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DOWAGIAC — Patrick Bakeman will challenge incumbent Donald Lyons for the City of Dowagiac mayoral seat in the upcoming Nov. 4 election.

Listed below are Q&As with both candidates, who were asked to respond to the same set of questions:

1. What is your background, and how will it help you to serve this community as mayor? Why are you running for this office?

Lyons: I started my own business over 55 years ago. It has grown into one of the largest, most sophisticated businesses of its kind in the country. I’ve been in public service over 50 years, including 28 years as mayor. I would like one more term to help the orderly transition to a new mayor and a new way of running Dowagiac.

Bakeman: Born and raised in Dowagiac, I returned home after barber college and working in the Detroit suburbs to open Bakeman Barbers with my wife, Ravan. This background, combined with years of City Council service, gives me a unique perspective. I am running to bridge our residents’ daily needs with effective governance and am ready to lead Dowagiac’s future.

2. Describe your qualifications and experience for this office and explain your reasons for running. How would you be an asset as mayor?

Lyons: I have a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in mathematics from Michigan State University. I built and ran my own business, whose revenue and employment is three times larger than the city’s. I was on the Dowagiac School Board for eight years. My help to complete projects in which I’m already involved would be important.

Bakeman: After eight years on the City Council, I understand our city’s strengths, challenges and incredible potential. I’m running for Mayor to open a new chapter built on collaboration and transparency. My experience allows me to build consensus and turn ideas into real results that reflect our community’s values.

3. What are the most important challenges facing the community, and how do you propose to address them?

Lyons: The overarching challenge that impacts every aspect of the city is finding the money necessary to do all that needs to be done. The only answer is to get grants. The city is very good at getting grants but we could be better. I’m already working on a plan to improve the writing and executing of grants.

Bakeman: Dowagiac is a beautiful place to live, work, and play. I want to help reverse population and business decline by focusing on our strengths and promoting them. That means supporting our local workforce, highlighting our quality of life and creating a proactive business development plan. We need to attract new businesses, support our existing ones and show entrepreneurs that Dowagiac is a place worth investing in.

4. How will you support the needs of first responders in the city?

Lyons: Emotional support is critically important, which begins with making sure they have the right equipment and training to do their job confidently. They also need good leadership. A big part of every elected official’s duty is to make sure our first responders are well led, well equipped and well trained. A big THANK YOU! goes a long way too.

Bakeman: If elected, I plan on doing a ride along with our local police department and riding along with our fire department. I want our first responders to know that they are the first line for Dowagiac and as Mayor our community will have their back.

5. How well is the community meeting the needs of seniors, and what more needs to be done?

Lyons: Forest Glen and The Timbers are both excellent facilities. The Council On Aging provides many opportunities, including exercise and dining. The C.O.A. needs to expand. The City is working with them to provide the necessary land. Seniors also need more housing options tailored to their special needs.

Bakeman: Dowagiac benefits significantly from the Cass County Council on Aging  and its local satellite, Front St. Crossing, which provides essential services like meals, transportation assistance and social programming. Local private care providers also offer in-home support. We also have the United Way “Rake a Difference” coming up and the high school’s Senior Citizen luncheon. Let’s get the word out to Seniors and help advertise some of these great services. 

6. If someone came to you with a proposal to build a new piece of public infrastructure in the city (road, bridge, etc.), how would you evaluate whether or not that project was worth implementing?

Lyons: We would ask: What is the problem you’re trying to solve? Is this the best possible solution? Where will the money come from? Could the project be built for less money if there were design or spec changes? Is the land available? How long will the project take to complete? Is it time sensitive?

Bakeman: First, any infrastructure proposal must address a clear safety concern or make sure that the project would benefit the community. Next, we assess the true need and conduct a cost benefit analysis for our budget. We would then want to make sure that the project aligned with our Master Plan and the project had demonstrated public support. 

7. If you received a $1 million grant to use for the city any way you wanted, what would you do with it and why?

Lyons: Dowagiac’s roads always need more work than we can afford. The rest of our infrastructure is in pretty good shape except sidewalks, which are a problem with no good solution. We’re looking carefully at sidewalks but that’s going to be a long term project. Right now $1,000,000 would make a meaningful impact on our roads.

Bakeman: To attract families, Dowagiac needs year-round destinations. I propose using the pledged $1 million to build a Community Activity Center – a hub for recreation, fitness, and connection. Like Niles’s NODE, Cassopolis’ beach or Edwardsburg’s Field House, this project would foster community pride and draw visitors to Dowagiac.

