Comments on: Column: Why Ward 5, Lists, But No Dem?

By: Just Ken

Just Ken — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 15:01:34 +0000

Money isn’t that big of a deal in small pond like AA. Connections, apparatchiks, and a systema is.

By: Peter Zetlin

Peter Zetlin — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 20:52:45 +0000

Didn’t Mr. Hohnke contribute a substantial amount of his own money to his campaign? I assume that made a difference as well.

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:34:38 +0000

I just saw the updates to this thread and I must correct Mr. Koroi’s comments about my history. I was never chair of the Board of Commissioners (there is no such body as the county commission) although I did serve as the Vice-Chair one term and the chair of the Working Session one term. I was also not “active” in the Ask Voters First campaign though I agreed to endorse it. I was running my own council campaign at the time and was not at all engaged in the other campaign.

John Hieftje, Leah Gunn, and Margie Teall all endorsed Mr. Hohnke early on, and he also received money and/or endorsements from various trade union groups and PACs. But it was probably the late-season endorsements (in tandem) by Rebekah Warren and Conan Smith that put him over the top (by 53 votes). I must say that the Ann Arbor News’ reporting was also very favorable to him. I’m so glad that the Chronicle has adopted a neutral, evenhanded approach to election coverage. It has been very refreshing. You are at the top of my list.

By: Just Ken

Just Ken — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 15:16:48 +0000

This shows how advanced a polity AA is. It took Chicago decades to get a one-party political machine so finely tuned as what AA has today. The only place I've seen where one-party machine politics worked smoother was my native DDR. In East Germany we had the democratic forms too, but then again the party had to use guns to keep it all running smoothly too. AA dems haven't gone that far. Not yet anyhow.

By: anna ercoli schnitzer

anna ercoli schnitzer — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 13:13:31 +0000

What an original, creative and fascinating format! I only wish you were also in charge of the state and national political “discussions” that are just so much blah-blah-blah and more blah.

By: Mark Koroi

Mark Koroi — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 00:32:42 +0000

Richard Wickbold, a U-M maintenance man ran in that First Ward race, and finished a respectable third place against Roberts and Briere.

John Roberts was known for his past history as an athlete and was also, along with Wendy Woods, one of the last African-Americans to sit on the Ann Arbor City Council.

The past “public service” of Sabra Briere alluded to in the article included a leadership position with the local ACLU and secretary of the Washtenaw County Democratic Party as well as a later prominent position in the Ann Arbor Democratic Party.

Briere was also a prominent pro-choice activist, and was instrumental in amending the City of Ann Arbor Charter in this regard.

Hohnke’s 2008 election largely was due to the fact that the prior incumbent, Chris Easthope, gave up his seat to run for District Judge and Easthope’s cohorts on City Council as well as Mr. Easthope himself endorsed Carsten’s candidacy when many were backing the far better known Vivienne Armentrout, who was formerly the County Commission chairperson and was later active in the ASK Voters First movement.

By: Sabra Briere

Sabra Briere — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 23:58:03 +0000

Just a point of clarification: When I ran in 2007, John Roberts *was not* the incumbent. He was defeated in 2006 by Ron Suarez.

I ran to fill a seat left open when Bob Johnson decided not to run for re-election. I was honored to win a three-way primary, but didn’t win against an incumbent. That’s a much more difficult race.

Sabra

By: Mark Koroi

Mark Koroi — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 22:06:50 +0000

Carsten believes, most likely, he will win anyway as the Democratic nominee and, ergo, why bother showing up?

If Carsten does not get 50% of the total vote, it will be an embarrassment for him.