In this solo episode of I Can See Clearly Now, I focused on a practical civic education question for Farmington Hills, Michigan voters: what authority does the mayor actually have, and how can residents use public records to evaluate campaign funding without relying on rumors or secondhand claims.
Farmington Hills uses a council manager form of government. That structure matters because it shapes where authority sits. The mayor has one vote, the same as every City Council member, and policy decisions require majority support. The mayor presides over meetings and represents the city ceremonially, but does not run departments. Day to day administration is handled through professional management, overseen by the full council rather than by a single elected official.
From there, I turned to campaign finance reporting, not to tell you what to think, but to show you where to look. Campaign finance filings are public records. They can help residents understand how much money each campaign has raised, where donors live, and which industries appear more frequently in donor lists. None of that automatically proves intent or predicts policy. It simply provides a factual baseline that voters can examine directly.
If you want to do your own research, I recommend two habits. First, go to the original sources rather than screenshots or summaries. Second, compare what is being claimed publicly with what is documented in filings, meeting records, and governing documents. The links below are a starting point for residents who want to verify information for themselves.
Primary sources and research links
- Farmington Hills Agendas, Minutes, and Meeting Videos
- Farmington Hills City Council meeting archive
- Search Farmington Hills agendas and minutes
- Farmington Hills Charter and Code of Ordinances access page
- Farmington Hills Code of Ordinances and Charter on Municode
- Michigan Open Meetings Act, Act 267 of 1976 (official PDF)
- Michigan Department of State campaign finance disclosure hub
- Michigan Campaign Finance Searchable Database entry page
- Michigan Transparency Network committee search portal
My goal with this episode was simple: to help Farmington Hills residents see where the facts live. When voters can independently verify how the system works and where campaign money comes from, the public conversation becomes calmer, clearer, and more accountable.
