Stephen Rapundalo and Jane Lumm were adamant in their positions, but appeared in relatively good humor. (Photos by the writer.)

Rapundalo has made the city’s past and future a central theme of his campaign, and the Oct. 26 event amply reflected that. Rapundalo spent much of the evening trying to characterize the city councils of the 1990s, on which Lumm served, as unable to work cooperatively as a group. That contrasts with his own approach and that of the current council, said Rapundalo, which is based on consensus and cooperation, even if councilmembers don’t agree on everything.

Even as Rapundalo appealed to the past in criticizing Lumm – for supporting what he called luxurious labor contracts during her tenure of service – he also criticized what he perceives her attitude to be towards the future. He calls it a “hunker down” mentality, which he says doesn’t take into account the steps the city needs to take to ensure future generations have what they need.

For her part, Lumm tells a narrative in which city government has become, since the time she served on the council, disconnected from the priorities of residents. She wants to restore community input and open conversation back to city government, which she contends is now lacking. At the Thurston forum, she responded to Rapundalo’s criticism about her prior service as a councilmember by saying she welcomed the comparison between “the bad old days” and now. She characterized herself as a fiscal watchdog, who pressed financial issues, even if there was not the same appetite for that on the rest of the council.

Certain aspects of Lumm’s record are portrayed on Rapudalo’s campaign website in a way that could fairly be described as out of context. [A closer examination of Rapundalo's portrayals based on city council minute archival material is included in The Chronicle's write-up of the League of Women Voters forum, earlier in the campaign: "2011 Election: Ward 2 City Council"] At the Thurston forum, however, Rapundalo was right about a point of contention that emerged over whether Lumm had enjoyed a Republican majority on a city council committee. The city council archives show a 3-2 Republican majority on the labor negotiating committee in 1996.

The forum was hosted by the Orchard Hills/Maplewood Homeowners Association, moderated by Peter Mooney, who’s president of that group. Rapundalo is a member of the association, and Thurston Elementary is in Rapundalo’s neighborhood. But if there was a general leaning among the assembly, it seemed to be in favor of Lumm – based on response to a few laugh lines sprinkled throughout the forum.

The format of the event contrasted with many other similar events, in that it featured no rigid time constraints on candidate responses – just a general guideline from Mooney to try to limit responses to around three to four minutes.

Mooney took questions written by audience members on cards and synthesized them into prompts for the candidates. Paraphrased questions and responses below are summarized in the order they were given. [Campaign websites: Jane Lumm , Stephen Rapundalo]

Opening Statements

Each candidate gave an opening statement.

Opening: Lumm

Lumm began by saying it was an honor to serve on the council for three terms in the 1990s. She said she didn’t expect to run again, but felt that city government has become disconnected from the community. In financially challenging times, she said, the city can’t afford everything – it’s about choices and priorities.

Many people believe the city should be targeting tax dollars on getting basic services right, but we don’t see that happening, she said. Instead, she said, the city government had built a new municipal center and diverted precious capital dollars to public art. The council had focused on ordinances addressing issues like pedestrians in crosswalks and vehicles idling too long, instead of more pressing problems. “We deserve better,” she said.

She then described Rapundalo’s campaign strategy as tossing “a bunch of false claims and nasty accusations on the wall in the hope that something might stick.” As an example, she gave Rapundalo’s contention that she’d consistently opposed recycling, the environment and human services. She said she doubted that the local Sierra Club would have endorsed her if she were anti-recycling and anti-environment. She said she also doubted that former city human services director Eileen Ryan would be saying the positive things she was saying about Lumm if Lumm were anti-human-services.

Today, Lumm said, our elected officials don’t seem to be listening to residents, which was shown by a misalignment of priorities. She continued by saying that elected officials appear to think they “know better.” Decisions are made privately, she contended, and then publicly it becomes about “selling” the decision to the public. She said that people who remembered her previous service know that she would work hard to engage all stakeholders to ensure that all options and points of view are heard – that’s just a good government principle that she would restore to city government, she said.

Opening: Rapundalo

Rapundalo thanked everyone for their confidence and support over the last six years of his service on the council. He called it an honor to serve as representative to the council. Rapundalo said that for him, the election is about who can best lead Ann Arbor forward. Ann Arbor is facing some real economic challenges, he said, but compared with other communities in the state, the outlook is not as bad. He attributed that to the fact that the city council, during his period of service, had focused diligently on priorities for the budget, services and infrastructure improvements. It has not been easy, he said, but the council has managed it pretty well. As a result, he said, the city of Ann Arbor enjoys a good fund balance, top bond ratings, clean audits, and earns praise for its quality of life.

He said he has not adopted a “hunker down mentality.” Instead, he said, he’d tried to be strategic in his due diligence in addressing issues, so that Ann Arbor can move forward. It should not just be a question of whether things are okay for today. The question is what needs do we have for tomorrow, he said, and we need to challenge ourselves with meeting those needs.

Rapundalo said he was proud of the council’s accomplishments – replacing outdated and expensive labor contracts, with savings that can be allocated to hiring back police. More and better recycling has been established, he said, parkland has been protected, aging infrastructure has been replaced, and neighborhoods have been protected from inappropriate development. Budgets had been developed that did not raise taxes.

All this had been done, Rapundalo said, because he’d worked collaboratively with his council colleagues to reach consensus on solutions, even though they did not always share the same view on everything. In short, he said, there’s important work to be done to ensure that Ann Arbor remains the economic beacon for Michigan. His strength, he said, is as someone who runs a business that is a high-tech industry leader [the industry association MichBio], has strong analytical and management skills, and demonstrates principled leadership. Rapundalo said he is exactly what the city council needs going into the future.

Huron Hills Golf Course

Question: What are your thoughts on the future of Huron Hills golf course? Should it be kept as it is, sold, or something else?

Huron Hills Golf Course: Rapundalo

Rapundalo began by saying, “That’s an easy one!” From the get-go, he said he’d supported keeping Huron Hills as a golf course. He had never supported or contemplated that it would be sold.

As chair of the golf advisory task force, he said he had worked very hard with others to try to improve golf operations. Over the last three years, revenues have increased, he noted, not just at Huron Hills but at Leslie Park golf course as well. The hope is that the trend will continue. Various adjustments and improvements have been implemented to make that happen, but it takes a concerted effort, he said. He concluded by saying his support is completely behind Huron Hills as a golf course.

Huron Hills Golf Course: Lumm

Lumm said she’s been very involved in trying to save Huron Hills over the last six years. The course has gone through countless reviews by consultants, she said. This last summer, a request for proposals (RFP) went out and Miles of Golf was the only respondent. If the proposal from Miles of Golf had been approved, it would have commercially developed half the property.

Lumm noted that she’d spoken against the RFP – because the plan recommended by the golf advisory task force was, and is, working. [Lumm addressed the city council on the topic at its June 7, 2010 meeting.] Lumm said the situation is being grossly misrepresented. She said Rapundalo is on record as saying the operating shortfall is greater than $500,000. But later, she said, Rapundalo had acknowledged that on a cash-operating basis, Huron Hills is essentially break-even. The public perception is that Huron Hills bleeds money – but it doesn’t, she said. She said she believes in public recreation – Huron Hills turned 90 years old this year.

If Huron Hills were not already owned by the city and were under consideration by the city’s greenbelt advisory commission for acquisition, she said, she felt there’d be no doubt that the city would purchase it. Greenbelt parcels are evaluated based on eight criteria. One of those criteria is its proximity to the Huron River, she said. Another one is the number of passers-by. Huron Hills would score very high on that metric, she said. Of the city’s 12 recreation facilities (swimming pools, canoe liveries, ice rinks), Huron Hills is the No. 3 revenue generator, she said.

Huron Hills serves a municipal function, Lumm continued, pointing out that young people, as well as seniors, play there. Leslie and Huron Hills, on a fully-allocated basis, Lumm said, lose $160,000 and $100,000 respectively. The Miles of Golf proposal was eventually turned down – it was a “lose, lose, lose” for Huron Hills and the city. It would have only benefited Miles of Golf, she said.

The RFP also violated the 2008 city charter referendum on selling parkland. The charter amendment requires that if the city ever decided to sell parkland, then residents get to vote on it. What was happening with the Miles of Golf proposal was an attempt to “skirt that voter referendum,” she said. All sorts of words were used instead of “sale,” she said – “long-term leases” and “development agreements.” That happened under Rapundalo’s watch, she said.

The city got a land appraisal on Huron Hills a number of years ago – that’s not something we should do with our parks, Lumm said. If you believe in protecting city parks, you don’t turn a blind eye to activity like that, she contended. Lumm noted that the city is spending millions of dollars outside the city – through the greenbelt program – to prevent development. So why would we allow development of our own city parks? she asked.

Public Art

Question: What’s your philosophy on public art spending? What changes should be made?

Public Art: Lumm

Lumm noted that $2.2 million has been set aside so far through the city’s Percent for Art program – it’s been carved out of the parks millage, the solid waste millage, the parks capital improvements millage, utility fees and the municipal center building fund. She thinks money like that should be used in a way that any reasonable person would consider related to the source. So she would not support carving out one percent of funds from those various millages for public art. She particularly would not do that when streets and bridges are deteriorating.

Lumm said supporters of the public art program talk about the economic benefits. She said she didn’t doubt the economic benefit – her objection is based on the funding source. She noted that the city of Ann Arbor has a lot of public art – it’s been donated. The city should look at those opportunities.

Another option would be to give voters discretion – they could make a contribution to public art when they paid taxes, she said. She characterized herself as an “art lover,” having served on the Ann Arbor Art Center board for six years. It’s not about being for or against public art, she said, it’s about how it’s funded. It amounts to diverting resources to things that are “nice to have” in financially challenging times.

Public Art: Rapundalo

Rapundalo said he took a very different point of view from Lumm. He said he was in support of the Percent for Art program concept for a number of reasons. He contended there are a lot of myths and misrepresentation of what the Percent for Art program is all about.

Rapundalo contended that the program is “budget neutral.” He said you could think of the public art being “a design element in whatever [capital] project” is already funded by a source – whether the funding source is the streets millage or the parks millage or whatever. That art has to be accommodated in the project, like painting or landscaping within those projects. So the art doesn’t detract from the projects that need to get done.

He called public art an economic development tool. He said he works in the high-tech industry, and people want to be in a community that is vibrant and that offers a lot in terms of cultural arts. So to retain talent in this day and age, in this kind of community, he said, it’s important that we make that kind of investment.

He went on to contend that it’s inexpensive to make that investment with the Percent for Art program. He reiterated that the public art program is “budget neutral.” He maintained that it takes nothing from the city’s general fund, so it can’t be used for fire or police protection. He wound up by saying the public art program builds the vibrancy of the community, and it’s something that people can point to and say, “This is what Ann Arbor is all about,” and take pride in it. It’s a selling point for Ann Arbor for being a magnet for the future economy.

Unfunded Pension/Health Care for City Workers

Question: Rapundalo notes the city has a strong fund balance. But the city has an unfunded combined health care and pension obligation for city employees of $225 million. Thoughts?

Pension/Health Care: Rapundalo

Rapundalo began by saying that the questioner had not looked at the numbers very carefully. The city has assets against that liability, he noted. Percentage-wise, the pension fund is about 90% funded, he said. It was 98% funded as recently as five years ago. The retiree health care fund is about 30% funded – which Rapundalo said was one of the best in the state. It’s inaccurate and misleading to say we don’t have assets against the liability, he said.

The city is actually in relatively good shape with respect to pension and health care, but Rapundalo allowed: “That’s not to say we don’t have our work cut out for us.” That’s why he had gone after the labor contracts, which he said under Lumm’s watch were luxurious. Union members had free health care and very little pension contribution. He said he’d spent the last two years trying to roll back those benefits, whether employees are union or non-union, so people pay their fair share “just like you and I have to.” In that way, future pension fund obligations would not be as great, he said.

Pension/Health Care: Lumm

Lumm said her take on the numbers is 180-degrees opposite to Rapundalo’s. When she served on the council previously, the council had adopted the first long-term financial plan for the city. Any long-term outlook takes into consideration debt and unfunded liabilities. Today, she said, both of those have grown considerably. The most recent actuarial report, she said shows the pension obligation is unfunded to the tune of $45 million. The health care obligation is unfunded by another $170 million.

While Rapundalo talks about cleaning up the mess of 15 years ago (when Lumm served on the council), Lumm said, at that time the pension fund was $60 million over-funded, while retiree health care was underfunded by $50 million. That was a net surplus of $10 million, she said. She felt the truth is in those numbers.

Lumm pointed to a 2005 blue ribbon finance report that recommended addressing the fundamental issue of the pension benefit – but the city is still offering a defined benefit plan, not a defined contribution plan. That’s not sustainable, she said.

The changes that have been made recently by the council have been good, she said, like extending the final average compensation (FAC) period and increasing employee contributions to healthcare. But for Rapundalo to say she was the person who supported fat labor contracts, she said, “That’s laughable.” She said Rapundalo could ask his Democratic colleagues, or anyone who has any institutional memory – she was “a pain in the neck” about labor issues. However, she said, there wasn’t the appetite for it.

Lumm contended she “pushed mightily” on controlling employee pension and health care costs. She said she brought forward resolutions when the council discussed the budget, and she aired those issues not weeks but months in advance to try to get buy-in. She’d started in 1994 and was a pain in the neck about this topic until her last meeting on the city council, she said.

Fuller Road Station, Transportation

Question: What are your thoughts on the proposed Fuller Road Station and high speed transit?

Transportation: Rapundalo

Rapundalo said he’s supportive of the whole concept. He called it a “generational game changer.” Whether people appreciate it or not, it’s here today because the federal government has identified high speed rail in this corridor as a priority and a need, he said. When you combine that with local needs driven by University of Michigan employment, Fuller Road Station becomes an important component of that. In years past, the city has looked at how to move people in and out, he noted, and after looking at many different locations, the conclusion was that the spot on Fuller Road at the base of the university hospital would be the ideal location.

The concept that’s been developed involves two or three phases, Rapundalo said. The first phase would be a parking facility with commuter rail platform. The second phase would include a fully built-out high speed train station. A third phase would be an interconnector hub from North Campus and Plymouth Road southward. It would integrate rail, bus, bike, pedestrians and cars.

The first two phases won’t require any city general funds, he said. Entities like the University of Michigan, Michigan Dept. of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, Federal Rail Administration and Amtrak have committed to being full partners. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been allocated – the state of Michigan has purchased the trains and the tracks. The pieces are in place and in motion, he said. Other stops along that route – Battle Creek and Dearborn – are getting renovated. Ann Arbor is the busiest Amtrak stop on the Detroit-Chicago route, so it would behoove Ann Arbor be a part of the high speed and commuter rail link, he concluded.

Transportation: Lumm

Lumm allowed that she would sound like the naysayer, but what Rapundalo was describing sounds “utopic.” It’s an “intermodal transit station” – that sounds great. At some point it would be a wonderful amenity for the city, she said, but we need a reality check.

What we’re talking about today is the first phase, which is essentially a parking structure for the University of Michigan, she said. The city has made a commitment of $10 million in order to use 22% of the facility. The university is a wonderful employer, and the city should be partners, she said, but Ann Arbor taxpayers shouldn’t necessarily bear the expense of that project on their parkland.

The project comes with too many unanswered questions, Lumm said. She has yet to see a business plan. What will the ongoing operating costs be? If someone would share that information, she said, that would be great. As far as the claim that it will require no city general fund money, she said, “I’ll believe that when I see it.” She came back to the point that the site is located on city parkland. The project violates the spirit of the 2008 charter amendment. Voters said in 2008 that if the city is going to unload parkland, voters get to weigh in on that. Thinking the project will become a train station anytime soon, Lumm said, is not realistic.

Labor Negotiations

Question: What’s your philosophy on labor contracts? What’s the role of the council versus the role of the administration in labor negotiations?

Labor Negotiations: Lumm

Lumm said the question strikes a nerve, because she knows what she did, and she knows what has been said about what she did. She said she’d welcome anyone who can remember the history, to confirm she had pushed on pension and health care issues, for current and retired employees.

Lumm said she had served on the labor committee, and recently she’d reviewed some of the contracts from that time. She referred to a study that had been done looking at benchmarking health care costs with other communities. The committee relied on human resources staff, the city administrator and the city attorneys – they’d come to the labor committee as those staff members had negotiated the contracts. She said she’d looked at a contract from 1997 – before that contract was settled there were 14 negotiations. She allowed that some things that were being asked for were actually fairly luxurious, but she maintained that the city had held the line on things.

Lumm said  that back when she served, the council relied on professionals to guide it. Today, she said, the council is doing the work that professionals once did. The impression is, she said, that it’s the councilmembers who are doing the negotiating. She said she didn’t think that’s what is actually happening.

Labor Negotiations: Rapundalo

Rapundalo said that before he addressed the question that had been posed, he wanted to respond to some of Lumm’s comments. He noted that when Lumm served on the labor committee, she was on it when there were more Republicans than Democrats. So she had the opportunity to carry a recommendation out from the labor committee to the full council as to what they wanted to see come out of the negotiations. But he didn’t think there’s a record of that having happened.

Rapundalo stated that councilmembers don’t participate in labor negotiations – they provide parameters and the strategies by which the professionals do the negotiations. What has changed over the last five to six years, he said, is that the labor committee has put its foot down and said: The city is not going to conduct business like this any longer.

Rapundalo said that for many years, the police and firefighter unions, which are governed by the Act 312 arbitration law, would “call our bluff.” They’d say: “You’re not going to lay us off; we’ll string this out as long as we can.” But the council had gotten to the point where it said, “Enough is enough.” The city could not continue to cut other areas, he said, without looking at the largest expense, which is personnel. And the majority of personnel costs are in the public safety sector, he said. And with public safety union contracts that had no contributions to health care and minimal contributions in terms of pension, it was not fair.

So the council had said it’s time to connect the labor strategy with the budget strategy, Rapundalo explained. That meant that for units with employees who’d agreed to contracts that had higher contributions to health care and pension plans, budget reductions in those units would be correspondingly less. Most of the unions, “saw the writing on the wall,” Rapundalo said, and accommodated that strategy. Police and firefighters, however, had not, he said.

Rapundalo called it ironic that the settlement that the city had recently reached with the police officers rank and file – with greater contributions by employees to health care and pension – was the same set of conditions offered to them in May and June of this year, before the budget was approved. It was also the same set of conditions that had been offered a year ago. In their minds, he said, their contracts had already expired, so it was to their benefit to continue to work under those contracts that were more generous to them. But the police officers had finally come around, and he hoped now that those savings could be used to re-hire some of the officers.

Rapundalo called it a situation where the labor committee and the council at large had said that it was going to put its foot down, because it’s not sustainable. We’ve been living off those luxurious contracts for many years, Rapundalo said, and the rich buyouts that many people remember, back when firefighters were ending their careers with pensions in six figures, came under Lumm’s watch. At that, Lumm objected that she was not around at that time. Rapundalo insisted, “You supported it, you voted for it at the budget time, period, Jane. … You were there …”

Rapundalo’s contention was that Lumm had served on the council when the terms and conditions had been put in place that allowed for subsequent buyouts. Rapundalo continued by saying he’d spent his time on the council trying to roll back the labor contracts, and it had not been easy, because they were very entrenched. “Folks, you’re paying for these guys’ … food every day! They have written into their contract that you will pay for their coffee. I mean this is ludicrous in this day and age, let alone that they’re not paying for health care.”

The council said that “enough was enough” and had been adamant with the city administrator that it was not going to budge. And this time, if the unions called the city’s bluff, it would not work, Rapundalo said.

Council Minority

Question: (For Rapundalo) How is Lumm held responsible for what took place on the council when she served as a minority? (For Lumm) For residents who are happy with the current majority on the council, why shouldn’t they be?

By way of historical background on city council membership, ArborWiki’s entry on Ann Arbor city council membership from different periods is useful.

Annotated from the Nov. 18, 1996 Ann Arbor city council meeting minutes is the following membership for the labor negotiating committee:

Labor Negotiating Committee
Meets: As needed
Location: Guy C. Larcom Jr. Municipal Building (various rooms)
Contact: Neal Berlin, City Administrator, 994-2650
Sheldon [Ingrid Sheldon, Republican, mayor]
Lumm [Jane Lumm, Republican, Ward 2]
Kwan [David Kwan, Republican, Ward 2]
Hartwell [Stephen C. Hartwell, Democrat Ward 4]
Daley [Elizabeth Daley, Democrat, Ward 5]

Council Minority: Rapundalo

Rapundalo reiterated a point he’d made previously that evening, that there were instances where Lumm was in the majority “whether it be on the committee level, or otherwise.”

The remark drew some sarcastic laughs from the audience, likely because Rapundalo’s phrase “or otherwise” was understood to be a contention that Lumm had been a part of a Republican majority on the council as a whole, which she was not.

A brief exchange between Rapundalo and audience member Tom Wieder included, from Wieder, “Well, stop lying!” and protest from Rapundalo that the reference was to a committee [the five-member labor committee, on which Lumm had served as part of a 3-2 Republican majority].

Rapundalo continued by saying that good governance is about collaborating with colleagues to try to reach a consensus. He said that’s exactly what the councils he’s served on have tried to do – come together based on an understanding of what the issues are with a common goal. The councils of the 1990s, Rapundalo contended, were characterized by petty partisan politics and brinksmanship. It was the same sort of thing we see in Washington D.C., he said, and there’s too much of that in Congress. That’s a recipe for stagnation, he said. “The only way you’re going to get is if you give,” he said.

Council Minority: Lumm

Lumm began by saying she didn’t know where to start. She said when she served there were two Republicans on the council, three counting mayor Ingrid Sheldon. She said there’d never been any Republican majority on any committee or board. She insisted she was not a part of any majority.

Referring to the buyouts in 2000 and 2001, those buyouts had contributed to the increased pension liability, she said. There were subsequent buyouts as well, including the 2009 police buyout, which Rapundalo had voted for. She returned to her point that she had left the council by the time of the 2001 buyouts, even though Rapundalo said she was responsible.

At that time, Lumm said, the council had (without consultation with the actuary) made an early retirement proposal. Two hundred employees were eligible and 200 accepted, she said. Although she was not on the city council at the time, she said, she was curious about it. She was serving on a chamber of commerce public policy committee, so she called the actuary as an interested citizen, and the actuary reported that the city never contacted them.

Obviously, Lumm said, the buyout was far too lucrative – the FAC was based only on the last year’s compensation, she said. She noted that the current mayor, John Hiefjte, had voted for that. But she said she wasn’t around for it. That was a “golden parachute,” she said, and she wondered who wouldn’t take it. “Please don’t blame that on on me, I wasn’t around,” she said.

Commenting on her interactions with other councilmembers, Lumm returned to a point she’d made previously, saying she would float proposals not weeks but months in advance. When Rapundalo talks about brinksmanship, she doesn’t know what he means. “We had a little more diversity on council and we talked about things openly. What a concept! I think that’s a good thing.”

Today, what you see is everybody in agreement, Lumm said, with decisions having been made before the actual council meeting. Now, it seems like it’s more about selling and marketing the decisions. She said she wanted to open up the conversation to the wider community. In the 1990s, there were philosophical differences on the council, but it didn’t get personal. That’s good democracy, she concluded.

Underground Parking Structure

Question: The underground parking structure currently under construction on Fifth Avenue includes foundations that are capable of supporting a 12-story hotel, when the future use of the parcel has not yet been determined. Also, how do you justify building the underground garage when popular opinion is against it?

