Arbor Update

Ann Arbor Area Community News

Build the AU Candidate Questionnaire - August 2009 Primary

6. July 2009 • Murph
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This year’s primary is coming up on Tuesday, August 4, 2009. The Washtenaw County Clerk’s website lists exactly two primary races on this ballot, in Ann Arbor’s 3rd and 5th Wards. As is traditional, ArborUpdate will be submitting a set of questions to the candidates and posting their answers.

  1. Submit questions in the comment section below.
    • Try to avoid yes/no questions in favor of more open-ended responses.
    • Pick questions that all candidates can speak to, not just one individual.
    • Comments like, “I second John Q’s question” are good, too, but please don’t diverge into long discussions – remember, these are questions for the candidates.
  2. On July 15, we’ll close the thread and select some questions to send to the candidates. 4-5 is typical, and we’ll be combining similar questions, de-polemicizing questions, and making similar edits in the process.
  3. We’ll ask for candidate responses by July 25, so that we can post them the week before the election.

The races and candidates (all links to ArborWiki) are:

3rd Ward City Council, City of Ann Arbor – Democratic Party Primary:

5th Ward City Council, City of Ann Arbor – Democratic Party Primary:



  1. For Bullington, Greden, Kunselman and Anglin:

    Why, in this era of easy connectedness, do you not have current websites detailing your stances and values? Why do you think that this does not show contempt for the electorate?


       —Peter Schermerhorn    Jul. 6 '09 - 10:51PM    #
  2. Peter,

    I know that Greden has his own campaign website. I believe the others do as well. The better question might be: ArborUpdate, why do you continue to push the least useful website on earth (ArborWiki) by linking to it seven times in one post? Why not link to something that has actual information we can use?


       —Marvin Face    Jul. 6 '09 - 11:07PM    #
  3. Of the five candidates, I could only find a page for Mike Anglin

    Not found: LuAnne Bullington, Leigh Greden (first result was AW page), Stephen Kunselman (first result was AU page), Scott Rosencrans (second result AW page)

    My hope is that one of us (probably me, later today) will remember to create an ArborWiki page for these folks, so that when the campaign websites disappear, there will be some record of what happened. It is what you make of it.


       —Matt Hampel    Jul. 7 '09 - 12:10AM    #
  4. Marvin – what Matt said. ArborWiki’s the only place I’m aware of that has (the potential for) pages on all of the dramatis personae, as well as the ability to be persistent between elections. If you have other sources for info on these folks, I’m listening – but I’d suggest you add them to ArborWiki…

    In fact, I note that you do not provide the website that you assert Greden has, but, when I followed my link to ArborWiki’s page for him, surprise!, I was able to find a link there. So, congratulations – you’re officially less useful than the least useful website on earth! :)

    But, we’re getting way off track here – 3 comments of discussion on 1 actual question.


       —Murph    Jul. 7 '09 - 01:16AM    #
  5. Check out www.votegreden.com for Leigh’s website.


       —Mark Koroi    Jul. 7 '09 - 01:40AM    #
  6. To all City Council incumbents and challengers:

    “In light of declining tax revenues and public concern over possible cutbacks in such areas as police personnel and social programs, what is your opinion on the proposed $700,000.00 expenditure for the Herbert Dreiseitl artwork to be placed at City Hall?”


       —Mark Koroi    Jul. 7 '09 - 02:07AM    #
  7. I don’t mean to get too far afield, but if anyone is dissatisfied with ArborWiki (or any wiki for that matter), YOU have the power to make it better. YOU can change it, make a difference, make it better. Unlike most things in life, it is something you can actually change!! Fight the power. Stick it to the Man.


       —TeacherPatti    Jul. 7 '09 - 03:49AM    #
  8. “What’s your position on the Argo Dam removal?”


       —KEF    Jul. 7 '09 - 04:45AM    #
  9. http://www.scottfora2council.com/

    Thanks for the Greden website.


