Please know that as the next mayor, I’ll continue to answer your questions directly, and read your comments on the various online sites, such as this one, AnnArbor.com, etc… I intend to blog on the city’s web site, as the Mayor of Madison does, and hand off A2Politico to someone who will, I imagine, grill me to perfection. I’ll keep my Facebook page, and Twitter account, as well, so you can know what I’m doing during the course of my duties and always have a chance to participate and comment.

I’ll continue to go door-to-door after I’m elected, as well. Keeping regular weekly office hours is a good basic step, but I feel like that puts the onus on you to come to me, and I want to change that dynamic. Every Sunday, weather permitting, I’ll walk the neighborhoods of our city. You might just say hello; you might not be home (I’ll leave a note), or you might be ready to sit down and have a talk.

For the first time in a long time, Ann Arbor will have a mayor with school-age children. You should know that I have a keen interest in rekindling the once close relationship between the School District and the City. There is a committee of Council and the School Board, I was told by a School Board member, that hasn’t met for years. The School District and the city receive almost exactly the same amount from each tax dollar you pay (28 cents), and there are many opportunities to find synergy in that relationship, shared resources, a shared commitment to economic vitality, a shared commitment to keeping and growing Ann Arbor as a magnet community for families.

Above all, I want those of you who have posted here, and who live in Ann Arbor, to know that I’ll work to make government more transparent and inclusive. I applied to sit on the AATA Board in 2008, and the lack of follow-up and communication from the incumbent and the city was disappointing and, ultimately, instructional. I’ll make bipartisan appointments to boards and commissions, and I’ll open up the applicant pool by nominating more individuals to serve, as opposed to nominating individuals to serve on multiple boards.

I will, one last time, thank the incumbent for his decade of service. I also want to pass on some kind words I got from some voters at the University Commons debate recently: They thanked me for running, because to run for office is to make a commitment to one’s community in a very tangible way. So, I want to thank Sumi Kailasapathy, Sandi Smith, Jack Eaton, Margie Teall, Carsten Hohnke, Lou Glorie, John Floyd, Newcombe Clark and Steve Bean (in advance), Tony Derezinski and Christopher Taylor, as well, for making the sacrifices and personal commitment necessary to run for local office.

Finally, and as I’ve said in public many times, I plan to work together with city staff and Council to refocus city government on the basics: responsible spending, services, infrastructure and neighborhoods. We won’t always agree, but I’ll always listen and expect to be held accountable. The issues are of paramount importance, and so is increased interest and participation in local government. On A2Politico.com today, I wrote about the plebis scitum. I look forward to tomorrow evening, and hearing exactly what your decree will be.

Thank you.

For what it is worth, I had a personal converstion with Bob Guenzel very late in the debate and he told me the County absolutley would negotiate with the City because at the time they already had an $8 million deficit to plug. Publicly the County tried to stay neutral for obvious reasons but in private everyone knew they would negotiate.

~stew

Can you tell us, Dave, what Tim Connors actually did to further this “mission”. I fail to see what authority he has over the county building, which is under the control of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners.

Also, Dave, why did Judge Brown take over Ann Mattson’s courtroom?

BTW, did you know that Mr. Carsten Hohnke is stealing some of your lines? In a recent mailer, he claims that “We have to get the basics right”. Then he claims he has made “delivery of comprehensive and efficient core services a priority”, and “Protected vital police and fire services…” Interesting claim from a guy who supports “1% for sewage art”. I forgot, have police and fire ranks grown, stayed pat, or shrunk on his watch? Did he support spending $7 million to get 16 cops to retire 2 years early, without replacing the positions?

Two years ago, Mr. Hohnke seemed to think he was Vivienne Armentrout. This year, he seems to think he is Pat Lesko. Makes you wonder what female democrat he will seem to want to be next: Rebecca Warren? Pam Byrnes? Jennifer Granholm?

A strange bunch, this Council Party.

John Floyd
Republican for City Council
5th Ward

If Council can’t be persuaded to negotiate a sale price for the land U of M wants, and then put the disposition of the parkland to a public vote, as per the 2008 Charter amendment, I’ve made clear that I will use the veto to halt the Fuller Road parking garage project.

As for the Police-Court building, as I told Jim it’s a done deal. The only recourse that remains is directing the City Administrator to make certain the project comes in at or, more preferably, under budget. At the AADem debate the mayor claimed it was always “the plan” to go over-budget. That’s not an option I’m willing consider. Tom Crawford stood before the public and Council and said the building would cost a set amount. Evidently, Mr. Crawford made a mistake; Mr. Fraser needs to answer for it, and then be directed by mayor and Council to see to it that the building is value-engineered down so that the cost to taxpayers is exactly as promised.

For some time I have heard rumors to the effect of your comments re: county’s willingness to negotiate over “evicting” the city. Is there hard evidence supporting that claim? A memo or letter or other substantiation?

Thanks,

John Floyd
Republican for City Council
5th Ward

Another false premise is that the County administration forced the City to move the District Court. In fact, many County Commissioners were willing to negotiate, and some City Council members were also, but the circuit judges were not willing – for personal reasons. Circuit Judge Tim Connors wanted the District Court to hire his wife as magistrate several years ago. The court refused. From that moment on, he made it his mission to evict the District Court. And then there was Circuit Judge Archie Brown, who physically took over District Judge Ann Mattson’s courtroom while she was on vacation. Mattson had to go to Lansing to get it back.

Couple that with the fact that then-Council members Chris Easthope and Joan Lowenstein wanted to be district judges and saw nothing wrong with voting to build themselves a plush new building – it’s not a pretty picture.

Our current city hall is a pit…it is an actual embarrassment for our city. Everyone I know does not understand how there can be a controversy over constructing a new police courts building. It is a no brainer to us. How bad does a building have to be before some of you will think it is ok to construct a new one? Cities that are half the size of Ann Arbor have better municipal buildings. Anyone who has ever lived anywhere else can tell you that. But by the tone of some of the naysayers on this subject every time this subject comes up (here in other news articles), one would think that no other city has ever built a police/courts building for their city. Really? Is Ann Arbor the only place on earth that has built a municipal building to house their police and/or courts? Our police and courts deserve better from us than what they have had.

The county insisted we move the court out of their building AND we desperately needed better accommodations for the police. Council actually did a smart thing by combining both into the same building. I think most cities, including the one that I grew up in outside Detroit, had separate buildings for police and courts. Council actually saved the city money by combining the two together.

As for the process of how council decided all this, it just sounds like politics to me. Council is going to discuss this and argue over the merits of it in private discussions and at the council meeting before the vote is taken. This is how decisions are made in everyday life, in politics and quite frankly in every workplace. Again why would anyone think that is controversial?

A veto should only be used in very special circumstances it should not be used to push the preference of the mayor on to other councilmembers. Because I don’t know anyone in the city that actually is against this project, this project is not outside the realm of acceptance by the majority of the residents. IMO the use of the veto would not have been justified.