Ann Arbor mayoral candidates trade blows in first public debate appearance
Ann Arbor mayoral candidate Patricia Lesko speaks during a debate held Thursday night at the Ann Arbor Community Center.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
(This story has been revised to include attribution for a statement made by one of the candidates.)
Ann Arbor mayoral candidate Patricia Lesko pulled a quote from the pages of Harry Potter Thursday night to criticize Mayor John Hieftje in their first-ever public debate.
"It takes courage to face your enemies. It takes even more courage to face your friends," she said, crediting author J.K. Rowling.
With that, Lesko recalled the "e-mail scandal" from last year in which it was discovered that several Ann Arbor City Council members regularly e-mailed each other during public meetings.
Lesko criticized Hieftje for tolerating the e-mails, some of them containing snarky comments about other council members and others quietly discussing business before the council.
"You have to be willing, as a leader, to make hard decisions," she said. "One of the most difficult is when you are faced with unethical behavior by those around you."
Hieftje and Lesko traded blows throughout the one-hour debate, which took place at the Ann Arbor Community Center before a crowd of more than 60 residents. The event was hosted by the North Central Property Owners Association and also featured 1st Ward City Council candidates Sumi Kailasapathy and Sandi Smith.
On Aug. 3, voters will decide between Lesko and Hieftje, both Democrats. The winner likely will face challenges from two independent candidates in the general election.
Lesko shook the mayor's hand at the start of Thursday's debate and told Hieftje she appreciated his many years of service to the city.
"I'm not running because I dislike this guy. In fact, I voted for him three times," Lesko said, garnering a surprised look from Hieftje, who has been the subject of harsh criticisms on A2Politico.com, a personal blog where Lesko likened Hieftje to Satan.
But with pleasantries out of the way, the gloves were off as Lesko critiqued Hieftje's leadership of Ann Arbor for the past 10 years.
"I'm against cronyism," she said. "And I'm absolutely uncompromising in the face of dishonest, illegal or unethical behavior. I'm against scripting votes by e-mail. I take deadly seriously the legal and fiduciary responsibilities that come with elected office."
As the next mayor of Ann Arbor, Lesko said, she would head a city government where city services take center stage and the city lives within the generous means its taxpayers provide.
"But more importantly, as the next mayor of Ann Arbor, I'll lead," she said. "I'm not a go-along kind of gal. If you want a flower girl, don't vote for me. I'm tough. Mayor Hieftje is absolutely right, these are tough times, tough decisions. Anti-union rhetoric doesn't fly with me."
Hieftje countered that Lesko and her unofficial slate of candidates running for City Council are "screaming that there's something wrong" when Ann Arbor actually is thriving.
"I'm happy to sit down with anybody and show you the evidence of what's going on in other cities, not only in Michigan, but around the country," he said. "And then I can tell you about what's going on that is right in Ann Arbor because we are doing much better than other cities in the state of Michigan, while going through the same economy."
Lesko ran through a list of complaints she's heard from residents: The roads are a mess, the police and fire departments have been decimated, the Stadium bridges have been allowed to deteriorate, property taxes are high, parking fines have increased, a parking meter hours extension is being proposed, and city parks are mowed less frequently now.
Hieftje attacked many of Lesko's claims.
"If, as I've heard said, Ann Arbor is mismanaged, if it's sheer incompetence — is it sheer incompetence which is driving the state of Michigan budget down?" he said. "Is it sheer incompetence that is hurting the budgets across the United States?"
One resident asked Lesko to explain how she came to the conclusion that city spending has gone up 35 percent since 2006. Hieftje clarified that Lesko actually has stated on the campaign trail that "city overhead" — which Lesko equates to "total city spending" — has gone up "35 percent per year" since 2005, which is not true.
Mayor John Hieftje speaks during Thursday night's candidate debate.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
"The CFO of the city, Tom Crawford, has actually said that he doesn't know where those numbers come from, has no idea how anyone could draw those from the figures, and I guess I would have to side with that," Hieftje said. "Any city in the state of Michigan that has had its overhead going up at 35 percent per year would have been broke about six years ago."
Lesko said she was basing her numbers on the city's audited financial statements. But audit figures Lesko cited in her defense in late May worked out to a 27.9 percent increase in total city spending from 2006 to 2009. City officials also argued it was inaccurate to characterize total spending as "overhead."
Lesko still asserts the city needs more responsible spending.
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to rein in spending. It takes political will to rein in spending, and I have it," she said.
"What we can do ... is tell the IT department when they come to us for unnecessary purchases that 'no, you can't have that money.' When the fleet department wants new vehicles, City Council must say no. Just say no to nonessential staff requests for funding."
Lesko and Hieftje agreed Thursday night they're both opposed to a city income tax, though they don't oppose the possibility of letting voters decide on it.
Lesko criticized Hieftje for the ongoing $47.4 million building addition to city hall, which will house the city's courts and police department. She referred to it multiple times as "luxury office space on the corner of Fifth and Huron." She said the city should have floated bonds to fix the Stadium bridges before taking on that project.
Hieftje argued that the city would need a guaranteed revenue stream before it could put the city at risk by floating bonds. He said the city will fix the Stadium bridges next spring, after one last shot at applying for federal funding.
"I would be concerned about the Stadium bridges, too, and why they haven't been fixed," he said. "But I also think that it would have been foolish for the city to go forward and fix those bridges this fall, as we could have done, without waiting for the one more opportunity to get federal money that we believe is coming our way."
Lesko said she's proud to have support for her campaign from the city's police and firefighters unions, whose contracts she vows to reopen if elected. She said the unions don't trust Hieftje enough to negotiate with the city right now.
