Archive for November, 2012

A Pittsfield Township “island” property on the east side of Victoria Avenue – between Independence Boulevard and Robert Street – is recommended to be annexed into the city and zoned for single-family residential (R1C). The Ann Arbor planning commission made the unanimous recommendation at its Nov. 7, 2012 meeting.

The owner, Janet Max, intends to build a single-family home on the 6,628-square-foot parcel. According to a planning staff report, the site is one of a dozen remaining township islands in the area bordered by Washtenaw Avenue, Packard Road, and Platt Road.

This brief was filed from the second floor council chambers at city hall, 301 E. Huron, where the planning commission meets. A more detailed report will follow: [link]

Muehlig Funeral Chapel has published the obituary of Robert Mitchell Dailey, who died last Friday. Dailey was a financial planner who’s described this way: “As a fourth generation Wolverine and lifelong resident of Ann Arbor, Bob loved this city, its people and its sports.” Chronicle readers might recognize one expression of Dailey’s affection for Ann Arbor in the persona of Chance Langford – a member of the intrepid “Ann Arbor Newshawks,” who create parody newscasts based on local Ann Arbor topics. The Newshawks are self-described as “Three men who make up Ann Arbor’s Number One investigative news team.” In one fake interview, with President Barack Obama, he tells the president, “Thank you, sir, but it’s not Change Langford, … it’s … [Full Story]

Democrats gained ground in local elections on Tuesday, but two high-profile Ann Arbor ballot initiatives were defeated.

Voters rejected a public art millage and a $65 million bond proposal for a new downtown Ann Arbor District Library building. But renewal of a millage for park maintenance and capital improvements won overwhelming approval.

In countywide races, Carol Kuhnke of Ann Arbor defeated Jim Fink of Ypsilanti for a judgeship on the 22nd Circuit Court, replacing Melinda Morris, who is retiring. Incumbent judge Tim Connors retained his seat over challenger Mike Woodyard.

The Washtenaw County board of commissioners will see changes following Tuesday’s election. Incumbent Republican Rob Turner was defeated by Democrat Kent Martinez-Kratz, decreasing the number of Republicans on the nine-member board from three to two. Republican Alicia Ping won the District 3 seat over Democrat Wes Prater – the two incumbents faced each other due to redistricting that took effect with this election cycle. Other incumbents won their seats, as did Democrat Andy LaBarre, who secured his first term on the board.

Democrats prevailed in all local races for the Michigan House of Representatives, most notably with Gretchen Driskell – the current mayor of Saline – defeating incumbent Republican Mark Ouimet in District 52.

Details of these and other races are below. For complete election results throughout Washtenaw County, check the county clerk’s elections website. [Full Story]

Based on unofficial results posted on the Michigan Secretary of State’s website, Democrat Mark Bernstein of Ann Arbor is leading in the race for two open seats on the University of Michigan board of regents. Two current regents – Libby Maynard and Martin Taylor – did not seek re-election this year for another eight-year term on that eight-member governing body. The top two vote-getters to replace them were elected from a field of 10 candidates statewide. Results have not yet been posted for nine of Michigan’s 83 counties, including Wayne, Kent, Genesee and Muskegon.

Results as of 6 a.m. on Nov. 7 show Bernstein with 1,359,293 votes. Second place – by a relatively narrow lead – is held by the … [Full Story]

Only two races were contested on Nov. 6 for Ann Arbor mayor and city council – both for two-year terms. Incumbent Democrat John Hieftje defeated independent Albert Howard with 42,255 votes (84.11%), compared to 7,649 votes (15.23%) for Howard. Hieftje was first elected mayor in 2000, and will now start his seventh term in that office.

In Ward 5, Democrat Chuck Warpehoski was elected over Republican Stuart Berry, winning with 10,371 votes (81.49%) compared to 2,281 votes (17.92%) for Berry. The incumbent Democrat, Carsten Hohnke, did not run for re-election.

The four other city council races, also for two-year terms, were not contested. Democrat incumbents Christopher Taylor (Ward 3) and Margie Teall (Ward 4) were on the ballot, along with Democrats Sumi Kailasapathy (Ward 1) … [Full Story]

Three seats on the seven-member Washtenaw Community College board of trustees were on the Nov. 6 ballot in nonpartisan races. The race for a partial term ending Dec. 31, 2014 had only one candidate – incumbent Patrick McLean of Ypsilanti. He currently serves as treasurer of the board, and was elected with 85,262 votes (98.33%).

