James R. Fouts

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James R. "Jim" Fouts is an American politician who has served as mayor of Warren, Michigan since November 2007.

Fouts won the office of mayor in a race against former city clerk Richard Sulaka.

Fouts has served since 1981 on the Warren city council[1] where he was normally in opposition, even though he at times served as council president because he had received the most votes in the election. At times he even temporarily relinquished the chairmanship of meetings to propose bills he had been unable to get anyone else to propose. He also often was the lone dissenter against eight yea votes. Fouts and his predecessor as mayor, Mark Steenbergh. However Fouts most vicious arguments were always with Steenbergh's assistant mayor, Mike Greiner.[2]

Fouts grew up in Hazel Park, Michigan where his father was city manager. He spent his career as a social studies teacher in the Warren Consolidated School District. His last approximately ten year of teaching were as a teacher at Sterling Heights High School. Fouts once got into a protracted disagreement with Jon Green who was an ally of mayor Steenbergh and once made unkind statements about Fouts at a school board meeting.[3]

As mayor Fouts has tried to live up to his long-standing opposition to wasteful government spending. He sought to end the city's employing Art Miller as a lobbyist in Lansing but was told by city lawyers that he could not veto the council's extension of Miller's contract.[4] He has also opposed allowing members of Warren's many commissions and boards to receive gifts from people with interests in decisions the boards have made or will make.[5]

Another one of his long-standing issues has been with vacant and abandoned buildings. He has established a telephone hotline for residents to report such problems.[6]

Sources

  • November 7th, 2007 Destroit News
  • March 27th, 2008 Detroit News
  1. ^ Macomb Daily : Developer takes Warren to court 01/29/05
  2. ^ Macomb Daily : Developer takes Warren to court 01/29/05
  3. ^ http://www.michigan.gov/documents/c01g136_164471_7.pdf
  4. ^ http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080327/NEWS04/803270348/1006/NEWS04
  5. ^ Fouts presses council on amended ethics ordinance
  6. ^ City of Warren