Madison Heights council pauses change to festival table policy after contentious debate

Madison Heights City Council members debated changes to the city's festival table policy at length before voting to table the item until Aug. 11. Councilors discussed three draft versions that would change who is eligible to have a staffed table at the city's Festival in the Park.

The dispute centered on whether political candidates who have filed petitions should be permitted to staff tables at the festival, which is held on city property. Mayor Pro Tem Bliss urged adoption of a draft that would allow incumbents and candidates who have filed petitions to have tables, while several other councilors warned the change could turn a community event into overt political campaigning.

Supporters said allowing challengers who have filed petitions would restore a long-standing practice and help new candidates meet residents. "I support version 1 for 2 reasons. Number 1, historically, that was the original policy prior to it being changed," Mayor Pro Tem Bliss said. He characterized the earlier administrative change as having the effect of "protecting incumbents at the expense of new voices in the community." Opponents said the draft would allow candidates for multiple levels of government and risk turning the festival into a political forum. "I do not think that we should take on this new policy. I think it would create an overtly political experience at one of our capstone events," Councilor Rohrbach said.

Council members also raised questions about campaign-finance and gift rules. "I don't think that we can give a table to any candidate for free," Councilman Fleming said, referencing concerns about whether the city would be providing material support to campaigns. Other members stressed the festival's role as a constituent-engagement opportunity. "It is one of our biggest opportunities to actually connect with our residents," Councilor Wright said.

After several competing motions and an amendment, the council voted to table the item and asked staff to return a revised policy for discussion at the Aug. 11 council meeting. Councilors asked staff to consider an option that would provide a single council leadership table, retain prohibitions on on-site politicking and campaign materials, and narrow eligibility to city-level candidates if the council chooses to allow challengers at all.

The city clerk added the item to the agenda for discussion after a council member requested it earlier in the meeting; that addition itself passed on a separate procedural vote. Council members asked staff to present clear language addressing which offices, petition/filing thresholds, and allowable materials would be permitted under any policy the council adopts.

Next steps: staff will draft revised language, incorporating council feedback on petition versus filing-fee thresholds and limiting the scope of eligible candidates. The council will consider the revised draft on Aug. 11.

All quotations in this article are taken from the July 28 council meeting transcript.