Caro write-in mayoral candidate: ‘It’s time for a change’
Joe Greene is running for mayor of Caro with hopes of bringing a “Yes we can” attitude to living and doing business in the city – an approach he says begins with elected officials, is missing, and holds the area back.
“It’s time for a change,” Greene said. “I want to change the attitude here to ‘Yes we can.’” Greene, a Caro City Council member for the last 10 years, filed the necessary paperwork Monday to run as a write-in candidate. He faces incumbent Dick Pouliot – who was elected mayor several years ago.
Greene’s filing came four days before the deadline and a whirlwind month centered on a $1.2 million project that had been in the works for downtown Caro. The project developer pulled the plug on the rum microdistillery-based project last week, citing a negative reception from elected officials.
Greene, however, said he was supportive of the project.
He cast one of two “yes” votes on Sept. 19, when the council voted against recommending the project receive the necessary liquor licenses from the state.
Greene consistently pointed out in subsequent meetings that the council didn’t need exact details several members sought this early – that all the developer needed was their recommendation for the liquor licenses and that the city could tackle issues such as zoning and wastewater management down the line.
And as The Advertiser reported Oct. 19, he accused fellow elected officials of discrimination against the business, overstepping its bounds, and colluding to effectively kill the project. He blamed council for the resignations of former Caro City Manager Jared Olson and former Caro Downtown Development Authority Chairman Michael Bauerschmidt.
Greene said he decided to run for mayor as a write-in candidate after an outpouring of support that came as more people became aware of how he took a stand.
“A lot of people were asking me and I was thinking about it, too,” Greene told The Advertiser after officially filing Monday. (Read more)
(This story originally appeared in the Oct. 26, 2016 print edition of The Tuscola County Advertiser and can be read online in its entirety here.)
