Time for Change is Now, Farmington Candidate Greg Sako Says

For Greg Sako, a 20-year resident of Farmington, the time to make a lasting change in the city is now. One of eight candidates seeking three vacant seats on the city council, he believes there is no more time to waste.

“We’re at a critical phase at this point,” Sako said. “Budgeting, the needs of the city and its residents…we’re at a crossroad.”

With a degree in business management and 28 years of experience in banking and finance, as well as 20 years in law enforcement, Sako’s top priority for Farmington is fiscal viability.

“We have to look at our revenue streams and stay within our means and look at ways to attract businesses,” said Sako, who believes that a strong business base is key to the city’s financial stability.

“We’ve got a lovely downtown,” he said. “We need to develop businesses down here.”

Great schools, walkability and a community feel are unique to Farmington, he added, and are an asset to prospective businesses.

“A lot of cities can’t offer a community like that,” Sako said. “People are going out, people are spending money, but how do we get them here and how do we leverage our historic nature?”

While Farmington has a lot to offer, there are things that can be done in order to improve the city’s image and its offerings, according to Sako.

Sako cites the Maxfield Training Center as a perfect example of a site that could be redeveloped. Another initiative would be to allow a walkway to and tie in the park to the downtown area, in order to create foot traffic.

Creating more parking would also help make Farmington more marketable, Sako said.

“We need parking; we lose opportunities because of no parking,” he said. While the cost of building a parking structure may be prohibitive right now, Sako wants to look at all options to incrementally increase parking spaces throughout the downtown area.

One of the biggest challenges he sees ahead will be changing people’s opinions about what should be done.

“Everybody has preconceived notions of what we’re doing,” Sako said. “Everybody is going to have ideas. Let’s look at the master plan and figure out if it’s an accurate representation of what we need.”

Another priority would be to determine whether Farmington can share even more services with Farmington Hills.

“I am a big fan of shared services,” said Sako, who added that combining marketing efforts of certain events and sharing purchasing services are good places to start.

“Every line item must be reviewed,” said Sako.

This is Sako’s first run for political office. He is currently self-employed as a consultant.

Sako is running against seven other candidates for three vacant seats on the council: Greg Cowley, Bill Galvin, Kevin Giannini, Kristin Kuiken, incumbent JoAnne McShane, Sean Murphy 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, November 8, 2011.