"Right now there's no trust in the current administration," she said. "We need their trust. We need their cooperation. We need to deal with the serious problems that are facing our city, the unfunded pension obligations."
Hieftje dismissed an allegation by Kailasapathy that the city will spend $11 million on a new transit station on Fuller Road across from the University of Michigan Hospital.
"The city's not going to spend anything like that there," he said. "We're going to use federal money, and the U of M investment is providing the entire match. It's a wonderful bargain for the city of Ann Arbor. We will have an asset that we will own."
Lesko suggested the city doesn't treat all employees fairly. She told the story of a city worker she met recently — a single mother who, according to Lesko, earns $10 an hour as a full-time temporary employee without benefits.
"For the past several years, she's been asked to supervise staff without the possibility of regular raises," Lesko said. "While our city hires people like this single mom by the dozen, Mayor Hieftje more than doubled his own pay, and compensation for city managers rose as well."
Lesko also criticized Hieftje for approving a "nonessential parking garage" next to the main library downtown instead of paying to fix roads. Hieftje countered that parking revenues are paying for the parking garage, a point Lesko disputed.
"That's not accurate," she said. "That garage is being funded with municipal bonds, which are backed by the full faith and credit of our city. There's a banner that says 'your parking dollars at work.' That's misleading."
Lesko also criticized Hieftje for supporting multiple Planned Unit Developments, projects in which developers are allowed to deviate from the city's existing zoning.
"At the moment, our city is developing by exception, granting PUDs in those buffer zones," Lesko said of near-downtown neighborhoods. "They're called buffer zones to protect the neighbors and neighborhoods in which those folks live."
Hieftje argued the city has made strides in the area of zoning, recently completing a six-year effort that involved rezoning downtown. He also noted efforts he and others on council have supported to create a historic district for part of the Germantown neighborhood.
"I'm a big believer that density should be in the downtown area, in the D1 and the D2 (zoning districts)," Hieftje said. "We've been working in that direction for a long time, and I think that it's something that we should hold onto."
Hieftje and Lesko agreed Argo Dam needs to stay for now. Hieftje said the city maintains the position that there's nothing structurally wrong with the dam.
In his closing remarks, Hieftje said Ann Arbor is headed in a positive direction, despite the loss of 4.86 percent of its property tax revenue from the loss of Pfizer.
"We will continue to build on the award-winning quality of life that we have in Ann Arbor and I would compare it with anywhere," he said. "We will continue to perform better financially than most of the other Michigan cities, if not all."
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529.
Comments
bedrog
Mon, Jul 5, 2010 : 9:57 a.m.
erratum to my previous: it's Quayle of course chuck l: to your query as to why lesko is being dissed as 'divisive' when she supposedly heads this wonderful coalition... it's who's in that coalition that is a major problem for many...notably the enthusiasm shown for her by prominent GREEN PARTYers and other local extremists ( and i call synagogue harassing/jew baiting/frivolous coop disrupting etc 'extreme"...all spelled out in WASHTENAW JEWISH NEWS articles from jan feb mar...esp the feb one, with photos). as you of course are well aware.... now i know for sure that lesko personally has no use ( an understatement) for such types ( being an active member of the afflicted jewish community herself).. but her willingness to even minimally be perceived to 'break bread' with them in the name of political expediency is indeed a problem... as it would have been for obama vis a vis the ( not so revere--nd)jeremiah wright had obama not had the good sense to kick him to the curb in response to such justified concerns. got it??
bedrog
Mon, Jul 5, 2010 : 6:53 a.m.
chuck l...and with yours lesko bites the dust. 1bit...'pithy'? i knew 'pithy' and that, ma'm was no "pithy" (bentsen v. quail)...
ChuckL
Sun, Jul 4, 2010 : 10:02 p.m.
1bit said, 'The joke was that this is a false "choice" being proffered.' Wrong! If you want developer interests making backroom deals and then scripting the public "debate", vote for Hieftje. If you like having the most efficient public service consisting of meter maids issuing parking tickets at a dizzying pace and police issuing speeding tickets like they are giving out candy to children, vote for Hieftje. If you want sweetheart deals skewed in favor of the University where parkland is given away for a song, vote for Hieftje. If you want metered parking downtown until 10pm, vote for Hieftje. The people on this thread who think Lesko is a divider and not a uniter have to explain how she has been able to lead the most successful and diverse coalition in opposition to Hieftje since he was elected Mayor 10 years ago. I am convinced that had Mayor Hieftje & Council put before voters the question of building/funding the Police/Courts building, he would not be facing a challenge by Lesko August 3rd. The Ask Voters First coalition has always been about ensuring city government is responsive to the needs and wishes of the city's residents. It is out of this tradition that the current opposition slate has emerged and Pat is its current leader.
bedrog
Sun, Jul 4, 2010 : 8:24 a.m.
1bit...that's just silly. heiftje is nothing like bush in any respect... as to the lesko/palin analogy, policy wise also no comparison, although the snide sound -byte 'look at me-ism'...maybe!
Speechless
Sat, Jul 3, 2010 : 5:54 p.m.
More and more, it looks like political opponents of the current city council majority have developed their own electoral counterpart to former councilperson Leigh Greden. Just as Greden did among the council majority until he lost last August, Pat Lesko now acts as a lightning rod attracting political controversy, some questions of integrity, and accusations of harsh, uncivil behavior. It's as if council's opponents have failed to take a basic political lesson from their own successful takedown of Greden last year. The surfacing of past city council email sent during public meetings clearly demonstrated how immature and demeaning Greden could become at times. Likewise, there now exists through various media a growing public awareness of Lesko acting poorly in somewhat different but very parallel ways through the years and also in the current campaign. Defined as opposites among local Democrats, these two emerge from different places in the local political spectrum. Yet it could be more accurate to depict Greden and Lesko as representing two sides of the same political coin, as mirror images who share unwelcome interpersonal similarities at a basic level beneath the surface — even while they deliver rival talking points.