Underground Parking Structure: Lumm

Lumm said it was not possible to turn back the clock on the parking garage. It was built to support a much larger structure on top, she noted. So going forward, the conversation is more about what’s going to go on top. It’s a very valuable piece of property, she said. So the discussion about what goes on top needs public input, but not in a check-off-the-box kind of way. We’re talking about everybody’s tax dollars, she said, so we need to open things up to all conceivable stakeholders. It’s a vitally important parcel in the downtown area.

There’s one group of citizens that has come up with some guiding principles, which she supported. They want to see a public art component, green space and “it’s not all or nothing … it’s a really balanced set of guiding principles.” One of them is that it should be tax-producing, as well as an enhancement to the Ann Arbor District Library’s downtown location. Another factor is the nearby Blake Transit Center. She said she wanted to see a robust community discussion about it.

Underground Parking Structure: Rapundalo

As far as justifying construction of the underground garage itself, Rapundalo noted that the need for the capacity was identified by the DDA by sitting down and projecting forward 10 or 20 years. The city has lost a number of lots and structures, he said, so that underground garage is really trying to make up for some of the loss.

For last five or six years, the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority and the city council have been adamant in supporting the notion that there’d not only be an underground parking garage, but also a mixed-use development above that. As a result, the foundations included reinforced steel to accommodate something bigger, he said, but not specifically for a hotel. The question of what would go on top was purposely left open, he said.

Reviewing the set of proposals the city had received for the Library Lot RFP, Rapundalo said it was interesting that three had a hotel component, and of those, two had a conference center component. The job of the committee he’d chaired was to shepherd the proposals through a review process and bring a recommendation to the city council. His frustration, Rapundalo said, was that the council was not able to complete that process. [The council voted to terminate the process.]

For what it’s worth, Rapundalo said, the project that the committee had selected as its preferred option was, in its final version, not going to cost the city any money – it was going to be completely private. Rapundalo said he found it ironic that Alan Haber, who’d championed one of the responses to the city’s RFP that had called for parkland, has now come forward supporting something more akin to what the council has always said about the parcel – it should be mixed use with a large public component. “We’ve come back full circle,” Rapundalo said. He noted that the future of the lot is now in the hands of the DDA, which is looking at not just that site, but at other city-owned surface parking lots as well.

Heritage Row, City Place

Question: Explain what happened that resulted in the City Place development going forward – which will knock down seven historic houses – when the Heritage Row plan was turned down.

Heritage Row, City Place: Rapundalo

Rapundalo called the situation very frustrating. He said he was on the side supporting the Heritage Row PUD (planned unit development), which in its initial version would have torn down the seven older houses – which he contended were not “historic,” even though they were old. The first version of the project was to be a “very quaint” brownstone row house-type development, which he described as a very nice project. [At that time, the PUD was called "City Place," but subsequently the name "City Place" would be attached to a matter-of-right project, not a PUD.] After the brownstone version, the PUD then evolved into the Heritage Row project most people are familiar with, Rapundalo said. That one would have preserved the seven houses and also built something more contemporary behind the row of houses.

The majority of council supported Heritage Row, but neighbors took various steps to try to prevent its approval, Rapundalo explained. One tool was to file a petition with the city to force the council to achieve a supermajority of eight votes. The council was not able to muster that supermajority, and as a result Heritage Row failed on a 7-4 vote. So the developers came in and offered City Place, which was a project that was proposed to meet all the zoning codes, but would definitively remove the old houses. Rapundalo called it an “inferior project,” but the council was not in a position to say no, because the project met the zoning regulations. Saying no would have meant putting the city at risk of litigation and almost a certain loss in that litigation, he said.

There were several attempts to reconsider that vote on Heritage Row, Rapundalo said. However, the four councilmembers who’d voted against the project refused to budge on that. In the context of the most recent attempt in the last few weeks, the project had been sold to a new developer. And when the numbers were crunched by the new developer, long story short, he said, the numbers didn’t add up for the new developer. So the Heritage Row proposal was withdrawn.

Rapundalo said that in the next few weeks, he expected that demolition permits would be issued and the houses would come down, to make way for a project that will likely become student housing. Rapundalo called it unfortunate and it saddened him. There were many opportunities to make it right, he said. He said he can’t speak to why some councilmembers chose to prolong their opposition to a project that was at least reasonable. [For the latest City Place news, see "City Place: ZBA Appeal Filed"]

Heritage Row, City Place: Lumm

Lumm said nobody is happy with the outcome. She suggested that the situation could have been averted, if elected officials had moved forward with the review of the R4C zoning districts. A committee was formed, she said, to address questions about this zoning classification. If that had proceeded along a path where recommendations could have been made, it’s possible that the recommendations could have been in place in time to steer things in a direction that everyone was hoping for – Heritage Row.

Now, there’s speculation about whether the original developer had calculated the true cost accurately. Lumm ventured that he would know better than anyone. The new developer contends the Heritage Row development was not feasible. She said she just didn’t understand why those questions weren’t worked out and discussed. She said she hoped there’d now be an effort to get the R4C zoning review completed. The City Place project is student housing in a near-downtown neighborhood and she wondered how viable it would be, but she hoped it would be fully occupied. She said the council “played chicken” too long. She said people should have locked themselves in a room and figured it out. But she allowed it was easy for her to say – she didn’t live through it.

Sidewalk Millage

Question: If the sidewalk millage is not approved, will there need to be cuts?

[This item was presented in conjunction with a question about a possible city income tax, but are separated here, because the two are really two separate issues.]

Sidewalk Millage:  Lumm

Lumm said she was personally not supporting the sidewalk millage. Those feelings have been strengthened by knocking on doors during the campaign, she said. She’d been walking on some nice, newly-repaired sidewalks that residents had paid to have fixed under the recent five-year sidewalk replacement program. By way of full disclosure, she said, there are no sidewalks adjacent to her property.

People Lumm has talked to say they just spent a lot of money getting their sidewalk slabs replaced, and wonder about the coincidental timing of the millage proposal. She said a lot of people are not embracing that idea. Addressing the question of whether something would need to be cut, she called it an “unnecessary add,” because $540,000 had been carved out of the street millage for the public art program, when the sidewalk millage is projected to raise around that same amount – $560,000.

Lumm also called the 25% that is needed for administrative overhead excessive – “That’s insane,” she said. She’d attended a meeting of the Main Street Area Association, where members had discussed the use of the sidewalk millage inside the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority district. Commercial property owners would all be paying the the millage, she said, but based on the original city council resolution of intent for the use of the sidewalk millage, it would not be used inside the DDA district except for single-family and duplex residences.

The expectation was that the DDA would handle the sidewalk repair inside the district, using only the tax increment from the millage already captured by the DDA TIF district. [The council's resolution of intent was subsequently modified to provide the DDA with all proceeds from the millage inside the DDA district, provided that the DDA agreed to take responsibility for sidewalk repair.] The original resolution was discussed by the council, but nobody bothered to discuss it with the DDA, she said.

Sidewalk Millage: Rapundalo

Rapundalo described the sidewalk millage ballot proposal as coming about due to feedback from voters over the five years that the replacement program has been in place. Many people had to replace slabs, go through the rigamarole of hiring contractors, or teaming up with neighbors to find economies of scale, Rapundalo said. And what councilmembers had heard from people was that they really didn’t want to deal with all that.

The 1/8 mill tax roughly translates to $15 a year, Rapundalo explained. From the monetary side of things, it’s less than having to pay $120-130 per slab. One of the reasons the city has the current model of the five-year inspection program is due to the reduced administrative costs. If you chose to ignore the citation from the city and opted to have the city do the work, the per slab cost was more expensive. If the sidewalk milage doesn’t get approved, he said, the city will continue with the current model on another five-year program cycle.

City Income Tax

Question: What are your thoughts on a city income tax?

City Income Tax: Lumm

Lumm said she does not support a city income tax, noting that Rapundalo calls it “revenue restructuring.” She said she hears all the time from the mayor and other councilmembers, like a mantra, that we’re experiencing the worst recession since the Great Depression. But when times are tough, she said, this is not the time to raise taxes.

There’s a lot more that can be done in terms of government consolidations, Lumm said. So far, we’ve only nibbled at the edges of government consolidation, she said. She said the city didn’t collaborate with the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, the Ann Arbor Public Schools, the University of Michigan, or Washtenaw County when the city built the $35 million maintenance facility [Wheeler Center]. She said when she served on the city council, she’d brought forward a resolution that called for cooperation with those other units of government, if a maintenance facility were to be built.

Until those kinds of collaborative options are explored, the city government should not be thinking about asking taxpayers for more money. An income tax, she said, is not revenue neutral and would be highly volatile. Up until two or three years ago, tax revenues had been increasing at roughly twice the rate of inflation. Suddenly things have slowed, she said, with respect to property tax growth. She called it “a panic reaction,” to appeal to a revenue restructuring plan. She felt there are many more ways the city can be more efficient in providing basic service delivery.

City Income Tax: Rapundalo

Rapundalo allowed that on the income tax, Lumm is right – he’s in favor of having a dialogue about revenue restructuring. He does not think the city can rely on cost-cutting alone. We’ve already cut and cut and cut, he said, and we’re at or near the bone.

Rapundalo said it’s foolish not to examine the revenue side of the equation. That’s particularly true in light of the reduced amount of state shared revenue that cities have received from the state, he said, and given the legislature’s contemplation of eliminating the personal property tax. By way of illustration, Rapundalo said Pfizer was previously a company that was very personal-property intensive, because of high-tech capital instruments it had. If the city lost that personal property tax revenue for all companies, it would have a huge impact and would not be easily replaced.

Before the personal property tax is eliminated, Rapundalo cautioned, it behooves us to think about whether the revenue model that’s in place is the best one: Is the burden fairly distributed among users of city services – property owners and people who just work here? A Headlee override is also an option, he pointed out. [A Headlee override would reset taxes up to their original rate before they were rolled back by the state's Headlee Amendment.] He wanted to stack the different revenue models against each other and ask what they would prefer.

He contended that Lumm misrepresents the income tax as an “additional tax.” Under the Ann Arbor city charter, Rapundalo said, it’s not possible to have both an income tax and property tax. [This is true for the general operating millage levied by the city of Ann Arbor for its general fund revenues, which is currently just over 6 mills. Other property taxes, levied for parks maintenance, solid waste, open space preservation and the like, could and would still persist, even if an income tax were enacted. Rapundalo's point is that the general operating millage property tax (6 mills) and an income tax are, in fact, either-or propositions. ]

Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority

Question: Some say the DDA has so much power, it’s ruining Ann Arbor. What’s your vision for downtown? What are three things you’d do to improve downtown?

Ann Arbor DDA: Rapundalo

Rapundalo said that the DDA had generated a lot of discussion, and a lot of points of view have been brought to bear on the question. He said there are two extreme views. One is that the DDA is not independent enough and the city council is trying to impose its will on the DDA. The other extreme view is that the city council doesn’t have enough control over the DDA. He said that one of his council colleagues has proposed the city get rid of the DDA entirely, and that the city take over the management of the city’s public parking system, which the DDA now operates.

For his part, Rapudalo described the city-DDA relationship as a balancing act. He said it’s important to remember that the DDA is enabled by state legislation, but the city is responsible for the DDA’s assets. So if the DDA were to disappear, the city could get stuck with both the liability and the assets. It’s only prudent, therefore, that the council exercise some control, he said. That control is exercised primarily through the appointments to the board, he explained. At the same time the council can’t be so overbearing that the council prevents the DDA from doing what it’s supposed to do – make decisions that are in the best interest of the downtown. The city council has tried to walk that line, he said.

Rapundalo does not support eliminating the DDA, because he said that would have dire consequences. At the same time he didn’t think the city council should be so overbearing as to “cuff the hands” of the DDA. On the DDA board there are some dedicated people, he said, who have the best interests of the downtown at heart. As a show of good faith, he said, the city had turned over the entire management of its parking system to the DDA, as well as the planning for city-owned parcels. The council is trying to walk a fine line, he said.

With respect to his vision of downtown, he noted that he works in the high-tech industry in biosciences, and works with economic development agencies, including Ann Arbor SPARK. We have to maintain the vibrancy of downtown, he said. He would like to see more density in downtown, either through commercial or residential development. He said he could imagine some kind of mid-sized corporate headquarters downtown. There are opportunities with companies currently located on the fringes, he said.

It boils down to creating more density – to increase tax revenue and to allow for a flourishing retail sector, he said. Up to now the downtown has been able to forestall the introduction of big box stores and maintain a nice mix of local and mom-and-pop type of retail, Rapundalo said. By the same token, the city has never really developed a retail attraction and retention strategy. He’d like to see the city set out some economic development priorities so that they could be coordinated and integrated with the efforts of Ann Arbor SPARK.

Ann Arbor DDA: Lumm

Lumm contended that in many respects, the DDA has lost its independence. Rapundalo has talked about the extreme views – that it should be wholly independent versus the idea it shouldn’t exist. When she served on the council, the DDA was an independent body, but it’s not today. She felt like the city council had subsumed the DDA.

She contended that former councilmembers serve on the DDA board, and she noted that the mayor of course [by statute] also serves on the board. When she served on the council, the DDA board was composed mostly of downtown property owners – their mission was solely focused on the downtown. They were not susceptible to pressure to assist the city financially. But today, the DDA is paying $500,000 per year on a 30-year loan for the new municipal center, Lumm noted. That money could be used on other downtown investments.

She described the DDA as being in a “compromised position” now. She pointed to the contract under which the DDA manages the city’s public parking system – the city receives 17% of the gross parking revenues. She took issue with the idea that the city had “given” the DDA the management of its public parking system. What came with that “gift,” she said, was the obligation of roughly $2.7 million a year provided by the 17% of gross revenues in the contract. That money is needed to fill the holes in the city’s operating budget, she said.

Lumm said that despite Rapundalo’s desire not to “cuff the hands” of the DDA, in many ways the city did that. Now a discussion is unfolding about the possibility that hours of parking enforcement will be extended and rates might be raised. [Extension of hours of enforcement has recently been taken off the table, at least for now.] This was predictable, she said. As the city kept going back to the “DDA trough” saying, “Give us more money,” Lumm noted, some members of the DDA board had indicated that parking rates would need to be raised, if the trend continued.

The DDA board is accountable to all of us, she said, and they need to be allowed to have a laser focus on the downtown. Her vision for the downtown, she said, is a vibrant downtown – who doesn’t want that? The DDA has been stretched beyond what their traditional mission was, she said. The downtown is the core of the city and we need to work collaboratively with the DDA so that it remains a strong economic driver.

Closing

Each candidate gave a closing statement.

Closing: Rapundalo

Rapundalo offered that what attendees at the forum had heard is a fundamental difference in how he and Lumm approach the role of a councilmember. What they’d heard from Lumm was a “hunker down” mentality, where we batten down the hatches and say no to everything. He did not accept that, he said. There are times to say no, no doubt. But time doesn’t stand still. It’s important to ask: What are the needs of tomorrow? What do our kids need? We need to think about those questions now, he said. It’s what defines being strategic and it’s what defines leadership.

In his tenure on the budget committee and the labor committee, he said he has challenged other councilmembers about priorities. The council sets priorities at budget retreats, which sets the tone for everything. The council has done a good job of establishing the things that are important, he said, and figuring out what accommodations have to be made in the budget to make those things happen. He said that Ann Arbor is actually doing pretty well. It has good bond ratings, he noted, which allowed the city to embark on needed infrastructure improvements, when bond rates were lowest and when construction costs were lowest. That was exactly the right time to do some of those projects, he observed.

Rapundalo said he would not sit back and accept the status quo. We should always ask if the status quo is okay. If it’s okay, then great. But if it isn’t, then we had better be working on the next steps, he said. It’s about investing in our future, prioritizing safety, and accelerating road repair and economic development to shore up our tax base.

The conversation has to include revenue restructuring, Rapundalo said. It’s not enough to cut costs, because when you try to prioritize, everybody thinks that everything is important. That’s why we have to talk about revenues, he said.

There’s important work to be done, Rapundalo said. He brings a varied skill set to the table, he said, and will continue to bring his due diligence that he’s always brought. He said he would be fair, equitable and mindful of people’s input and bring that into the decision-making at the council table.

Closing: Lumm

Lumm thanked the organizers for hosting, and Rapundalo for his service, and the forum attendees for coming out on a night when the weather was bad. She said it had been great to hear all the questions and to hear what’s on people’s minds.

She ventured that people likely had a sense of what her campaign is about: refocusing spending priorities to reconnect neighborhoods to city hall. She said she wanted to make sure tax dollars are deployed consistent with residents’ priorities. She felt the city has taken its eye off the ball – that’s why she is running.

She allowed that public art is valuable, but the city shouldn’t sacrifice basic services to pay for it. Although Rapundalo said prioritizing public safety is a priority, she said that over the last six years, during Rapundalo’s service, public safety has been cut by 24%. She said she’s no expert, but she’s talked to experts – people who served at senior levels in the Ann Arbor police department – and they are very concerned. If they’re concerned, she said, so was she.

Lumm said that when she hears that we’ve cut to the bone and around 50% of the head count is in public safety, that tells her there are other opportunities for reductions, too. Maybe the city needs fewer attorneys or accountants, she ventured. The city needs to look at cuts strategically. She called for having the community assist in building the city’s budget. She didn’t think the city government’s priorities are the community’s priorities. She welcomed the comparison between the time she served on the council and now. She said she’d worked hard to contain costs and limit taxes. She was known as a “fiscal watchdog,” she said, and would do that again. She asked people to consider when they felt safer and when the roads and streets were in better condition – now or then.

Lumm said she is running as an independent, but is honored to have both Democrats and Republicans supporting her. She hopes that going forward there’ll be other independents who run for city council, and said that maybe the city council elections can become non-partisan.

Lumm said she feels a sense of unity as she goes door to door, and with the group that has come together to support her. They share the belief that city government must reconnect with the people, she said.

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Democrat and current county commissioner Yousef Rabhi picked up nominating petitions earlier this week, and plans to run for re-election. Elected to his first term in 2010, Rabhi now represents District 11, but would be running next year for a seat in the new District 8.

County commissioners are elected to two-year terms, with the next election occurring in 2012. Starting with that election cycle, the current 11-member county board of commissioners will shrink to nine members, due to a redistricting plan adopted earlier this year. Three of the new districts – 7, 8 and 9 – will represent Ann Arbor. Currently, four of the board’s 11 districts represent Ann Arbor. [map of new county board districts] For additional background, see Chronicle coverage: “County Board Loses 2 Seats in Redistricting.”

Montague has been affected by redistricting in the past. She served for 12 years as county commissioner, but lost the seat when she was defeated by Bergman in a 2002 Democratic primary for a new district created after the previous redistricting process. Montague most recently ran against Bergman in the 2006 primary race that included Audrey Jackson, but was again defeated when Bergman retained the seat.

Montague spoke during public commentary at the April 28, 2011 meeting of the Washtenaw County apportionment commission, which oversees the redistricting process every 10 years. She talked about the importance of everyone in the community having a voice, and having their vote count. She told the commission that it’s important for minorities in this county to have the opportunity to be elected to public office, so that their voices aren’t just heard – they’re also able to make a contribution. Montague is African American.

For the county commissioner race, candidates have the option of filing nominating petitions with signatures from registered voters, or paying a $100 fee. That fee is refundable for candidates who come in first or second place in the primary. Montague paid the fee. Most candidates choose that option, according to deputy county clerk Matt Yankee.

In addition to the regular election cycle, the county board will be appointing a replacement for the seat vacated by commissioner Kristin Judge, who is resigning effective Oct. 9. The board must make an appointment within 30 days of her resignation, followed by a Feb. 28, 2012 primary (along with the presidential primary) and a May 2012 special general election for that seat. The winner of that election would serve a truncated term for the current District 7, through 2012.

County commissioners are elected to two-year terms, with the next election occurring in 2012. District 7, covering the eastern portion of Ann Arbor, will be one of nine districts as of 2013 – the first year that the newly configured board is in place. Three of those districts – 7, 8 and 9 – will represent Ann Arbor. (Currently there are 11 districts, including four representing Ann Arbor.) [map of new county board districts] The new District 7 includes an area that’s now represented by Democrat Barbara Bergman, who is not seeking re-election.

Labarre is vice president of government relations and administration at the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber of Commerce, a position he’s held since April 2011. He is also a member of the Ann Arbor Housing Commission, the SOS Community Services board, and Ypsilanti’s Depot Town Community Development Corp. advisory board. As part of his announcement, LaBarre released a list of several dozen supporters, including the four current county commissioners representing Ann Arbor – Bergman, Leah Gunn, Yousef Rabhi and Conan Smith – as well as 10 current Ann Arbor city councilmembers. [.pdf list of supporters]

In contrast to other members of the city council, which represent one of five wards in the city, Ann Arbor's mayor is elected by all Ann Arbor voters. Kudos to any reader who can recognize the location of this sign.

By way of general background, in Ann Arbor, the mayor is elected for a two-year term and is a member of the 11-member city council. The other 10 members of the council come from the city’s five wards – each ward has two seats on the council, one of which is elected each year for a two-year term. In addition to the rights and responsibilities of a councilmember, the city charter assigns the mayor other rights, including: a veto power, the responsibility to make appointments to committees, certain powers during emergencies, and the responsibility to preside over city council meetings. The management of the city is handled by a city administrator [Roger Fraser], who is hired by the city council. The mayor’s annual salary is $42,436.

Hieftje has served as mayor for the last 10 years, first elected in 2000 after serving half a term on the Ann Arbor city council representing Ward 1. At the League’s forum, Bean highlighted his own record of 20 years of service to the city on the energy and environmental commissions – currently chairing the environmental commission. Board and commission service for the city is not compensated.

The two men share many similar views – they occasionally expressed their agreement with each other’s views during the forum. They get along well socially – in fact, they carpooled together to the League of Women Voters event. Still, it’s possible to discern some differences between the two candidates on local issues as well as in their national perspective.

For example, Bean’s take on the proposed Fuller Road Station is that a citizen vote is needed and that the accompanying parking deck doesn’t move us in the right direction of alternative transportation. Hieftje, on the other hand, promoted the location as the best place in all of Michigan for a transit center. Hieftje’s focus on the city’s budget is to continue to find efficiencies to reduce expenses in the face of declining state and federal revenues, while Bean’s perspective seems to include more prominently the possibility of a severe national financial crisis that could be further complicated by declining world oil production capacity.

Bean and Hieftje’s responses are described in greater detail below.

Opening statement

Each candidate made a 1-minute opening statement.

Bean’s Opening

Steve Bean said that the reason he’s running for mayor is to bring to our local government the context of climate change, peak oil and a future financial crisis. He said he didn’t feel like we take that broader context enough into consideration at the local level. He noted he has more than 20 years of experience in local Ann Arbor government, serving on the environmental commission – for the last five years as chair – and also the energy commission prior to that. He said that if people didn’t hear their questions answered that evening, to contact him and he’d be happy to respond.

Hieftje’s Opening

John Hieftje thanked the League of Women Voters for hosting the event. He said that the last decade has been a tough one for the country and the entire world and certainly for local governments in Michigan. He allowed that cuts have had to be made, but said that Ann Arbor has done this through finding greater efficiencies – he contended that about the same work is done by the city as was done 10 years ago, but with many fewer people. He said that while other cities in Michigan have had to raise taxes, the millage rate in Ann Arbor is slightly lower now than it was 10 years ago. Ann Arbor will need to focus on finances, he said. He said he felt that Ann Arbor will be able to “keep all the balls in the air” as we move forward with the various initiatives that the city has in place.

Challenges

Question: What challenges specifically will the city face in the next two years?

