24. June 2005 • Rob Goodspeed
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I just posted the text and a PDF of a flyer developed by Eugene Kang’s campaign for City Council on my blog. It includes a letter of introduction and a summary of his campaign platform, which includes “Increasing Fiscal Responsibility,” “Making Ann Arbor More Affordable,” “A Practical Approach to Downtown Density,” and this:
Listening to Every Voice
– The Arbor City Council is not representative of Ann Arbor’s population. University of Michigan students are Ann Arbor residents. Their views should be represented on the City Council. An accusation often leveled against my generation is that we are politically apathetic. My peers and I are working hard to change this perception.
– Young people do care about politics and I believe that the student body does care about the greater Ann Arbor community.
> Read the whole document
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That is not true. State law prohibits deficit spending by local governments. The City’s Budget is balanced. In fact, the 2005-2006 Budget approved by City Council in May 2005 includes an allocation for an emergency reserve fund that will add to the City’s existing reserves that we maintain for a “rainy day” and to protect our excellent bond rating.
I appreciate his suggestion to take a case-by-case approach to downtown zoning/site plans. Unfortunately, the adoption and application of zoning codes must be uniform. Otherwise, arbitrary and inconsistent decisions are made, and that leads to lawsuits.
—Leigh Greden Jun. 24 '05 - 05:51PM #
Why’d you recruit a Republican to run in the 2nd Ward? Why’d you try to talk Eugene out of running? Scared?
Alex
—Alex Donn Jun. 25 '05 - 04:45AM #
—Mary Alice Shulman Jun. 26 '05 - 04:15AM #
—Murph Jun. 26 '05 - 02:37PM #
I didn’t recruit a Republican to run for City Council. The only Republican running for City Council in the 2nd Ward is Tom Bourque, whom I have never met.
Stephen Rapundalo is a Democrat. Sure, he used to be Republican. So what. So was Senator Don Riegle, who served Michigan for decades as a Democrat in the U.S. Senate. So was Senator Jim Jeffords from Vermont. Rapundalo is pro-choice, he’s pro-gay rights, he has a long record of supporting progressive environmental causes, and he has extensive experience working with neighborhood groups in various capacities. He is supported by many Democratic activists and elected officials in the 2nd Ward and throughout the City.
I have never hidden the fact that I am supporting Rapundalo. The first time I met Eugene, I told him that. Eugene is bright and energetic, and I’m excited that he wants to get involved. If he wins the election, I will look forward to working with him. But, IMHO, Rapundalo has the experience the City needs to manage a $300 million budget, complicated labor negotiations with at least six unions in 2006, and the numerous other challenges the City faces.
—Leigh Greden Jun. 26 '05 - 07:57PM #
(2) Regarding party affiliation, Jeffords switched parties at a time when it was politically inconvenient for him—in fact, he was punished by the Republicans for his move. Rapundalo, on the other hand, appears to have switched only to increase his odds at winning.
—Alex Donn Jun. 27 '05 - 04:05PM #