discarding responsibility
This is not about Burger King
Believe it or not, Burger King is not the problem. Leadership (or the lack thereof) is the problem.
Are you or is AY PAC thrilled to have another fast food joint littering Michigan Avenue? Not really. Did we expect to see some fast food there at some point, possibly. But the Burger King belies a symptom of a much more troubling problem – that is the apparent lack of leadership on the Water Street issue.
Murdock, Robb and Bodary all promised leadership, maneuvered to get named to the committee to address Water Street, and then did nothing with the opportunity. Absolutely nothing!
So far, these three stalwarts of “leadership” who embody the Water Street committee have been content to let staff set direction, let recommended zoning changes slowly languish and simply allow the few (weak) development opportunities that bubble up on their own to set the agenda for council.
In lieu of responsibility, they seemingly blame the economy for the results. In the face of such a low level of action on their part, it is hard to figure out what the impact of the economy really is in this process. If they had taken any action, we could offer a different response.
While we say Burger King primarily exists as a symptom, it is somewhat of a problem in itself as it should be the business we slide in between other developments. Not the first development. Not the one that sets the course for future development. Not the one that possibly has to serve as our only space filler on Water Street for a while.
Citizens were promised leadership and action. We weren’t promised lazy committees, weak space filling as development and inaction on recommended zoning changes.
Pass zoning for Water Street! Pass the Planning Commission’s proposals or modify them as council deems necessary. Assume some responsibility now by taking action!
posted by B. Bashert and J. Gawlas
single bullet theory
It’s Complicated: Debunking the Silver Bullet
Let’s be clear. No one issue has caused the current economic crisis the city is facing. Thus, no one thing will solve all the problems. It would be so much easier for everyone if folks could look at one item and say ‘if only that one thing hadn’t happened’, or something along those lines.
Causes:
Water Street did not cause our current economic crisis. It is costing us money, there is no doubt. However, it is not the root cause of our situation. The housing bubble crash, along with the auto industry downturn, plus loss of thousands of jobs in the region had a hand in the whole mess.
The biggest challenges Ypsilanti faces, along with those facing many other towns and cities in Michigan, come from the state itself. Many sources of state funding have been either cut off, or so depleted that the very foundation of financing our city has to change or adapt. State money may come back – someday. Until then folks, individually and regionally, we are on our own.
Cures:
If the City Income Tax had passed, we would be in a better situation than we are today. We would have income coming from Eastern Michigan employees that we are not able to garner right now, and that 30% of real estate that pays no taxes would now be helping us out, for instance.
No one cure will solve all our problems. Even if the income tax had passed, the world would not be perfect, the city would not be wealthy, and these would still be challenging times.
Single Bullet Theory (Our Prognosis):
Blaming Water Street for all ills does nothing but lay groundwork for upcoming campaigns and distract from the complex issues that surround us. That is the only reason to bring it up. Otherwise, instead of blaming, council would have taken up the Planning Commission’s recommendations for Water Street and begun moving forward on finding developers.
When any authority (especially a politician) offers you an easy sound-bite answer, you can bet your money you are being patronized and manipulated.
AYPAC encourages voters to contact their city council members and ask the hard questions:
- Why are we cutting police and fire when we were previously promised that these were not at risk?
- Why are we still waiting for the Water Street closed committee to take up the Planning Commissions recommendations?
- Why did we commit to a property tax increase as part of a proposal to temporarily save public transit, but turned down an income tax proposal that would have solved many at risk programs?
Lastly, listen carefully to what your council members are saying. If they have a pat answer to this incredibly complex situation we find ourselves in that sounds easy….if it’s too good to be true, it’s probably not true. Single causes and single solutions are like firing blanks. Hardly the ammunition we need to fight the challenges Ypsilanti continues to face.
posted by B. Bashert and J. Gawlas
Transparency Rating (1) - 25%