Ann Arbor City Council hopefuls gear up for Tuesday's election
Two Ann Arbor city councilmen will defend their seats in Tuesday's primary election against a field of candidates who say the city deserves better leadership.
Councilman Leigh Greden, D-3rd Ward, is defending his reputation along with his elected position. Both of his Democratic challengers are criticizing him for a spate of joke-filled e-mails he exchanged with other council members during city meetings over the past year. Some of the e-mails, made public by the news media, also show council members quietly exchanging e-mails about upcoming agenda items.
"This is a very important election year because this will dictate whether or not our city government is going to change in the direction of trust," said Stephen Kunselman, one of Greden's challengers and a former City Council member from 2006 to 2008."There is a lot of distrust of our present government body right now ... and the e-mails that have come out are just the beginning of the understanding of why we should be distrusting."
LuAnne Bullington, Greden's other opponent in the 3rd Ward, is pushing for a city ethics policy."It's unfortunate for a city like Ann Arbor ... that we have to go to this extent," she said. "I'm very disappointed, but I think the e-mails speak for themselves."
Greden, a councilman of six years, says he'd prefer to talk about more important issues like the state of the city's budget and how to move the city beyond its current fiscal challenges. He said it's unfortunate his opponents want to bring up the e-mails.
"I made a mistake. I've admitted that," he said. "I sent silly e-mails to my colleagues. I have an acerbic sense of humor, but that doesn't belong at the City Council table. I recognize it was a mistake, I've apologized for it and I've put a specific plan in place to make sure that, for me, it doesn't happen again."
Five Ann Arbor City Council members - all Democrats - are up for re-election this year, but only two face challenger's in Tuesday's Democratic primary. No Republicans filed to run this year.Beyond e-mails, the issues candidates are talking about - and taking different stances on - include the proposed city income tax, saving Argo Dam, the City Place project, the future of development and urbanization in Ann Arbor, what to do about the city's aging infrastructure and priorities for spending as the city's budget becomes more constrained.
Councilman Mike Anglin, D-5th Ward, is defending his seat against political newcomer Scott Rosencrans, a carpenter by trade and self-described environmentalist. After serving on various city committees and task forces, Rosencrans says he's ready to be a leader on the City Council. He hopes to further the green goals of the city and improve customer service.
"We need stronger communication among members of City Council," he said. "We have a couple of people who are obstructionists in that way, and I think we need to have more cooperation so that we can move more things ahead for the taxpayers."
Anglin's campaign platform is one of fiscal responsibility. He says the tax burden on property owners in Ann Arbor is too high, and he prefers prioritization of spending over more tax increases."The city has enough money coming in," he said. "We now have a question of allocation. And how we move forward, that's going to be determined by the community's standards - what type of things do we want to preserve in our town and what things are we willing to let go?"
Most of the candidates agree the city budget is the biggest challenge. But they disagree on how to solve the problem.While Greden has pushed to place a city income tax question on the November ballot to potentially raise $7.6 million a year, his opponents say that's the wrong approach.
"I don't believe that it's to the benefit of our residents, thinking that we're going to be collecting more revenue from working class families outside of the community who cannot even afford to live in our city as it is," said Kunselman, noting corporations would get a tax break through the elimination of the city's operating millage, which is being offered as a trade-off.
Greden expects low voter turnout Tuesday because it's an off-year, but said it's still important for residents to vote. With 11 people on the City Council, it's possible for one person to make a significant difference, he said.
Council terms last two years. The job pays about $16,000 a year, plus a $400 travel allowance.
Photos: (from top) Leigh Greden, Stephen Kunselman, LuAnne Bullington, Mike Anglin and Scott Rosencrans.
Related: Read candidate bios and watch videos of each candidate.
• Ann Arbor City Council candidate profile: Mike Anglin
• Ann Arbor City Council candidate profile: LuAnne Bullington
• Ann Arbor City Council candidate profile: Leigh Greden
• Ann Arbor City Council candidate profile: Stephen Kunselman
• Ann Arbor City Council candidate profile: Scott Rosencrans
Ryan Stanton covers government for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2529 or ryanstanton@annarbor.com.
Comments
fergus1mom
Mon, Aug 3, 2009 : 11:21 a.m.
