Elizabeth Nelson

Tue, Aug 3, 2010 : 12:16 p.m.

Deb, I'm not going to predict how bad/worse/good/better the change will be, but there are clearly two sides to it, and not just the bike lanes, either. Certain times of the day when we have to slow way down and (if going left) wait to turn into our subdivision, we are nearly rear-ended. As it stands, we create obstacles for through traffic every time we go home. (And of course there are the impatient folks who are looking to drive around us on the right as we are stopped, which isn't so fabulous either.) Game days, whatever... I don't care what kind of snarls are created for those folks driving in and out to attend, those of us living in this neighborhood are smart enough to plan our day AROUND the game and avoid that stretch of road at the critical times. I'm not aware of every meeting meant to collect public input and, frankly, it would be impossible to expect full-saturation publicity of ANYTHING. Should the city be hiring sky-writers, squandering money on lots of neighborhood mailings? Oh, boy, would Lesko have a field day with THAT kind of 'irresponsible' spending. My point is that you're damned if you do, damned if you don't. I'm waiting to see what happens before I start griping that the sky is falling.

bissiechef

Tue, Aug 3, 2010 : 12:13 p.m.

Another reason to NOT vote for Hieftje. The last thing we needed was a new police station! How about fixing the crumbling bridge over Stadium?

deb

Tue, Aug 3, 2010 : 11:30 a.m.

Oh and my post is not about gameday, I just point to that is when it will be worst. Regardless of gameday, its a terrible idea. Merging traffic seems to slow traffic. For example where 23 and 94 meet there is rarely an accident, but freeway traffic always slows during rush hour because people do not know how to merge. My guess is the merging of traffic at theses spots will create congestion and ultimately that congestion will be at its worst on gameday and rush hour.

deb

Tue, Aug 3, 2010 : 11:23 a.m.

The road still has two lanes in both directions on that part of stadium. Obviously you are a biker so that is what you care about. So think of it this way, how many times will cars be in the bike lane because they dont realize they have to merge for no apparent reason because of the new construction? Or just because people are bad drivers? They have made the road less usable, and no it isnt just about gamedays, that is just when it will be a complete debacle. The roads are less usuable. two lanes both directions and bike lanes, like the part of stadium you point too. Or one lane both directions (which seems like it would not be sufficent for the volume of traffic) with bike lanes. Not a mess of one lane to two to one to two. (isn't it obivious it is bad planning when you look at that sentence?)

BornNRaised

Tue, Aug 3, 2010 : 9:30 a.m.

I love it! While this isn't a direct quote: When presented with all the evidence, I asked the mayor if he was a liar and a cheat. He said no. Well then, case closed. Like asking Roger Fraser if he continually lied to the residents. If he says no, then of course he must not have.

SillyTree

Tue, Aug 3, 2010 : 8:12 a.m.

The reference was because Aunt Bea wanted things to happen, but Howard knew how to make things happen.

a2roots

Tue, Aug 3, 2010 : 8:01 a.m.

Sure would be nice to know how many of the people calling for a vote for Lesko are Ann Arbor residents. Anyone with common sense will NOT vote for her. As much as her supporters want you to believe she would be welcome relief anyone that has followed her would know that she is a train wreck waiting to happen and that Ann Arbor and the residents will suffer for many years to come under her inept leadership. For those that are convinced she is the right person I can only wonder where your priorities are. Wake up.....

PACE

Tue, Aug 3, 2010 : 12:53 a.m.

just another reason to VOTE LESKO!

MyOpinion

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 9:04 p.m.

Deb, I'm not sure I want to have traffic planning dictated by "Game Day." The rest of us live here the other 358 days. One law recently passed by the state of Michigan is "Complete Streets." The idea behind that law is to make roads usable by more than just cars. Since you don't ride a bike, I'm betting that you haven't noticed that the bike lanes on Stadium end just short of the intersection of Jackson. Likewise, there are no lanes and pretty dreadful sidewalks (at least on the east side of Stadium) between Seventh and Pauline. So maybe, the city of Ann Arbor was jumping the gun and using part of the road for bikes, buses, or whatever. I'm not sure, but I would especially hope that they are not designing roads for "Game Day."

deb

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 7:29 p.m.

