Candidate Q&A: Highland Supervisor Candidate Donna Gundle-Krieg

To kick off election coverage, White Lake-Highland Patch has sent out a survey to candidates running for office in White Lake and Highland. The following is the Q&A response from Highland Supervisor candidate Donna Gundle-Krieg who is running for the open seat in the Aug. 7 primary.

Patch: How long have you lived in Highland?

Gundle-Krieg: I have lived in Highland for 16 years.

Patch: What community and civic organizations are you currently involved in?

Gundle-Krieg: Currently I am involved in leadership activities at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, and work as a Master Gardener helping to plant community gardens in areas of poverty and blight. I also have been coordinating the adoption of all of our township roads, as litter is one of my pet peeves!

In the recent past, I have had leadership roles in my subdivision, at the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, West Highland Christian Academy, and many other groups.

Patch: What drew you to run for Supervisor?

Gundle-Krieg: I love a challenge and feel that I am the best person to rebuild staff and community relationships after many long term officials and employees retire.  

I have always loved politics, and been involved in town hall issues. At one time, I was a partner for a website called Highland-Live.com, which followed Highland township politics and activities. We engaged over 1000 unique readers and politicians each week. I now write about politics on a state and national level, but remain very passionate about Highland.

Patch: What personal and professional experiences make you qualified to hold that position?

Gundle-Krieg: Highland Township will undergo major personnel changes after the election. My professional human resource experience at the University of Michigan will help me to set expectations and positive goals to develop dynamic teams.

As a political journalist, I have been trained to question government decisions. As a township supervisor, I will continue to encourage passionate discussion. I will also work to improve communications among all township entities, and to the taxpayers, who are the township's customers.

My leadership style is to set the example by being passionate about serving the people. I will listen to and consider the thoughts of the employees, taxpayers, and members of government entities.

In addition, I am an advocate for what is right. I have strong community ties, but do not represent any special interests.

Patch: What is the most important issue facing the township and what do you intend to do about it during your term in office?

Gundle-Krieg: Highland Township’s top priority is building a positive and dynamic new staff to serve the taxpayers. My professional human resource experience will help me to set expectations and positive goals for employees during a major turnover. 

This rebuilding will require communication and passionate debate from the board, and between other government entities. My specialty is effective two-way communications, and I will always be available to residents, business owners, and employees.

If we can properly manage the people and build excellent relationships between township hall and the taxpayers, the issues will take care of themselves!

Patch: How do you plan to address the vacant buildings in Highland including the former Highland Middle School building?

Gundle-Krieg: The best way to attract new small business is for the government to get out of the way. Business owners tell me that the biggest obstacles to their success is overly restrictive ordinances. I would like to see the DDA and other business owners become more active in giving feedback while these ordinances are being reviewed and updated. As far as Highland Middle School, that belongs to the taxpayers and not the school district. So I would like to see it retained as some sort of community center, particularly for seniors who needs more space. However, the building does have a high maintenance cost, so there has to be a lot of creative funding to figure out how that would happen.

Patch: What is your vision for Highland Township, where do you see the township in 10 or even 20 years, and what does the township need to do now to realize that vision?

Gundle-Krieg: The majority of Highland residents have expressed the desire to maintain Highland’s rural nature. I share that vision.

However, we should be able to keep Highland natural while supporting the small business community. Businesses help our tax base and our property values.

I envision a healthy downtown area with more community events as well as small shops and restaurants filling the vacant buildings. We need to have a strong and active Downtown Development Authority (DDA) with a good working relationship with the Township Board.