our endorsements
City of Ypsilanti Primary Ballot on Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Charter Amendment for Public Transit
AY PAC strongly endorses a Yes vote for public transit. While this election is non binding, and the real vote will take place in the General Election on November 2, AY PAC considers all opportunities to support ongoing public transit funds important and we encourage all to vote YES on the August 3rd ballot.
Ward 1
We have to reflect on the ongoing complaints from constituents in Ward 1 that they do not hear back when they contact their city council representatives. AY PAC knows that many of these calls and messages are about pesky small things that take up the time of city council reps. However, that is the job someone signs up for when they run for office, helping people work their way through the system, making our city more livable and city services more accessible. AYPAC hopes that this change will bring someone to office who will represent ALL the citizens of Ward 1.
We met with Juanita House, and Tyrone Bridges. We requested a meeting with Ricky Jefferson and never received a call back. His campaign manager promised a call back from him, but it never materialized. Basic professionalism is what we were looking for, and that was interesting.
House returned our calls and came to an informal meeting with us. House has organizing skills and an extensive history in the community. We also met with Bridges, who arrived prepared with documents, research, and his campaign manager.
AY PAC endorses a vote for Tyrone Bridges for Ward 1. We chose to give Mr. Bridges our qualified support because he shares the goal of being accessible to his constituents and takes that part of his job very seriously. Using the professionalism yardstick, Tyrone Bridges was a standout in the response to our inquiry as the best prepared among the three. It is also clear he has been a passionate advocate for his community, his family and friends.
Many may know Mr. Bridges as a frequent visitor and speaker at City Council meetings, and as a passionate advocate regarding the many issues affecting people living in Ypsilanti’s south-side “Gateway” community. He has been forthright about a drug-related felony conviction which occurred many years ago, and has since worked hard to become a role model for others in his community who are trying to stay on the right side of the law – and has been very active in providing provide peer mentoring and educational opportunities for neighborhood youth.
His personality reflects a genuine regard for his city and forms one of his strengths that AY PAC hopes he can carry to the council table. That said, Bridges is an ambitious young man and, we believe, a quick learner who may well grow into the role by learning to balance his passion with experience – if Ward 1 voters choose to give him an opportunity by to serve on City Council.
Ward 2
AY PAC does not endorse anyone in Ward 2.
Daniel Vogt did not take the time to return our questionnaire and because of his newness to the political scene, AY PAC does not know his stances. Sadly, it would appear hardly anybody does as well.
Curiously, Vogt has been presenting himself as preparing to run for city council nearly his entire adult life. According to his own description, he has spent the last 30 years of political and community inactivity waiting for the right time in his life to do this. While this may be true, it is more than disconcerting how he displays a marked low level of knowledge of city politics, processes and basic political etiquette.
His speaking at council, his political meet and greets, his alliances, all show a slow learning curve for someone who has been preparing for 30 years. If he was willing to wait that long to run for a local part time office without developing a better understanding of local government, what might that mean about him as a leader?
With her local involvement, Claudia Pettit would have been a more appealing candidate and solid representative had she been able to run. Sadly, a conflict of interest with her work keeps her from holding office (though her name will still appear on the August 3rd ballot).
Ward 3
AY PAC endorses nobody in Ward 3.
Brian Robb and Ted Windish are both running for council in the 3rd Ward.
Robb did not return our questionnaire. Robb’s’ unprofessional presentation at council is a constant reminder of how low standards can be. If Robb would just stop surfing the Internet and bother to look interested in the goings on during meetings, he would rise in our opinion considerably.
Windish responded to our questionnaire and also requested a meeting. He followed up the meeting with further contact with AY PAC. On the professional yardstick as a measure, Windish wins.
Sadly, while Windish is professional in some aspects he is not a viable option for voters. He is a lone wolf with no committee, no community support and no real grasp of the way the city operates. He ran 4 years ago and has shown no real improvement in these areas. (We apologize for incorrectly identifying Mr. Windish in our original posting.)
There seems to be no good options in Ward 3.
Mayor
Paul Schreiber has led our city through 4 challenging years. He has provided leadership, steadiness and thoughtfulness while consistently putting forward reasonable ideas for council to consider. He was key in having the breakthrough in the Parkview Community and because of his leadership, we have strong relationships with our neighbors.
Schreiber has struggled with this city council to get basic common sense ideas passed. Owing to the makeup of council, we do not expect that to improve. However, we have noticed a growth of Schreiber’s political acumen in that past 4 years, and hope that he continues to build skills in working with a non supportive city council.
Pete Murdock did not respond to our questionnaire. We were not surprised, as our PAC has been highly critical of him. However, since our PAC represents people and ideas from the 3rd Ward (which he represents), we found his lack of participation disappointing and unprofessional.
Murdock continues to show a pattern of last minute, poorly thought out resolutions that city staff and volunteers end up spending time and money cleaning up. AY PAC has pointed this out time after time and looks forward to the day when we see him use existing checks and balances along with his considerable political skill to help our city.
We heartily endorse a vote for Paul Schreiber for Mayor. Murdock has yet to make a compelling argument to change Mayors at this time. Schreiber’s leadership has been thoughtful and his relationship building with other cities and townships will continue to help Ypsilanti find its way through the next few years. While we expect city council to continue to fight his leadership, AY PAC believes that Paul Schreiber is the best face possible for our city.
AY PAC hopes this is helpful to voters and to the city. Please contact us with any questions or follow up you might have.
A general statement to frame our endorsements:
AY PAC holds that one of the keys in effective representation for the City is that we elect professional, responsible people to office. An important base line for professionals is a respectful returning of messages, emails, phone calls, etc. Even when an elected official does not personally like or agree with a constituent, they are elected to represent ALL their constituents. Responding to questions, including our questions, returning calls, showing up at meetings, and preparing for meetings are all basic activities that elected officials are supposed to conduct.
posted by AY PAC committee