Politics & Government

Dee Hilbert Seeking Election to Rochester Hills City Council

She is running for one of two at-large seats up for election this year.

Dee Hilbert wants Rochester Hills residents to have a stronger, more respected voice in what's happening in their city.

That's part of what motivates Hilbert — a nurse, mom and community volunteer — to seek election to the Rochester Hills City Council this year.

Hilbert, 53, is running for one of two at-large seats up for election this November.

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

"I feel the community is in need of more citizen representation on city council, someone who will listen and respect the residents," she said.

"This town is 80 percent residential and feels like, a lot of times, the residents don't have a say in what's going on. Sadly, a lot of residents don't get their questions answered. Sometimes they are treated like an adversary."

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

Hilbert, an avid biker, said she will work to protect green space, parks and pathways.

"I want people to want to live here. We keep widening the roads, making them into a thoroughfare, which is not desirable," she said.

Rochester Hills is governed by a seven-member, nonpartisan city council; four of the councilmembers are elected by district; three members are elected at-large. Terms are staggered: in 2011, councilmembers Vern Pixley (at-large), Michael Webber (at-large) and Martin Brennan (District 2) are up for reelection, as is council President Greg Hooper (District 3).

As of Wednesday morning, only Hooper and Webber had filed a petition for re-election with the Rochester Hills City Clerk's office. Hilbert and Laurie Puscas (District 2) are two other candidates who have filed a petition seeking a seat on city council.

The filing deadline is Tuesday, May 10. (For filing information, see the election guidelines attached as a PDF file to this story.)

Hilbert has been a nurse for 25 years. She works at Beaumont Hospitals. She is married to Kip; they have three children: Laura, 25, Leigh, 23 and Kate, 21.

She volunteers with the and is active in her homeowners' association and with Honor Flight Michigan. She formed the group Citizens' Voice Rochester Hills in 2004 as a way to keep residents informed of local issues.

Hilbert said she wants to ensure the community of Rochester Hills remains viable and affordable.

"Our residents need a bigger voice at the table," she said.

For more information on candidate Dee Hilbert, visit www.deehilbert.com. To read Hilbert's pledge to voters, click .

This is the first in a series of campaign stories on Rochester Patch.

Weekend Campaign Event

Hilbert has organized an old-fashioned ice cream social for Saturday afternoon in the stone shelter at . Hot dogs and an ice cream bar will be served; kids activities are planned. Cost is $30 for adults or $50 for families; RSVP to 248-635-0346 is appreciated. Hilbert said Rochester Hills Councilmember Ravi Yalamanchi will be a special guest at the fundraising event.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

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

More from Rochester-Rochester Hills