According to the donor info posted in a related article here on annarbor.com, not one--not one--of Leigh Greden's top campaign contributions has come from just an ordinary, tax paying citizen. Does that indicate anything about his potential loyalties when it comes time to vote on where the dollars are spent? And, according to Webster's, acerbic means "acid in temper, mood, or tone". But "stupid is as stupid does" strikes me as being derisive, not acerbic, and the citizens of Ann Arbor don't deserve either.
Alan Goldsmith
Thu, Jul 30, 2009 : 9 p.m.
The email issue was a bit more complex than just joking around and "quietly exchanging e-mails about upcoming agenda items" and if you are reading the story here, you aren't getting the entire picture. Greden is allowed to spin the story and I'm afraid putting this issue into perspective and looking a little deeper isn't dragging it out, it's reporting on the topic that has been a major issue for this campaign. Thanks to everyone for posting links to the actual emails. It's something that maybe A2.com should have done with the original story.
Ryan J. Stanton
Thu, Jul 30, 2009 : 5:35 p.m.
Thanks to those of you who shared the links. This discussion space at the end of stories is really where we can get more in-depth and answer questions you may have. This story was intended to be a preview of Tuesday's primary and not a lengthy piece rehashing the e-mails issue, but that did turn out to be one of many issues being talked about on the campaign trail. So while I don't fully agree we should have dragged out any more in the story, this is a good venue to carry on discussion. Thanks for reading and participating.
Blaine Coleman
Thu, Jul 30, 2009 : 2:42 p.m.
How do we see the full emails (not highlights) sent by Council members, from 2007 until the present?
Alan Goldsmith
Thu, Jul 30, 2009 : 12:41 p.m.
Scott Rosecrans: "We need stronger communication among members of City Council," he said. "We have a couple of people who are obstructionists in that way, and I think we need to have more cooperation so that we can move more things ahead for the taxpayers." Yep, more cooperative members like...eh, Leigh Greden? Sounds like Rosecrans wants to sit at the cool table with the popular kids.
Alan Goldsmith
Thu, Jul 30, 2009 : 12:38 p.m.
Actually this is what what Mr. Greden said to the A2 News before his email 'apology' to his select email group: "We tease each other for being politicians for sometimes going over the top, for going overboard in the comments we make," said Greden. "I won't apologize. We relieve stress by chit-chatting and I don't think it's inappropriate." "Greden, Higgins and Teall said the e-mail activity during council sessions is not a distraction." Greden is just another slimmy politician who will say anything he thinks the public wants to hear to be reelected.
Blaine Coleman
Thu, Jul 30, 2009 : 11:48 a.m.
For years, the City Council and Mayor have refused to publicly discuss the long-standing proposal to boycott Israel. But now, after this e-mail scandal, I'm wondering if City Council may have privately discussed the boycott of Israel at length-- out of any public view, with no chance to hear public comment on their decisions. If Mr. Greden would publish the City Council's and the Mayor's e-mails on the subject, then we'll know. Sanctions against Israel have been proposed at Ann Arbor City Council for over 25 years, with thousands of Petitioners asking for sanctions. See the front page of the "Ann Arbor News", January 10, 1984, for starters.
Alan Goldsmith
Thu, Jul 30, 2009 : 11:38 a.m.
"I made a mistake. I've admitted that," he said. "I sent silly e-mails to my colleagues. I have an acerbic sense of humor, but that doesn't belong at the City Council table. I recognize it was a mistake, I've apologized for it and I've put a specific plan in place to make sure that, for me, it doesn't happen again." Greden apology was an email sent to a few people in the 3rd Ward and he didnt even have the guts to respond to the A2 News. It was probably the most under-the-radar 'apology' in political history. The emails were more than just good natured humor. Greden worked on a political campaign via email (for a local judge) while sitting in a City Council meeting. Not sure if this is a violation of the law but Greden showed, at the very least, poor judgment for a lawyer. He openly insulted the public, other council members and even compared a council rep to Forrest Gump by using the stupid is as stupid does line from the film. A2.com really should link to the actual emails so the voters can see for themselves. Mr. Greden can spin all he wants but these are traits that should be condemned and not rewarded by reelecting him to office. It would have been a more helpful article if the journalist had dug a bit deeper and looked at the email issue and figured out it wasn't just joking around.