Candidates for Ann Arbor City Council respond with criticism over rate increases in city budget
Four candidates hoping to oust incumbent Ann Arbor City Council members in this year's elections responded this week to passage of the city's budget with harsh criticisms of late measures taken to increase revenue.
With property tax revenue and state transfers on a downward trend, the challengers claim city leaders are passing on rising overhead costs to taxpayers by hiking dozens of resident fees and increasing water and sewer rates, as well as parking fine rates.
Patricia Lesko
The budget for 2010-11 includes rate increases of 3.88 percent for water, 3 percent for wastewater and 2 percent for stormwater.
The four Democrats, if elected, say they are prepared to reopen the city’s budget and direct the city administrator to roll back municipal charges, reinvest departmental fund surpluses in services and return money taken from the city's general fund in 2009 that was transferred to the economic development fund.
The four candidates are Patricia Lesko, who is running for mayor, and Sumi Kailasapathy, Jack Eaton and Lou Glorie, who are running for council seats in the 1st, 4th and 5th Wards, respectively.
They are hosting a public meet and greet event from 6-8 p.m. Sunday at Earhart Village Club House, 835 Greenhills Drive.
Kailasapathy, an accountant, said she has studied the city’s budget and thinks the city's accounting processes should be overhauled. “Merely shifting costs around among various units to create an illusion of cost control is not going to reduce costs any more," she said, adding that the city needs to "stop applying Band-Aids" to address structural budget problems.
Lesko called the late transfer of $2 million in parking revenue from the Downtown Development Authority to the city's general fund a political "quick fix." She claims what the city really needs is a long-term plan to rein in overhead and overspending.
Sumi Kailasapathy
“Time and again, our elected officials play games with the city’s budget by targeting in private committee meetings high-profile, relatively low-cost services and programs for cuts, such as our senior centers, pools and human services funding, then subsequently ‘rescuing’ the items at public council meetings, as they did on May 17," she said.
"This does a disservice to our hard-working city employees, taxpayers and, ultimately, the city government itself. We need to tackle rising overhead costs, future employee pension, health care and retirement costs, and say no to proposed increases in spending for multimillion-dollar, nonessential capital projects."
Eaton said he thinks the council has failed to address the structural problems with the city's budget by relying on temporary funding from the DDA. He said that leaves the underlying problem unresolved, and the city will face the same problems next year.
Mayor John Hieftje defended the council actions taken to balance the budget. He said it's unfair to call the $2 million transfer from the DDA temporary funding.
Jack Eaton
"We received that funding from the DDA for five years prior to this year, we received it again this year, and I'm completely confident we will receive it for another five years," Hieftje said. "It really is parking money that belongs to the city."
Hieftje pointed out that the DDA money, coupled with the parking fine rate increases and a revision of the city's state-shared revenue forecast, was able to help avoid the elimination of 30 public safety jobs and maintain funding for human services and parks.
Hieftje said he agonized over the parking fine increases, which are expected to generate an additional $652,000 in city revenue next year. But he said many of the fines will be the same if the ticket is paid within one business day.
Glorie criticized the council this week by suggesting "a good deal of pork is hogging space in this budget." She said the general fund should not be tapped to pay for items that should be budgeted in the police-courts building project, such as the $185,000 cost of moving and the $975,000 cost of an audio-visual system.
Lou Glorie
"We might also question the wisdom of spending millions implementing single-stream recycling while contemplating gutting essential services and raising water and sewer rates to confiscatory levels," she said.
Hieftje said it's silly to criticize the water and sewer rate increases because Ann Arbor's rates are still lower than other peer communities in Michigan, and the money from those charges is paying for needed capital replacement projects in the systems.
Council Member Carsten Hohnke, D-5th Ward, said he questions whether anyone criticizing those rate increases understands the city's finances.
"We have a responsibility to invest in our infrastructure and we've done a good job over the last couple years making investments for the long-term," he said.
John Hieftje
"It doesn't serve the people of Ann Arbor well to continue to try to beat a dead horse," he said. "We needed to make that investment and other people forget that the facilities that our police were working in were grossly substandard. It's the job of government to make prudent investments in infrastructure."
Hohnke also defended the use of the $2 million from the DDA.
"That's a transfer that reflects the fact that the DDA is leveraging parking assets that belong to the people of Ann Arbor and it's not a political quick fix," he said. "It's a transfer of funds for the right to manage those assets and that has been going on for five years now. We fully expect this will be a recurring source of revenue."