       —Peter Schermerhorn    Jul. 7 '09 - 06:20AM    #
  10. To all City Council incumbents and challengers:

    “What lessons can be learned from all of the hullabaloo surrounding the City Council electronic mail correspondences disclosed through the Michigan Freedom of Information Act?”


       —Mark Koroi    Jul. 7 '09 - 06:41AM    #
  11. Here’s Bullington’s:

    www.Bullingtonforcouncil.com


       —UMGrad1234    Jul. 7 '09 - 07:17AM    #
  12. Look Murph, I could have told you that I was less useful than ArborWiki. That doesn’t in itself make it useful. And, yes teacherpatti, YOU and WE have the power to change it but how many years has that thing been there and nobody cares enough to fill in the blanks and add anything. All I’m saying is that I found the links to Mike Anglin, Scott Rosencrans, and Leigh Greden’s campaign sites within less than 2 minutes doing normal searches and I’m kind of an idiot. ArborWiki turns up blank page after blank page.

    Back to the election.

    Q to all: “Do you view attendance at council, caucus, and your appointed committees to be elective or are they part of the critical work of a public servant to attend as often as possible?”

    Q to all: “Do you think development in the downtown area has a positive or negative influence on the community as a whole? Why?

    or

    “How do we preserve the qualities that make Ann Arbor attractive to so many while allowing for, or even incentivizing, growth/economic development?”

    Q to all: “How do you reconcile the ‘vocal minority’ with the ‘silent majority’ in your decision-making?”

    Q to Elhim Elhady: “Seriously dude?”


       —Marvin Face    Jul. 7 '09 - 07:27AM    #
  13. What is Ann Arbor going to look like in 15 years? How many more/fewer citizens will live here? Where do you see Ann Arbor growing, shrinking, increasing in density, and becoming less dense?

    What, if any, are your concerns with the growing concentration of commercial and rental property in the hands of large real estate companies like First Martin and Wilson White?

    When will we see a city-wide smoking ban in public spaces?

    When will students be accorded the respect they deserve by moving elections to months when they might have a chance to vote?

    What do you hope to do about the high rate of retail vacancies in the downtown and other commercial areas?


       —ed bowlinger    Jul. 7 '09 - 07:31AM    #
  14. We already have a workplaces smoking ban, enacted by the county a few years ago. The problem is the state legislature – they are in the process of adding restaurants and bars, but are hung up on whether or not to allow smoking in casinos. Naturally, all of OUR legislators support the ban.


       —Leah Gunn    Jul. 7 '09 - 03:04PM    #
  15. 1. Should all council candidates be required to release financial disclosure forms and would you support this if elected to council?


       —Alan Goldsmith    Jul. 7 '09 - 04:31PM    #
  16. Leah,

    OUR reps might be voting for it, but its the DEMS in the House that are holding out for smoking in casinos. I’m sure campaign contributions have a great deal to do with it and the Republicans in the Senate are playing a shell game because of the House but I wish the Democrats in Lansing other than the A2 reps would step up to the plate.


       —Alan Goldsmith    Jul. 7 '09 - 06:27PM    #
  17. You have a chance to ask Anglin and Rosencrans questions in person. There is a Ward 5 Dems debate on Thursday.

    Here’s the notice:

    ——-

    HELLO Ward 5 Dems!
    Our Ward 5 Candidates for City Council, Mike Anglin and Scott Rosencrans, will debate on July 8th, Wednesday, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM, at 411 Fountain Street, home of our gracious hosts, Carl Rinne and Tamara Real. Please attend this important meeting to ask about their positions!! Bring your Ward 5 friends!

    Below is the format the candidates have agreed upon. I will facilitate the meeting.

    See you July 8th!
    Best,
    Jennie

    DEBATE FORMAT
    7:10—Welcome and summary of the debate format for the attendees
    —Candidates introduce themselves for 5 minutes each

    Four broad topics to showcase the candidates’ positions—3 minutes each (30 minutes total)
    —_First topic_—What is your view of the Greenway and the role of City Council?
    —_Second topic_—Given the revenue difficulties of the city, which services would you target to be reduced? Which should be untouched?
    —_Third topic_—What should be considered when city council is debating zoning changes?
    —_Fourth topic_—Candidate’s choice—speak for 3 minutes on any topic

    —_Open questions by attendees_—Both candidates get 2 minutes to respond to every question

    8:20—_Concluding remarks_—Each candidate gets 3 minutes each.


