerce's website to view all the candidates you can listen to what our candidate had to say in response to these questions. Feel free to view all the candidates as well to see how our candidate measures up.
www.livonia.org/candidates.asp
Thank you for your continued support. Speramus Meliora.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Meeting with Livonia's Finest – 07/28/09
Good evening supporters.
On July 28th, I was invited to meet with the senior leadership of the Livonia Police Department.
I was a very interesting and enlightening meeting with Livonia's finest. At 10am, I was welcomed in to the Livonia police headquarters by Police chief Stevenson, Deputy chief Caid as well as their four divisional captains. What can I say about such a pleasant and jovial group of law enforcement professionals? They were pleasant, friendly and extremely polite.
Chief Stevenson and I hit it off right away, perhaps because we are both UD Titans or perhaps its because neither of us have time for baloney. I found that trait to be present with his deputy as well as his captains. We spent over an hour talking about their current successes, their recent history as well as their future improvements and what the law enforcement community sees as the challenges facing their department and the city of Livonia both now and in the future.
After our meeting, two of the divisional captains gave me a full tour of their campus and complex; a complete 'behind the scenes' tour. After seeing their complex from the inside out, I arrived at two inescapable conclusions. First, Livonia PD is clearly one of the top five suburban law enforcement agencies. Their staff, resources and equipment is so extensive, that I believe it could rival a city of four times the size. Second, their headquarters is grossly inadequate for the challenges that will be facing them in the 21st century. Despite the increasing loss and depletion of resources, the LPD is continuing their mission of providing the same level of community safety that Livonians have come to expect. They have continued to foster an atmosphere of inter-department cooperation and community crossovers with neighboring communities. It was my extreme pleasure to meet this law enforcement juggernaut however what I found disturbing, what I found inexcusable was the general condition of their headquarters. Their building, made up of three smaller buildings was most definitely not up to the task of providing for the demands of the 21st century peace officer, the LPD should be commended for their ability to adapt to the inadequate condition of the headquarters without sacrificing performance and professionalism. The reason I say that conditions there are inadequate is because for a top notch law enforcement agency, LPD is forced to deal with a complex which has a leaky basement, fractured and disjointed work stations, poor building flow and arrangement, leaky roofs, and a crumbling front entry plaza. They suffer and endure an outmoded and antiquated facility while tens of thousands of dollars are needlessly wasted due to inefficiency or poor management of city resources.
This shows me a complete lack of prioritizing key and critical issues facing the city and these poor management practices must stop. The LPD is the top public service department within the city, if the working and physical conditions of their headquarters is any indication of other departments such as LFD or the DPW, then there is most certainly something wrong with the management of the aforementioned city resources, which has nothing to do with budgetary issues or shortfalls but rather deficient city management.
I would like to thank Chief Stevenson, Deputy Chief Caid and their divisional captains for their time, input and in-depth tour of their facility. They are a terrific group of professionals and I hope that as Livonia's next city council member I will have the opportunity to work with them in the future.
Thank you for your continued interest. Speramus Meliora (we hope for better things).
On July 28th, I was invited to meet with the senior leadership of the Livonia Police Department.
I was a very interesting and enlightening meeting with Livonia's finest. At 10am, I was welcomed in to the Livonia police headquarters by Police chief Stevenson, Deputy chief Caid as well as their four divisional captains. What can I say about such a pleasant and jovial group of law enforcement professionals? They were pleasant, friendly and extremely polite.
Chief Stevenson and I hit it off right away, perhaps because we are both UD Titans or perhaps its because neither of us have time for baloney. I found that trait to be present with his deputy as well as his captains. We spent over an hour talking about their current successes, their recent history as well as their future improvements and what the law enforcement community sees as the challenges facing their department and the city of Livonia both now and in the future.
After our meeting, two of the divisional captains gave me a full tour of their campus and complex; a complete 'behind the scenes' tour. After seeing their complex from the inside out, I arrived at two inescapable conclusions. First, Livonia PD is clearly one of the top five suburban law enforcement agencies. Their staff, resources and equipment is so extensive, that I believe it could rival a city of four times the size. Second, their headquarters is grossly inadequate for the challenges that will be facing them in the 21st century. Despite the increasing loss and depletion of resources, the LPD is continuing their mission of providing the same level of community safety that Livonians have come to expect. They have continued to foster an atmosphere of inter-department cooperation and community crossovers with neighboring communities. It was my extreme pleasure to meet this law enforcement juggernaut however what I found disturbing, what I found inexcusable was the general condition of their headquarters. Their building, made up of three smaller buildings was most definitely not up to the task of providing for the demands of the 21st century peace officer, the LPD should be commended for their ability to adapt to the inadequate condition of the headquarters without sacrificing performance and professionalism. The reason I say that conditions there are inadequate is because for a top notch law enforcement agency, LPD is forced to deal with a complex which has a leaky basement, fractured and disjointed work stations, poor building flow and arrangement, leaky roofs, and a crumbling front entry plaza. They suffer and endure an outmoded and antiquated facility while tens of thousands of dollars are needlessly wasted due to inefficiency or poor management of city resources.