Here is a list of all candidates in this year's elections.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529.
Comments
Al
Wed, May 26, 2010 : 9:50 p.m.
A2Q2. I see that not one of the candidates or anyone else for this matter is willing to answer your question. So let me answer with few facts: 1.The city has already paid over 120,000 to the airport this year. 2. These days the airport has expansion plans... in spite the fact that operation are in steady decline for the past decade. Yes, the initial dose of the funds will come out of your federal taxes, but here is the kicker: Should the city accept these funds, the city will own the airport (For better or worse...red or black...) for the next 20 years! Ya, the airport folks will tell you that the 20 year clock has already started. Big deal, so cut few years off the 20. Still a long period for AA to sponsor a play ground for around 125 aircraft and few others passing by. This is a very interesting topic not many in AA are even aware of, yet it may cost them dearly. I am surprised not one of the candidates is has taken a position on this issue.
LBH
Wed, May 26, 2010 : 10:25 a.m.
@ChuckL "Pat Lesko has pointed out that the current administration's appetite for using bond money paid for by reductions in service are responsible for making this town less resident friendly." For example...???
A2Q2
Tue, May 25, 2010 : 12:47 p.m.
Jack Eaton and / or other candidates. Just read another article on A2.com in ref to hangars vacancy at the AA airport. I have to admit, I was not even aware that AA owned an airport. This bring me to question who/how will we pay to support the airport if or when it requires financial infusion as a result of this low occupancy rate? Why are we in the business of operating an airport to start with? Thank you.
logo
Tue, May 25, 2010 : 7:41 a.m.
The state government is a financial disaster and lawmakers have been cutting all the cities. A2 lost 5% of its revenue when the UM took over Pfizer but: The bottom line: Ann Arbor continues to thrive while other Michigan cities struggle. The millage has gone down over the last ten years, not up, services are being maintained and it is probable that no one will be laid off again this year. This is a much better picture than in other Michigan cities. A2 has the lowest unemployment in the state. Construction projects are a big reason. They are pouring $$ into the local economy and putting people to work.
Mick52
Mon, May 24, 2010 : 8:15 p.m.
My posts usually get really long, but here I will simply point to logicnreasoning's posts. I agree completely. Also of note is Vivienne's post that utility fees are going to unrelated programs. When fees are increasing? This practice should cease before fees are increased. I like art, but its non essential. DDA is being robbed. If parking $ is "city money" then why is DDA collecting? Lou Glorie makes one good point. That thing sure looks awful big for a new PD and court. Appears the city used that need to tack on a little. The county did this once. Jail was overcrowded and needed expansion, but what the heck, lets tack on a new court and a new mental health facility. They rightly put it to the votes who replied, "nope." Should have stuck to just a bigger jail. One word to Glorie: "paragraphs."
ChuckL
Mon, May 24, 2010 : 6:23 p.m.
logicnreasoning said, "Please, Ann Arbor.com, put an end to printing press releases from challenging candidates who criticize without actually offering a real substantive plan that can be verified as plausible. The public deserves better. " Is "logicnreasoning" actually using logic and reasoning with this statement? Pat Lesko has pointed out that the current administration's appetite for using bond money paid for by reductions in service are responsible for making this town less resident friendly. Since the current administration is unwilling to go to voters to win approval for millages to pay for new construction, the money comes from the general fund; meaning that there is less money for the kind of services that residents use on a regular basis. Pat has also pointed out the shell games that are being played with the budget process; some buckets run surpluses through excessive and unrealistic charges to other buckets. This shell game is designed to manipulate city employees as well as the public. Another motivation is to maintain slush funds that can be used for the construction of pet projects like the library lot parking garage favored by well connected political interests. Without Pat, none of this would have come to light. Pat has pointed out how the discussion that takes place in the public forum is often a sham, having been staged and scripted to arrive at pre-ordained outcomes. Again, the Library Lot construction is another example of how this is so; and would not have come to light were it not for Pat.
logicnreasoning
Mon, May 24, 2010 : 12:38 p.m.