Hieftje on Challenges: Financial challenges are major

John Hieftje said that every city needs to be focused most acutely on the bottom line financially – we don’t know what to expect from the state in terms of state revenue sharing, he said. He noted that the state has recent cut state revenue sharing as well as funding for roads, funding for the arts, and funding that was previously available for affordable housing. Federal funding has also decreased, he said. Finances will continue to be a major chore, Hieftje said, and he thinks that the city will continue to do a good job of that. That doesn’t mean the city can’t continue to look at alternative transportation and be one of the nation’s leaders in environmental issues, he said.

Bean on Challenges: Financial challenges will become more serious

Steve Bean said that he largely agrees with Hieftje – that the financial situation is already a challenge. He said he felt that we’d see rising gasoline prices, which will dampen economic growth. We’re in a situation where we can’t expect to get out of the recession very soon, Bean said, so we’ll likely go into a deeper recession. We have an opportunity to continue to be creative and innovative in continuing our quality of life, he said, but it will be very challenging and we need to be open to exploring alternatives.

Mayor’s Role

Question: What role does the mayor play in a city manager type of government such as we have in Ann Arbor, and what strengths would you bring to that role?

Bean on Mayor’s Role: Leadership

Steve Bean said that the mayor plays primarily a leadership role, both on the city council and in the community. The 11-member council develops policy for the community and directs administration and staff, and it’s the mayor’s role to guide that process. It’s also important for the mayor to play an educational role in the community about what we’ll likely face in the future – about budget issues as well as opportunities.

Hieftje on Mayor’s Role: Evolution of role due to electronic communication

John Hieftje said that as the system is set up, the city administrator handles the day-to-day activities and makes sure the garbage gets collected. The mayor and the city council hire the city administrator and the city attorney, he said. He compared the mayor to the chairman of the board of directors, but said that there’s a lot of room for the mayor to be more active or less active – he characterized his own approach as more active.

He said that the role of mayor and the city council had changed over the years, particularly with the growth of electronic mail. People take advantage of the fact that the mayor and city council members are very accessible through electronic mail. As a result, the mayor and the city council are the liaison to the community, which is as appropriate, he said. The role of the council has expanded, Hieftje said, and in the past decade it has taken a greater role in watching over city finances and making sure that the work that’s done throughout the city meets the expectation of the residents. There’s been an evolution in the roles of mayor and city council, he said, compared to the way they’ve been set up in the city charter.

Parks: Golf

Question: Are the city parks under threat? For example, what should be the future use of Huron Hills golf course?

Hieftje on Golf: Huron Hills needs to pay for itself

John Hieftje characterized Huron Hills as a beautiful piece of property. He said the city has been struggling for a couple of years to see if it can be made to pay for itself, so that golf is not taking away from the general fund budget. Golf seems to be on the decline as a sport, he said, with many golf courses built over the last several years going out of business or being converted to other uses. If Huron Hills can make a go of it as a golf course, he said, that would be a great thing.

Hieftje mentioned that the city has put out a request for proposals (RFP) on the course to try to get some new ideas, but that it would certainly remain a park. He said the golf task force had made a lot of progress and Huron Hills is a better course than it was before – it’s less expensive to play. If it turned out that it could not be made to be viable as a golf course, there could be some other park use for the land.

Bean on Golf: Why not Leslie, too?

Steve Bean said that for the short term it would be preferable for it to be a viable golf course. In the future, he said, he agreed with Hieftje that if it can’t be viable as a golf course, it should remain a park. He asked, however, if we are exploring the possibility of making Huron Hills viable with a private operator, why we are not doing the same thing with the city’s other golf course – Leslie Park golf course. He said that we are not being consistent in that respect.

Parks: Fuller Road Station

Question: Is a parking garage and transit station an appropriate use of Fuller Park?

Bean on FRS: Citizen vote is needed

Steve Bean said he tended to look at the question as: Is a parking structure appropriate at all? The concept for Fuller Road Station, he said, is to develop a train station, but a parking structure is not moving us in the direction of alternative transportation or in bringing in commuters on a train line. He said there’s an agreement with the community regarding how to use park land in the long term – it’s a matter of semantics, he said, and he felt it should be put to a vote and get community buy-in before going forward.

That’s especially true, Bean said, because there is no commitment beyond a parking structure at this point. In order to get the long-term commitment for a transit station with trains and buses, we need to get the community’s full support, he said.

Hieftje on FRS: Full support

John Hieftje said that while the place where there’s a paved parking lot at the base of the University of Michigan hospital is “technically park land,” it’s been a parking lot since 1993. There was a land swap with the university, he said. The key point, he said, is that the location is possibly the best place in the state of Michigan for a transit station. There are 18,000 people who go there every day, Hieftje said, 12,000 of whom work there and 6,000 who are patients and visitors. There are 4,000 people with an Ypsilanti zip code who work there. He described a train that would allow them to commute to UM as a huge economic development tool for Ypsilanti. He said that like Bean, he’d like to see the number of automobile trips into the city limited, but he does not think they should be trying to “starve” the most vital employer in the city. As far as the park question, it has not been what we think of as a park for a very long time, he said.

Development

Question: Development is always a hot topic in Ann Arbor. There may be an attempt to bring back Heritage Row/City Place to the city council. Which of these projects do you think would be the best use of the property: Heritage Row or City Place?

By way of background, Heritage Row is 154-bedroom residential project, which would have been located on the block of Fifth Avenue, south of William Street. Heritage Row was rejected by the council at its June 21, 2010 meeting, on a 7-4 vote in favor of it, falling one vote short of the super-majority needed to approve the planned unit development (PUD) project. The super-majority was needed because of a protest petition filed by nearby property owners.

Heritage Row was brought back for reconsideration at a subsequent council meeting on July 6, 2010, but again failed, that time on a 7-3 vote. It was nearly brought back a third time – on that same evening. But Carsten Hohnke (Ward 5) abandoned the effort in the middle of a parliamentary procedure that had appeared momentarily would result in another vote, this time with Hohnke providing the deciding vote in favor of Heritage Row. Hohnke had voted against the project on both previous occasions.

The developer of Heritage Row, Alex De Parry, has an already approved “matter of right” 144-bedroom project in the same location as Heritage Row – called City Place. Approved last year, the City Place project contrasts with Heritage Row in that it would demolish seven existing houses and replace them with a streetscape consisting of two buildings separated by a parking lot. In the Heritage Row project, the seven houses would be renovated, and three additional buildings would be constructed behind them, with parking located under the site. At a recent Sunday night caucus, the prospects for Heritage Row getting a third consideration by the council looked slim [Caucus Chess Talk: Building City Place].

Hieftje on Development: Heritage Row would be better

John Hieftje noted that the proposal for a historic district in that area failed. [Hieftje voted for the district.] That means, he said, that the developer could choose to pull a permit for demolition of the houses next week if he chose to do so – the houses belong to him. He said he’d prefer to see Heritage Row than City Place, because Heritage Row would preserve the seven houses. He noted that he’d voted for it at the last council meeting.

He then said he wanted to “drop back” to the question about the Fuller Road Station question and said that he’d agonized over the project. He contended that you’d be hard pressed to find a mayor who had done more for parks. The Fuller Road Station situation would be different, he said, because the university would be a user and the city would also be a user, and eventually Amtrak would be a user. We have an opportunity to use the university’s investment to make the entire match that’s required for federal money, he said. That’s why the city is continuing to pursue that project, he said.

Bean on Development: Let’s reflect on the accumulation of lots

Steve Bean said that Heritage Row is definitely a preferable option between the two – Heritage Row and City Place. But he said he didn’t see those as the only choices. He noted that The Moravian had also been proposed in the same neighborhood.

Both Heritage Row and The Moravian were planned unit developments, he said, where the developer had accumulated multiple lots and put them together for the project. Bean said that he did not feel that the PUD process or the zoning for that neighborhood [R4C – multi-family dwelling] anticipated that kind of proposal. He said it’s inappropriate for the city to accept those kinds of proposals until we define what constitutes a public benefit in those kinds of areas. He called for a community discussion about the near-downtown neighborhoods and whether we wanted to expand the downtown.

Development: Washtenaw Avenue Corridor

Question: Would you favor the development of a corridor improvement authority for Washtenaw Avenue that would oversee development from East Stadium Boulevard to the Ypsilanti water tower? If so, should the authority have the ability to capture future tax increases that results from new development along Washtenaw Avenue?

Bean on Washtenaw Avenue: Support for an authority

Steve Bean said that such a corridor improvement authority was very appropriate, because that might be the only way development would occur along that transit corridor the way we’d like it to. It’s an important connection between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, he said. It’s currently not very pedestrian-friendly – the street width and the setbacks are not helpful in that sense and it’s not safe to bicycle on. Bringing buildings closer to the street – along the lines of the new area, height, and placement changes – would help, he said. Bean said that the authority should include stakeholders along the corridor, in particular those in Ypsilanti.

Hieftje on Washtenaw Avenue: Not sure about tax increment financing

John Hieftje said he felt that Bean had described it very well. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done there, which currently has a strip mall kind of look to it. He said he had some questions about establishing a tax increment financing (TIF) zone out there – that would need to be looked at very carefully. But he suggested that some kind of mechanism was needed to help finance improvements in the corridor.

He then said he wanted to go back to the previous question about Heritage Row and City Place. He said it was important for people to understand that because the historic district had not been approved, it leaves it open for City Place to be developed. He noted that seven city councilmembers, including himself, believed that Heritage Row would be a better way to go. The developer might have to go through with the City Place development, he said, which would be a shame, because it would remove the seven old houses, completely changing the look of the street.

Budget: Expenses or Revenue?

Question: Looking at the city budget, what further cuts, if any, would you favor? Should the city look for additional sources of revenue – and if so, what?

Hieftje on Budget: Additional cuts will be needed

John Hieftje said that the last decade had been the worst financially of any decade since the 1930s. Unlike other cities, Ann Arbor has not raised taxes, he said, with a millage rate a little bit lower than it was 10 years ago. The city would continue to look for efficiencies without targeting any one thing, he said. The last fiscal year, ending on June 30, had finished with a modest surplus, he said. He characterized the general fund reserve as adequate and said that compared to other cities, we’re doing very well.

Hieftje said we’d probably need to make some additional cuts this year and the year after that, and they’d watch the state budget to see what happens there. He said he didn’t want to put a finger on any one area to see where to make cuts. Up to now, the city had been trying to find efficiencies through the whole system. He concluded by saying that he was sure they’d get through the next budget year.

Bean on Budget: Need to prepare for crisis of inflation or deflation

Steve Bean said he agreed with Hieftje that we shouldn’t choose winners and losers about where to make budget cuts. He anticipates that we will need to make further cuts. The next decade might be worse than the previous one, he warned. He said he’d encourage the city administrator to develop a budget that anticipates either inflation or deflation in the future. We need to be prepared for more volatile financial situations. What he’d prioritize, Bean said, was ways to transition away from reliance on fossil fuels. Services that involve moving a lot of trucks around, he said, we need to think of ways to reduce. He suggested we could put more police on bicycles or think of other ways to move in that direction.

Business Climate

Question: How would you rate the business climate in Ann Arbor? Is there anything we can do to make it better? If so, what?

Bean on Business: Generally good climate, energy improvements can help

Steve Bean said the business climate is relatively good, considering the broader context of the state and the nation, where the climate is not so good. He said he serves on the board of Think Local First and certainly supports local and independently owned businesses, and through that effort we can cooperate more at the local level and find ways for local businesses to be more successful.

The property assessed clean energy (PACE) program could be helpful in that sense, he said, where low-interest loans could be extended to businesses to help finance energy improvements. Hopefully down the road, he said, homeowners would also be able to take advantage of PACE. It would help them to be more energy efficient, so that their money stays in the local economy and supports it rather than going to fuel sources outside the state and the community.

Hieftje on Business: Quality of life is key

John Hieftje said that Ann Arbor has one of the best business climates in the state. He also said that Ann Arbor competes with cities around the world for top-level researchers and other talent. He said he believed in continuing to invest in and improve Ann Arbor’s quality of life, because it’s an attractant to the best talent in the world – that’s an accepted theory about attracting the creative class, he said. He suggested continuing down that road. We have beautiful parks and a clean, green environment, stable finances, a good public school system, a great university. He also cited awards won by the city.

Closing statements

Each candidate gave a 2-minute closing statement.

Hieftje’s Closing

John Hieftje said it’s vitally important to continue to improve our quality of life. The city continues to win many awards, he said. He distanced himself from the idea that the awards have literal significance but said that winning them was better than not winning them and they indicated we’re moving in the right direction. The fact that Ann Arbor is an attractive place to live is our economic calling card, he said. We’re also doing many things to move towards sustainability. This year, he said, Ann Arbor had achieved 20% renewable energy for the municipal government. A lot of that had been achieved through reducing energy use. The city’s work for the environment, as well as his own work, has been recognized, citing his endorsement by environmentalists locally and various organizations.

He also said that the financial picture is very important – that’s the bottom line.

Bean’s Closing

Steve Bean said that he’s very much in agreement with Hieftje about the quality of the community, its residents, the university, and the resources we have, including the people. He said that he wanted to say a bit about himself, because people might not be familiar with him. He said he’d live in Ann Arbor for 28 years, came to study physics as well as ecology and environmental policy, and decided to stay. While still a student, he said, he’d become involved in city issues around recycling, and since then he’s served for over 20 years on city commissions – the environmental and energy commissions.

Bean also noted that he’s served as a park steward, served on the Think Local First board, volunteers with a number of nonprofits, works for a small business in the city, and was married for a time to a small business owner on Main Street. So he has familiarity with the downtown and the local business situation, he concluded. His focus, he said, is not just on what we’ve been doing so well, but to look at the challenges we face if the financial situation get worse, if oil prices go up – now that we’re probably past the world’s peak capacity to produce oil. We need to transition away from fossil fuels, he said, and be creative and innovative. To do that, we’ll need to work together, he said. We need to be open to other possibilities without believing we have all the answers, he said.

Physically attending various events for The Chronicle has its rewards. Had I stayed home and watched a recent League of Women Voters candidate forum on television, I would have missed the pre-event sound check at CTN studios where the event was taped. The Ward 2 and 5 city council candidate debate is now available online offered through CTN’s video-on-demand feature. [Chronicle coverage of that debate is forthcoming.]

The city council forum combined the races for the two wards. Seated on the CTN stage – at a table decked out with red-white-and-blue bunting – from left to right were the Ward 2 candidates, Democrat Tony Derezinski and Libertarian Emily Salvette, followed by Ward 5 candidates: independent Newcombe Clark, Republican John Floyd and Democrat Carsten Hohnke.

Before taping at the CTN studios, the mic check began with a request from CTN studio technicians for candidates to say something. They began with Tony Derezinski, seated farthest to the left. He deadpanned: “Doe, a deer, a female deer.”

Next up was Emily Salvette. She followed suit: “Re, a drop of golden sun.” Newcombe Clark, whose most ardent critics might accuse him of being self-centered, seemed to weigh those implications, but forged ahead with, “Me, a name I call myself.” John Floyd was next, who obliged with, “Fa, a long, long way to run.” However, Carsten Hohnke did not tie off the Sound of Music thread, but instead made some remarks about the availability of compost carts.

That tear in the community fabric was repaired by Derezinski after the event, when he accepted with good cheer The Chronicle’s good-natured accusation that his “Doe, a deer” gambit was a fairly transparent attempt to re-introduce into the community discourse the idea of culling the city’s deer herd. Derezinski has mentioned this idea more than once.

It’s also possible that what inspired Derezinski’s humor was one of our city golf courses, which came up during the debate. That is, his heart simply wanted to beat like the wings of a birdie recorded at Huron Hills, which are reputed to be alive with the sound of  music.

On reflection, the allusion to Do Re Mi was most likely just a subtle attempt by Derezinski to establish some folky cultural cred – to complement his penchant for quoting people like Alfred, Lord Tennyson and William Jennings Bryan – while at the same time highlighting the importance of the financial challenges the city faces. That is, he may have – subconsciously, unbeknownst even to himself – not been thinking of the deer herd or the golf course, but rather Woody Guthrie’s famous lyric: “If you ain’t got the dough re me …”

Which brings me to my point, which is often the point of these monthly milestone columns: Part of the business model for The Chronicle are voluntary subscriptions by readers. To current subscribers, thank you. For readers who’d like be subscribers, we’ve put together information on how to voluntarily subscribe. We hope you will.

About the writer: Dave Askins is co-founder and editor of The Ann Arbor Chronicle.

Patricia Lesko and John Hieftje at the League of Women Voters forum filmed at CTN studios on July 12. (Photos by the writer.)

This year Democratic voters will select between challenger Patricia Lesko and incumbent John Hieftje, who was first elected as mayor in 2000. In the November general election, the winner of the Democratic primary will face independent Steve Bean.

Based on campaign finance statements filed Friday, July 23, Lesko has so far collected 49 donations totaling $3,968  – not including a personal loan to her campaign of $1,525. Hieftje has collected 140 donations totaling $16,276. The mean donation to Lesko is $81, compared to Hieftje’s $116. A greater difference is revealed by the median donation: $50 for Lesko  and $100 for Hieftje. Complete financial statements for Lesko and Hieftje are available on the county clerk’s section of ewashtenaw.org. Comparing those statements demonstrates it’s possible for one person to donate to both candidates.

Previous Chronicle coverage of the mayoral race includes: “Ann Arbor Dems Primary: Mayoral Race.”

The city Dems forum was moderated by Jim Leonard, who wrote the piece “Satan For Mayor?!” published in the July edition of the Ann Arbor Observer.

The body of this report consists of a summary of questions asked and candidates’ responses. The forum at which the question was asked is indicated with AAD (Ann Arbor Dems) or LWV (League of Women Voters).

Just before the closing statements, we’ve presented separately some material in which the candidates departed from the topic at hand, to circle back to earlier issues.

Opening Statements

Each candidate gave an opening statement.

AAD: Hieftje’s Opening Statement

At Barack Obama’s commencement speech at Michigan Stadium, the president called the current economic climate the worst recession since the Great Depression, Hieftje said. Michigan’s been hit harder than other states. Many cities have been forced to cut staff, close facilities and lay off their staff, he said. Three cities he cited specifically were Royal Oak, Grand Rapids and Troy.

All cities face cuts in state revenue sharing, lower property tax revenues, lower investment income and rising health care costs. Grand Rapids had to lay off 140 people, he said, but was able hire back some of them when they passed a tax increase in May. Grand Rapids had only been able to open two of their six pools this season, with a third opened due to contributions from a philanthropist. Grand Rapids’ reserve fund was down to 4%, Heiftje said, when the target is 8-12%.

In Ann Arbor, Hieftje continued, 40% of real estate is not on the tax rolls. Only 28% of property taxes go to the city government, Hieftje said, with the rest going to the county, education, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, and other taxing authorities. The millage charged today is actually lower than in 2000, Hieftje said. “Why aren’t we reeling?” he asked rhetorically. Hieftje’s answer is that the city had started addressing budget issues early. As a result, the city had opened all of its facilities this season. The general fund reserve is around 10% and the city hasn’t cut human services funding.

Hieftje characterized Ann Arbor’s financial condition as the best of any city in the state. He said he wouldn’t trade places with any other mayor in the state.

AAD: Lesko’s Opening Statement

Alluding to the forum for the state Senate race, held just prior to the mayoral forum, Lesko said it was tough to follow Rebekah Warren and Pam Byrnes. She thanked the city of Ann Arbor Democratic Party as well as the audience. As the next mayor, she said, she will refocus on the basics: services and infrastructure. As CEO of a national higher educational publishing group in Ann Arbor, she said, even during the recession they had expanded into the Canadian marketplace, and they have brought their business to local companies. The city had gone over budget on construction costs, on wayfinding signs, on the underground parking garage, “luxury office” space [an allusion to the new police-courts facility], and non-essential spending on information technology, fleet, and solid waste services.

As the next mayor, she said, she would make sure services take center stage. She called for moving the city to zero-based budgeting, funding the basics, and saying no to staff requests for non-essential spending.

She noted that at a previous candidate forum, Hieftje said it would be “foolish” to start the repair of the Stadium bridges this fall. Lesko then pointed out the Hieftje had said the bridge’s safety rating had improved, when the beams were removed.

While the bridge’s rating had improved from 21 to 23.5, out of 100, she noted, a rating under 50 on the 100-point FSR [Federal Sufficiency Rating] scale means that the bridge should be considered for repair or replacement. Lesko also noted that the federal and state money the city hoped to be awarded was not guaranteed. She called for using the local road and street-repair millage to fund an immediate start of the bridge reconstruction.

Lesko said she wanted to refocus on the basics: responsible spending, services, infrastructure and neighborhoods. She characterized council efforts like banning mercury thermometers, banning bikes from sidewalks, banning toy guns, or banning plastic bags as a waste of time.

LWV: Patricia Lesko’s Opening Statement

Lesko began by noting that she is a member of the League of Women Voters and thanked the local chapter for hosting the debate. She has lived in Ann Arbor for 26 years and earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Michigan. She said that she would refocus the city government on the basics, using her real world experience in management and finance.

Her key focus would be responsible spending, infrastructure, and neighborhoods, she said. Lesko contended that we do not have a revenue problem in the city of Ann Arbor but rather a city government that has been allowed to overspend and to run up debt for years. Taxpayers are being asked to pay more, she said, and are getting nickeled-and-dimed to death with fee increases. She stated that she has the political will to say no to non-essential spending. She assured voters that she would find creative and sensible solutions to the challenges that face the city. She concluded by saying that she was asking for people’s vote on Aug. 3.

LWV: John Hieftje’s Opening Statement

The mayor began by describing how cities in Michigan are suffering from falling property tax revenues and deep cuts in state funding. He pointed to other cities like Grand Rapids, Troy, and Royal Oak, which have been forced to close facilities, raise taxes or make deep cuts in staffing.

In Grand Rapids, for example, they were only able to open three of their six swimming pools this year. In Ann Arbor, he said, the millage is lower now than it was 10 years ago, but the senior center and Mack pool remain open. He pointed out that Ann Arbor had lost almost 5% of its property tax revenues due to the sale of the Pfizer property to the University of Michigan. But Ann Arbor is still moving forward, he said. And that is possible, he contended, because the city government is continuing on a road to greater efficiency, which it started 10 years ago. He said that he was determined to stay on a path towards greater efficiency so that Ann Arbor can continue to be one of the leading cities anywhere.

Stadium Bridges

AAD Question: What is your plan to fix the Stadium bridges? How much will it cost? Whose cooperation will the city need? How will you get that cooperation? Be as detailed as you can.

By way of background, the millage for street reconstruction and repair is 2 mills, yielding roughly $9 million per year in revenues. It was last renewed in 2006 through 2011.

Charter: SECTION 8.20. In addition to any other amount which the City is authorized to raise by general tax upon the real and personal property by this Charter or any other provision of law, the City shall, in 2007 through 2011, annually levy a tax of up to 2 mills on all taxable real and personal property situated within the City for the purpose of providing funds for the reconstruction or resurfacing of streets. (Section 8.20 added by election of April 2, 1984; amended by elections of April 4, 1988, April 1, 1991, November 5, 1996, November 6, 2001 and November 7, 2006.)

For background on the Stadium bridges, including a timeline of events related to the bridges, see Chronicle coverage: “Budget Round 6: Bridges, Safety Services.”

The southern two lanes on the bridge were removed in the fall of 2009 on the advice of the city’s bridge engineering consultant, pending the planned reconstruction of the bridge.