Ryan J. Stanton
Sat, Jul 3, 2010 : 2:05 p.m.
@cleanup I think it's fair to say the candidates traded blows, and the quotes in the story back that up. In fact, it's a fairly common phrase used to describe exactly what happened in this situation. Just earlier this week, the Detroit News reported that Virg Bernero and Andy Dillon "traded more blows" in their final Democratic gubernatorial debate Monday night. The Chronicle and AnnArbor.com have somewhat similar missions, but our styles obviously differ.
bedrog
Sat, Jul 3, 2010 : 1:28 p.m.
logfellow...bedrag/bedrog. got it...cute... yep, gaza is a mess ( the human shield thing, the hamasniks burning down coed summer children's camps as 'corrupting', the 'honor killings', the rockets/suicide bombers that sadly provoke inevitable responses from israel etc...) it's good/appropriate indeed that city officials, and aspirants thereto, keep themselves out of this rats nest since those far more knowledgeable/involved have been stymied for decades by the situation ( which actually isnt as simple as some would have it). glad we agree for once.have a nice 4th.
Lou Perry
Sat, Jul 3, 2010 : 1:25 p.m.
Mayor John Hieftje is doing an exceptional job. Ann Arbor isnt Chicago or Honolulu, Harrisburg, Orlando or Ft. Worth but, Ann Arbor is one of the most unique cities in America. Residents and the cities businesses have different needs and are of many layers and Mayor Hilfiger does a good job in addressing. Think of our population People who wish Ann Arbor was like it was in 1964. Townies with their wants. As Ive said before, if it wasnt for UofM, Ann Arbor would be a rest stop on I-94. College students are students; they are a driving force for our city. The city must respond to students differently. A pot full of health care workers on the job 24/7 with a number commuting from as far away as Flint and Toledo using city services. Highly intelligent and educated folks working at our local universities and businesses making us a bit more sophisticated in everyday life and how you manage the city. New residents coming from all over the world; Hillers Market shows the cultural diversity in many isles. And, of course, our citizens in need daily. Ann Arbor is known as one of the most liberal cities in the U.S. But, as a radio guy who hosts a progressive talk show the population is more diverse politically than you might think. Number 1 rated commercial station in greater Ann Arbor is conservative WJR. Our own WAAM airs conservative programming exclusively and has a sizeable audience. The #1 Ann Arbor based radio station is WWWW-FM, a Country station, a full-time local liberal radio station failed. The area isnt only NPR. As I say, many layers to our town and the mayor has to address all. Ann Arbor is a destination city. People from Michigan and Ohio see Ann Arbor us has a great place to visit for its exclusive refinement, restaurants, shops and a great walking town that is safe. I ran into Mini Driver while she was shooting a picture here. She loved the city. She said it has an air of its own. Again, who orchestrates that personality; it takes a village, but strong management. If you look at other premiere Michigan cities, most are not as diverse. I lived in Birmingham, MI with a thriving downtown for twenty years; it doesnt resemble Ann Arbor a bit. Bloomfield Hills with a zip code that has the highest income in the state aint Ann Arbor. Ive never run into a single person that doesnt speak highly of Ann Arbor. So, the mayors job here is different than most others. Even East Lansing, a college town, home of MSU, isnt like Ann Arbor at all. Dealing with thousands of people coming to town for football games, art fairs and more is another unique challenge for city government and its budgets. Even with all those visitors coming in for short bursts, the city doesnt fall apart because of the influx. That doesnt happen by itself. Think of the extra sanitation, traffic and safety requirements. Sure, UofM does their job on campus, but the influx isnt only a campus. Our city budget is unique too. There must be concern for AA continually supporting distinctiveness and that affects budgets. Sure, there are points in any budget, private or public that is up for debates, but thats natural. Ive lived in many cities throughout the country for my everyday career, not radio. Never, I mean never, have I lived in a city with more opinions, positive or negative than Ann Arbor. Thats fantastic but keeping Ann Arbor citizens in some type of order is like a teacher running a classroom of kids who never sit in there seats. Somehow John recognizes the opinions and pretty much keeps all in their seat. It is not only John, its city council with their conflicting positions (I think many times sophomoric and not logical positions), another big influence DDA. The cities citizens needs to take a hard look at DDAs authority Is it a shadow government), takes John working with Council, special interests, businesses and DDA along with a strong working relationship with our a highly competent City Manager, Doug Frazer. The leader of the pack is Mayor John Hieftje and he is not looking to make radical changes in a city that works so well, but he continues to fine tune making our city better every day. Thats John.
Bill Wilson
Sat, Jul 3, 2010 : 1:07 p.m.
Blaine, I think most are coming around now, and seeing the situation in Gaza for what it is: a human rights violation, rather than treating it like an old bedrag, and ignoring it. But that being said, unless I am missing something, I don't see the importance of the mayor or council publicly condemning it (or A2.com, for that matter).
bedrog
Sat, Jul 3, 2010 : 1:05 p.m.
