Hi, I'm Brandy Swartz and I am running for 2nd Ward Commissioner of the Bay City Commission. I'm stepping up to stand against the status quo. I began attending commission meetings after we moved here in 2017 to see where the city was going. When the city bridges came up for sale in 2018 and that vote failed, I'd hoped that commissioners would come up with an alternative. Instead, the commission has repeatedly rubber stamped bad policy. I am not a rubber stamp.
I have a background as a city reporter and journalist, worked in infrastructure construction inspection and contract management and owned a small business while in college. My husband and I live in the Center Avenue Historic District and have been restoring our home for seven years now, eventually receiving a grant for home improvements. Through that process, I helped surrounding neighbors with grant applications for home improvements as well. It is evident that our infrastructure has been neglected for decades, I believe my experience makes me uniquely qualified to advocate for a shift in priorities.
The commission has been unable to retain commissioners for all 9 positions for a full 4 years since I've lived here. Three wards have had commissioners quit. Two wards have had appointees in place more than once and now a third is up for grabs. I'm running because Bay City and the 2nd Ward deserve better.
I promise transparency, forwardness and to vote my conscience.