Precincts are shaded by strength of each candidate. Kunselman (red), Taylor (green), Briere (blue) and Petersen (orange).

Incumbent mayor John Hieftje is not seeking re-election, and there is no Republican candidate. Taylor will face independent Bryan Kelly in the Nov. 4 general election.

Some observers felt the four-way race could be won with as little as 35% of the vote. Taylor achieved a near majority, but fell a couple of percentage points short of 50% citywide. Taylor received 7,070 votes (47.6%) compared to Sabra Briere’s 2,967 (20%), Stephen Kunselman’s 2,447 (16.5%) and Sally Petersen’s 2,364 (15.9%).

The 16,591 ballots cast translated into a turnout of 16.67% registered voters citywide.

The ranking and clustering of the four candidates was roughly consistent with the amount of money each campaign raised in the pre-primary period – if the self-funded portion of Petersen’s campaign is discounted.

The rank order and clustering of candidates was also consistent with the results of a poll conducted by Public Policy Polling about a week before  the election. That poll also showed Taylor as a clear favorite over the other three candidates, who were grouped significantly behind, with Briere slightly stronger than Kunselman and Petersen.

Outgoing Democratic mayor John Hieftje never lost any of the city’s 48 precincts in seven election cycles. Taylor prevailed in 39 precincts. Briere won seven of them, while Kunselman won his home precinct in Ward 3. Briere and Petersen tied for most votes in one precinct – splitting the two votes in the lightly voted Precinct 1-1.

Taylor had the highest vote totals in each of the city’s five wards, with a majority of votes in three of them. In Ward 3, Ward 4 and Ward 5, Taylor received 50.4%, 52% and 50.6%, respectively.

All four candidates did best on their home turf – Briere in Ward 1, Petersen in Ward 2, Kunselman in outer Ward 3. But Taylor was strong not just in the Burns Park neighborhood of Ward 3, but also citywide, achieving better than 50% in 13 of 48 individual precincts, while winning 39 of them.

Charts of results by ward, as well as dynamic color-coded maps for each mayoral candidate, are presented below.

Charts by Ward

Ward 5 mirrored the citywide trend and rank order of candidates. Ward 4 and Ward 3 were similar – except that Kunselman did slightly better than Briere in both of those wards. The results in Ward 2 showed Petersen ahead of Briere and Kunselman but still behind Taylor. And in Ward 1, Taylor only narrowly outpolled Briere – by 29 votes.

           W1     W2     W3     W4     W5
Briere    740    384    467    389    987 
Kunselman 239    447    703    437    621 
Petersen  260    949    355    329    471 
Taylor    769  1,363  1,551  1,254  2,133

-

Chart 1: By ward including total citywide. (Chart by The Chronicle with data from Washtenaw County clerk’s office.)

Chart 2: By ward only. (Chart by The Chronicle with data from Washtenaw County clerk’s office.)

Dynamic Maps

Maps for each candidate are colored by precinct based on percentage of the vote they received.

Maps: Briere

Maps: Kunselman

Maps: Petersen

Maps: Taylor

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Based on Ann Arbor’s population of about 114,000, that works out to about $1.35 per resident.

Plots of campaign contributions for four candidates in the Ann Arbor mayoral primary.

All four mayoral candidates currently serve on the Ann Arbor city council: Sabra Briere (Ward 1), Sally Petersen (Ward 2), Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3) and Christopher Taylor (Ward 3).

Raising by far the most of any candidate was Christopher Taylor with $75,198. (The campaign reported a total of $75,698 in its filings, but that amount was $500 more than the contributions calculated by The Chronicle, based on the campaign finance itemized list.) [link to WC clerk filing by Christopher Taylor] Taylor’s total came from 365 contributions, with an average contribution of $206.

Next was Sally Petersen with $44,495 from 133 contributions for an average contribution of $334 per donation. Petersen’s total was boosted with a $10,000 contribution of her own and $15,000 from her husband. The $2,000 limit does not apply to candidates themselves or members of their immediate family. [link to WC clerk filing by Sally Petersen] That total does not include a $5,000 late contribution filed by Petersen, bringing the total she and her husband contributed to $30,000.

Raising $26,680 was Sabra Briere. That total came from 204 contributions, for an average contribution of $130. [link to WC clerk filing by Sabra Briere]

Raising $7,474 from 59 contributions for an average donation of $126 was Stephen Kunselman. He had been the first to announce his candidacy for mayor – before current mayor John Hieftje decided that he would not be seeking an eighth two-year term. [link to WC clerk filing by Stephen Kunselman]

By way of comparison, when Jane Lumm raised roughly $18,000 for her pre-general election race for Ward 2 council in 2011 and then raised $20,000 for the same period in 2013, those totals were considered remarkable.

Here’s a read-only link to the shared Google Spreadsheet used by The Chronicle to generate charts and maps: [2014 Mayoral Campaign Finance: Ann Arbor]

Below we present charts and maps to illustrate the distribution of donations by amount and geography.

Charts

Below are frequency distributions of donations grouped by size of the donation. In the last few years, winning campaigns for city council races have been characterized by distributions that skewed toward smaller donations.

Taylor raised $75,198, which came from 365 contributions. The mean contribution to Taylor’s campaign was $206. The median contribution was $100.

Sally Petersen raised $44,495 from 133 contributions for a mean contribution of $334 per donation. The median contribution was $100.

Sabra Briere raised $26,680. That total came from 204 contributions, for mean contribution of $130. The median contribution was $50.

Stephen Kunselman raised $7,474 from 59 contributions for a mean donation of $126. The median contribution was $75.

Maps

The first map below, using red dots, plots all mayoral campaign contributions from the pre-primary filing data.

Maps: Taylor

Christopher Taylor’s contributions are plotted in purple. They show a clear cluster in and around the Burns Park neighborhood where he lives (Ward 3). An additional high-concentration area of contributions is the central western part of town (Ward 5).

Maps: Petersen

Sally Petersen’s contributions are plotted with yellow dots. They show a clear concentration north of Washtenaw Avenue in the general vicinity of the Huron Hills golf course, where Petersen lives.

Maps: Briere

Sabra Briere’s contributions are plotted with green dots. The pattern is not dominated by clusters so much as stronger distributions in some parts of the city – the west (Ward 5), the north (Ward 1) and the southeast (Ward 3). Missing from that distribution are the southwest (Ward 4) and northeast (Ward 2) – areas that have historically had the strongest Republican support citywide.

Maps: Kunselman

Stephen Kunselman’s contributions are plotted with blue dots. The distribution is sparse, with no discernible clusters, but relatively even citywide, with the exception of the northeast (Ward 2).

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The Delonis Center on W. Huron Street is, for many, the face of Ann Arbor’s effort to shelter the homeless.

Competition for the Democratic Party’s mayoral nomination is a four-way race: Stephen Kunselman, Sabra Briere, Christopher Taylor, and Sally Petersen. All candidates currently serve on the Ann Arbor city council. Kunselman and Briere are in the middle of their two-year terms, while Taylor and Petersen have chosen to run for mayor instead of seeking re-election to their Ward 3 and Ward 2 council seats, respectively.

The topics of homelessness and affordable housing have come up at previous mayoral forums – such as those hosted by Literati Bookstore, the League of Women Voters and the Ann Arbor Democratic Party. Here’s an .mp3 file from the Dems forum that includes just candidates’ responses to a question about affordable housing: [.mp3 of responses on affordable housing]

Tonight’s forum will be moderated by Julie Steiner, former executive director of the Washtenaw Housing Alliance. Candidates will have five minutes to talk about addressing homelessness and increasing affordable housing in Ann Arbor. Candidates will then respond to questions prepared by local advocacy groups, service providers, and faith communities. Questions from the audience will then be answered.

Listen to the forum live in the embedded audio player below.

Under the audio player are two text boxes with identical content, which The Chronicle will use to provide notes to listeners. The first box scrolls automatically to the bottom of the file, while the second box requires manual scrolling. After the forum, we will replace the embedded audio player with an .mp3 recording of the event.

[July 15, 2014 Genesis Homelessness Forum Part 1]

[July 15, 2014 Genesis Homelessness Forum Part 2]

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All the mayoral candidates participated in Ann Arbor’s Fourth of July parade. Clockwise from upper left: Sabra Briere, Stephen Kunselman, Christopher Taylor, Sally Petersen.

Competition for the Democratic Party’s mayoral nomination is a four-way race:  Stephen Kunselman, Sabra Briere, Christopher Taylor, Sally Petersen.

The scheduled broadcast start time on CTN is at 8 p.m. today (July 9) and can be viewed as a live video stream in the embedded player below.

The relatively large field this year is due to the fact that there is no incumbent in the race. Current mayor John Hieftje announced last year that he would not be seeking re-election to an eighth two-year term. No Republican stepped forward to run. Although one independent candidate, Bryan Kelly, has submitted some petitions to appear on the November ballot, he has not yet filed a sufficient number of signatures to qualify. The winner of the Democratic primary has a strong likelihood of election in the fall, regardless of other candidates who might qualify.

All four mayoral candidates are current members of the city council. Briere and Kunselman are in the middle of their two-year terms and will continue to serve on the council, even if they don’t prevail in the mayor’s race. Taylor and Petersen are at the end of their terms and will not continue their service on the council unless they are elected mayor.

CTN has pre-recorded some comments from candidates in all races. [link to CTN video-on-demand for mayoral candidate comments ]

And the League of Women Voters provides written candidate profiles with responses to questions on its Vote411.org website. [Mayoral Vote411.org profiles]

For a Chronicle column on the mayoral campaigns, see: “Mayoral Folk, Easy Listening”

If you’re not sure whether you’re registered to vote or you’re not sure which ward you live in, Michigan’s Secretary of State website offers an easy way to check.

If you don’t think you’ll be able to make it to the polls on Aug. 5, an application to receive an absentee ballot can be downloaded from the city clerk’s website. [.pdf of absentee ballot application form]

Completed applications can be mailed or hand delivered to the clerk’s office on the second floor of city hall, 301 E. Huron St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104. The applications can also be scanned and emailed to cityclerk@a2gov.org.

Watch the mayoral candidate forum below.

Under the video player are two text boxes with identical content. They embed the file that The Chronicle will use to “voice write” the LWV candidate forums in real time. The top box forces the view to the bottom of the file, so that the forum can be viewed hands-free. The bottom box does not force the view to the bottom of the file.

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Four quotes from four candidates for mayor in the Ann Arbor Democratic primary.

The fact that all of the primary candidates are current city councilmembers does not in my view reflect positively on Ann Arbor. In a city that prides itself for its diversity, are there really no others beyond established political personalities who’d be willing to serve the community as mayor?

Putting aside that lament, the upside is that all four candidates have been recently vetted by the local electorate. And council service can be a useful common denominator for contrasting the four candidates. Over the last few weeks, they have appeared at several forums, fielding questions in a variety of formats. And the candidates have attempted to contrast themselves with each other. But on occasion that contrast has been hard to hear – because it has been oblique or offered quickly in passing.

The Chronicle has broadcast live audio from three candidate events, hosted by the Ann Arbor Democratic Party, Literati Bookstore and the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber. We wanted to provide that service, because those events would otherwise have been inaccessible – except for those physically present. And even those who were physically present might want to check their recollections against the actual audio recordings.

During these forums, it has been interesting for me to listen to the range of ways that candidates have tried to distinguish themselves from the others. I think in some cases those attempts have not been necessarily conscious and deliberate. And in some cases those attempts rely on lumping other candidates together.

Based on these candidate forums, here’s how I see the most salient aspects of the mayoral campaign strategies – listed in the order that candidates announced their intention to run.

Stephen Kunselman is asking voters to cast their ballots for him the person: A vote for Kunselman is a vote for integrity and dignity, and for someone who was born and raised here.

Christopher Taylor is inviting voters to identify him with the city of Ann Arbor itself in broad terms: If you think Ann Arbor is basically a great place, on the right track, and you’d like it to stay on track, then vote for Taylor.

Sabra Briere is asking voters to notice that she has accurate knowledge of the issues: If you want a mayor who is willing to work down in the weeds on policy questions, and get something done based on analysis of those policy questions, vote for Briere.

Sally Petersen has absolutely pounded the theme of economic development in her campaign messaging: If you want a mayor who will develop a strategy to pay for all the things people say they want, and won’t get distracted from that plan by factional squabbles on the council, vote for Petersen.

Those summaries are a bit one-dimensional. And I’m sure that the candidates themselves would argue that there is much more to their campaigns than that. And there is, of course. But I’d like to share in a bit more detail how I arrived at those summaries.

Kunselman: A Person to Vote For

At the Ann Arbor Democratic Party forum, Kunselman made an overt effort to contrast himself with the other candidates – by contending that he was the only one of the four who was not looking for votes from supporters of outgoing mayor John Hieftje. That was the choice being offered to voters, he contended. That choice is somewhat supported by the fact that Kunselman is endorsed by four other councilmembers who might be fairly characterized as Hieftje’s political opponents: Sumi Kailasapathy (Ward 1), Jane Lumm (Ward 2), Jack Eaton (Ward 4) and Mike Anglin (Ward 5).

Stephen Kunselman at the Literati Bookstore mayoral forum on June 25.

But that was not the contrast that was most evident throughout that particular forum: Kunselman was the one candidate among the four who shared specific details about his personal self with the audience – not just during his opening and closing statements, but sprinkled throughout his remarks. From that forum you knew that Kunselman was married – to Letitia, who he called “the dynamo behind my politics here in Ann Arbor. Without her, I would not have the courage to stand before all of you.”

You learned that Kunselman has a stepson – who had flatted out on his bicycle twice recently on Ann Arbor’s roads. You learned that Kunselman grew up in Ann Arbor, attending Pittsfield Elementary, and that his grandparents were founding members of St. Francis Catholic Church. You learned that he was raised by a single mother, and that they lived adjacent to the Library Lot for a time.

Kunselman also managed to work in the fact that he still holds a certified water distribution system operator license from the state of Michigan – from his days as township planner and supervisor in Sumpter Township.

From the Dems forum alone, attendees could not have learned much of anything about the other candidates’ personal backgrounds: Are they married? Do they have kids? Where in the city do they live? Briere did quip, “I don’t know that man,” when her husband Dave Cahill rose to speak and cheerfully admonished those audience members standing in the back to “sit down…and shut up.” But to get the joke you had to know already that Briere and Cahill are a couple.

At the Dems forum, Kunselman identified himself in his closing statement as a common-sense, fiscally responsible Democrat, who lives in a low- to moderate-income neighborhood, not an upscale neighborhood – a precinct where there’s a mobile home park. The attempted contrast was apparently to neighborhoods where Petersen and Taylor live, which feature median home values of something like $370,000 and $440,000, respectively. Even though it was Petersen and Taylor who were probably being lumped together, it was Briere who was stirred to respond. In her closing statement, she said she wouldn’t talk about her economic status, but anyone who’s been to her house knows she’s not living in a posh neighborhood. “The idea that we play against each other that way strikes me as absurd, because we’re not here to work for ourselves and we’re not here for any other reason except to represent you,” Briere said.

