Milan Mayoral Candidates Weigh In On City Spending, Communication, Growth and the Master Plan

In Milan, voters will narrow down three candidates for mayor this year—Mayor Ed Kolar, Laura Russeau and Danette Talbot—at the Aug. 5 Primary Election. As part of our 2025 election coverage, The Sun Times News invited all Milan mayoral candidates to respond to the same set of questions about key issues affecting the community. In keeping with our policy, responses must focus on each candidate’s own experience, proposals, and strengths rather than a critique of their opponents. This approach ensures a fair platform for all and allows readers to evaluate each candidate on their own merits.

Danette Talbot was invited to participate in this Q&A and submitted responses. However, her answers did not align with our editorial policy. Candidate Talbot was offered an opportunity to revise her answers, but declined. Readers can learn more about her platform by contacting her directly.

Questions are posted below:

1. Describe your experience with budgets, policies, local government, and your involvement on committees, commissions, or at Council meetings. If elected, what three actions would you take to improve our city’s financial stability?

Mayor Ed Kolar (incumbent):

My education (University of Kentucky, BBA Finance) and work history as a property finance professional has given me the background to actively work closely with the finance team at the City of Milan on our budgeting needs. 

Participating on several boards and committees such as City Council, DDA, Fire Board, Parks and Rec, Planning Commission and Beautification Commission, whether formally or in volunteer roles, has also helped me with understanding the financial needs of these committees as they pertain to the overall budget needs. 

My budgeting goals since becoming Mayor in 2022 were to eliminate wasteful spending and some redundancies in staffing. Some positions were eliminated, and others were modified. Additional safety staffing for fire and police was obtained with cost cuts elsewhere. Cost cutting also allowed the city to make improvements to city properties that were in a state of disrepair. Rotting roofs, dangerous structural walls, damaged and unusable fire hydrants were all repaired since 2022 with savings obtained through proper budgeting and waste control. Going forward in 2026, the city must maintain fiscal responsibility for budgeting needs, and work to continue to expand our commercial and industrial base to diversify our tax base.

Laura Russeau:  

I’ve attended Council meetings, offered public comment, and communicated directly with city leadership. Running for City Council in 2023 gave me hands-on insight into Milan’s budget process, which I’ve continued to study during my mayoral campaign.

As a small business owner with a Residential Builders License, I manage the accounting side of our operations — balancing budgets, tracking expenses, and aligning projects with real-world timelines. In my community organizing, I’ve also worked with budgets, planning, and resource coordination — all of which sharpen decision-making when funds are limited.

If elected, I would:

● Review spending priorities to ensure resources are aligned with community needs and service quality.

● Pursue regional partnerships and grants that support long-term goals.

● Increase budget transparency and involve residents earlier in the process to promote shared understanding and fiscal responsibility.

2. Is transparency an issue in our community’s government? Why or why not? How do you plan to promote good communication?

Mayor Ed Kolar:

Transparency is critical for the city government to maintain a strong relationship with its residents. In a world of online disinformation, the city government of Milan must show the residents how their taxes are spent, and how improvements to the city are planned and executed. 

We wish every resident would watch our televised council meetings so we could all be on the same page as to what topics were discussed and the facts that led to the decisions made. Since this is not the case, Milan also uses our website for information dissemination, as well as printed materials in the form of our quarterly Connection magazine and monthly information drops attached to the water/sewer/rubbish invoices going to every home. These additional printed sources of information have been very well received with positive feedback getting back to the city council. We will continue with all of our information sources so hopefully everyone can keep up with the happenings in the City of Milan.

Laura Russeau:

Many residents have shared concerns about transparency and communication in local government. Sometimes it’s not just a lack of information, but a lack of clarity that leaves people feeling uncertain or left out of the loop. When communication falters, trust can suffer.

I’ve seen how community engagement drops when people don’t feel heard. Concerns around things like event fees, ordinance enforcement, and changes to community boards highlight the need for better dialogue — not just more information, but stronger relationships.