AAD: Lesko on the Stadium Bridges

Lesko congratulated herself for having just answered the question in her opening remarks. She noted that the city had a local millage for road and street repair. She allowed that the city might be “loathe to use that” because that money is also needed to repair roads throughout Ann Arbor. She suggested that the danger of spending road repair millage money on the bridge could be mitigated if voters renew the road millage.

If residents of Ann Arbor see their road millage money being used to repair roads, she said she didn’t not think there would be a problem getting the millage renewed.

She called for the participation of the University of Michigan on the project, but noted that it would be a challenge, because the university “jealously guards” its own revenue – as she said any organization should. Lesko pointed to the city’s website as containing information on the cost for repairing the bridges.

AAD: Hieftje on the Stadium Bridges

Hieftje began by stating that the city was certainly going to go ahead and fix the Stadium bridges next spring, whether federal funding is forthcoming or not. There was some money to fix the bridges already coming in “in little dribbles,” he said, and he allowed that the city did have a street repair millage that would help the city repair roads in the future.

He then switched to a statewide perspective, pointing out that there are 50 bridges in Michigan that are being considered for closing. Three of them, he said, are in Washtenaw County. It wasn’t long ago, he said, back when the Broadway bridges were being replaced, when such projects were funded mostly through state and federal funds, but that has changed. He said that when he mentioned to other mayors in the state that Ann Arbor is planning to replace the Stadium bridges on its own, they were surprised that any city would have enough money to do that.

He reiterated his contention that it would have been foolish to go ahead and repair the bridges this fall, when there was still the opportunity to win federal money. The condition of the bridge, he noted, had deteriorated very quickly and people were caught a little by surprise, but the city’s engineers were “right on it” and kept a very close watch on the bridge. And he pointed out that it was, in fact, true that the safety rating of the bridge improved when the beams were removed on the southern lanes. He said the city planned to replace the bridge in the spring.

The situation with respect to road repair funding was bad enough across the state, Hieftje said, that some counties were taking paved roads and turning them back into gravel roads. [This is true in Washtenaw County as well.] The cost of the project, he said, is just under $23 million. It’s a project that needs to be done, and should have gotten done by this point, he allowed. He concluded that it was critical to try to get the federal money so that the city could spend local money on local roads. He concluded by saying that the project would be started in the spring.

LWV Question: In these tight budget times, funding for infrastructure is becoming problematic. The Stadium bridge is a good example. Is the city going to be able to find funds to fix it, and what solutions would you propose to meet the infrastructure needs of the community?

LWV: Hieftje on Bridges and Infrastructure

The mayor said that when he came into office, the city was quite a bit behind in addressing its infrastructure needs. The city had been neglecting its water and sewer system for many years before that, he said. The city was still replacing 75-year-old water mains, he said, but he felt that the city had basically caught up with that. Other improvements the city had made, he said, included the new Wheeler Maintenance Center, which replaced the “crumbling facilities” at 415 W. Washington and at 721 N. Main.

The city is building a much-needed police-courts building, he said, noting that the city had to move out of the space that it had been leasing from the county, because the county has other plans for the space. Hieftje said the police had needed a new headquarters for over 40 years. The city will fix the Stadium bridges in the coming year, he stated. He allowed that they probably could have started that project this fall, but went on to say that he thought it would have been foolish to go ahead with it when there is still an opportunity for the city to get federal money instead of spending just local money.

He said he hoped the funding strategy would turn out to be very similar to the one that had been used with the Broadway bridges. Most of the funding have come from outside the city for that project, and the city had provided matching funds – around 20%.

LWV: Lesko on Bridges and Infrastructure

Lesko said she heard from a resident that if the Stadium bridge looks like that, they wondered what condition the unseen infrastructure was in. The city is replacing water mains as they break, she contended, without replacing any great number of them proactively. She characterized the city government’s approach as reactive.

She noted that the mayor has stated three times – in the course of various forums – that it would be foolish to replace the Stadium bridge immediately. She asked if it was foolish to fix a bridge that the city’s fire trucks can’t go over, but rather must go around in order to protect homes and families. It’s easier to talk about Royal Oak, Troy, and Grand Rapids, she said, than to explain to voters why a bridge that carries 20,000 vehicles daily wasn’t fixed in 2005. She described the city’s record on infrastructure as “abysmal.” She described Ann Arbor roads as the third worst in Michigan. We need to reopen the city’s capital improvement plan (CIP), she said, and dedicate funding to fix the worst roads, because the longer we wait, the more time it will take.

Mayoral Challenges

LWV Question: What questions do you see facing the mayor in the next two years?

LWV: John Hieftje on Mayoral Challenges in Next Two Years

Hieftje identified the overriding challenge facing any mayor as being the state budget. He noted that the city now receives about $4 million less in state revenue-sharing than it did back in 2002-03. A “host of other funding” that used to come from the state has also disappeared, he said. He reiterated a frequent theme in his campaign, which is that Ann Arbor is doing better than other cities in Michigan – our millage is still lower than it was 10 years ago. That would continue to be the focus, he said.

The other thing that he said he’d continued to try to work on is improving the quality of life in Ann Arbor. He referred to the quality of life in Ann Arbor as Ann Arbor’s “economic calling card.” The more the city thrives, he said, the more people want to be here, and when talented people want to be here, it makes it easier to attract companies that want to employ talented people. The people who want to work for these companies want to make their lives here, they want to have their families go to our schools, and want to enjoy our festivals, and be happy in our neighborhoods, he concluded.

LWV: Lesko on Mayoral Challenges in Next Two Years

Lesko said she and the mayor agreed on a lot – there are fiscal challenges with respect to service provision. An issue facing the mayor in particular, she said, is economic development. If we want people to move to Ann Arbor, she said, we have to provide them with superior services and excellent infrastructure, and superior schools. Those are some challenges that face us as a community, she said.

Lesko talked about the mayor’s reference to lost revenue – 5% of property taxes. She noted that this meant there was still 95% left. She contended that the city therefore is not facing any great revenue shortage. With respect to state revenue-sharing, she noted that the loss had been about a half million dollars a year since 2006. Revenue is not the problem in Ann Arbor, she said, it is fiscal management. Prudent management is the No. 1 challenge. She said that as mayor, she would have the political will to manage prudently.

Budget

LWV Question: Looking at the city budget, what further cuts, if any, should be made, and should the city look for additional sources of revenue? If so, what might they be?

Coverage of the meeting at which the city council adopted its FY 2011 budget: “City’s Budget Takes Backseat to DDA Issues.”

LWV: Hieftje on the Budget

Hieftje said that the city has made it this far without an increase in the millage, but it would be tough over the next few years. The best thing we can do, he said, it is to continue to try to be efficient in every phase of the city’s operation. The reorganization of the city, he said, is saving over $15 million a year so far.

LWV: Lesko on the Budget

Responding to the question about whether more cuts needed to be made, Lesko answered in the affirmative: There’s a lot of cutting left to do in the budget, she said. There is a lot of non-essential spending, she contended. She described the new underground parking garage at the city-owned Library Lot as one example of non-essential spending. She identified allocations to the fleet, solid waste, and IT departments as other examples of non-essential spending. We need to go through the budget, she said, with a “fine-toothed comb.”

She described keeping the current millage rate the same as a “red herring,” because the city has raised water, sewage, and solid waste fees.

It’s not accurate, she said, to say that the city has not raised the millage without also saying that we have raised fees. Overspending in city government, she said, has been supported through raising fees. One way to increase revenues, she said, is to increase the tax base through economic development. This would make Ann Arbor a magnet for small and medium-sized businesses that already exist.

Economic Development

Introduction to background on the city’s economic development approach: “Budget Round 5: Economic Development.”

LWV Question: How would you rate the business climate in Ann Arbor? Is there something the city can do to make it better, and if so, what?

LWV: Hieftje on the Business Climate

Hieftje said there is a lot to do to make it better. One of the things that he has been doing, he said, is to improve the quality of life in the city. The other thing the city has done, he said, is to work with partners like the county and the University of Michigan, to start SPARK, the region’s economic development agency. He reported that when he is in Lansing and he is talking to other mayors, one of the things that he hears is that they wish they also had a SPARK. He described SPARK as bringing in new business to the city and bringing thousands of jobs to Ann Arbor.

SPARK is an organization that reaches out across the country, he said – SPARK is doing some work out in Palo Alto this month. He said he had heard from his brother-in-law that SPARK is quite impressive when they go out to California and try to lure people back to Ann Arbor. We need to make it easier to do business here in Ann Arbor, he said. And one of the important things that the city has done is not raise the millage – he felt that this is a central factor in helping to bring more business to the city.

LWV: Lesko on the Business Climate

Lesko reported that she’d spent a lot of time talking to individual business owners up and down Main Street and throughout Ann Arbor. The word on the street, she said, is that the city government is unhelpful if not downright arrogant, cumbersome to deal with, and non-responsive. The city government, she reported, makes it difficult to do business, and Ann Arbor cannot afford to have that kind of a reputation, she said. The city has experienced a net loss in jobs, she said. She referenced a Detroit Free Press “exposé” on SPARK and contended that in the entire state of Michigan only about 900 real jobs have been created.

We need to look at other types of economic development engines, she said, bifurcating that process. SPARK focuses on start-up companies, but Lesko said that the city needs to also support existing small and medium-sized businesses that we already have. The city hasn’t raised the millage, she allowed, adding that the mayor says this all the time – and he’s right. Instead of raising the millage, she continued, we have raised fees.

LWV Question: Have tax abatements played a positive role in the past and should they be continued?

LWV: Lesko on Tax Abatements

Lesko described tax abatements as junk food. The city gave Google some tax incentives, she said, when they said they would create 1,000 jobs – those incentives had come in the form of parking spaces. That money came from the city’s general fund, she said, to create the economic development fund. But Google did not create 1,000 jobs, she said, or anywhere near that, but the city gave them their parking spaces.

On tax abatements, Lesko said she agreed with Alma Wheeler Smith [who was briefly in the running for the Democratic nomination for the Michigan governor's race]. Smith is not in favor of tax abatements for the simple reason that it’s better to have a sound infrastructure, provide excellent services, and attract businesses organically than “give away the cow and the milk” and end up with a lot less than you expected, Lesko said.

LWV: Hieftje on Tax Abatements

Hieftje indicated that Ann Arbor had been very judicious and “stingy” about awarding tax abatements. But he said that sometimes an incentive is necessary. He allowed that Google had not grown to create 1,000 jobs, but not very many companies have been growing jobs in this economy. He contended that the presence of Google in Ann Arbor has made a big difference and allowed the city to attract some other small start-up companies, which are growing.

As a specific example, he cited Barracuda Networks, which is hiring a person every week right now. There are companies that want to be in Ann Arbor because of the quality of life offered in the city. The city itself is an attractant to companies that will bring jobs, he said, adding that he felt SPARK had done a fine job in creating thousands of jobs. He concluded by saying that Ann Arbor continues to have the lowest unemployment rate of any city in Michigan.

City Income Tax

AAD Question: City income tax: yes, no, maybe, why?

By way of background, on Aug. 13, 2009, the city council held a work session on a city income tax. Chronicle coverage of that session: “City Income Tax: Maybe Later.”  See also “Another Old Income Tax Study.”

AAD: Hieftje on City Income Tax

Hieftje began his comments on the topic by saying he’d never been a fan of a city income tax. One reason, he said, was that it didn’t distribute the burden fairly. It also meant a shift of taxes from the business community to individuals. Per the city charter, implementation of a city income tax would mean a 6 mill reduction in taxes when the general operating millage was eliminated.

Renters – about half the population of Ann Arbor, he said – would probably not see any benefit passed along from landlords in the form of a rent reduction. A city income tax would also create another problem, Hieftje said, because property tax revenue is relatively stable when compared to income tax revenue. Grand Rapids had seen a 14% decline in its city income tax revenues, Hieftje reported. He allowed that many city residents and some members of the city council had suggested that a city income tax might be something to put on the ballot. If the voters decided that they wanted to try an income tax, that might be something he’d consider putting on the ballot, but right now, he indicated that he didn’t think it was the right time to do that.

AAD: Lesko on City Income Tax

Lesko began by saying, “What he said!” She continued, saying that their positions on the city income tax were virtually identical, with one exception. In knocking on 3,000 doors, she’d heard from maybe two people who are in favor of a city income tax, so she was not certain who Hieftje had been talking to, who were in favor of it. She repeated an anecdote from a previous forum about a woman whose door Lesko knocked on. The woman had quickly scanned Lesko’s campaign literature and was relieved that Lesko was not in favor of a city income tax.

Lesko stressed that she was always in favor of giving Ann Arbor voters the opportunity to vote on such issues. She said she supported residents’ right to vote on a city income tax, as well as on general obligation bonds.

However, she stated that she didn’t think that Ann Arbor needed more revenue. Responding to Hieftje’s cited statistic of losing 4.86% of property tax revenue due to the sale of Pfizer property to the University of Michigan, she concluded that this left the city with 95% of its revenue. She allowed that state revenue-sharing had fallen by about $0.5 million per year since 2006. But she did not think that those losses were sufficient to account for putting the city’s general fund and the rest of the budget into “a tailspin.” Overspending and imprudent management had done that, she said.

Development and Overbuilding

AAD Question: Ann Arbor is being overbuilt. What do you propose to stop this trend? Or, Ann Arbor is not being overbuilt. What do you propose to do to continue this trend?

AAD: Hieftje on Development

Hieftje began by alluding to a list that Ward 5 councilmember Carsten Hohnke had begun reciting at various public meetings, of approved development projects in the downtown area. Hieftje then reviewed some of the recent planning activity for the downtown. The city has recently completed a rezoning of downtown, which for the first time includes a height limit for downtown, he said. He noted that the city was seeing projects proposed, even in the middle of a recession, pointing specifically to Zaragon Place 2 [a residential and retail building being constructed at the corner of Thompson and William]. The area around Zaragon Place 2 would be rejuvenated, he said, and would put a lot of people to work. The construction work being done around town is putting people to work, he said.

He then alluded to a recent column by Lou Glazer of Michigan Future Inc., who contended that Ann Arbor is not leading the way, because Ann Arbor is not friendly to developers, and because Ann Arbor continues to turn down new housing developments for young professionals. Hieftje contended that developments that are oversized and that don’t fit well with the neighborhood have been turned down.

On the one hand, he said, it seemed like there was a building boom going on – University of Michigan’s North Quad, the city’s police-courts building, the DDA’s new underground parking structure. On the other hand, the city would not let people build just any new housing they wanted. He said he expected the downtown to see increased development, but told the audience they should keep in mind that much of the downtown consists of historic districts. Between the land owned by the university and the historic districts, he estimated than 50% of the real estate is left for development.

AAD: Lesko on Development

Lesko said the phrasing of the question suggested it’s a black-and-white issue, which it is not. Entities that don’t change will die, she cautioned. The city needs development. While Hieftje talked about jobs that construction projects brought, she said, they were not jobs for people who live in our city. She also challenged Hieftje’s contention that the construction of the police-courts facility was not having a large impact on the general fund budget. The debt service for those bonds does have an impact, she said.

Lesko noted that Hieftje had focused on the downtown, but she was also concerned about the rest of the city. She said that the south side of the city “languishes.” She talked about the “blight” of Lowertown and Georgetown Mall. The downtown is only part of the issue, she said. The downtown is the heart of the city, she allowed, but if the heart still beats and our brain fails, we die.

We need development, she said, but we only needed PUD-type development [planned unit developments, requiring rezoning] only if zoning was changed so that the city stops aggravating both developers and neighborhoods. Lesko noted that many of the projects that had been approved had not actually been built. We have to bring together neighbors and developers and form a consensus, she suggested.

Library Lot

AAD Question: What should go on top of the underground parking garage at the Library Lot?

AAD: Hieftje on the Library Lot

Hieftje said he felt there would be a fulsome discussion about what should go on top as they moved forward. He noted that there were some folks who’d like to see it as a grand central park. Ann Arbor already has over 2,000 acres of parks, he said. He said he was working very hard to create an art center and greenway at the old 415 W. Washington property and a lot of progress has been made – they’ve received the first grant, he said.

There are also folks who do not want to see a park over the entire area of the Library Lot, he said. He’d heard that sentiment at the downtown marketing task force, and leaders of the Ann Arbor District Library had also made their position clear that they did not want to see that kind of scenario unfold.

He said there were conspiracy theories about a convention center to be built on the space. There were proposals that included a convention center, he said, but also included a mix of residential and retail. It’s possible that the community would decide that the entire parcel should be a park and he is open to that discussion, he said.

He said he also valued the input of the neighborhood, saying that the downtown itself is also a neighborhood.

Hieftje also stated that it was important to look at the revenue question, and how a public park would be policed. There would be plenty of time for that conversation, he said.

AAD: Lesko on the Library Lot

As to the question of what should be built on the parcel, she said, there needed to be an open and honest RFP (request for proposals) process. There needs to be an open and transparent discussion, and that had not yet happened, she said.

Historic Districts

LWV Question: Development is always a hot topic in this community. Recently, people have been concerned about the Heritage Row project and the possibility of creating a historic district in what is sometimes called the Germantown area of town. What is your view on historic districts? Do we need any more of them – why or why not?

Background on the issue:

“S. Fifth Avenue: Historic District, Development”

“Heritage Row Rejected; Historic District Decision Looms”

“Unscripted: Historic District; Immigration”

LWV: Lesko on Historic Districts

Lesko said she couldn’t answer the question of whether we need any more historic districts, because we base the establishment of a district on specific criteria analyzed by committees that are appointed to study the question. It would be premature to say we never need another historic district. The city needs to decide on a case-by-case basis, she said. And we need to do it methodically, and we need to do it in a way so that it includes the people in the neighborhoods. She then said that a city that doesn’t grow will atrophy. Ann Arbor experienced a net loss of jobs, according to CNN Money.com, which had recently given Ann Arbor an award – she then congratulated the city staff for that. Development is inevitable, she said. We need it because we need the investment. It’s how we go about it that’s important – the city needs to have more transparency, with open and honest discussions, she concluded.

LWV: Hieftje on Historic Districts

Hieftje described historic districts as wonderful for Ann Arbor and noted that the city has many of them. He noted that Main Street is in a historic district and there are 14 districts total – quite a bit of the downtown is made up of historic districts. However, he said that we need to take a close look. He noted that the historic district that was recently before the city council was defeated, but he had voted for it. He thought it was appropriate to preserve the houses in that area. But he noted that he also voted for the Heritage Row PUD. He described Heritage Row as a much better idea than going forward with the matter-of-right City Place project, which was proposed by the same developer and is already approved at that site.

Human Services

AAD Question: Do you plan to expand, contract, or maintain as-is our services for the homeless?

By way of background, human services funding was slated to be cut by $260,000 in the city administrator’s proposed budget, presented in April 2010. It was restored by the city council in May when the council amended and adopted the budget. Chronicle coverage: “City’s Budget Takes Backseat to DDA Issues.” Allocations of the more than $1 million budgeted for human services was approved at the city council’s July 19, 2010 meeting.

AAD: Lesko on Human Services

Lesko acknowledged that while the need for human services had increased exponentially, the funding had not kept pace. She stressed that the homeless are not only alcohol- and drug-addicted people. The city needs to continue to coordinate its efforts with the county. She noted that Pam Byrnes and Rebekah Warren had been very clear that the state would not be able to help out.

Lesko suggested that a good start would be to stop removing human services funding then restoring it in a grandstanding fashion.

Human services are not optional, she said. Homelessness has to be looked at head on. And that has to start with prioritizing in the budget, she said. We need the commitment and the will to deal with homelessness, she said.

AAD: Hieftje on Human Services

Hieftje contended that human services funding had increased in the city of Ann Arbor since 2000. He pointed to the emergency allocation of funds that had been made this past winter that had allowed the Washtenaw Shelter Association to double the number of spots in warming centers and to provide vouchers for families to obtain permanent housing. [Chronicle coverage: "Council OKs Recycling, Transit, Shelter"]

He pointed out there are only two cities left in the state that still provide human services funding and Ann Arbor is one of them. He challenged anyone to find a city that helps those in need more than Ann Arbor.

Police-Courts Building

AAD Question: The police-courts building. Good idea? Bad idea? Why?

Background on the police-courts building, including a historical account of Hieftje’s threatened veto, is included in The Chronicle’s April 19, 2010 city council meeting report.

By way of additional background, an ultimately unsuccessful petition drive was mounted, which would have required a referendum on the bond issuance for the building. From a May 28, 2008 Ann Arbor News article by Judy McGovern:

A petition drive aimed at forcing a citywide vote on the financing for a new Ann Arbor police-court building ended Tuesday, about 3,800 signatures short of the number needed put the issue on the ballot.

The failure of the “Ask Voters First” campaign means city officials can proceed with plans to issue a bond for as much as $31 million toward the estimated $47 million project.

Though disappointed, Ask Voters First spokesman Ed Amonsen said he wasn’t surprised.

“We needed a lot of signatures and didn’t have much time,” said Amonsen, who organized the campaign with City Council Member Mike Anglin and activists including Karen Sidney and Glenn Thompson.

For Chronicle coverage of Lesko’s unsuccessful attempt to put a charter amendment on the ballot that would require voter referenda on all general obligation bonds, see: “Bid Launched to Amend City Charter.”

AAD: Hieftje on Police-Courts Building

Hieftje said he’d agonized over the building for a long time. When he’d first arrived on city council in 1999, there were drawings for a whole new city hall – it would have replaced the one they had with a new building. The major impetus for that, he said, was the need to find a place for the police department and the 15th District Court. Things had come to a head when the city had received a letter from the county administrator [Bob Guenzel], Hieftje continued, saying that the lease the city had with the county for the 15th District Court would not be renewed. The county had given the city plenty of time, Hieftje said, to plan to move out of the county’s building.

A task force had looked at 10 other buildings, Hieftje said, to see if they could be remodeled to accommodate a court facility, but that had not been possible. Back when the current city hall was built, the intention was originally for the police to move out into their own headquarters, but that facility had never been built, he said. It made a great deal of sense to combine the police and courts facility, Hieftje said, if it could be done with a minimal impact on the city’s general fund budget.

Hieftje said he’d taken extra time to ensure that the city could come in under budget or within the budget, still in time to vacate the county courthouse. He said he’d taken extra time to decide that it was “absolutely the only and best course that we could take.” He’d decided it was, and pointed out that the final vote to sell the bonds to go forward with the project was 9-2. That was a consensus among elective representatives to move forward with the project, Hieftje said.

AAD: Lesko on Police-Courts Building

On the subject of the police-courts facility, Lesko said that 6,000 voices had come to the city council and asked for a vote on whether to issue the bonds. She acknowledged that the building was under construction and would be built. She contended, however, that it was over budget. She stated that the building needed to be value-engineered to reduce costs. She pointed to the sale of city land at First and Washington at a price of $3 million that was included in the financing plan for the police-courts facility. That land has not yet sold, she noted. [Chronicle coverage of the short-term extension to Village Green on its option-to-purchase agreement: "Development Deja Vu Dominates Council"]

She allowed that the mayor and council had voted to build the facility with more than a super-majority, but noted that there’d been 6,000 voices who had wanted a vote. That might have yielded a different outcome, she said.

Lesko returned to a point brought out at a previous forum about the underground parking garage, which Hieftje has said is being paid for with parking revenues. In fact, Lesko contended, that was misleading, because the project was being funded by bonds. [Note: As The Chronicle has previously observed in reporting on this issue, the project is funded by bonds, and parking revenues will be tapped to make the bond payments.]

Returning to the police-courts facility, she said it would go forward. She contended that Hieftje had voted for a budget that appropriated more money for the police-courts facility instead of requiring the city administrator to bring the project in on budget.