Kunselman also highlighted his personal self at the Literati Bookstore forum. At the Literati forum you learned that Kunselman worked as a roadie in the past. From that forum, you also learned that he grew up in Ann Arbor and had an acquaintance with a police officer: “And I remember the beat cops. I remember Officer Blake. We got to know them as teenagers. … I won’t tell you why! From that experience, as a teenage rebel growing up in Ann Arbor, I have great admiration for the police force as an adult. Because I understand the difficulties that they have to deal with, I understand the clientele they have to deal with, and I think that’s the number one issue.”

Briere played off Kunselman’s vignette a bit later at the Literati forum and got a laugh line out of it: “I remember beat cops too, although I was not a troubled teenager. I wasn’t a rebellious teenager, either!” If it was not clear from that follow-up that Briere was in some sense chiding Kunselman for talking too much about himself, then it was possibly more apparent later on when she gave her closing statement: “I didn’t talk a lot about myself, I talked a lot about what I think and what I believe and what I have done. … That’s what I bring to this – a skill set …”

It’s not as if Kunselman talked only about his person at the Literati forum. He did talk about things he’s done – like his vote against the original A2D2 zoning for downtown. That vote was taken in late 2009, so it served to contrast him with Briere and Taylor, but not with Petersen, who was not a member of the council at the time. And at the Dems forum, Kunselman contrasted himself with Taylor by talking about something he would not do: He doesn’t work on something then plop it on the council table – after the city attorney’s office has been told not to communicate it to other councilmembers.

That was an allusion to the approach that Taylor reportedly took to his development of a charter millage question on public art, which the council put on the November 2012 ballot. Voters rejected it. Responding to a Chronicle query about whether he’d asked assistant city attorney Abigail Elias not to talk about the millage question before he unveiled it, Taylor at the time refused to answer the question, but stated: “It strikes me, therefore, that the attorney who declines to speak with one council member about legal advice given to another council member does so in the public interest.”

But at the chamber forum, Kunselman seemed to take a cue from Briere – by talking more about what he has done and was doing on the council. On balance, Kunselman’s prepared remarks at the chamber forum highlighted more of those things he considered to be his accomplishments on the city council than his personal background. Those included: leading the effort to amend the ordinance regulating the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority tax capture; opposing the countywide transportation initiative in favor of a more limited expansion like the one that was eventually ratified; eliminating the city’s Percent for Art funding mechanism; advocating for the sale of the former Y lot, which led to its sale; and advocating for preserving Argo Dam and for building a new skatepark – both of which were successful.

And a question from Sean Duval – founder and CEO of Golden Limousine International and chair of the chamber’s executive board – allowed Kunselman to talk about some of his council work that he’d done that very morning, as a representative to the taxicab board. Duval’s question was about Uber and Lyft, which have entered the Ann Arbor market – so Duval wanted to know what Kunselman would do as mayor to regulate those companies. Kunselman told Duval that the taxicab board was already addressing the issue – by considering a recommendation on a draft ordinance that would require all drivers for hire – including those for Uber and Lyft – to be registered with the city.

But the chamber’s forum also showed that in impromptu settings, Kunselman is among the candidates probably the most inclined to share anecdotal vignettes about his personal background. After his prepared remarks, responding to a question about the condition of local roads, Kunselman included his skateboarding as a youth in his answer: “I’ve been the most consistent councilmember, the most consistent politician focusing on those things because of my work history, and because of the community that I grew up in. I remember when our roads were in great shape, because I was a skateboarder and didn’t have to worry about any potholes.”

Taylor: Embodiment of the City of Ann Arbor

Taylor has identified himself in the role of the city of Ann Arbor itself in a few different ways. At the Ann Arbor Democratic Party forum, he led off in his opening statement like this:

I sorta think that … we’re goin’ in the right direction. You know, we’re far from perfect. It’s not Elysium, it’s Ann Arbor, we live in Michigan. But I think we’re doin’ the right things for the most part. We have improvements, but we can be confident that we’re doin’ all right. If I’m elected mayor I’d like to work on two piles of things, broadly speaking. Number one is all the basic stuff ….

The first way Taylor identifies himself with the city is to stress that our current direction is basically right and should not change much. The sentiment of “We’re doin’ all right” was one he also highlighted at the chamber forum. So Taylor is not a candidate who perceives a need for radical reform or change from the current course. This is a well-known and established successful campaign strategy in American politics. Taylor has essentially invited voters who look around the city and ask themselves if they are content and comfortable with what they see, and then vote for the candidate they think is most likely to continue the existing quality of life they enjoy. Taylor has made an explicit effort to make voters think of him in that context.

Christopher Taylor at the Literati Bookstore mayoral forum on June 25.

A second way Taylor has identified himself with the city of Ann Arbor is to highlight the role of the mayor as the city’s external representative. Just by way of background, the mayor, of course, represents the interests of all city residents in the context of our internal local governance. That’s the mayor’s role as a member of the city council. The mayor is, in some sense, merely an at-large city councilmember with only a few extra powers – most notably to preside at council meetings, to nominate members of boards and commissions, and to veto legislation. Somewhat remarkably, at the Dems forum, not one of the four candidates mentioned the power to nominate members of boards and commissions when asked to name a key distinction between a councilmember and the mayor. The mayor is also described in the city charter as being the “ceremonial head” of the city.

So, when asked at the Dems forum how the roles of mayor and councilmember are different, the point that Taylor highlighted was the role of ceremonial head. Specifically, he highlighted the mayor’s role in representing the city to third parties – like the state, the county, and the university. He called this role the “head of state” or “secretary of state” for the city.

And at the chamber’s forum, Taylor misspoke in a way that I think is, if not revealing, then at least interesting in this context. He began by saying he was running for the city of Ann Arbor – then realized he’d misspoken, and joked that he knows the chief executive embodies the city, adding “but I think that’s getting a little grand.”

So Taylor is inviting voters to weigh the question of which candidate would seem more mayoral in a context where the person is supposed to be the embodiment of the city. That plays to Taylor’s advantage, because Taylor is the candidate I think more voters would cast in the role of mayor in a movie, compared to the other three. He simply looks the part. That’s not just because he’s always well-mannered and neatly pressed, but because he is significantly taller. There’s at least some research to suggest that taller candidates win elections more often than shorter candidates. Taylor’s exact height (6′-6″) is a fact about himself that he volunteered at the chamber forum – as a time filler, waiting for someone to ask a question. He also managed to work his height measurement into his remarks delivered at the recent grand opening of the new skatepark.

Taylor has implicitly invited voters to identify himself with the city – not just as an abstract institution, but also as a kind of synthesized amalgam of the entire populace of the city. His speech patterns at recent forums have often been those of an everyman, alloyed with an aspiration to erudition – even if that alloy is not always perfectly forged. The opening passage above is a typical example. Taylor drops his g’s like a regular guy – unlike a former law review editor, and unlike the councilmember most likely to sprinkle his speech with gratuitous Latin phrases or technical vocabulary. Then, Taylor tosses in a reference to Elysium – a somewhat jarring juxtaposition, to my ear at least – but nevertheless more consistent with the persona he’s cultivated over the past six years of his city council service.

As the city’s head of state, speaking to different groups who might have different expectations or backgrounds can require some adjustment in presentation, even at the level of word choice. And Taylor has demonstrated during the campaign that he is capable of adjusting his lexical choices to suit an audience. For the general audience of the Dems Taylor offered [emphasis added], “If I’m elected mayor I’d like to work on two piles of things,” and to the general audience at Literati Bookstore, ”If I’m your mayor I’m gonna work on two big piles of things.” But for the members of the chamber – a possibly somewhat more buttoned-down crowd – Taylor was slightly more refined: “If I’m elected mayor, I’d like to work on two big sets of things.”

The two sets of things that Taylor wants to work on are (1) basic infrastructure and services, and (2) those things that make Ann Arbor more than just a basic city. This second set of things – consistently recited by Taylor at forums – has included affordable housing, parks, mitigation of climate change and mass transit. While voters will likely differ slightly on various details for policy implementation in those topic areas, these are all topics that resonate strongly in the community. More than 70% of voters supported the recent transit millage earlier this year. And on the National Citizen Survey conducted in Ann Arbor last year, 50% of those surveyed rated Ann Arbor’s parks as “excellent” – top of the scale. Another 40% gave parks a “good” rating for a total of 90% rating Ann Arbor’s parks as good or excellent.

So Taylor is linking his candidacy not just to a general contentedness with quality of life in Ann Arbor. It’s linked to specific areas in which many residents take pride.

Briere: Action Based on Sound Policy Knowledge

Candidates at the Literati Bookstore forum were asked to comment on how they saw the downtown and Ann Arbor in general five years from now. Briere pivoted away from the five-year time frame by focusing on the much longer-term, which depends on sound basic policies:

I don’t really like speaking in five-year increments. I know a lot of plans do that but the truth is we should really be talking about 40 years. We should be talking about 40 years, because the changes we make today are still going to be with us in 40 years.

And Briere highlighted longer-term planning in her remarks at the chamber’s forum, saying that more than just two-year or five-year planning is necessary, because just doing a street project can take five years of planning. It doesn’t make sense to talk about how much difference one person is going to make in a two-year term, she said, because it can take two years to get an ordinance passed – from the time that you think about it, until it’s approved by city council and implemented. That doesn’t even factor in evaluating it to see if it’s been done correctly, she noted.

Sabra Briere at the Literati Bookstore mayoral forum on June 25.

Beyond a focus on the longer-term effects of policy choices, Briere seems to have made a conscious attempt to convey her mastery of factually accurate detail, related to specific policy areas.

The Literati forum provided an opportunity for candidates to talk about public safety. With respect to public safety and police staffing levels, Briere’s embrace of factual detail took the form of an allusion to technology that the police department has implemented – which automates the measurement of how officers are spending their time. ”For the past year the city police chief has been looking at what the police do. And looking at what the police do, he’s discovered that he had a lot of slack time that he could reassign. He reassigned police to traffic enforcement, he reassigned people to walking downtown. This process of looking at our expectations and how well we can meet them is a much more effective way to convince me how many more police we need and what we need them to do.”

Action based on knowledge of policy was evident at the Literati forum, when Briere said that she would, no matter what the outcome of the election, work to incorporate into the zoning regulations requirements for protected pedestrian walkways during downtown construction. At the Dems forum, Briere conveyed her command of factual detail related to zoning policy considerations by outlining the way development incentives work in the downtown, describing the by-right 400% floor-area-ratio (FAR), and how building residential units (as opposed, say, to office units) can result in an additional 300% premium, for a total of 700% FAR.

That sort of wonky command of zoning regulations is in Briere’s wheelhouse – as the city council’s representative to the planning commission. Taylor, at the Literati forum, expressed his view of the problem with residential premiums, by saying that the residential premium tended to encourage 6-bedroom units, which were marketed primarily to students.

But Briere subsequently countered Taylor’s characterization with some factual detail: “Almost all of the buildings that have been built under D-1 zoning, the modern zoning, don’t have six bedroom units. They have one-, two- and three-bedroom units. I think that’s important to keep in mind, because honestly the people who can afford to live in those buildings don’t want to live with five other students. The other thing to keep in mind is that not everybody who lives in those buildings is a student. There are a lot of people who live in those buildings who work downtown. It always surprises me, but it is just true.”

The way Briere concluded that statement – “… it is just true …” – is another way of saying, “What I’m telling you is factually accurate.” Another variant Briere sometimes uses to convey the same idea is to introduce a statement with: “The truth is …”

And Briere will sometimes correct factual errors made by other candidates – which might come across as pedantic to some listeners, especially when the point seems to be minor or inconsequential. But in the case of such a correction made by Briere at the Literati forum, the end result was, I think, an amplification of part of Briere’s implicit message – that she knows what she’s talking about because she works hard at it.

The factual point in question was a passing comment from Petersen to the effect that all four mayoral candidates had served on a joint committee of councilmembers and DDA board members. Briere interjected that she had not served on that committee. Petersen gracefully walked back that minor factual mistake like this: “You attended the meetings, it felt like you were there. Thank you for attending.” Petersen had made Briere’s point for her: Briere puts in the time and the effort to keep informed – showing up when she’s not required to. And that supports Briere’s campaign theme of having mastered the material, because she’s put in the necessary homework.

A question about city income tax was posed at the chamber forum, which is a topic that has not been an active part of community debate for at least three years. But Briere gave a decent general summary of some of the issues at stake, including the fact that in Ann Arbor, the charter prevents adding a city income tax layered on top of the existing operating millage. That is, we could levy a city income tax or a general operating millage, but not both. More telling than the basic competence of the answer was, I think, the way Briere responded initially to the person who asked the question, local attorney Scott Munzel. As he was introducing the topic, Briere said: “Oh, really, Scott – are you going to bring that up?” That quip had about the same effect as if she’d said, “I know this topic cold, folks, so if you want to ask about the city income tax, well, take your best shot.”

So one of Briere’s basic themes is that she has a factually accurate mastery of policy issues. Put crassly, that could translate as: “I have studied things, and I am right about things.” At the Literati forum, that theme was both highlighted (by way of contrast) and hedged with some humility by Briere’s mention of a book, “Being Wrong.” That mention came as candidates were asked to talk about what book they were reading currently: “And you may think ["Being Wrong"] is an odd thing for somebody to read. But first it is a fast read, second it is a comprehensive read, and third, it reminds us that we all make decisions based on just inadequate information from time to time. And as we talk about being wrong we also talk about how to be right. But how to admit you made a mistake is a really important part of my life. And it’s a really important part of city government.”

Petersen: A Way to Pay

Anyone who has listened to the mayoral forums and has not heard a main theme of Petersen’s campaign as “economic development” has not been listening very closely.

Sally Petersen at the June 25 Literati Bookstore mayoral forum.

During the Literati forum, the word “economic” was uttered 12 times total. Of those 12 mentions of the word “economic,” Petersen accounted for 11 of them. The other one came from the moderator. So it’s not just that Petersen talked explicitly and often about local economic development at that forum – it’s that other candidates seem content to allow Petersen complete ownership of the topic.

That can’t be chalked up an unwillingness to step on each other’s toes. Candidates are not in general squeamish about adopting each other’s talking points when the situation demands it. For example, at the Literati forum, Taylor stated: “We will have a new mayor, we will have a new university president, we have a school district that is, candidly, in trouble …” Those who listened to the Ann Arbor Democratic Party forum will have heard Petersen say something similar: “They’re [University of Michigan] going to have a new president. We’re going to have a new mayor. It’s time for a new attitude to really balance the town-gown relationship.” Just barely on mic, Petersen’s reaction to Taylor’s remarks at Literati was this: “Where have we heard that before?”

On that occasion, Taylor had brought up the university’s change of leadership in response to a question about the city’s possible role in the K-12 public schools. But as part of Petersen’s campaign, the university fits into the priority that she’s placing on economic development. And in that context, Petersen does not want to dwell on the fact that the University of Michigan does not pay property taxes.

So a key part of her economic development strategy is better cooperation between the city and the university – through regular conversations at the top levels of leadership.  In her formal response to Taylor’s comments at the Literati forum, she stated: “And I will finish Christopher’s statement that, yes, the university will have a new president and the city will have a new mayor, and it’s time for a new town-gown relationship. The city and the university don’t have a strategic dialogue on a regular basis at the top, and this needs to happen. The city for too long has been resentful, not just the city government, but there are plenty of residents who are resentful towards the university for not paying property tax, and we need to get over that.”

