Farmington Candidate Sean Murphy Will Seek Business Incentives

Sean Murphy is the youngest candidate running this year for a seat on the Farmington city council. Yet, as a lifelong resident of the city, he is passionate about his hometown’s future and eager to “give back.”

Murphy, 30, a graduate of Farmington schools – Flanders Elementary School, and – is unhappy with the fact that many of his friends have left town and wants to find ways to make the city viable and attractive.

“I really like Farmington and the small town atmosphere,” Murphy said. “It’s nice to have an opportunity to invest in a place that gave so much to me.”

While Murphy praised some of the initiatives that have already enhanced downtown Farmington, such as the , he says that a lot more needs to be done.

“The pavilion created a unique character for the city and became a central hub of the town,” said Murphy.

If elected, Murphy’s top priority would be to find incentives to attract new businesses and populate storefronts in the downtown area. He would like to see a Whole Foods or a Trader Joe’s, or other unique retailers move into town.

“There has to be ways to entice businesses with subsidies,” Murphy said. He added that improving Farmington’s marketing efforts, as well as adding more parking, would also help fill vacancies. “I would put all reasonable alternatives on the table,” he said.

One such alternative would be to revisit the downtown master plan that was developed in 2004.

“That plan had some great ideas for the downtown,” Murphy said. “I would like to see some of those ideas come to fruition.”

Armed with an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in Organizational Studies, and a law degree from Wayne State University, Murphy is confident he has what it takes to make a difference in his beloved city. He is eager to get to know and work with all the players in town, especially members of the (DDA) board, to implement his agenda.

One of the challenges he sees is a shaky economy that continues to force municipalities to trim their budgets. To that end, Murphy wants to find new ways to share services with Farmington Hills. However, he is not in favor of merging the two entities.

“I would love to keep Farmington separate because it has its own distinct character and history,” Murphy said. “I would certainly want to look at any proposal to increase shared services."

Currently, the two cities share the , , special services for youth and seniors, and more.

In addition to his love for politics, Murphy is a “Detroit sports fan.” He likes music, attending concerts and being “married to Farmington.”

Murphy is running for one of three open seats, against seven other candidates: Greg Cowley, Bill Galvin, Kevin Giannini, Kristin Kuiken, incumbent JoAnne McShane, Greg Sako and Jeffrey Taylor.

Council member David Wright has withdrawn his name from the ballot.

Candidates who receive the two highest vote totals pick up four-year terms; the third highest vote total gets a two-year term. Elections will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011.