@blaine...when an actual vote ( 2 actually)on your sole issue was taken at the coop ( which both soundly...indeed humiliatingly.. rejected your sole issue!!)it was only after a huge amount of acrimony ( which your'side" initiated), and a vast amount of time wasted from proper fiduciary activities. and you personally and your tiny crew of allies still have repeatedly shown yourself unwilling /unable to abide by the clear will of the majority. every post/narcissistic public performance of yours demonstrates that fact. it is to the city council's/candidates credit that they wont give you that " camel with nose in tent ' opprtunity...and clearly the coop /um student council etc have learned their lessons too. if they did otherwise you'd clearly abuse the situation, just as you regularly do the first amendment.
cleanup
Sat, Jul 3, 2010 : 12:48 p.m.
From a journalism point of view, the coverage of the forum by Ann Arbor.com and by the Ann Arbor Chronicle is striking. Ann Arbor.com uses inflammatory rhetoric in its headline, repeated in the body of the text -- "...candidates trade blows..." -- and in this reference in the text -- "...the gloves were off.." Compare that to the Chronicle which was almost straight chronological reporting of the evening, giving readers an entirely different flavor of the event. To its credit, AA.com is posting the comments about the Chronicle. Hopefully, they will do better and eschew the current silly trend to create a veiled violent 'dust-up' when voters just want the facts. To read the Chronicle's reporting on the forum, go to http://annarborchronicle.com/2010/07/03/ann-arbor-dems-primary-mayoral-race/
KathrynHahn
Sat, Jul 3, 2010 : 3:23 a.m.
Are these the only candidates for the Mayoral position? If so, you folks in A2 better agree on a write-in candidate soon! It may be your only hope. I hate seeing what has happened to the town I grew up in.
Ryan Munson
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 9:09 p.m.
I don't know Lesko well enough, but so far she doesn't sound like she's too organized at the moment.
MyOpinion
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 8:35 p.m.
I think Lesko would be a disaster as mayor, yet some of the issues she raises are appropriate. That said, I think the slate of candidates that are loosely running with Lesko deserve to be judged independently. Kailasapathy seems to be the strongest of the "Lesko slate." I don't live in the 1st ward so I won't spend much time evaluating her, but for those who wish there was an alternative to Lesko/Hieftje, might do well to entertain some of the Lesko slate.
W. Cooper
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 8:15 p.m.
I attended this meeting last night and I have to say that Sumi Kailasapathy ran away with the show. She was sharp, on point with her message, and wouldn't let the mayor get away with telling half-truths. I have tried to verify some of the many numbers that the mayor offered up in his statements and here is what I have found: http://www.annarbor.com/community/news/opinion/by_the_numbers_ten_years_of_mayor_john_hieftje/
ypsicat
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 7:12 p.m.
She's a mean, nasty person. I know this from personal experience. I wish just for this reason I could be there to vote against her.
D
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 5:35 p.m.
The Pfizer decision was based on a drug - torcetrapid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torcetrapib) - failing to pass phase 3 of clinical trials. By that time in a drug development cycle, hundreds of millions of $$$ have usually been devoted to the drug, and failure means big time losses. The financial hit of such a failure meant closing one of 3 major R&D sites: Ann Arbor, Groton CONN or Sandwich ENG. Groton = PFizer HQ and Sandwich = the only Pfizer European presence at the time, so A2 was the odd one out. To think that Hieftje could have prevented the closure of the Pfizer site is laughable. Further, the structure of the location means that it is financially impractical to divide up the site amongst smaller entities - all the sites resources (power/venting/etc) that make up a large cost in such lab space cannot be divided up. Essentially, the site required that a potential buyer be willing to take over the WHOLE site. Outside of the University, the only interested party (that could be seriously considered as a potential buyer) was the Gates Foundation. Ultimately, the decision by them NOT to purchase the site came down to several factors, but none of them were anything the city had any real control of. Obviously the University wasn't the city's (or Pfizer's) ideal choice as a replacement, but considering the alternative - an unused and empty multimillion dollar research facility - doesn't help Ann Arbor either.
Stephen Landes
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 5:34 p.m.
Ann Arbor is such a left wing city politically that we have virtually no opposition for any elected seats. The result is that we get the supposed "leadership" we deserve: two candidates running for mayor who simply are not the best people we could have -- the best know it is useless to run under these conditions. Maybe if the citizens of Ann Arbor were as open minded as they like to believe they are they would have a broader array of candidates to choose from. Neither the current mayor not the challenger is worth our votes. The only other choice at the moment is the Independent and that is where my vote will go this fall.
tdw
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 3:40 p.m.
Boy I feel like Frank Burns on M.A.S.H when BJ and Hawkeye were fighting
bedrog
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 3:37 p.m.
bear...in regard to your negative comments on the moderation at A2.com:this is an inherent problem with all online formats, as opposed to the sadly vanishing print media.. with no moderation single-issue zealots/cranks ( i won't say 'blithering idiots' because that might be construed as a 'personal attack' on someone i referred to in my earlier post) can, and have, 'spammed ' local sites, to the point where in one case the volunteer moderators simply threw in the towel and the site went belly-up. my main complaint about a2.com is on behalf of the moderators ( who've deleted me too), not against them.... as mostly trained journalists it's sad they have to divert their attention from information gathering and dissemination to refereeing fights between a few fanatics and those who, properly, don't propose to let them have an unchallenged forum to spew and lie..
f4phantomII
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 2:07 p.m.
I'm not sure for whom I'm voting, but I'll be holding my nose when I do.
Lokalisierung
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 1:39 p.m.
"the only boycott ann arbor is seeing, or ever will see, is of blaine coleman and company." Agreed. It's tired and old. Go preach it in Saline or Dexter you might have a chance.
bedrog
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 1:33 p.m.
blaine/bear...the relevance of mr coleman's sole concern in life to ann arborites, (whether in mayoral races,the city council, the coop, the UM student council and elsewhere---at least in the simpleminded and hateful terms he and his few allies frame it with boring/nauseating repetitiveness), has repeatedly been brought forward ( by him) and utterly rejected.... as it will be ad infinitum, whoever gets elected. the only boycott ann arbor is seeing, or ever will see, is of blaine coleman and company.
a2sanity
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 1:15 p.m.