The first part of Petersen’s economic development strategy, as articulated at the Dems forum, is to grow jobs in Ann Arbor. An economic outlook report for Washtenaw County states that 12,500 jobs are coming to the county in the next three years: “I want those jobs to come to Ann Arbor – but where are we going to put them?” Her economic strategy would include a plan to redevelop the downtown and business corridors in ways that preserve the community’s character and heritage. The point of Petersen’s emphasis on economic development is to make sure there is sufficient revenue to the city to pay for those things that are priorities: better roads, more beat cops downtown, and safer mobility for motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and runners.

Petersen is able to pivot from pretty much any topic to the general question of economic development strategy and increased revenue. At the chamber forum, responding to a question about road repair, Petersen acknowledged that roads are one of the key pieces of infrastructure that the city needs to improve. The city has a revenue problem, she said, and without an economic strategy, “I don’t know how we’re going to solve that revenue problem.”

Petersen helped establish economic health as a council priority at the council’s December 2012 retreat. And she’s made into a campaign resume point an economic collaborative task force she led the council to create. At the chamber’s forum, she gave some detail about the work of that task force, describing it as taking inventory of several economic development activities. Gaps were identified, she said. While the DDA focuses on downtown Ann Arbor and SPARK’s focus is countywide, no entity is solely focused on economic development throughout the city, outside of the downtown. For example, she noted, the city recognizes the need to encourage redevelopment of areas like the North Main corridor and South State Street, which are major gateways to the downtown. The task force recommended continuing its work after a new mayor is elected, with additional stakeholders including UM, Washtenaw County, and potentially the chamber of commerce. [.pdf of economic collaborative task force report]

Also at the chamber’s forum, she more narrowly focused a strategy she’d used at the Dems forum to address a possible perception about a lack of experience on the city council. [Petersen's nearly two years of service is at least four years less than other candidates' time on the council.] At the Dems forum, she invited attendees to focus not on her shorter experience on the council, but rather on her full scope of experience: She’s lived in Ann Arbor 18 years, and has held leadership positions in the private sector, the nonprofit sector, and now the public sector. But at the chamber forum, she highlighted the parts of her background related more to economic development, like her private sector experience and her business degree. Petersen noted that she’s the only candidate with an MBA. She also cited her work in senior-level positions at CFI Group, ABN AMRO Mortgage Group and HealthMedia.

Another part of Petersen’s campaign message is that she’s not a part of  factional politics on the city council. At the Dems forum she characterized  the council’s factions not in terms of  personal politics, but rather in terms of pro-neighborhood versus pro-downtown. She described herself as aligned with neither of those factions. Separate from those remarks, she also noted that she’d been elected to the council as a “supposed outsider” – which helps support her contention that she’s not a part of a council faction.

Coda

It’s worth repeating an observation from the beginning of this column: No doubt the candidates and their supporters would argue that there’s much more to their campaigns than those aspects of their remarks that I’ve highlighted here.

I’d encourage you to listen for yourselves – either to the audio recordings that The Chronicle has provided of the Ann Arbor Democratic Party, Literati Bookstore and the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber forums, or to upcoming forums or city council meetings. Three forums will take place in the coming weeks:

• Wednesday, July 9, 8 p.m.  The League of Women Voters of the Ann Arbor Area is hosting a weeklong series of candidate debates. Space for a limited live audience is available at the Community Television Network studios at 2805 South Industrial Highway. The forums will be broadcast on CTN Channel 19, which is also streamed live over the Internet.
• Tuesday, July 15, 7 p.m. A group of faith organizations is hosting a forum on homelessness at the St. Clare of Assisi Episcopal Church and Temple Beth Emeth, co-located at 2309 Packard Road.
• Saturday, July 19, 1-5 p.m. Hosted by the Ann Arbor Ypsilanti Black Chamber of Commerce, this event will provide a 3-minute opportunity for candidates running in mayoral, city council, and judicial races. This event will be held in the Morris Lawrence Building at Washtenaw Community College.

The next city council meeting takes places on Monday, July 7 starting at 7 p.m. You can watch it in person at city hall, 301 E. Huron, as broadcast on Channel 16, or streamed online by Community Television Network.

You might hear things differently than I do.

But because the outcome of the Aug. 5 Democratic primary will almost certainly determine the next mayor of Ann Arbor, now’s a good time to start listening.

The Chronicle could not survive without regular voluntary subscriptions to support our coverage of local government. We listen to every word, so that you don’t have to. Click this link for details: Subscribe to The Chronicle. And if you’re already supporting us, please encourage your friends, neighbors and colleagues to help support The Chronicle, too!

From left: Ann Arbor mayoral candidate Sabra Briere, Ypsilanti mayoral candidate Amanda Edmonds, and Debbie Dingell, who is running for Congress in District 12, a seat currently held by her husband, John Dingell. All three candidates are Democrats and attended the June 26 A2Y Regional Chamber event at the Ann Arbor Regent Hotel on Carpenter Road.

The four Ann Arbor Democratic candidates for mayor attended: Sabra Briere (Ward 1), Sally Petersen (Ward 2), Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3), and Christopher Taylor (Ward 3). They all currently serve on the city council. Both the mayor and city councilmembers serve two-year terms.

There are three Ypsilanti mayoral candidates: Tyrone Bridges, Amanda Edmonds, and Peter Murdock. All are Democrats, but only Murdock currently serves on the city council. Bridges did not attend the June 26 event.

No Republicans are running for mayor in either city for the Aug. 5 primary. More candidates than usual have entered the race at least in part because the incumbent mayors – Democrats John Hieftje of Ann Arbor and Paul Schreiber of Ypsilanti – are not seeking re-election.

This report focuses on the Ann Arbor mayoral race. Each candidate was given five minutes to make a statement and spent another five minutes answering questions from the audience. Questions covered a variety of topics, including regionalism, public transportation, road repair, the possibility of a city income tax, downtown parks, and the regulation of drivers for hire. Taylor was asked specifically about his job as an attorney, and whether he’d continue working in that capacity as mayor. He indicated that he would.

This report includes written summaries of the Ann Arbor candidates’ responses, as well as audio clips from The Chronicle’s live broadcast of the event. (Remarks by the two Ypsilanti mayoral candidates will be reported in a separate article.) Several other forums are planned in the coming weeks, leading up to the Aug. 5 primary.

The June 26 event was held at the Ann Arbor Regent Hotel and moderated by chamber president Diane Keller, with audience questions moderated by Andy LaBarre, the chamber’s vice president of government affairs and administration – who also serves in elected office as a Washtenaw County commissioner. It was followed by a mixer for chamber members and other candidates for local, state and federal offices.

Opening Statement: Sally Petersen

Sally Petersen introduced herself as a current city councilmember representing Ward 2. When Mary Sue Coleman took the job as president at the University of Michigan 10 years ago, she said she didn’t come to the university to maintain the status quo, Petersen noted. Coleman wanted the university to continue to find ways to excel. Petersen said this statement epitomizes her own campaign. She’s running for mayor to bring new leadership, skills, knowledge and abilities that the city needs now, in order to find new ways to excel.

Sally Petersen.

As mayor, Petersen hopes to transform three things for the city – the economy, the city’s relationship with UM, and the quality of civic engagement.

Regarding the transformation of Ann Arbor’s economy, Petersen noted that she’s the only candidate with an MBA. Her years of leadership in the private sector – including work in senior-level positions at CFI Group, ABN AMRO Mortgage Group and HealthMedia – have prepared her well to lead an economic strategy that leverages future growth into revenue that will pay for the city’s priorities, she said. Those priorities include better roads, more police, and safer mobility for motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and runners. “We cannot expect to restore our infrastructure without an economic strategy.”

When Petersen was elected to city council two years ago, she quickly realized that while economic development is a budget priority, the city has no economic development staff and only a $75,000 contract with Ann Arbor SPARK to support economic development. “I was astounded at the city’s lack of leadership in this regard.” So she proposed an economic development collaborative task force, which included SPARK and the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority.

The task force took inventory of several economic development activities, Petersen said, and realized there were major gaps. While the DDA focuses on downtown Ann Arbor and SPARK’s focus is countywide, no entity is solely focused on economic development throughout the city, outside of the downtown. For example, she noted, the city recognizes the need to encourage redevelopment of areas like the North Main corridor and South State Street, which are major gateways to the downtown.

The task force recommended continuing its work after a new mayor is elected, with additional stakeholders including UM, Washtenaw County, and potentially the chamber of commerce. [.pdf of economic collaborative task force report] This expanded task force would have the power to transform Ann Arbor’s economy as it evaluates the policies and tools available to leverage new revenue to pay for the city’s priorities. New approaches might include public, private and civic partnerships, Petersen said.

As leaders in the business community, Petersen hoped that chamber members would recognize the opportunity to demonstrate corporate responsibility by thinking critically about ways to work with all stakeholders, to improve the local economy for all citizens, customers, employees, the community and the environment.

Regarding UM, the university is an engine for Ann Arbor’s economic success and a natural strategic partner, Petersen said, “but they do not fill our potholes.” Ann Arbor is electing a new mayor at the same time the university is getting a new president, she noted. “It’s time for a new attitude toward town-gown relationships.” A more equitable relationship through collaboration in areas of mutual interest would benefit both campus and the community. Those areas include transportation, job creation and quality of life, she said.

Petersen also stressed the “need to repair relationships and get beyond the polarization that currently saddles our city governance.” The polarization is characterized as those who want a vibrant downtown against those who want better services for neighborhoods. It’s a barrier to achieving both of those desirable goals, she said – a vibrant downtown that belongs to everyone, and better prosperity for the neighborhoods. “I am the mayoral candidate in the best position to unify these goals, because I’m not exclusively associated with either faction.”

She said her voting record shows that she votes for what’s best for Ann Arbor as a whole. Her leadership in the private, public and nonprofit sectors brings new knowledge, new skills and critical thinking, and new resources to bring people together to achieve a common vision, Petersen said. She closed by answering a question that she’s been asked frequently over the last several months: Why does she want to run for mayor? “I want to be mayor because I want to lead the city away from the status quo, and achieve new ways for the city to excel in the long term.” It’s an ambitious agenda, she added, but she’s confident that through better collaboration, Ann Arbor can be transformed in these important ways.

As she’s knocked on doors and spoken to other community leaders, she’s heard that people want a mayor who’s open and inclusive, who stands for the homeless and the housed, regardless of ability or political party. They want a mayor who’s unencumbered by bias, who is fair-minded and trustworthy, she said. “I will be that mayor.”

Q&A with Sally Petersen

Three questions asked of Sally Petersen touched on issues of regionalism and transportation.

Question: What are some better ways that the city can promote collaboration between itself and other municipalities?

Petersen: The notion of regionalization is becoming more popular. Ann Arbor is the center of Washtenaw County, in terms of being the county seat. Finding ways to collaborate beyond our business borders into the next town is obviously something that benefits everyone, she said. Petersen likes the idea of having the economic development task force to include members of the local chamber of commerce – to include representatives from Ypsilanti and hopefully Pittsfield Township. “What benefits outside of Ann Arbor also benefits downtown Ann Arbor,” she said.

Sally Petersen, left, talks with Ann Arbor SPARK CEO Paul Krutko and fellow Ward 2 councilmember Jane Lumm.

Petersen noted that Ann Arbor SPARK is agnostic about where companies locate, as long as it’s within Washtenaw County. But she’d like companies to be taxpayers in Ann Arbor. Petersen said that Paul Krutko, SPARK’s CEO, tells her that even if companies are located outside of Ann Arbor, the employees still shop, dine and use resources in the city. Petersen recognizes that development outside of the city benefits Ann Arbor as well.

In particular, she’s watching with “cautious optimism” the redevelopment of Detroit. People talk about improved train service from Chicago to Ann Arbor, but she’d like to see more connectivity to Detroit as well. “I think we can benefit along that I-94 corridor – not just within Ann Arbor, but from the outskirts as well.”

Question: Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti voters overwhelmingly said that public transit is important. How should the city council and the next mayor help the southeast Michigan Regional Transit Authority (RTA), especially since it seemed like the city was reluctant to join?

By way of background, on May 6, 2014, voters in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township passed an 0.7 mill tax to increase public transit service of the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority. The millage, which was put on the ballot by the AAATA board, passed with 70.6% approval.

Separately, Washtenaw County is part of the RTA. The four-county area of the RTA includes the counties of Washtenaw, Wayne, Macomb and Oakland as well as the city of Detroit. It was established by the Michigan legislature in December 2012. That same month – at a Dec. 10, 2012 special meeting – the Ann Arbor city council voted unanimously to ask that the RTA legislation be amended to exclude Washtenaw County. The Washtenaw County board of commissioners had passed a similar resolution, but neither body had any authority over that decision, and the county was included in the RTA. The chair of the county board of commissioners is allowed to appoint each county’s two members to the RTA board. Currently, the RTA board members for Washtenaw County are University of Michigan professor Liz Gerber and former state legislator Alma Wheeler, who is also the mother of county commissioner Conan Smith.

In addition, the AAATA’s CEO, Michael Ford, was recently offered the job as CEO of the RTA. Ford has not yet confirmed whether he has decided to accept that offer, however.

Petersen: The city was initially reluctant to join the RTA, Petersen said. This community will see the benefits of the RTA in five or 10 years, and right now, the city is focused on the recently passed AAATA millage. She said she was grateful that the millage had passed, to focus on improved transit along the urban core, “which is something I was very much in favor of.” Beyond that, a light rail or commuter rail between Ann Arbor and Detroit should be taken one step at a time. The city should encourage good analysis to be done, she said, and certainly shouldn’t be a barrier to its development.

Question: Roads in other states – from the mid-Atlantic up to New Hampshire – are so much better than in Michigan. With no hope from Lansing at this point, how is the city going to address this? It looks like the possibility of a local road millage has been shelved at the county level. What are we going to do about this?

Petersen: Roads are one of the key pieces of infrastructure that the city needs to improve. The city has a revenue problem, and without an economic strategy, “I don’t know how we’re going to solve that revenue problem.” The city can use general fund dollars to fix the roads, but the staff and council need to figure out where those dollars will come from. UM economists are forecasting that 12,500 new jobs will be coming to the county. Property values are going up 6.5% in Ann Arbor. “I’m encouraged that there’s economic prosperity out there, but we need a mayor who’s going to intentionally lead the effort to develop a strategy to transform that growth into more revenue for the city.”

She said she doesn’t have a quick or easy answer as to where those revenues will come from, but the city needs to start thinking about it strategically, and that hasn’t happened yet. “We’ve sort of relied on UM to be our economic engine, but they don’t fill our potholes.” The city needs to work with all of its stakeholders to make the most of this improving economy and turn that into more dollars that the city can then spend on infrastructure, like roads.

[.mp3 of Sally Petersen's remarks and answers]

Opening Statement: Sabra Briere

Since she began serving on city council in 2007, many of the things she’s focused on have been the small, iterative changes that make big differences in people’s lives. Those issues include traffic calming, getting snow plowed, filling sidewalk gaps and getting sidewalks repaired in an equitable and reasonable fashion. “Those are quality of life issues that help move us toward a future that really improves the life of everyone living in Ann Arbor today and the lives of all the people who come visit tomorrow – and for that matter, the lives of the people who will be living there in the future.”

Sabra Briere.