8. How well is our community meeting the needs of low-income residents, and what more, if anything, needs to be done?

Lyons: Low income residents have three barriers to employment: nutrition, housing and transportation.There are agencies that provide food such as Action Ministries; Dowagiac’s recent housing study reported that we have adequate low income housing; Dial-A-Ride is getting ready to rollout new buses with greatly expanded areas and hours of service. All of which should help lower those barriers.

Bakeman: We all seek opportunities and demand our tax dollars are spent properly. My community service, especially with Dowagiac Connected, focuses on creating low-cost life experiences for all. As your mayor, I would work hard to attract and secure opportunities that advance our whole community, regardless of your financial standing.

9. How will you work to increase job opportunities for your constituents?

Lyons: The best way to increase jobs is to make Dowagiac a business friendly city. As a successful businessman, I have worked hard to minimize red tape and bureaucratic interference. Dowagiac routinely gets complemented by people who have worked with the city staff on their projects or businesses.

Bakeman: Many Dowagiac families drive 30+ minutes for work. My plan is a business initiative to advertise our strong local workforce and aggressively seek job growth right here. We have hardworking residents ready to contribute. We must promote them and attract employers, because “If you are not trying, you are dying.”

10. How will you work with local small businesses to support their growth?

Lyons: After providing a business friendly atmosphere, it’s then necessary to work with each business to understand its unique needs and challenges. Once that’s accomplished, then City services or support can be used when appropriate. Myself, the city manager and the assistant city manager are the ones most involved in those direct contacts.

Bakeman: As a small business owner, I understand the firsthand challenges local small businesses face. My experience will guide policies that prioritize our entrepreneurs. Promoting shopping locally must be our community’s first thought. Supporting our local small businesses strengthens our tax base, creates jobs, and keeps Dowagiac vibrant.

11. What are your ideas to make every part of our community feel they are fairly and adequately represented?

Lyons: We work hard to assure that city investments are spread evenly among the three wards. It’s also understood that the six council members (two from each ward) are the primary contacts with the residents of each ward, and that the city staff is responsible for responding to and supporting each council member as they work with their residents.

Bakeman: My idea is to expand outreach beyond City Hall meetings. Starting Neighborhood Listening Sessions across different wards. Also, visiting local churches and volunteer organizations. We must also utilize digital and traditional media to ensure accessible communication, building the trust necessary for fair and adequate representation. 

12. Maintaining and improving neighborhoods requires responsive and efficient community services. What changes, if any, do you think are needed for citizens to be proud of every neighborhood?

Lyons: The biggest challenges to every neighborhood is blight, streets and sidewalks. Dowagiac has an exterior property maintenance ordinance, which has helped greatly. The State’s new budget is going to put a lot more money into roads. We recently did a study of our sidewalks. We have over 34 miles of sidewalks for which we have a multi year improvement plan.

Bakeman: We need a proactive sidewalk initiative where the City and homeowners have a partnership and improve our path to getting around the city. We also need to address some of the existing parks and what it is that they need. We have to take care of what we have while also looking to make our parks safe and clean. 

13. What are your plans to deal with the shortage of affordable housing in the city?

Lyons: We have a program which provides free utility hookups for new homes, but our biggest challenge is available land. We have recently completed an inventory of City-owned land that could be made available for development. We’re also working with the State on grant opportunities to offer incentives to developers.

Bakeman: We must continue to increase our housing stock and improve existing homes. My plan is to keep targeting state grants like CHILL, RAP, and MSHDA Mod that have been used recently. Our past success proves that the hard work at City Hall, combined with these resources, is the key to providing quality, affordable housing for every Dowagiac resident.

14. How will you work to address blight in the community?

Lyons: We have recently re-imagined our blight enforcement process to include the police. We will still use our current inspection process to identify and fix blighted properties when possible. When that doesn’t work, the police will be responsible for gathering the evidence and preparing the case for trial. They’re experts at this and early results have shown great promise.

Bakeman: Blight is a major concern, and we need to respond with action. I propose getting tougher on fines for ordinance violations and significantly increasing enforcement of our existing codes. This strategy will aggressively address property deterioration, clean up our neighborhoods, and show residents we are serious about improving our community standards.

15. What forums or platforms will you utilize to foster a dialogue between the citizens and city officials?

Lyons: The City recently hired a person to develop and manage that process using modern state-of-the-art hardware and software to dramatically improve the communication between citizens and City officials. That person is also going to provide regular posts that will help citizens better understand what is happening in and around the city and why.

Bakeman: My strength is in transparent communication. I have a strong relationship with our local media and understand social media’s power. This allows me to ensure news is accurately reported and to offer a firsthand account of what I see, hear and feel. As mayor, Dowagiac will always know what is happening.