If elected, I would:

● Provide consistent, accessible updates so residents know what’s happening before decisions are finalized.

● Create opportunities for two-way conversations, both in person and online, so people feel heard and valued.

● Strengthen trust by welcoming diverse voices and making city processes easier to follow.

Transparency is more than a policy — it’s how we stay connected and move forward together.

3. Would you like the city to grow? If so, how can we better attract businesses and industries? If someone proposed opening a new business that some residents think might harm our city, how would you decide whether to proceed with that project?

Mayor Ed Kolar:

Slow and steady strategic growth is necessary for an aging rural town to succeed in the future. Aging infrastructure such as roads and water/sewer lines do not last forever, and at some point a massive investment must be made into this infrastructure. 

A city with no growth of its tax base will struggle to maintain the quality of its services to the residents as the city ages. As much as growth scares some residents it is in the interest of the overall population to have a slow but consistent tax base growth to continuously improve city services. 

City zoning helps to attract new business into the correct areas of Milan to build or expand. The use of zoning ordinances helps to manage what businesses come into Milan, and where they can operate for the overall health and growth of the community.

Laura Russeau:  Yes, I support smart, intentional growth that maintains Milan’s small-town character while expanding opportunities for residents and local businesses. Growth is essential to sustain our tax base, public services, and long-term vitality.

To attract the right kinds of development, we should:

● Streamline the process for new businesses while keeping expectations clear and rooted in community values.

● Extend Milan’s downtown identity and vision into the Dexter Corridor to support walkable, neighborhood-scale growth.

● Encourage a range of entrepreneurs, from home-based businesses to small retail and light industry, especially those who rely on broadband and flexible work options.

If a proposed business raised concerns, I would take a thoughtful approach:  listening to residents, reviewing the data, and evaluating how the project fits with our master plan, economic goals, and environmental standards. Growth should be inclusive, intentional, and guided by the public good.

4. This year, Milan is revising its master plan. What aspects stand out most?

There’s tension between adding more and maintaining affordability for all residents. How well does our community meet low-income residents’ needs, and what additional steps are needed?

Mayor Ed Kolar:

The Master Plan for the City of Milan is a continuously evolving living document. As council members tend to change every 2-4 years, having a Master Plan as a guideline is very important. Developing a Master Plan forces municipalities to be organized in every department of government. It also forces communities to look 20 years into the future for a direction to follow for housing and commercial growth. 

Milan’s proximity to Ann Arbor has historically made Milan a community with a large percentage of first-time homeowners and lower-income residents when compared to the property values and household incomes in the immediate area. Even with a lower average tax base than similar neighboring communities, our city services for all income levels of residents are top tier. Milan is safe, clean, quiet and an incredible place to raise a family at any income level. Everyone can enjoy our schools, parks, downtown, walking spaces in an ultra-safe and inviting environment for all.

Laura Russeau:  The master plan update is an opportunity to guide growth with intention. What stands out most is the need to balance new development with long-term affordability, so Milan remains a place where people of all incomes and abilities can live, work, and thrive. Housing is a major factor, but affordability also depends on things like broadband access. In a community where 17 percent of residents are enrolled in school and 16 percent work from home, reliable internet is essential. Without public transportation, broadband becomes a critical link to opportunity. Local leadership can explore ways to expand access and lower costs — helping reduce barriers to both education and housing stability.

If elected, I would use tools like the 2055 SEMCOG Regional Forecast to shape long-term strategies for housing, infrastructure, digital access, and accessibility. Growth should reflect the real needs of our residents — not just what gets built, but for whom.

See other candidate coverage at:  https://thesuntimesnews.com/get-election-ready-absentee-ballots-coming-candidate-info-now-online/ and information about the WISD millage at:  https://thesuntimesnews.com/career-technical-education-millage-question-is-planned-for-a-vote-in-november-in-washtenaw-county/. Candidates answers to questions posed by the League of Women’s Voters have been posted at:  https://www.vote411.org/ballot.