Neal Elyakin is a thinker and doer who belongs on City Council
Having worked for the city of Ann Arbor for nearly 13 years, I experienced first hand what kind of people made the best council members.
They are those who listen, who ask straight-forward questions, who are forward-looking, who weigh their decisions by whether a resolution or ordinance is good for the city as a whole, not just for their ward. They are respectful, inclusive, and take the time to build consensus to the extent it can be reached on any particular issue.
In the primary Aug. 2, the Fifth Ward has such a candidate: Neal Elyakin. Neal is a Democrat, and he has a real interest (and a lot of experience in) urban and regional issues, including thoughtful downtown development and all forms of transportation mobility. He is an advocate for the environment and for people and takes a balanced approach to decision making. He is a thinker and a doer. He also has a great sense of humor, which is really needed sometimes around the council table.
Now, as “just” a citizen, I am excited to support my long-time friend and neighbor as he seeks a seat on council. I ask that you join me on Aug. 2 to vote for Neal Elyakin.
Karen Hart
Ann Arbor
Comments
ContreMilice
Tue, Aug 16, 2011 : 5:28 a.m.
Roadman claimed that the Jewish National Fund is "controversial." All I can say is that "controversial" is in the eye of the beholder. It's a sadder day by far when people like Roadman and a tiny handful of others try to foist boycotts on a City Council and city that has shown time and time again that it utterly rejects them. Not only do such boycotts have absolutely nothing to do with municipal affairs, advocating boycotting the US's greatest and truest ally in the Middle East and that troubled region's only viable democracy show such embargo propositions are racist, bigoted, and yes indeed, antisemitic as they single out the world's only Jewish state for imagined "crimes" and blithely ignore the true crimes that go on elsewhere. "Where is this city headed?" Perhaps in the wrong direction as it lets roads and bridges rot, builds unnecessary City hall additions, underground garages, and ridiculous and costly attractions signs, etc. but absolutely in the right direction by unreservedly rebuffing calls to single out one of the finest examples of a functional democracy simply because those who desperately and vainly call for them, can't stomach even a single tiny Jewish state in the world, a democratic beacon in a turbid sea of dictatorships where a certain Mr. Assad and his ilk mass murders his coreligionists and subjects with fierce abandon. And since Mr. Elyakin never brought his support for Israel into the campaign—nor did Mr. Anglin—the tiny band of irrelevant single-issue advocates would be well advised to stop pushing it on the rest of us.
lou glorie
Fri, Jul 29, 2011 : 5:12 p.m.
Though written with apparent sincerity, Ms. Hart's praise is damning. She supports a "tough-love" version of city council willing to make decisions "that are good for the city as a whole, and not just their ward". Here she has pretty much summed up what is wrong with the current city council majority—their presumption that Ann Arbor citizens are children incapable of self restraint or acting for the common good. FITs is an example of political cynicism one rarely finds at the local level and a corruption of representative governance. First, the abstraction "transit mobility" is called up to disguise the fact that it is just a parking structure. Then, the betrayal of our trust and cynical legalistic flouting of the common understanding of a city charter amendment are justified by the needs of the abstraction. The mayor has not even seen fit to wink as he explains, with a barely discernable smirk, that the charter amendment only prohibited sales of parkland, not gifting (cave suffragator). This betrayal was gratuitous, done just because it could be done--with impunity. It follows that Mr. Elyakin will be a politician of heroic stature if he can ignore the silly demands for transparency and inclusion made by 5th ward citizens. It is not surprising that a former city employee believes that citizens are but a necessary evil and, that employees and hired consultants should be the preferred directors of our future. Ms. Hart's praise is befitting courtiers rather than elected representatives of citizens. It may be that our wards are already too large for a real relationship between the representer and the representee. But Mike Anglin comes closer to the ideal than any we've had in my memory. That's why I like Mike.
Bob Carlin
Fri, Jul 29, 2011 : 11:32 a.m.
Mike has a proven track record of serving the residents of the 5th ward. Neal clearly plans to serve the inner circle of power on city council and not the voters. I'm voting for Mike.
aes
Fri, Jul 29, 2011 : 10:46 a.m.