Briere said she plans long-term. It doesn’t make sense to talk just about a two-year plan or a five-year plan, because just doing a street project can take five years of planning. It doesn’t make sense to talk about how much difference one person is going to make in a two-year term, because it can take two years to get an ordinance passed – from the time that you think about it, until it’s approved by city council and implemented. That doesn’t even factor in evaluating it to see if it’s been done correctly, she noted.

Briere believes in long-term goals, with iterative changes to achieve those goals. So as the city works toward safe streets, for her that means not just paving them but also coming up with a plan to repair the potholes before they happen. It means not just improving sidewalks, but also thinking about how people use those sidewalks – where they’re going and why they’re going there, and what are the destinations that the city wants them to reach, or destinations that they want to reach but can’t.

If there’s a park that people can’t reach because there’s no sidewalk, that’s a problem in the city’s planning. If there’s no sidewalk to reach a school, that’s a planning problem. Her goal is to plan properly and make the changes that are needed.

All of this leads to stronger neighborhoods and a more resilient community. A strong neighborhood is one where people talk to each other. For example, someone can borrow a chainsaw from a neighbor to deal with a branch that fell on their sidewalk. Strong neighborhoods are also places where people know who to call to get city services, she said, “and they know that they’re going to get a response from city hall. Neighborhoods and neighborhood leaders are city hall’s partners.” It’s the responsibility of the city’s employees and elected officials to respond to those requests.

As Ann Arbor changes – and Ann Arbor will change, she said – it’s important to talk about retaining things that make Ann Arbor special, “the things that made us stay here.” But it’s also important to become a community that can meet the challenges of the future. Those challenges include changes in technology and changes in the economy, from improving the transit system to dealing with where cars should park. As the city talks about increased jobs, it’s also important to talk about increased traffic and increased wear-and-tear on the city’s infrastructure. All of that requires better long-term planning, Briere said.

“If there’s one thing besides my ability to work with everyone on council and my record of true independent thinking and of not being part of any clique or group, one thing that I bring to this race that is unique to me is my ability to see a future, and to look at the ways and steps it will take for us to get there,” Briere concluded.

Q&A with Briere

The two questions to Sabra Briere covered a city income tax and downtown parks.

Question: Regarding tax revenues, the city has occasionally talked about the idea of a city income tax. What are your thoughts on that? Would it be beneficial to the city, or detrimental – in terms of regionalism and for the city itself.

The question was posed by local attorney Scott Munzel, who serves on the chamber’s public policy committee. Before answering the question, Briere laughed: “Oh, really, Scott – are you going to bring that up?”

Steve Kwasny, a volunteer for Sabra Briere’s mayoral campaign, is interviewed by WEMU’s Andrew Cluley.

Briere: For people who didn’t know how income taxes work, she said, if the city were to ask voters to approve an income tax, the revenue from that tax would be offset by a decrease in the base property tax rate. The goal is to keep the impact to the property owners neutral. But there are always barriers to an income tax, she said, and there are reasons why the city hasn’t pursued it.

One reason is that the city hasn’t figured out a way to impact the people who make the most and live away from the city, Briere said, in a fashion that doesn’t discourage them from working in the city. There’s no way to guarantee that businesses won’t move five feet outside the city’s borders. In addition, “we haven’t figured out a way to ensure that the people who get paid the least, suffer the least. If they’re commuting to the city, what is the economic impact on their lives if we try to institute a portion of a percent of a mill.”

These issues haven’t been discussed in a way that leads to the decision to put an income tax proposal on the ballot, Briere said. If councilmembers aren’t convinced that an income tax would benefit the city’s bottom line and the citizens who live here, “then it becomes harder for us to sell.”

The reason that this idea keeps coming up is that people want to make certain that “if the university won’t pay its fair share, as it were, of the cost of doing business in Ann Arbor, then the people who work at the university should be forced to pay. And that is a barrier that none of us have quite been able to overcome. It hasn’t gone on the ballot. Anything can happen in the future.”

Question: The city has about 158 parks and 15 parks facilities. Can you talk about why there’s a need for another park, specifically in the downtown area?

Briere: People in Ann Arbor are fortunate that the city embraces the idea of as much natural area and recreational area and community gathering area as possible. One of the challenges that any downtown faces – anywhere in the country – is that there needs to be respite from construction and hardscape, she said. While it’s not always possible to guarantee, as Ann Arbor creates a dense downtown, the city will confront the need of people who live and work and visit downtown to have a break from the buildings and hardscape. That’s the purpose of a downtown gathering space or park.

The truth is that there are several places downtown, which are all small pocket parks, Briere continued. But there’s no coherent plan yet for how to use space on the Library Lane lot. The top of that underground parking garage was intended to hold a park, but not a building, in certain areas, she said. The city needs to address the needs of the community, how that park is designed, and what it does – and that can’t be done in isolation, she added. Ann Arbor embraces its open space, and when people come to visit Ann Arbor or decide to live here, part of the reason is because of its parks. “I wouldn’t give up a single one, but we’ll always have a challenge of paying for the ones we have.”

[.mp3 of Sabra Briere's remarks and answers]

Opening Statement: Stephen Kunselman

Stephen Kunselman began by thanking the audience for considering his candidacy, saying he was honored that they were interested in his policy positions and his record as an elected official.

Stephen Kunselman.

As a three-term councilmember representing Ward 3, he said he’s held a position of dignity, respect and honor, and he’d continue to do so as mayor. He’s been a strong and effective voice for all Ann Arbor residents, using common sense and fiscal responsibility as the basis for governing. “I believe in fairness and equity in the distribution of the city’s limited financial and staff resources, and have been a consistent advocate for investment in our infrastructure, funding of our parks system, and the rebuilding of our public safety department.”

Kunselman described how he grew up in Ann Arbor, and attended Ann Arbor public schools beginning with kindergarten at Pittsfield Elementary. He also attended King Elementary, Wines Elementary, Forsythe Middle School, Community High and graduated from Pioneer High in 1981. He got a bachelor of science degree in natural sciences with a major in forestry from the University of Michigan, and went on to obtain a masters degree in urban planning and landscape architecture, also from UM.

His career has been primarily in the public sector. He was an intern with the city of Ann Arbor’s forestry department, and a driver for Recycle Ann Arbor. He worked in local government for over 10 years, serving as an environmental planner in a nearby township and eventually as the township administrator. His responsibilities during that time included duties in environmental planning, solid waste operations, water distribution systems, development review, public works projects, recreation programs and planning, senior programs, and public safety.

Currently, Kunselman is employed at UM as an energy conservation liaison. He’s been in that position for the past 10 years. He’s married to Letitia Kunselman, a public school teacher, “and together we have helped raise our now young adult children – Shane, Sabrina, Sophia and Hannah.”

As a councilmember, he said he helped lead the successful community-based effort to prevent the dissolution of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority for an “ill-conceived” countywide transit authority. Today, there’s an expanded Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority “just as I’d advocated for from the very beginning,” he said. “That is what I call common-sense governance – because anybody with common sense could have easily predicted that the western, wealthy Washtenaw County communities were never going to participate in a countywide transit taxing authority.”

Kunselman said he also helped defeat the “very questionable” transfer of restricted utility and millage funds to the public art fund. “I was the greatest critic of the Percent for Art program, and today we can confidently state that it’s been dismantled. You and I want our utility dollars to repair water mains and maintain fire hydrants – not to construct a fountain in front of city hall.”

But what he’s most proud of in his six years on city council was championing reform of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, “which entailed perseverance, courage and compromise to legislate the most significant amendments to the city’s DDA ordinance, which passed overwhelmingly.” The DDA tax capture is now restricted to a reasonable rate of increase, he said, providing all taxing authorities with their fair share of revenues. In addition, he continued, the DDA budget now requires funds to be allocated to affordable housing, and there are term limits for board members.

Due to his advocacy, Kunselman said, the former city-owned Y lot was sold, ending a “10-year speculative development venture.” Also, the Valiant proposal to put the full faith and credit of the city behind a “questionable” hotel/conference center venture for the Library Lot site was halted, he said, “and I was the first elected official, in 2006, to say ‘Support the skatepark’ and in 2009 to say ‘Save Argo Pond’ – and today, we have both.”

If elected mayor, Kunselman said he’d continue to work cooperatively and graciously with his council colleagues, “with an emphasis on open and vigorous debate of all issues facing our great city.” He’s proud and humbled to have the trust, support and endorsement of current city councilmembers Sumi Kailasapathy (Ward 1), Jane Lumm (Ward 2), Jack Eaton (Ward 4) and Mike Anglin (Ward 5). “As your mayor, I’m confident that city council will prioritize public health, safety and welfare, as we all expect.”

Q&A with Kunselman

There were two questions for Kunselman, focused on transportation and roads.

Question: There are a lot of ride-sharing apps and transportation companies that are coming into Ann Arbor, and it’s not clear whether they’re following the rules that the city put in place. What would you do as mayor to try to curtail those somewhat dangerous companies that are out there transporting people?

The question was asked by Sean Duval, founder and CEO of Golden Limousine International and chair of the chamber’s executive board. Duval was referring to the entry into the Ann Arbor market of Uber and Lyft. Those two companies, which coordinate drivers and passengers through software applications, have been sent cease-and-desist letters by the Ann Arbor city attorney’s office – for aiding and abetting the violation of a state statute regulating limousines.

Kunselman: It doesn’t require being mayor to take action, he said – it requires being on city council. He serves on the city’s taxicab board, and at a meeting of the board that morning, they reviewed a rough draft of amendments to the city’s taxicab ordinance regarding taxicabs and non-metered vehicles for hire. The basic premise for public safety purposes is to know who the drivers are, he said.

Stephen Kunselman at the A2Y Regional Chamber mixer.

Currently, two regulations address vehicles for hire – the state limousine act, and the local taxicab ordinance, he explained. The state limousine act doesn’t regulate drivers – it regulates vehicles, and requires insurance. The city’s possible taxicab ordinance amendments would regulate drivers. For Uber and Lyft, the city has no idea who those drivers are, he said. So if the city can at least require that the drivers register with the city, “we’ll know who the drivers are.”

If the city also has a way of identifying these drivers as registered, that would be great, Kunselman said. That way, if the police see a driver who doesn’t have a registration, the police officer would have authority to use that as a primary offense to pull over the vehicle. “So if they see that pink moustache on a car [Lyft's logo] without a registered driver in it, then that’s going to get pulled over.” Right now, police can’t pull over a vehicle just based on a suspicion that it’s a driver for hire. “So we are addressing it.”

Question: The city is spending money to repair roads. Where does that funding come from, and when will the roads be repaired?

Kunselman: When the city council approved its budget for fiscal 2015, which begins on July 1, Kunselman said he was one of the few councilmembers who didn’t put forward any amendments – because the budget was pretty tight and everything he’d wanted was already in it. Staffing for the police and fire departments was increased, and the city allocated $1 million from the general fund reserves for street tree maintenance. That’s the only way that the city can catch up on a huge backlog of tree maintenance issues, he noted. He thought in the next budget cycle, the city might look at whether they can take money out of the general fund reserve – knowing that they’re spending very prudently.

Given the downsizing of local government in recent years, Kunselman said, the city can’t spend money on “all kinds of things for all people.” There seems to be an expectation, he added, that the city can continue to provide services outside the realm of public health, safety and welfare – such as pursuing transportation initiatives that are outside the city’s jurisdiction. While it might be great that the city is thinking forward, he said, they still have to take care of their needs today. “That’s been one of the problems I have with what I will term the progressive elitist agenda – always wanting more of something else, but never taking care of what they have.”

That’s been seen in the last few years in local government, he said, “pursuing public art, and letting our roads fall apart.” As mayor, he’d push back on that kind of agenda and start a new agenda focused on public health, safety and welfare. “I’ve been the most consistent councilmember, the most consistent politician focusing on those things because of my work history, and because of the community that I grew up in. I remember when our roads were in great shape, because I was a skateboarder and didn’t have to worry about any potholes.”

[.mp3 of Stephen Kunselman's remarks and answers]

Opening Statement: Christopher Taylor

Christopher Taylor began by saying he was running for the city of Ann Arbor – then realized he’d misspoken, and joked that he knows the chief executive embodies the city, “but I think that’s getting a little grand.”

Christopher Taylor.

Taylor has been on city council for about six years, but he came to Ann Arbor in 1985. Like many, he came here for college and has a degree from the University of Michigan music school. “And like many folks with a degree from the music school, I’m now a lawyer,” he quipped. He works at Ann Arbor law firm of Hooper Hathaway on Main Street, where his practice focuses mostly on corporate commercial clients. He represents local businesses, individuals and nonprofits.

Both of his kids are in public schools – at Tappan Middle School and Pioneer High. In the community, he’s been involved in several theatrical production and choirs, as well as nonprofits. He’s been on the board of 826 Michigan, which does work in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, and he’s on the board for FestiFools.

He thinks Ann Arbor is going in the right direction. The city isn’t perfect, but it’s doing all right. “We can improve, but we’re on the right track.” If elected mayor, he’d like to work on two major things. The first is basic services – neighborhood safety, streets, sidewalks, snow removal, “all of the pipes underneath the ground.” These are things that the city has to work on day in and day out, and that are fundamental to the city, he said.

Taylor was proud to say that he’s a progressive, and Ann Arbor is a progressive place. So without attention to other things, “I think we would cheapen ourselves in this city.” And with respect to the business community, the city wouldn’t be as effective a place and wouldn’t attract people to come here if the only thing that the city focused on were the basics. As mayor, he’d like to work on a few discrete areas.

The city needs to do all it can with respect to affordability and affordable housing. Taylor said he’s also sat on the parks advisory commission for six years, and Ann Arbor’s parks are crucial to its quality of life. They need to be kept well-maintained and beautiful at all times. Ann Arbor also is an environmental leader. The city can’t stop climate change, “but we ought to do our part.” The city should work with residents and businesses to help them do their part as well. It’s a real opportunity to move the city’s climate action plan goals forward, he said.

The city also needs to focus on transportation, both public transit and non-motorized and pedestrian safety. These are fundamental to quality of life for residents in Ann Arbor, Taylor said, and fundamental to employees and customers for local businesses. Finally, it’s important for Ann Arbor to have a vibrant, active downtown that still maintains its essential character, he said. “Finding this balance between the growth that has to happen downtown, and a maintenance of the character – this is a tension that we all have to keep working on.” Finding that balance is part of the city’s charge going forward, “and part of my pleasure if I were to be elected as mayor.”

Fundamentally, Taylor said, he has the temperament, experience and judgment to serve as mayor, and he’d be delighted to have the individual and collective support of chamber members.

Q&A with Taylor

There was a lull before the first question was asked, so Taylor quipped, “I’m 6-6, for those of you who want to know.”

Question: There are only 24 hours in a day, and lawyers probably work more than eight hours a day. How would you balance your job as mayor, if you’re elected, and your real job? If you represent a corporation that presents a conflict of interest with your work as mayor, how would you handle that?

Taylor: Fundamentally, Ann Arbor deserves a mayor who works every day to maintain and improve the quality of life for everyone. “If I am elected mayor, I will absolutely do that.” He has a small commercial practice downtown. He doesn’t go to court, so “my schedule is my own.” His clients don’t care if he types their contracts before his kids wake up, or during the business day, or after his kids are in bed. He’s 100% confident that he could do everything necessary as mayor, and still maintain his practice.