@ Jack Eaton: You think A2politico actually represents sound ideas. That statement makes me question your common sense. Article after article is filled with misrepresentations and outright lies presented in a way that tries to convince the reader that Lesko and the rest of you know what you are talking about. Repeating the same misinformation over and over again does not make it more true. I agree with LBH and Alan Jackson; they hit the nail on the head. Annarbor.com needs to do some real interviewing and reporting. Prime example is when Lesko, you and the rest of the challengers make a claim such as we want to move the water and sewage surplus over to pay for police and fitrefighters maybe annarbor.com should look into the claim a little bit more and then ask How can you do that? Isnt that illegal. (This was one of their main points over the past few months) Also, when they make a statement such as we should not tap the general fund for such and such, they should be asked what budget should be tapped then? A2Politico is filled with misstatements like that which to unknowing reader sounds plausible but to many who know better it just appears to be disingenuous and fraudulent. The challenging candidates just appear to have no sense about how a city or a bureaucracy, for that matter, runs. Please, Ann Arbor.com, put an end to printing press releases from challenging candidates who criticize without actually offering a real substantive plan that can be verified as plausible. The public deserves better.
Jack Eaton
Mon, May 24, 2010 : 11:31 a.m.
logicnreasoning said, "Hieftje and the other councilmembers up for re-election may not be perfect but they have the skills and knowledge that is needed to run the city." The incumbents are so knowledgeable that the city administrator feels the need to explain fund allocation budgeting in terms of "buckets of money" so they can understand. Even Council Member Marcia Higgins seems to have doubts about the majority's grasp of the budget. When discussing a proposal to post budget information on the web for public view, Council Member Higgins argued that before posting that information, members of the budget committee should have the opportunity to help the other council members understand the information. More than 60% of Ann Arbor residents over the age of 25 have at least an undergraduate degree. We need leaders who can recognize the intelligence of the populace and tap into that intellectual capital. Many of the incumbents treat citizen input as a tiresome annoyance. Alan Jackson and LBH complain that the article does not contain enough information about the challengers' budget proposals. I believe that Ms. Lesko has written at length about the poor spending choices of the current Council. You can find her ideas at a2politico.com. All of the challengers are willing to meet and discuss budget priorities. I suggest you attend a campaign event. For myself, I would say that our budget problems are the result of misguided priorities. City spending increased dramatically from 2003 to 2008. During that same time, the administration was cutting police and firefighting staffs. I have consistently called for a review of the areas of the budget that grew in the fat years, to determine what should be cut now, during our lean times. For example, if we cut the IT budget by one million dollars (about 15%) it would fund the 5 police positions and the 5 firefighters cut in this budget. At the same time, the IT budget, after that cut, would still be more than 50% larger than just four years ago. Determining budget priorities raises the question of whether the IT budget is more important than the first responder budgets. During the budget process, the city administrator claimed that everything was on the table for possible cuts. Yet, his list of "Big Ideas" presented to the Council included inconsequential cuts such as curtailing Christmas Tree pick-ups and reducing leaf pick-ups. His revenue producing big ideas included football parking in Allmendinger Park and imposing a special assessment district to levy a tax for "excess street lighting". The sad part of this is that the Council engaged in serious discussions on these frivolous matters. The hugely increased IT budget was never mentioned, nor the significantly enlarged law department budget. Additionally, the fact that we have a fully staffed planning department when there are few, if any, site plans to review, did not lead to any proposal to cut planners. Ann Arbor residents pay high taxes on property that is highly valued when compared to property in other Michigan cities. We should not pretend that our town is suffering the same economic distress that Flint, Saginaw, Grand Rapids and Detroit are. We have less unemployment and higher wages than many communities. Unlike other Michigan communities, we have the resources to provide essential services without raising taxes. I thought this article was fair. It covered the points made by the challengers and gave the incumbents a chance to respond. Mr. Hohnke used that opportunity to express his weariness for contrary views. The Mayor used his opportunity to denigrate, as silly, those who disagree with him. I think we can do better.
LBH
Mon, May 24, 2010 : 10:37 a.m.
Thank you Alan Jackson. I too am disappointed with these types of articles. The lack of fact checking or presentation of specific proposals other than 'reopening the budget' makes AnnArbor.com look like a mouthpiece for Pat Lesko and the people she appears to be hand picking to run with her. It seems that harsh criticism is about all we can expect. Criticism before the budget is reviewed because job cuts are suggested. Criticism after the budget is reviewed because jobs were saved, but not in a way that was considered acceptable. One wonders how long harsh criticism can sustain somebody before responsibility for actions would kick in? @racerx - New people in chairs won't change the fact that we either need to raise revenue somehow or continue to cut services. Contrary to comments all over AnnArbor.com, if you read through it you come to realize that there is not much fat in the Ann Arbor budget. Citizens claim they do not want to pay more in the form of taxes or service fees so.... Something's gotta give, and it is starting to show.
