Madison Heights council adopts revised festival table policy after lengthy debate, 6-1

Madison Heights — The City Council voted 6-1 on Aug. 11 to approve a revised festival table policy that restores individual table space at the city's Festival in the Park for incumbents and official candidates for Madison Heights mayor and council seats while narrowing how the city will handle requests from county, state or federal officeholders and candidates.

The change, proposed during the council's regular meeting, drew more than an hour of debate about whether allowing candidates at a community festival would politicize the event. Supporters said tables give candidates and officeholders a structured way to engage residents and reduce litter and unmonitored distribution of campaign literature; opponents warned the event could become "inherently political." The motion passed on a roll-call vote, 6-1.

Under the approved language, the policy allows individual tables for nonprofit organizations, city boards and commissions, festival…