Romulus mayor reports progress in every city department
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| Mayor Robert McCraight |
McCraight presented his 2023 State of the City address last month from the Romulus High School auditorium before an audience crowded with mayors from neighboring communities, county and state officials and community residents. Following the pledge of allegiance led by several local Girl Scouts and the presentation of the colors by the honor guard, City Clerk Ellen Craig Bragg sang the national anthem. McCraight was then introduced by his Chief of Staff Julie Wojtylko who noted that McCraight is always focused on doing the right thing for the residents of the city. She said he is a man who “exemplifies leadership and understands the implications and responsibility of being the mayor.”
McCraight, serving his first term, told the crowd that his goal was to take the city to the next level and to accomplish that goal he needed detail people whom he could trust and that Wojtylko was the type of detail person who was a huge asset to his administration and the community. McCraight praised the leadership of every department in the city, noting the accomplishments of each of them and the state and local honors awarded to several department leaders as he reported the accomplishments of each department during the past 12 months.
“Romulus is the gateway to Michigan,” McCraight told the crowd “and the first impression of the state is our community. We are trying to raise that bar up right now working with our elected officials and dignitaries.” He stressed the importance of communication with both state and county officials and neighboring communities in an effort to ensure that “they know who we are.” In meetings with SEMCOG (Southeast Michigan Council of Governments) and the Michigan Municipal League as examples, he said the city has five people in the room explaining that Romulus is regionally significant. He noted the participation of Romulus in multiple local and county organizations all working to enhance the area.
“This is regional,” McCraight said. “We are all in this together. A win for Romulus is a win for Taylor is a win for Huron.” Developers don't look at borders, they look strategically at what makes sense for them to invest.” McCraight said an example of that mutual benefit is major events in Detroit. He said there is often a lack of hotels which often results in Romulus hotels “at 100 percent occupied.”
The core values of his administration, McCraight said, remain integrity; transparency; solution orientation, an endeavor to improve and simplify processes and inclusive service. He spoke about each of those values during his address, citing examples from every city department as evidence of the dedication to those values. He added that rather than “fluffy” answers his administration takes pride in transparency. “We're not hiding from challenges,” he said. “We're going to tell you what's going on. We will always give you an honest answer to an honest question. It may not be the answer you want to hear, but we're going to be transparent the whole way through,” he said.
One of those challenges, McCraight said, remains the impact of the train derailment in Ohio and the subsequent shipping hazardous waste to the deep-water injection well in the city for disposal. “I'm the fifth mayor to be opposed to this well” he said, in reference to efforts to protect the community including his testifying before the Michigan House Oversight Committee on Toxic Waste in Lansing.
Another concern McCraight addressed was the current funding of the 34th District Court located in Romulus while serving five area communities. “The construction of the new court did not cost the city,” he said. “That building came in on time and under budget. The financial difficulties at the court have not been caused by construction of the new building.” He said the court representatives and officials from the five communities were discussing solutions to the funding of the court. “This is not just a Romulus issue,” he said, noting that court funding is a statewide issue.
McCraight addressed the lack of large retailers in the city and noted that the city had hired outside help to demonstrate the financial opportunities for large companies in the community. He explained that with access to Meijer and WalMart within minutes of Romulus, the large retailers were not inclined to add another store within the immediate area. He said the city would continue to talk to the larger retailers and will continue to “redefine, remarket and retell our story,” in efforts to bring franchises to Romulus.
The mayor explained the difficulty the current system of road financing imposes on communities. He said that when the city receives funding for roads, 76 percent is spent on laborers, materials, trucks, fuel and equipment leaving only about 24 percent to actually fund road repairs. “It costs about $1 million to replace 1 mile of road,” he said, noting that there are 40 miles of roads in the city.
McCraight also discussed the difficulty in hiring and retaining first responders in the community, noting that, too, is a state problem with some communities offering bonuses to entice applicants. Later in his address, he thanked the residents for the overwhelming approval of a police and fire millage with a 73.7 percent favorable vote. He said the vote was evidence of the value the community placed on public safety. He said that without public safety, nearly every aspect of a community fails. Without strong public safety, he said, developers do not want to put money into the community and people do not want to live where they do not feel safe.
McCraight continued his detailed address presenting specifics from every department in the community, noting the accomplishments of each and crediting each department leader. He explained the importance of the One Vision project which met with residents to determine the specific needs and attitudes of the entire community. David Beurle of Future IQ, the company which facilitated the meetings, said during a taped presentation that while the world is struggling with diversity, it seemed naturally homogenous in Romulus. “It comes together as one community, a deep social fabric people want to protect,” he commented.
The mayor repeated that the goals outlined for his administration were not his goals, but those of the entire community and the residents.
As he neared the conclusion of his detailed address, he noted that the city had been successful in obtaining $7.6 million in grant funding which had paid for public safety equipment and personnel and many other projects not funded from the city general budget.
He discussed in length the number of major developments and new businesses in the city and the efforts to make establishing a small business or a major development or corporation in the community as uncomplicated as possible. Developers at the huge NorthPoint project noted that when they call, “the mayor answers the phone.” Small businesses, too, noted the accessibility of help and the feeling of partnership the city provided them.
McCraight also noted that he had recently been selected for a Taubman Fellowship at the Harvard University Kennedy School which will be attended by his peers from across the county. The fellowship will allow him to bring newfound knowledge to the community and expand the city regional presence, noted Amy O'Leary, SEMCOG secretary.
“This is a great honor and I am excited to tell our story,” McCraight said as he ended his address with a tribute to his wife and family.
(Editor's note: McCraight's entire address is available on Facebook.)