Alan Jackson
Mon, May 24, 2010 : 7:48 a.m.
I am sick and tired of articles that allow candidates a free pass. It is quite easy to criticize the choices made in a general way as being pork, irresponsible, or or whatever. What I want to know is what cuts would they make, what revenue would they collect, and would their budget actually balance. Until reporters make candidates articulate exactly how they will do things differently, we will learn nothing about how these candidates will govern.
racerx
Mon, May 24, 2010 : 12:19 a.m.
The crown jewel of the city's park system, Gallup, is in such bad shape. Prickly weeds are growing under those benches that families paid the city to install with plaques honoring family members, typically decease. Grass has not been mowed. The trails woodchips need refreshing. And there's water always near a manhole by the bridge. What up with that?! As this relates to spending priorities for the city, I too will be looking to vote in a new direction. Those now there simply aren't getting the job done.
snapshot
Sun, May 23, 2010 : 10:42 p.m.
Hey John Q, when I hear my elected officials telling me "they're tiered of hearing critisizm for decisions they've made" then they are "out" as far as my vote goes. I don't care if I have to vote for a drunken sailor. If you feel that folks who are smart and able to manipulate the system to suit their own needs are better than a drunken sailor, the I disagree, I'd rather have the drunken sailor in office. These officials are out of control and not looking out for the citizenry. They need to be sent a message and that message is "your out". born and raised, I agree, but you have got to stop making it personal because you're offensive, condencending, insulting, and are not representing the fire department in a good way.
Vivienne Armentrout
Sun, May 23, 2010 : 2:23 p.m.
Carsten Hohnke did not vote to borrow money (i.e. issue bonds) for the police courts addition. That vote took place in early 2008 and he was not elected until November 2008. He did, however, support the decision to build that city hall addition during the campaign (I was his opponent and I opposed the decision).
Dalouie
Sun, May 23, 2010 : 1:32 p.m.
It seems clear that A2 is doing way better than other cities in Michigan. No layoffs and no millage increase again this year. I doubt there will be many cities that will do so well. A2 was recently rated the 4th most "livable" city. The city has won many similar awards the last 6 or 7 years years. Sounds like a solid record of success.
a2grateful
Sun, May 23, 2010 : 11:09 a.m.
"The mayor had experience as a city council member and that seems essential to success as mayor." That would be one way to look at it. Here's another, borrowing your sentence: The mayor had experience as a city council member and that seems integral to his failure as mayor. Agree to disagree. August primary will settle it; )
lou glorie
Sun, May 23, 2010 : 11:09 a.m.
@ cjenkins: "They are anti- recycling, anti environment, against mass transit, they think public shame and intimidation is the method to use to force cooperation from people and they think that the police should have been forced to work out of an asbestos and radon ridden basement." I am happy to respond to this curious comment. But we need to start with coherent definitions of "anti-recycling", "anti-environment" and "anti-mass transit. I'm not sure I can unravel the "shame" and "intimidation" elements as I'm not inclined to make judgments on other people's emotional or spiritual motivations. "Anti-recycling" apparently means "spoke out against the city's plan to implement single-stream COLLECTION of recyclable materials. Many Ann Arbor residents understand that the collection of recyclable materials in one bucket does not mean that the materials collected will actually be recycled. You may be happy that you can throw your stoneyfield container into that bucket. But many of your thoughtful and environmentally concerned fellow citizens have justifiable concerns that the citys switch to single stream will be costly and also make it much more difficult for much more toxic/reactive substances like batteries and motor oil to be handled responsibly. Because the motor oil and batteries will no longer be collected at the curb, we are gambling that our conscientious residents will find the time and be happy to pay a fee to take them to Ellsworth Rd. Is it anti-recycling to voice concerns that these items might end up in the recycle cart or the landfill cart just to be rid of them? Is it anti-recycling or anti-environment to object to changing, at great cost, a program that works, while the city is cutting services to balance the budget? Those stoneyfield containers are recyclable today with our dual stream system. This nugget has conveniently been left out of the official story. The reason #s 3,5,6 have not been accepted is that the market for those plastics is shaky and the market won't change just because the method of collection has. In other words, those containers will continue to take up space in a landfill if the market will not accept them. "Anti-environment"? See above. A group that advocated for a recycling program that continues to reprocess the more toxic items (motor oil, batteries) is somehow "anti-environment"? A group that opposes borrowing money for another parking structure downtown that will facilitate more automobile use, is anti-environment. If concrete is the new green, I agree with you that I am not green. Trees