Two other incumbents were also re-elected to full six-year terms in a three-way race. Richard Landau and Diana McKnight Morton, both of Ann Arbor, received 56,875 (35.23%) and 68,797 (42.62%) votes, respectively. Challenger William Hazen Figg of Dexter got 34,002 votes (21.06%). The top two vote-getters were elected in this race.

Two items on the Nov. 6 ballot related to the Ann Arbor District Library: a $65 million bond proposal for construction of a new downtown library, and the election of four positions on the AADL board of trustees.

The $65 million, 30-year bond proposal was rejected, gaining support from 33,604 voters (44.83%), with 41,359 votes (55.17%) cast against it. Support inside the city of Ann Arbor was slightly stronger, with 46.4% voting for the proposal compared with 41.2% voting for it outside the city. In addition to the city of Ann Arbor, the district includes parts of the townships of Pittsfield, Scio, Ann Arbor, Lodi, Webster, Salem and Superior.

The funds would have paid for the demolition of the existing library at 343 S. Fifth and … [Full Story]

Four districts in the Michigan House of Representatives cover parts of Washtenaw County, and all will be represented by Democrats following the Nov. 6 election. District 53, which covers most of Ann Arbor, is represented by Democrat Jeff Irwin – he won another two-year term by defeating Republican John Spizak. Irwin drew 32,569 votes (80.48%) over 7,670 votes (18.95%) for Spizak.

In District 52, incumbent Republican Mark Ouimet was defeated by Democrat Gretchen Driskell, who currently serves as mayor of Saline, by a vote of 26,646 (52.86%) for Driskell to 23,609 (46.83%) for Ouimet. The district covers western, northern and parts of southern Washtenaw County.

Winning re-election was Democrat incumbent David Rutledge of District 54, representing the eastern portion of Washtenaw County, including Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti … [Full Story]

One seat was on the Nov. 6 ballot for the Ann Arbor Public Schools board of trustees, a nonpartisan position for a four-year term starting Jan. 1, 2013. Incumbent Deb Mexicotte, who serves as board president, defeated Dale Leslie by a vote of 31,436 (63.19%) to 17,758 (35.69%).

Leslie’s support was somewhat stronger outside the city of Ann Arbor where he received 41.3% of the vote compared to 33.1% inside the city. The school district also includes portions of the townships of Ann Arbor, Lodi, Northfield, Pittsfield, Salem, Scio, Superior, and Webster.

Mexicotte was first elected to the seven-member board in 2003, and has been elected by her peers on the board for three terms as president.

Two nonpartisan countywide races for seats on the 22nd Circuit Court bench were on the Nov. 6 ballot, each for a six-year term. In a race with no incumbents, Carol Kuhnke won with 67,051 votes (54.14%), compared to 55,704 votes (44.98%) for Jim Fink. Kuhnke will be replacing judge Melinda Morris, who is retiring because of state-mandated age limits.

Incumbent Timothy Connors retained his seat, defeating challenger Michael Woodyard with 83,101 votes (75.66%) compared to Woodyard’s 25,432 votes (23.15%). Connors was first appointed to the 22nd Circuit Court in 1997 by then-Gov. John Engler, a Republican, to replace judge Karl Fink – the older brother of Jim Fink. In his three subsequent elections, Connors has been unopposed. Before making the circuit court appointment, Engler … [Full Story]

Renewal of the park maintenance and capital improvements millage was overwhelmingly approved by Ann Arbor voters on Nov. 6, with 34,959 voters (68.44%) casting yes votes compared with 16,123 (31.56%) voting against it.

The millage was approved by a majority of voters in every precinct in the city, with the strongest support coming from Ward 1, Precinct 3, where 82.3% of voters supported the parks tax.  Weakest support for the parks tax citywide came in Ward 2, Precinct 2 where 53.6% of voters said yes.

The current 1.1 mill tax expires this year. The renewal runs from 2013-2018 and will raise about $4.9 million next year. The recommended allocation of revenues is 70% for park maintenance activities, and 30% for park capital improvement projects. Of … [Full Story]

A more flexible funding mechanism for public art in Ann Arbor was defeated by voters on Nov. 6. The 0.1 mill tax – which was expected to generate around $450,000 annually – was rejected by 28,166 voters (55.86%), with support from 22,254 voters (44.14%).