You say you live in the neighborhood, but didnt know about the meeting until after it had already taken place. I am not sure what kind of promotion there was about the meeting. I am just not sure it is a good idea to have two lanes merge into one for only a mile. Especially on a game day. This change now makes stadium go from two lanes to one lane, then back to one lane to go over the bridge, then two lanes? Seems a bit ridiculous, and I must say that people do not drive very well. Where is the planning in this?

SillyTree

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 7:23 p.m.

If it is true that council members strong-armed the mayor, why is it the mayor that is getting the flack? If the projects that the council allegedly would not have supported were good for the city in any way, then those council members would not have been acting in the city's best interest and they are the ones who should be replaced. Moreover, if our city government is set up in such a way that council members can succeed at such tactics, that issue needs to be addressed. P.S. Remember the episode where Aunt Bea ran against Howard Sprague on Andy Griffith?

Speechless

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 7:04 p.m.

Here in the peanut gallery, why do stalwart opponents of the mayor continue to display overt disgust and anger toward initiatives promoting pedestrian safety, bicycling lanes, sustainable transit, and various 'green' programs? Their approach goes well past constructive criticism of project execution or the criteria for selecting options. Will the kind of urban choices these writers seem to prefer really lead to a city in which most of us would want to live? There are things to criticize at city hall, but this goes off the rails, so to speak. While some may quite understandably dislike the decision to build a city hall addition, including any possible horse trading on council votes, there's no logic leading from that judgment to these regular, Rush-style, broad-brush attacks on local environmentalism at the city level.

Speechless

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 5:58 p.m.

For me, this old story holds a couple ironies — which have more to do with political timing and fortune than with opinion on good government practices. If very early on Hieftje had not only rolled over, but had even gone out of his way to help a council majority speed forward on the new construction at Fifth & Huron, it would now likely be less of a political football. The financing plan would have suffered because of that, but today the building would have been up and running for a while already, a clearly done deal. And much of the construction would have finished before the Great Recession fully arrived, further reducing local interest in the political controversy. Alternately, if the mayor had put his foot down much harder, demanding still better financial terms and dragging out the process an additional year or two, then the city would have gained an opportunity to acquire the former A2 News building. That nearby structure, in comparison to the City Center Bldg., appears to possess much greater potential as an affordable, functional rehab for city courtroom and office use. Now the UM Credit Union owns it.

Elizabeth Nelson

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 5:51 p.m.

All I'm saying is that there are two sides to most of the issues about which Lesko wants everyone to engage in hysterical hand-wringing and shock/outrage. While there may be disagreement about whether one choice or another is the right thing, I don't know what more one can expect from our government in a specific case where they asked for neighborhood input and, apparently, followed what the majority wanted.

deb

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 5:41 p.m.

My brother lives on Alhambra, ask him if it is a good idea. I know what the answer will be. The areas near campus where packard is reduced to one lane tend to be very slow...

Elizabeth Nelson

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 4:59 p.m.

@deb-- I live just off of Stadium in that area past Pauline where they plan to reduce lanes (creating a turn lane & bike lanes). I was skeptical when I first heard about it, but then a neighbor of mine clued me in that there had been a meeting for neighborhood input. The folks around here who attended that meeting were (according to my friend, who was there) supportive of this change. The neighbors around here, at least, thought it was a good idea. I'm not going to pretend that I have a crystal ball and KNOW that this will be an improvement, but others obviously think it will be. We're the ones trying to get in and out of here every single day, rather than fly through as fast as we can. That particular project is not an example of ineptitude, just the opposite.

deb

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 4:44 p.m.

Atticus, dont forget they are narrowing stadium from two lanes to one after pauline to put in a bike lane. Then it opens back up into two lanes about a mile after. That is city planning. I will vote for myself in the election. This story is terrible. It sounds like the council and the mayor traded votes for each others bad projects. Mr. Mayor, it is the people that elect you, not the city council. Had you come out and said this was happening then and stood up to council, maybe the people would have voted out the council. Instead you rolled over. That is not what a strong executive does. I am appaled

M-Fan

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 4:41 p.m.

FYI - Ads that appear on blogs, etc. are not chosen by the blog, but are put on by google, etc. where they buy space. Pat Lesko DOESNOT support Palin or Bush's tax cuts.

kkichikawa

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 4:35 p.m.

