Five candidates seeking seats in Belleville City Council election Nov. 5

Belleville Mayor Kerreen Conley is seeking her third, four-year term as mayor in the Nov. 5 election – and she’s running unopposed.
Conley, 52, has been married to Jeff Conley for almost 23 years and they have two sons, Austin, 15, and Carson, almost 12. They live at 629 Light Tower Dr., in Harbour Pointe subdivision.
Conley is Human Resources Manager for Canton Township. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a Master of Human Resources degree in Organizational Development.
She served a four-year term on the city council from 2001-05 and was appointed to fill an unexpired term on the council in 2007. She has been mayor for almost eight years.
Conley serves as vice chairperson of the Conference of Western Wayne County (CWW) and is a member of the Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority program committee.
“I have a passion for the Southeastern Michigan Boys and Girls Club Advisory Board and am an avid fund raiser supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and several local groups,” she said.
She is an endurance athlete and enjoys watching her children’s latest sports, supporting her community and its schools, and traveling when time permits.
When asked why she is running for mayor, Conley said:
“I am running for mayor for the City of Belleville for a third term. I have loved serving the City of Belleville. As I reflected back on the reasons I ran in the past, I am proud to know that the very things I held close were things that we as a community accomplished. I ran to preserve the very services our community was built on which included the District Library and keeping it downtown. What an incredible addition to the tri-community found in the heart of the city.
“I ran to protect the financial integrity that the city has worked hard to build. Many communities around the state continue to live within the means of their budgets and provide services especially with declining revenues. This will continue to be a challenge for our community, meeting the growing capital improvement and equipment demands have reached a point in which new avenues need to be explored and I am committed to doing just that. The city will be faced with some hard decisions in the coming years to meet the needs of public safety, which is vital to our community. All of the taxes that the city captures in the city do not cover the costs of our police and fire operations, let alone capital.
“It is a time of transition and transformation in our city and I could not be more excited for what lies ahead. There is development going on that this city has longed for, there are new businesses, new faces and a renewed energy that will help to drive our community in a forward direction.
“There will be key positions in the city that will be vacated in this next term of office and that provides an opportunity to re-evaluate top leadership positions and ensure that new employees are aligned to take hold of the momentum that can be felt in our downtown and working to ensure that it continues. There are many things that still remain to be accomplished and I look forward to getting them done.
“It is an exciting time in this beautiful city I call home. I look forward to the years ahead,” Conley concluded.

Two council seats to be filled
The terms for council seats now filled by Jack Loria and Tom Smith are expiring. Loria said he will seek re-election and Smith said he wouldn’t.
Filing to fill those two seats are Loria, Kelly Bates, and Ken Voigt. Aafrika Poole has filed as a write-in candidate.

Jack Loria
Jack Loria, 73, 118 S. Edgemont St., is present Mayor Pro Tem of the Belleville City Council and he is seeking reelection to the council. He has lived in the city for 71 years.
Jack is married to Rosemary Loria and they have a son Michael and daughter Jaclyn. He presently is working as a para-professional for the Van Buren Public Schools.
Loria holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Cleary College.
He served on the city council from 1978 to 1981 and from 2012 to the present. He also was appointed to the planning commission and served 1976-77 and 2002-09.
Loria is a member of the Eagles, St. Anthony Men’s Club, and Moose.
“I am running for a seat on city council to offer my knowledge of the city and community and assist in the transition to a new city manager,” Loria said.
Once elected, “I do not have a personal goal. I have a great working relationship with our current city manager Diana Kollmeyer and hope to continue the relationship with a new city manager for continued growth and prosperity in Belleville.”