The proposal won a majority of votes in just 13 out of 59 precincts with the most support coming from Ward 5, Precinct 4 where 60.5% of voters supported the public art millage. Ward 5 had six of the 13 precincts where the proposal achieved a majority. And the proposal finished in a dead heat in Ward 5, Precinct 5 with 471 voting for and against it.  Opposition among in-person voters was strongest in Ward 1, Precinct 9, … [Full Story]

There were few surprises in the races for Washtenaw County elected offices, with Democrats – and two out of three Republican incumbents – winning their respective races on Nov. 6.

The three seats representing Ann Arbor districts on the Washtenaw County board of commissioners were on the ballot for two-year terms. Due to redistricting that takes effect with this election cycle, the county board will shrink from 11 districts currently to 9 districts on the new board, starting in January 2013. [.pdf file of 9-district county map] District 2 also includes a small portion of Ann Arbor, but the incumbent in that district, Republican Dan Smith, was unopposed.

In District 7, Democrat Andy LaBarre defeated Republican David Parker with 12,817 votes (77.37%) compared … [Full Story]

Editor’s note: The preliminary partial results reported here are superseded by unofficial complete results, which can be found in The Chronicle’s Civic News Ticker.

To give a sense of how the Nov. 6 general election in Ann Arbor is unfolding, The Chronicle is reporting early returns from absentee ballot counts and individual precincts as the tallies become available.

We’ll be updating this report over the next few hours, so check back for additional results.

For results on these and other races throughout Washtenaw County, check the county clerk’s elections website.

[Election outcomes aren't considered official until the county board of canvassers certified the results, but the county's figures are considered the official "unofficial" results.]

And look for a complete Chronicle roundup of outcomes on Ann Arbor elections and ballot proposals on Wednesday morning.

Results below are refreshed without preserving previous interim results.

Results below are for 4-4, 4-8, 5-5, 5-6, 5-2, and Absent Voter Count Boards 3, 5, 9 and 11.

Here’s a link to the Google Spreadsheet where we’ve logged these provisional results: [link]

Results below are unofficial and should not be used for settling wagers. Last updated at 11/6/2012 23:59:07 This is the last update of the evening. The county clerk’s website now has the majority  of the precincts countywide logged: [link]. The four Ann Arbor absent voter count boards that are included in our results (but not yet included in the county clerk’s data) show an even clearer trend – than the citywide pattern – against the Ann Arbor proposals for a public art millage and the Ann Arbor District Library bond proposal. It looks like those ballot initiatives will fail. [Full Story]

The Detroit News reports from polls in the Detroit metro area, and talks with Madison Romney, who was casting her vote in Birmingham. The niece of presidential candidate Mitt Romney is a freshman at the University of Michigan: “They usually don’t believe me when I say I’m a Romney. There’s been no problem at the University of Michigan; people have been very supportive and respectful.” [Source]

Continuing The Chronicle’s Election Day tradition, we’ll be touring Ann Arbor polling stations and providing updates and observations throughout the day. Polls are open today from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. The city clerk’s office notes that peak hours are typically between 7-10 a.m., with fewer voters during the midday hours.

It’s a long two-sided ballot. In addition to national, state and local races, Ann Arbor has three major ballot questions – all on the ballot’s back side: A parks millage renewal, a proposed new tax for public art, and a $65 million bond proposal for a new downtown library. You’ll also be asked to vote for six state ballot proposals, the University of Michigan regents, several judicial positions, a raft of county offices, and many other races. To view a sample ballot for your precinct, visit the Secretary of State’s website.

If you’re still in the last-minute research mode, here’s a collection of Chronicle election-related articles. You can find a nonpartisan analysis of state ballot proposals on the Citizens Research Council of Michigan website. More information is also available on the League of Women Voters vote411.org website.

Remember that you’ll be asked to show a photo ID to vote. If you don’t have one, poll workers will ask you to sign an affidavit in order to vote. Not sure where to vote? The Secretary of State’s website can help you to find your polling place.

Check back here throughout the day for briefs filed from the field, or add a comment with your own election day observations. [Full Story]

On Nov. 7, the Washtenaw County board of commissioners will be dealing with several items related to the 2013 budget, including a much-anticipated proposal for handling animal control services.

County administrator Verna McDaniel is bringing forward a resolution for a contract with the Humane Society of Huron Valley for $500,000 annually – the same amount that HSHV was paid in 2011, before a controversial decision to cut funding for animal control services. HSHV’s current contract with the county, which expires on Dec. 31, is for $415,000. Originally, the county had planned to cut funding for mandated animal control services to $250,000 annually for 2012 and 2013.

