GRAND RAPIDS — The election for the position of mayor in Grand Rapids boils down to incumbent John Berry and challenger David Fowler.
Fowler said the main reason he is running for mayor is so residents have a choice.
“I can make a difference, and I want to save the village money,” Fowler said.
Fowler, who has been a resident of the village for five years, said his current job as an inside sales specialist and his purchasing experience give him the skills needed for the mayor’s position.
He said things that are currently working in the village are everyday tasks such as paying the bills and cutting the grass.
Fowler feels the village can improve issues with transparency. He wants to find ways to communicate better with residents, such as websites and establishing video feeds for council meetings. He also wants to cut the cost of making copies of village records, which he said now stands at 15 cents per page.
He wants to have council committee meetings more frequently, and wants to make improvements to the village hall building.
Fowler wants to seek more input from residents about what they feel are the most important issues to them. He wants to conduct a needs assessment to gather this information.
He is a high school graduate of Phoenix Academy in Toledo and has an associate’s degree in business from Colorado Technical University.
Several attempts were made to contact incumbent Mayor John Berry to schedule an interview with him, but were unsuccessful, as he did not return messages left for him.