       —Chuck Warpehoski    Jul. 7 '09 - 06:33PM    #
  18. So much for the Arbor Update questions…lol.

    And while I’m not in the 5th Ward, future ‘debates’ should be in public places with more advance notice.


       —Alan Goldsmith    Jul. 7 '09 - 07:09PM    #
  19. From what I hear from the organizers, they have been trying to get word out publicly (I would have posted it sooner but I wanted to be sure I had the organizers’ OK).

    I agree with the public place sense, but I also know this is an all-volunteer effort, so I can’t complain too much.

    Is the league of women voters planning any debates this year?


       —Chuck Warpehoski    Jul. 7 '09 - 07:49PM    #
  20. To all City Council incumbents and challengers:

    “What is your position on the GO Ask Voters movement? Do you support placing the matter on the ballot? How do you feel aboutthe organization’s goals and tactics?”


       —Mark Koroi    Jul. 7 '09 - 08:20PM    #
  21. To all City Council incumbents and challengers:

    “Leigh Greden several months ago floated the idea of a city income tax. How do you feel about such a tax being imposed?”


       —Mark Koroi    Jul. 7 '09 - 08:24PM    #
  22. Alan – I wish the house Dems would indeed step up to the plate. They seem not to care about the secondhand smoke suffered by the employees of the casinos. Maybe some day they will see the light, but probably not in OUR lifetime. It makes me quite gnarly. Folks can check out contributions to state legislators on the Secretary of State’s web site.


       —Leah Gunn    Jul. 7 '09 - 08:26PM    #
  23. Leah,

    I know it’s only a few House Democrats and not all of them but it’s discouraging to see the total public smoking ban being passed in dozens of states, including Ohio, but not here.


       —Alan Goldsmith    Jul. 7 '09 - 08:41PM    #
  24. There is also an Ann Arbor Democratic Party debate on Saturday, July 11, at the Ann Arbor Community Center. See the AA Dems website.

    I don’t understand Alan G’s complaint about the 5th Ward debate. This is a voluntary group who are notified of activities through an email list. Anyone who wishes may attend, but it is not a public body. Should all voluntary associations hold meetings only in public places? It is not uncommon for neighborhood groups, business associations, and other active groups to hold candidate forums. I would think that they are entitled to do so.

    The League of Women Voters’ debates are scheduled for July 22.


       —Vivienne Armentrout    Jul. 7 '09 - 08:42PM    #
  25. Mark,

    Thanks for thinking of GOAV!

    Last March, when we launched the petition drive, I sent a letter to Mayor and each Council member inviting her/him to participate in helping along the drive to amend the Charter. I followed up the letters with phone calls. I can tell you that several Council members spoke in support of the drive, but for political reasons felt it necessary to keep their opinions to themselves.

    The Mayor was quoted in the Ann Arbor Observer as (not so surprisingly) saying he had NO idea how he’d vote on the proposed amendment. If I remember, his penchant for such statements was one reason his colleagues on Council stripped him of the privilege of voting last on proposed Council resolutions.

    One Council member whom I heard speak against the proposed amendment was concerned that a small number of voters, say the 1,200 who voted during last May’s School Board election, could decide a bond issue. Of course, that same Council member had no problem accepting a seat on Council by winning an August primary with 900 votes (in a Ward with 18,000 registered voters); one current Council member won a seat through the primary with just over 300 votes. In fact, most all of our Council members won their seats by fewer than 1,200 primary votes cast, most by fewer than 600. So, I see this argument as hypocritical. One accepts a mandate to govern by the decision of 300 voters, but those same voters can’t possibly decide a bond issue? Hmm…..