It's my understanding that Lesko's website, a2politico.com, access has been "blocked" from Ann Arbor City computers? Perhaps because the City's police and fire unions have announced support for Lesko??? The mayor may not like the support that Lesko has garnered from the public safety unions. Investigative journalism initiate!!

Elizabeth Nelson

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 4:29 p.m.

I share the reaction of other posters: "Yeah? So what?" Elected officials of differing opinions trying to persuade each other? SHOCKING! This chain of events is written about on Lesko's blog as if it's some crazy cloak and dagger conspiracy of crime when, in fact, it's just the usual bit of negotiation that is inevitable when a GROUP of elected officials must work together. Lesko's interpretation of it and her stubborn insistence that she would never tolerate anything like is just one more red flag that 1) she sees everything as black/white with no room for compromise (this is not a good thing, by the way-- contrary to her blog's tone, most issues are much more nuanced than simple right/wrong or good vs evil) and 2) as mayor, she would rather act as a dictator than a team player (how DARE anyone-- even a fellow elected official-- try to influence her opinion!! she has PRINCIPLES and she is 'taking a stand', right?). How fast would our city government reach gridlock with Lesko in charge? a week? a couple days? I'm hopeful that the candidates foolish enough to have affiliated themselves with her are marginally more reasonable, because while I expect Lesko to go down in flames, there's no telling what will happen in the other elections...

Atticus F.

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 3:41 p.m.

This is just another out of touch descision by Heiftje. I have a long list of gripes with Heiftje, and have been waiting for tomorrow morning to make my displeasure know. My list of gripes are as follows: Approved astronomical spending for the new city hall. Narrowed several streets in A2, creating a traffic nightmare in several spots, including Main St, 5th AVE, Division Has not come up with a realistic plan of action reguarding the old YMCA property Spent a fortune on new parking meters that are hard for tourist to understand. The meters also cheat people out of money left over by the previous car. Causing even more traffic problems, by creating a vague city ordinance To punish drivers Who dont stop when a pedestian is appraoching a crosswalk The list goes on and on.

David Cahill

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 3:31 p.m.

Why have a mayor if s/he never exercises the veto? Hieftje never has.

Forever27

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 3:23 p.m.

@John of Saline, you're right. Usually those are dynamic ads when that happens though. The only reason I mentioned this is because they are static on her site. I don't know how her marketing is set up for her website, but it makes it look like Lesko is affiliating herself with Snyder and the League of American Voters.

Smiley

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 3:21 p.m.

I think a personality like Lesko's can be an asset if deployed in the appropriate arena. I don't think holding a local elected office is going to work for her; I think there would be a lot of fireworks but not much accomplished. If she truly would leave no stone unturned in her analysis of fiscal irresponsibility (regardless of political consequence), we need her at the state level. My concern is that her inquiries and analysis would be filtered through her own biases (which seem rather pronounced).

John of Saline

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 2:58 p.m.

Here's a suggestion for all the people still on the fence about Lesko. go to her blog a2politico.com and look at who her advertisers are. I see one ad for the Rick Snyder campaign and I see another sponsored by the League of American Voters pleading to keep the Bush tax cuts. Strange bedfellows Ms. Lesko has. That could just be the ads her blog service provider chose, not ads targeted for her blog specifically. There can be weird coincidences based on context. I've seen blog ads for Muslim matchmaking services on blog postings talking about really negative stories out of the Islamic world; apparently keywords did their thing and that was it.

KeepingItReal

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 2:56 p.m.

I think this is a very slight of hand move by Ryan Stanton who all along has been very supportive of the current mayor. I have conflicting thoughts about voting for Lesko, although I think she raises some very important points regarding the mayor yet I'm not comfortable with the mayor. After much thought and personal deliberation, I've decided that I will not vote for either.

cjenkins

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 2:50 p.m.

This is just an OLD conspiracy theory drudged up from the past. Elected officials discuss issues and try and convince each other of their viewpoints. There is nothing wrong what so ever in swaying another to your point of view. Just because Hieftje changed his mind because of newly learned facts, that does not mean he was strong-armed. I guess Lesko and team ran out of new conspiracy theories because they have started to recycle their old ones.

rusty shackelford

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 2:48 p.m.