Thanks Mr. Cahill. However, does she believe that Ms. Lesko is well suited to be mayor. That is sort of a threshold judgment issue. In fact, since you seem to comment about politics alot, do you even think Ms. Lesko is well suited to be mayor?
Bear
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 1:14 p.m.
@Blaine: Yes, that is one of my issues with this excuse for a newspaper, when you have the power to delete comments because you deem them "off subject" you basically become an arbitrary censor with the power to control what people will be "allowed" to see, by your "judgment" and Interpretation of some vague policy. There was often much vitriol and bashing and trolling on the Ann Arbor News site and other world news organizations, but they allowed it rather than "censor" it and depended upon their readers to look beyond the garbage and censor it themselves with the ability to block commentators they found offensive. Effectively allowing them to "self-censor". By doing it themselves, they effectively become the "Big Brother" who decides what is proper to be posted and what will be allowed to be read. Part of the reason I think this is a blog, not a serious news outlet. Regurgitation of what is fed you by officials isn't news. Investigating reports and digging up and differentiating between facts and rhetoric is. So is balancing your articles and working towards fairness instead of pursuing an agenda. Journalism is in the toilet these days.
Ryan J. Stanton
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 1:13 p.m.
For those of you who are wondering, our coverage of what the 1st Ward candidates had to say last night is posted here. Also, we'll have more in-depth looks at each of the races throughout next week. Stay tuned.
Lokalisierung
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 1:08 p.m.
"is he drinking from a disposable plastic cup" Those cups will be recyclible in a couple days, perhpas whoever put on this event is saving them till then. I know I have a lot of plastics I have saved for single stream.
Bear
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 1:03 p.m.
First off, let me say that Lesko, by all appearances to me, has a big mouth and an empty head! I do not wish to have a person like this at the helm of city government. I also am not a Hieftje fan, but will stick with him than elect a know nothing opportunist. Secondly, those who complain about cuts made in the police force, obviously haven't realized how bloated the department was. There was a time, not long ago, when you couldn't turn around without bumping into a police officer. Didn't make me feel any "safer", but it sure reminded me of how "big brother" was always watching. And about Pfizer, I have a friend who worked for that company and she said that no-one knew what was happening until shortly before they got laid off. It was a shocker and she didn't have any chance to work at finding a replacement job. She is now looking to get back into the building with UofM employment. Everyone seems to take potshots at the UofM and forget that they are THE major employer in this city and that without them, we would be in the toilet right about now, along with a lot of the other cities struggling to get along in this depressed economy. Don't bite the hand that feeds you and don't carp about an entity that provides this city with prosperity. Talk about nickel & diming. I will be voting this August and I will make sure I DON'T cast a vote for Lesko and I will encourage others not to as well. Nothing she has said or done impresses me in the least. That's all I really have to say.
David Cahill
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 1 p.m.
Kailasapathy told me recently that she is running an independent campaign; that Lesko is not running it. Yesterday evening Lesko downplayed the idea of a "slate" by saying she disagreed with some things Kailasapathy had just said. I think each candidacy should be judged on its own merits.
brad
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 12:50 p.m.
@Joe Dohm: completely agree; very well summarized. Thanks forever27. I'll read the Chronicle to get the facts and less drama.
Lokalisierung
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 12:48 p.m.
"Ann Arbor is thriving eh? Sure, when you siphon money from DDA after appointing cronies to the board, and raise parking fees over and over." But then again it IS the city's money anyway right? If the DDA didn't exsist, and I still don't exactly know why it does, "their" money would just be part of the cities funds right?
Speechless
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 12:46 p.m.
First off, can someone repeat for me what the First Ward candidates said during this forum?... Sorry to ask, but my hearing isn't always the best. Following up on the mayor's failure to intercede ahead of Pfizer's decision to depart, let us not forget his role in the housing market crisis. The mayor, as someone with a background in real estate, found himself in a unique position to proactively intervene prior to the catastrophe. If a few years ago he had picked up the phone and talked to a few key friends in the industry, local housing prices could have stabilized and defaults would not have risen sharply. Since the crisis did take place, that proves he simply did not try. Further, like some in the growing mayoral opposition, I'm getting sick of all the tree hugging. Once the mayor gets voted out, it'd be great to see that old hulk of an oak tree on the hill at Wurster's south side get chopped down in a symbolic act of victory. I think it took nearly three Hieftjes to hug it, anyway. As it is, trees block sunlight, a scarce resource in our naturally cloudy skies. I'd like to see audience members directly raise these issues at future forums. Please, go to the candidates' debate; then shout about it, even laugh about it — before you've got to choose. Any way you look at it, you could lose. Where have you gone, John Sinclair, our city turns its lonely eyes to you!
a2sanity
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 12:39 p.m.
Mr. Cahill seems to support Ms. Kailasapathy for council. But I am having a tough time considering her at all because of her support for Ms. Lesko and Ms. Lesko's support of her. I don't know why she got involved with Lesko at all.
Mick52
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 12:36 p.m.
Ann Arbor is thriving eh? Sure, when you siphon money from DDA after appointing cronies to the board, and raise parking fees over and over. And I agree, the mayor takes no responsibility and blames others for problems. I was pretty upset with his comments on the fire fighter layoffs, putting the blame on the FFs who can't retire. Maybe they have laid off family members they have to support? That was a pretty low blow. With only four positions, they could have found funding, maybe sell some housing units or some park land. First laid off fire fighters happened on his watch. There's his history. AAFD/AAPD both are excellent departments, but never treated well by the city. That said, Ms. Lesko? No. I think its time for term limits in Ann Arbor.
walker101
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 12:36 p.m.
