knowing where to begin

Not sure of what motivated Ypsilanti voters to approve a new Charter Commission. As I had publicly indicated, my recommendation was to vote no on a general revision to the charter. Yet here we are with a newly elected Charter Commission comprised of Cheryl Farmer, Jim Hawkins, Karen Valvo, Bill Fennel, Peter Fletcher, Jim Fink, Bob Doyle, Kim Porter-Hoppe and myself.

A reading of state law (MCL 117.20) would seem to indicate that the commission must hold its first meeting on the second Tuesday following the election…November 16, 2010.

A thorough review of the current charter is an exercise that will enlighten many on how the charter shapes our self-government. I would encourage our community to learn more about what is outlined in and defined by the current form of the charter. Perhaps that should be the first step of the process this commission embarks upon.

keeping the charter

There are two local issues on the November 2nd ballot in Ypsilanti.   One of them will provide for dedicated transit funding here in the city which I view as critically important.  The other relates to the requirement that voters get to decide every 16 years whether or not to call for the establishment of a Charter Commission to write a general revision of the Ypsilanti City Charter.  It is to this second ballot proposal that I will share my thoughts especially as that I appear on the ballot as a candidate for the Charter Commission.

I advocate a NO vote on the general revision question.  The current City Charter was key in ushering  in a period of competent, accountable and responsive governance for the City of Ypsilanti.

A careful reading of the charter will reveal its focus on ethical principles and the standard of public office as a public trust.  It was drafted by a bipartisan Charter Commission of 1994 that included Peter Fletcher, Ann Cleary Kettles, Norm Kennedy, Jerome Strong, Esther Williams, Cheryl Farmer, Robert Kilpatrick, Suzanne Shaw and Joan Kennedy Hughes.  This group was politically, ethnically and culturally diverse – truly representative of our community overall.

Yes my name appears on the November ballot to serve on a Charter Commission.  Yet I urge all voters in Ypsilanti to join me in voting NO to the GENERAL REVISION proposal to the City Charter.  It is mainly as a contingency that I offer myself as a candidate in the unlikely event this proposal were to be passed by voters.  In that event, it is important that we have individuals guiding that process who have broad perspective, knowledge of the structure of government and a commitment to fairness.  I offer myself as someone who has a long tenure as a public representative with a thorough understanding of defining both the limits and expectations of local government.

Please vote YES on the Charter Amendment for Public Transit.  Please vote NO to establish a Charter Commission to write a general revision of the Ypsilanti City Charter.

technical difficulties

There have been some issues with the migration of the councilmember.spaces.live.com website to the new WP johng4ypsi blog site.  So we are hoping that the support folk at microsoft or WP can help restore the previous content.

UPDATE:  Andrew from WP has resolved the migration thing.  I guess the happiness engineers are pretty much what they’re labeled.

We must move forward

I watched a most amazing program on PBS the other night.  Blueprint America: Beyond the Motor City examined how Detroit, a symbol of America’s diminishing status in the world, may come to represent the future of transportation and (seeming lack of) progress in America.  It firmly jivved with my belief that we cannot escape the fact that our future is in being the regional entity of southeastern Michigan.  Most successful and growing communities owe their fortunes to the notion of being regional collectives that embrace greater resources because of their cooperative approach.

 

 http://player.theplatform.com/ps/player/pds/kj-5OcNN0M&pid=2CpxNKo_ln62EXqHstz5XlkcKUBOor5Q

 

The program video is available on the PBS website:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/reports/beyond-the-motor-city/video/939/

 

Domain Squatting at its Finest

 

YPSILANTI – What does too smart by half look like? I’m all for promoting our city, but who is putting this stuff out there?

 

 

Here’s a little look behind the scenes…

<HTML>

  <HEAD>

 

    <TITLE>YpsiTucky LLC</TITLE>

<META name="description" content="Ypsilanti Michigan YpsiTucky Music and Video Studio" />

<META name="keywords" content="Jamboree, bluegrass, music, ypsitucky, Ypsilanti, Ypsi, Eastern Michigan University, University of Michigan, EMU, U-M, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti Township, City of Ypsilanti, A2, Michigan Newspaper, Ann Arbor News, Ypsilanti News, Ypsilanti Newspaper" />

 

  </HEAD>

 

<BODY bgcolor="Black" text="White" link="White" vlink="White" alink="White">

<br>

<br>

 

<font face="Arial,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" size="6" color="White">

          <h1>YpsiTucky, LLC <br>Adult Movie Studio Complex</h1>

</font>       

 

<font face="Arial,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" size="2" color="White">

 

<h2>Ypsilanti, Michigan</h2>

 

<h2>Home of the Brick Dick</h2>

 

<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/YpsilantiWaterTower.jpg"&gt;

 

</font>       

 

</BODY>

 

</HTML>

 

Whois info for, ypsitucky.com

Registrant:

Contactprivacy.com

96 Mowat Ave

Toronto, ON M6K 3M1

CA

 

Domain name: YPSITUCKY.COM

 

 

Administrative Contact:

    contactprivacy.com,   ypsitucky.com@contactprivacy.com

    96 Mowat Ave

    Toronto, ON M6K 3M1

    CA

    +1.4165385457

Technical Contact:

    contactprivacy.com,   ypsitucky.com@contactprivacy.com

    96 Mowat Ave

    Toronto, ON M6K 3M1

    CA

    +1.4165385457

 

 

Registration Service Provider:

    HDL, DomReg@HDL.com

    734-482-9682

 

Registrar of Record: TUCOWS, INC.

