Comments on: Ann Arbor Forums: The More, The Mayor-ier

By: Fred Zimmerman

Fred Zimmerman — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:03:05 +0000

@15 Jim — I think that is the most likely outcome too. For me, the ideal outcome would be a one-vote victory for Hieftje, that will put the fear of God in him while avoiding the obvious risks of a Lesko mayoralty. I would be perfectly happy with Hieftje and most of the current incumbents if they would only get the message to stop thinking of themselves as visionaries and start thinking of themselves as maintenance men.

By: Jack F.

Jack F. — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:56:50 +0000

Jim,

Hope you are enjoying all the green space we A2 taxpayers are paying for out in your direction. You’re welcome!

By: Jim Carty

Jim Carty — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:26:46 +0000

As a Dexter resident, I have no dog in this fight, but I’ll predict that in the end Hieftje wins in a landslide. He may not be be perfect, but he comes off as very competent and not the least bit scary. That’ll be enough in this case, because Lesko comes off as a bit unhinged to average folks like me.

By: Alan Goldsmith

Alan Goldsmith — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:25:41 +0000

Of course there would have to be a task force on what type of duct tape, width, thickness, color, etc. formed immediately from the Mayor’s usual pool of supects.

By: Mary Morgan

Mary Morgan — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:32:44 +0000

Reports Newshawk Jacques Labatt: "MDOT assures us this is the highest quality duct tape available." [link] The Stadium bridges segment starts at the 2:40 minute mark.

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:47:47 +0000

Re #11: I think more serious consideration should be given to the advice offered by the Newshawks. For those who haven’t seen that one, it involved duct tape.

In all seriousness, today I made one of my usual circuitous trips to the east side, avoiding the bridge. I’ve been doing this for over a year. (Hint: Packard is helpful.) It cost me time, miles, and gas, but it would be embarrassing to have the bridge collapse just as I drove over it this one time.
The air of befuddlement expressed by TPTB about this situation is sad, funny, but ultimately infuriating. I wish an investigative reporter could find out what really happened to delay any action for the very long time that the city has known of the problem.

By: Fred Zimmerman

Fred Zimmerman — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:17:09 +0000

To respond to the comments by John @6, Pat @9, Alan @10: for me, at least, the Stadium bridge is the single, burning, huge red flag that tells me we need a new administration. It is an embarrassment and a danger. I hope that every elected official in Ann Arbor learns from this election that local voters cannot and will not tolerate willful neglect of infrastructure, no matter how well it is “spun.”

By: Alan Goldsmith

Alan Goldsmith — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:38:33 +0000

“I make no excuses for today — just offer a little historical perspective.”

Sabra, appreciate your reply but at what point does a Mayor or a leader stop blaming current failures on actions from the past? Ten years? Twenty? I would think at ten years, it’s time to stop blaming the last Mayor or City Council twenty years ago for failure plan for infrastructure issues circa 2010. People are tired of the blame game or statements that we are SO much better off than Royal Oak or Troy.

By: Patricia Lesko

Patricia Lesko — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 23:21:06 +0000

@ David, MITA is the source for the roads rating matrix, as Dave Askins pointed out. As for the Street Repair millage, it raises $8-$10 million per year, but is due to expire. There is a $19 million dollar balance in the fund at the moment, a portion of which, obviously in committed to some of the projects outlined in the most recent Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). However, there is sufficient money in that fund to repair the bridge immediately, in conjunction with the small amounts brought in thus far. It needs to be repaired immediately. It should have been repaired in 2005.

@ John, I appreciate your support. At this point blame isn’t productive. First, repairing the roads and bridges must be a priority, then as I mentioned in my debate, we have GOT to identify precisely what policies, people, CIP workflow issues resulted in the long-term neglect of our roads and the Stadium Bridge. In other words, at this point the management issue is to make sure our roads and bridges are never allowed to deteriorate to this sorry state again, and that when we shape our CIP it is with this goal in mind.

I’m looking to bring proactive management to a government that has engaged in reactive, knee-jerk governance for a decade.

By: Rod Johnson

Rod Johnson — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 22:38:00 +0000

Following the trail of that MITA press release eventually leads to the Michigan Asset Management Council Michigan’s Roads & Bridges 2009 Annual Report, which shows not only miles but percentages. It makes things look quite a bit worse. It looks at “Overall Federal Aid Miles” and “Federal Aid ‘Poor” Miles,” and percentagewise things look like this:

Detroit: 20%
Grand Rapids: 33%
Ann Arbor: 55%
Flint: 27%
Livonia: 30%
Southfield: 34%
Lansing: 28%
Sterling Heights: 31%
Saginaw: 39%
Mt Morris Twp: 55%

Source here: [link]

I’m not sure what to make of this data except to note that the county seems to play a role. For instance, Calhoun County municipalities do very poorly, with percentages ranging from the 60 to 98% poor. Washtenaw is all over the place, ranging from 24% to 75%. But Chelsea is at 48%, Dexter is at 63% and Saline is at 42%, which suggests that Ann Arbor isn’t especially an outlier in the county. I’m not sure how to apportion responsibility between the city and the county (and the state and the feds), but it seems unfair to blame Hieftje for the *whole* mess.