Candidate Q&A: Katheryne Friske for Brighton Township Trustee

Katheryne Friske is one of six candidates competing for the four open Trustee seats on the Brighton Township Board of Trustees. Continue following Brighton Patch this week for more Township Board of Trustees election coverage.

Family

I am married to my husband Kyle and we have two children, Isabelle and George. Also, both my parents and in-laws live in Brighton Township.

Education

I attended Brighton schools and graduated from Brighton High School with my husband in 2005. I graduated from Eastern MIchigan University in 2009 with a bachelor degree in teaching.

Employment

I am self-employed teaching music lessons from home and also work at Sylvan Learning Center in Brighton. For my full-time job, I am a stay-at-home mom.

What groups/organizations are you involved with in the community?

I have been a resident of Brighton Towship since I was 4-years-old and have been involved in the community in a number of ways. From girl scouts as a young girl, to the Livingston County Women's Chorus as an adult. Through my private business, I come up with ways to give back to the community. Last spring, I organized a recital at Emeritus Senior Living Center, where my students performed various songs for the residents there. The December before that, I arranged Christmas caroling at the Green Oak Mall and gave all donations to Gleaners Food Bank of Michigan.

Why are you running for office and what relevant qualities/skills would you bring to the position?

I am running for office because I understand the needs of this community and overall feelings and attitudes of the residents here. I was raised here and have moved back with my husband to settle down in the community that we love.  I also spen ttime collecting resident signatures to be on the ballot oas a non-partisan canidate. I am politically moderate and would rather make dicision to better the community than further the Repulican or Democratic agenda. As I looked through the meeting minutes, I noticed there are quite a few issues involving infstructure, roads, and other general civil untilities. Being the wife of a civil engineer, I am familiar and knowledgable about all of the aspects and options involving thse issues. If there is something with which I am not fully familiar, I have the resources to find out more.

What are the top three priority issues the Township Board should address and what actions would you, as an elected official, take to address them?

I agree with many of the decisions the BTBT has addressed in the past and am confident that I can continue the great work others have done in previous years. I am very interested in debt management and balancing the budget and would vote accordingly. I am concerned about the sewer bond debt and other things that come before the Trustees. Overall, Brighton Towship is the home to both mine and my husbands families and I am concerned in civic affairs as a long-time resident, home-owner, and parent.