Record last updated on 01-Apr-2009.

Record expires on 22-Jun-2009.

Record created on 22-Jun-2008.

 

Registrar Domain Name Help Center:

    http://domainhelp.tucows.com

 

Domain servers in listed order:

    NS3.HDL.COM  

    NS4.HDL.COM

 

(Thanks to Candace for this special insight.  Now who is making all this ruckus about the "Ypsitucky" name not being appropriate?)

 

A man’s got to believe in something and I believe I’ll have another drink

 

YPSILANTI – City Council member requests a cocktail during meeting while calling for funding cuts to municpal bus service.

 

 

Does anyone remember the sheer audacity behind this campaign statement?  Remember how voting no to revenue increases was the way to safeguard bus service?  Well, while Robb requests that they make him a cocktail, he apparently is out to prove that maybe voting no to revenue increases was not the way to safeguard bus funding.

 

Well, at least he is consistent.  He campaigned against raising revenues (which apparently will force reductions in bus funding).  He argued at the council table that we not budget for the cost of the bus service agreement.  Now he again returns to his mantra of cut funding for bus service.  I am going to guess that Brian Robb never got around to signing the Keep Ypsi Rollin’ petition a few years back.  So what should we discern from Robb’s proposal?  That bus service is not critical to residents?  Or that we should count on the largesse of AATA?  Maybe it’s the idea that if Ypsilanti cuts its own funding to public transportation, it will spur the county voters to approve a transit millage for commuter rail AND enhanced bus service?

 

Wait, aren’t we all solidly behind the Ann Arbor-to-Detroit commuter rail service and want desperately for there to be a stop in Ypsilanti?  Don’t think bus service and commuter rail aren’t mutually complementary?  Well, they are and deconstructing one doesn’t improve the chances for the other.

 

 

 

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Bring out your dregs

April 20 – 24, 2009

 

Double Trash Week

The City of Ypsilanti provides two "double trash limit" removal periods each calendar year. This year our "double trash limit" removal will take place the weeks of April 20, 2009 and August 17, 2009 for all City curbside eligible properties. Each residential unit is permitted during this week to set out two times the normal trash volume on their regular trash day. This means that a single family home may set out six, 32 gallon containers and two large items. Two unit apartments may set out twelve, 32 gallon containers and four large items.  Three units or larger may set out eighteen, 32 gallon containers and six large items.

For additional information please contact the Public Services office at (734) 483-1421.

Making Transit Happen – Ypsilanti Rail Stop

DETROIT TO ANN ARBOR COMMUTER RAIL

City and SEMCOG will host an Open House
March 18, 2009  4:00 PM – 7:00 PM 
Ypsilanti City Hall – 1 S Huron St

The Ann Arbor to Detroit commuter rail project is scheduled to begin its pilot service in late 2010. The City has been working with SEMCOG to provide for the Ypsilanti stop, and will be holding a drop-in open house session to discuss the needs and considerations for this stop. The stop is planned to be located in Depot Town, and SEMCOG currently expects to provide 4 trains daily in each direction at the beginning of the pilot service.

The City and SEMCOG are considering the needs for the initial startup of the service, as well as the ongoing development and maturation throughout the 3-year pilot program and beyond. Issues under discussion include access to and from the station, by bus, bike, car, and foot; circulation between the station, EMU’s campus, and downtown; anticipated parking needs; and ensuring that the train service supports and contributes to ongoing investment in the Depot Town business district and surrounding neighborhoods.

The open house will be held Wednesday, March 18, from 4-7pm, at the Haab Medical Building (111 N. Huron Street). The open house will be followed immediately at 7pm by the Planning Commission meeting, at the same location, which will include a formal presentation from SEMCOG staff. Questions and comments can be made during the open house, at the Planning Commission meeting, or to the City’s Planning and Development Department. All comments will be provided to City Council and SEMCOG as the project moves forward.

For more information on the Ann Arbor to Detroit rail project in general, please see SEMCOG’s website, http://www.semcog.org/AADD.aspx .

Please contact Richard Murphy, City Planner, with any questions at rmurphy@cityofypsilanti.com<mailto:rmurphy@cityofypsilanti.com> or by phone at 734-483-9646.

Further Reading…

Mark Maynard has discussion on the rail stop platform locations as well as potential funding from the stimulus package approved by the White House.

Help me sustain a positive vision for Ypsilanti

 

 

Here are some of my recent actions on City Council:

 

·         Voted to safeguard AATA bus routes at their current levels and prohibited elimination of personnel as a funding strategy.

