Archive for July, 2009

Think of Ann Arbor’s Rick Snyder as that bar in “The Blues Brothers.” You know, the one that plays “both kinds” of music: Country and Western. If he’s elected to the governor’s office, you can bet that his administration would be friendly to “both kinds” of his supporters: big business and small business.

Rick Snyder (File photo courtesy of Snyder for Governor)

In the week of July 20, Snyder’s camp says, expect an announcement on how that business-friendly theme might be used in a gubernatorial campaign for the Republican.

And by business, he means the “C-Level” manager, the entrepreneur, the startup team. Make them happy by creating an atmosphere in Michigan that allows them to be successful. That means stop taxing them so much, stop regulating them so much, train them in how to be successful entrepreneurs – then the rest of the state’s economic puzzle will fall into place.

It’s what Snyder calls “helping the demand side” of Michigan’s unemployment problem. Help businesses find executives from Michigan’s rich talent supply, help create a business climate that favors them, then watch them succeed and dip into Michigan’s waves of unemployed.

“I would argue you’re helping the demand side even more by placing someone in a successful startup team, and letting them have an opportunity to be successful,” Snyder said in a recent interview with The Ann Arbor Chronicle. “Those are the people that are going to go hire the five and 10 other people.”

This is the formula that has worked so far for Snyder the businessman, so why not for Snyder the politician? [Full Story]

The Minick and Simpson blog gives a review of Day 1 of the Ann Arbor Art Fairs, with lots of photos of artwork from the Street Art Fair. But like the fairs, this post is not just about art: “On my way back home from the art fair I walked by many, many retail booths selling stuff. I have been on a 3 year mission to buy a Michigan sweatshirt. I want one that A) is 100% cotton, and B) is without a HOOD. You think it would be easy in Ann Arbor. You would be wrong.” [Source]

GamesPolitics.com reports a dispute between UM economist  Jeffrey MacKie-Mason and Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Morgan Securities. Pachter takes issue with a calculation that MacKie-Mason used, estimating that the gaming company Electronic Arts overcharged customers during a period of alleged anticompetitive behavior. MacKie-Mason is an expert witness for plaintiffs in a class-action suit alleging that EA exploited an exclusive NFL deal to overcharge for its Madden NFL video game. Pachter writes in an email: “It strikes me as irresponsible that the professor would focus on the NFL exclusive as if there is some god-given right for consumers to have all intellectual property available for exploitation by any business that chooses to do so in the name of competition…” [Source]

President Barack Obama at Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan. (Photo by the writer.)

Everyone I spoke to had a variation of the same story. A call. An email. Sometime within 24 hours of the event, offering a ticket or two to hear President Barack Obama speak at Macomb Community College on July 14.

For me, it was a call Monday afternoon from one of Rep. Dingell’s staff. Mr. Dingell had five tickets – they were offering me one. Did I want it?

Yes – if it was OK with my boss!

For the couple in line in front of me, it was a call Monday night from a lobbyist they knew who had two tickets.

For the student seated next to me, it was an email from Macomb Community College Monday, offering the tickets first-come, first-serve.

The UAW workers were called Tuesday morning. The honor student received a call from the college president Monday night. The 15-year-old photography student brought her father because she only has a learner’s permit and a really amazing camera.

We all dropped our agendas, found a baby sitter, changed our plans, canceled a meeting or two, and made our way to hear the president. [Full Story]

The Freep publishes a Q&A with Janet Lockwood, director of the Michigan Film Office. Asked what part of the state has benefited the most from the increase in film production, Lockwood says: “The big winner is metro Detroit. Grand Rapids has made a few bucks. Ann Arbor is a popular, popular place. The hotels there are happy as clams.” [Source]

Jennie Needleman kept time at the Ann Arbor Democratic Party candidate forum on Saturday morning. (Photo by the writer.)

On Saturday, July 11, the Ann Arbor Democratic Party hosted a forum for candidates in contested primary races for Ann Arbor City Council in Wards 3 and 5.

Responses from Ward 5 candidates audience questions are in a separate article.

The format consisted of questioners chosen in random order, who had 30 seconds each to ask a question. Each candidate then had one minute to respond. At the start and the end of the forum, each candidate had three minutes for a statement. At the end there was a chance for a three-minute closing statement.

Time was kept by Jennie Needleman, who chairs Ward 5 for the Ann Arbor Democratic Party. Responses are presented here in the order they were given at the forum, which rotated among candidates who attended. Jeff Irwin, a Washtenaw County commissioner, moderated the event.

For Ward 3,  it was Stephen Kunselman and LuAnne Bullington who answered questions, which were posed by audience members.

The third candidate in the Ward 3 race, incumbent Leigh Greden, did not attend. [Full Story]

Jeff Irwin, who serves on the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, moderated the Democratic Party's candidate forum. (Photo by the writer.)

Last Saturday, July 11, the Ann Arbor Democratic Party hosted a forum for candidates in contested primary races for city council in Wards 3 and 5. The forum was held in the context of the party’s regular monthly meeting at its usual location in the Ann Arbor Community Center on North Main Street.

Independent campaigns could make the November election interesting in Wards 1 (Mitchell Ozog) and 4 (Hatim Elhady). But in Wards 3 and 5, the lack of any Republican or independent candidates means that those spots are almost sure to be decided in the Democratic primary on Aug. 4.

Currently, only Democrats serve on Ann Arbor’s city council.

The council consists of the mayor plus two representatives from each of five wards, who serve for two years each. That means each year, one of the two representative seats for each ward is up for election. Saturday’s Democratic Party forum was attended by three out of 11 current councilmembers: Mike Anglin (Ward 5), who was participating in the candidate forum; Carsten Hohnke (Ward 5), who was first elected in November 2008, and whose seat is not up for election until 2010; and Sabra Briere (Ward 1), whose Democratic primary race is uncontested.

After the break: What the Fifth Ward candidates, Mike Anglin and Scott Rosencrans, had to say. [Full Story]

Inside Higher Ed reports that colleges and universities nationwide are on high alert over the H1N1 swine flu virus, and are concerned over what might happen when students return in the fall. The article quotes Robert Winfield, UM’s chief health officer and the university’s health service director, who comments on a recent outbreak at a summer camp held on campus. The university decided to treat the students, which breaks with CDC guidelines. Says Winfield: ”We broke with the CDC consciously and are providing treatment because the students are from all over the world and expectations of us are high. The students are from Italy, Turkey, Honduras, and so on, and we decided with these small numbers to treat for flu.” [... [Full Story]

The Michigan Messenger posts a report from Democratic state Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith’s June 29 kick-off for her gubernatorial campaign: “Her stand makes her likely the only Michigan leader proposing to take head-on equal funding for schools. The state per-pupil funding is three fifths what many wealthy suburbs get, and schools are being closed dozens at a time. ‘We need a skilled and educated workforce to bring businesses and industries to Michigan that will provide well-paying jobs for everyone,’ she said. …Smith said she knows that her plans will need more money. ‘I believe we need a graduated income tax,’ she announced. ‘I am not going into this campaign demanding cuts in the state budget.’” Smith’s district covers the eastern part … [Full Story]