Voting for Lesko is no different than voting for Obama, good luck.
Lokalisierung
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 11:39 a.m.
"it seems like we've been over run by health food nut's, historical preservationist, and people who want to pay for public art out of tax payers money..." Hasn't it always been like that Atticus :)
Atticus F.
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 11:35 a.m.
Ann Arbor is getting away from what it used to be. Now a days, it seems like we've been over run by health food nut's, historical preservationist, and people who want to pay for public art out of tax payers money(beauty is in the eye of the beholder)...All of which I consider to be just as intolerant as most conservatives...Not my kind of 'liberals', and the exact people that I believe support Heiftje, and whom Heiftje supports. What happened to the spirit of John Sinclair? Not that any of the other people currently running represent that spirit either.
Barb
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 11:31 a.m.
@Longfellow, couldn't agree more. I'm not a big fan of either candidate but the way this "news" organization has handled the coverage for this race, it's difficult to get a real picture of what's real and what's hyperbole. I second other comments that recommend checking out coverage of the race on the Chronicle's website or on Arborweb.com
Lokalisierung
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 11:28 a.m.
"While it's a poor use of analogy as to job performance, it's hardly "likening" Hieftje to Satan." I'll agree with this post. She's not likening him to Satan, she's claiming he is worse than Satan.
Lokalisierung
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 11:24 a.m.
What's the over/under % Lesko gets in the primary? First thought was 8%, but maybe 11.5%
Bill Wilson
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 11:21 a.m.
"I'm not running because I dislike this guy. In fact, I voted for him three times," Lesko said, garnering a surprised look from Hieftje, who has been the subject of harsh criticisms on A2Politico.com, a personal blog where Lesko likened Hieftje to Satan. Ryan, you use the text of A2politico.com in your hyperlink, yet link to an article on A2.com instead (and this isn't the first time you've mislead like this). Worse, the quote in the article does not reflect what you claim it does: 1. Lesser of two evils. A2Politico admitted to voting for Hieftje three times in previous elections, but stated in a recent post, "By 2008, I would have voted for Satan if hed have run against our mayor." While it's a poor use of analogy as to job performance, it's hardly "likening" Hieftje to Satan. It's things like these that are why many have hanged the amateur tag around yours and A2.com's necks.
discgolfgeek
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 11:17 a.m.
While I cannot substantiate it, I heard from a very good friend of the head of Pfizer here in Ann Arbor that not even he knew that the Ann Arbor location was closing until just prior to the announcement. Perhaps some ex-Pfizer employees in the know could pipe in. If that is true, the mayor could hardly be held accountable. And let's not forget that the city had given Pfizer some considerable tax breaks and many people were upset about that as I recall.
Joe Dohm
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 10:56 a.m.
I supported Lesko, but the more I find out about her, the less I like her. The Observer article was very telling. No one from any board she has served on has good things to say about her, and I refuse to believe that every organization she has ever been a part of was corrupt except for her. That said, I still think she brings up some really good points about the management of the city. For instance: -We should be using zoning and not PUDs to direct development. -Cronyism seems rampant. I have only lived in Ann Arbor a few years, and I have seen very little in terms of news coverage on the DDA and on recycle ann arbor. The stories she tells of no-bid contracts and the like make me want, at the very least, some good investigative reporting. -Long term leases of parkland are tantamount to sale of parkland, and should similarly be put on the ballot. -We have fewer public safety officers than we did ten years ago. -City employees have taken wage cuts, but the city manager has gotten raises. -The university has a cash cow in UM football, and could certainly be putting something into the Stadium bridge, and nonprofits could make payments in lieu of tax in general. All of these issues concern me to some degree, but I am now convinced that Ms. Lesko is not a woman who is capable of successfully addressing them. It seems like she is an expert at finding fault, but is not capable of developing solutions, and does not have the interpersonal skills to get solutions adopted. We need someone who can find the problems with our city government, and then put a plan in place to fix them. Lesko can do the first part, and Hieftje may be able to do the second, but I want the whole package.
jjc155
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 10:49 a.m.
what no puppet moderator? As I remember everyone thought that was soooooo cool and refreashing when that was how he Ypsi City mayor debate was held. I guess when the canidates actually talk about the issues there is no need for smoke and mirrors, LOL
katie
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 10:42 a.m.
Some long-term financial concerns I'd like to see addressed. Both candidates want to keep Argo dam "for now." That's a costly decision, long term. The city is wrong about this one. We need to make some hard financial choices and this is one of them. We need to get rid of the dam and fix the darn bridges. I'd also like to see very close scrutiny of any long-term financial decisions when it comes to new construction. If we get a conference center, it has big potential to cost us big bucks in the future. That's not what they claim, but it's what will happen, you can bet on it. It will be more of the privatize profits, socialize loss that we've seen at all levels of gov't. The privatizing profits come up front. The tax payer will pay down the road. Right now Ann Arbor is in better shape than other places, true. But how long will that last if we squander what we have now in making bad choices that will affect us in the future. I'd like to see candidates speak to some big-picture, long-term issues, not just sound bites to get elected now. A side note: I was seriously offended when I attended a city council meeting for public comment. It looked as though those of us attended were being mocked. No surprise when the email scandal hit the news. We were being mocked. Luckily, the worst offender was replaced. I do see this as a valid point in mayoral leadership, though not the deciding one in getting my vote.