I worry when a candidate (Mr. Elyakin, for example) foresees that other candidates would be "disruptive." Does that indicate that he brooks no civil dissent in a democracy? Our forefathers who established our country were "disruptive" and that is precisely why we have the freedoms we enjoy today. I have seen nothing whatsoever (to respond to Ms. Hart's "lead" opinion piece in this story, and I, too, cannot figure out why annarbor.com would position her letter as the "lead") to entice me to vote for Mr. Elyakin. It seems as though he is just another person who will march to the same drummers we have been hearing drumming loudly on Council. On the other hand, I like Mike!
Alan Goldsmith
Fri, Jul 29, 2011 : 10:11 a.m.
"Ms. Hart is too modest in not identifying her service to the City of Ann Arbor as its former Planning Director." Google Ms. Hart's past contributions as both a city employee of Ann Arbor and her work for Ypsilanti and I'm not sure if I would welcome her support as a candidate for City Council. Lol.
Alan Goldsmith
Fri, Jul 29, 2011 : 10:09 a.m.
So why did about half of his campaign contributions comes from out-of-Ann Arbor contributors? Maybe if Mr. Elyakin were running for office in Bloomfield Hills, that would be a positive thing but why aren't more people in his ward and this city the main core of his support? Maybe someone can ask the candidate.
Roadman
Fri, Jul 29, 2011 : 8:25 p.m.
@Alan: His two highest profile endorsers are Oakland County's Florine Mark of Weight Watchers and 2010 Democratic Michigan Secretary of State nominee Jocelyn Benson of Detroit. Neither can vote for him and likely know nothing about the Argo Dam, the proposed city income tax, or Ann Arbor development proposals. There are very few persons inside of his home ward of prominent stature that appear on his campaign website endorsing him. Most endorsers that I recognize are outside of his Fifth Ward or outside of Ann Arbor altogether.
Cendra Lynn
Fri, Jul 29, 2011 : 3 a.m.
Well, as usual the Snews, oh, whoops, the A-two-dotcom, is following the money and what it thinks is the power. Mike Anglin understands that the power resides in the people, and he is available to the people who need him whenever they need him. He understands that we don't want a hotel/conference center. He understands that we want well-staffed police and fire. He knows of our neighborhood problems and takes time to help the little folks who have big-for-them concerns. What I've heard about Mr. Elyakin is that he's ready to go along with the Heiftje Gang. That would mean the concerns of the people in the Fifth Ward would have no representation at all. Neal Elyakin has friends who like his attitude. Mike Anglin has a long track record of service and of listening to constituents. Neal Elyakin has focused on the Israelis. Mike Anglin has focused on Ann Arbor and the Fifth Ward. It's kind of a Duh!
Vivienne Armentrout
Fri, Jul 29, 2011 : 2:45 a.m.
This is a standard letter of support for a candidate and there are a number that have been submitted. Why is it being given pride of place on the front page? Some letters that discuss broader subjects than an upcoming election appear on the front page briefly, but this has been on there for hours. Yes, I support Mike Anglin and I believe that he is considering the good of the entire community, not just his constituents' narrow (and by implication, parochial) concerns. On the other hand, these comments seem to reflect those by the same writer and others elsewhere who believe that Anglin is "not with the program", as I described in a recent blog post <a href="http://localannarbor.wordpress.com/2011/07/23/public-process-and-governance-in-ann-arbor/" rel='nofollow'>http://localannarbor.wordpress.com/2011/07/23/public-process-and-governance-in-ann-arbor/</a>. I believe that the reference to "thoughtful downtown development" may refer to Heritage Row (not in the downtown) and "transportation mobility" to the Fuller Road Station. (I base this not on the current letter, but comments by Mr. Elyakin and his supporters elsewhere.) Ms. Hart is too modest in not identifying her service to the City of Ann Arbor as its former Planning Director.
Vivienne Armentrout
Fri, Jul 29, 2011 : 3:57 a.m.
A fair question, but the answer is no. I'd be supporting Mike even if Mr. Elyakin hadn't sent a message to a wide list saying that I shouldn't be supported (in the AADL race) because I would be "disruptive". We had never met and I didn't even know who he was, though we are neighbors. Apparently someone told him to oppose me. I suspect it was one of the Council Party. (He didn't return my subsequent emails or phone calls.) To say that his electioneering was "successful" overstates his importance. I actually prevailed in votes within the city of Ann Arbor but Ed Surovell was more successful in pulling in absentee votes districtwide. Elyakin made the same statement about Nancy Kaplan, who won in a different AADL race after mounting a better campaign (I didn't do any campaigning). Anyway, that experience has perhaps added an edge to my impatience with Mr. Elyakin, but my support for Mike is based on his positions and his commitment to his constituents and to the well-being of the citizens of the entire city. Mr. Elyakin's characterization of Mike as a "naysayer" was infuriating. As I stated in my blog post, it is clear that no dissent on Council is wanted. (Note: I also supported Mike in his two previous campaigns.)