This seems pretty normal to me... A members of council told the mayor to support something if he wanted their support in his initiatives. He made the calculation that it was better to support the building rather than loose all momentum in city government. Sounds like normal politics. However, putting it in such blunt terms, in writing, just shows what an amateur Greden always has been. No surprise he got rocked.

Forever27

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 2:47 p.m.

Here's a suggestion for all the people still on the fence about Lesko. go to her blog a2politico.com and look at who her advertisers are. I see one ad for the Rick Snyder campaign and I see another sponsored by the League of American Voters pleading to keep the Bush tax cuts. Strange bedfellows Ms. Lesko has.

Forever27

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 2:40 p.m.

Lesko has done nothing in this campaign but throw mud. Much of it is baseless too. I can't seriously consider her as mayor because to actually do that job, you have to have actual ideas to solve the problems.

Jack Eaton

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 2:20 p.m.

"Isn't it funny the way stories like this surface just before an election." This didn't just surface. In December 2009, a2politico covered the story at some length - a2politico.com/?p=2020 In January 2010, an individual who also blogs for annarbordotcom posted the email to the Government Document Repository - a2docs.org/doc/129/

Ryan J. Stanton

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 2:15 p.m.

Here's the text of an e-mail Mayor John Hieftje sent to Jim Leonard on July 9 when asked about this particular issue: Hi Jim: In answer to your questions: By the spring of 2007 it had been clear for some time that the Citys District Court had to move out of the County Courthouse, the lease would not be renewed. I put the option of a veto on the table for three reasons. Although the city had investigated several existing buildings, I wanted to look at more. I wanted more time to talk with folks at the County. I was not satisfied with the financial plan. The idea of a veto put the project on hold for a year although some design work continued. In the interim: The City used the time to explore more sites but still could not come up with a way to meet the security and other requirements of a modern court house in an existing building at a reasonable cost without it being a poor fit from the start; something that would need to be redone in a few years. I met with a couple of the Commissioners and came away with the understanding that while the city may have been able to build a court house on the county lot, the construction expenses would have all been on the city. The city would still be paying rent for decades to come and the PD would have been left in the basement again, for another 40 years. A new PD/Courts building allows for $700,000 the city pays in rent each year to go toward the bond payment. It made a lot of sense to put the Police and Courts on the same foundation. By the time it came back to council a year later the financing plan had more substance to it and it was clear the impact on the General Fund would be quite manageable. I changed my mind on the Police/Courts building because over the course of that year the financial plan became more substantial, it was clear the impact on the general fund would be manageable, and all other options had been explored. It was time to move on. Now a building the city has needed for decades is going up. The city continues to move forward in tough times. On the second part of your question: I meet with Council Members all the time and did so throughout that year. There was the usual back and forth on issues with some council members expressing their support for the building over and over but no threats to block anything I wanted. The whole premise is ridiculous. What was it I wanted? Can you imagine members of council blocking proposals to make the city more energy efficient because they wanted to build a new Police/Courts building? Would they try to block proposals to make the city more accommodating for pedestrians and cyclists? I want the city to constantly strive for greater efficiency in all its operations. Would they block that? Anyway, the bottom line is that so long as the mayor can get three council members to vote with him or her, and I could, council cannot overrule a veto. Being the cause of deadlock is not an attractive option for City Councill members. For my part, I keep an open mind, I always listen to council members and I respect their opinions. No one is always right and I know that we can accomplish more by working together. I understand that we all need to work together to meet our mutual goals. I have had the good fortune to work with council members who would never threaten me with anything. If someone ever does they will discover that the outcome will not be to their liking. As I recall the final vote on selling the bonds passed nine to two, one more than an eight vote super majority. Thats pretty close to consensus. Thanks, John

a2grateful

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 1:52 p.m.

"Isn't it funny the way stories like this surface just before an election?" Better before, than after...

Roadman

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 1:46 p.m.

This is another reason King John needs to be voted out of office. Pat Lesko would not tolerate bullying by City Council members.

Top Cat

Mon, Aug 2, 2010 : 1:42 p.m.

Isn't it funny the way stories like this surface just before an election. "Politics ain't beanbag!"