Transparency in Government

AAD Question: City government – is it transparent? If not, why not, and what would you do differently?

AAD: Lesko on Transparency

Lesko that the fact that the two candidates were sitting there talking was transparent. The city’s website, she said, was good but could be better. She said she found it difficult to navigate, even though it has won awards.

She said the emails that had been produced last year in response to Freedom of Information Act requests made clear that the city’s elected officials were conducting private conversations during a public meeting. The future use of the top of the Library Lot parcel had also showed that meetings were going on behind the scenes between elected officials and representatives of companies who wanted to build something on the parcel. That could not be described as transparent, she said.

Lesko said it was possible to have transparency. She noted that some DDA officials had a problem with the DDA conducting closed meetings. Public meetings should be public, she stated. The council had altered it rules so that councilmembers are no longer supposed to email each other except under specific circumstances, which was good, she said. Backroom dealing, she said, was not transparent and that was also not leadership. Leaders make sure that the folks they work with are doing what’s right and doing what’s in the best interest of taxpayers. There’s too much at stake for any lack of transparency, she said.

AAD: Hieftje on Transparency

Hieftje began by criticizing Lesko for her use of various pseudonyms and her blog, which she initially wrote anonymously. “It’s very interesting to hear someone who started a blog by advertising it on WEMU radio, who went under the name Sam Rosenthal for six months and then to rip everyone on city council [...] to talk about transparency.” [Editor's note: It was an "open secret" from the time it first launched that Lesko was the author of a2politico.com.]

Hieftje then contended that when Lesko’s identity as Sam Rosenthal was found out, she then announced she was running for mayor. Hieftje stated that he believed Ann Arbor’s city government is the most transparent that people can find anywhere. He emphasized that he himself had not sent emails to councilmembers during council meetings, though some councilmembers had. He called his response to that “very appropriate” and said that the press had reported his comments.

“Conspiracy and lack of transparency charges coming from Sam Rosenthal are one thing. Coming from someone who’s running for mayor, that’s another,” Hieftje concluded.

Mayoral Responsibilities

AAD Question: Given that the city of Ann Arbor has a city administrator form of government, what are the three most important responsibilities of the mayor and how would you rate the current mayor’s performance?

AAD: Lesko on Mayoral Responsibilities

Amid a bit of laughter from the audience, Lesko began by considering out loud the prospect of rating Hieftje’s performance. When moderator Jim Leonard, a writer with The Ann Arbor Observer, told her she might simply start with the three most important responsibilities, Lesko cheerily shot back, “I’ll answer the question how I like!” which prompted more laughs from the audience. She said that rating Hieftje’s performance would be up to voters on Aug. 3. She had no intention of rating his performance, she said.

She allowed that the city had a city administrator, but that the charter gave the council one important mandate, which was to hold the city administrator accountable. She said while it might be fun to see city staff members hauled up to the podium and “grilled” like “fish on the barbecue” by city councilmembers, those staff members are actually accountable to the city administrator, and it’s the administrator’s responsibility to grill his own staff.

Another very important job of the mayor is to lead the community, she said. It’s also important for the mayor to take responsibility, not just credit, for everything. Alluding to the piece that Leonard had written for The Observer on the mayoral race, she said she’d told him she is willing to take credit for nothing, but to take responsibility for everything. The reason for that, she said, is that she would not be seeking re-election – she has a job already, she said. She’d need to take a leave of absence from that job to serve as mayor, she said.

AAD: Hieftje on Mayoral Responsibilities

Hietfje began by acknowledging that Ann Arbor has a city administrator form of government. He said that technology like electronic mail has increased the role of the city council and mayor as a liaison between residents and the city government. The visibility of the mayor and the city council, he said, has increased over time. The mayor, he continued, is also the head of emergency management for the city.

The mayor is the leader of the city council, Hieftje said, and that body is responsible for the hiring and firing of two key positions: the city administrator and the city attorney. He stated that he and the city council did hold the administrator accountable on whether his goals were achieved. He gave credit to the city administrator’s performance for Ann Arbor’s continued leadership of the state, both financially and in terms of quality of life. In terms of performance, he said, he would put Ann Arbor up against any city in Michigan.

Hieftje then ticked through a number of awards that the city has won. He continued to lead the council, he said, in making sure that the budget was balanced and that the city had adequate reserve funds, and making sure that the city’s infrastructure was in good shape. The forum was held at the Ann Arbor Community Center on North Main, and Hieftje pointed to the crumbling city maintenance facilities behind the center. The city had moved out of that facility and it could eventually become a greenway park, he said, as could the city facility at 415 W. Washington. Those two facilities had been replaced by a the new Wheeler Center maintenance facility, he noted. He also pointed to the new police-courts facility that the city was building as a result of the need to move the courts out of space it currently leases from the county. The police have needed a space outside of the city hall for several years, he said. The impact to the city’s general fund from those projects had been minimal, he said.

LWV Question: What role does a mayor play in a city manager type of government such as we have in Ann Arbor and what strengths would you bring to that role?

LWV: Lesko on the Strengths She Would Bring to Mayoral Role

Lesko said that the mayor plays a primary role as the leader of the city council. The mayor is also in charge of emergency management, she pointed out. And the mayor and the city council are responsible, as stipulated in the city charter, to hold the city administrator accountable. The city administrator is hired with six votes on the council, she said, and fired with six votes. The responsibilities of the mayor, she said, are laid out very clearly in the city charter.

Speaking to the specific strengths that she would bring to the position, Lesko said she could “not be bought, co-opted, or bullied.” That’s important, she said, when you have a strong and capable city administrator, which is the kind of city government that Ann Arbor has: a strong administrator but a weak mayor. She said it was very important that her skills of management and finance be brought to bear on the job as mayor.

LWV: John Hieftje on the Strengths He Would Bring to Mayoral Role

Hieftje pointed to leadership of the council and to performing as the ceremonial head of the city as two roles. Elaborating on being the ceremonial head of the city, he spoke about meeting with people who come in from out of town, as well as business leaders – and there’s a role to play in Lansing as well, he said. He characterized the hiring of the city administrator and the city attorney as “important duties.” He described the current city administrator, Roger Fraser, as one who has followed through on the directives of the city council.

He also said that Fraser had hired some very competent people to serve the city, like Sue McCormick – people who lead the city on a day-to-day basis. There was a time, he said, when there were up to 20 different department heads in the city government – that’s been cut down to five areas, he said, the so-called “bubble heads.” Those kinds of changes have streamlined city government, he said.

Why You and Not Him/Her?

AAD Question: Why you and not the other candidate?

AAD: Lesko on Herself

Lesko said she wanted to reiterate what she’d said at the last debate, that she did not want to make the race personal. She said she did not dislike Hieftje. The campaign is about policy and programs and about issues, she contended. She and Hieftje simply disagree on the issues, she said. She said she wanted to see Ann Arbor go a different direction policy-wise. If Ann Arborites feel they are getting the best value for their tax dollars, then they should vote for Hieftje. If they did not, however, then what they were saying to themselves was that it’s time for a change. It is time for a change, she declared.

She said she wanted to thank Hieftje for the job he’d done, as everyone should – it’s a hard job, she stressed. Why me and not him? That’s not the “cogent question,” she said. The real question is: “Are you ready for a change?”

She said she’d heard people say, “He’s a great guy, but I just can’t vote for him any more.” She said she’d voted for him three times, but it’s time for a change. Not voting for someone doesn’t mean you don’t like them personally, she said. Running against someone doesn’t mean you don’t like them personally, it means you’re ready for a change and for new ideas.

She pointed people to her blog a2politico.com, where she’s outlined those ideas in detail, a blog she contended had “thousands and thousands and thousands” of readers. She said she’d laid out her plan, whereas Hieftje has not. Hieftje has no blog, she observed – just a Facebook page that isn’t updated very often. If you want to talk to Hieftje, she said, you have to make an appointment, or go to his office hours. If people want to talk to her, she said, she had three email addresses, two phone numbers, a blog, a Twitter account, a Facebook page, and a web site. She stated she was open to voters. “Are you getting the best value for your tax dollars right now?” she asked. If not, people should vote for change, she said.

AAD: Hieftje on Himself

Hieftje said he was happy to run on his record and on the condition Ann Arbor was in financially. He called it the best-situated city financially of any city in the state. Ann Arbor is in relatively good shape, despite the fact that it had lost its largest employer [Pfizer] and lost 4.86% of property tax revenue, he said, and despite the fact that the city’s annual allocation for state revenue-sharing is now $4 million less than it was back in 2002.

He said he is happy to stand on his record leading a city that has received numerous national awards. He said that the city had expanded its bike lanes by 600% in five years and is working to become one of the best places to walk in the nation.

Despite the downturn in the economy, Hieftje said, Ann Arbor remains a leader on many fronts. The 2005 census update showed that Ann Arbor was one of the top cities for the number of people who bike or walk to their destinations. He said he’d been working on bringing rail transportation to the city of Ann Arbor.

He repeated that he was happy to stand on his record.

Topical Departures

As the introduction to this report indicates, we’ve extracted a certain amount of material from the summaries of candidate responses for presentation in this, a separate section.

By way of background, a common format for candidate forums held in Ann Arbor is for questions to be administered by a moderator, with each candidate allowed a set amount of time to respond. When it’s a pair of candidates, they simply take turns answering the question first.

A candidate who answers first has an advantage, because they have a better opportunity to demonstrate their factual command of the issue. But an advantage to answering second is that a candidate has the opportunity to rebut assertions of the candidate who answered first. No opportunity is typically built into the format to allow rebuttal by a candidate who wants to respond to assertions made by the candidate fielding a question last.

By way of contrast, a recent Ward 5 forum for city council candidates Lou Glorie and Carsten Hohnke departed from that custom. It included an optional opportunity for both candidates to follow up. So in the Ward 5 forum, each question had potentially four total responses: Candidate 1; Candidate 2; Candidate 1 again; Candidate 2 again.

And at the Ward 5 event, both Glorie and Hohnke availed themselves of the opportunity to speak twice to the same question on multiple occasions. But their responses seemed to fall more into the category of elaborating and clarifying as opposed to rebutting – the setting itself, in a resident’s home, encouraged a certain casualness.

In the mayoral forums, however, there was no built-in mechanism for rebuttal. Consequently, when Hieftje or Lesko disagreed with aspects of each other’s responses to questions, they had a choice: Let it pass unchallenged, or else use time from a subsequent question to circle back to the earlier issue.

Departure from the topic at hand to circle back to an earlier topic is a fairly substantial barrier to rebuttal. So when a candidate chooses to clear that barrier, it may reasonably be interpreted as indicating strong candidate investment in a specific voter perception about a particular issue.

That’s one reason we’ve presented the topical departures in this, a separate section. Another reason is readability – we’ve extracted these responses from answers to the original, unrelated questions.

Topical Departure: From Historic Districts to Fees

At the LWV event, the question at hand was about historic districts, but Hieftje went back to a previous Lesko response to a question on the budget. She’d said that while the basic millage had not increased, fees for water and sewer had increased.

Hieftje said he wanted to “drop back for a second” and talk about water and sewer rates going up. He allowed that they had gone up, but that they had gone up less than in surrounding cities and other peer cities. And he noted that the city is building a huge new replacement of the sewage treatment plant – which is well over $100 million. Yet the city’s rates have been going up only around 4%, he said. Peer communities are going up sometimes in double digits.

Topical Departure: From Closing Statement to Bridges

At the LWV event, Hieftje began his closing statement by saying that he again wanted to “drop back just a little bit.” He then addressed the topic of the Stadium bridge again.

The Stadium bridge is a good topic, he said. There are three bridges in Washington County under discussion for closing. There are probably about 50 in the state of Michigan. The city will fix the Stadium bridge, he stated. He said that he would say again that he thought it would be a very bad idea to spend just local money on the project when the opportunity remains for the city to bring in federal money. With respect to the underground parking structure, he said, it’s not paid for with property tax dollars – the bond for that would be paid for with parking revenues, the same way parking structures had always been paid for by the Downtown Development Authority.

Topical Departure: From Closing Statement to Bridges

Lesko began her own closing statement by responding to remarks that Hieftje had made about the Stadium bridges during the time for his own closing statement.

Lesko began by saying she’d like to “fall back for just a minute” – she said she thought that Hieftje had perhaps missed the remarks of Pam Byrnes and Rebekah Warren at the city Democratic Party’s candidate forum for state senate District 18, held earlier that morning just prior to the mayoral forum. In response to a question about whether the state had money available for the Stadium bridge, Lesko reported that both candidates had said no. As much as we would like to believe that the money is just round the corner, she cautioned, Pam and Rebekah were very clear that it was not.

Topical Departure: From Human Services to Police-Courts and The Slate

At the city Dems forum, the question put to the candidates was about human services funding. But Hieftje used part of his time to respond to earlier remarks from Lesko about the police-courts facility, and to make a general criticism about the factual accuracy of her campaign.

He returned to the previous question by saying, “Let me drop back, though, to a question ago …” He took up Lesko’s contention that debt service for the police-courts facility bond had an impact on the general fund budget. He rejected that contention, because $700,000 would be saved, which is currently paid in rent. He also pointed to funds that the Downtown Development Authority had provided to help build the police-courts facility. He said it was a part of the DDA’s mandate to help keep municipal buildings in the downtown and that the DDA had been “perfectly willing to step up and fund that.”

He then went on to criticize not just Lesko, but the group of candidates who are challenging incumbents on the council. “There are so many subtle myths that are propagated in all of the literature and statements that we hear from the other slate in this campaign [...] They continue to play games with the truth. I think that’s been clear in the press coverage, and I think that will turn out to be clear today …”

Topical Departure: From Transparency to Police-Courts

At the city Dems forum, during a response to a question about transparency in government, Hieftje circled back to Lesko’s contention that the police-court facility was not within its budget: “Let’s go back a minute, though …” He characterized the issue as security equipment that was never a part of the project budget.

He also addressed the issue of the underground parking garage and its funding. The debt for that is held by the city, he allowed, but he noted that the DDA is making the bond payments. And throughout the history of the DDA, he continued, the revenue from the parking system had paid for the bonds for parking structures. He then emphasized the need for building the new underground structure, citing the loss of 170 street spaces over the last few years, plus the potential loss of the Brown lot [now a surface parking lot south of Huron and north of Washington, between Ashley and First], if it were ever to be developed by First Martin Corp.

Topical Departure: From Library Lot to Anonymous Blogging

At the city Dems forum, before Lesko fielded a question about the city-owned Library Lot, she picked up on Hieftje’s remarks about her anonymously written blog, stating sardonically, “Don’t write a blog! Don’t do it anonymously! Don’t disagree!” It’s easier “to hammer someone personally,” she said, than to talk about the issues. It’s easier to talk about what somebody wrote on a private blog, she said, than to talk about the fact that Hieftje had approved a budget that included overspending on the police-courts facility. “That was your plan?? To overspend??” That is not a plan, she said, that is a knee-jerk reaction.

Lesko noted that back in 2008, Stew Nelson had been convinced that decision-making on city council had not been transparent, and that position had been validated in June 2009 when emails exchanged during city council meetings were made public. Councilmembers had called each other names and handed out “Golden Vomit” awards. It’s easier to hammer those candidates personally who run on the issues, she said.

Topical Departure: From Budget to State Shared Revenues

At the LWV forum, Hieftje answered a question about the city’s budget, then said he wanted to “go back and visit a number that had previously been stated.” He circled back to Lesko’s characterization of state shared revenues – she said the loss had been about a half million dollars a year since 2006. Hieftje said that if you take a look at total state shared revenues back in 2002 and 2003, during the peak, then the city does receive about $4 million less per year than it used to receive. [Based on the one-page summary from the city's FY 2011 budget book on state shared revenues, the city received a total of $12,436,105 in state shared revenue in FY 2003, $11,127,489 in FY 2006 and was estimated to receive $9,149,332 in FY 2010.]

Wrapping Up

Candidates made closing statements. At the city Dems forum, Jim Leonard, who was moderating the affair, invited Lesko to begin. However, Lesko indicated it was her understanding that since Hieftje had gone first with the opening statement, he would also go first with the closing statement.

When told that the coin toss had been for the “bookend,” Lesko indicated that she’d understood the arrangement differently, and thus would prefer to have the final speaking slot. From the side of the room, the chair of the Ann Arbor City Democratic Party, Conan Smith, told Lesko that the arrangement for the “bookend” position – first with the opening statement and last with the closing statement – had been what they’d discussed “since forever.” With that, Lesko began her closing statement.

AAD: Lesko’s Closing Statement

Lesko began her closing statement by citing an endorsement by the Michigan Sierra Club and the Huron Valley Chapter of the Sierra Club.

She also thanked Hieftje again for his 10 years of service. She finished up by quoting from several of her supporters, including Matthew Schroeder, who’s president of the Fire Fighters IAFF Local 693, which has endorsed Lesko, and from Peter Nicolas, who served on the city council in the mid-1990s.

She said she was not yet asking for their votes, but rather to listen as more candidate forums were held. She thanked everyone for coming.

AAD: Hieftje’s Closing Statement

Hieftje also thanked everyone for coming and for taking part in the process. He reiterated that he was happy to run on his record. He said that he had received endorsements, too – among them from the UAW [United Auto Workers] union and the LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender] Democratic Caucus.

He stated he’d won several awards for environmental leadership, most recently in 2008 from the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. He was named the winner of the award for environmental leadership for the whole state in 2008, he said.

Hieftje said that the slate of candidates that are running together to challenge incumbents were saying, “There’s something wrong! We must do something about this.” The other side was saying that they are continuing to work hard and seriously in a hard-hit state.

On Aug. 3, he said, he hoped everyone would vote, as there are many important races. He said he appreciated the support of many of the people in the room. He said he would ask for their vote.

It’s the hard work of the residents that make Ann Arbor a place that we all want to live, Hieftje said. He felt that the city has a solid city council and he encouraged people to vote for those city councilmembers who are running for re-election.

LWV: Hieftje’s Closing Statement

Despite everything that’s happened with the downturn in the economy, despite the loss of the Pfizer property tax revenues, Hieftje contended that Ann Arbor remains a leader on many fronts and continues to move forward.

He described the brightness of Ann Arbor as “undimmed” during the long economic recession. It’s one of the leading cities in the country with respect to energy conservation, he said. It’s a city that wins awards for being one of the best places to live, walk, or ride a bike. It’s a healthy city that values art and its diversity, he said. Unlike the state or the county or countless other cities, he said, throughout the long recession Ann Arbor has not cut human services for those who need it the most. In the future, he cautioned that the city would have to make budget adjustments, but must stay on the path to ever-greater efficiency, and the foundation for that has been laid, he said. He contended that the quality of life in the city continues to go up – citing the recent conclusion of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival and commencement of the art fairs. He concluded by saying he would not trade places with the mayor of any other city.

LWV: Lesko’s Closing Statement

Alluding to the undimmed brightness of Ann Arbor described by Hieftje, Lesko warned that it is being dimmed – literally, by a program to save money by de-energizing streetlights in specific areas.

She thanked several people: the city staff for their hard work; Michigan’s 21st Century Job Fund for pumping $120 million into Ann Arbor’s economy; and Ann Arbor’s largest employer, the University Michigan. Ann Arbor has sufficient revenue, she said. The mayor’s race is a referendum on the direction of public policy and city management, she suggested. It’s time to stop talking about Troy and Grand Rapids, she said, while Ann Arbor’s roads and Stadium bridges are about to crumble.

She asked: How do we keep the same thing from happening in the future? Do we save a buck by slashing public safety? Do we want reactive or proactive government? The cost to city government has risen substantially, she said, as has the spending on non-essential items. She said that Hieftje is proposing that taxpayers bail out the city with service cuts and increases in fees – for parking, water, sewer and solid waste. In contrast, she said, she proposed that the city cut overspending. She said we needed to ask why the city charges itself $4,000 per acre per year to mow grass in the public parks. Why does the city award no-bid contracts, and approve leases and consultants, and award union contracts that are clearly not in the best interest of the taxpayers?

She noted that she has the support of the Michigan Sierra Club as well as both the police and firefighter unions, because they know that as the next mayor, she would refocus the government on the basics. She proposed that the city of Ann Arbor should be managed with sensible, progressive values and Midwestern common sense. As the next mayor of Ann Arbor, she said, she would have a city government where city services take center stage and the government lives within the generous means that taxpayers have always provided.

Lou Glorie, left, and Carsten Hohnke, Democratic candidates for Ward 5 city council. (Photos by the writer.)

The Ward 5 city council Democratic primary this year is contested by incumbent Carsten Hohnke and challenger Lou Glorie. City council representatives are elected for two-year terms and each of the city’s five wards has two seats on the council, one of which is elected each year.

In November, the  winner of the Aug. 3 Democratic primary will face a Republican challenge in John Floyd, as well as an independent challenge in Newcombe Clark.

Glorie portrayed herself as an underdog candidate – a citizen activist who’s not as interested in leading as in collaborating with ward residents to find consensus.

Hohnke focused heavily on various accomplishments during his first two years in office and sought to distance himself from the idea that he is a career politician.

Of interest to readers who follow city council meetings closely, Hohnke left open the possibility of bringing back some kind of proposal for a historic district in the Germantown neighborhood, as well as reconsideration and approval of the Heritage Row development – but not for exactly the same project.

Gus Teschke moderated the July 15 candidate forum. Before starting he did not check to see if it was raining inside the church, but he did toss a coin to determine starting order.

The informal, intimate venue of the Fountain Street forum was more relaxed than the League of Women Voters (LAW) event held earlier in the week, which was recorded at the Community Television Network (CTN) studios on South Industrial.

The LAW forum included candidates from Ward 1 and Ward 4, which are the other contested city council races in the Democratic primary. [Chronicle coverage of Ward 1 and Ward 4 forums: "Ann Arbor Dems Primary: Ward 1 Council" and "Ann Arbor Dems Primary: Ward 4 Council"]

The ground rules for Thursday’s event were mostly typical for local city political forums. Questions were read aloud by a moderator from cards filled out by audience members. Gus Teschke served as moderator.

Candidates alternated answering questions first. One somewhat novel feature for the Ward 5 forum was the opportunity for candidates to respond to each other’s answers. So for any given question, there was a chance for each candidate to speak twice. For many of the questions, Glorie and Hohnke availed themselves of that opportunity.

A coin toss determined that Glorie would have choice of order, and she allowed Hohnke to go first.

The hosts of the venue, Tamara Real and Carl Rinne, as well as the organizers of the event – Gus Teschke, Jennie Needleman, and Rita Mitchell – were all thanked at various points for making the forum possible.

The candidate’s responses to questions are ordered chronologically, but the sequence of topics has, in isolated cases, been altered to group items thematically.

Opening Statements

Each candidate gave an opening statement.

Hohnke’s Opening Statement

Hohnke began by thanking the hosts and organizers of the forum. He went on to thank the attendees of the forum, saying that it is his privilege to be their representative. His introduction: “I’m Carsten.”

Carsten Hohnke

He then stressed that during his time on the council since 2008, they have been productive in solving problems, especially “big-picture issues” like the budget, zoning, and environmental issues. Hohnke said he is especially proud of the successful efforts he’s had with members of the community in providing real and impactful solutions “on the ground in our neighborhoods.”

He cited several examples: keeping Mack Pool and the Westside Farmer’s Market open; initiating a greenway and public art center at the 415 W. Washington site; expanding the recycling program; implementing improvements in the walking and biking infrastructure. Nonetheless, Hohnke continued, there is still significant work to be done. He stated that he is especially excited about opportunities to continue efforts that have already begun.

Lou Glorie’s Opening Statement

Glorie began by saying she is not an incumbent, but rather a citizen activist.

