Ward 3 Challenger Kunselman Says City Council “Lacks Direction and Leadership”

by Patricia Lesko

Ward 3 resident and former council member Stephen Kunselman announced on April 26 that he has qualified to appear on the August 8 Democratic primary ballot. The City Clerk’s office confirmed that he had submitted at least 100 valid signatures of registered Ward 3 voters.

“It was actually a recent decision to run again,” noted Kunselman. “But after talking with downtown business owners, neighbors and supporters, it has become increasingly clear that our City government is going in the wrong direction.”

He went on to say, “I am excited to participate in the democratic process as a candidate for elected office. I believe democracy requires competition to keep our elected officials honest, open and transparent. I am proud of the many campaigns that I have participated in since 2006. I am happy to do my part to ensure that the visions and positions of our elected officials get the electoral scrutiny Ann Arbor residents deserve.”

In 2006, Kunselman’s first term on Council, he earned the endorsement of former Ann Arbor News.

The life-long Ann Arbor resident has served four, non-consecutive terms as a Ward 3 Council member. In 2008, Kunselman was defeated by then political newcomer Christopher Taylor. The former Ann Arbor News’s endorsement of Taylor criticized Kunselman for micro-managing city staff. That newspaper editorialized in 2008:  “Kunselman sometimes approaches his job in a way that we feel is inappropriate for a council member, tending toward micromanagement rather than policy-setting. If each council member second-guessed decisions made by staff on a regular basis, city operations could screech to a grinding halt – or professional staff would start looking for employment at places where they were treated with trust and respect.” The paper went on to explain its support of Christopher Taylor by revealing that “a letter of complaint from the union president to City Administrator Roger Fraser…ultimately led to a formal apology from Kunselman.”

The letter of complaint referred to in the editorial had been sent from the city’s AFSME union president to Fraser, and leaked to the newspaper in a successful effort to torpedo Kunselman’s candidacy.

In 2009, Council members, including then Ward 3 Council members Christopher Taylor and Leigh Greden, sent secret emails during public meetings, including emails that discussed votes at the Council table. The ensuing email scandal triggered an Open Meetings Act violation lawsuit which the city settled in 2010. In one of the emails obtained by the former Ann Arbor News, Ward 3 Council member Leigh Greden (D) had mocked Kunselman’s mother. In the 2009 Democratic primary election, Kunselman challenged Greden, running on a platform that included a promise to craft an ethics ordinance. Kunselman won the primary election by six votes and the general election in November. Christopher Taylor, in Oct. 2009, shortly before Kunselman was reseated on Council, announced at a Council meeting that he would be working on an ethics ordinance.

Neither Council member sponsored an ethics ordinance for Council while representing Ward 3. Council Rules were subsequently changed and Rule 10 added. That rule forbids electronic communication (email, texting, social media posts, etc…) during Council meetings.

In 2015, Kunselman, who had been a vocal supporter of more robust oversight of the mayoral appointed Downtown Development Authority Board members, found himself once again targeted. A 21-year-old student who had helped on Christopher Taylor’s 2014 successful mayoral campaign was recruited to challenge Kunselman in the Democratic primary election. Zachary Ackerman beat Kunselman by six votes.

The Ann Arbor Independent recently reported that, like Taylor and Greden before him, city outgoing email server records revealed Ackerman has been sending secret emails during public meetings. The paper recently filed a FOIA to obtain the contents of the emails. In addition, web server records revealed that during four public meetings in 2017 for which records were examined, Ackerman spent hours accessing Facebook and Twitter during open meetings using his city-owned laptop. The newspaper is seeking additional public records to determine the extent of Ackerman’s emailing in secret and his use of social media during public meetings.

Kunselman cited the debate over the sale of the Library Lot to Chicago developer Core Spaces as a significant reason motivating him to be a candidate. Ackerman voted in support of the sale of the public-owned land and the lease of 360 public-owned parking space for 50 years to Core Spaces. In 2015, Kunselman, put forward a resolution to hire a real estate broker to sell the Library Lot.

“The vote on Council to sell and lease hundreds of parking spaces to the Core Spaces development group illustrates a disregard to the concerns that local businesses have on their economic viability downtown,” said Kunselman.

Kunselman also raised the issue whether this lease of 360 public-owned parking spaces, including spaces in the Library Lot underground parking garage, potentially triggers a loss of the federal subsidy behind the Build America Bonds used to finance the construction.

“Council did the right thing and made the sale to Core Spaces contingent on receiving a publicly available Bond Counsel opinion to ensure the sale does not jeopardize the tax advantaged status of the Build America Bonds – it’s what I wanted all along.”

“It all comes down to failed leadership of the City Council,” said the former Ward 3 Council member. “The closure of our Materials Recovery Facility (the MRF) and the need for expensive interim hauling contracts to transport our recyclables out of state, tripling the expenses, is a glaring example of lack of clear direction and leadership. It is easy to blame City staff, but accountability lies with City Council.”

Kunselman also points to the decision by Council last year to deny a MLive FOIA request and withhold information from the public on communications between the City and the Federal Railroad Administration.

“This is a slap in the face to all progressive Ann Arborites who value open and transparent government and reflects directly on the current leadership of City Council. The lack of transparency practiced by the current Council majority is what ultimately led to my decision to run this year.”

“The citizens of Ward 3 deserve a voice at Council that represents all their interests and concerns. Too many important issues are not being adequately discussed at Council meetings and far too often our elected representatives are dismissive of any alternative compromises.”

Kunselman is an Energy Conservation Liaison with the University of Michigan. In addition to his four terms on Ann Arbor City Council, he worked as Township Administrator (1998 – 2003) and Environmental Planner (1992 – 1998) for Sumpter Township (Wayne County Michigan).

Kunselman received his Bachelor of Science Natural Resources (1986) and Masters of Landscape Architecture (1990) and Masters of Urban Planning (1990) from the University of Michigan. He is a life-long resident of Ann Arbor and he and his family live in the East Ann Arbor Springwater Subdivision of Ward 3.