Community Corner
Montag Says She Has 'Fresh Ideas' For Utica Council
This is the fourth in a series profiling the five the candidates running for three seats on the Utica City Council.
Though Utica’s infrastructure is pretty well built up, city council candidate Barb Montag said she has some fresh ideas about how to continue improving the city.
“There are always options to increase residency and bring businesses,” said Montag, 60. At a recent candidate forum, she proposed creating a task force of business owners, residents and public officials responsible for enticing new businesses to the area.
Besides Montag, , , and Faith Terenzi are running on the Nov. 8 ballot for three council seats. The council consists of six nonpartisan council members serving four-year terms and a mayor serving two-year terms.
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Montag, who moved to the city more than 20 years ago, has worked on the Hike and Bike Trails project as a member of the city’s Parks and Recreation Committee. She is a member of Covenant Baptist Church and is a past president of the Macomb County Quilt Guild.
She has worked for Cranbrook Educational Community for 20 years.
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Montag has four children, and two grandchildren.
Describing herself as frugal, she won’t spend money the city doesn’t have, she said.
“I don’t profess to have all the answers, but believe in working with council members and residents to find solutions,” she added. “I will do everything I can to ensure our tax money is used efficiently, addressing waste, learning to do more with less and, more importantly, prioritizing any necessary cuts.”
Montag opposes consolidating police, fire and the Department of Public Works with neighboring communities.
With city finances as tight as they’ve been in recent memory, she doesn’t believe the local economy can support tax increases to raise needed revenue for the city. There are alternatives to consider before raising taxes, she added.
Montag also would like to see the city host more community events, and would like to investigate the feasibility of establishing a train station in Utica, both of which hold the potential to bring more residents and businesses into the city.
“I have ideas, but I am open to other ideas from other people,” she added, urging more residents to get involved.
