Stewart Nelson

I attended a Planning & Zoning, P&Z,  meeting at City Hall yesterday.  The meeting was conducted By Jeff Kahan, Matt Kowalski and Alexi (I did not catch her last name).  Only two members of the Planning Commission attended, Ethel Potts and Jean Carlberg. Also in attendance was a local architect, Alice Roberts.  This was a very talented group and the discussion  technical at times.  I was surprised I actually knew what they were talking about most of the time!  There is a great deal to learn.

The Committee was trying to deal with the average setback issue.  You may recall a few weeks ago, the Planning Department wanted to rewrite code so that average setbacks are eliminated with only Minimum and Maximum setbacks established for R1,  Single Family Residential.  As you can guess this might affect a few streets in the 2nd Ward so I was very motivated to understand this very complicated issue. Not much was decided, except that further study is necessary.  I will keep track of this issue as it works its way through the approval process so I will keep you posted.

I had my first television interview yesterday for a local program shown on the Cable Television Network, CTN.  The production “crew” ( i.e Dan Reeves) set up all his equipment in my den so I was feeling very comfortable.   Dan Reeves was also the interviewer.  Dan has a very relaxed style that puts you instantly at ease.  We covered a variety of subjects that will do a great job of getting my message across to the voters, I hope.  Who knows? I have never been interviewed before.  I did not have any “make up” on so who knows how I am even going to look.  I am keeping my fingers crossed.  I will let you know when it is going to be broadcast.

Tonight I have a live “debate” with my opponent on CTN also. This should be interesting.  I don’t think I have ever watched a debate for City Council so I cannot imagine it will affect the election much,  but your guess is a good as mine.  I am not a politician so I don’t try to put the correct spin on things.  I just call things as I see them, and I am motivated to vote for what is best for the city I love.   You will not agree with everything I say or do, but I guarantee you will know why I decided the way I did.

I’m still amused by the fact that the Mayor appears so anxious to put my opponent on council.  Simply put, I’m seeking this vacant council seat to be responsive to you, the voter, not to any “establishment.”   Entrenched bureaucrats are detrimental to efficient government - or any government for that matter - because they are prone to “group think.”  The “clique,” that appears to be running the City is fighting very hard to keep me and other qualified candidates off the council.  It is clearly time to “reshuffle” the deck. 

I am very concerned about our sluggish economy and the impact that it will have on our future budgets.  With very few exceptions, we cannot influence revenue in the short run. Cost control is our only real short term fiscal tool.  We must be very prudent and not spend money we don’t have.  Successful businesses learn this very quickly and act accordingly in tough times.  In dire times, businesses limit new expenditures and typically don’t spend on new programs without a cost offset.  Our city should act in the same way.

In the long run we can influence future revenue outside of the Headlee and Prop “A” caps, as new construction does not full under the Headlee caps.  We need to stimulate “smart growth” by working more effectively with our entrepreneurs, business owners, and developers.  I want to stay very active to make sure that our growth respects the past, but also respects the financial commitment that business owners and developers make to our community when they embark upon a project.  Implementing the new Downtown Design Guidelines will help, but there are still parts that I disagree with — like the proposed changes to setbacks.  These would be devastating to the Second Ward. 

Did you know that new tax revenue from projects in the Downtown Development Authority, DDA,  does not increase City revenue?   This is a myth that we need to understand before we push for growth at any cost.  We need smart growth. The DDA is a”City within a City” that has their own revenue sources from Tax Increment Financing, TIF, and parking revenue.  A new building in the DDA will NOT lower your property taxes.

We also can help on the job front.  We need jobs!!  SPARK can help.  We provide very little support to them now.   I am pleased that we have started to install LED traffic lights downtown, but I would rather make the announcement that we are building an LED factory here.  My goal is to help find new industries that will replace the automobile industry that was the economic engine of the 20^th century. 

My blog has additional information about me and my positions.  For instance, I was recently awarded the endorsement of the Huron Valley Group of the Sierra Club.  This endorsement came from the State Chapter, not the local Chapter as our local newspaper tried to insinuate.  I am proud to accept this endorsement, and will work to earn the trust they placed in me. 

I would be happy to sit and discuss the issues with anyone in our ward willing to listen.  In preparation for my role a councilman, I have interviewed almost 100 local government and business leaders, academics, city managers, non-profit leaders as well as other stakeholders in our community.  I have gone “door to door” on almost every street in Ward 2 to personally hear out what your concerns are.   My campaign slogan is “Your Voice, Your Ann Arbor” and I mean it.  I have put my cell phone number and or e-mail address on every piece of literature that I hand out.  I am prepared to listen even more than I speak - and I look forward to hearing from you.  

~Stew

734-972-6003 Cell

www.svnelson.com

Stewart@svnelson.com        

I recently received a questionnaire for local government candidates from the Arts  Alliance.  This organization is managed by a very impressive Director, Ms. Tamara Real. Tamara is ably assisted by a small staff and “hundreds” of community volunteers.   The Alliance shares an office with the Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce.  It is ironic that the Alliance poses a question about the benefit of public art.  Just ask any Chamber staff member how they feel about sharing an “art filled” office with the Alliance.