Roadman
Fri, Jul 29, 2011 : 2:58 a.m.
Vivienne: Does your opposition to Mr. Elyakin result, at least in part, from his successful electioneering in the Ann Arbor District Library race that you narrowly lost?
Veracity
Fri, Jul 29, 2011 : 12:17 a.m.
Mr. Elyakin should announce his position on building a hotel/conference center similar to that presented by Valiant Partners and exactly what financial assistance should be provided to private developers. His views on the DDA and its financial problems will also be interesting.
PersonX
Thu, Jul 28, 2011 : 9:59 p.m.
It is good to have such opinions, but I must also disagree. Elyakin has a limited resume and would never be as independent as Mike Anglin, who follows no master. Mike has been there tirelessly for the people of his ward and has come though many times even when faced with quite a bit of pressure from the powers that be. I hope that he will be elected again because Ann Arbor needs independent spirits on Council.
deb
Thu, Jul 28, 2011 : 9:23 p.m.
Any candidate that supports the DDA and the fuller road parking structure is not a candidate for the people of the fifth ward.
Gustav Cappaert
Thu, Jul 28, 2011 : 9:12 p.m.
The Ann Arbor City Council will never consider any policy that remotely affects the state of Israel.
Roadman
Thu, Jul 28, 2011 : 9:49 p.m.
@Gustave: It has already been done at least twice. The Ann Arbor News in its January 10, 1984 edition reported in an article that Ann Arbor City Council defeated by a 6-4 margin a boycott resolution against Israel that was proposed by then-Democrat City council member Raphael Ezekiel. A similar resolution was accompanied by 5,000 petition signatures as attested to in that same article was presented to City Council by the People For Reassessment of Aid To Israel (PRAI). The Ann Arbor Human Rights Commission later passed a resolution encouraging an arms embargo by the U.S. against Israel and recommended Ann Arbor City Council adopt the same resolution but they did not and forced a rescinding of the prior AAHRC resolution issuance as outside the scope of the authority of that commission.
aes
Thu, Jul 28, 2011 : 9:12 p.m.
His longtime constituents know well how helpful and sincere Mike Anglin is. He listens carefully to the citizens, yet he has views of his own and has the courage to express them. He is the symbol of what an Ann Arbor Council member should be and the type of leader we need more of in our fair city.
Mr Blue
Thu, Jul 28, 2011 : 7:39 p.m.
Mr Elyakin is a follower. A follower of Mayor Hieftje's and a follower of the Majority Party on council. He's no different than any of the other "go along to get along" bunch on council. While Hieftje keeps trying to stack City Council with more of his followers, Anglin continues to openly represent the voices of his constituents.
Bertha Venation
Fri, Jul 29, 2011 : 3:42 p.m.
Right on, Mr. Blue! Mike is the only one on City Council who is really for the citizens. The other Council members are too busy wasting our taxpayer dollars on water fountains and stainless steel buildings. I'm against our fair Mayor and his followers.
Roadman
Thu, Jul 28, 2011 : 7:04 p.m.
I respectfully disagree. Mike Anglin has done an excellent job on City Council and has been active in citizen's groups such as Ask Voters First and GO Ask Voters as well as Meals and Wheels just to name a few. He has been active on both committees and commissions in Ann Arbor government. Neal's only office has been on the Ann Arbor Human Rigthts Commission and that drew fire from a number of citizens who told City Council during public commentary that Neal's appointment was not appropriate given his membership in Friends of the Israel Defense Forces - a fact which appears on Neal's "Linked-In" page. Neal's focus has been prolific service in Jewish and pro-Israel organizations - as can be attested to on his blog at <a href="http://www.neal-elyakin.blogspot.com" rel='nofollow'>www.neal-elyakin.blogspot.com</a> I believe Neal is a person who is intelligent and energetic - but his future should not be on City Council. On balance, Mike Anglin is the better candidate and should be returned to his City Council seat.