Kelly Bates
Kelly Bates, 342 Victorian Ln., is making her second try for a seat on the Belleville City Council. She has been married to Thomas Bates for nine years and they have lived in the city for five years.
Bates serves as Senior Administrative Assistant/Human Resources at the University of Michigan Athletic Department and has her own event planning business. She attended Schoolcraft College.
She presently serves on the city planning commission.
“I have always enjoyed being active and serving in both my community and church. Volunteering has always been a big part of my life as I love to give back! At work I serve as the head of my department’s Health and Wellness committee, receiving the inaugural award for the entire university last year for this effort. At work I also head our Recycling and Sustainability committee and am in charge of employee recognition efforts with an emphasis on ‘FUN.’
“I also enjoy volunteering at local events and helping out wherever I am needed. My husband Tom and I love to travel. We typically travel to Florida about twice a year. Sanibel Island is one of our favorite places we visit as we are both avid sea shellers and love to fish. We travel to Canada as well, about as much as we travel to Florida as I have family that lives there. We also enjoy being active in our community by walking, biking or kayaking. In the summer we like to enjoy Music Lakeside. I am also a big animal lover and have been known to help rescue animals over the past 20 years or so. When I’m not rescuing them I do enjoy watching them while on hikes or when bird/deer watching.
“We also enjoy spending time with our friends and family, sharing a meal and laughs. I am also working on becoming a master gardener. Over the years I have always been connected in my community; I served as the past president of my home owners’ association in Victoria Commons as well as being awarded the Woman of the Year in my previous community for my dedication to residents and moving the city forward. I have also volunteered with the American Cancer Society, Art in the Park Plymouth, United Way, National Kidney Foundation and the Alzheimer’s Association.
“I am running for this office to continue to build upon the groundwork that has been laid by previous residents, council and boards while fostering closer relationships with Belleville’s residents.
“We live in such a special city with a small-town, Hallmark feel to it, rich in history, dedicated residents and traditions. I hope to improve upon current resources and provide new ones and benefits to our residents.
“At the end of each day we are all neighbors. I’d also like to incorporate more ways to be encouraged and engaged through health initiatives for our residents. One of my passions is sustainable living and being conscious of how everything we do and use impacts us. I would like to bring more awareness and education of this, including our recycling program and through community gardens.
“I have had the experience of being a leader, planning, logistics, and being an active participant in meetings, receiving/relaying information to all stakeholders, giving press releases, working on marketing, keeping on target for budgets, branding and all publications involved for each organization I have been involved in all while keeping on deadline.
“Once elected, I look forward to serving with integrity while utilizing my experience with community involvement. While being an integral member of the council team I will continue to talk to residents as well as neighboring communities and businesses about their needs in our community. As the city seal says ‘Quality Living.’ I want to help make decisions with that goal and our residents in mind. Providing the basic services like Police, Fire, utilities, infrastructure, preparedness as well as amenities such as parks and our downtown are important to all of us who live here.
“I think we can be more innovative. I have attended a good majority of the city council meetings since moving here and I see that it isn’t convenient for everyone to attend city council meetings due to work, school, and other reasons and we don’t have the meeting aired on local cable. Exploring how we can change this and have a more engaged city could help to connect our community outside of the very few people who do currently attend meetings.
“I would also like city council to create a more extensive follow-up list and maintain this list online and discuss it at the appropriate meetings with department heads within the city so that residents will be informed of where we stand on items effecting us all. The city has limited resources and staff. We can look at what has always been done and ask and explore the ‘whys’ to see why and where we can improve upon current processes. We can look at possible funding options and/or grants to help our community thrive.
“Also, I would like to see more collaboration between boards, commissions, and committees to work together to strengthen and build our community. It is important to bring us all together to make a thriving city where people from all over will want to come across the bridge and visit Belleville,” Bates concluded.

Kenneth Voigt
Kenneth Voigt, 78 W. Wabash St., is retired. Voigt, 63, has lived in the city for 40 years. He and his wife Peggy have three children: Matt, Sarah and Adam.
This is his first bid for elective office.
He had been appointed to and served on the Belleville Downtown Development Authority, the Belleville Planning Commission, and the Belleville Sign Commission.
Voigt is a member of the Belleville Historical Society, Belleville Area Council for the Arts, and the BYC.
Why is he running for office?
“I have lived in Belleville since 1979. I served on the Belleville Police Department for 25 years including a brief time as acting chief of the department. I served for a total of 18 years on the Downtown Development Authority, 4 years on the planning commission, and 8 years on the sign commission.
“I am very active in the community. I am a member of the Belleville Historical Society and the Belleville Area Council for the Arts. I currently serve as vice-president of the arts council and for the past ten years I have led the committee that produces Music Lakeside, our summer concert series at Horizon Park.
“In the past I have served on the Van Buren Soccer Association as both a coach and a board member, and on the Belleville Strawberry Festival committee. I am running for council because I love our little town and I want to see it thrive.”
As to his goals once he is elected:
“The recent development in the city (the library and the Jones’ project) gives us an unprecedented and long-awaited opportunity to revitalize the area and to realize the potential of our downtown. We have one of the best geographic locations in Southeast Michigan, if not the entire state, and have struggled to capitalize on it. Since our city is land-locked, it is important to maximize our tax base so that we can continue to provide the level of public service that the residents expect and deserve. I will work hard to keep the momentum that we have going. We need to think outside the box in order to have a strategic vision for our community if we want to improve our quality of life.”

Aafrika Broadus Poole
Aafrika Broadus Poole, 41, 235 Main St. has filed as a write-in candidate for city council. She has lived in the city for 16 years and is the mother of three children: Donald C. Poole III, age 16; Kinley Poole, age 11; and Chance Poole, age 9.
She describes her occupation as entrepreneur/philanthropist/educator and lists her education as University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1999. This is her first try for election to public office.
Poole has been active in D3 Cerebral Palsy Foundation, a non-profit organization, where she served as president. She also has been active in Future Vest Women’s Investment Club as Vice President of Education 2014; Michigan Department of Education: Great Start to Quality Blue Star, MiRegistry non-profit child care.
Her hobbies include community organizer for years 2008, 2012, 2019; federal grant writer for years 2003, 2012, 2017-2019; and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Experienced Advisor for Volunteer Services, 2012.
When asked why she is seeking office, she replied:
• “EXPERIENCE: Business ownership for 25+ years and philanthropist 10+ years;
• QUALIFICATIONS: Graduate College General Studies, UM Ross School of Business, College of Communication, College of Psychology; Michigan Department of Education Licensed Substitute Teacher;
• PASSIONATE OVER: Census 2020, Education, Family Tradition, Safe & Secure; Health Care; Environment (neighborhoods);
• NATIVE: City of Belleville homeowner 2003-2019; Born and raised in Saginaw, MI, 1977-1996.
She said her goals, once elected, are to “Work to uphold tradition and nice, clean, healthy Belleville community. Work together as a city council member to continue the good works already set forth by our city mayor and city government. I am a proud voter of Belleville, MI 48111.”

The information about the candidates was written by the candidates in response to an Independent questionnaire.