by P.D. Lesko

WARD 1 COUNCIL candidate Don Adams, Jr. doesn’t have any endorsers listed on his website, but when asked offered up an impressive list: Mayor John Hieftje, former Ward 1 Council member Sandi Smith, Ward 3 Council member Christopher Taylor, who is currently running for mayor, County Commissioner Conan Smith and state Sen. Rebekah Warren.

When asked whether such a list is, perhaps, an exaggeration, Adams offered to have Chris Taylor call up to confirm that the claim is true. Campaign finance forms shows that Taylor donated $100 to Adams’s campaign.

Phone calls to Ned Staebler, former VP at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and one-time candidate for the Michigan House of Representatives, Sandi Smith and Conan Smith resulted in quick confirmations that they have endorsed Don Adams, Jr.

Sandi Smith, who has served for several years as a Board member of the Jim Toy Community Center, an organization that offers programming and support of gays, lesbians and trans individuals, is a vocal supporter of marriage equality.

When asked if she’s supporting Adams, Sandi Smith responded after a short pause, “Yes I am.” When asked why, Smith said one of the reasons was Adams’s “open-mindedness,” his enthusiasm and his “ability to learn.”

When told that Don Smith responded to a question about marriage equality (gay marriage) that he does not support it, Sandi Smith said, “I didn’t know that.” When told Adams is pro-life, Smith said, “I can respect that, because at the city level it would not make any difference.”

Smith then added that had she known about Adams’s stances on those two issues, she “might have stayed more neutral,” but she also said, “I support him because Sumi (Kailasapathy) doesn’t understand municipal finance.” Kailasapathy is a certified public accountant. She holds an undergraduate degree in economics & political science from Wellesley College, and graduate degrees from the New School for Social Research. She taught at Eastern Michigan University for ten years before embarking on a career in public accounting. Smith, a real estate broker, did not elaborate on which aspects of municipal finance the incumbent does not understand.

When discussing his endorsers, Adams included Michigan Sen. Rebekah Warren and Warren’s husband, Ann Arbor County Commissioner Conan Smith.

A call to Conan Smith about whether he is endorsing Don Adams went much like the conversation with Sandi Smith (no relation).

When asked if he was endorsing Don Adams, Smith paused and said he was.

“I like his energy and enthusiasm,” said Smith. “He has been a hard worker for the Ann Arbor Democratic Party.” However, in response to whether Smith had been to the Ann Arbor Dems’ candidate forum at which Don Adams had been asked about his stance on marriage equality but had refused to directly answer the question, Conan Smith said, “I haven’t been to those meetings for several months.”

Upon learning that Don Adams had said he does not support gay marriage or a women’s right to choose for “religious reasons,” Conan Smith replied, “Well, that’s awkward. That’s really disappointing.” He went on to say that it was “bad form” not to have asked Adams about  marriage equality and a woman’s right to choose.

“I just assumed,” said Conan Smith. “I’m going to call him up.”

A phone call to Sen. Warren’s staff resulted in a staff member sending an email to Warren about whether she’s endorsing Don Adams. Sen. Warren did not confirm her endorsement of Adams.

Christopher Taylor’s campaign manager Brad O’Connor was rattled when asked if Taylor was endorsing the Ward 1 challenger.

“I don’t think Christopher is endorsing anyone in that election,” said O’Connor.

Brad O’Connor, in a phone call two days later, said that “Christopher is not endorsing any candidates.”

When asked why Don Adams might have claimed Taylor was endorsing him O’Connor said, “I don’t think he said that. Maybe said something else, like ‘Christopher is supporting him.’”

O’Connor, who is paid $2,000 per month to manage Taylor’s campaign, according to campaign finance records, alleges Taylor never gave his endorsement to Adams’ and has no idea why Adams would have told The Ann Arbor Independent Taylor had. Brad O’Connor, according to campaign finance records, was also paid to work for Don Adams, Jr.

When told Adams had offered to have Taylor call on his behalf to confirm the endorsement, O’Connor repeated that Christopher Taylor had not endorsed Don Adams. Jr.

Taylor, Sen. Warren, Conan Smith and Sandi Smith have all spoken out in favor of gay marriage. Taylor, in fact, has made a point of publicly urging Michigan’s Attorney General to stop litigating against the repeal of Michigan’s ban on gay marriage. Taylor has also publicly urged the state’s AG to recognize the same-sex marriages performed prior to Schuette’s appeal to the U.S. Circuit Court.

Rebekah Warren has received endorsements and thousands of dollars in campaign donations from gay advocacy groups.