Lou Glorie

Alluding to a candidate forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters earlier in the week, she said she felt she’d “flubbed” a question, because she’d missed an opportunity to talk about economic development. She said she hoped to change the conversation about how we think about economic development – we’ve been “chasing growth,” she said.

Glorie said she was not just thinking about downtown development, but rather different forms of economic growth. She said that in the course of the evening, she hoped to be able to talk more about the difference between growth versus resiliency in our local economy.

Glorie characterized herself as an “underdog” candidate and described Hohnke as a “good person” and a “good guy,” though she said that there’d been some “slippage.”

Disposition of Parkland

Question: What is your stance on the long-term lease of parks to the University of Michigan? Do you support construction of large-scale buildings on parkland?

The question pertains to a proposed parking deck and bus depot that could eventually be a rail station – Fuller Road Station – located on a parcel currently designated as part of a park in the city’s master plan for parks. The parcel is currently a surface parking lot, leased to the University of Michigan. Recent Chronicle coverage: “PAC Softens Stance on Fuller Road” and “AATA Gets its Fill of Fuller Road Station”

Glorie on Parkland

Glorie began by identifying the question as relating to two specific issues: (i) a proposal to build Fuller Road Station – a parking deck and bus station that is envisioned possibly to become a train station; and (ii) an RFP (request for proposals) for private operation of part of the city-owned Huron Hills Golf Course. She said that a transformation of use of parkland should go before the voters – that had been the intent of the 2007 charter amendment, she said. The amendment, however, had been written specifically to protect parkland from sale.

She said she could understand why the University of Michigan is interested in putting a parking structure on that piece of land. She suggested that the city should simply sell the land to the university for fair market value – the $4-5 million the land might bring, she said, could support the parks system. The voters could approve the sale of the parkland to the university, she said, which would be an honest way to respect the spirit of the city’s charter.

Hohnke on Parkland

Responding to Glorie’s remarks that the question should be put to a vote of citizens, Hohnke said he didn’t know what question would be put before voters. There’s no lease arrangement involved with Fuller Road Station, he said. He characterized the planned Fuller Road Station as a collaborative project between the University of Michigan and the city of Ann Arbor, the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA), and the University of Michigan. But there is “no lease on the table,” he pointed out.

He added that he didn’t know what he would ask voters in this situation other than to understand the issue and contact a council representative with their views. On the subject of transit systems, Hohnke continued by emphasizing the need to address the issue of the thousands of commuters who work at the UM hospital. Moving to a multi-modal solution, he stressed, is exactly the kind of progressive solution we want.

He added that the federal government had begun to make a commitment to rail transportation, citing a $30 million grant that Dearborn was recently awarded. He concluded that Ann Arbor would be able to continue its ability to attract state and federal funding with creative proposals to move the state forward. Ann Arbor would not be spending a lot of general fund money on Fuller Road Station – or even any, he quickly added.

Glorie’s Follow-Up on Parkland

Glorie reviewed some of the history of the site proposed for Fuller Road Station, saying that it had for a long time been a soccer field. The parks department had then leased the property to UM for use as a surface parking lot, she said. It was a temporary use of the land, she said, contrasting that with the permanence of a five-story parking structure as proposed for Fuller Road Station.

Glorie also expressed some skepticism that it would become a train station. She was also not convinced, she said, that the location was best suited for a train station. It’s a busy intersection already, she said, and she wondered if it was really the best place for people to try to board a train.

Hohnke’s Follow-Up on Parkland

The surface lot at the proposed Fuller Road Station site, Hohnke responded, has been there for 20 years, and was originally intended to protect the natural environment surrounding it. [Editor's note: Specifically, oak trees.] Transportation experts have already determined that particular place is suitable for a transit station, he said. Such issues, Hohnke said, must remain a community conversation and he contended that the Fuller Road Station was still in the “early stages.” If we want to push forward as a progressive community, we must, Hohnke urged, make choices and take opportunities. The Fuller Road Station, he said, is such an opportunity.

Parkland Protection

Question: What would you tell residents about how well parks are protected in the city?

The background to the question is that: (i) Fuller Road Station is planned for a site that is currently designated as part of a park in the city’s master plan for parks – though the site is now used as a surface parking lot; and (ii) the city charter was amended by a referendum in 2007 to explicitly disallow sale of parkland without placing the question on the ballot. The city’s current plan for Fuller Road Station does not contemplate the sale of the land. At its July 6, 2010 meeting, the city council expanded the list of possible uses of public land specified in the zoning code to include transportation facilities. See Chronicle coverage: “Land Uses Expand; Plan Regs Relaxed.”

Hohnke on Parkland Protection

Hohnke began by saying that the question seemed to be about being sure that for any one particular park, how can we be sure that the city won’t go in and try to build something there. He said that one can always picture pessimistic and cynical scenarios developed out of the worst of what our city ordinances convey.

Hohnke pointed out that the voters had a chance replace half the council every year during elections. So if something were suggested for parks that people objected to, then the people’s voices will be heard during elections, he said.

Returning to the Fuller Road Station, Hohnke characterized it as a spot where a surface parking lot had been for 20 years that is in the best location in Michigan and in Ann Arbor to provide significant environmental and quality of life benefits and improve multi-modal transportation for everyone. He cautioned against being afraid of what might happen in the future. No one, he said, would suggest to suddenly turn parks into condominiums – he didn’t think there was anybody in the community who would support that. For example, he said that the logic is just not there for building something in Virginia Park.

Glorie on Parkland Protection

Glorie introduced the topic of a recent change to the zoning code that enumerates what the allowable uses are for parcels zoned as public land (PL). [The change, enacted at a recent city council meeting, was from an item that listed a municipal airport as a possible use to a more general notion of a transportation facility, with an airport in the set of examples given.] She caught herself as she first indicated that the original language had prohibited airports on public land. Re-starting, Glorie indicated that the original language actually gave more protection to the parks than the new revised language that refers to transportation facilities. As an example, Glorie said, “No one is going to put an airport in Virginia Park,” but she suggested that someone might find it feasible to put a bus hub in Virginia Park.

Glorie concluded that we could not rely a hope that everyone will have the good will to do what we think they’ll do. That’s why it’s important to write laws carefully. She picked back up on the language of the 2007 charter amendment requiring a voter referendum on the sale of parkland. She said she’d warned the mayor at the time that parkland needed to be protected not just from sale, but also from transfers of use. She concluded that she’d like to see the charter amendment “beefed up.”

Follow-Up from Hohnke on Parkland Protection

Hohnke added some further clarification to Glorie’s comments on the recent change to possible uses of land zoned PL: Both airports and other transportation facilities are allowed to be built under the ordinance – airports are an example specified as allowable on public land. He continued by saying that we have a need for public infrastructure and public land is meant to support that public infrastructure.

Library Lot

Question: What do you think of the potential for a convention center constructed on the Library Lot paid for by public funds?

The background for this is the question of what, if anything, should be built on top of the city-owned Library Lot – currently the construction site for an underground parking structure. The city issued a request for proposals last year, with the idea that if one of them were approved, the underground garage design could be tweaked to accommodate certain design features.

The responses were all presented in a public forum, and the committee tasked with reviewing them subsequently winnowed them down to two proposals. Along the way, a citizen-generated proposal for a community commons was eliminated from further consideration, then added back to the pool, then finally eliminated. The two finalist proposals selected by the review committee were for hotel/conference center projects.

The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority authorized money to hire a consultant to evaluate the financial merits of the two proposals, but that consultant has not been hired. The committee has not met in several months. The window of opportunity to make any design tweaks in the underground parking garage passed back in the spring, and the sense of urgency that drove the committee’s initial work has ebbed. A starting point for Chronicle coverage: “Hotel/Conference Center Ideas Go Forward.”

Hohnke on the Library Lot

Hohnke began by simply saying no. He said he didn’t see any reason to use city funds to support development of a convention center there. The proposed area, along Fifth Avenue next to the Ann Arbor District Library, Hohnke pointed out, is one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in the city, if not the entire state.

He said he doesn’t think we should put the city’s finances at risk to support a project on the site. Hohnke said he does not have the business expertise to evaluate if a hotel would be a viable project. If no public investment were being made, that would not be part of his evaluation of the project. Hohnke added that if public finances were being used, he would need to become “pretty darn good at understanding” whether the proposal would support any bond payments. Investing public money into a project, he said, is not something the city needs to do.

Hohnke said he is not convinced that any of the proposals that had been submitted are good ones, and it’s important to remember that a request for proposals does not need to be acted on by the city. If none of them meet the satisfaction of the community, there’s no need to accept one, he stressed.

Hohnke continued that he would like to see a renewed effort of community conversation – starting from a blank slate, with no preconceptions. What is the best solution for this vital parcel right in the center of our community?

Glorie on the Library Lot

Glorie said she was not in favor of a hotel or a conference center, or anything of that nature for the Library Lot. She said the reason was that the area already faced “dead zone” challenges in the form of the Federal Building and the back end of AATA’s Blake Transit Center.

She said that she personally favored a town square on the lot – in spite of the fact that Josie Parker [executive director of the Ann Arbor District Library] is not in favor of that kind of proposal. Glorie said that the synergy with the library would be “stupendous.” She imagines events like puppet shows, theater, poetry reading, and similar activities in a town square kind of amenity. She stated that the parcel could be the civic heart of Ann Arbor – cities need such spaces in order to be cities.

[In this Glorie was echoing sentiments that have been expressed by Alan Haber on multiple occasions when he has spoken to the city council on the topic of the Library Lot and a specific proposal for a community commons there, which he has helped support. Haber was in the audience for Thursday's candidate forum.]

Glorie noted that a group of citizens had done some research on the financial viability of conference centers across the country and generally those centers were “losers,” so she would not be in favor of such a proposal in any case. Any community conversation needed to be opened up to the whole community, she said, not just the usual suspects – not a narrowly defined task force.

Hohnke Follow-Up on Library Lot

Hohnke stressed that the community conversations begin with a blank slate. But it’s important to remember, he said, that if we want to protect our near downtown neighborhood, there is “a flip side to that coin.” Without prejudging what should happen there, he suggested that the Library Lot is an appropriate place for dense, mixed-use development. That can be part of that parcel as well as some open space. If we’re going to work hard to protect near downtown neighborhoods, Hohnke said, we cannot automatically shut down any possibility of development at the Library Lot.

Glorie Follow-Up on Library Lot

A community decision to retain the lot as mostly open space, Glorie said, would not preclude some small-scale development. It might be an ideal space to have small businesses – for example, lining the north end of the lot could be cafes and bookstores and a place to buy magazines and newspapers. On a floor above that, there could be space for residential units, she suggested.

Well-designed parks of that nature, she said, attract economic development from a wide radius.

Community Commons

Question: Will you call for and allow city council to consider the proposal for a community commons on the Library Lot, which the advisory committee refused to consider?

Glorie on Community Commons

Glorie answered in the affirmative and said she believed it was something for the community to decide. She said she believed the advisory committee erred in following the RFP too closely. They made a lot of accommodations to “the two winners,” she contended. It should be opened up to the community, she said – it needs to be a very broad-based community conversation.

Hohnke on Community Commons

“We have a lot of work to do,” Hohnke began, describing the process of the community conversation on the Library Lot. He indicated a reluctance to bring a particular proposal forward, but said that he was uncertain what the question actually was asking. Was it a request to re-enter the community commons proposal into the field of candidate proposals? From the audience, Alan Haber, who’d help bring the community commons proposal forward, indicated to Hohnke that this was, in fact, what the question was asking. No, Hohnke replied, that’s not something he would do.

The evaluation that led the advisory committee to reject that proposal for the Library Lot was based on the fact that there was not a financially convincing case for it, Hohnke said. He then noted that the country is going through its worst economic recession in 80 years. The state is in a 10-year recession. We can’t support a park in that vital part of Ann Arbor without a financial plan, Hohnke said – it is simply not currently a financially sustainable option.

Glorie Follow-Up on Community Commons

Glorie suggested that initial funding for a park could be found by selling the land for the Fuller Road Station to the University of Michigan.

Hohnke Follow-Up on Community Commons

Hohnke called Glorie’s suggestion “creative” and said that the city must get the most out of its partners on the Fuller Road Station project. The problem, Hohnke said, is that a sale would not yield the kind of resources that would continue in perpetuity. There needs to be sustainable revenue tied to the Library Lot site itself, to the existence of that space.

Financial Interest in Development

Question: Do you or any member of your family have any financial interest in any developments in the city?

The question seemed to be getting at an issue that Hohnke had himself raised at the city council’s June 15, 2009 meeting:

Carsten Hohnke (Ward 5) began deliberations on the City Place site plan approval by indicating to his colleagues that he had brought information to the city attorney’s office concerning a possible conflict of interest on his part with respect to the City Place project. He stated that councilmembers had the analysis provided by the city attorney’s office and indicated he was prepared to accept their recommendation, if any, on the topic. [Council rules require members to vote on any resolution before them, unless their colleagues request by a majority vote that a councilmember recuse himself/herself.] No one moved that Hohnke should recuse himself.

The nature of the connection is described by Vivienne Armentrout on her blog Local in Ann Arbor as a business relationship between Hohnke’s wife and the owner of one of the houses on the site of the proposed City Place/Heritage Row site.

Glorie on Financial Interest

Glorie began by saying, “Not at the moment.” She then responded lightheartedly, saying that she’d spoken to Alex de Parry the previous day. [De Parry is developer of the proposed, and currently rejected, Heritage Row project on South Fifth Avenue, which includes the renovation of seven houses and construction of three additional buildings behind them.]

Glorie reported that she’d offered to buy de Parry’s houses on Fifth Avenue – if she won the lottery. The line drew a laugh from the audience. [The Chronicle took part in the conversation reported by Glorie, which took place downtown on the northwest corner of Fourth and Liberty.]

Hohnke on Financial Interest

In light of Glorie’s possible lottery win and subsequent purchase of de Parry’s properties on Fifth, Hohnke said he was looking forward to seven open houses in a row. [Glorie is a real estate professional with Keller Williams Realty.] Hohnke indicated that neither he nor any of his family members have any financial interest in developments in the city.

Historic Districts

Question: What is your thought about the proposed historic district and historic districts in general?

Background to this and a subsequent question about a project called Heritage Row are recent council decisions affecting a neighborhood south of William Street along Fourth and Fifth avenues. The council voted to reject establishing a historic district in that area at its most recent meeting on July 6. The council had voted to reject a residential development project called Heritage Row at its meeting before that, on June 21. Heritage Row proposes to renovate seven houses on Fifth Avenue and construct three new apartment buildings behind them.

Complicating the council’s decision-making is an already-approved project for the site called City Place. City Place would demolish the seven houses and replace them with two apartment buildings.

At the July 6 city council meeting, Stephen Rapundalo (Ward 2) brought back Heritage Row for reconsideration, but the council rejected it again, voting along the same lines as they did on June 21. The rationale is that without a historic district, the seven houses would be afforded some measure of protection by Heritage Row, which plans for their restoration.

Then later at the same July 6 meeting, Hohnke was on a path to bring Heritage Row back for reconsideration for a third time total – apparently he intended to change his vote against the project, which would have given it the 8-vote super-majority it needed. During a brief break in the proceedings, a conversation with Sabra Briere (Ward 1) appeared to change Hohnke’s mind, and he withdrew his motion to reconsider the project.

For an overview of the issue, see Chronicle coverage: “S. Fifth Ave: Historic District, Development.”

Hohnke on Historic Districts

Hohnke began by stating that he had sponsored the resolution for a historic district study committee for the Germantown area, and had worked hard to get support for the district. Apart from the particulars of that proposed district, he said, historic districts are a vital part of what makes Ann Arbor so special. Hohnke mentioned going on walks with his wife and son from his west side house into neighborhoods on the Old West Side. Such preservation, he said, attracts people to Ann Arbor.

A common misconception surrounding historic districts, he continued, is the assumption that they prevent change. Even if Germantown had become a historic district, he said, density can still be significantly increased within the district, though he would not be in favor of such an increase in density. He said that historic districts are positive for the community and he pointed out that historic is not always synonymous with inflexible. He finished by stating his disappointment that the proposal failed by a narrow margin.

Glorie on Historic Districts

Glorie began by saying it was “a shame” that the historic district had not been approved. That had been an opportunity to protect not just seven houses but an entire neighborhood. So an already-approved project for the site – City Place, which entailed tearing down seven houses – might still go forward. The neighbors are between a rock and a hard place, she said. Should they encourage the council to go ahead and reconsider and approve the Heritage Row project, which proposed to renovate the seven houses and build three buildings behind them? Or should they “go for broke” and just hope that no lender would provide backing for the City Place development?

Historic districts, Glorie said, are a great tool for protecting neighborhoods. The goal is not to preserve things in amber, she said, but rather to help neighborhoods continue to be lively and convivial places. The structure and form of a physical neighborhood contributes a lot to the way we live, she said. There’s a difference, she said, between a neighborhood where people need to go out of their garages to enter their houses, and there are front porches to sit on, compared to other neighborhoods where people drive into an attached garage, go into their houses and go into their back yards. Older neighborhoods should be used as an example for any new development, she concluded.

Heritage Row and City Place Conundrum

Question: Heritage Row and City Place – which one? What about other developments? Will you support Heritage Row if it is brought back before the council? How do you get what’s best for the city?

Glorie on Heritage Row

Glorie indicated that right now her answer was that neither Heritage Row, nor City Place was a good solution. She characterized Heritage Row as a “Disney-esqe” version of the street. City Place, she described as “god-awful ugly,” and she prayed it would not be built on the street.

If she’s elected and Heritage Row is brought back for reconsideration, she said, she’ll vote no.

Hohnke on Heritage Row

Hohnke began by noting that he’d voted no on Heritage Row. The challenge surrounding such developments, Hohnke said, is the underlying zoning problem that does not serve the community well. He described City Place as a shotgun, loaded and pointed at the neighborhood. One solution to protect against City Place, he said, was the historic district that he fully supported and proposed. He reiterated his disappointment that the historic district had not been approved. He hopes that remains as a potential option, he said.

Hohnke stressed that it was important to make progress and move forward in a way that is best for everybody in the long term. If Heritage Row were to be brought back and reconsidered with no changes to the project, he said he was not sure what might prompt him to change his vote. He’d laid out his arguments at the council meeting on why he felt it didn’t meet the standards under the PUD zoning ordinance, so he said he didn’t see how he could reach a different conclusion.

Hohnke emphasized the need to work together with the community and the developer for something that could work for everybody. One example of this cooperation, Hohnke said, was the Near North project. It’s been a long process with Heritage Row, he said, and looking back, it’s now much better than it was originally. It still was not sufficient, Hohnke said, but it’s “moving in the right direction.”

Density

Question: How do you fell about increased density in areas outside of downtown?

For background on area, height and placement issues, see Chronicle coverage: “AHP Zoning Revisions Go to City Council” and “Zoning 101: Area, Height, Placement.”

Glorie on Density

Right now, Glorie began, we’re making significant changes to our zoning ordinances. One of those sets of changes concerns the city’s zoning codes on area, height, and placement (AHP). The proposed changes, Glorie said, would reduce the setbacks for a good number of properties in residential areas. The other set of changes relates to R4C zoning, she said. Things also get “tricky” for neighborhoods because there are R4C districts all over the city. The controversy in the neighborhood south of William Street where the historic district had been proposed and where Heritage Row/City Place were proposed had resulted from the R4C zoning in the area, she said.

Another example of R4C zoning, she said, was the Black Elk’s Lodge. She described the development proposed there, which the city council ultimately rejected, as a “narrow escape.”

The R4C study committee, she said, had done its work outside of the awareness of most people – she stressed that she was not saying the work had been done in secret. She wanted to highlight that it was just not on most people’s radar and that we needed to pay attention to that work. She indicated that she was not in favor of all the recommended changes for the AHP.

Hohnke on Density

Hohnke agreed that R4C zoning is an important issue. The classification of many areas as R4C, Hohnke began, is an issue that has led to many problems, as he’d pointed out in connection with the Heritage Row/City Place project.

The underlying zoning is, he said, 50 to 60 years old and reflects a development philosophy that the community does not actually want.

The R4C zoning districts make up a large chunk of the ring around downtown Ann Arbor, and are especially important for quality of life in the near downtown area, Hohnke said. The result of that R4C study process, he said, will be important as far as preserving the quality of life in near downtown neighborhoods.

Hohnke characterized the area, height and placement changes as dealing primarily with commercial areas outside the downtown. Reducing setbacks is an important part of that set of changes, he said – most urban planners see it as smart planning for commercial areas. He cited the relocated CVS on Stadium Boulevard near Liberty as an example, saying that the building was moved closer to the street, and as a consequence it became much more pedestrian-friendly. Putting parking at the back or at the side of buildings is a good idea, he said. The Stadium Boulevard corridor could be used as an overall model, Hohnke believes, saying that the street has transformed to a much better place. Hohnke concluded by stating that he believes the area, height, and placement requirements are “largely on the right track.”

Glorie Follow-Up on Density

Gloire said she agreed with Hohnke as far as AHP applied to commercial areas. Where she disagreed was for residential areas. She noted that some people might not have a place for a garden and their best place for a garden might be in the front of their house, which could possibly not meet a maximum setback requirement. She called for somewhat more flexibility in the setbacks.

Arts and Culture

Question: Arts and culture are an important part of Ann Arbor’s identity. What measurable actions will you take to ensure that arts and culture will thrive and survive in Ann Arbor?

The Chronicle’s most recent coverage of the Ann Arbor Public Art Commission: “Art Commission Acts on Dreiseitl Proposal.” Background on the greenway and art center discussed by the candidates: “City Restarts 415 W. Washington Process.”

Hohnke on Arts and Culture

Hohnke began by emphasizing the importance of arts and culture to the community in adding to the quality of life, but also to the economic vitality of the community. One measurable step he said he had taken was to sponsor a resolution to work on 415 W. Washington, across from the new YMCA, with two goals in mind. One goal is to turn the land into part of a greenway system in the Allen Creek floodplain. The other goal, he said, is to take the existing structure – which served historically as a county maintenance facility dating back to the 1920s – and transform it into a public arts center. There are various grant opportunities available, Hohnke said, for historic preservation, flood mitigation, and public art.

We also need to continue to support the Percent for Art program, Hohnke said, characterizing it as a “critical injection” into the vitality of the arts in our community.

Glorie on Arts and Culture

Glorie noted that the 415 W. Washington project is interesting – she and Vicki Honeyman had approached the mayor several years ago and told him that they’d like to see the building become a space for artists, and the area around it become a sculpture park or something of that nature. So she is glad to see that effort now underway, she said.

There is something that the city council didn’t do with their resolution that would have put some “teeth” into it, Glorie said. That was to “flat out say, ‘We are reserving First & William, the 415 W. Washington site, and the 721 N. Main site, for public use.’” Those are three parcels the city already owns, she said. First & William is problematic for building anything – it should be a park.

The 415 W. Washington parcel, she said, would be appropriate for an art center, but needs to be analyzed in terms of the city’s ability to manage flooding. For 721 N. Main, she envisioned flea markets, farmers markets, book sales and the like. That would be temporary use that would not put a lot of burden on the watershed, while expanding space for artists and artisans to sell their goods.

Pension Fund

Question: How should city council address the $190 million pension fund deficit?

Glorie on the Pension Fund

The first step, Glorie said, was to start budgeting for it. The city had been ignoring the issue for years. The city need to stop adding to the problem by taking a look at how long it takes in order to be vested, she said. Now there are people who are vested in the pension fund after five years, which she felt was too short – she suggested that 10-15 years might be a more appropriate minimum time for vesting.

