Ward 2 Council Member Petersen Announces She’ll Run For Mayor: Move Mirrors Hieftje’s Path To The Gavel

ANN ARBOR CITY Council member Sally Hart Petersen announced in a press release sent to the media on January 14 that she plans to run for mayor. Petersen, elected to represent Ward 2 in 2012, unseated former state legislator Tony Derezinski in a campaign that pitted two Harvard grads against each other for a part-time job that pays $15,000 per year.

Petersen, who earned her MBA from Harvard, crafted a campaign in 2012 that drew on her marketing experience. She was one of just two candidates, including those running for state-wide office, who made use of video clips on her campaign website in which she spoke directly to voters.

“A Fresh Face for Ward 2” was the slogan she chose, and her campaign for mayor promises that she will, if elected, “Lead Forward.”

In her release, Petersen says she is running because, “I love Ann Arbor, it is my chosen home, and my husband and I have raised our children here. I treasure Ann Arborʼs thriving downtown and vibrant neighborhoods, parks, and variety of venues to play. The University of Michigan attracts residents and visitors from all over the world, and this contributes to diversity of thought and culture. The University also protects our economy; it sustained our City by offering stable employment throughout the ‘Great Recession.’ As we see the economy improving, we need to ensure Ann Arbor optimizes its own opportunities for growth.”

Petersen is the City Council representative to the LDFA Board that oversees the activities of Ann Arbor SPARK. She recently attended her first meeting of the group. In October 2013, along with former Ward 4 Council member Marcia Higgins, Petersen sponsored a resolution to establish an Economic Development Collaborative Taskforce. The group was put together to reflect on “core values, priorities, and activities regarding economic development and identifying operations that may be duplicative, resources including funding, and opportunities for collaboration …”

At City Council’s budget retreat, economic development was identified as one of five priorities for Council in the coming year. Petersen’s task force was supposed to provide a report of findings and recommendations in December 2013. That never happened.

Sally Petersen, with just over 12 months of experience on City Council, is walking the same path Mayor John Hieftje trod when local Democrats came together to help Hieftje take on Republican mayor Ingrid Sheldon. At the time he ran for mayor, Hieftje had served as the Ward 1 Council member for just six months.

Sally Petersen’s three opponents  have years of service on City Council. Ward 3 Council members Stephen Kunselman and Christopher Taylor and Ward 1 Council member Sabra Briere will face off in the August 2014 Democratic primary election against their Ward 2 Council colleague.

In a July 2012 interview with A2Politico.com, Sally Petersen talked at length about her reasons for taking on incumbent Tony Derezinski:

“Running for City Council is something I have thought about for quite some time. But it was about a year ago on a long marathon training run, the switch finally flipped. Maybe I was just dehydrated at the time =), but I found myself debating city issues in my head on these long runs and the belief grew in me that I could contribute something unique to the City Council table. I am a Democrat with an MBA; a combination not currently represented on Council. I expect that my experience in business and non-profit leadership will prepare me well to tackle the City’s challenges with a focus on bottom-line fiscal sustainability and transparency.”

In response to a question about complaints of ethical lapses on the part of City Council members in their campaign fundraising, appointments of friends and business associates to city boards and commissions, and voting on resolutions that impact their full-time employer, Sally Petersen observed that “Back in 1991, the first course I took at Harvard Business School was Business Ethics. I learned quickly that you cannot ‘teach’ ethics and I don’t think you should try to legislate it either. Either one is an ethical being or not, and while there are always shades of grey, ethical people tend to rise to the top, are easy to identify, and should be easy to elect!”

In November 2013, Petersen’s Ward 2 colleague Jane Lumm questioned the behavior of not only Petersen but John Hieftje, as well. At a November Council meeting break, Lumm overheard Hieftje whisper to Petersen about the possible sale of the Edwards Brothers Malloy property  to the University of Michigan.

In emails written at 3 a.m. the next morning, Lumm alerted all of the Council members to the University’s offer and spoke pointedly about the need for transparency and for information to be shared “equitably.”

Then, Sally Petersen and John Hieftje—without informing all of the City Council members—met with the Edwards Brothers Malloy owners. At that meeting, Hieftje and Petersen were given the term sheet outlining the proposed deal between the University and the company. Several of her colleagues were upset that Hieftje and the first year Council member arranged and attended a meeting with the property owners (whom Petersen later explained she knows socially), took the term sheet and did not share its contents.

It is somewhat ironic in the face of these two recent incidents that Petersen’s press release includes this: “Open and transparent communication enables residents to trust their local government and encourages engagement.”

In early November, there was a Mayor Pro Tempore election scuffle. Sally Peterson shocked colleagues by voting for Ward 4 Council member Margie Teall as Mayor Pro Tempore and not her Ward 2 colleague Jane Lumm.

When asked about her vote for Teall, Council member Petersen replied via email that she had simply voted for the first person nominated (Teall) and had expected that “Lumm’s people” would make sure that her nomination—rather than Teall’s—was the first brought to the floor.

It was clear from the looks on the faces of several Council members, two of whom openly gaped at Petersen after she voted for Teall, that Petersen had changed her vote.

To be sure, Council member Petersen’s record is thin due to the fact that she has been in office for just over 14 months. Her votes on key issues have been predictable, for the most part. She has supported funding and restoring services, voted in favor of the controversial 413 E. Huron development and voted to repeal the city’s controversial pedestrian crosswalk ordinance—no surprises based on her 2012 campaign.

Unlike John Hieftje, who  was hired as a highly paid part-time lecturer after he was elected mayor, and Stephen Kunselman, who is a full-time employee there, Sally Petersen is not employed by the University of Michigan. In her 2012 interview with A2Politico.com, she spoke about the city’s relationship with the U.:

“If the City and University of Michigan worked together better, perhaps opportunities for GILOT (Goodwill in lieu of taxes) could be explored with some innovation and creativity. It is time for the University and the City to work together to create an intentional culture of collaboration and innovation. At the Mackinac Policy Conference, I spoke with EMU President Sue Martin and Washtenaw Community College President Rose Bellanca about Town Gown relationships. I learned that a culture of collaboration within Ypsilanti exists, and it begins with the Regents. This is an area I would like to continue to pursue with the University of Michigan.”

In her January 2014 release she hewed to the same message on town-gown relations: “Inevitably, by the end of 2014 the University of Michigan will have a new President and the City of Ann Arbor will have a new Mayor. It is an opportune time to strengthen our collaboration and actively seek ways to promote purposeful  growth.”

Ann Arbor voters have elected two women to the office of mayor, Democrat Liz Brater and Republican Ingrid Sheldon. Can Sally P. be number three? She faces a steep political learning curve. However, judging from her success in 2012 Sally Hart Petersen may be the candidate to watch as the mayoral election season heats up.