Mayor & Council Member Petersen “Filtering” Info About Important Land Deal?

Please note:  Council member Sally Hart Petersen was informed by Mayor Hieftje of U of M’s proposal to purchase the Edwards Brothers property on State Street on November 18th. She attended a November 27th meeting with the owners of the Edwards Brother property, along with Mayor Hieftje. The article incorrectly implied that Hieftje and Petersen had met with Edwards Brother officials prior to 11/27/2013. The article has been corrected to clarify this information.

WARD 2 COUNCIL  member Jane Lumm complained a few months after she was elected in 2011 that Ann Arbor’s mayor “filters” information related to the city’s business making it difficult for Council members, excluding some of them from important discussions, and keeping information from them necessary to their jobs.

So, at the November 18th Council meeting when Lumm overheard John Hieftje and Ward 2 Council member Sally Petersen discussing a proposed sale of the Edwards Brothers State Street property to the University of Michigan, Lumm became angry. Lumm had heard nothing of the sale.

At 3:45 a.m. on November 19th Lumm shot off a series of emails to her Council colleagues. Her first email went to City Administrator Steve Powers. Lumm included all of her Council colleagues in this inquiry. She wrote:

“This evening I tangentially and inadvertently became aware of a proposal that has been offered by the UM for the Edwards Brothers’ property. I’ll be perfectly honest, I overheard Mayor Hieftje share this news with Councilmember Petersen, and hence my inquiry. In the interest of providing all councilmembers with helpful information regarding this development, could you please share what you know about this matter with all of council? Thank you for assisting us in understanding our options, and for extending us all the courtesy of receiving this information in a timely, helpful, meaningful and equitable way. Aside from this specific request, I think my request for the equitable dissemination of information is so fundamental, so obviously the right and proper thing to do. We’re all just trying to do our jobs, and, obviously, in order to do that, information must be provided all councilmembers.”

Former Ward 1 Council member Ron Suarez, who served from 2006-2008, decided to step down, in part, because of similar complaints. Suarez was open about his allegations that information and written materials were often withheld from him. Then, when discussion of the materials ensued, Suarez, unaware or uninformed, found himself criticized by other Council members.

Ward 1 Council member Sabra Briere responded to Lumm’s 3:45 a.m. email by pointing out an Ann Arbor News article about the city’s first right of refusal with respect to the purchase of the parcel.

Lumm emailed this response to her fellow Council members: “I saw this article. Please note what the Mayor states, ‘WE will need to have a serious conversation.’ I’ve come to appreciate, sadly, after getting my news from news sources rather than the City (this has occurred frequently, on important matters!, since I’ve been on council), that information is not shared or disseminated even-handedly or fairly, and last night’s discovery was another unfortunate case in point…..”

While Hieftje was “whispering” to Petersen about “second-hand” information he’d received about the proposed sale of Edwards Brothers property, other Council members were completely in the dark concerning the proposed sale of the State Street parcel to the University of Michigan.

Sally Hart Petersen, Jane Lumm’s Ward 2 colleague subsequently confimed that she and Hieftje had met on November 27th with the Edwards Brothers officials. When quizzed about why she’d attended the meeting, Petersen was reported to have explained:

“1. The Mayor knows that I am interested in forging an improved town-gown relationship with U of M, their offer for the Edwards property, despite previous denial of affirmative interest, signals a step back in relationship building. 2. John and Susan Edwards used to live across the street from us on Devonshire and our daughters were best friends when they were at Angell Elementary. Joe and Sue Upton are friends from Church. It was natural for me to be involved from a personal relationship perspective.”

“I expect this kind of thing from John. That’s the kind of thing he does. But Sally? How could she not have realized that any talks between the city and Edwards Brothers about that property needed to include everyone on Council?” asked one clearly irked Council member. “Sally should have known better. The Mayor is not empowered to negotiate on behalf of Council  without our consent, and neither is she.”

Ward 5 Council member Mike Anglin, like Lumm, feels withholding information in the way Hieftje and Petersen did is damaging.

“We all on Council need to be informed and have as much information as possible in order to make the best decisions on behalf of the city’s residents,” said Anglin.

This isn’t the first time information about the plans of the University of Michigan that would impact the city of Ann Arbor were not shared with all the members of City Council. Council member Lumm told the AnnArborChronicle.com that another example of lackluster communication and poor sharing of important information was “the news that the University of Michigan had ended its participation in the now demised Fuller Road Station project.”

While local media have made much ado about the current Council’s lack of ability to work cooperatively, much of the media’s blame has been set at the feet of newly-elected Council members such as Ward 1 Council member Sumi Kailasapathy, Lumm and Mike Anglin. It should be noted that none of those Council members were made aware of Hieftje’s Edwards Brothers property sale discussions. In fact, in her emails to her fellow Council members about this issue Jane Lumm pointedly said: “It should be clear, I am advocating on EVERYONE’S behalf. Not shouting, emphasizing so it’s understood why I think this is so important, speaks more about us, how we should treat our colleagues. Pretty basic, pretty essential, decent, common courtesy.”

On December 9th, at the request of Council members Lumm, Eaton and Briere, there was a closed session concerning the city’s position on a possible purchase of the Edward’s Brothers property.

More than one Council member has said that it would be in the city’s best interest to purchase the parcel which has a taxable value of $3 million dollars and is priced at $12.8 million dollars.

The other issue about the meeting initiated by Hieftje and Petersen that has Council members upset is the question of whether the talks triggered the start of the 60 day clock on the city’s right of first refusal.

If so, City Council has a relatively short time left during which to make an offer on the parcel, and the majority of Council members didn’t find out about the meeting between Hieftje, Petersen and Edward Brothers officials until November 19th, when Lumm sent out her early-morning email to City Administrator Steve Powers.