Hohnke on the Pension Fund

There’s no question that increasing legacy costs are a significant challenge for Ann Arbor as well as other communities, Hohnke said. He pointed out that Ann Arbor had a basically fully-funded pension system, which took a significant hit in 2008, when the economy “fell off the cliff.” There’s a lot of catch up we’ll have to do, he said. Solving these problems, he added, will require continual hard work. He suggested that we have to continue to invest in the pension system, and work with the city’s partners – city staff, and unions. We need employees to do more to help share the burden, he said, for health care and for the pension fund.

Glorie Follow-Up on the Pension Fund

Glorie noted that in Washington D.C. there’s currently discussion of forcing the Social Security system to take some hits, and those proposals need to be opposed vigorously. People need Social Security, and if pension funds are decimated because of the investment climate, she said, then “people are going to be screwed.”

Campaign Finance

Question: How much money do you expect to spend in the primary election? How much money have you spent in past elections?

Background to the question is the increasing amounts that city council candidates are spending on their races. From a Dec. 21, 2008 piece by Judy McGovern for The Ann Arbor News:

In the 5th Ward, Democrat Carsten Hohnke beat primary and general election opponents to win an open seat. The first-time candidate spent about $20,500. Of that, about $8,180 was his own money and remains a loan to be repaid by his political action committee.

That race was the most costly of the city contests this cycle. But the 2nd Ward race wasn’t far behind.

The successful candidate in the 2nd Ward, Tony Derezinski, spent $14,700 to win the Democratic primary. Total spending was close to $31,260.

Derezinski’s primary opponent, Stewart Nelson, loaned his PAC around $6,600.

Hohnke on Campaign Finance

Hohnke began by saying he’d have to ask his treasurer, but ventured that it was somewhere in the range of $4-5,000. It requires resources, he said, to communicate with neighbors in the ward and that he was including as many people as possible.

Hohnke said he felt the question was likely referring to the record-breaking amount of money he’d spent in getting elected the first time in 2008. He defended the amount, saying that he was in a more difficult position last time, in running against a candidate who had a lot of name recognition [Vivienne Armentrout], eight years of experience serving on the county board of commissioners, who was a “fantastic candidate and who knew a lot about campaigning.” He said that he had to do a lot of extra work to make sure to get his message out. He also added that his was the only race that had a Republican challenger [John Floyd], which meant that the race went on for longer, through November.

Prompted by an audience member to answer the second part of the question, Hohnke indicated that in his first campaign he’d spent “just under $20,000.”

Glorie on Campaign Finance

Glorie began by highlighting the implicit disparagement of her candidacy in Hohnke’s remarks by saying lightheartedly, “Well, gee, I only merit $4,000??” The line drew a laugh from the audience. Hohnke responded in good-natured fashion, saying, “I already have my yard signs!”

So far Glorie said she’d already spent around $2,000 and expected to spend $1,000 or $2,000 more.

Other Ward 5 Candidates on Campaign Finance

By way of comparison, Newcombe Clark – who recently filed successful petitions and who will appear on the November ballot for the Ward 5 city council seat as an independent – wrote in response to an emailed query from The Chronicle that it’s uncertain how much he’ll spend, but it could be $40-60,000.

John Floyd, who will appear on the November ballot for Ward 5 as a Republican, wrote that he thinks a winning campaign for Ward 5 could be financed for half what Hohnke spent last time, or less. That translates to  $10,000 or less.

Allen Creek

Question: Would you support a watershed study of Allen Creek?

Glorie on Allen Creek

Glorie said she would support such a study – the sooner, the better. Ann Arbor sometimes suffered from a certain “exceptionalism,” she said, believing for example that a flood could not wash away a neighborhood. She characterized the Allen Creek drainage area as “overbuilt” with impervious surfaces, and contended that the city needs an honest study of the Allen Creek watershed.

Hohnke on Allen Creek

Hohnke said he didn’t know if he’d support a study. Many other community members have more expertise in that field, he said. He thinks it’s important to attack the issue from a number of angles – by experimenting with pervious pavement, as on Sylvan Avenue. He gave examples of projects at West Park and Pioneer High School as other angles of attack. He said he’d need to have more conversations with Vince [Caruso, who was in the audience] as well as with Jerry Hancock [Ann Arbor's stormwater and floodplain programs coordinator] to understand what kind of study was being requested, and what it would cost. He believes there’s no question that this issue is primary to Ward 5 and deserves attention.

Something Hohnke said he’d found interesting about the Near North project was that removal of structures from the floodway could count as a public benefit in evaluating a project against the standards of the PUD ordinance. Two structures are to be removed from the floodway as a part of that project, Hohnke said.

Stadium Bridges and Roads

Question: Why wasn’t the Stadium bridges project shovel ready when stimulus funds became available? Why is Miller Road such a mess?

For background on the Stadium bridges, see Chronicle coverage: “Budget Round 6: Bridges, Safety Services” For past coverage of the Miller Road project: “Miller Road to be Resurfaced and More”

Hohnke on Stadium Bridges and Roads

Since he was elected to the city council in 2008, Hohnke began, the council had directed city staff to apply for various grants for the Stadium bridge – Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grants, Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants, Michigan’s local bridge fund – what he called standard approaches to maintaining and rebuilding infrastructure. This is how the Broadway bridges were rebuilt, he said, and how the Huron Parkway bridge was rebuilt.

He went on to say that at the state level, all attempts to replenish the state transportation fund have “fallen on deaf state Senate Republican ears.” He said he supported an increase to the state gas tax so that we don’t leave $1 billion in federal transportation funding on the table.

The Stadium bridge, he continued, needs to be and will be repaired starting by March of next year. It would, however, be unwise to leave $12 million on the table if the city is too quick to tap into its own local funds, Hohnke added. That would mean that we would not be able to address projects like Miller Road as easily, he cautioned.

A line needed to be drawn in the sand, he said, and he felt like March was the right place to draw the line.

Glorie on Stadium Bridges and Roads

Glorie said that the city’s grant application process reminded her of a line from the “Airplane!” movies – a guy waiting in a car for a woman outside the airport, at the beginning of the movie, who after the final credits are shown concludes, “I’ll give her 10 more minutes and that’s it. [The exact movie line, apparently, is "Man in Taxi: Well, I'll give him another twenty minutes; but that's it!"]

That, Glorie said, is how she feels about the Stadium bridges. We’ve been waiting and waiting for the state or the federal government to help us out. She agreed that this is normally what we should do, but noted that pieces of concrete had been falling off the bridge – not any longer, because that section of the bridge has been removed.

It seems like an urgent issue to her, she said. She noted that the street and road repair millage has an undesignated fund balance of over $19 million. If we spend the money on the bridge, she said, the fund will be replenished by the millage that yields $8-9 million per year.

Hohnke Follow-Up on Stadium Bridges and Roads

Hohnke noted that the street and road repair millage fund balance was partly attributable to the timing of when the taxes are collected, and partly due to the fact that the city kept a year’s worth of the millage on hand as a reserve – as most cities would.

He reiterated that it was important to take the opportunity for obtaining $12 million in federal funds, so that those local street repair dollars could be put towards projects like Miller Road.

Glorie Follow-Up on Stadium Bridges and Roads

The problem she has, Glorie said, is that in 2001 the total fund balance in the street and road repair millage fund was $9 million and now it is around $25 million. There’s a balance that keeps accumulating and we’re not spending the money on road repair. Having levied an extra tax and collected extra money to spend on good roads, she said, the quality of the roads do not meet our legitimate expectations. That’s something the city council needs to oversee better, she said. [That concluding line earned the only actual applause of the evening.]

Career Politicians

Question: Would you describe yourself as a career politician – why or why not? How long are you looking to serve on the city council?

[Though candidates were allotted five minutes for their closing remarks, Hohnke tried to wrap up his comments quickly to allow time for additional questions. The question about being a career politician thus came directly from an audience member and was asked only of Hohnke. Possible background to the question is some speculation that Hohnke might be interested in eventually running for mayor.]

Hohnke said it never occurred to him to think of himself as a career politician. He said he’d become involved in his community at a young age, growing up in Ann Arbor. He gotten involved in PIRGIM and then went off to graduate school working on affordable housing solutions. He said said he’d always thought of himself as “one to be engaged in my community.” A couple of years ago, he decided that the way he thought he could do that best and the “way the stars aligned,” he said, took him to the city council.

He said that he was really excited at the actual change he’d been a part of, citing the pedestrian island at 7th and Washington, and getting halfway to adding a skatepark to the city’s recreational facilities. He said he’d be happy if the residents of Ward 5 would continue to support him on the city council. He concluded by saying he didn’t think of himself as a career politician.

Closing Statements

Each candidate gave a closing statement.

Hohnke’s Closing Statement

Hohnke thanked everyone all around. “It is my privilege,” he said, “to serve the Fifth Ward.” Hohnke said he works hard to make sure that his constituents are involved, making time for phone calls and emails throughout the week. Ward 5, he said, is an incredibly active ward. He continued, saying he is proud of working with members of the community, making streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists, keeping Mack Pool and the Farmers Market open, protecting fire and police services, implementing a management plan for the Huron River, and making it easier for downtown merchants to conduct business.

But he noted there’s a lot left to do. He said it was an important election. We must, Hohnke stressed, look forward and make a long-term commitment that allows us to grow and strengthen the common values we all share: a dynamic economy that provides opportunity for everyone; a more sustainable and broad transportation mix; and a protected natural environment. Working together we can continue to make Ann Arbor a vibrant community, he said, with strong neighborhoods anchored by a strong downtown, surrounded by open space and connected by a vibrant transportation system.

Glorie’s Closing Statement

Glorie began by saying that she’d received several emails about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It has turned a lot of people around, she said, making them feel like their government is no longer working for them. The government, she said, was seen to be “pussy-footing around” with the oil companies, afraid to do anything to damage an oil company’s profits, while oil is gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.

What she heard from a lot of people in Ann Arbor, she said, is something similar – that our city government is moving beyond our control. We have many processes in place that have involved too few people, she said. Various task forces, boards and commissions that are appointed by the mayor and approved by the council have involved too few people, she said. Examples she cited were the DDA and AATA boards.

Glorie noted that the process was for the mayor to nominate and for the city council to approve the appointments. She drew a parallel to the “advice and consent” clause of the U.S. Constitution describing the Senate’s role in the appointment of various public officials. It sounds like a rubber stamp, but she said that what the Constitution states is that the president makes appointments with the advice and consent of Congress.

It’s time for our city council to take a more active, “feisty” stance on various appointments, she said. Glorie characterized the various appointed bodies – boards and commissions – as a “parallel government” to the elected government. It’s important to regain more democratic control of the appointed part of the government, she said.

She then described her own style as “not leadership” – and she allowed that her supporters hated it when she said that. But she said the fact is that every idea she’d ever had has been improved by collaboration with other people. So she said she’d be asking a lot of her fellow citizens in Ward 5 – she’s be asking them to collaborate with her, and to be a part of the process.

A small group of people who work on an idea can develop “a form of autism,” so she called for including a larger group of people. Policy should not be developed by experts or schools of public policy, she said, but rather from collaboration with citizens. “We don’t need experts to design policy for us.” She ticked off some principles for development of policy: (i) government has no justification except to provide services for citizens; (ii) democratic process is essential in any sustainable society.

She concluded by quoting Leonard Cohen: “It’s over, it ain’t going any further.” The superhighway to growth that we’ve been on for centuries, she said, is over. She thus returned to the theme of some of her opening remarks, when she talked about the difference between growth and resiliency.

She allowed that it was something that no one wanted to think about, “because this is huge,” but she called for the start of that conversation.

Hayley Byrnes, an Ann Arbor Chronicle intern, contributed to this report.

The Washtenaw County administration building at the northeast corner of Main and Ann streets might be renamed the Robert E. Guenzel Government Center. (Photo by the writer.)

Conan Smith defended the resolution, which would name the building at 200 N. Main St. the Robert E. Guenzel Government Center. He called Guenzel’s 37-year tenure “remarkable,” saying his length of service and number of accomplishments makes him worthy of the honor. But Prater questioned the process and fairness of the decision, asking, “Who’s being overlooked?”

Also at Wednesday’s briefing, incoming county administrator Verna McDaniel announced her decision to hire Bill Reynolds as deputy administrator. He was one of two finalists who’d been in town earlier this month for a full day of interviews. The board will be asked to approve the hire at its June 2 meeting.

To mark her promotion to county administrator, McDaniel will be honored at a reception prior to the May 19 board meeting, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at 220 N. Main St.

After last Wednesday’s briefing, commissioners also held a caucus to discuss appointments to nine county boards and commissions. They’ll vote on the appointments at their May 19 meeting, and if the consensus reached at caucus holds, it will result in turnover on the county’s historic district commission.

And a dearth of applications for the workforce development board prompted a discussion of the importance of that group, which helps oversee the county’s Employment Training and Community Services (ETCS) department. Among other things, ETCS is handling roughly $4 million in stimulus funds to weatherize local homes, and commissioner Ken Schwartz raised concerns over the effectiveness of that effort.

Naming a Building: What’s the Policy?

During Wednesday’s administrative briefing, a draft copy of the board’s May 19 agenda included a resolution under “new business” to rename the building at 200 N. Main St. the Robert E. Guenzel Government Center. Built in 2000, the four-story structure houses several departments, including offices of the prosecuting attorney, treasurer, and county clerk, register of deeds and vital records.

McDaniel told commissioners that she’d prefer to bring the resolution from the floor, rather than have it included in the agenda. The agenda now posted online reflects that request – the resolution is no longer listed.

Most of the discussion about the naming took place during the appointments caucus which immediately followed Wednesday’s briefing, and which wasn’t attended by McDaniel. Wes Prater asked how the proposal had surfaced, and was told by board chair Rolland Sizemore Jr. that it had been suggested by commissioners Leah Gunn and Barbara Bergman. Neither Gunn nor Bergman attended Wednesday’s briefing or caucus.

Prater indicated that naming a building after an employee wasn’t appropriate without discussing the criteria used. “We’ve got a lot of good employees,” he said.

Ken Schwartz pointed to the county’s Meri Lou Murray Recreation Center as an example of a building named in someone’s honor. Murray was a county commissioner – an elected position – who was the driving force behind starting the county parks system.

Conan Smith said there wasn’t a policy about naming facilities. “It’s an honor more than a process,” he said. In that case, Prater replied, it becomes a question of fairness. He wondered who’s being overlooked, and said it seemed like a done deal without any discussion.

Smith said that Guenzel’s service has been remarkable, both in length and accomplishments. He served 37 years with the county, including 15 years as county administrator, and has taken on many leadership roles in the community during that tenure. Among other things, he was instrumental in developing the county’s Blueprint to End Homelessness and in leading the effort to build the Delonis Center, a homeless shelter located in Ann Arbor. Last December he announced his retirement, which took effect May 14.

Prater said if the resolution comes to the floor at the May 19 meeting, he plans to air his concerns.

Deputy County Administrator Hired, Finance Director on Hold

During Wednesday’s administrative briefing, Verna McDaniel – the incoming county administrator – told commissioners that she has made an offer to Bill Reynolds for the position of deputy county administrator, at a salary of $138,000. He accepted the position, she said, and plans to start on June 21. Commissioners will be asked to approve the appointment at their June 2 meeting.

Bill Reynolds, right, talks with Washtenaw County commissioner Wes Prater during a May 5 reception in the lobby of the county administration building. Reynolds is being hired as deputy county administrator.

Reynolds and another finalist for the position, Jose Reyes, spent the day on May 5 being interviewed by county management and others. McDaniel said the feedback in favor of Reynolds was nearly unanimous.

Until resigning to take the Washtenaw County job, Reynolds was chief administrative officer for Chippewa County, Wisc. He served as chief of staff for Republican-turned-Democrat Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, and led the teams that oversaw the Senate confirmation hearings of both Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Sam Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court. He also served in Iraq in 2004 with a Marine Corps reserve unit, and was a senior officer leading civil/military operations in Al Anbar province. He has a masters degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University – McDaniel has the same degree from Harvard.

McDaniel, who was deputy administrator until being promoted to county administrator when Guenzel retired, said Reynolds’ style is very different from hers, but that they complement each other. Because of his experience running a county himself, “he can hit the ground running,” she told commissioners at Wednesday’s briefing.

Commissioner Ken Schwartz asked about the status of McDaniels’ search for a finance director. That position is vacant following the retirement of former finance director Peter Ballios at the end of 2009. McDaniel said she’s decided not to make a hire until Reynolds comes on board. There might be opportunities to restructure, she said, and she wanted his advice.

Rolland Sizemore Jr., the county board’s chair, told McDaniel he wanted her and Reynolds to attend an Ypsilanti Township board meeting and be introduced as the county’s new top administrators. He said he wanted to go along as well, and he invited the other commissioners who represent parts of Ypsilanti Township – Ronnie Peterson and Wes Prater. It was important to reach out to other government leaders, he said, adding that he wanted to go to the board of Superior Township as well – his district includes a small portion of that township.

Conan Smith said it would be a good idea to do the same thing for the Ann Arbor city council. He noted that councilmembers “might fall over dead if someone from the county showed up at one of their meetings.”

Other Agenda Items: Road Commission, Police Services Lawsuit

Several items were on the draft agenda but were not discussed in detail at Wednesday’s briefing. Here’s a sampling.

Setting the County Operating Millage

At the May 19 meeting of the Ways & Means Committee, on which all commissioners serve, they’ll vote on a resolution to set the 2010 Washtenaw County operating millage. It will be levied in property owners’ July tax bills and is unchanged from last year, at 4.5493 mills. Commissioners will take a final vote on the millage at their June 2 board meeting.

When other millages are factored in, the total county millage is 5.6768 mills. In addition to the operating millage, these other taxes are levied in July:

County Parks (expires 2016):    0.2353
County Parks (expires 2019):    0.2367
Natural Areas (expires 2011):   0.2409
Enhanced Emergency Communications System
  800 MHZ (expires 2015):       0.2000
Huron-Clinton Metro Authority:  0.2146

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Later this year, the board will also be asked to approve a veterans relief millage and Act 88 millage (for economic development purposes), which will both be levied in December.

Setting a Public Hearing for Possible Road Commission Expansion

Conan Smith had previously attempted to set a public hearing for expanding the Washtenaw County Road Commission from three commissioners to five. At the board’s April 21, 2010 meeting, he moved a resolution to set the hearing for May 19. At the time, he told commissioners it wasn’t a decision on whether to expand – setting the public hearing was just a way to start the conversation. [The county board is responsible for appointing the road commissioners to six-year terms. Currently serving are David Rutledge, Douglas Fuller and Fred Veigel.]

The resolution was supported by Leah Gunn, Barbara Bergman and Jeff Irwin, but several other commissioners opposed the timing of the move, saying they wanted more time to discuss it. Ken Schwartz proposed tabling the resolution until the May 19 meeting, and that motion carried.

So on the agenda for the May 19 board meeting is a resolution to set the public hearing on the road commission expansion for the Wednesday, July 7 meeting. During the summer months, the county commissioners meet only once a month, so further action on the expansion wouldn’t likely occur until the Aug. 4 meeting at the earliest – after the Aug. 3 primary elections.

Closed Session to Discuss Pending Litigation

The board will hold a closed executive session at the end of their May 19 board meeting to get an update on the lawsuit between the county and the townships of Augusta, Salem and Ypsilanti. The townships sued the county in 2006 over the cost of sheriff deputy patrols. In late April, the state Supreme Court refused to reconsider a motion made by the townships to hear the case. [See Chronicle coverage: "Townships Lose Again in Deputy Patrol Case"] The county planned to ask for a judgment to cover costs of providing patrols to the townships without a contract for most of 2006 – potentially around $2 million.

At Wednesday’s briefing, the county’s corporation counsel told commissioners that a June 2 hearing has been set regarding the judgment request.

Changes to Natural Areas Preservation Program Ordinance

At their April 22, 2010 working session, commissioners were briefed on proposed changes to the county’s Natural Areas Preservation Program, which would help the county protect more land that’s being used for farming. At their May 19 meeting, they’ll be voting on those changes.

The 10-year NAPP millage expires this year, and commissioners will need to decide whether to put a renewal for it on the November ballot. The current millage, which raises about $3 million annually to preserve natural areas in the county, expires at the end of 2010.

Appointments Caucus

Two times a year, the county board approves appointments to the many boards, committees and commissions that oversee various county programs and activities. The official job of nominating people falls to the board chair, with nominations confirmed by a vote of the board. Prior to the board meeting when this occurs, an appointments caucus is held to discuss potential candidates. That caucus happened immediately after the board’s May 12 administrative briefing.

Appointments to nine groups were discussed, with consensus reached on all but one group – the local emergency planning committee. Here are the tentative appointments, based on Wednesday’s caucus:

• Accommodations Ordinance Commission: Shary Brown, Shari Faulhaber
• Agricultural Lands Preservation Advisory Committee: Charlie Koenn
• Brownfield Development Authority: Teresa Gillotti, Mark Heusel
• Emergency Medical Services Commission: Ashley Cieslinski, Eric Copeland
• Natural Areas Technical Advisory Committee: Rane Curl, David Lutton
• Public Works Board: Ruth Ann Jamnick
• Workforce Development Board: Sean Duval

For the local emergency planning committee, 13 positions are open, but only four people applied. Of those, commissioners agreed to appoint two: Samantha Brandfon and Ashley Cieslinski. There were some conflict of interest concerns regarding the other two applicants, so commissioners agreed to hold off on any decision for those appointments.

In addition, agreement was reached on four appointments for the historic district commission: Chuck Gray, Jean King, Elmer White and Ron Woods. All but Woods are reappointments. Two other HDC commissioners who reapplied – Martha Churchill and Nancy Snyder – will not be reappointed, if the recommendations made at caucus are approved.

During Wednesday’s caucus, some commissioners discussed the view that the HDC hasn’t been an extremely functional group. Conan Smith said that while commission members all care passionately about the historic district, there’s been internal fighting, primarily between White and Churchill. The HDC has potential to play a role in economic development by highlighting the county’s historical assets, Smith said, but it hasn’t to date fulfilled that function.

Ken Schwartz described White as the “heart and soul” behind the effort to organize a permanent display of a model of the USS Washtenaw, the most highly decorated ship of the Vietnam War. The consensus was to reappoint White. Smith noted that the appointment of Woods would add diversity – he would be the only minority on the commission.

Workforce Development Board and Weatherization

Sean Duval, CEO of Golden Limousine in Ann Arbor, was the only applicant for the workforce development board, though there are five openings – when full, there are 13 seats on the board. He was recommended for the position by the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce.

Wes Prater said the commissioners need to give the workforce development board more attention, given its oversight role. It’s one of the two primary boards – along with the community action board – that oversee the county’s Employment Training and Community Services (ETSC) department.

Jeff Irwin agreed with Prater, saying it was especially true given the recent change in leadership and influx of federal stimulus dollars. [Trenda Rusher, the long-time head of ETCS, retired at the end of 2009 after nearly 30 years with the county. The department is being led by interim executive director Patricia Denig.]

ETCS has been successful in garnering millions of dollars in federal stimulus funding, including $4.29 million for a program to weatherize 600 homes for low- to moderate-income families over a three-year period. That grant was announced in March 2009.

Ken Schwartz expressed concern with the weatherization program, and told commissioners the county needs to hire an objective third-party inspector to start doing spot checks on the work. He said some of the work he’s seen has not been good – a simple audit would tell the commissioners whether the program is working, he said. He asked to schedule a working session on the issue. “It bears looking at,” he said.