are green, grass is green. Thats the kind of green I am. "Against mass transit" is code fore anti-our little Midwestern college towns diversion of tax dollars, intended for our bus system, into rail systems that will bypass the current users. I ask the believers in rail to have a look around the country. See how cities like Los Angeles have spent $100s of millions on rail to the detriment of the lower-income bus users--the workers who do not have cars or cannot afford to park downtown, but must get there for work. The rail advocates quite openly celebrate that rail will attract more affluent people along the NEW routes [to be] determined by a coalition of developers and politicians. This is not sound transportation policy. It is rather a development scheme using public money to attract buyers to an area because rail is sexier than buses. I love choochoos, but rail is expensive and should be planned and paid for regionally and at the federal level. FITS is a mess. Let's suppose for the moment that it is more than a garage. If it were actually a train station. Without having other stations in Dexter, Chelsea, Brighton, Saline how will commuters from those communities arrive at FITS--in a car! I advocate for transportation for Ann Arbor's here and now citizens rather than an abstract, affluent, virtual citizen of the future. The mayor has no problem with low income Ann Arborites being consigned to the outskirts of town. Now he would deprive them of transportation to jobs. It is very unlikely that redirecting our bus transit funds into rail will help the people who actually use our transit system. This seems like cynical resume padding, to me.
lou glorie
Sun, May 23, 2010 : 10:35 a.m.
Re CM Hohnke's defense of his vote to borrow $36 million for the addition to city hall: No one has disputed the city's responsibility to house the 15th District Court nor the need to provide adequate, habitable space for the police. The objections concern council and mayor's conflation of these responsibilities with their desire for a shiny, new building. The city could have acted responsibly by repurposing an existing building. Their contention that they had no choice does not hold up under scrutiny. Many of us who watched the "process" saw that the process was purpose-built to convey the desired end. The contempt they harbor for democratic process is physically manifested by the super-max folly at Fifth and Huron and the big hole in the ground next to the library. As for his contention that citizens do not understand the citys finances, I have to admit the city has not made it easy for us. And I must add that many of us are unpersuaded that members of council have a grasp. How else to explain their recitation of the spurious buckets credo. Adherents to this faith-based budgeting principle cannot explain how the IT bucketto name but oneis always full while the police, fire and parks buckets get emptier and emptierits a mystery, dont even ask. Even if they added bees wax, incense and Latin I wouldnt bend a knee to it. It is understandable that Mr. Hohnke is growing tired of criticism of his decisions, but his weariness is no defense of his actions. As for the mayors defense of rate increases for water and sewer rates: It hardly matters what other cities are charging, the citys water and sewer rates are becoming another financial burden that many people in Ann Arbor can not afford. The mayors glib defense of these increases must seem callous to people who are struggling to pay rent, pay the mortgage, pay property taxes and now pay ever-escalating water rates. Mr. Mayor, show a little mercy.
logo
Sun, May 23, 2010 : 9:49 a.m.
The mayor had experience as a city council member and that seems essential to success as mayor. He was also Chair of the Board of Recycle Ann Arbor, member of the board of the Huron River Watershed Council, etc. In short he had a long history of working well with others.
David Cahill
Sun, May 23, 2010 : 8:08 a.m.
Hieftje was a realtor, actually.
a2grateful
Sun, May 23, 2010 : 8 a.m.
The oddity of City Council is that they seem to turn molehills into a mountains on a regular and consistent basis. They have forgotten, or they never knew, what their jobs were supposed to be. Council is supposed to be concerned citizens reviewing or minimally advising paid professional staff... Now, self-important micromanaging Council folk arrogantly strut about forecasting failure if anyone other than them is ruining... (oops) running the town... Someone, please remind me... What were J. Hieftje's special qualifications before becoming mayor? If there were any, what happened? All aboard...
John Q
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 9:46 p.m.
I understand the "throw the bums out" sentiment. Some of the incumbents have worked hard to alienate and antagonize voters. But that strategy only works if the people replacing them have the ability to be good members of Council. I've read very little that gives me any confidence that the contenders have those abilities. I've taken Pat Lesko to task for some of her comments that I found either grossly ignorant or deliberately misleading. Either way, they raise serious questions about her abilities to be a good mayor. Some may be tempted to take the chance believing that the challengers can't be any worse than the current crop of Council members. But there are plenty of examples in southeast Michigan where communities went completely off the rails when the wrong people were put into elected office.
