This past Tuesday, Aug. 3, voters in Sterling Heights cast their ballots in this year’s primary election, selecting which candidates for mayor and city council would then move on to November’s general election.

Michael C. Taylor and Ken Nelson, for the record, advance in the mayoral race. Liz Sierawski, Barbara Ziarko, Maria Schmidt, Deanna Koski, Henry Yanez, Michael Radtke, Moira Smith, Paul Manni, Elizabeth Hanna, Eric Briskey II, Roy Wilson, and Russ Cleary will compete for city council.

But when it comes to residents of Sterling Heights letting city leaders know how they’re doing, there is, however, more than one way to cook an egg.

A “random sample” of households are receiving the 2021 Resident Survey in their mailboxes this month, an opportunity for Sterling Heights residents to weigh in on city services, city planning priorities, and more.

“We reach out to residents every few years to see how we are doing and determine what residents see as a success and what they see as areas for improvement,” says Sterling Heights Mayor Michael C. Taylor.

“This process also helps City leadership understand resident priorities. This resident engagement and feedback helps us make important long-range planning and investment decisions and is absolutely invaluable in continuing to provide Sterling Heights residents with an exceptional quality of life.”

The ETC Institute of Olathe, Kansas, will administer the survey by mail, phone, and internet, with the intent to receive at least 500 completed surveys by the end of the month. Results will be kept confidential.

Although those who receive the survey were selected randomly, the survey’s reach is designed to reasonably reflect the city’s demographic composition, taking age, geographic dispersion, gender, race/ethnicity, and other factors into account.

Results from the 2021 Resident Survey will be presented at a Sterling Heights City Council meeting in September.

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