Julie Grand, a Democratic candidate for Ann Arbor city council in Ward 3, talks with mayoral candidate Sally Petersen. Grand is running to fill the seat that’s currently held by Christopher Taylor, who’s also running for mayor. Other candidates in the Ward 3 Democratic primary are Bob Dascola and Samuel McMullen.

Taylor also thinks it’s a benefit to have a mayor who is engaged in the local community as a lawyer, working with businesses and people. “I think it gives that person a special understanding of the challenges and opportunities that are before folks.” Someone who still has to pay their mortgage, to pay for kids’ college, to pay their own student loans – this gives him an additional perspective on the challenges that confront Ann Arborites, Taylor said.

Regarding potential conflict of interest, Taylor said he represents clients now who have business that comes before the city council. What he does is make an announcement at the council table that he represents a petitioner, and he asks his council colleagues permission to sit out of that vote. In that way, he doesn’t participate in the conversation, deliberations or vote with respect to that issue, he said.

Question: Ann Arbor is a beacon in the state and the Midwest in terms of job creation, and how well local businesses are doing. How would you be an ambassador and tell the Ann Arbor story, and get other communities rolling?

Taylor: Ann Arbor is a community that values entrepreneurship. It’s open, diverse and welcoming to all faiths, origins and orientations. It’s focused on creating its own quality of life, and is open to education – it’s the seat of a global university. “We are a community that cares for ourselves – not in a selfish way, but that we care about ourselves and we strive to treat ourselves well.” Ann Arbor has a wonderful quality of life. Ann Arbor values sustainability and the environment, and progress. “Telling the story is an easy one,” he said.

As businesses come to Ann Arbor, they are keen to see where their employees would like to live. “You could talk all day about why Ann Arbor is awesome, and I’d be delighted to do so.”

Question: As a follow-up, when you look around Washtenaw County, not all communities are doing as well as Ann Arbor. The city has a brand that works and a model that works. How do we get the other communities in Washtenaw County to do as well? The business community wants people throughout Washtenaw County to come to Ann Arbor, and they do that when there’s good transit, and when other communities are doing well.

Taylor: “I would not presume to tell other folks what they should be doing and why they should be doing it.” Other communities “know their own lights best, and I wouldn’t want to play a role in advocating one way or the other on how they do their particular business.” Regional cooperation is vital, he added, and the success of Ann Arbor’s neighbors builds the success of Ann Arbor. So to the extent that other jurisdictions felt that Ann Arbor had the opportunity to be a successful partner, to help lift both communities, he’d be behind it 100%.

Transportation is an obvious example, Taylor said, as is the Washtenaw Avenue corridor. These are areas “where I think that we can and we ought to work together openly and zealously and with some cheer.”

[.mp3 of Christopher Taylor's remarks and answers]

Other Candidates

In addition to mayoral candidates, the chamber’s June 26 event drew several other candidates for local, state and federal office. Here are some photos of a few of the other candidates who attended.

Gretchen Driskell, a Democrat from Saline, is running for re-election in District 52 of the Michigan House of Representatives. She was first elected in 2012.

Jane Lumm, a Ward 2 Ann Arbor city council member who was elected as an independent, greets Republican Dan Smith, a Washtenaw County commissioner who represents District 2, which includes a small portion of northern Ann Arbor. Smith is running for re-election. Lumm is in the middle of her two-year term, which runs through November 2015.

David Rutledge, a Democrat from Superior Township, is running for re-election for District 54 in the Michigan House of Representatives. He was first elected to that seat in 2010.

Kirk Westphal is running in the Ann Arbor city council Ward 2 Democratic primary against Nancy Kaplan.

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A detail from cover art for the book “If Mayors Ruled the World: Dysfunctional Nations, Rising Cities” by Benjamin R. Barber. It was displayed on the shelves of Literati Bookstore in downtown Ann Arbor, where another mayoral candidate forum was held on June 25.

All four Ann Arbor mayoral candidates currently serve on the Ann Arbor city council: Sabra Briere (Ward 1), Sally Petersen (Ward 2), Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3) and Christopher Taylor (Ward 3).

The Ypsilanti mayoral candidates are Tyrone Bridges, Amanda Edmonds and Peter Murdock. Murdock currently serves on the Ypsilanti city council.

There are no Republicans running for mayor in either city for the Aug. 5, 2014 primary. In both cities, the incumbent mayors – John Hieftje of Ann Arbor and Paul Schreiber of Ypsilanti – are not seeking re-election.

The June 26 chamber event will include audience questions as well as an opportunity for candidates to talk about their vision for Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. After the forum, a mixer will be held for chamber members and candidates for local, state and federal offices.

The Chronicle’s live audio broadcast is planned to start around 4:20 p.m. to allow for sorting through technical issues that might arise.

Audio Player: Listen live using the Mixlr player embedded below. After the event, we will provide an .mp3 recording of the broadcast.

Text Box 1: The text box below the audio player provides live notes to listeners – for example, the current topic that candidates are addressing, who is currently talking, or other listener aids. It’s programmed to force the scroll continuously to the bottom of the text notes file – to facilitate hands-free listening.

Text Box 2: The second text box uses the same source file as the first text box. The only difference is the absence of forced scrolling to the bottom.

If your text box displays an error message that reads, “We’re trying to connect to the server,” we apologize. We’re not sure what causes that for some browser/hardware combinations.

Audio files from the event [Tyrone Bridges was unable to attend]:

[.mp3 of welcoming remarks]

[.mp3 of Sally Petersen's remarks and answers]

[.mp3 of Peter Murdock's remarks and answers]

[.mp3 of Sabra Briere's remarks and answers]

[.mp3 of Stephen Kunselman's remarks and answers]

[.mp3 of Amanda Edmonds' remarks and answers]

[.mp3 of Christopher Taylor's remarks and answers]

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Photoshopped “art” of the chalkboard at Literati Bookstore at the southwest corner of Washington and Fourth in downtown Ann Arbor.

Literati is located at the southwest corner of Washington and Fourth in downtown Ann Arbor.

All four mayoral candidates currently serve on the Ann Arbor city council: Sabra Briere (Ward 1), Sally Petersen (Ward 2), Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3) and Christopher Taylor (Ward 3).

It’s likely that the winner of the Democratic primary on Aug. 5 will also win the general election in November. No Republican candidate took out nominating petitions this year. One independent candidate – Bryan Kelly – has taken out petitions for mayor, but not yet submitted them to the city clerk’s office.

Ann Arbor’s mayorship is an open race with no incumbent this year, because current mayor John Hieftje announced last year that he would not be seeking re-election to an eighth term. Terms for the mayor of Ann Arbor, like those of city councilmembers, last for two years.

The Chronicle is planning to broadcast live audio from the event (see below) and – if events unfold favorably – provide live text corresponding to that audio (see further below).

The event is described by Literati co-owners Hilary and Michael Gustafson on their bookstore’s website as follows: “As a new downtown business, we here at Literati are part of a growing and changing Ann Arbor landscape. But one thing that doesn’t change is our community. We’re proud to not only serve our community as a general bookseller, but to act as a space where our community can come together.”

The event will focus on downtown issues. It will be moderated by the Gustafsons.

The Chronicle’s live audio broadcast is planned to start around 7:20 p.m. to allow for sorting through technical issues that might arise.

Audio Player: Listen live using the Mixlr player embedded below. After the event, we will make available an .mp3 recording of the broadcast.

Text Box One: Live text from the event will be streamed into the top text box. The box is programmed to automatically force the view to the bottom-most (most recent) text – which facilitates hands-free reading.  The technique The Chronicle is testing out for this event is “voice-writing” – verbatim repetition by a human operator into a microphone that is connected to voice-recognition software. Note that this material will be uncorrected and could be fairly raw. An ellipsis “…” will be used to indicate missed text.

A corrected version of the text may be available at some point after the event.

Text Box Two: The contents of the bottom text box are identical to the contents of the top text box. What is different is that there’s no forced scroll to the bottom. So readers who are curious about topics covered earlier can scroll up to review.

If your text boxes display an error message that reads, “We’re trying to connect to the server,” we apologize. We’re not sure what causes that for some browser/hardware combinations.

[.mp3 recording of Literati mayoral debate]

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Invited have been  Ward 1 city council Democratic primary candidates who will appear on the Aug. 5 primary ballot: incumbent Sumi Kailasapathy and Don Adams. Arrowwood is located in Ward 1.

Also invited are mayoral candidates in the Democratic primary: Sabra Briere, Sally Petersen, Christopher Taylor and Stephen Kunselman.

Candidates for the Ann Arbor Public School Board in the Nov. 4, 2014 general election have also been invited: Patricia Manley and Don Wilkerson.

The format of the forum will include opportunities for the candidates to state their positions and to field questions from the audience.

Clockwise from upper left: Sabra Briere, Christopher Taylor, Stephen Kunselman and Sally Petersen.

The candidates all currently serve on city council: Sabra Briere (Ward 1), Sally Petersen (Ward 2), Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3) and Christopher Taylor (Ward 3).

Questions touched on affordable housing, downtown development, factions on city council, relationships with the University of Michigan and the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, an assessment of Ann Arbor SPARK, non-motorized transit, commuter rail, and the role of the mayor.

Candidates were also asked to say something nice about each of their opponents – and they did. When Taylor answered the question by describing similar qualities that both Briere and Petersen shared, Briere responded by saying: “I’ve been lumped together!” Distinguishing themselves from the other candidates was a challenge they all faced. The sharpest contrast came when Kunselman said if elected mayor, he would ask Eli Cooper, the city’s transportation program manager, to step down from the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority board, calling the two roles a “conflict of commitment.” The other three candidates disagreed with Kunselman’s view on that.

Briere stressed her listening skills, problem-solving approach and independence, pointing to specific examples of her work on council. “It doesn’t bother me at all that we have factions, but I’m really resistant to joining one,” she said.

Petersen highlighted her experience in the private, nonprofit and public sectors, saying that this gives her a fresh perspective and skills as the city is on the cusp of growth. She pointed to her work toward developing an economic strategy for the city, and said she’d prioritize improving relations with the University of Michigan.

Kunselman told the audience he’d represent the working class, and stressed that he’s the only candidate with policies and politics that differ from the current mayor, John Hieftje, and from Hieftje’s supporters. “I’m offering you a choice of someone that is not in that camp,” he said.

Taylor, in contrast, thinks that the city is on the right track, though he’d work to improve basic services. He also repeatedly pointed to priorities for affordable housing, parks, and efforts to reduce the impact of climate change.

This report includes written summaries of the candidates’ responses, as well as audio clips from The Chronicle’s live broadcast of the event, which was held at the Ann Arbor Community Center. Several other forums are planned in the coming weeks, leading up to the Aug. 5 primary. There are no Republicans running for mayor this year. So far one independent candidate, Bryan Kelly, has taken out petitions.

The June 14 forum was moderated by Mike Henry, chair of the Ann Arbor Dems, and Jim Simpson, an Ann Arbor public art commissioner who works for Duo Security, a local tech firm. Candidates were given 90 seconds for opening and closing statements, and 60 seconds to respond to each question, with the possibility of a 30-second follow-up. Susan Baskett, a board member of the Ann Arbor Public Schools and Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority, served as timekeeper.

Questions were devised by the moderators, and collected from the audience. Henry asked audience members not to ask questions that attacked any individual candidate, but to focus on questions that every candidate could answer.

Henry also encouraged candidates not to engage each other, but to speak to the audience or the moderators. He requested that candidates not filibuster. “We hope for a cordial, fair and informative candidate forum,” Henry said.

Opening Statements

The candidates drew numbers to determine their speaking order. Each candidate got 90 seconds for their opening statement.

[Audio: Opening statements]

Opening Statements: Christopher Taylor

Taylor introduced himself as a three-term councilmember from Ward 3 and a lifelong Democrat. He got his start in electoral politics in 1987 working on the “short but beautiful” campaign for Paul Simon in Chicago. He thinks the city is going in the right direction, though it’s far from perfect. The city is doing the right things. If he’s mayor, he’ll work on two broad issues. First, he’d focus on all the basic services that the city provides – public safety, streets, snow removal, water and all the underground infrastructure. These are things the city simply has to improve. “But we could spend every last nickel we have on these things, and they still wouldn’t be perfect, and the city would be kind of a boring place.”

So if he’s elected mayor, he’ll also work on other areas, including affordable housing. He’s been on the parks advisory commission for six years, and parks should be beautiful and well-maintained. The city can’t stop climate change, but it can do its part and should help residents and businesses do theirs. He supports public transit and non-motorized transit, and an attractive, vibrant downtown. The downtown is Ann Arbor’s core and its jewel, and the city needs to find a way to balance the downtown’s character with its growth. “In 20 years if we don’t recognize the place, that’s going to be a problem.”

Opening Statements: Sally Hart Petersen

Petersen is running in order to bring new leadership and a new plan to Ann Arbor, that will transform economic growth into much-needed revenue to pay for priorities. Those priorities include better roads, more beat cops downtown, and safer mobility for motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and runners. She has two main components that reflect her priorities in this campaign. One is developing an economic strategy to grow jobs in Ann Arbor. She doesn’t know how the city can expect to fill potholes without an economic strategy. An economic outlook report for Washtenaw County states that 12,500 jobs are coming to the county in the next three years. “I want those jobs to come to Ann Arbor – but where are we going to put them?” Her economic strategy will include a plan to redevelop the downtown and business corridors in ways that preserve the community’s character and heritage.

The second component is working more strategically with the University of Michigan. Ann Arbor will always be a fine place to live, work and play because of the jobs and cultural diversity that UM provides. But they don’t fill potholes, and UM’s police can’t enforce local ordinances, she said. UM will have a new president, and Ann Arbor will have a new mayor. “It’s time for a new attitude to really balance the town/gown relationships.”

Opening Statements: Sabra Briere

Briere noted that most of the attendees know her because she’s been coming to nearly every Democratic Party meeting since long before she first ran for city council. It’s difficult to describe in a sound byte why she wants to run for mayor. She wants all Ann Arbor residents not just to live here, but also to thrive here. She’ll be committed to working full-time to meet the demands of the future and the needs of today. Her leadership style begins by respectfully engaging members of the community. She’s used this commitment to listening as the starting point for all the decisions she’s made, and she’s made each decision thoughtfully and carefully and independently.

Real leadership comes from recognizing problems, finding solutions, and never being afraid to admit that maybe your decision was wrong and it should be reconsidered. “I’ve never been even slightly hesitant to see the flaws in the decisions, which is why I proposed revising the downtown zoning.” She was grateful that other councilmembers agreed with her on that. Her ability to rethink, consider and evaluate is a value to this community “because you are all my advisors, and I appreciate that.” As mayor, she’ll continue to listen – not just to her friends, but to everybody.

Opening Statements: Stephen Kunselman

Kunselman thanked the other candidates, saying it inspires everyone to get out and vote when there’s competition – and this is probably the most competitive mayoral race in decades. He thanked his wife, Letitia Kunselman, calling her “the dynamo behind my politics here in Ann Arbor. Without her, I would not have the courage to stand before all of you.” He’s a three-term councilmember, and a strong and effective voice for all Ann Arbor residents. He believes common sense and fiscal responsibility are the basis for governing. He believes in fairness and equity in distributing the city’s limited financial and staff resources, and has been a consistent advocate for investing in the city’s infrastructure, funding the parks, and rebuilding the public safety department.