Gill
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 8:39 p.m.
Whine, whine, whine. This is the only town I know of in Michigan that is NOT having massive cutbacks in services. I don't see anything different between the incumbents and the newcomers except for Sumi. I think an accountant on council would be beneficial.
GoblueBeatOSU
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 7:22 p.m.
Mark..."Apparently he believes it was prudent to let the Stadium bridge fall into disrepair while borrowing heavily to build a new City Hall and an underground garage. I disagree.".... You make a great point...if I may add on....The AATA and this group want to spend about $3 Million to replace the Blake Transportation Center. The Blake Center is only 20 years old. These great leaders of Ann Arbor are now constructing new buildings and tossing them out after 20 years. That is not prudent spending....and I hate to break it to Hieftje but you can't claim AA is a green city when you start replacing buildings ever 20 years. http://www.annarbor.com/news/aata-board-to-move-ahead-with-replacing-blake-transit-center-in-downtown-ann-arbor/
Lou Perry
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 6:36 p.m.
The question was raised as to the viability of City Council candidates - What do they do? I haven't been able to determine what those currently serving on City Council do or have done and there qualifications. Ms. Lesko, like it or not, seems to be the only mayoral candidate to work from facts. Is there anyone else ready to step-up?
Brian Kuehn
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 5:35 p.m.
A number of people have commented upon the lack of diversity in candidates through Ann Arbor's evolution into a one-party town. I tend to agree with these sentiments. Another troubling issue is we essentially elect our City Council and Mayor in August. Wait, one might say, the election is in November. You are correct but the Democratic Primary is held in August. Typically there is extremely low turnout so an organized candidate can swing an election with a couple hundred supporters. Come November our choices usually are limited to a single candidate or possibly a choice between a Democrat and a small splinter party (yes, I consider Republicans a splinter party in Ann Arbor). One idea we need to explore is changing to a non-partisan election. No primaries (saves money) and everyone runs in November without party affiliation. True, the Democratic "machine" will back certain candidates but without a specific party affiliation and the need to win a primary, we might actually get some choice in our candidates. Also, the election will not essentially be decided by a couple hundred organized supporters in a primary held in the middle of the Summer.
Stephen Landes
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 5:20 p.m.
Diversity in political thinking? I don't believe that is allowed in Ann Arbor -- unfortunately it's the Democratic Party or no party regardless of how big a mess they make of this city.
Mark Wilson
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 3:45 p.m.
Carsten Hohnke was quoted above as saying "It's the job of government to make prudent investments in infrastructure." I agree. Apparently he believes it was prudent to let the Stadium bridge fall into disrepair while borrowing heavily to build a new City Hall and an underground garage. I disagree. I thank the incumbents for their past service, but I will be voting for the challengers in August.
Edward R Murrow's Ghost
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 3:01 p.m.
xmo wrote: "Its too bad we only have the 'tax and spend party' candidates hoping to oust incumbents. After fourty years under the 'tax and spend party' I think we really need a little more diversity in political thinking." Yes, the other party's philosophy of spending without taxing, to the tune of a nearly $12 Trillion national debt, has worked so very well. Good Night and Good Luck
logo
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 1:55 p.m.
Seems to me the results have been good. No tax increase and no service cuts.
John Galt
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 1:19 p.m.
Look at all of the Democrats we have to choose from? Sounds like Henry Ford, when commenting about the Model T. "You can have any color you like. As long as it is black." Look at all the "diversity" we have in this "tolerant" city. My prediction: We will get the same result regardless of which of these people are elected.
gamebuster
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 12:46 p.m.
I'd like to be fair. I don't want to say who is qualified to be coming council members or who is not suitable to become our future Mayor. I recommend you to read the website www.a2politico.com which is written by Patricia Lesko to see her political viewpoints and read her mind. For me, I find that she has insight and wisdom there. I don't comment who suits or who doesn't. It's fair to find it out by ourselves.
flyingsquirrel
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 11:44 a.m.
I don't know Sumi Kailasapathy, Jack Eaton, or Lou Glorie. Without any other information I might tend to feel they were qualified to serve on council. But I have known Pat Lesko for many years, and cannot take seriously anyone who aligns themselves with her and considers her a reasonable candidate for mayor. What does she do for a living? David Cahill says the candidates sound like they have real jobs--what is her experience and background? Ms Lesko is not a team-builder, and she is very quick to belittle any opinion other than her own by labeling people with opposing ideas as being of poor character or even as being criminals. Our city deserves a much more qualified candidate for mayor.
