Rochester Life

Parks Proposal Passes, Walker defeats Berard, Deel and Reyes win Library Board Seats!

Council Seats

In the only contested Rochester Hills City Council race for an At Large seat, incumbent David Walker bested challenger Matthew Berard, 6,289 votes to 5,475.

Walker, whose term would have ended November 14th, 2021 will now serve another 4-year term on City Council through November of 2025.

After the results were in, Walker shared, "I am honored to have been chosen to serve the residents for four more years. Humbled by all of the support I received throughout the election process. Looking forward to working together to guide an already amazing city that we have the privilege of making a difference in every day."

Rochester Hills has a total of seven Council Members, three are At-Large seats voted on by the entire city. The other four seats represent physically delineated districts one through four. The other two At-Large seats will both be contested in two-years in the November 2023 election.

The Rochester Hills City Council District 1 and District 4 spots were on the ballot Tuesday, however, both seats were surprisingly uncontested. In a city with the size and influence of Rochester Hills it is surprising to see only one candidate run unopposed for a council seat.

In District 1, Carol Morlan was the only choice for that council seat on the ballot, receiving 2,436 votes. Morlan will represent District 1 for the next four years through November 2025.

In District 4, Ryan J. Deel ran unopposed. Deel received 1,759 votes and will serve a four-year term ending November 2025.

Campaign Signs Greet Voters at Brewster Elementary

Park Proposal

Rochester Hills’ voters overwhelming approved a tax levy to enhance the city’s park system by a 3 to 1 margin. Returns show 9,536 voters approved the proposal while 3,243 voted no. The only proposal on the ballot repurposes the taxes levied to pay down the OPC bond debt and apply those funds to enhancing the city’s park system.

The OPC bond debt has been fully paid, the taxes would now be applied to parks for the next 10 years through Fiscal Year 2031. The tax is $0.166 per $1,000 of taxable value. A general measurement of taxable value is approximately half your homes market value. A $400,000 home may have a taxable value of $200,000. Thus $0.166 times 200 = $33.20 in yearly taxes for that homeowner toward city parks. This will generate an estimated $647,962 in tax revenue if levied in full in the first year.

Mayor Bryan Barnett, a major supporter of the Park Proposal, noted, "Our community has always supported our parks and this is just the latest example. I am grateful to the voters for recommitting resources to helping improve and enhance our park system facilities. It's a vote of confidence and confirmation that our residents love our Parks and our City."

Library Board of Trustees

The Board consists of six members elected by and representing the Rochester Hills community. Though located within the City of Rochester, the city has no elected officials on the Board. The City of Rochester and Oakland Township are represented by a non-voting liaison at Board meetings. There is no compensation for Library Board Trustees.

In Tuesday’s election, three candidates were vying for two library board seats. Melinda Deel received the most votes, 7,524, to earn a seat on the board. In what may be the elections biggest upset, newcomer Julianne Reyes, earned the second board seat with 6,370 votes. Incumbent Suba Subbarao will relinquish her board seat as she finished third with 5,084 votes. Deel and Subbarao teamed up for this election. They ran campaign signage together throughout the city. The Deel’s will keep it all in the family… Melinda Deel is the wife of re-elected District 4 City Councilman and current City Council President, Ryan Deel.

Following her victory, Melinda shared, "I am honored that my fellow residents have placed their trust in me to serve as their newest Library Board Member. My husband Ryan and I have been actively involved in the Rochester Hills Public Library for years and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to give back to the library that has given us so much."

When asked about her election to the board, Julianne Reyes offered the following, "To God be the glory! It was God’s calling and His providence that I won a seat on the Rochester Hills Library Board. He brought me amazing volunteers and the gumption to do it. It’s all God! This verse (2 Tim 1:9) reminds me of His Holy calling and I know it’s for God’s purposes and His grace to serve on the Library board. So with every board meeting I go to, I will ask for God’s guidance and will be obedient to Him!"

Voter Turnout

In 2020 Rochester Hills had 58,134 registered voters, with 45,732 casting ballots in a Presidential election year for a 78.6% voter turnout.

In Tuesday’s election, 12,779 Rochester Hills voters cast ballots. That's a reduction of some 33,000 voters. Using the 2020 number of 58,134 registered Rochester Hills voters, this election’s voter turnout ran at 22%. As expected, without the draw of a Presidential race, along with no State or County candidates/issues, voter turnout dropped significantly compared to November of 2020.

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