    I know that several of the current candidates for Council do support the proposed amendment, as they’ve spoken to me about it.

    I’ll be interested to see if this question gets included by the ArborUpdate moderators. Had the Ask Voters First people chosen a charter amendment drive (they gathered more than enough signatures to get on the ballot), and had that amendment passed on the ballot last November, we would have voted before the $55 million in bonds for the library lot could have been issued.

    To be sure, GOAV’s proposed charter amendment has the potential to change the landscape of Ann Arbor.


       —Patricia Lesko    Jul. 7 '09 - 08:55PM    #
  26. Vivienne,

    Thanks for the Democratic Party and LWV links. I think ALL debates should be in public places with advance notice and carried live on CTN. Since this was the ‘first’ and the primary election is four weeks away I was concerned about the notice and the timing. I thought the format and questions were pretty generic and lame to be honest but if there are other debates scheduled ‘open to the public’ then I’m fine with that.


       —Alan Goldsmith    Jul. 7 '09 - 09:30PM    #
  27. question: do any of the council candidates have the same agenda , re eventual support for possible anti-israel resolutions, as those on divisive public view at the recent coop board election?

    theodore D. katz, aka


       —goilem    Jul. 8 '09 - 01:32AM    #
  28. I think someone needs to go to one of the open forums and read the Greden passages from the FOIA released emails where he compares Mike Anglin to Forrest Gump and ask Mr. Greden why he thinks he deserves to be reelected to city council.


       —Alan Goldsmith    Jul. 9 '09 - 09:59PM    #
  29. AADems Forum on July 11th at 10 a.m. Take a number and ask your 30 second question about the emails.


       —UMGrad1234    Jul. 10 '09 - 01:01AM    #
  30. To Mike Anglin:

    At the Independence Day parade, one of your supporters marching with you was shouting “keep Ann Arbor the way it is!” and “development is fine on the outskirts but not in downtown!”

    a) do you agree with these statements?
    b) if so, what suggestions do you have for dealing with the sprawl they will cause—more spending on roads? more buses? how to deal with the air pollution, and the loss in value (and thus property taxes) of downtown land?


       —stacy    Jul. 10 '09 - 02:01AM    #
  31. To Mr. Greden:

    Do you think it’s funny to joke about mental illness?


       —Alan Goldsmith    Jul. 10 '09 - 05:31PM    #
  32. Any news/word on the Fifth Ward debate last night?


       —Alan Goldsmith    Jul. 10 '09 - 05:33PM    #
  33. To all City Council candidates:

    What would you do to address the Stadium Bridge problems?


       —Junior    Jul. 11 '09 - 08:35PM    #
  34. How do you manage constituent requests? What systems do you use to track problems and ensure resolutions?

    How do you communicate your effectiveness to your wider constituency?

    Do you expect to take part in online discussions in the new Ann Arbor News, the Chronicle, or other local sites?


       —Matt Hampel    Jul. 11 '09 - 11:17PM    #
  35. There was a spirited debate among the Third and Fifth Ward candidates today at the Community Center. Over 50 people were in attendance.

    Councilmember Greden did not show up.


       —David Cahill    Jul. 12 '09 - 12:32AM    #
  36. To those of you who have been in attendance for debates… any way for those of us unable to attend in person to get a summary?


       —Julie    Jul. 12 '09 - 01:42AM    #
  37. Dave Askins of the Chronicle was at this morning’s debate at the Community Center. I expect detailed coverage there soon.


       —David Cahill    Jul. 12 '09 - 02:50AM    #
  38. “Councilmember Greden did not show up”.

    He didn’t even send an email? Lol.

    David, you DID say this was sponsored by the Democratic Party. Maybe that was the reason for the no show.


       —Alan Goldsmith    Jul. 12 '09 - 02:46PM    #
  39. “Councilman Greden did not show up.”

    One of the key criticisms of Sheriff Dan Minzey last year is that he ignored debates. It was one of the reasons offered for his poor showing in the August 5th primary.