The Alliance posed these questions to all candidates running for office in Washtenaw County.  I thought you might benefit from reading my responses.

Art Alliance Candidate Questions:

1.     What is your position on public funding for arts and culture? The city of Ann Arbor has recently adopted a 1.0% rule to fund public art which means that 1.0% of capital building projects must be spent on public art.  One of the first expenditures was on a series of whimsical sculptures that were the work of a promising University of Michigan art student,  Elshafei Mohamed.   Brightly colored and playful, these statues are based on Mr. Mohamed’s experiences with the Umbororo nomads of the Sudan. The “Herd” magically appeared in front of the Larcom Municipal building one April afternoon.  We can only surmise the influence this display and the feedback will have on this young artist’s career.  I did get a hint however as I watched the smile on his face as wide as the Sahara as he received recognition of council. I am totally committed to maintaining funding to at least this level from the City because it has been demonstrated in many cities around the U.S. that a sustained commitment to public art contributes greatly to the “Livability” of a city, and according to the American Institutes of Architects, AIA,  “Livability” is one the key components of Sustainability—our  21st Century Zeitgeist.   

2. If elected, what measurable actions will you take to ensure that arts and cultural offerings survive and thrive in Washtenaw County? Please be specific.

1.      Ensure that funding (~$200,000 County wide) is available for an accurate census every 3 to 5 years to ascertain progress on key metric such as number of artists, art teachers, art galleries, art related businesses number of public art pieces commissioned, etc.

2.      Track annually the number of public art pieces commissioned by the City.  Set a goal then measure again the next year.

3.      Track annually the dollar amount of the City contribution to the performing arts.  Set a goal then measure again the next year. 

4.      Keep the Summer Festival alive!  It may need more money next year from public-private partnerships. 

I am pleased to announce that the Sierra Club-Huron Valley Group has endorsed my candidacy for councilman of the Second Ward.

This is a great honor for me and I will try my best to live up to the expectations of the Sierra Club. I first joined the Sierra Club in the mid 70’s when I became interested in environmental and ecological issues while serving in the U.S. Air Force in Northern California.

In accepting the endorsement of the Sierra Club, I will embrace its philosophy that is the responsibility of each of us to find a way to leave this world a little better than we found it. Thankfully we have the Sierra Clubs to awaken us when we forget how connected the world really is.

There is a grease board on the wall in Systems Planning at Larcom that staff use to keep track of who is “in” or “out” at any given time. Staring at the board prior to my meeting yesterday with Craig Hupy, (rhymes with “guppy”) Manager of Systems Planning I tried to figure out what all these Managers, Coordinators, Analysts and Senior Engineers had in common. My initial impression was that after the “Big Bang” reorganization the City went through four years ago, the people responsible for putting the jigsaw puzzle back together simply lost interest while there were still 8 “extra” pieces that did not seem to fit into the puzzle. Out of time and out of money they just lumped these disparate offices into a corner and grabbed a “senior”, Senior Project Manager, Craig Hupy and made him Manager.

As usual my superficial analysis was for lack of a better word, “superficial” and after an hour of visiting with Craig I learned that the “extra pieces” indeed have something in common…they were critical pieces in the reorganization that demanded the best and brightest and my guess is that reorganization actually started with Systems Planning and worked outward.

A more astute observer would have noticed that the color of the “8 pieces” is Green and actually that is the common denominator of these various offices; Energy, Water Quality, Solid Waste, Storm Water, Forestry and Natural resources and indeed they were staffed with the best and the brightest! How lucky we are to have staff dedicated to disciplines other cities only dream about. Digging deeper into Craig’s background I learned that his “real passion” is pipes! What better qualifications could you have in a municipal project engineer? I suspect that instead of watch at retirement we will have to buy him Backhoe!

If you “Google” the word “sustainability,” 33,000,000 links appear. It seems almost every government, academic and business institution has their pet definition or spin of the new paradigm of our “Code of Conduct” for global development.

The World Commission on Environment and Development, WECD, defines sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

That sounds sensible but how do we accomplish these honorable goals? According to a standard text on the topic, Urban Planning (Fifth Edition), sustainability requires four factors.

• Ecology. This is the typical dimension that most people associate with sustainability. How is what we are trying to accomplish going to affect our environment?
• Equity. How will we distribute our limited resources and opportunity in a manner that is equitable and consistent with our broader social goals?
• Livability. How should we design the public spaces in our community to best utilize our streets and buildings to facilitate the numerous activities we go about doing in the course of our work and social lives?
• Economy. This is the final leg of the table that is the “glue” or economic engine that keeps the whole thing together. Do we create ways for our citizens to earn a livelihood to pursue their dreams, support their families, and enjoy the manifest benefits of living in the greatest country in the world?

Over the next month or two, I plan to drill down into each of these terms that I believe we can use to filter our thinking and to guide us as we move forward as a City. We can use it to fashion a “united vision” that we can use as a “destination” to get us all working together and pulling in one direction as unanimously as our human weaknesses will allow.