·         Voted to accept EPA funding for environmental cleanup in the Water Street project area adjacent to Michigan Avenue.

·         Voted to revise zoning on Forest Avenue to permit SchoolPictures.com to establish their new facility and return parcels to the tax rolls.

·         Voted to reduce administrative costs in the Ypsilanti Police Department through an early retirement that avoided any layoff of patrol officers.

·         Requested the City update the feasibility study for a Storm Water Utility to recover costs related to storm water management.  (It would require EMU to pay for their significant discharges into the system to relieve the City’s general fund and ensure greater dollars could be directed to critical public safety needs.)

 

Maxe Obermeyer lost his last shred of decency

Truth should not be victim to politics

 

Just because a letter to the editor is published in the newspaper does not mean it is vetted for truthfulness.  As a public official, I am often subject to criticism based on a less than factual account of actions attributed to me.  However, once in a great while there is an egregious violation of the facts that I am required to respond to.  Maxe Obermeyer has submitted a letter to the editor published in the Ann Arbor News on Sunday, 03 August 2008, that contains such a blatant misrepresentation of fact that I must respond publicly.  It is widely know that my campaign literature contains reference to my express advocacy for fair and equitable consideration when addressing the city’s budget.  To that point, I have been criticized for my resolution that called for no reduction for AATA bus service in the City for the coming fiscal year.  So be it.  You may disagree with that position, as did one of my fellow council members.

 

Mr. Obermeyer did not let the facts stand in his way of advocacy for his particular candidate, Michael Bodary, and thus he was willing to willingly propogate statements that are patently untrue.  In his letter to the editor, Mr. Obermeyer stated that "Mr. Gawlas voted to eliminate AATA bus service".  The public record reflects the actions of Ypsilanti City Council on both 08 May 2008 and 27 May 2008.

As reported by the Ann Arbor News, "The council first voted in April to fund the service in full. But Council Member Bill Nickels, D-2nd Ward, was absent for that vote and asked the council Tuesday to reconsider its decision. He called it improper to cut other services to balance the city’s budget while sparing the bus service.The council approved the resolution to keep bus service in full in a 4-1 vote, with Robb voting against it.

Gawlas said many people in the city depend on the bus for transportation, and reducing the service would impact more people than cuts in other services – especially at a time when the price of gas continues to rise. "It’s important for us to maintain the bus service," he said.

From the minutes of Thursday, 08 may 2008, of the Ypsilanti City Council Meeting:

BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of Ypsilanti commits to safeguard this minimum service level and City Council hereby directs the City Manager to identify potential additional funding options including, but not limited to, further contribution from the general fund for the fiscal year ending 2009; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that City Council, both collectively and individually, undertake the task of advancing public understanding of the tentative nature of public transportation as it exists and call for a coalition of municipalities, institutions and private businesses to advocate a regional transportation model that better serves the needs of the County of Washtenaw.

OFFERED BY: Council Member Gawlas SUPPORTED BY: Mayor Pro-Tem Swanson Council Member

On roll call, the vote to approve the resolution was as follows:

Council Member Filipiak Yes

Council Member Robb No

Council Member Gawlas YES

Mayor Pro-Tem Swanson Yes

Council Member Nickels Absent

Mayor Schreiber Yes

Council Member Richardson Yes

Finally, again on 27 May 2008, the City Council again considered the support of bus service provided by AATA and approved the following resolution:

From the minutes of Thursday, 27 may 2008, of the Ypsilanti City Council Meeting:

WHEREAS the City of Ypsilanti has committed to safeguard current service levels provided by the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA) and anticipates entering into a Purchase of Service Agreement (POSA) that maintains those levels, and

WHEREAS, the Ypsilanti City Council has previously given direction to the City Manager through Resolution 2008-088 to identify potential additional funding options including, but not limited to, further contribution from the general fund for the fiscal year ending 2009, and Council Budget Session May 27, 2008 4

WHEREAS, the City Council was provided a memorandum from the Assistant City Manager dated 16 May 2008 outlining three options by which the City can contribute in the event other outside funding such as partnerships are unable to be secured,

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council rejects any option that directs the City Manager to eliminate more personnel as a funding strategy for the Purchase of Service Agreement (POSA), and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council hereby accepts the recommendation of staff and directs the City Manager to allocate the necessary balance of funding from the projected excess revenues for the fiscal year ending 2009.

OFFERED BY: Council Member Gawlas  SUPPORTED BY: Council Member Nickels

The roll call vote was as follows:

Council Member Filipiak – Yes

Council Member Robb – No

Council Member Gawlas – YES

Mayor Pro-Tem Swanson – Absent

Council Member Nickels – Yes

Mayor Schreiber – Yes

Council Member Richardson – Absent

Political hyperbole aside (which I understandably expect during the normal political), Mr. Obermeyer’s misrepresentation of the facts is incompetence at best and at worst represents a willful effort to engage in deceitful actions in the advocacy of his chosen candidate.  Ypsilanti deserves better than this and I call Mr. Obermeyer out on his fabrication.

 

John Gawlas