Meet the candidates: Candidate for city council Dennis Marcos

​City Council Candidate Dennis Marcos: My wife and I have pretty deep roots in Allen Park. I attended Englewood school, Arno, South Junior High and graduated from APHS.My wife’s family (her maiden name is Schafer) were AP residents when Allen Park was still a village. Her Great Grandfather George Schafer was an Allen Park village president in the 1950’s. So, we have a great interest in the well being of Allen Park.As a teenager I worked at many Allen Park businesses. Sid’s Mobil, Scalici’s bar, Alberts supermarket, Dula’s party store, the old Martin gas station on Southfield, a part time letter carrier for the AP post office, and as a music teacher at La Prima Music which was located on the corner of Allen and Wick. I learned at an early age the importance of having a solid retail base in our city. It was while working at the music store that I got the opportunity to become a partner in the business. We became one of the largest independent music store chains in the country with 8 base stores and 4 satellite stores around metro Detroit for over 16 years.For the next 25 years I worked in the automotive dealer sector as sales manager, finance manager and general manager for some of the largest dealerships in the state. Because of my background, I’ve learned to manage multi-million dollar businesses, and manage and train hundreds of employees.Although currently retired, I continue to play music with a group of 6 dedicated musicians. Our sole purpose is playing benefits throughout the year for the fight for Alzheimer’s. We generate about $20,000 a year for the “Longest Day”.I believe the path to success is hard work, communication and complete honesty with whomever you’re working with.I believe the citizens of Allen Park deserve honesty and someone that will be very open and forthright with them. If asked a question, I will answer to the best of my ability. If I don’t know the answer, I will find it.The city was put into a very difficult situation two administrations ago when the council and mayor at the time unanimously voted in favor of the failed movie studio deal. That left Allen Park with a huge debt for years to come. We all need to understand that is the reason our city has very little excess to work with.  As council members we need to find every available grant and source of additional income for our city.While our city was under emergency management, I had 2 meetings with Joyce Parker, our state manager. I was told that when we recovered and were in the black we would be eligible for a rollback of at least some the millage we were assessed. So far, that hasn’t happened. It seems the state keeps changing the bar. I take this as a challenge and will do everything I can to find out why and what will it take.I will be the first to tell you, I am not a politician, nor do I want to be one. I’m simply an Allen Parker that wants the best for our city. As a councilperson, I believe my job is to do what the people want. I will also try to get more of our residents involved in our city. The only promise I can make, is that I will never suggest or vote for any tax increase unless the citizens vote for one. The job of the city council is to do what the citizens want!

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