Politics & Government

Dearborn Council Candidate: 'Let's Fill Downtown Businesses'

Dearborn Patch will profile candidates running for office in the Aug. 6 city primary.

Editor's note: All nine elective offices in Dearborn are on the primary ballot — mayor, clerk and all seven city council seats. There are five candidates for mayor, three for clerk and 21 for council. Dearborn Patch will run profiles of candidates seeking the office of mayor, city clerk, and city council leading up to the Aug. 6 primary election.

Today we feature candidate Steven Guibord.

Candidate: Steven John Guibord

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Office sought: City Council

Occupation: Local business owner

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Education: Divine Child, Albion College (B.A.) major in economics and management, Covidien Healthcare Executive Leadership Development program.

Family: Son of Candice Prechowski and Jerome Guibord; nephew to former Dearborn Police Chief Greg Guibord. I have never been married and God has not gifted me with children yet. I have two pugs, female named Stella and male named Tobi. 

Previous elected office: I have never ran or campaigned for elected office. I have always been selected by my peers as captain on the athletic fields in high school/college or management in corporate America.

Current public service: West Dearborn Downtown Development Authority, Design Review, Parking Advisory, former city beautification commissioner, Board of Directors Dearborn Goodfellows, ambassador Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce, Dearborn Rotary Club, Stepping Up for MS charity, friend and supporter to the Dearborn Animal Shelter.

What are two key issues in Dearborn?

1) How to increase property values.

2) How to maintain the high standards that we have known and loved about Dearborn.

How will you address these issues?

1) Dearborn is still feeling the economic impact of the recent recession. Property values, while improving, are still not to pre-recession levels. To increase property values Dearborn needs to market the city better on a state, regional and national level.

We have ample open office space in the city and there is undeveloped land that can be utilized to support this effort. We need to bring in complementary businesses to the local manufacturing base, for example new computer, IT, and technical facilities.

To facilitate this we need to redevelop both downtown districts with key businesses and attractions that will renovate Dearborn's image and improve marketability.

Marketing and branding both districts are key to this endeavor. Thriving districts will have a ripple effect to the neighborhoods and the synergy will be felt improving property values.  

2) In my strategic plan, I have outlined five key points to the future of the city. I believe these points are important to continuing the high standards that we love about Dearborn. Strengthening our neighborhood associations is one of these points. We can achieve this by encouraging involvement through the creation of new programs that will empower citizens with information.

An extension of this would be more city council interaction with these programs and the neighborhood associations by tying their compensation with meeting attendance. I believe communication is key to solving this issue as well as others the city faces.


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