If what Don Adams, Jr. claims is true: Sen. Warren and her husband Conan Smith, Christopher Taylor, John Hieftje and Sandi Smith have all endorsed a pro-life candidate who said he does not support gay marriage. They endorsed against a pro-choice incumbent who has spoken out in support of marriage equality.

When asked about it, Ward 1 incumbent Sumi Kailasapathy said, “There is some political calculus going on. The voters will make a choice, but I find it really, really ironic that they should support Don Adams.”

She went on to say, “I’m a feminist and I truly believe in freedom of choice for women. I support marriage equality. I sit on the Human Rights Commission.”

If there is, indeed, political calculus going on, these local elected officials have egg all over their faces, particularly Taylor, Sandi Smith and Sen. Warren.

The Michigan Talent Agenda (MTA), founded by former Michigan Economic Development Corporation VP Ned Staebler, endorsed Don Adams, as well.

The organization founded “14 or 15 months ago,” according to Staebler, “endorsed candidates who asked us. We sent out questionnaires to candidates who asked for them. I’ve been getting some grief about that.”

Advocacy organizations, such as the Michigan Sierra Club, send questionnaires to all candidates. MTA did not send questionnaires to the opponents of the candidates endorsed, according to Staebler.

When asked whether Staebler was aware that Don Adams was a pro-life candidate who does not support marriage equality, Staebler, like the others, expressed shock. Staebler claimed to have a questionnaire filled out by Don Adams in which Adams agrees, if elected, he will not discriminate against anyone on the basis of race, age, sex or sexual orientation.

Adams, however, made clear that he simply could not support Ann Arbor Council resolutions which came out in favor of marriage equality.

The Michigan Talent Agenda’s mailer announcing the organization’s endorsement of Don Adams, Chris Taylor, Kirk Westphal and Julie Grand,  was paid for by Ned Staebler’s personal PAC, Inspire Michigan.

The Steering Committee listed on the MTA website includes Christopher Taylor, Ned Staebler, Rep. Adam Zemke and Ann Arbor County Commissioner Andy LaBarre.

However, according to Michigan campaign finance records filed on July 25—after the postcard was received by an Ann Arbor resident who passed it along to The Ann Arbor Independent, there are no expenditures listed on the campaign finance form for either printing or mailing. MTA is not a registered non-profit or corporation with the State of Michigan.

Ward 1 Candidate Adams “Expands on Answers”; Faces Questions About Campaign Finance Disclosure

HOURS AFTER The Ann Arbor Independent spoke with Chris Taylor’s campaign manager Brad O’Connor, Sandi Smith, Conan Smith and tried to reach Sen. Rebekah Warren to confirm they were endorsing his candidacy, Don Adams, Jr. emailed:

“To expand on my answers to your questions earlier, I want to unequivocally state my support for marriage equality rights. If elected, I pledge to oppose any legislation that discriminates against people for any reason — including their race, gender, age, nation of origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity. I would hope that women consider every reasonable option to prevent unintended pregnancies before contemplating abortion. However, I do not believe that it is the role of government to dictate that decision for women and that that choice should be left between her and her doctor. I do not believe it is the role of government to dictate that choice for them. I believe that abortions should be safe, legal, and rare; I would not support any policy initiative or legislation that reduces or impairs a woman’s right to choose.”

Campaign Finances Draw Scrutiny

While Chris Taylor’s campaign finance disclosure forms filed with the County Clerk’s run almost 120 pages, Ward 1 challenger Don Adams’s campaign filed 12 pages. Adams told The Ann Arbor Observer he intended to raise $8,000, but actually raised $4,570. His expenditures include t-shirts, absentee voters cards and fruit for the Fourth of July parade. However, the campaign finance disclosure does not include payments for the well over 100 signs Adams has planted throughout Ward 1.

Ward 4 Council member Jack Eaton said: “Most campaigns will order at least 125 yard signs. An order of 125 yard signs would cost between $400 and $600, depending on assembly and design. He has had yard signs out on display for a few weeks and yet his campaign finance statement does not report any expenditure for those signs. Similarly, Candidate Adams had a full page advertisement in the Ann Arbor Democratic Party’s Chili Cook Off fund raiser program, but Candidate Adams’ finance statement does not report any expenditure for that. The A2 Dems’ Chili Cook Off was held on May 4, 2014 and the expenditure clearly falls within the reporting period for this statement.”

Donors to Don Adams included: John Hieftje, DDA Board member Joan Lowenstein, mayoral candidate Chris Taylor and former County Commissioner Leah Gunn.