This shows me a complete lack of prioritizing key and critical issues facing the city and these poor management practices must stop. The LPD is the top public service department within the city, if the working and physical conditions of their headquarters is any indication of other departments such as LFD or the DPW, then there is most certainly something wrong with the management of the aforementioned city resources, which has nothing to do with budgetary issues or shortfalls but rather deficient city management.
I would like to thank Chief Stevenson, Deputy Chief Caid and their divisional captains for their time, input and in-depth tour of their facility. They are a terrific group of professionals and I hope that as Livonia's next city council member I will have the opportunity to work with them in the future.
Thank you for your continued interest. Speramus Meliora (we hope for better things).
Sunday, August 2, 2009
From League of Women Voters voter guide
Here is what the League of Women Voters posted about me in their 2009 voters guide. Please take a read and use the link to view what other candidates are saying.
http://www.lwvnww.org/files/vg_9-09_livonia.pdf
Lucas C. McGrail
Old Rosedale, Livonia, MI 48150
Lucas McGrail was born in rural Pitston, ME & grew up onDetroit's east side. He received a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from UD Mercy & is no novice to the structure of city politics or to what is required to build and grow a community. He has 11 years of professional experience in architecture, design, construction administration and project management. His experience in the architectural community and construction industry has allowed him to develop a vast array of tools and skills that will allow him to contribute to the community in a positive manner, which he wishes to bring to city council and afford them the opportunity to benefit from this knowledge. Accessibility and openness is a unique and important aspect of his campaign and political philosophy.He is available at any time to discuss his views and his short and long-term goals for Livonia. He uses logic, honesty and reason to solve complex and difficult issues.
Priorities
Management of city resources - There are many city resources that have been poorly managed, examples can be found in shutter, city owned properties such as Hull & Rosedale Elementary. There must be debate regarding proper management & care for these surplus, but valuable, properties as well as discussions of viable options for reuse.
Execution of city planning & land development -During the last several years, different proposals have come before the city council regarding development &redevelopment of new & existing properties but nearly all of them have been incomplete and did not address issues such as developer dictated city planning and impact to the existing infrastructure &environment. I would demand higher & more comprehensive standards from developers in order to ensure that the city council is making the best informed decisions. I would also work to make components of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards part of every development proposal.
Economic growth for Livonia - The current economic climate seemingly took Livonia's leaders by surprise,even though it shouldn't have. Current leaders have been reactive to the economic climate and not proactive. I would make sure that the city becomes proactive by utilizing all resources at its disposal to ensure proper economic growth.
http://www.lwvnww.org/files/vg_9-09_livonia.pdf
Lucas C. McGrail
Old Rosedale, Livonia, MI 48150
Lucas McGrail was born in rural Pitston, ME & grew up onDetroit's east side. He received a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from UD Mercy & is no novice to the structure of city politics or to what is required to build and grow a community. He has 11 years of professional experience in architecture, design, construction administration and project management. His experience in the architectural community and construction industry has allowed him to develop a vast array of tools and skills that will allow him to contribute to the community in a positive manner, which he wishes to bring to city council and afford them the opportunity to benefit from this knowledge. Accessibility and openness is a unique and important aspect of his campaign and political philosophy.He is available at any time to discuss his views and his short and long-term goals for Livonia. He uses logic, honesty and reason to solve complex and difficult issues.
Priorities
Management of city resources - There are many city resources that have been poorly managed, examples can be found in shutter, city owned properties such as Hull & Rosedale Elementary. There must be debate regarding proper management & care for these surplus, but valuable, properties as well as discussions of viable options for reuse.
Execution of city planning & land development -During the last several years, different proposals have come before the city council regarding development &redevelopment of new & existing properties but nearly all of them have been incomplete and did not address issues such as developer dictated city planning and impact to the existing infrastructure &environment. I would demand higher & more comprehensive standards from developers in order to ensure that the city council is making the best informed decisions. I would also work to make components of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards part of every development proposal.
Economic growth for Livonia - The current economic climate seemingly took Livonia's leaders by surprise,even though it shouldn't have. Current leaders have been reactive to the economic climate and not proactive. I would make sure that the city becomes proactive by utilizing all resources at its disposal to ensure proper economic growth.
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