If elected mayor, he’ll continue to work cooperatively and graciously with other councilmembers, with an emphasis on open and vigorous debate on all issues facing the city. He’s proud to have the trust, support and endorsement of the following Ann Arbor councilmembers: Sumi Kailasapathy of Ward 1, Mike Anglin of Ward 5, Jane Lumm of Ward 2, and Jack Eaton of Ward 4. “I’m confident that as mayor, I will prioritize public health, safety and welfare as you all expect, and as I’ve always done.”

Comments about Other Candidates

Question: Say something nice about the other mayoral candidates.

[Audio: Comments About Other Candidates]

Sally Hart Petersen’s Comments about Other Candidates

Regarding Taylor, Petersen said that when she ran for city council two years ago, she ran against a very popular Democratic incumbent [Tony Derezinski] – she thought of it as running for a seat at the table, not running against anyone. After the election, Taylor and mayor John Hieftje were two of the first people to welcome her to city council. So she felt very welcomed, despite the race. [Taylor and Hieftje both supported Derezinski.]

Petersen said she’s like Briere because they both truly listen to constituents. Briere is genuine in her ability and meaningfulness in terms of really valuing input. Kunselman also has been kind to Petersen on council. She appreciates Kunselman’s sense of humor, candor, integrity and courage.

Sabra Briere’s Comments about Other Candidates

Briere enjoys Kunselman’s humor and integrity, but mostly she enjoys that he challenges people’s pre-conceived notions. It’s extraordinarily valuable to her to hear him bring forward issues that she might otherwise miss. Taylor speaks Latin. For those who enjoy a good turn of phrase and grammatically constructed sentences, “there’s no one better than Chris.” Petersen brings her interests and intellect to the table, but also a genuine sense of personal responsibility. It’s sometimes challenging to remain polite and genuine and interested at two in the morning.

Stephen Kunselman’s Comments about Other Candidates

Kunselman appreciates the stamina, courage and ability to work with others on council and the public. He and Briere go back to 2007, when the two of them and Ron Suarez [former Ward 1 councilmember] were the minority who changed the direction of council. He appreciated Briere standing up for that effort. Regarding Taylor, Kunselman was honored and humbled when Taylor beat him, because it showed that Taylor was reaching out to the voters. [Taylor defeated Kunselman in the 2008 Democratic primary for Ward 3. Kunselman ran against incumbent Leigh Greden the following year and won.] Taylor is very polite, “and when the game is done at the table, we still know that it’s not personal. It’s politics – there’s nothing personal going on.”

Petersen has been a fresh voice, and strives hard to change the tenor of politics in Ann Arbor and the political culture, and he appreciates that.

Christopher Taylor’s Comments about Other Candidates

Taylor said he and Kunselman probably agree on 10% of things that come before council, but “I enjoy sitting next to him a lot.” They have a good personal relationship in that regard, and it’s nice to know that he’s a pal who appreciates the absurdities of the process “and perhaps an occasional colleague or two.”

Taylor described Petersen and Briere as having similar characteristics – both are thoughtful and engaged, and work with constituents. He thought he shared that characteristic as well, but they exemplify it. It’s an important part of politics and the representative process, and they both do it really well.

Responding to Taylor, Briere quipped: “I’ve been lumped together!”

Balancing Services

Question: Candidates have talked about balancing basic services, downtown and other concerns. What does that actually mean for you?

[Audio: Balancing Services]

Balancing Services: Taylor

Broadly speaking, Taylor said, it means there are limited resources “and we can’t overemphasize one set of priorities over the other.” Basic services deserve the lion’s share because they are basic. The city has an obligation to provide essential services to residents and it should do that in a consistent and efficient manner. “At the same time, we’re not a basic place.” So the city needs to do what it can to engage other priorities – improve affordable housing, make sure parks are beautiful, encourage renewable energy to address climate change. Also, the city should expand transit and do what it can for non-motorized and pedestrian safety. Finding a balance is just a matter of allocating resources, staff time and political attention.

Balancing Services: Petersen

This question is really about priorities for services downtown and services for the neighborhoods, Petersen said. That’s how some factions on city council have aligned – pro-neighborhood versus pro-downtown. Ann Arbor needs a vibrant downtown that belongs to every person of every generation: Millennials, retirees, visitors. The city also needs very strong neighborhoods and good infrastructure in the neighborhoods. There’s a philosophy that a strong downtown means strong neighborhoods. “I don’t think we feel that today, when we look at the condition of our infrastructure and our roads.” The city needs a mayor to bridge that divide. If the city has an economic strategy and economic development plan, there can be prudent redevelopment downtown and along the city’s business corridors in a way that raises the level of revenue to take care of the neighborhoods.

Balancing Services: Briere

The only way to balance basic services and change downtown and throughout the city is through good planning, Briere said. One of the difficulties is to see 40 years ahead. Most people do well just to look six months ahead or even two weeks ahead, she noted, but the city has to make decisions that are long term. In some cases, it means rethinking the way that the city has handled infrastructure in the past, to adapt to a changing world. In some cases, it means thinking about the impact of a new development. “I don’t believe there is a difference between making a healthy downtown and making a healthy community.” If it’s not possible for people to live in the community, to walk the streets, to feel secure, to not have water in their basements – “then we have failed to do our job.” It’s important to find a balance.

Balancing Services: Kunselman

When he served as township administrator in Sumpter Township, Kunselman said, he supervised employees there. He still holds his certified water distribution system operator license from the state of Michigan. He’s glad to hear the other candidates talk about the need to focus on basic infrastructure, because for too long, the city hasn’t done that.

He then read a quote from his campaign literature: “Our roads are crumbling, our water mains are breaking, our street trees are neglected – all the while our public works director attends public art commission meetings. Let’s prioritize our infrastructure first.” That’s been the problem – it hasn’t been a priority for so many years, he said. Council votes have steered resources downtown. Staff has been focusing on downtown. He’s been advocating for neighborhoods, and his advocacy is working, he contended. This summer, his street is getting new roads, new water mains and new storm sewer after that infrastructure has been failing for years. It’s time to take that direction to the rest of the city.

Factions on Council

Question: In one of her answers, Sally Petersen mentioned factions on council. If you were mayor, how would you manage that environment?

[Audio: Factions on Council]

Factions on Council: Petersen

It’s about building bridges, Petersen said. Based on her experience in the business world and nonprofit sector, it’s incumbent on any leader to know how to build those bridges to achieve consensus and find common ground when there is disagreement. That makes business leaders successful, and in the nonprofit world as well – especially when funding priorities are constrained. “I personally have not been aligned with either faction” on the council, she said. She researches issues, looks at both sides and sometimes meets with the opposition in order to understand all perspectives and find common ground. “I’m not in the pro-downtown or pro-neighborhood factions – I vote for what I think is best for all of Ann Arbor, and I think my voting record suggests that.”

Later in the forum, Petersen clarified her statement, stressing that she’s very much pro-downtown and pro-neighborhood. She meant to say she wasn’t part of either faction. She’s “not anti-anything.”

Factions on Council: Taylor

To improve relations on council, you need to extend an open hand to everyone without regard to perceived faction, Taylor said. He gets questions from constituents in other wards, and he’ll help them take care of their problem. He’ll work with staff to identify the issue, but he also cc’s the councilmembers who represent the constituent – without regard to perceived alliance – so that the councilmembers can build a relationship with that constituent and help work on the problem. They’re all in this together, working toward common goals. It’s also his practice when drafting a resolution to open up that resolution for co-sponsorship without regard to perceived faction, he said. With an open hand moving forward, perceived differences can be diminished.

Factions on Council: Briere

In her experience, Democrats always break up into factions, Briere said. “It doesn’t bother me at all that we have factions, but I’m really resistant to joining one.” It’s important to look at each other’s strengths and build on those strengths, rather than attack each other’s weaknesses. It’s easy in politics to see other elected officials as your potential rivals, but that’s a very bad move when it comes to making policy. As mayor, she’d continue to work with every member of council and listen to the community as a whole – then make her own decisions.

Factions on Council: Kunselman

As he mentioned in his opening statement, Kunselman noted that he has the support of four other councilmembers. That’s not because they vote as a faction. It’s because they trust him, he said. Trust is the most important thing as a politician – you need the trust of voters, but also of your colleagues on council. “We’re not a social group. We don’t meet outside of council to develop our relationships.” They show up at meetings to vote on agenda items. As part of that, they need to trust each other, to know that they’re working together. None of his emails that have been published based on Freedom of Information Act requests have contained any disparaging remarks about other councilmembers, he said. He’s worked to make sure he’s very open and transparent. He doesn’t work on something then plop it on the table – after the city attorney’s office has been told not to communicate it to other councilmembers. As mayor, he’d lead the effort to be open and transparent, as he’s done as councilmember.

Follow-up question to Kunselman: Is there a trust issue between the folks who are supporting you, and those who aren’t?

“There is a trust issue between me and my opponents here at the table – I think that is very clear.” He’s the only one who’s not striving to have the support of John Hieftje’s supporters, Kunselman said. That’s a big difference in this election. There’s a huge issue of political culture that needs to change, and build back that trust. The current political culture is about isolating those who oppose Hieftje, he said. Kunselman said he’s the most experienced politician because he’s always been challenged in the primaries by opponents who are backed by Hieftje’s supporters. “I think that’s the big difference that we have going into this mayoral campaign.”

From the audience came a quip: “John who?” which earned a laugh from the audience. The quip came from former U.S. Congressman Ray Clevenger who represented Michigan’s 11th District from 1965-67, and is now a Ward 3 resident.

Mayor vs. Councilmember

Question: What are the two most important differences between serving as a city councilmember and serving as mayor?

[Audio: Mayor vs. Councilmember]

Mayor vs. Councilmember: Briere

The mayor sets the tone for the council, Briere said. If the mayor is more cooperative, inclusive and collegial, the chances are better that the council will behave that way, too. The other difference is that councilmembers are very responsive to their constituents – and they should be. But the mayor needs to be responsive to the entire city. She said she has experience working with people all over the city, and solving problems all over the city. “I’m not parochial. I’m not interested in only my peeps, my friends, my neighbors.” She’s interested in the entire community and how to work together for the future.

Mayor vs. Councilmember: Kunselman

The biggest difference is that the mayor runs the meetings, Kunselman said. The mayor is the parliamentarian, and other councilmembers have to trust that the mayor is running the meeting fairly, openly and transparently. That doesn’t happen always with the current mayor, and Kunselman said he’s called Hieftje out for that. He agreed with Briere that the mayor sets the tone, and said he’d be able to set the tone for the council meetings and the community. There are two council meetings each month, and the mayor needs to be efficient, fair, and give everyone the opportunity to share their opinion – and then hold the vote.

Mayor vs. Councilmember: Taylor

The mayor represents the city in a way that the councilmember does not, Taylor said. The councilmember represents one ward, but the mayor has a higher obligation to view a broader set of interests and incorporate that into their decision-making. Also, the mayor serves as head of state, as a secretary of state for the city. The mayor works with other entities, like the state, the county, and the university. It’s important for the mayor to have fluidity, facility and ability to represent the city properly, and advocate for the city properly in these contexts, Taylor said.

Mayor vs. Councilmember: Petersen

Petersen agreed with what the other candidates said on this question. She added that one distinction they hadn’t mentioned is the amount of time spent in city hall. As mayor, her life would be much easier because she’d have an office in city hall and some administrative support. So the amount of time spent in city hall, being a leader day-in-and-day-out, is one of the most important visible distinctions between being mayor and being a councilmember

Affordable Housing

Question: Numerous reports have documented the inadequate stock of affordable housing in Ann Arbor. A lot of people would argue that Ypsilanti and Pittsfield Township provide Ann Arbor’s affordable housing. How would you address the lack of affordable housing within the city limits?

[Audio: Affordable Housing]

Affordable Housing: Kunselman

The affordable housing issue has never been solved in Ann Arbor, and people have talked about it for decades, Kunselman said. The effort to build 100 units of affordable housing next to a luxury hotel at the former Y lot failed. Previously, Washtenaw County bought the single-room occupancy building [on North Fourth Avenue] from the Y, which is now the county annex. At that time, advocates argued that affordable housing needed to be protected.

Kunselman grew up in Ann Arbor. He lived with this mother next to Liberty Plaza, when she was a single mother and he was about four years old. “We’re never going to have that opportunity again, I believe, when a single mother and her child can live in downtown Ann Arbor.” Rents are up to $1,000 a bed in some luxury student buildings. But the city can refocus on the Ann Arbor housing commission, which is what he’s been striving to do for several years. The city has been too focused on trying to do big projects somewhere else, or downtown on the most expensive land. They have to be aware of realities – expensive land won’t be used for affordable housing, Kunselman concluded.

Follow-up question for Kunselman: Why is that a reality? Why can’t the land be used for affordable housing, if it’s a city-owned property?

The reality is the economics of using the most expensive land to build the most affordable housing. It would have to come from subsidies, and subsidies are being cut back – from HUD and the state. This issue has been going on for decades. The city has neglected the Ann Arbor housing commission, which is the largest provider of affordable housing in this community. Now, at least the city is making sure there’s proper financing to rebuild the AAHC buildings and at least provide affordable housing that’s in decent shape.

Affordable Housing: Briere

Briere said she’d continue to do what she’s done since she was elected to the council. The first issue with affordable housing is maintenance. The second is the creation of new housing stock. It’s not just public housing. There are other mechanisms for affordable housing, owned by other entities – whether it’s by Dawn Farm or Avalon Housing. It might be supportive housing or workforce housing. She’s worked pretty much alone, in her view, on improving funding for emergency shelter and the housing commission, which handles public housing. She’s advocated strongly to increase the affordable housing fund with profits from the sale of development rights. That’s one-time money that doesn’t take away from other things like roads, parks or police. It takes money from prospective developers and puts it aside for the city to build and maintain its housing stock.

Affordable Housing: Taylor

Public housing in Ann Arbor has not lived up to expectations, Taylor said, but he is delighted that it’s moving forward with mechanisms to put millions more dollars of capital into the Ann Arbor housing commission to build and refurbish its units. There are additional opportunities on the public and private sides.

On the public side, the former juvenile center on Platt Road is an excellent opportunity for expanded affordable housing, working with the county. [The site is owned by Washtenaw County.] It’s next to County Farm Park, near public transportation, next to employment. There’s a material amount of neighborhood engagement in the process, to figure out how to build meaningful and successful family affordable housing. Generally, “the market is the market, and it’s very difficult to fight it.” The city needs to use FAR premiums to incentivize workforce housing downtown not student housing, Taylor said.

Affordable Housing: Petersen

Petersen is strongly in favor of increasing the stock of affordable housing within the city. It’s clearly a budget priority, and one that the city council has been honoring by directing the proceeds from sales of city-owned property to affordable housing. The city should continue to look for these kinds of opportunities. She reported that she received two emails this week from constituents about what might happen at the Platt Road site. “There is fear of who might live there. Would those people be felons? Who are the people who’d be living there?”

The city needs to demystify affordable housing and bring these issues out in the open so that people can feel comfortable. Petersen has talked to Mary Jo Callan, director of the office of community & economic development. Callan helped her understand that there’s going to be a robust community engagement process for the Platt Road site. That kind of conversation needs to happen more often, to make affordable housing more acceptable in this community.