    Leigh had better begin appearing at future debates if he expects the Third Ward electorate to support him again.


       —Mark Koroi    Jul. 13 '09 - 04:13AM    #
  40. I would propose the following questions to all City Council candidates:

    Ann Arbor has a large gay and lesbian community. What would you do, if anything to support and advance the intersts of the local LGBT community?

    Would you endorse official City Council action supporting Hash Bash?

    Would you vote for adoption of a City Council resolution endorsing and supporting the boycott/divestment/sanctions movement against Israel?

    Would you support adoption of a City Council resolution honoring the memory of former Ann Arbor resident Robert S. McNamara, who passed away recently?


       —Kerry D.    Jul. 14 '09 - 01:09AM    #
  41. These questions, to all City Council candidates, include the two of the oldest unresolved issues in Ann Arbor politics, dating back to the 1960’s. In the ’60’s, gay Ann Arborites lived under fear of arrest.

    Since the ’60’s, the boycott of Israel has been a moral imperative, in Ann Arbor, due to Israel’s extreme cruelty towards the occupied Palestinian population.

    Stokely Carmichael expressed his outrage, in Ann Arbor, at Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, in August 1968. Stokely spoke at the Organization of Arab Students’ Convention that month, in Ann Arbor. He was right to denounce Israel’s racist violence. After 41 years, won’t City Council follow suit?

    You cannot dodge such an obvious issue forever.


       —Badr    Jul. 14 '09 - 02:37AM    #
  42. re.3 40-41….for once kerry d and mozhgan/blaine coleman ( “bad and badr”) and i are on the same side…the israel question is the very one i earlier suggested be asked to candidates, in order to smoke out closet ( and open) antisemites like the failed BIGot/BDSM types at the coop… any who answers in the affirmative should lose, and if they lie and later vote for such an idiotic and irrelevant to ann- arbor motion…well, they’d be on record.

    the LBGT thing is fine tho. as to hash bash what are kerry’s intentions? she/he’s clearly already moved on to smoking something stronger.

    ted katz, aka


       —goilem    Jul. 14 '09 - 02:27PM    #
  43. errata..on my last post #3 is not at issue…i simply didnt ‘uppercase’ the relevant keyboard key..i was too exited about interacting with old friends from the coop threads.


       —goilem    Jul. 14 '09 - 02:51PM    #
  44. As usual, the anti-Israel (antisemite) gang bring up a most irrelevant issue—as irrelevant as it was in the People’s Food Co-op, maybe even more so—on the racist, one-sided boycotting of Israel (something which is rebuffed strongly time and time again by the mostly very sensible people in Ann Arbor and the PFC). What, pray tell, does it have to do with the functioniong of a city in Michigan in the midst of the most dire economic crisis that has beset the area since possibly the Great Depression? The obvious answer, dear friends, is absolutely, positively nothing!

    The fanatcism of Badr with his/her obsessive hatred for Israel to the exclusion of all else exposes his/her arguments as nothing more than totally out-of-control ravings.


       —Mike    Jul. 14 '09 - 08:28PM    #
  45. As usual, the anti-Israel gang bring up a most irrelevant issue—as irrelevant as it was in the People’s Food Co-op, maybe even more so—on the racist, one-sided boycotting of Israel (something which is rebuffed strongly time and time again by the mostly very sensible people in Ann Arbor and the PFC). What, pray tell, does it have to do with the functioniong of a city in Michigan in the midst of the most dire economic crisis that has beset the area since possibly the Great Depression? The obvious answer, dear friends, is absolutely, positively nothing!


       —Mike    Jul. 14 '09 - 08:30PM    #
  46. AU moderators: sorry for the replication in my posts; please delete #45 as when I looked at the refreshed thread, it kept appearing and disappearing! Again, please excuse the unintentional redundancy.


       —Mike    Jul. 14 '09 - 08:34PM    #
  47. Mike asks this, about boycotting Israel as an issue in the Ann Arbor City Council for many years now:

    Q.: “What, pray tell, does it have to do with the functioniong of a city in Michigan in the midst of the most dire economic crisis that has beset the area since possibly the Great Depression?”

