EDITORIAL: City Council Collegiality and Collaboration
ANN ARBOR’S NEXT mayor inherits a City Council that has shown itself capable of cohesion, compromise and intense partisanship. Reformers were elected and re-elected to City Council based on promises to fund core services and tend to the city’s crumbling infrastructure. Council members who favor economic development, downtown and growth rather than core services, neighborhoods and the infrastructure will be a majority. In reality, this could present the perfect mix of people, political interests and public policy for real political accomplishment with a capable mayor at the helm.
Credible economic development programs are useful in attracting established businesses. Research by the U.S. SBA says those established businesses are owned by people who want to live in safe cities with sound infrastructures, excellent schools and abundant recreational opportunities. There are Council members whose work focuses on supporting and protecting parks and others who focus their efforts on development and downtown. Our city needs both.
The new mayor must recognize that there is not a fissure on Council, but rather a group of people who must be inspired to focus on their individual political interests in the pursuit of a wholistic city-wide vision. The Ann Arbor News editorialized about John Hieftje, the soon-to-be former mayor, that he lacked vision. It has been that lack of vision which has created a City Council populated by members who have unsuccessfully tried to fill the vacuum.
Personal attacks such as those by Ward 5 Council member Warpehoski must be discouraged by the new mayor. The efforts of Ward 4 Council member Eaton to bring political compromise to the Council table have been a welcome departure from what critics have alleged is Hieftje’s penchant for backroom dealing and secret deliberations.
We hope the next mayor of Ann Arbor will have the political savvy to lead a group of ideologically divided Council members to transformative decisions on a variety of fronts and not just those pitched to the public as “progressive.” The next mayor won’t solve global warming, but if the next mayor makes sure alternative transit, solid waste, energy and other long-term policy goals in those plans are met, it would be a step toward actual environmentalism.
We also hope the next mayor will make a point to work with all members of City Council. John Hieftje was notorious for working only with those Council members whom he agreed with politically. It might remain a mystery why a mayor whom the local newspaper dubbed “vindictive” and someone who “sprints to accept praise” was re-elected, except when one views the amount of money given over to developer subsidies. With a Council populated by members who have enthusiasm aplenty, it will take significant political acumen to bring all of members of Council to the table.
There are going to be close votes. There are going to be unanimous votes. What we are looking for are open, transparent debate, a commitment to public input and transparency. We’re looking for vigorous and respectful debate led by a mayor whose own comments will reflect a desire to listen to all sides with equal respect and thoughtfulness.
Ann Arbor is a pleasant, safe, college town whose low unemployment and thriving economy are due primarily to U-M. It’s a town whose mayor wasted too much time and taxpayer money applying for awards and commendations and not enough time fixing roads and updating the sewer pipes. Governing competently isn’t sexy. Addressing the city employee health care and pension deficits won’t be easy. Providing excellent services in exchange for the property taxes collected would be a most welcome change from the Hieftje administration’s track record. We look forward to hearing the new mayor’s strategies and plans to make our city an even better place to live.