Construction company owner, nuclear power plant manager compete for Holland City Council seat - MLive.com
Construction company owner, nuclear power plant manager compete for Holland City Council seat - mlive.com
HOLLAND, MI – A construction company owner and a regulatory assurance manager at a nuclear power plant are facing off for a seat on the Holland City Council.
Ryan Spencer and Michael Schultheis will compete during the Nov. 7 general election for one of two at-large seats on the city council.
The winner will serve a four-year term. The seat is nonpartisan.
Schultheis, 46, is a regulatory assurance manager at the Palisades nuclear plant in Van Buren County.
Schultheis holds a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering and engineering physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York and served for a decade in the U.S. Navy, from 1998 to 2008, as a machinist mate within the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.
He also currently serves chair of the Holland Civic Center Board, which he has been on since December 2017. Additionally, he is a member of the Washington School Neighbors board.
Spencer, 39, is owner of Sharp Construction. He is also vice president of the Lakeshore Home Builders Association and a participant in Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity projects.
Additionally, Spencer said he has done more than two decades of community outreach through his church.
MLive/The Grand Rapids Press asked each candidate a series of questions listed below.
All responses were submitted directly by the candidate and have not been edited by MLive/The Grand Rapids Press, except for necessary cuts if a reply exceeded character limitations. Spelling and grammar were not corrected.
Why are you running for office?
Schultheis:
As I’ve become more involved within our community, I’ve enjoyed learning the diverse views and perspectives of our residents. I believe it’s vital that our neighbors are heard and understood before making impactful decisions. With multiple vacancies being created in our City Council, my intention is to help ensure that the broader community continues to remain heard within City Hall.
Spencer:
With all that has happened to me in this city; a safe place to grow up, meeting my wife, having all six of my children, purchasing my first home, participating in my church, and starting my business, this became a necessary step in giving back to the community that has been so good to me and my family.
What is the greatest challenge facing the office you seek? How will you address it?
Spencer:
Affordable housing continues to be a challenge facing our community. With my place at the HBA, along with my business experience, I look forward to working with our industry professionals and non-profits to continue to seek out creative ideas to chip away at this issue.
Schultheis:
Holland has done a good job strategically maintaining our infrastructure. With continued development, this needs to remain at the forefront through long term planning and funding.
What strategies would you use to remain responsive and accountable to the public between elections?
Schultheis:
My commitment to our residents is that I will remain available and transparent. I’ll create opportunities so that I can listen to our broad community. Also, they’ll know where I stand on important decisions and why.
Spencer:
You can only listen if you are not talking. My intent is to encourage community engagement thru the public comment time at the council meetings and being available to meet with constituents to discuss their issues and/or ideas.
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Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: nuclear
Nuclear energy provides almost 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply. Advocates have called for an expanded role for nuclear as an emissions-free fuel source. But the economics of building new reactors are daunting. In addition, lingering safety concerns are an institutionalized part of the calculation of nuclear regulation, and highly radioactive nuclear waste remains a can that public officials have been inclined to kick down the road. The Energy Information Administration projects a sharp decline in nuclear power generation over the next decade, as new nuclear plants — two are planned — are more than offset by anticipated retirements of several operating reactors.