Lou Perry
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 10:22 a.m.
It warms my heart that people with a voice are criticizing the Ann Arbor Budget. City Council member, Carsten Hohnkes comments at the last City Council meeting questioning the role of DDA being an additional government for the city is truthful, I commend him for bringing up the issue. The lack of City Council support, without discussion, was an indication of required serious review. But, Carsten Hohnke saying in the AnnArbor.com piece that people do not understand the City's finances is hogwash. I have read the City Budget and Mr. Hohnke along with other members of City Council obviously does not understand the underlying expenses; its a concern. Raising parking fees is an example of taking the easy way to budget balance. I read the DDA report on increasing parking rates and reasons for it. If common sense makes sense, the report is self-serving. I've managed successfully budgets over $400 million; I know a little about budgets, expenses and acceptable budgeting techniques resulting in prioritize expenditures.
Dalouie
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 10:16 a.m.
Cities across the state are melting down, closing facilities, laying off cops, and cutting services but in A2 things are perking along with no cops laid off, probably no firefighters either, nobody was laid off. The city is making good use of parking money and keeping things moving in a terrible economy. The city is vibrant, has the lowest unemployment in the state and low rates for water and sewer. Sounds like A2 is doing well and way better than other Michigan cities.
Ben Mitchell
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 10:15 a.m.
I tend to agree with cjenkins and logicnreasoning's comments. I am having a hard time deriving much in the way of solutions from the challenging candidates. It is hard for me to not doubt their qualifications and understanding of city management and finances when their rhetoric is marked by conspiratorial accusations and calls for no more "band-aid" approaches. Okay, so please explain to me what your non band-aid solution is. I take the fiscal problems of the city very seriously, and indeed, Ann Arbor may be suffering under poor leadership. But I also think that the health of the city is largely reflective of the condition of the state and the region as a whole. A new recycling program and police court building I don't think are the reasons for Ann Arbor's and Michigan's economic troubles. And addressing single issue line items like these in a budget will not set the city and the state on the road to recovery. I am just troubled by what seems like a very strong streak of provincialism among the challenging candidates. As I said, it may very well be time for new leadership. But I am very anxious about the elections this Fall, as there seems to be momentum building behind candidates that, from their statements, seem wanting of vision. I am wholly unconvinced that the challenging candidates are the appropriate people to move Ann Arbor forward.
gamebuster
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 9:40 a.m.
Hello, everyone, I'm not American citizen, but I care how the local government is being run. It's very upsetting how they use the money. They paid for consultant companies instead of listening to the constituents. They favor expensive structures building instead of facing sufferings of their fellow citizens. What? Divert the money from social services fund and programs to Urban County. Finally, we even don't know who's in charge of the money? We see the police court, water sculptures, money spent on AA private airport. Please see the hidden poor. I'm not kidding you. They're extremely poor. I don't take any bribe to write these words. But please log onto www.aspolitico.com. That's the blog written by Patricia Lesko. She 's running for AA Mayor. I say again. I'm not taking anything to write this. You check the link. There're many articles. You can read her mind. She is intelligent and knowledgeable and demonstrate us her wisdom. She's familiar with the council a lot. Democrat is a very active and energetic group. I attended their meetings before. I can't vote as I don't have the citizenship. If I had, I'd vote these four people.
blahblahblah
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 9:31 a.m.
Talk about shell games. We need rate increases for water infrastructure while taking $2 mil from parking infrastructure, while the water dept. pays for the cost of Argo Dam which should really fall under the parks dept. So there you have it, water paying for parks, parking paying for everything.
Vivienne Armentrout
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 8:42 a.m.
The argument that we should pay for water-related infrastructure is certainly a good one. Some of our systems are very old. But unfortunately those water fees are also paying for unrelated programs. As I outlined extensively in my blog Money for Art's Sake, the Percent for Art program is taxing all these improvement projects and was scheduled to receive half a million dollars in FY09 (which ends July 1). Construction of sewer mains was scheduled to deliver over $800,000 to the Arts program through FY11. When council voted for this program, did they really understand that they were taxing water and sewer fee payers on every single water utilities upgrade? This is a thinly veiled tax increase. The water fees have been a tempting source of revenue since people must pay them for an essential service. And Mr. Hohnke, it's true. We are tired of the city hall funding issue. Unfortunately, we are stuck with the bill and it keeps going up. (Not yet resolved is the additional $3 million owed to the project that had been scheduled from the sale of First and Washington. Also, the operating expenses will be higher than for the old building. And new expenses surfaced for furnishing the building beyond that original quote.)