InsideTheHall
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 10:17 a.m.
Word on the street: Lesko by a knock out!
uawisok
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 9:57 a.m.
I'll wait and read "The Ann Arbor Chronicle's", version for better balanced journalism.
witchdoctor
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 9:52 a.m.
Most would agree that we have two weak candidates and that we need change. No one should be mayor this long with the increasing power he is amassing on the DDA, Historical and other Boards. I cannot help but think that weak replacements are actually being chosen or simply allowed by the ruling party simply to keep the party in power. I personally do not care which party it is as long as it is a moderate who is interested in helping Ann Arbor rather than getting a job their can retire from. I blame the party for putting their own interests ahead of the City's. The citizens are not really being given a choice and so shame on those currently in charge of the dominite party. No Yang for Ying and that is not healthy.
logicnreasoning
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 9:44 a.m.
Lesko calls herself a leader, I think not. A leader has a vision. Leadership is about innovation and initiation and setting a direction. Leading is about effectiveness. Management is about running the status quo about controlling, budgeting, and organizing. Managing is about efficiency. Although part of the Mayors job is management, the city has a manager to perform the daily managerial duties (the city administrator). Most of what the Mayor does is leadership. Lesko has no vision. She only states inaccurate comments and implausible ideas about how she would manage the city on a daily basis. She never says where she wants to take the city in the future. She would be a bad manager as well as an ineffective leader. No thanks. Having no vision or saying that living in the status quo or yesteryear is your vision is not leadership. Some of you may disagree with Hieftjes vision but at least he has one and understands the job of mayor.
Dan Rubenstein
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 9:42 a.m.
On top of all the other problems with Lesko's candidacy, one of the her most troubling statements has been that one of her primary reasons for running is current anti-incumbent sentiment. Read: opportunism.
djm12652
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 9:32 a.m.
Seriously? Neither one of them have a clue. Ann Arbor is so far removed from the reality of the current economic status of normal middle-class America. In a town of no-accountability, and a rampant entitlement mentality, the candidates I've read about do not in any way whatsoever impress me.
David Cahill
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 9:08 a.m.
AnnArbor.com, will you have separate coverage of the First Ward Council candidates' remarks? I was particularly impressed with how Ms. Kailasapathy created a bond with the audience. She was the only candidate who got any reaction from them, except for polite applause at the end. She made a telling point when she said the present administration was committed to a Sarah Palinesque philosophy of "Dig, baby, dig" and "Build, baby, build."
A2Susie
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 9:06 a.m.
"Traded Blows" in your headline? Really? I read it and thought fisticuffs. Aren't you a bit over the top? How about traded barbs or allegations? I don't think this kind of sensationalism helps A2 voters to make decisions about governance at all. Please tone it down and allow for reasoned debate. Blows indeed.
Alfie
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 8:53 a.m.
Lesko is clearly putting all her eggs in the "I have the support of the firefighters and police officers" basket. Ask firefighters and Police, many of them do NOT support Lesko. The union officials make the endorsement decision, it is NOT based on a vote of all members. Last time I checked there are other employees who work in City Hall and Lesko has said nothing but false demeaning things about them. She would have ZERO credibility with the majority of staff if elected. It is not that she disagrees, it just that she makes up 'facts' to disagree with. And to top it off, she adds the single-mother earning low pay while supervising employees story. Based on her record there is no question she made this up, in addition, the Unions would NEVER allow this. Like most of the other 'facts' she says to support her case it is an exaggerated story at best or an outright fabrication.
48104
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 8:38 a.m.
A very interesting piece on the mayoral contest in the Observer this month. The part I found most interesting was that no one who had ever worked with Pat Lesko had anything favorable to say about her: http://arborweb.com/articles/satan_for_mayor___7.html Not the People's Food Co-op, not religious schools, not public schools. When your rabbi won't even make a passing favorable comment without clearing it with you first, that is telling.
Barb
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 8:26 a.m.
Lesko is not impressing a lot of folks with her approach but she is not without ideas. In fact she has a lot if you read her blog at all.
cjenkins
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 8:26 a.m.
I am really beginning to think that Lesko just doesnt understand the simple details of budgets, finances and credit. Parking funds will be paying for the bonds that are funding the parking garage. PARKING REVENUE not your tax money is paying the payments for the bonds. How on earth does she think that is disingenuous? Does she actually think that people will no longer come to downtown Ann Arbor to visit and need parking? Because if that is the case where people no longer come to Ann Arbor, to shop, eat and for entertainment our city will have MUCH bigger problems and be in real trouble. Our city will get nowhere if every far-fetched possibility must be addressed before any progress is ever made. Parking garages are not built overnight. Strategic planning is used in every aspect of government to anticipate future needs; parking and downtown development/vitality are a part of the strategic plan. Not preparing for the future and ignoring future needs because of some unlikely problem in the future is not a strategic plan, it is laziness and fear. A true leader takes calculated and educated risks. The only guarantee in life is that the sun will rise every morning. Other than that there are no 100% guarantees for anything. Hieftje has proven time and time again that he is a leader and proactive. Lesko's own statements show that she will be the type of mayor that will be fearful and lazy. Lesko has no evidence or facts that show that parking revenue will decrease in the future, zip, zero none. All she has is hyperbole and the sky is falling rhetoric. Every day she sounds more and more like Sarah Palin. I cant believe she is running as a democrat.
xmo
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 8:23 a.m.
I hope they both loose! We need some new leadership not political hacks.
Forever27
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 8:22 a.m.
@brad, you hit the nail no the head. It'd be nice to see a little substance in the article. I get it, Lesko throws a lot of mud. Hieftje defended himself from her and the others apparently sat there and watched.