Follow-up question for Petersen: What was your response to people who are worried about the Platt Road site?

Petersen told them very clearly that the city needs to increase the affordable housing stock. It’s the solution to the problem, not the creation of a problem. Some people thought that if affordable housing is built, they wouldn’t be able to walk their baby in a stroller down to County Farm Park. The new model for affordable housing is to co-locate support services and staff, so that it’s a solution to the problem. She also suggested that the constituents contact Andy LaBarre, a county commissioner who’s taking the lead on this project, so that they can become part of the community engagement process to design the affordable housing, if the county decides to do that.

Business Growth Downtown

Question: A lot of companies choose to locate themselves in downtown Ann Arbor because of the amenities it offers and the talent it attracts. But when those companies grow past a certain point, there are fewer options to stay within the city. There’s been a lot of residential development downtown. What role does the city have to play in terms of encouraging commercial development?

[Audio: Business Growth Downtown]

Business Growth Downtown: Petersen

Petersen has been thinking a lot about the scarcity of large floor-plate office space downtown. What can the city do to allow growing companies to stay in Ann Arbor? She looks at the city’s business corridors, like North Main Street. The North Main Huron River task force did a very comprehensive assessment about river use along that corridor, and it talked about the opportunity to rezone. She thinks the city does need to rezone property along North Main. “It is ripe for redevelopment.”

Petersen recently attended the Huron River Watershed Council’s State of the Huron conference, and heard about other communities in Michigan that build along their rivers. Those communities can expect a 3-to-1 to 6-to-1 return on investments. The North Main corridor and the South State corridors are ripe to redevelop and create more large floor-plate offices, she said.

Business Growth Downtown: Taylor

Taylor thinks it’s terrific that there are so many vibrant and active businesses downtown. They’ve come to use the existing office space, because downtown is wonderful and there’s parking that’s available through the city’s investment. The parking system is an economic development tool that’s been well-utilized. As these companies grow, they need more space. If the market made it practical or profitable for buildings to be constructed that would serve this need, then people who own property downtown would choose to do it, Taylor said. They have not yet done so.

There’s a limited amount of large floor-plate office space in the proposed development by Dennis Dahlmann, at the former Y lot, and Taylor is looking forward to that. If property owners have plans on what they need to build more large floor-plate office space downtown, he’d be eager to listen. “But broadly speaking, I view this as a market problem that the city is ill-equipped to solve just like that, on its own.”

Business Growth Downtown: Briere

The city’s downtown zoning incentivizes residential development, Briere said. It makes building residential properties very easy, but it doesn’t make it easy to build large floor-plate office space or other commercial development. That’s because the community said it wanted amenities downtown. “We were told that in order to have those amenities downtown – which we can consider questionable – we needed lots more people living downtown.” That was the reality the city faced a decade ago, and now it’s time to look at whether “we’re getting what we want.”

Briere’s made sure the city is taking a hard look at the incentive program for downtown development. But when people talk about building along the city’s major corridors, it’s important to look at the impact that additional traffic in those corridors will bring, and whether those corridors are even accessible. One challenge with building along the river is that North Main is a state-owned road and it’s difficult and dangerous to get on to it from any of the adjacent properties.

Follow-up question for Briere: What downtown amenities did she consider questionable?

There are some interesting limits on zoning, Briere replied. Everyone gets a 400% floor-area ratio (FAR), which can be built in any configuration. [FAR, a measure of density, is the ratio of the square footage of a building divided by the size of the lot. A one-story structure built lot-line-to-lot-line with no setbacks corresponds to a FAR of 100%. A similar structure built two-stories tall would result in a FAR of 200%.] But additional FAR can be added by using one of the city’s incentive programs, called premiums. You can get an additional 300% FAR just for building residential. So if you do that, you can get 700% FAR. There’s no incentive to build offices or other commercial development.

Business Growth Downtown: Kunselman

Kunselman said one way to inspire commercial development is to make sure zoning is up to date, which he thought it was. Responding to Taylor’s description of the city’s parking system as an economic development tool, Kunselman said the city’s parking system is subsidized with millions of taxpayer dollars. The Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority has to transfer TIF (tax increment finance) dollars to the parking system because of the debt on the Library Lane underground parking structure, he said. Because of the way that bond deal was packaged, the city borrowed $50 million to get 500 additional parking spaces and four blocks of streetscape.

There’s plenty of land for commercial development, Kunselman said. He said he led the effort to sell the Y lot, which the city sold to Dennis Dahlmann. The development rights for the Library Lane site are listed for sale. He mentioned other undeveloped sites, including the Brown Block [a surface parking lot owned by First Martin and leased to the DDA], and the First Martin lot across from city hall, which is also a surface parking lot. There is property downtown that could be used for commercial development. “It has nothing to do with city council.” The only reason there’s interest in residential development is because the University of Michigan has increased enrollment by 5,000 students in the last decade. That’s driving the market – not anything the council can do, Kunselman said.

Relationship with UM

Question: Is there a relationship that the city can have with the University of Michigan to influence it, or are we just powerless as residents? Is there anything that the mayor or city council can do to engage them?

[Audio: Relationship with UM]

Relationship with UM: Kunselman

Ann Arbor is a company town, Kunselman began. There have been more private businesses leave Ann Arbor in the past decade than have moved here, he contended. Bechtel moved out. Pfizer left and sold its property to the University of Michigan. The university is its own entity, constitutionally created by the state of Michigan. “We have to have a good relationship with them, but they are going to do what they need to do best – and that is to provide education to the masses. We’re dealing with the global economy, in that regard.” The university needs a board of regents that’s aware that if UM keeps buying property in Ann Arbor, it’s “going to kill the goose that laid the golden egg.” The downtown will become nothing more than a student food court – and that won’t be enough for the rest of the residents.

Relationship with UM: Petersen

Petersen said the relationship between the city and the University of Michigan is one of her core priorities for mayor. The university will have a new president and Ann Arbor will have a new mayor, so it’s time for a new attitude on town/gown relationships, she said. When Petersen ran for council two years ago, she noticed there was a lot of resentment from the city toward the university because UM doesn’t pay taxes.

The reason there’s no productive dialogue is because the city always starts the dialogue by asking for payment in lieu of taxes, Petersen said. “We need to get over that. We need to stop being angry at the U for not paying taxes – that’s not their job.” But the city does need to work with them on areas of mutual interest, like job creation, transportation, infrastructure and quality of life. City officials need to come to the table with an open mind and to not start every dialogue with a request for payment in lieu of taxes.

Relationship with UM: Taylor

This gets to the “head-of-state” answer that he’d given before, Taylor said – it’s a new day, and the city needs to work with the university on areas of mutual interest. The university is going to do what the university is going to do. They have a separate mission, constituents and stakeholders. “Their interest in helping the city is limited.” So city officials need to work with them and educate them about the impacts on the city.

Last year, UM athletic director Dave Brandon met with councilmembers to talk about the hockey game that was coming to Michigan Stadium on New Year’s Day, Taylor said. Brandon described how great it would be for the city, bringing thousands of people to restaurants, stores and hotels during the winter. In one respect, it was great. But on the other hand, from the city’s side it was all cost. The city wasn’t getting any help from the university for the additional services that the city had to provide. Brandon had no understanding about that, so the city needs to communicate to the university about the impact their actions have. “They’re not evil. They just don’t understand,” Taylor concluded.

Relationship with UM: Briere

Briere thought all the candidates at some point have been affiliated with the university, including herself. She told a story to illustrate what the university thinks about the city. She and Jim Kosteva, the university’s community relations director, attended the same event once, where he referred to the relationship like this: The university is the husband, and the city is the wife. He said that sometimes the husband does something that really irritates the wife – and then he handed Briere a bouquet of flowers and candy “to play make-up.” This is an attitude at the university, she said.

She doesn’t want to educate the university – they are highly educated people. It’s an attitude of the past. It’s true that it will be a new era, with a new university president and new mayor. “But you have to come in knowing what you want. I have no needs from the university. They have needs from the city.” She doesn’t want the university’s money, infrastructure, or property. She wants their brains to focus on the city, and that’s the kind of collaboration she’s looking for.

Ann Arbor DDA

Question: If elected mayor, what would your relationship be with the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority?

[Audio: Ann Arbor DDA]

Ann Arbor DDA: Kunselman

Kunselman said he has a great relationship with the DDA, because they respect each other. He believes the DDA needs to be accountable to the law. The DDA board needs to understand that they are subservient to the city council, which confirms the board appointments.

The DDA is an important institution, and no one on council or running for mayor has advocated for the dissolution of the DDA, Kunselman said. But the DDA has been giving excuses for things he doesn’t believe are true. For example, the DDA is subsidizing the public parking monopoly with public tax dollars. They’re also cash-strapped and deeply in debt. They talk about projects, but those projects don’t get done. The only thing they’re doing is studies.

The DDA also needs to be accountable to the law, Kunselman said. He mentioned a media report that showed how the DDA in the early 1980s returned money to the taxing authorities from which it captures taxes. But just last year, they argued that they didn’t have to give rebates because they had debt – even though the DDA also had debt in the 1980s. The relationship needs to begin with trust, he said.

Ann Arbor DDA: Briere

Briere said she attends as many DDA meetings as she can because it’s important to know what people are saying. The DDA makes budget decisions involving a lot of money. Her relationship with the DDA is cordial, but she doesn’t see anyone as subservient to her. Responding to Kunselman’s remarks, she said: “Sorry, Steve – I’m just not big on hierarchy and I think that whole attitude of ‘I’m the boss’ is offensive to lots of people, including especially me.”

The DDA is a tool for the city, Briere said. It’s not a separate entity. It’s a way to invest in the downtown. She wanted the DDA to understand that investment is planning, but it’s also pouring that money into making downtown walkable, desirable and functional. It’s not easy, because the DDA thinks it’s responding to council demands when it’s actually responding to just one councilmember or another. “The DDA doesn’t have the mission it should have, and it doesn’t have the goals it should have, because it gets distracted by whatever shiny object is thrown in front of it – the same way we do.” The DDA wants to feel meaningful and vital to the city, so they’re trying to do “stuff that I never expected them to do.” Cordial relationships are important, but that’s not the same as having them do what the council wants, or vice versa.

Ann Arbor DDA: Taylor

Taylor anticipated his relationship to the DDA would be collaborative. The board is a set of business operators and residents who are working in good faith with the resources they have available to support the downtown. The downtown is an important part of the city, and he’d be excited to work with them to achieve their mutual goals, Taylor said.

The DDA has done a tremendous job in helping support the downtown change from a shuttered place to a place that’s vital and active, Taylor said. They’re not perfect, and the council isn’t perfect. But they’re doing their best to support downtown. When the city’s alleys are falling apart, the DDA is there to help. The DDA is a resource that the city should recognize, embrace and work with. “I would expect that when treated with respect and openness, that they would reciprocate accordingly.”

Ann Arbor DDA: Petersen

Even before she was on city council, Petersen started to get to know the DDA’s executive director, Susan Pollay, Petersen said. They have a very collaborative, collegial relationship. The relationship between the city and the DDA needs to be de-politicized. She strongly believes the DDA is an economic development tool for the downtown. The city doesn’t really have similar economic development tools outside of the downtown.

The public needs to be educated about the role of the DDA and what they do. The previous night, Petersen attended the opening of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival. A retired UM business professor came up and asked her to explain what the DDA does. He’d been here for 30 years, but didn’t know. The council understands what the DDA does, but they need to de-politicize the relationship and educate the public on the DDA’s value. The council also needs to hold the DDA accountable. They are an agency, so they need to publish their numbers and be held accountable. The DDA also needs to take care of more than just Main Street. They need to provide equitable services to all parts of downtown.

Change in Ann Arbor

Question: Should Ann Arbor change, in terms of population growth and density? If so, what will that look like in 10 years?

[Audio: Change in Ann Arbor]

Change in Ann Arbor: Briere

It’s not possible to decide whether Ann Arbor will change – because it’s going to change, Briere said. The challenge is how to control that change. For a city, you have to decide how much change you can handle, where it will occur, what it looks like, and its impact on the community.

For every tall building, we should be thinking about green, open space, Briere said. For every subdivision, we should be thinking about how walkable it is. We should talk about whether it’s possible to reinstitute neighborhood grocery stores, because people want to walk to a shop without having to take a car.

The city needs to move away from the image of suburbia, of giant parking lots surrounding a building, Briere said. We need to talk about how mass transit and bike lanes and pedestrian access will improve the city. Ann Arbor will change, so the question is how to make it livable and enhance the quality of life. That should be in every planning decision – to plan for the future.

Change in Ann Arbor: Petersen

More jobs and density are coming, Petersen said. Ann Arbor will always be a fine place to live, work and play, because the university provides stable employment and a large number of jobs. But the university doesn’t take care of the city’s infrastructure – because that’s not their job.

In anticipation of growth, the city needs to figure out how to upgrade its infrastructure, to repair the sewer system, Petersen said. “Imagine what it’s going to be like to flush your toilet 10 years from now, if we don’t repair the Orangeburg pipe and the water and sewer systems underneath the ground.” The city needs an economic plan to do this, and it doesn’t have one now. The status quo thinking is that the university is the economic engine, so the city doesn’t need an economic plan. But the city’s resources and infrastructure are constrained. The city’s leaders need to drive the economic development in order to support that growth to come.

Change in Ann Arbor: Kunselman

Kunselman said he grew up in Ann Arbor, attending Pittsfield Elementary. His grandparents were founding members of St. Francis Catholic Church. He’s seen a lot of change.

But most disturbing to Kunselman is how Ann Arbor is become more elitist. People are always talking about affordable housing, but what’s getting built is luxury housing. The city focuses on downtown instead of the neighborhoods. And although people talk about how the city is growing, in the last decade it actually lost population, he said. The only growth was 5,000 new students. The only things he can control as mayor are things that happen while he’s in office. “I cannot control 10 years out. I cannot control 15 years out.”

His role as mayor, Kunselman said, would be to leave Ann Arbor as a better place from the time that he’s there. The city develops a lot of plans. There was a North Main plan from the 1980s, which called for a boulevard. As mayor, he intends to focus on today.

Change in Ann Arbor: Taylor

Broadly speaking, density is a good thing, Taylor said. It’s environmentally, economically and socially sound. In 10 years, he envisions a city that is still recognizable. At its core, Ann Arbor is going in the right direction. It’s not broken. He’d like to see things more efficient, with services provided better, with neighborhoods more engaged internally and with the city. He’d like more young people to choose Ann Arbor as a place to live. But generally, the city is going in the right direction and in 10 years it will be OK, he said.

Non-Motorized Travel

Question: What’s your plan to promote and fund non-motorized travel throughout the city?

[Audio: Non-Motorized Travel]

Non-Motorized Travel: Petersen

One of Petersen’s key priorities is safe mobility for motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and runners – because she’s a runner. The plan needs to be very prudent. She’s in favor of bike lanes in major corridors in and out of town. But a bike lane shouldn’t be merely painting a stripe on the road. In New York City, they have bike lanes that are protected by a barrier between the cyclists and vehicles. Protected bike lanes also result in increased revenues for downtown businesses. So if the city wants bike lanes, they need to do it right, Petersen said. It will take time and money, and they’ll need a plan to do that. But it should be more than paint on a road.

