Hampton seeks Wayne County Commissioner seat
http://www.michronicleonline.com/articlelive/articles/2873/1/Hampton-seeks-Wayne-County-Commissioner-seat/Page1.html
Cornelius Fortune
By Cornelius Fortune
Published on 07/2/2008
Inkster Mayor Hilliard Hampton II is convinced he has the qualifications to be the new Wayne County Commissioner. Now he has to convince voters he is the right person for the job.
Mayor Hilliard Hampton III
Inkster Mayor Hilliard Hampton II is convinced he has the qualifications to be the new Wayne County Commissioner. Now he has to convince voters he is the right person for the job.
“I think my leadership can be of value at the county level,” Hampton said.
“There’s much more that can be done for communities like Inkster and Westland, by serving at a county level as opposed to only mayor of a principality. Clearly, county government is having some serious issues that can use my brand of leadership.”
A former Wayne County Sheriff’s deputy, Hampton has served his community for more than 28 years, and it’s not for the paycheck: he gets paid $9,000 a year as mayor.
“You don’t get rich working for the county at my level, but I enjoy service,” Hampton said. “My mother was an activist at UAW, and Dad was a grassroots organizer in the 50s. I grew up in that environment that you must serve.”
That commitment has been the basis of his three terms as mayor.
“I’ve been able to do quite a bit in terms of economic development and service delivery in Inkster with similar challenges with budget shortfalls, cutbacks, unfunded state and federal mandates,” he said. “I’ve had some level of success with bringing in federal and state dollars when those dollars had not been available to us.”
Hampton has served as a voting member on the Southeastern Michigan Council of Government (SEMCOG); a Water and Sewerage Department commissioner; a senior member of the Conference of Western Wayne (CWW); and the CentralWayne County Sanitation Board of Directors. He is president of the Michigan chapter of the U.S. Conference of Black Mayors.
He has also served on a road commission, forestry, road department and community justice organization. These are experiences that his competitors do not have, he noted.
“I think that puts me in a unique position to understand county government inside and out,” Hampton said. “No other candidate has that kind of experience. I think that positions me to make good, sound decisions, and to understand the final outcomes of those decisions. No other candidate has that. I’m looking at myself not as a city candidate but a regional candidate.”
Hampton believes that government should follow the business model.
“If you aren’t delivering services to your taxpayers, everything else is fluff,” Hampton said. “I think they need someone to stand up and take show leadership and I can help in that. I think that’s my strong suit. I like to look at myself as a community mayor. When you serve at my level there’s no such thing as a part time mayor.”
Service is Hampton’s first mandate.
“Our valued customers, those are the citizens,” he said. “They’re asking for a return on their tax dollars, and you return the service by delivering those core services. At the end of day that defines me as an elected official.”
Inkster Mayor Hilliard Hampton II is convinced he has the qualifications to be the new Wayne County Commissioner. Now he has to convince voters he is the right person for the job.Wayne County Commissioner
Mayor Hilliard Hampton III
Inkster Mayor Hilliard Hampton II is convinced he has the qualifications to be the new Wayne County Commissioner. Now he has to convince voters he is the right person for the job.
“I think my leadership can be of value at the county level,” Hampton said.
“There’s much more that can be done for communities like Inkster and Westland, by serving at a county level as opposed to only mayor of a principality. Clearly, county government is having some serious issues that can use my brand of leadership.”
A former Wayne County Sheriff’s deputy, Hampton has served his community for more than 28 years, and it’s not for the paycheck: he gets paid $9,000 a year as mayor.
“You don’t get rich working for the county at my level, but I enjoy service,” Hampton said. “My mother was an activist at UAW, and Dad was a grassroots organizer in the 50s. I grew up in that environment that you must serve.”
That commitment has been the basis of his three terms as mayor.
“I’ve been able to do quite a bit in terms of economic development and service delivery in Inkster with similar challenges with budget shortfalls, cutbacks, unfunded state and federal mandates,” he said. “I’ve had some level of success with bringing in federal and state dollars when those dollars had not been available to us.”
Hampton has served as a voting member on the Southeastern Michigan Council of Government (SEMCOG); a Water and Sewerage Department commissioner; a senior member of the Conference of Western Wayne (CWW); and the CentralWayne County Sanitation Board of Directors. He is president of the Michigan chapter of the U.S. Conference of Black Mayors.
He has also served on a road commission, forestry, road department and community justice organization. These are experiences that his competitors do not have, he noted.
“I think that puts me in a unique position to understand county government inside and out,” Hampton said. “No other candidate has that kind of experience. I think that positions me to make good, sound decisions, and to understand the final outcomes of those decisions. No other candidate has that. I’m looking at myself not as a city candidate but a regional candidate.”
Hampton believes that government should follow the business model.
“If you aren’t delivering services to your taxpayers, everything else is fluff,” Hampton said. “I think they need someone to stand up and take show leadership and I can help in that. I think that’s my strong suit. I like to look at myself as a community mayor. When you serve at my level there’s no such thing as a part time mayor.”
Service is Hampton’s first mandate.
“Our valued customers, those are the citizens,” he said. “They’re asking for a return on their tax dollars, and you return the service by delivering those core services. At the end of day that defines me as an elected official.”