    A.: Plenty. Congressman Dingell writes: “In my 50 years in Congress, I have proudly supported more than $300 billion dollars in aid for the State of Israel”.

    Source:

    Dingell says $300 billion went to Israel

    What if that $300 billion could be spent on Michigan cities instead?

    Let the candidates answer that. Let the voters decide that question.


       —Badr    Jul. 14 '09 - 08:46PM    #
  48. From John Dingell’s own website:

    “You also disregarded my continued support of the State of Israel including:

    “A July 19, 2006 statement in which I said on the House floor ‘Israel’s right to defend itself is absolute.’

    “A statement two days earlier on July 17 on the House floor in which I said: ‘The actions of Hezbollah have been wrong and counterproductive. They violated Israel’s borders, they have continually targeted civilians, and they have endangered Lebanon’s promising future.’

    “And, the fact that during my 50 years in Congress, I have proudly supported more than $300 billion dollars in aid for the State of Israel.”

    This is just one of many examples of Rep. Dingell’s on-the-record support for Israel on his own site.

    Need I say more?

    This is another example of how the anti-Israel crowd distrorts the record.


       —Mike    Jul. 14 '09 - 08:55PM    #
  49. Should City Council “proudly” follow Dingell’s example, then, and declare their support for massive aid to Israel?

    You do remember the 1,400 Palestinians killed by Israel earlier this year, in Gaza, don’t you? (Three Israeli civilians died, too.)


       —Badr    Jul. 14 '09 - 09:01PM    #
  50. Sorry, I wrote in haste between day job activities: Badr correctly quotes Rep. Dingell with same quote I cite. I meant to say that this shows how off the map these folks are. Even though the bulk of Rep. Dingell’s district is in Dearborn, he has the courage to continually support the only true democracy in the Middle East. BTW, the City Council doesn’t control the federal purse strings, so yes, your continued attempts to hijack every thing and anything with your obsessive anti-Israel agenda is totally irrelevant.


       —Mike    Jul. 14 '09 - 09:05PM    #
  51. And, Badr, you conveniently forget that Israel would have never entered Gaza had Hamas and its pals not continually fired rockets at civilian targets in Israel. And as Rep. Dinell said about Hezbollah, Hamas also hides behind civilian shields and inflates the death toll by killing its Fatah opponents in the midst of the chaos of war.


       —Mike    Jul. 14 '09 - 09:09PM    #
  52. To all candidates:

    What is your opinion on the decision of City Council to authorize the construction of the Police/Court facility?


       —John Dory    Jul. 15 '09 - 02:36AM    #
  53. Mike, please keep your comments on-topic and don’t feed the flames.


       —Matt Hampel    Jul. 15 '09 - 02:47AM    #
  54. To all candidates:

    Recent controversies concerning the proposed Library Lot parking garage and the eviction of Ann Arbor Transit Authority buses from Arborland Mall have drawn attention to the state of our area’s transportation system. Ann Arbor community leaders have declared that a “great transit system” is critical to the region’s continued prosperity, to say nothing of its environmental sustainability. How will you work to ensure better public transit, and safer bicycle and pedestrian facilities, in Ann Arbor and environs?
       —Joel Batterman    Jul. 15 '09 - 07:59AM    #
  55. To all candidates: Do you agree with the following?
    The purpose of the City Council is to govern the City of Ann Arbor. Foreign policy is assigned by the US Constitution to the Federal Government. Attempts to inject foreign policy into Council meetings should be ruled out of order (including the associated theatrics, such as fake heart attacks).

