Michael Embry

 

Q: What inspired you to run for this position?

A: I’ve seen continual problems in the city — retail down, home values down, street problems and infrastructure problems that no one seems to address. We’ve been let down, and this whole procedure is the citizens. They have no input. They have no more involvement. When you talk to people, you know they have legitimate concerns, and if your alderman or mayor is not acting on your concerns, then we have a problem.

 

Q: What is the most important change that needs to happen in this community? 

A: Image. We need to accentuate the positive and forget the negative because the negative is always going to be there. It is going to be multi-year battle to rebuild that and bring the town and university together. To stop this bickering back and forth and animosity and say, ‘OK, we are one, let’s work together. ‘

I, as mayor, will implement a residency requirement for workers in the city. If you can’t live in the city, we are going to have to find workers that will live in the city because now you are part of our solution and the problem. If you get in your car and drive away, you don’t really know what goes on. You’re then out of the community. We need faculty to live on campus so they are part of our community, and they would understand it.