This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

Northville City Council Candidate Profile: Incumbent Nancy Darga

This is the second in a series of profiles on three individuals vying for two seats on Northville's city council.

This year, voters will once again have the chance to shake up the membership of the city of Northville's five-member voting body when they head to the polls Nov. 8 to choose two council members.

The two 4-year seats currently occupied by Nancy Darga and Douglas Bingham are being sought by Darga, and . Bingham has opted to not seek re-election to the seat he has held since 2007.

Mayor Chris Johnson is also seeking his seat, but is running unopposed, unless someone files to run as a write-in candidate by Oct. 28.

Find out what's happening in Northvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

With the number of issues facing the city, including shrinking revenue from the State of Michigan, Northville Patch interviewed each council candidate to see where they stand on the issues, and how they would go about setting policy that benefits the city and its residents.

Nancy Darga

Nancy Darga has been a Northville City Council member since 2007. Now running for a second term, she said she would like to continue what she and her other board members have started.

Find out what's happening in Northvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

If elected, Darga, 57, will continue focusing on three main issues: Instilling financial responsibility, creating new business opportunities for the city and its downtown, and creating a cohesive roadmap for the city’s future.

To meet the first goal, building partnerships for municipal services is a must, Darga said.

“In the future, we’re going to have to explore opportunities to partner with our neighbors,” she said. “We need to look at ways provide services more efficiently and do more with less.”

Darga added that the city already has partnerships for dispatch and fire services, and that she would like to explore further partnerships with other cities to make sure residents can tap into high-quality services that don’t break the bank.

Additionally, Darga said she would like to create new options for business development downtown, including findings ways to spur the clean-up of industrial areas that need it, identify creative financing, and identifying ways to maintain and enhance the historical character in downtown.

Another priority for Darga would be creating a cohesive plan for the business and residential development of the city that ties in with existing strategic plans, as well as plans for several facets of the city including parks and pathways, to name a few.

Darga said that she has a long history of volunteerism and community involvement, and cities her experience on the board and involvement in the community as a benefit to residents.

A resident of the city since 1995, Darga came to the council with a lot of experience in government.

A licensed architect, Darga was previously chief of design for Wayne County Parks before her retirement. Additionally, Darga has served on the Northville Parks and Recreation Commission, the Design Committee of the Northville Strategic Plan, and the Northville Historical Society. She is a founding member of the Friends of the Rouge.

Currently, Darga is the managing director of the MotorCities National Heritage Area.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Northville