In 2000, Michael Sarich lost in his first-ever election bid for a Ward 2 seat on the Laurel City Council. Two years later, he again tried for the same seat and ran a successful campaign.
After winning in 2004 and 2006, Sarich stepped down from the council in 2008 to pursue a law degree at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Now that he has graduated from law school, Sarich is seeking a return to local politics and has decided to run for mayor in the Nov. 1 local elections. In his campaign bid, Sarich is squared off against two-term Mayor Craig Moe; and Valerie Cunningham, who unsuccessfully ran for a Prince George's County Council seat last year.
Although many Laurel residents had speculated for some time that Sarich would make a run for the mayor's office, Sarich said when he stepped down from the council, he had no plans to return to elective office. He said he changed his mind because he's concerned about "the state of the city under Moe's leadership," especially where a lack of revitalization of Laurel's historic Main Street is concerned and the stalled renovation of Laurel Mall.
"When I left the City Council, we had a funded plan for the mall's renovation, and it fell apart," Sarich said. "A renovated mall should be open and generating revenue for the city.
"Good leadership could have gotten the project done … and it's a phony argument that the economy was an issue."
The mall's owners have said the country's recession, which led lenders to tighten up on credit, was a major reason they were not able to secure financing for the mall project. But Sarich said he did not buy that argument and criticized local leaders for not holding the mall's owners to a timetable to have various phases of the renovations at the ailing shopping center completed.
"We offered them a huge carrot to get the mall done, but at the end of the day, all we have are pretty renderings," Sarich said referring to the $16 million tax increment financing tax break that City Council members approved for the project. "When things started to break down, I would have held the developer accountable, even if it meant revoking the TIF."
Main Street marketer
In the past, Sarich and some business owners in the historic Main Street corridor have called for city officials to hire a manager to attract businesses to Main Street, where empty storefronts dot the street. Now, as part of his mayoral campaign, Sarich said a marketer for Main Street would be a better means to boost development on the street.
"The mayor currently has a $30,000 program to assist businesses that locate on Main Street but no applicants," Sarich said. "If you see a program has no success, you need to change it. That money could be used to hire a Main Street marketer."
Although Sarich praised the city's economic director, Karl Brendle, for working hard to bring new businesses to the city, he added, "We're the 10th largest city in the state, and Karl needs help. He's being asked to part the Red Sea, and he's not Moses. He has too much work."
Sarich believes a new mall and revitalized Main Street would lead to more residents spending their money in the city instead of neighboring counties and predicted that would lead to lower property taxes.
"We have the 15th highest property taxes in the state out of 157 (municipalities), and that hurts working families," he said. "People's homes would be more marketable, and I think more people would move to Laurel if our property taxes were lower."
Speaking out on issues
When Sarich served on the City Council, he was often at odds with other members and the mayor on various issues. At one point, he was censured for sending out a press release that said the city might face court action if a polling station for city elections was not provided for voters in his Ward 2 district.
If elected, Sarich said he will continue to speak out on issues he feels passionate about and will push for more transparency in local government. He proposed holding public meetings after City Council and work sessions so decisions made at those meeting can be explained in detail and questions from residents answered.
"We need our government to be more open and transparent, because it's wrong when you have a case where the mayor closed the path at Laurel Lakes, that 100 to 200 people use daily, with no input from the Parks and Recreation CAC (Citizen Advisory Committee), without bringing it up at a council meeting, or no notice to other home owners associations in Laurel Lakes," he said. Sarich was referring to the path around Laurel Lakes that was closed at two points for several weeks to keep users from going through a townhouse community on Northlake Court. Several residents on the street had complained to the mayor about path users leaving trash on their lawns and sidewalks; and through their homeowners association, asked city officials to put the restrictions in place. After Sarich led an online campaign to have the restrictions lifted and other path users also complained to the city, the entire path was reopened.
Sarich, 38, who is currently a consultant on swimming pools, was selected as a Presidential Management Fellow and will work at the Veteran's Administration through the two-year paid government fellowship sponsored by the Office of Personnel Management.
He has lived in Laurel since he was in second grade; and attended Laurel Elementary, St. Mary of the Mills School and St. Vincent Pallotti High, where he played football. Sarich served two years in the Army after high school, during which time he was stationed in South Korea and studied at the University of Maryland's Asian division. He served for eight years in the National Guard and received an undergraduate degree in government and politics from the University of Maryland. He completed a master's program in public management and finance there as well and received a law degree this year from the University of Maryland, Baltimore
Having spent most of his life living in Laurel, Sarich reflected on how the city has expanded land-wise over the years, and grown into a larger and more diverse city that now has 25,000 residents. He said that if he's elected, his administration will reflect that diversity.
"The city's administration should reflect 100 percent of the community, and without a question, this is a priority of mine," Sarich said. "I will get the best qualified people for jobs, but a Sarich administration will mirror the makeup of the community."
This is the first in a series of profiles of candidates in contested races in Laurel city elections.