Ward 1 Council Candidates: Sumi Kailasapathy and Don Adams, Jr.

POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: Sumi Kailasapathy is not employed by U-M. Her husband is employed as a faculty member at Eastern Michigan University. She accepted a $500 donation from a local developer. Her employer is not a city contractor.

Campaign Finance: As of the close of recordkeeping July 20, Sumi Kailasapathy had raised $5,345 in cash (including a $500 donation from a local developer). Accepted largest donations from: local developer, her campaign manager.

A2Indy: Why are you running for local office?

Sumi:  I am running for office because I believe in public service and this is one way of serving my community.  I feel that I can represent my constituents in terms of their priorities.  I am honored to represent the residents of Ward 1 and take their trust seriously.  My background in public accounting provides me with a unique and necessary skill set to understand budgets, audits, cost analysis and projections, and other financial matters that come before City Council.

A2Indy: Do you work for the University of Michigan as a full- or part-time employee? If so, please tell us what your job is.

Sumi: No, I do not work for the University of Michigan.

A2Indy: How often per week do you walk, bike or take transit to work?

Sumi: Unfortunately, I do not live within a “walkable” or “bikeable” distance to my office.  In the spring, summer and fall, I try to use the bus twice a week.

A2Indy: If elected to Council, how would you propose addressing the ongoing problems associated with aggressive panhandling, drug use and other public safety issues that are often linked to the city’s homeless/transient population?

Sumi: There is no simple answer to the problems of pan handling, drug use and public safety. These problems do not relate exclusively to the homeless and transient population and we need to be careful not to blame all of these problems on this subset of our population.

We need a proactive police force to address these and other types of public safety issues.  We have a very capable police chief.  I am confident that, with the proper funding for staffing, he can determine the best way to address these specific issues.

I also support providing temporary homeless shelters, especially during inclement weather.  Recently, I co-sponsored a resolution that would have used the money earmarked for SPARK to be used for these types of temporary shelters.

A2Indy: There have been calls for an annual outside audit of Ann Arbor SPARK’s job creation and job retention data, do you support that?

Sumi: I am proud that I have led the effort to make SPARK more transparent and accountable for the job creation and job retention numbers they report.  SPARK receives millions of dollars in public funds and it must do a better job of accounting for its claimed job creation and retention.  I strongly support requiring an independent audit of SPARK’s job creation numbers.

A2Indy: In this campaign we have heard frequent references to the gaps that separate Ann Arbor residents in terms of age, income, employment and housing. Explain how you will work to eliminate one of these gaps.

Sumi: Our City government priorities need to reflect the diverse population of our town.  We put great emphasis on economic development while we neglect the needs of our neighborhoods. Within our neighborhoods, we put greater resources into wealthy areas of town and this disparity is readily seen in the amenities we put into various parks and also in the basic services like road repairs.

I am a strong advocate of improved services and infrastructure.  However, my support of those basic city services is tempered with the desire to provide them without regard to the relative wealth of each neighborhood.

Additionally, I believe that the current gentrification of Ann Arbor increases the difficulty in maintaining an economically diverse population. I support public funding for increased affordable housing. We need to ensure that we provide adequate housing choices so that the economic success of our community does not price out those who work for a minimum wage.

A2Indy: The city has not met goals identified as critical set forth in its own solid waste (overall landfill diversion rate, i.e.) and Non-motorized Transportation plans (installing miles of sidewalks). Where do you stand on setting versus achieving measurable environmental goals set forth on such plans?

I am disappointed that we have not met our goals as defined under these two programs.  It may be unrealistic to expect that these goals can all be achieved on a pre-determined timeline. Setting goals that are unachievable because of lack of funding or support is a bigger issue.

We need to revisit our goals to determine whether they are achievable, not just in terms of “deliverables”, but also whether adequate support is available.  Only then can we better plan the time frame in which we expect to achieve our goals and we must expect accountability for failing to reach those goals.

A2Indy: Are you accepting campaign donations from marijuana entrepreneurs, local developers and/or the members of local Boards/Commissions whom you’ve voted to appoint?

Sumi:  I have not knowingly accepted any campaign contributions from marijuana entrepreneurs, members of local Boards and Commission that I have voted to appoint or ones that I sit on as a Councilmember.  I currently sit on the Council Liquor License Review Committee and would not accept a campaign contribution from any individual or business that I voted to approve a license for as this constitutes a conflict of interest.

As public servants, Councilmembers must be held to a higher standard and I have supported adopting an ethics policy for Councilmembers that would clearly identify acceptable and non-acceptable behavior.

A2Indy: Should taxpayers be concerned about the city’s underfunded retiree pension/health care liability? Please share your thoughts about eliminating health care (employees would enroll in Obamacare) coverage for current and future city employees and eliminating pensions for future city employees?

Sumi: Yes, taxpayers should be very concerned about the City’s unfunded liability for its pension plan benefits and its retiree health care obligations.  The City administration has offered a plan in the current budget that will reduce the unfunded liability over the next few decades.  It is not wise to delay taking full responsibility for City’s legacy cost issues.  We need to increase our current contributions to these plans – regardless of what changes we make, these costs will not simply go away.

In addition, the City needs to continue to review the plan design, eligibility, and alternative arrangements available (like the Affordable Care Act) for providing these benefits in a cost-effective manner.

Ward 1 City Council Challenger: Don Adams, Jr.

PLEASE NOTE: Don Adams, Jr. did not return The A2 Indy’s candidate questionnaire by the deadline. He did, however, speak by phone about his platform and views.

ACCORDING TO DON Adams, Jr., he is running to make sure Ann Arbor has public servants who “get it.” His website lists a variety of issues he feels are important including responsible development, responsive communication, leadership and accountability and affordable housing.

He’s concerned with the relationship between Ann Arbor “town” and the University of Michigan “gown.”

“These of course sound like different goals, but if Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan were to partner on goals that would benefit one another, this would be one way to bridge the town gown concern,” says Adams.

In answer to a question about how he differs from the incumbent, Adams says he “supports transit.”

He followed up by saying, “I’m not saying Sumi doesn’t support transit, I supported the AAATA millage.”

When asked who’s supporting him in this race (he has no supporters listed on his website or Facebook page, he said, “Mayor Hieftje and Chris.” Chris is Christopher Taylor. Adams added that he also has the support of state senator Democrat Rebekah Warren and her husband, County Commissioner Conan Smith.

“Sandi Smith also is supporting me,” said Adams. Smith is a former Ward 1 City Council member who’s a member of the Board of the Jim Toy Community Center. Smith is very active in Ann Arbor’s gay community and a supporter of marriage equality.

Adams was unequivocal about gay marriage: “I don’t support it,” he said. He added that he is pro-life and “while everyone has choices,” he said,  “I am pro-life.”

This raises questions about why Sen. Warren, who is staunchly pro-choice, endorsed an openly anti-choice candidate instead of the pro-choice incumbent.

For more information, visit Don Adams’s website: http://www.votedonadams.com/