Non-Motorized Travel: Taylor

During the Great Recession, the city reduced funding for non-motorized transit, Taylor said. That has recently turned around, and he’s delighted about it. The city is using more state money to support bike lanes, crosswalk design, identification and signs. Every street that’s reconstructed needs to be a Complete Street, safe and designed for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. Buffered bike lanes are an important part of that. He called the bike share program an exciting development. The bike share program is great for a sense of place and for getting around, Taylor said.

Non-Motorized Travel: Briere

Briere said that at the council meeting when the city’s budget was approved, the council approved one of her amendments that increased the funding for non-motorized transit. Long before that, the council passed the Complete Streets policy and toolbox. It addresses the need for streets that serve all modes of transit, as well as appropriate speed. One challenge is increased traffic from all the jobs that have been created. The city needs to talk about how to deal with that. You have to anticipate where changes are needed. You have to be flexible and intelligent about it, Briere concluded.

Non-Motorized Travel: Kunselman

The number one thing is to make sure the city has staff who are focused on non-motorized transit, Kunselman said. “That’s why, if I am elected mayor, I’m going to ask Eli Cooper to step down from the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority [board] and focus on his job as non-motorized transportation in the city. He can’t do both.” Kunselman voted against Cooper’s appointment to the AAATA board, noting that he’s not a resident of Ann Arbor. Cooper lives in Livonia.

Secondly, as a walker, biker and skateboarder, Kunselman wants to make sure that roads and sidewalks are safe. You can’t ride a bike down the road if there are potholes. His stepson blew out his bike tire twice within a week hitting potholes. In terms of fairness, Kunselman wants to make sure all sidewalk gaps that are being funded through special assessments have 80% public funding. Currently, some do and some don’t. “How is that fair to our residents?” Kunselman asked.

Follow-up for Briere, Taylor and Petersen: Do you also believe that Eli Cooper should step down from the AAATA board?

[Audio: Eli Cooper]

Non-Motorized Travel Follow-Up: Petersen

Petersen didn’t agree that Cooper should step down. At first, she thought his board service was a conflict of interest with his job. But in studying these issues, she said it turns out that he doesn’t have a conflict of interest in holding both jobs. So that’s not a reason for him to step down. Performance might be another reason for him to step down, but she didn’t see a reason to remove him from his seat on the board.

Non-Motorized Travel Follow-Up: Taylor

Taylor also disagreed. He said the mayor doesn’t have the authority to do that, because the mayor doesn’t control staff – the city administrator does. Cooper is also “duly appointed, therefore, there’s no authority even for staff to take him down.” [Kunselman had suggested asking Cooper to resign from the AAATA board. Taylor appears to have been responding to the possibility of removing Cooper from his job with the city, or removing him from the AAATA board.]

Taylor thinks integration and communication are good. Cooper’s cross-fertilization as a city staff member and AAATA board member augments both institutions. It’s good for transportation in the city, and good for the AAATA. Cooper’s service in both institutions is a benefit, not a detriment, Taylor concluded.

Non-Motorized Transit Follow-Up: Briere

Briere agreed with Petersen and Taylor, saying she had slightly nuanced reasons. She said Cooper is not the non-motorized transit staff member, he’s the alternative transit staff member. [His job title is transportation program manager.] His job is to look at alternatives to using individual private cars. His expertise is national, and she has no problem with his work, though Ann Arbor is struggling with non-motorized transportation, as are other communities.

Briere didn’t think the council could remove anyone who was appointed to a board or commission unless they have cause – and there is no cause, she said. “For any of us as mayor to consider that cause is ‘I want you doing something else,’ that’s an interesting challenge that I don’t think meets the smell test.” Briere said she advocated for cross-fertilization on the AAATA. She wanted Susan Baskett on the AAATA board because she wanted the school board represented. She wanted people there from the university bus system to represent those needs. She wants city staff there for the same reason. This will help reduce the number of buses on the road, and make the system work for Ann Arbor and its partners, Briere concluded.

Non-Motorized Travel Follow-Up: Kunselman

Kunselman stressed that he didn’t say he would remove Cooper for cause – he’d request that Cooper step down. “I think my colleagues missed that point.” Kunselman also pointed out that his council colleagues voted to appoint Cooper, but he had voted against that appointment. “I think it is highly inappropriate for a city staff person who works under the direction of a city administrator to then become a policy person under the mayor’s office. It’s a conflict of commitment. He can’t serve two masters.” That’s one reason why Cooper isn’t giving enough attention to his job, Kunselman said – because he’s also focusing on the mayor’s policy initiatives.

Commuter & Light Rail

Question: Tell us about your vision for commuter rail and light rail. Also, please touch on the idea of a multi-model station and where it should be located.

[Audio: Commuter & Light Rail]

Commuter & Light Rail: Taylor

Expanded rail service is vitally important to the future of Ann Arbor, Taylor stated. It’s important to reduce congestion, it’s important for the environment and for Ann Arbor’s economy. We need to do everything we can for expanded rail service in Ann Arbor, he said. If that means a new train station, then he’s for a new train station. He’s agnostic as to its location – he wants it to work. If federal rail experts say it’s going to work at a particular location, then he’d support that.

Regarding light rail within the city, Taylor hasn’t yet seen the business case for it. He wants expanded mass transit within the city without using cars – that’s a priority for him. He’s not certain if that will be light rail or another mode.

Commuter & Light Rail: Kunselman

Kunselman loves trains, and he’s traveled with his family on Amtrak to far distant states. However, Amtrak needs a lot of work – and that’s out of the city’s control. Commuter rail is in the hands of the southeast Michigan regional transit authority (RTA). It’s not the city council’s responsibility.

As far as the train station, he was very opposed to using city parkland and a 99-year lease with the university to build Fuller Road Station. “Thank god we got that off the books.” He thinks the train station should go across the tracks from its current location. There will be lots of parking there, and the ability to create a park as DTE decides what to do with that site.

Commuter & Light Rail: Briere

The city doesn’t control where the trains run or when the trains run, Briere said. The only question that the city controls is whether to put in a new train station. She noted that it’s not a council decision – that’s a voter decision. When she and Taylor worked to pull away from the arrangement with the university for the Fuller Road Station, she put into the resolution that if there’s a proposal for a train station, then voters get to decide whether it’s built, she said. Regarding light rail, Briere said most of the city streets are too narrow for light rail, but the city should look at every possible alternative transportation mode.

Commuter & Light Rail: Petersen

Petersen is very much in favor of a new train station. Ideally, she’d like to expand where the current station is located, because she thinks it would be more cost effective. She said she has romantic visions of what a train station by the river could look like, spanning over the rails to the MichCon/DTE property. Consultants are doing a very robust public engagement process now to explore different locations. The city’s residents will vote on it, but there are other stakeholders, Petersen noted. What are UM’s plans for the connector study? The city needs to co-locate with UM’s bus rapid transit. Regarding the RTA, Petersen said it’s not out of the city’s hands. The city is a stakeholder. The mayor, as head of state, will have a voice in the future of the RTA, she said.

Ann Arbor SPARK

Question: SPARK’s annual report claims that they created 13,024 new jobs, $1.5 billion in investment and 547 companies, but another report [required under the Michigan Strategic Fund Act] shows a slightly different story with only 685 jobs, $229 million in investment and 149 companies. You’re all Democrats, but SPARK was co-founded by our current governor Rick Snyder, a Republican. Why do you continue to support it, when the data in these reports don’t match? [The two reports where it's been contended the numbers don't match are these: Ann Arbor SPARK 2013 annual report and 21st Century Jobs Trust Fund 2013 Annual Report]

[Audio: Ann Arbor SPARK]

Ann Arbor SPARK: Petersen

Petersen hasn’t looked at the data from the two reports. The question about whether the data is right or wrong isn’t the relevant question. She trusts that those numbers can and will be reconciled.

Petersen continued by saying that Ann Arbor SPARK is the only economic development corporation in town. She’s on the board of the city’s LDFA (local development finance authority), and supports its contract with SPARK. When some councilmembers questioned whether they should remove a $75,000 contract with SPARK, she was very much against it. The city needs to grow its job base, and SPARK has grown jobs.

“We can nickel and dime on the actual number of jobs, but no doubt SPARK is doing their job,” Petersen said. She said the city got 752 jobs for the $75,000 that was spent last year. SPARK had accounted for those jobs. The larger question is whether the city should be doing an objective audit of these numbers. That’s something to consider. She’s going to raise it with the LDFA board at their meeting on June 17.

Ann Arbor SPARK: Taylor

The numbers that the city receives from any of the entities with which it contracts ought to be held to a rigorous standard, Taylor said. He understands that some people believe the numbers that the city received from SPARK are inaccurate. He would suspect that SPARK has a counter-argument. He’d be interested in hearing a full articulation of both sides.

That said, Taylor sees value in state-supported economic development. He’s not in favor of giant tax breaks or boondoggles, but the city has a role to attract and retain businesses through SPARK, and a role in fostering a culture of entrepreneurship – that also comes through SPARK. Right now, SPARK is the mechanism to achieve these important city goals, and until it’s plainly demonstrated that they’re doing a poor job, he supports them.

Ann Arbor SPARK: Briere

Briere said she didn’t want to pretend that this was her area of expertise. Her problem with SPARK has always been that there isn’t an easy causal relationship between what they do and what they claim to have changed. That doesn’t mean the causal relationship isn’t there, she added – it’s just not easy to see. If the numbers don’t match reality, that’s an issue and the city needs to check on that. The numbers have to be accurate and explainable.

Job creation is a challenge, Briere said. Does a business settle in Ann Arbor and hire more people without SPARK? We don’t know. Does a business grow bigger because of SPARK? SPARK can’t prove it does. That’s what makes this so difficult – because SPARK’s not hiring people. Everything is an incentive or training for new businesses. And those businesses tell the city how much SPARK means to them. “But it’s not a clear box where you can say so many jobs were created, and we’re challenging them to do that.”

Ann Arbor SPARK: Kunselman

Kunselman said the state education fund is being raided to provide state funding for economic development. They say they put the money back, but then why is the public education system in such dire straits? His wife is a public school teacher in Ann Arbor, Kunselman said. The school board just cut millions out of its budget, and is privatizing custodians. Yet the state is taking funds for schools and using it to pay for the LDFA and SPARK. “There’s a relationship there that makes me somewhat bitter.” The state says it puts the money back, “but I don’t know what to believe.” It’s a difficult situation.

The council will have some votes to take regarding this issue, Kunselman said. The LDFA wants to extend its term, and they’ll have to justify that. So that will be a hard vote. He thinks SPARK is somewhat corporate welfare, and gives the impression of capitalist cronyism. The situation needs to be re-examined, and Kunselman said he’d “look to our state legislator out there to help us” – a reference to state Rep. Jeff Irwin, who attended the forum.

Closing Statements

Each candidate got 90 seconds for a closing statement.

[Audio: Closing Statements]

Closing Statements: Kunselman

Kunselman thanked everyone for coming. He noted that one of the four candidates will be the next mayor, and they’d all have to work together. They’ve been working together, regardless of their differences – that’s the best thing for the city. He’s running to give voters a choice. If you’ve been a supporter of the past policies and politics, you have good choices. You have choices that have been praised by county commissioner Conan Smith, and by DDA board member Joan Lowenstein, and by mayor John Hieftje. “I’m offering you a choice of someone that is not in that camp.”

He’s someone who didn’t vote for countywide transit, where there would have been buses going past cornfields. He didn’t vote a “chandelier” for the Justice Center using general fund money. He didn’t vote to borrow $50 million for an underground parking structure that resulted in 500 additional parking spaces and four blocks of streetscape.

Kunselman is running as a common-sense, fiscally responsible Democrat. He lives in a low- to moderate-income neighborhood, not an upscale neighborhood. He works full-time. He’s the only councilmember who lives in a precinct where there’s a mobile home park. “So if you want to talk about affordable housing, if you want to talk about the working class, then vote for Stephen Kunselman.”

Closing Statements: Briere

Briere said she wouldn’t talk about her economic status, but anyone who’s been to her house knows she’s not living in a posh neighborhood. “The idea that we play against each other that way strikes me as absurd, because we’re not here to work for ourselves and we’re not here for any other reason except to represent you.”

Over the years, Briere said, there have been important votes when she’s agreed with the mayor, and important votes when they’ve disagreed. “I want you to understand – I make my own mind up and I don’t belong to a faction. I don’t even appreciate being told that there’s a faction against John Hieftje stuff, because honestly, John is gone. And we should get over him.”

Now we look at the future. She’s not running against Hieftje, and she’s not running to be him. She’s running because she thinks her ability to listen and to create solutions to problems, working together, will help find a better way for Ann Arbor. She’s running because Ann Arbor shouldn’t just be a place to live, but a place to thrive – a place for future generations to live and thrive as well.

Closing Statements: Taylor

Taylor is running because he thinks it’s important that Ann Arbor’s next mayor has the temperament, experience and judgment to work every day to maintain and improve the quality of life for people here.

The city is doing all right, Taylor said. There are areas to improve, and he’d like to work on two things. One is to maintain and improve all the basic services that the city provides – like public safety, streets, snow removal, water. But if they did just that, the city wouldn’t have the character that people love. They need to live up to their progressive values, so he’s eager to work on affordable housing. He’s been on the park advisory commission for six years, and parks are fundamental to the city’s quality of life. Parks need to be beautiful and well-maintained, and he’ll continue to focus on that. Ann Arbor also is an environmental leader, so he wants to help lead on climate change. “We can’t solve the problem but we can do our part, and we oughta.”

People need to get around – things like public transit, non-motorized transit, and pedestrian safety are important. He’ll focus on that. The downtown needs to be vibrant and active. It’s the core of the city, and makes all of the neighborhoods better. It has a character that needs to be maintained. “Finding that balance between the inevitable change that’s going to come, and between the character that we all know and love – that’s the thing we need to focus on, and that’s what I’d be excited to focus on as your mayor.”

Closing Statements: Petersen

Petersen noted that she’s been on city council for two years, but she wanted people to focus on her full scope of experience. She’s lived in Ann Arbor 18 years, and has held leadership positions in the private sector, the nonprofit sector, and now the public sector. This cross-sector experience provides her with a fresh perspective, new resources, new skills and abilities that this city needs now, while it’s on the cusp of growth, she said.

This is why she was elected to city council as a “supposed outsider” and that’s why it makes her the best candidate for mayor. In her two years on city council, she’s undertaken two initiatives that have the potential to transform Ann Arbor. The first is the creation of an economic development collaborative task force. This is low-hanging fruit, she said. “The need for a prudent economic policy has always been there, just nobody has recognized it until now.”

The second thing, she’s done, is moving the city toward an ethics policy. It had been tried before, but faltered because it wasn’t the appropriate approach, Petersen said. She used an approach that was very careful. Her pragmatic business experience helped her understand the appetite that current city councilmembers had to digest something as big as a city ethics policy.

Finally, Petersen has spent a lot of time speaking with constituents at town hall meetings, going door to door, and here’s what she’s heard: People want a mayor who’s open and inclusive, who stands for the homeless and the housed, regardless of ability, who is open-minded, fair, trustworthy and unencumbered by bias. “I will be that mayor.”

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