Ypsilanti's Ward 3 City Council candidates offer solutions on crime, economy

But incumbent Brian Robb says his record over the last four years demonstrates he has helped to address the problems Windish claims to have solutions for.

Ted Windish is pictured near his Miles Street home, where he says he helped close two crack houses.

Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

The two Democrats face off in the Aug. 3 primary. No Republicans have filed for the November election, paving the way for the winner of the primary to likely assume the seat.

One of Windish’s foremost concerns is crime. In his robo-calls, he pushes his “triad of evil” crime-fighting theory, saying the triad is a metaphor to illustrate how the three crimes affecting the city most - drugs, prostitution and robbery - interplay.

He contends if the city focused on reducing and eliminating drugs and prostitution, a reduction in robberies would follow.

“It’s a sound principal,” said Windish, who runs his own landscaping business. He added he wants to “create a culture in Ypsilanti where people report these things immediately.”

Robb pointed to a report from City Manager Ed Koryzno released this month that shows robberies, home invasions and prostitution are down significantly since he began on council in 2006 - though 2010 has seen an uptick.

Robb, an engineer at Ford, listed helping to preserve most public safety positions during the economic downturn as his biggest accomplishment on that front. He said he also was an advocate of purchasing license plate recognition software to help recover stolen vehicles and supported the police department when equipment was needed.

"The reason the crime is down is because we have a great police department, but they've had the full support of council," Robb said.

Robb also questioned Windish’s role in helping to close down crack cocaine houses on his block, as Windish claims in his robo-calls. Robb said he was involved with the Citizens Police Academy in 2007 when the SWAT team raided a Miles Street home.

Windish, who unsuccessfully ran against Council Member Pete Murdock in the last election, said he helped organize neighbors, who documented activity around the house and regularly reported to police. He said that's the type of action necessary, which is above and beyond the good achieved by neighborhood watch groups.

Brian Robb is pictured outside AM 1700 Radio Station in downtown Ypsilanti.

Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

“If you tell me I wasn’t involved in that, I’ll call you a liar,” he said.

Windish said he would never vote for a budget that included cuts to fire or police and is also hesitant to lay off any more public service employees. He said the key is finding which cuts inflict the least amount of harm to the city.

“I want to stick my nose in every nook and cranny and find the least painful cuts,” he said.

Windish said the city needs to further seek partnerships with surrounding municipalities and suggested offering services to tax-exempt properties such as Eastern Michigan University to save city jobs.

Robb said the city has been successful in minimizing cuts to public safety and partnering with the Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority to provide an additional business district police officer. He also credited the council with successfully reprioritizing during a long budget process to minimize the economy’s impact on city services, despite dwindling revenue.

“We’ve been able to do some creative things by allowing ourselves to be flexible,” he said, adding that the next order of business is ensuring the charter amendment to provide a dedicated source of funding for public transportation is approved by voters.

Ward 3 is home to the Thompson Block building, damaged by fire last fall and entangled in litigation in the dispute that followed. Robb voted against a plan presented by developer Stewart Beal to rehabilitate the building, thus starting the litigation process in April. He said the plan didn’t include putting a roof on the structure, which means it would have remained a dangerous building per city ordinances.

Robb said Beal has generally shown little interest in developing an acceptable plan.

“Everyone wants that building saved, but only the owner can do that, and he has fought us every step of the way,” Robb said, adding the lawsuit was unavoidable and will likely take several years to be resolved, so it needed to be filed now.

Windish acknowledged the Thompson Block’s historical significance, but called the structure “an eyesore” and said the city should “tear thing down - just get rid of the darn thing.”

Another hot-button campaign issue is Water Street, a development project plagued for years by setbacks.

Windish questioned why the planning commission's zoning recommendations for Water Street were never acted upon by council. He also wondered whether the city has effectively marketed the property, and charged a sub-committee established by council - including Robb, Council Member Pete Murdock and Council Member Mike Bodary - hasn't met to market the property in months.

“I’d like to know why,” he said.

The Water Street Sub-Committee meets with city staff, the real estate broker and marketing agency to receive information on prospective developers or land purchases.

Robb said there's been no need for the sub-committee to meet because potential developers are unable to borrow in Michigan, and little interest has been expressed in the land.

Robb pointed to the city’s successes in Water Street, which include securing $1 million in grant funding to remove the remaining buildings and contamination from the property. He said the city has its own website marketing the Water Street property and has hired a marketing agency, CB Richard Ellis, to help market the land nationally.

“We’ve gotten Water Street as far as we can take it until people can borrow money again in Michigan,” Robb said. “By the end of the summer, that place will look redevelopment-ready and look inviting, but the lending is something that’s out of our control.”

Robb wants to see a non-motorized transportation plan implemented downtown, which is intended to create a more walkable, business-friendly district. He also said updating antiquated ordinances that create small hassles for businesses - like those prohibiting sidewalk signs or patio restrictions - should be addressed and called for the city to increase its business recruiting efforts, especially with a new DDA director.

"We have the opportunity to focus on things that we haven't been able to for a decade," he said.

Robb highlighted the council's successes in creating a more attractive city in recent years through ordinance enforcement, which he said was a problem when he arrived on council four years ago. 

Windish said he would like to see better marketing of vacant storefronts downtown and suggested relief on the first year of property taxes to help new businesses establish themselves. In the long-term, he wants Ypsilanti to consider "taking over" stretches of Ypsilanti Township down Ecorse Road and Cross Streets as a way to expand the tax base.

"We should be looking at expanding our territory into Ypsilanti Township," he said.

Tom Perkins is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.