Barb
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 8:21 a.m.
@Dr. I. Emsayin, Info about Pat Lesko's background: http://www.votelesko.org/About.html
Forever27
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 8:18 a.m.
From what it sounds like, Lesko is also against any actual ideas as to how to better run the government. I'm not the biggest Hieftje fan, but Lesko has been less than impressive thus far.
a2sanity
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 8:18 a.m.
Ann Arbor is one of Michigan's best cities and is likely doing better than any other city in the state. It deserves a thoughtful and knowledgeable Mayor. Read the recent Ann Arbor Observer article. She doesn't know the slightest thing about city government. Read the section about the public sewer administrator's analysis of Ms. Lesko's assertions. Lesko has a silly blog and a willingness to say whatever comes to her mind, whether accurate or not. These are not good attributes for public service. Go talk to those who know her and have seen her in action. I would like to know whether Lesko's behavior is one that the other council candidates believe is appropriate for public office. They are clearly reading these comments. They should just answer this question.
Smiley
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 8:15 a.m.
"But more importantly, as the next mayor of Ann Arbor, I'll lead," she said. "I'm not a go-along kind of gal. If you want a flower girl, don't vote for me. I'm tough.... Anti-union rhetoric doesn't fly with me." In these statements, I was with her until the last sentence, which seems to contradict her point. There's also pro-union rhetoric, and I thought the point was to independently evaluate each situation to make a determination, even if it's a tough one. This is evidence that every person has their biases, and they will emerge regardless of one claiming "I'm not a go-along kind of gal." Actually, you just proved you are.
Dr. I. Emsayin
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 8:14 a.m.
Can we get some information on Ms. Lesko's background? What is her education? What is her career? She may not win this election given A2.com's portrayal of her, but, like Sarah Palin, she may show up again and I would like to know who she is, not only how she presents herself this month.
a2huron
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 8:04 a.m.
@Alan Goldsmith: I'm not sure where to start after reading your comments. Have you ever heard of "revenue sharing?" These are the millions of $ of state funds that have been cut from the city over the past few years (and other cities, by the way). No mayor has the ability to force the state to not cut these funds, not even the former mayor of Detroit (who thought he was invincible). And you are suggesting that a Pfizer corporate decision to abandon AA would have been different had another mayor been in place, a corporate decision based largely on a failed new drug plan that ultimately wasn't viable? That is a bizarre statement, at best. Perhaps that comment is better reserved for that Politico blog. I'm coming at this objectively and considered the merits of both candidates since the beginning of this process, but reports from the past few weeks have made it clear to me that Lesko is simply on another planet.
81wolverine
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 7:53 a.m.
Lesko is taking the approach most politicians take in a campaign these days- sling dirt and rhetoric at the other candidate to buy votes AND to deflect attention from their own lack of a concrete plan to fix everything they think is wrong. Aside from that, her combatative style of leadership is her major problem that would make her ineffective as Mayor even if she did come up with a good plan AND managed to get elected.
a2junkie
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 7:20 a.m.
@Picker the city doesnt enforce living wage on itself for temps the city website has quite a few jobs for 7-8 an hour https://www2.ultirecruit.com/cit1009/jobboard/listjobs.aspx?Page=Browse
tdw
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 7:18 a.m.
Thanks Ann Arbor folks,I enjoy sitting here in Ypsi Twp and watching whats going on over there
ordmad
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 7:14 a.m.
This article makes it sound like the Mayor spent the entire night defending himself. He made plenty of points of his own (I was there) as well as defending himself from the hot rhetoric served up by Lesko. This article ignores that and all of the good discussion from the First Ward slate. My guess is that you'll see something more "fair and balanced" (and thorough) in the Ann Arbor Chronicle later today/tonight.
discgolfgeek
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 6:56 a.m.
The mayor has his issues but Lesko looks to me like the Democratic version of Sarah Palin and that ain't no compliment.
brad
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 6:52 a.m.
Agree with Picker. The choices seem limited. For those who have been following these candidates, there's really nothing new here. The Mayor says we're doing better than other places, so we don't need a change in leadership. The Challenger says everything is broken and we need a wholesale change. Neither of these claims are accurate or useful. Two things bother me. The tone of the article makes it seem like the Mayor only defended claims made by the Challenger. Did the Mayor say anything on his own? Second, I think the Mayor should know the amount of increase in overhead. Financial literacy is disturbingly low among our elected leaders.
RRinAA
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 6:35 a.m.
@Picker -I agree 100%, but surely by now you must realize you can't trust anything coming from the Lesko camp. Scary to think this person could be our next mayor!!!
Olive
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 6:32 a.m.
@Alan Goldsmith: How does Pfizer's leaving Ann Arbor have anything to do with the mayor? I really wonder if the single mother Patricia Lesko talked about is just another story she made up to bolster her vitriol against the current city administration.
The Picker
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 6:21 a.m.
Are these candidates the best we've got? Seems like the bench is pretty shallow. Lesko cites a $10/hr wage without bennies? How can this be when the living wage requirement for the city is much higher?
RRinAA
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 6:13 a.m.
@Alan Goldsmith: Thank you! Lesko is doing a fine job on her own of convincing me to support Hieftje. Ridiculous comments like yours confirm that we ALL need to get out and vote for responsible leadership on August 3rd.
Wolverine3660
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 6:12 a.m.
@Alan- you are dead wrong saying that Pfizer would have left if someone else was the Mayor. Pfizer left because of changes in the global pharmaceutical industry, not because our current Mayor slipped up somehow. A Lesko victory will spell doom for Ann Arbor.