Jim Carson Announces Bid for Dexter Village Presidency

With a firm desire to continue serving the residents of the Village of Dexter, Trustee Jim Carson has formally announced his bid for village president in the November general election.

"My interest in local government arose from a desire to positively affect the quality of life in our community. I believe that our community is a better place to live because of my past leadership during the last nine years as a village councilman, planning commissioner, and community leader," Carson said in a written statement Sunday.

Carson, who was elected to the village council in 2003, said he's had aspirations to seek the presidency for several years.

"All of my government and community involvement has been intended to be a stepping stone toward the village's top elected post," he said. "I am running because I think that the time is right, and I have a passion for good government and the energy for public service."

Carson said since January he's held several discussions with village residents about his decision to seek office. If elected, he said his goal is to provide more opportunities to involve the public prior to council decisions.

"The No. 1 goal I would like to accomplish in my four years as village president would be to provide a greater opportunity for residents to participate in the decision making process regarding where we spend their money, future infrastructure, and what their streets look like," he said. "I plan to start a door-to-door campaign this week with the desire, as time allows, to visit with each resident more than once between now and November. I would be interested to hear what our residents would like to see the village look like in the coming years."

As a trustee, Carson said he feels that the village council has done a good job planning for growth and development in the community.

"I believe this council has done a good job in the past, but we have not engaged the public as much as we should have," he said citing . "The continued growth of the village will be in commercial and industrial development. We've done a good job positioning ourselves in that area."

An example is the new that will break ground later this year on Baker Road.

"The wellness center is a fantastic $9 million investment in our community. I think we could have done a better job communicating with the residents whose property adjoins the construction site what to expect," Carson said. "One individual came home and some of his trees were gone. My feeling is, notify the residents upfront and show them exactly what the landscape would look like."

Other goals include planning for a regional fire department and new village offices, he said.

Carson is currently the only village candidate to file paperwork for the November ballot. President Shawn Keough is also up for re-election. Candidates for the Dexter Village Council have until 4 p.m. Aug. 14 to file with the Scio Township Clerk's Office.

Carson is a graduate of Cleary University and Eastern Michigan University, and owns and operates A & D Business Machines in Ann Arbor. In addition to the village council, Carson serves as president of the Board of Directors, president of the Western-Wastenaw Area Value Express Board of Directors, and chairman of the Wastenaw Area Transportation Study Policy Committee. He is also a member of the .

Carson resides in the village with his wife Susan. For more information, visit www.voteforJimCarson.com or email jcarson@villageofdexter.org.