Schwartz has raised concerns about the weatherization program at several board meetings over the past few months, primarily pushing for faster implementation of the program. Other commissioners have asked questions as well. At an April 8, 2010 working session during which commissioners were updated on how the county’s stimulus funding was being spent, Prater asked how many local contractors were being used for the weatherization program. Staff didn’t have an answer at the time, but on Wednesday Prater said he’d been told that of the 16 or so contractors being used, only four or five were based in Washtenaw County – that concerned him.

At a Feb. 18, 2010 working session, Conan Smith had asked whether the weatherization program at ETCS might be moved to the newly created department of energy and economic development. That issue was brought up again at Wednesday’s discussion by Schwartz, who said there had been no coordination with the new energy office.

Regarding the quality of the weatherization work, on Wednesday Irwin said it would help to get data on how effective the program is. Having that information could also help the county get future grants, he said. Smith suggested getting homeowners to sign a release from DTE, so that the county could have access to their usage records and could track how much savings are gained from weatherizing homes.

Rolland Sizemore Jr. wrapped up the discussion, saying, “It’s something we will address.”

Candidates for County Commission

Alice Ralph, a Democrat who’s running for the District 11 seat that will be vacated by Jeff Irwin, attended Wednesday’s briefing – she has attended several briefings over the past few months, as well as regular board meetings. Irwin is not seeking reelection and is instead running for the state representative’s seat in District 53.

May 11 was the deadline to file for the Aug. 3 primary, and all but one of the board’s 11 districts face competition either in the primary or the November general election. Here’s a rundown of the candidates:

District 1 (Chelsea, Dexter, and the townships of Lyndon, Sylvan, Dexter and Lima, and portions of Webster and Scio townships) This seat is currently held by Republican Mark Ouimet, who will be running for state representative in District 52.

Eric Borregard (D)
Reid McCarthy (D)
Adam Zemke (D)
Kathy Jane Keinath (R)
Rob Turner (R)

District 2 (the townships of Ann Arbor, Superior, Salem and Northfield, and portions of Webster Township)

Ken Schwartz (D-Incumbent)
Ben H. Colmery III (R)
Dan Smith (R)

District 3 (the cities of Saline and Manchester, and townships of Saline, Lodi, Freedom, Bridgewater, Sharon and Manchester, and a portion of Scio Township) The seat is currently held by Jessica Ping, who isn’t seeking reelection. Alicia Ping is her sister.

Alicia Ping (R)

District 4 (the city of Milan, the townships of York and Augusta, and portions of Ypsilanti Township)

Wes Prater (D-Incumbent)
Rick Roe (D)
Robert Van Bemmelen (R)

District 5 (portions of Superior and Ypsilanti townships)

Rolland Sizemore Jr. (D-Incumbent)
Daniel K. Benefiel (R)
Bill Emmerich (R)

District 6 (Ypsilanti and portions of Ypsilanti Township)

Mark Namatevs (D)
Ronnie Peterson (D-Incumbent)
David H. Raaflaub (R)

District 7 (Pittsfield Township)

Kristin Judge (D-Incumbent)
Sean Gray (R)

District 8 (northeast Ann Arbor)

Barbara Levin Bergman (D-Incumbent)
Melinda Day (R)

District 9 (south and southwest Ann Arbor)

Leah Gunn (D-Incumbent)
Mark Tipping (R)

District 10 (west and northwest Ann Arbor)

Danielle Mack (D)
Conan Smith (D-Incumbent)

District 11 (central and east Ann Arbor)

LuAnne Bullington (D)
Mike Fried (D)
Yousef Rabhi (D)
Alice Ralph (D)
Joe Baublis (R)
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Contact information for the candidates can be found on the county elections website.

Steve Bean obtains nominating petitions as an independent candidate for mayor of the city of Ann Arbor. Behind the glass in the city clerk's office is Lyn Badalamenti. (Photos by the writer.)

It’s a five-minute session at the city clerk’s office.

This brief background piece covers some of the nuts and bolts of that process, based on Steve Bean’s Tuesday afternoon appearance on the second floor of city hall at the city clerk’s office. As a bonus, there’s a bit of city history thrown in.

After Bean told Lyn Badalamenti in the city clerk’s office that he was there to pick up nominating petitions, she set to work assembling a sheaf of papers. The spelling of Bean’s family name was the first order of business: “Like the vegetable,” he offered. Next up: A choice between “Steve” versus “Steven.”

The name that potential signatories of Bean’s petitions will see – as well as voters looking at November’s ballot – is “Steve.”

His name will be recognizable to some readers from his service on the city’s environmental commission. He now chairs that body. Before that, he served for nine years on the city’s energy commission. Some city records, especially older documents like city council minutes from April 9, 1992 – which contain the record of his appointment to the energy commission – show Bean’s name as “Steven.”

But the choice for the shortened variant was one he’d thought through before Badalamenti asked him: “That’s how people know me,” Bean explained to The Chronicle.

In the category of “the more things change,” those April 9, 1992 minutes indicate a discussion of over-exuberant University of Michigan basketball fans who apparently aroused concerns about public safety. They were celebrating the team’s advancement to the Final Four in the NCAA tournament. [The Wolverines lost in the final game that year to Duke University.]

In the category of “the more they stay the same,” the minutes indicate that one of Bean’s fellow energy commission appointees was Weston Vivian. Vivian, like Bean, goes by the shortened version of his name – that’s “Wes.” And Vivian spoke this past Monday to the city council during a public hearing on the Google Fiber initiative. Vivian told councilmembers that if Google doesn’t choose Ann Arbor as a location to install a fiber network, the city needs to figure out another way to make it happen.

Also in the category of things that stay the same are the petition requirements that Badalamenti handed to Bean as part of the sheaf of papers that all candidates receive. That packet includes:

• 400 lines worth of qualifying petitions – 20 pages with 20 lines apiece
• a sheet of rules for candidates who are circulating nominating petitions for city offices
• a message from Washtenaw County clerk Larry Kestenbaum, outlining the campaign finance reporting requirements
• the statement of organization form for candidate committees from the Michigan Department of the State Bureau of Elections
• the form for the post-election campaign finance compliance statement
• an affidavit of identity and receipt of filing

The qualifying petitions were copied with Bean’s name already filled in. That’s why Badalamenti needed it – to comply with the city charter requirement that petitions specify the person on whose behalf the petitions are to be circulated:

13.8 (b) Before the Clerk furnishes petition forms to any person, the Clerk shall enter thereon, in ink or by typewriter, the name of the person in whose behalf the petition is to be circulated and the name of the office for which the person is a candidate. No petition form which has been altered with respect to such entries shall be received by the Clerk for filing.

It’s not illegal to obtain and circulate petitions on behalf of someone else. But it’s not possible to place someone’s name on the ballot against their will:

13.10 (a) When petitions are filed by persons other than the person whose name appears as a candidate, they may be accepted for filing only when accompanied by the written consent of the person in whose behalf the petition was circulated.

Bean will need to collect at least 50 signatures from each of the city’s five wards for a total of at least 250. It’s not possible to engage in the intimidation tactic of collecting a number of petitions massively in excess of the minimum [emphasis added]:

13.8 (a) [...] Each petition filed by or on behalf of a person seeking nomination to the offices of Mayor shall be signed by not less than 250 nor more than 350 registered electors including at least 50 signatures of residents of each ward. [...]

The petition filing deadline for independent candidates like Bean – those without a party affiliation – is different from the deadline for candidates contesting one of the party’s primaries:

Act 116 168.590c Sec. 590c.
(1) A qualifying petition for an office shall be filed with the filing officer authorized to receive a partisan nominating petition or a certificate of nomination for that office.
(2) A qualifying petition for an office elected at the general November election shall be filed not later than 4 p.m. of the one hundred-tenth day before the general election. A qualifying petition for an official elected at an election other than the general November election shall be filed not later than the deadline established by statute or charter for filing a partisan petition or certificate of nomination for the office or at least 90 days before that election, whichever is later.

This year, 110 days before the Nov. 2, 2010 general election translates to July 15, 2010.

After filing petitions, it’s possible to change your mind and not have your name appear on the ballot. But it’s a narrow window:

(3) A candidate who files a qualifying petition shall not be permitted to withdraw his or her candidacy unless a written notice of withdrawal is filed with the filing officer who received the petition. The notice shall be filed not later than 4 p.m. of the third day after the last day for filing a qualifying petition.

For candidates contesting either the Republican or Democratic primary, the deadline for filing petitions is determined by the 12th Tuesday before the Aug. 3, 2010 primary – May 11 this year.

Finally, for citizens who are asked by prospective candidates for office to sign their nominating petitions, signing does not represent an obligation to vote for that person come election day. But there is a kind of obligation attached – signing nominating petitions for different candidates for the same office results in the disqualification of both signatures:

13.9 (b) If any person signs a greater number of petitions for any office than there will be persons elected to that office, that person’s signature shall be disregarded on all petitions for that office.

The city of Ann Arbor website has additional information on filing petitions for Ann Arbor city office on the city clerk’s page.

Steve Bean, 46, is vice president of Berg & Associates, Inc. He designs database management systems for Berg clients. Peter Schermerhorn will serve as Bean’s campaign treasurer.

David Rutledge – a Washtenaw Community College trustee and a county road commissioner – is joining a crowded field of Democrats in the 54th District state House primary. That seat, representing eastern Washtenaw County, is now held by veteran lawmaker Alma Wheeler Smith, a Democrat running for governor. For the Republican primary in the 54th, Rodney Nanney of Ypsilanti, who has previously campaigned for other candidates, is making his first bid for office.

On the county’s west side, only one Democratic candidate in the 52nd District – Scio Township trustee Christine Green – is firmly in the race, while Republican Mark Ouimet, a current county commissioner, is raising a sizable war chest for his primary campaign in that district. The seat is now held by Democrat Pam Byrnes, who is running for state Senate.

Districts that may be up for grabs are particularly important this election cycle: Following the completion of the 2010 U.S. Census, the legislature will redraw state legislative and congressional districts. Although that every-10-years exercise is meant to account for population changes, it typically creates political advantage and disadvantage. The most recent redistricting, for example, led to the creation of a congressional district map that in 2002 put former U.S. Rep. Lynn Rivers (D-Ann Arbor) is the same district as fellow Democrat U.S. Rep. John Dingell, ensuring that one of the Michigan Democrats would be knocked out of Congress.

Though providing updates on all districts, this report focuses on the 52nd and 54th District House races, where the fields of candidates have recently expanded or contracted. We’ll introduce candidates entering the contests – as well as some notable politicians who’ve decided not to run – and report on how candidates are faring in their fundraising efforts. Future reports will focus on candidates’ backgrounds and issues, in addition to looking at any new local candidates in the House and Senate races.

54th District: A Crowded Field

This district, on the county’s east side, typically favors Democrats in November, causing intense competition in the primary. Democrats in the race so far include Lonnie Scott – an aide to Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith – who faces a well-known candidate in David Rutledge. Additional competition comes from newcomer Dave Franklin, a 2006 Milan High School grad who works as a library clerk; activist Bill Riney of Ypsilanti Township, who runs a landscaping business; and another first-time candidate, Michael Mashif White of Ypsilanti, a training manager for AT&T.

There’s also a new name on the Republican ballot – Rodney Nanney is making his first run for public office.

A city of Ypsilanti resident, Rodney has been involved in city issues, including the campaign against a city income tax. “I’ve campaigned for other people,” says Nanney, citing Ypsilanti city council member Peter Murdoch’s campaign among others.

A consultant who provides planning, zoning and economic development services for local government, Nanney says he sees the effect of state budget decisions up close. “They’re starving local government and our schools to save the state bureaucracy,” he says. “I think this year people are ready for something different than usual in eastern Washtenaw County. It’s the year to get involved.”

While Nanney is a first-time candidate, Democrat David Rutledge has a long history as an elected official. He’s serving his fourth term as a member of the board of trustees at Washtenaw Community College, where the board is selected in nonpartisan, countywide elections. Rutledge also is a member of the Washtenaw County Road Commission, an appointed position.

Rutledge served as Superior Township supervisor in the 1980s. However, state office has been elusive. He’s previously run unsuccessful primary campaigns for the 54th. But after assessing the failures and talking to prospective supporters, he says he’s ready to capitalize on those experiences.

“Tough economic times have stirred the fire in the belly again,” Rutledge says. “I have passion and an unrealized dream.”

Rutledge says he’ll run on his experience in public service.

He’s currently co-chair of the county’s Success by 6 early childhood education program and served some 30 years on the county parks and recreation commission. During his tenure as Superior Township supervisor, the township officials created a technology center district on Geddes, he says. An effort to diversify a tax base heavily dependent on residential property taxes, the move didn’t pay dividends right away but is now home to the Hyundai America Technical Center.

Tax policy also emerges in the campaign of Dave Franklin, who offers non-traditional points of view for a candidate running as a Democrat.

He blames taxes and state regulations for the state’s economic and employment woes, and argues that lost revenue will be offset by new industries and jobs. He holds that property taxes are “immoral” and income taxes “unjust.”

“I’m a populist Democrat, if anything,” Franklin says. “More Jackson than a modern-day Democrat.” While Franklin says he finds that certain aspects of the Libertarian party philosophy are interesting, he says he doesn’t identify with that party. “I think diversity is a good thing for the Democratic party. I can be a Democrat without necessarily following a party platform.”

Bill Riney has previously been a candidate for the county board of commissioners, WCC board of trustees, and the 54th District seat. He has not yet filed a petition with the Michigan Secretary of State Washtenaw County clerk’s office to run in the 54th District race, but he’s been running a grassroots campaign since last fall. The campaign in part entails traveling through district neighborhoods with a trailer loaded with hotdogs and soft drinks that he gives away. “I’m out there every weekend,” he says.

Candidates have until May 11 to file the petitions required to be on the ballot.

Michael Mashif White, a resident of Washtenaw County for eight-plus years, has filed his petition, a process that requires collecting 200 voters’ signatures. He recently launched a campaign website, and has gotten involved in the county Democratic Party. He’s also been meeting local school and government officials and has pulled together volunteers to work on phone banks, develop e-mail lists and get ready to start canvassing neighborhoods.

Others in the Race?

The five-candidate Democratic field could grow further if Ypsilanti Township trustee Mike Martin and county commissioner Rolland Sizemore Jr. decide to mount campaigns. Both have said they were considering runs.

Martin said recently it was still possible that he’d run, but he was concerned about constituent reaction should he seek another office before completing a single term on the township board. Sizemore, now serving as chairman of the county board, says he’ll wait until a contract is finalized with the incoming county administrator, Verna McDaniel, and then announce his plans.

In addition to the Democrats, Ypsilanti resident Dave Palmer says he plans to run as an Independent. In that case, he will have until the middle of July to collect 600 signatures and file a petition with the Secretary of State Washtenaw County clerk to get on the ballot.

Palmer is a business manager for LaVision, a software and systems integration company. He’s a Washtenaw County native and has worked on Democratic and Green party campaigns. He also runs a consulting firm after hours. That company, ugconsulting.net, offers political consulting for independent and third-party candidates, as well as development advice for nonprofits and small business.

Since 2000, Republican and sometimes minor candidates have, at most, won 32% of the vote in the district that includes the city of Ypsilanti, and Augusta, Salem, Superior and Ypsilanti townships. [.pdf file of 54th District map] Palmer knows the numbers and the vote count he’d need to win. He thinks it’s doable and that an independent could help bridge the deep divide between Democrats and Republicans in Lansing or, failing that, hold their feet to the fire.

Following the Money: 54th District

Though fundraising has been robust in other parts of the county, that isn’t the case in the 54th District race. The threshold for reporting campaign spending is $1,000.

Democrat Lonnie Scott had raised less than $2,000 by Dec. 31, the close of a campaign-finance reporting period. He was the only candidate in the five-man primary field to report any contribution to his campaign.

With a goal of having $40,000 to pay for printing, mailing and other campaign expenses for an Aug. 3 primary, the 2005 Central Michigan grad has a long way to go.

“I think we’ll get there,” said Scott, buoyed by response to his first “phone bank.” That calling blitz reached several thousand 54h District residents who’ve previously voted in primary elections, he says. “I hope it will make them go to the website to learn more about me and the issues.” Information about a March 13 campaign event in Depot Town is also on the site.

“I’m in no position to self fund,” says Scott. “If the dollars don’t come, we have to hit the door-to-door work harder.”

52nd District: In, Out, On the Fence

On the county’s west side, two Democrats who’ve been considering the 52nd District state House race aren’t in it yet. In fact, one of them has officially decided not to run.

Saline Mayor Gretchen Driskell had given serious consideration to a run, but now says she’s decided against it. With local government suffering the impact of the state’s economic troubles, it would be the worst possible time to leave the city, she says. “Stability is better when you have to do some reorganizing and we need to make some changes to absorb cuts from the state. It was a hard decision.”

Still on the fence is Washtenaw County commissioner Ken Schwartz. In November, the Scio Township Democrat said he hadn’t made a decision, but that it would be a surprise if he wasn’t running for the 52nd District seat.

Three months later, Schwartz is much less certain.

One reason, he says, is the transition under way in county government. Several factors point to a broad shakeup: The retirement of long-time administrator Bob Guenzel, announced in December; the pending departure of at least two commissioners, Mark Ouimet and Jeff Irwin; and a retrenching brought on by falling revenue. A two-term commissioner, Schwartz says he’s in a position to help reshape county government.

In addition, Schwartz says he’s discouraged by gridlock and partisanship at the state level.

If he does run, Schwartz says it’s the message – and whether the Democratic base is energized – that will lead to a win in November, more so than money. But getting a message out takes some resources.

“Because of the economy, the average person can’t give a candidate $100 like they might have in the past,” Schwartz says. “Maybe they can give $10 or $20. … I’m evaluating where I can be most effective. I’ll make a decision by April 15.”

If Schwartz does stay on the sidelines, the one Democrat so far who’s definitely running – Scio Township trustee Christine Green – will avoid a primary. A lawyer elected to the township board in 2008, Green hopes to succeed current state Rep. Pam Byrnes and retain the seat for the Democrats, who’ve held it since 2004. Byrnes is term-limited in the House and is running for state Senate in District 18.

The district stretches from western Washtenaw County into a northwestern corner of the city of Ann Arbor and includes the city of Saline and the townships of Webster, Dexter and Lodi. [.pdf file of 52nd District map]

It’s generally considered a swing district.

Byrnes unsuccessfully tried to unseat Republican Gene DeRossett in 2002. The Republican incumbent won about 53% of the vote that year. Byrnes then prevailed over Republican Joe Yekulis when term limits created a race without an incumbent in 2004. She won with 55% of the vote that year and has twice been re-elected. Republican challengers got a little less than a third of the vote in 2006 and 2008.

Following the Money: 52th District

On the Republican side, Mark Ouimet is the only candidate in the race so far.

Now serving on the 11-member county board, Ouimet raised almost $74,000 for his campaign before the first of the year. That topped the combined total of the next two richest local state House campaigns – between the 53rd District Democratic candidates Ned Staebler and Jeff Irwin, who’s also a county commissioner. The most recent campaign-finance reports cover contributions and spending through Dec. 31, 2009.

“It appears Republicans are trying to buy the seat,” fellow county commissioner Ken Schwartz says, referring to campaign funds that the Scio Township Republican is amassing.

Ouimet’s donor list through Dec. 31 includes some 60 county residents ready and able to donate the maximum allowable $500 per person. Ouimet has loaned his campaign about $16,000. Excluding that loan, the average gift to Ouimet’s campaign has been about $280 per person. [Link to the Michigan Secretary of State's searchable campaign finance database. All campaign finance reports for these races are filed with the Secretary of State.]

The single political-action committee contribution to Ouimet in his most recent campaign-finance report was $1,000 from the Michigan Chamber of Commerce PAC.

In fundraising for the Democratic primary, Green – a lawyer elected to Scio board in 2008 – had raised $13,550 through Dec. 31. Contributions to her campaign have averaged about $300 per person.

There’s precedent for a high-priced race in the 52th District. When term limits last led to an open seat, the Byrnes-Yekulis campaigns combined to spend almost $400,000.

Other State Race Updates

For more coverage on all state races, see previous Chronicle articles: “More Candidates Vie for State House, Senate“;  “State Races in Districts 54, 55 Take Shape” and “State Legislative Candidates Lining Up.”

53rd District House

The 53rd House district covers most of the city of Ann Arbor, and is being contested in the Democratic primary by county commissioner Jeff Irwin and Ned Staebler, vice president of program administration at the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

First-time candidate Staebler says he continues to introduce himself to voters at regular Saturday coffees and at gatherings in private homes. He’ll begin a leave of absence from his job at the MEDC two months before the Aug. 3 primary.

Irwin’s campaign is also using house parties to connect with voters. He’s completing work on a website, which hasn’t yet been launched. He does have a page on the Facebook social networking site, as does Staebler.

As of Dec. 31, Staebler and Irwin had raised $40,850 and $24,300 respectively.

55th District House

The 55th, considered a swing district, includes Pittsfield, Saline and York townships in Washtenaw County, along with communities in Monroe County. Democrats and Republican have fought hard over the seat, represented by Democrat Kathy Angerer since 2004.

But fundraising has been relatively slow among the candidates hoping to take the term-limited lawmaker’s job. (Enacted in 1992, the state’s term-limits law set a cap of three two-year terms for state representatives and two four-year terms for the senate. Also limited to two four-year terms are the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and attorney general.)

By Dec. 31, Republican Joe Zurawski, York Township supervisor, reported contributions of more than $11,000 – including about $8,000 of his own money.

His opponents in the Republican primary in the 55th – Rick Olson of Saline Township and Mary Kay Thayer, a former Monroe County commissioner – trailed. Olson had loaned his campaign more than $6,000 and had only one other contribution. Thayer raised about $1,200.

Democrat Mike Smith, a Bedford school board member who’s worked as the AFL-CIO community services liaison to the United Way of Monroe County, had raised about $3,900 by Dec. 31.

It’s expected that Angerer will work to help her party hold the seat.

18th District Senate

The current 53rd District rep, Rebekah Warren, started the year with more than $62,500 toward her campaign for the state Senate’s 18th District. That campaign fund included $10,000 rolled over from Warren’s state representative campaign fund.

She faces fellow Democrat Pam Byrnes of Lyndon Township, who entered the Senate race several months later than Warren. Byrnes’s Senate campaign had just $7,100 as of Dec. 31. But she had yet to tap her state representative campaign fund, which held $104,000.

Now represented by state Sen. Liz Brater (D-Ann Arbor), the district includes Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and the townships of Ann Arbor, Augusta, Dexter, Freedom, Lima, Lyndon, Northfield, Salem, Scio, Sharon, Superior, Sylvan, Webster and Ypsilanti. Brater is term-limited from further service in the legislature.

Democrat Ruth Ann Jamnick, a former state rep and former Ypsilanti Township supervisor, had considered joining the primary field but says she won’t enter the race.

On the Republican side, Salem Township treasurer David Trent says he will soon decide whether to seek his party’s nomination for the Senate seat.

There’s another wrinkle in this race: Byrnes is thought to be a potential candidate for lieutenant governor with Redford Township Democrat Andy Dillon, now Speaker of the House of Representatives, who officially announced his candidacy for governor on Sunday.

Byrnes and Dillon have worked closely as leaders of the Democratic-controlled House. Byrnes’ support of abortion rights would presumably help Dillon with voters at odds with him on that issue. He’s among the Michigan Democrats who oppose abortion.

Despite the persistent speculation, Byrnes says she’s never discussed the lieutenant governor’s post with Dillon.

“Even if I had, I’m not sure I’d accept,” she says. “I’m running for state Senate.”