Source: Urban Land Use Planning (Fifth Edition) by Philip R. Berke, David R. Godschalk and Edward J. Kaiser, with Daniel A. Rodriguez, University of Illinois Press, 2006.

Watching the national campaign closely over the past 8 months has given me a great deal of respect for the amount of stamina that it takes to effectively mount a serious political campaign, and then if elected to keep up with the demands of the office.  Witness Obama and Clinton with their cross country trips with constant jet lag, endless town meetings, debates, necessary fundraising dinners, high pressure newspaper interviews and strategy meetings not to mention keeping up with the ordinary duties of the office for incumbents or “day job” for the challengers.  Politics is not the job for the faint of heart.

On a much smaller scale and closer to home, I am lucky that I have great health, “young” legs, a supportive family and numerous motivated supporters, but I must admit that the demands of the trying to run an effective campaign have pushed my limits.  There is always something to do or write.  I have tried to use some of the time management techniques I have acquired over the years but there always seems to be something else to do.  Tonight  I came to the realization that I have to accept that I must prioritize, accept that I have limits and not worry when I begin to think of one more thing I need to do before I go to sleep at night.  There will always be one more thing!  Good Night! I can post this in the morning.

Today I had the opportunity to meet with two members of the Ann Arbor Fire Department union. We had what I felt was an an excellent discussion of my background and personal philosophy and why I felt I would be the best candidate for the City Council position. As a young lieutenant in the Air Force, I quickly learned that the only real “assets” that any organization possesses are its people. I saw first hand how “good” people made up for “bad” equipment everyday. First, our enemy in Viet Nam showed that despite being outnumbered, out gunned and out supplied they could hold their own against a supposedly superior enemy by working harder and being smart. 1000’s of miles away, behind the Iron Curtain, the Communists in the Soviet Union, another “Super Power” was able to bluff us into believing that they were a “Super Power for 40 years before we were able to unmask the fraud!

These experiences convinced me that when I get to be in charge of my own organization, military or civilian, that I would conduct myself with the following inviolate priorities:

1. Put People First! Hire the best and brightest!

2. Train, Train, Train!! and then train some more.

3. Equip them with the best equipment money can buy.

This personal priority list has served me well whether running an Air Force Squadron or small business and I am sure it will work with police and fire department. I will never deviate from these priorities. Our recent discussions on spending $42M for a new municipal complex reminded me of my personal priority and it is unfortunate that certain members of City Council consider a building more important than the people that occupy it. A building cannot respond to a 911 call. Only police can. We need guaranteed “feet on the street”.

No, I am not referring to a trip to Europe and exchanging a stack of dollars for a much smaller stack of Euros. I am talking about what happens when I am promised a financial payoff in the future in exchange for providing a financial benefit today. Bankers figured this concept out 100’s of years ago when they developed the concept of a mortgage. Basically it is this…Would you rather have me give you a dollar today or a dollar one year from today? I think most of us would prefer to have the dollar in our pocket today. Why is that?

The reason is that if I have a dollar today I can put it in a savings account and earn interest on the dollar. Let’s assume I can earn 5% on my dollar so that a year from today I will have $1.05. So when we are pondering the dollar today vs the dollar next year we can see the choice is actually would you rather have $1.05 today or $1.00 one year from now. If we take the same idea and flip it around we can actually say that if I lose the opportunity to put the dollar in my saving account today and earn interest on it the dollar I receive next year is really not worth a dollar. I could say that my the dollar received 1 year from today is actually only worth $0.95. This is a very simplified way to look at two important financial concepts, Net Present Value, NPV, and Net Future Value, NFV. In the first comparison we showed that when comparing the two scenarios, a dollar received today compared to a dollar received in one year, the Net Present Value, NPV, of the dollar received today is $1.05 and the opposite comparison is the dollar received next year has a Net Future Value, NFV, of $0.95 all other things being equal.

You are probably asking yourself why even bother to make the calculations? When you are starting a project like the Larcom renovation to accommodate the Police and Municipal Court, and you start comparing possible scenarios that extend out 60 years, the calculations can drastically alter your decisions. This is the mistake that Councilman Greden made when he announced at the June 2, 2008 City Council meeting that if we build the new Police Court facility at Larcom it would save the City $52,000,000. Councilman Greden was correct it would save the City $52,000,000 but the City would not benefit from the savings for 50 years!

If we apply the concept of NFV of $52,000,000 received 50 years from now the savings actually turns into a loss and he would have been forced to vote the opposite way on the bond issue. This kind of mistake when you are dealing with your own money can make YOU look foolish. These mistakes when you are dealing with taxpayer money…your money makes US all look foolish.

It may be too late to stop this project, but the lesson we need to learn is that our elected city officials must have the skill set to help them make complex financial decisions. The stakes are high. The City General Fund budget is $80M and if you add in the other City accounts our elected officials are handling 100’s of millions more.

I have an MBA plus a very strong background in finance and accounting. As a small business professional, entrepreneur, business consultant and Angel Investor I have learned how to make these kinds of difficult decisions. I hope you will give me a chance to offer another independent voice, analytical mind and listening ears to the council that will help us make efficient use of your money.