Traverse City Record-Eagle

Election 2011

October 30, 2011

Our view: TC needs Mike Estes

Their reasons for running for mayor of Traverse City are about as different as they are — and another reason to support Michael Estes.

Ask Ralph Soffredine why he's running and what you'll hear is that he was ready to retire until he found out Estes, who was mayor from 2007 to 2009, was running again. And he didn't want that. Soffredine said Estes is "not a team leader" and acknowledges the two "crossed swords" in the past.

As he was four years ago, though, Estes is all business — changing the culture of city government, realigning how city resources are allocated and investing in city infrastructure.

Estes made a good start on those goals back in 2007, when he led an effort to eliminate a 1 percent "administrative fee" on city taxes and then pushed to increase spending on infrastructure from a paltry $100,000 or so a year to more than $1 million. The savings that made the switch possible came mostly through attrition — no layoffs — and changing spending priorities.

Now, Estes wants to continue what he started, including shifting even more money — as much as $2 million a year, he says — into continued infrastructure work on streets and sidewalks. That work was a big hit with neighborhood groups and he believes even more can and should be done. He also wants to see more contributions to city projects from Traverse City Light & Power.

There's no doubt Soffredine is dedicated to the city. He was police chief and fire chief and has worked with a host of other groups. But being well liked is no substitute for a vision for change.

Outgoing Mayor Chris Bzdok, who decided not to run after a two-year term, picked up right where Estes left off in 2009, and now the city needs Estes to come back and continue the job. There are tough economic times ahead, and the city must continue to prepare for them.

That means making smart, tough choices and having someone willing to take the lead. That leader is Mike Estes.

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