    It is sheer hypocrisy to disguise political action in support of Palestinian terrorists (often couched in openly antisemitic language) as moral outrage. If you condemn the military action of a government (Israel) against suicide-bombing terrorists (Hamas) in which shooting at the terrorists also killed civilians among whom they were hiding, then why no mention of Sri Lanka with the Tamil Tigers (with much higher casualties)? Where is the moral outrage at the decade-long genocide in Sudan, where the Arab minority dictatorship has cost the lives of 2 million blacks so far? “Badr” opposed sanctions against the Iranian dictatorship that shoots demonstrators for democracy. Apart from the phoniness and malice of the anti-Israel campaign, such matters should be taken up with Congress, not the Ann Arbor City Council.


       —Henry Brysk    Jul. 15 '09 - 10:18PM    #
  56. I intend to ask the City Council for a resolution favoring boycott of all Israeli products.

    * I plan to cite the Israeli massacre of Gaza as a reason to boycott Israel.

    * I plan to cite the Israeli Foreign Minister’s urgings to nuke Gaza as a reason to boycott Israel.

    * I plan to cite Israeli threats to bomb Iran, a nation of 76 million people, as a reason to boycott Israel.

    Under Mr. Brysk’s proposal, as soon as I opened my mouth against “Israel”, I would be ruled out of order, and arrested if I said one word more.

    I would like an ACLU opinion on Mr. Brysk’s proposal.

    I would also like each City Council member to state their position on Mr. Brysk’s proposal.

    Councilmembers should remember that the Ann Arbor City Council voted to totally boycott all goods from Apartheid South Africa, and no one (except a hard-core racist) could possibly disagree with that.

    To be exact:

    On July 7, 1986, the Ann Arbor City Council approved Resolution No. R-364-7-86, prohibiting the use of City funds directly or indirectly for the purchase or lease of goods produced in South Africa.

    I will ask Council to again look at their conscience, and to look at Gaza today, which is starving under an Israeli blockade.

    Will Council stand for, or against, Mr. Brysk’s resolution to outlaw all such talk in City Council?


       —Blaine Coleman    Jul. 15 '09 - 11:13PM    #
  57. [off topic, removed]
       —goilem    Jul. 15 '09 - 11:47PM    #
  58. [off-topic, removed.]
       —Henry Brysk    Jul. 16 '09 - 12:40AM    #
  59. [off-topic, removed.]
       —Blaine Coleman    Jul. 16 '09 - 12:49AM    #
  60. [off-topic, removed]
       —goilem    Jul. 16 '09 - 02:05AM    #
  61. Henry, goilem, Blaine –

    I think your comments can all be summed up as a greater issue of, “What, if any, should the City Council’s role be?” in such larger issues, which is certainly a valid question to ask a Council candidate.

    That said, we’d asked to avoid long divergent conversations, and Matt had repeated the request in #53, and you’ve demonstrated the reason for that request – the point of this thread is to identify questions, not then debate those questions. I’ve therefore removed your last several comments, as they were nothing more than rehashing your established positions.


       —Murph    Jul. 16 '09 - 02:24AM    #
  62. Since it is now July 15th and this thread seems to be attracting a plethora of off-topic comments, I would, in accordance with the Roberts’ Rules of Order, move that this thread be closed. Any second?


       —Mark Koroi    Jul. 16 '09 - 02:26AM    #
  63. re. 62..fair enough murph..although youve deprived the “masochistically amused” of much entertainment…but point taken and agreed with and im fine with closing up shop per mr. koroi’s.


       —goilem    Jul. 16 '09 - 02:30AM    #
  64. Murph,

    My question is not “What should City Council’s role be in larger issues?” I am tired of seeing the issue of Palestine cleansed from what I write, as if the word itself is unspeakable.

    No, my question is always the same:

    * What is each City Council candidate’s position on a resolution to boycott Israel?

    We have all had a good look at Gaza this year. We have all seen Dingell’s quote about his pride in Congress giving $300 billion to Israel. The candidates, by now, can discuss a boycott resolution like adults.

    That is all.


       —Blaine Coleman    Jul. 16 '09 - 02:42AM    #
  65. I appreciate that the above removals left the authors and message numbers in place, so that we have some idea what happened.


       —Larry Kestenbaum    Jul. 16 '09 - 03:08AM    #