David Cahill
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 8:35 a.m.
Accountant, realtor, attorney - sounds like the challengers have real jobs to me. I was particularly impressed with what Kailasapathy had to say about shifting money around the various city accounts. We need a CPA like her on Council to provide an independent source of financial expertise. And Lesko is more than correct with her critique of game playing and last-minute rescues. This is not just a game--it is a cruel hoax on the public and the City's employees.
kathryn
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 8:08 a.m.
I agree with Carl H. on the water increases: a 3-4% increase in user rates may be necessary to proactively maintain/upgrade our water treatment program. Good water and sewage isn't free. This is a responsible thing to do. But I do agree that the city needs to look more carefully at all expenses. Some fresh eyes may help...or not--it depends on the eyes. Anti-incumbent fever seems to strike during times of hardship. We all need to cool down and elect the best qualified people we can find.
cjenkins
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 7:53 a.m.
@logicnreasoning I completely agree with you that the challengers dont have a clue about how government runs. Most of their accusations consist of talking points that resemble the spinmiesters on fox news. They refer to pork and cost overruns on a consistent basis without proposing any realistic ideas. They are anti- recycling, anti environment, against mass transit, they think public shame and intimidation is the method to use to force cooperation from people and they think that the police should have been forced to work out of an asbestos and radon ridden basement. These are not the type of Democrats I want representing me.
Kerry
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 7:42 a.m.
The DDA Parking money should be used to maintain and build parking in downtown, if they have extra money they should offer free parking to customers shopping downtown. How about the first hour free, this will help keep our downtown healthy.
xmo
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 7:42 a.m.
Its too bad we only have the "tax and spend party" candidates hoping to oust incumbents. After fourty years under the "tax and spend party" I think we really need a little more diversity in political thinking.
susan
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 7:34 a.m.
The Mayor says he "agonized" over the parking fine increases. Yeh, right. Expired meter rates going from $15.00 to $20.00 with a default amount increase to $70.00. Over legal limit fine will go from $25.00 to $35.00 with a default amount increased to $85.00. Double parking from $25.00 to $40.00 with a default increased to $100.00.
logicnreasoning
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 7:23 a.m.
Councilmemeber Hohnke said it perfectly...he questions whether anyone criticizing those rate increases understands the city finances. (regarding the water rate increases) The city should definitely plan for infrastructure improvements. I dont understand the logic that says wait until a disaster happens before worrying about it. We do know NOW that we will need a new sewage/water plant. It is smart policy to plan and not wait for a crisis. The challenging candidates do not have a clue about how city finances or municipal government works. In fact in most of their accusatory comments, here and in other articles and blogs, they sound as if they never held a real job anywhere or have worked with large groups of people. Their statements are naive and actually just plain ridiculous at times. It makes you wonder whether the challengers actually understand at all the process of forming governmental policy or are they purposely spinning these issues in order to fool the public for the own self-interest and political gain. Hieftje and the other councilmembers up for re-election may not be perfect but they have the skills and knowledge that is needed to run the city. The challengers do not have any knowledge and very few skills that would benefit the city. I find nothing scarier than these challengers actually running our city.
A Pretty Ann Arbor
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 6:14 a.m.
A2Grateful and Alan - thanks for the great comments. I too will be casting my August vote in a new direction. Tired of out-of-touch officials that can't seem to balance their budgets and spend on projects that don't seem to really help the health, safety and welfare of the city and those that live here. It cannot go on. We pay a lot of money in taxes and deserve better. Our infrastructure of the city is failing...and yes a few us keep beating the drum on the dead horse because you won't listen...we are angry, I bet the drumbeats get a lot louder! Can you hear them? I can - it's called voters!
a2grateful
Sat, May 22, 2010 : 5:44 a.m.
I look forward to casting my democratic vote in August for mayor and ward rep. Hopefully, new will be the new new. The tenured drivers of the "process" no longer serve the people of Ann Arbor as well as they imagine. They continue to treat constituents as if beating a brain-dead horse. The only think receiving a beating is the city's future viability and our pocket books. Thank you mayor and council for the tax increases amidst budget surpluses and volcanic folly...