If approved, the resolution would authorize a contract with HSHV for up to four years, and would direct McDaniel to seek separate contracts with other local governments to offset the county’s costs. According to a staff memo, five municipalities with their own animal control ordinances – the cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti Township, Pittsfield Township, and Superior Township – have made preliminary commitments to help fund those services.

The new contract with HSHV would require a revision to the budget – one of several budget adjustments that are proposed for 2013. The county works on a two-year planning cycle, but must approve its budget annually. In late 2011, commissioners approved budgets for 2012 and 2013. On Nov. 7, the board will be asked to “reaffirm” the 2013 general fund budget, with revisions that bring revenues and expenditures to $102.84 million.  Commissioners will also receive a third-quarter budget update for 2012.

It’s possible that commissioners will make additional amendments to the 2013 budget at the meeting. For example, the agenda includes a placeholder item related to commissioner compensation. [See Chronicle coverage: "Compensation Change for County Board?"]

A public hearing on the 2013 budget is set for the board’s final meeting of the year, on Dec. 5. Commissioners are expected to take a final vote on the budget at that meeting.

Commissioners are also planning a caucus immediately prior to their Nov. 7 meeting, starting at 5:30 p.m., to discuss nominations to various county boards, commissions and committees. Those appointments are expected to be voted on at the board meeting later that evening. [Full Story]

National Public Radio interviews Justin Wolfers, a professor of economics and public policy at the University of Michigan, who recently conducted research on political polling. “What almost no one realizes is pollsters were asking, ‘Who do you think will win?’ before they ever asked, ‘Who do you intend to vote for?’ When you read The New York Times back in the day, they used to write to people all over the country and ask, ‘Who do you think will win in this local area?’ ” That kind of poll  more accurately predicts the outcome of a political race, he contends. [Source]

The board of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority will face a relatively light agenda for its post-election-day meeting scheduled for Nov. 7. But the meeting will include the usual routine update on usage statistics for Ann Arbor’s public parking system.

And while the most recent figures show revenues to be slightly better than expected for the quarter ending Sept. 30, revenues for just the month of September 2012 showed only a 3% gain against September 2011.

All other things being equal, the 3% revenue increase could be analyzed as increased usage of the parking system. But a couple of significant factors were not equal: total spaces available in the system, and parking rates. Both factors increased significantly more than 3%, indicating a dip in usage.

In September 2012, Ann Arbor’s public parking system offered about 12% more spaces than in September 2011 – 7,824 compared to 6,974 a year ago. Much of that increased inventory is due to the 738 spaces in the new Library Lane underground parking garage.

And parking rates increased 7-9% system-wide in September: Hourly parking structure rates increased from $1.10/hour to $1.20/hour; hourly parking lot rates increased from $1.30 ($1.50 after 3 hours) to $1.40 ($1.60 after 3 hours); hourly parking meter rates increased from $1.40/hour to $1.50/hour; and monthly parking permit rates increased from $140/month to $145/month.

The count of hourly patrons in the system is also consistent with a usage drop for September 2012 compared to September a year ago – 171,107 compared to 194,034 last year, or nearly 12% fewer patrons.

Discussion of the September parking system revenue totals at the DDA’s operations committee meeting on Oct. 31, 2012 included several factors that might account for the usage drop. In September 2011, the University of Michigan played four home football games, compared to just two this year. And September 2012 included one fewer business day (24 compared to 25) and one fewer weekend day (8 compared to 9) than September 2011. In addition, September 2012 did not include the Friday before Labor Day.

September revenue totals also reflect the fact that one segment of parking customers paid less, despite consistent usage. Holders of monthly permits in structures near the UM campus were offered a substantial discount to move their permits to the new underground Library Lane parking garage – $95 compared to the $145 regular rate. So a portion of the roughly 415 monthly permits that have been sold for the Library Lane garage reflect the discounted rate.

September was the first full month the Library Lane garage was open, without any part of it closed off for construction inspection activity. The garage showed modest revenue gains compared to last month. But somewhat as expected, it is initially lagging behind other facilities measured by revenue per space – $77 per space compared to a system-wide average of $196.

The public parking system will be adding more spaces sometime in mid-March 2013. At the DDA’s operations committee meeting, DDA executive director Susan Pollay indicated that current projections are for the DDA to take possession of the first two floors of Village Green’s City Apartments project on March 15, 2013. The building – located at First and Washington – will contain a 244-space parking deck on those first two floors, 95 of which are to be available for public parking. The rest of the spaces will be used by residents of the 146-unit project, when the construction is completed.

Graphs and some discussion of other ways to measure parking system performance are included in this report. [Full Story]

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