Below is my letter to the  18-representatives (MDOT) serving on Michigan’s Complete Streets Advisory Council (MI-CS). They will be reporting to the State’s Transportation Commission on model policy language for the state policy to be adopted in August. At their meeting last week, they expressed interest in hearing from the public using the following email:

 MDOT-CompletestreetsAC@michigan.gov

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To the Representatives of the Complete Streets Advisory Council,

Thank you for your time and energy serving on this important committee. Your recommendations are a critical piece to fulfilling the goals of the Complete Street public acts passed in 2010 and your results are anticipated in communities across the state of Michigan, 63 of which have already passed policies of their own. I trust that your contribution is a step towards a less disjointed process regarding transportation policy and implementation, as well as a step towards a larger goal of better connected communities.

There was discussion at your January meeting of what exactly does Complete Streets mean. The following description was written by transportation specialist Dan Burden in a recent article for the American Association of Retired Persons. The following passage sums up the basic premise of a complete street:

A complete street is one that accommodates all people who use a roadway, not just those in cars. It offers a safe way for people to travel, regardless of their age, ability or mode of transportation—whether walking, biking, using transit or driving a car. Where we have complete streets, people have choices in transportation, including an option that is right outside each door, is affordable and is healthy.

It is significant that he is writing for AARP and that their organization has been one of the biggest supporters of complete streets initiatives. As he points out, 20% of seniors don’t drive and often remain at home due to lack of transportation options in part because the design of our streets and other public spaces make it difficult, if not perilous to choose another mode. Similar issues exist throughout the age demographic, where people of all ages and abilities feel that their only choice is to drive a car, even when other options would make sense. Your work is step towards a more diversified transportation system.

Not Just a Trend

In Traverse City, there has been a complete streets movement, if not by name than by desire, for at least 40-years. The concerns are primarily of context and safety. People are concerned about high speeds on streets running through neighborhoods, whether they be state trunklines or not, because they drastically impact property values, livability and freedom of movement. In Traverse City, as in other communities, these incomplete streets create barriers of movement and access. They are also threats to life and limb, with the occasional tragic reminder all too frequent.

A few days before Christmas and on a state trunkline in Traverse City, an 89-year-old man was struck by a driver unable to stop their vehicle in time. The intersection where this occurred has been a constant source of community consternation over the last few years. Yet, the context of the area it is located remains designed to reinforce high speeds of motor vehicles. It is a 40-mph zone running through a neighborhood and next to parkland; it is a rural 4-lane highway in the middle of a city. The man who died was simply attempting to walk across the street. Likely, he was going home as he lived less than a block away.  As a state, we need to value the personal liberty to walk in our neighborhoods without an over-bearing fear to be struck and killed.

Each of you represents a different stakeholder group. There is someone representing the environment, another representing those with disabilities, another the bicyclists, traffic engineers, law enforcement, planning, and so on. From the perspective of an engaged citizen, those distinctions are less relevant than that you are members of communities. At the community level we don’t engage strictly as stakeholders of this or that, we engage as neighbors who each have many different needs and perspectives that are often shared. We trust that by coming together a shared vision will help improve our communities.

A strong message and policy at the state level, that treats the public rights of way as places where people live and connect, is a critical step towards building a Michigan that provides for all of our needs.

Again, thank you for your dedication and commitment.

Sincerely,

Gary Howe

Traverse City, MI

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Contributions greatly appreciated.

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Thursday’s Slightly Cranky

It is a good time to take note of what is coming before the Traverse City City Commission as there are several projects brewing that deserve a quick MyWHaT touch crank to ring in the new year. I originally intended to keep each to Twitter sized commentary, but the task proved too difficult. I’ve made them as brief as possible. If you see something missing, you’re welcome to add it in the comments. And, as always, readers comments that are supportive or critical are fully encouraged. Note, I have 3 weeks left on my annual motto for 2011: “I could be wrong.” After that, who knows.

* The following could use informed & supportive input–Don’t hesitate to send a quick email.

* Bayfront Plan: Phase I at Clinch Park

The City Commission has two basic tasks to address this coming Monday night (12/12) and then ultimately to decide at their January 3rd regular meeting. 1) Do the commissioners believe that a revitalized Clinch Park must include a train ride? It was removed during the planning from 2010, which they passed unanimously at least twice. 2) Commissioners need to achieve informed-consent on the planned 2012 design and construction in the north-east corner. The current construction plan (Flickr) was approved by both the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Planning Commission. It does not include the train.

The support for the train ride has been grossly over-blown, parts of it fabricated by one individual posing as two dozen different people and not substantial convincing enough to over-turn previous decisions by several City boards, including the City Commission. Removing the train was, among many things, mainly due to safety concerns, long-term plans, and constrictions it placed on the park’s potential over 30 years. In addition, speaking as a life-time resident, the train stinks up the place and drives many people away from Clinch Park because of the nauseous fumes. If it stays, it will continue to do so.

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West Boardman Lake Avenue (a.k.a. The Blah)

This project has been a relentless ambition by city staff and is also on the agenda for this Monday night’s study session. They will review a recently conducted origin and destination study, that is now available online -PDF (TC). The purpose of the study was to better understand possible traffic volumes after the proposed bypass is built. In an email announcing the completion of the study, it is reported that the preliminary estimate by URS Corporation is that approximately one-third of the motorized traffic now on Cass and Union Streets would use The Blah. Somewhere in the neighborhood of around 6,000 vehicles per day (VPD). To be clear, the report is predicting a 30% decrease in traffic spread out over two streets.

If The Blah is built, 10 years from now it is quite rationale to believe that vpd levels on Cass and Union will simply return to their current levels of 12,000 & 8,000 vpd respectively. The sole purpose of this project was to reduce the vpd on those streets (a fundamental flaw from the start) and it doesn’t do so to any substantial impact. The accommodation for easy driving through the City simply rewards the very behavior that neighborhoods consistently complain about: motorized traffic.

The short of it: 30 years ago there was a plan that expanded the grid and added value to the City; it was more than a bypass. Over the years, circumstance and opportunity have changed and we are left with The Blah–an attempt at a mid-town urban bypass.

We also have a City Commission desperate to repair the infrastructure we already have and a public that wants that done right, which includes more safe and convenient options for all modes, thoughtful protection of the natural environment and public investment aimed at more than a road. It isn’t the time to be laying additional asphalt with significant consequences like creating another financial & social burden on future generations. The City needs a reset button for The Blah to really re-explore the opportunities this area holds.

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Boardman Lake Trail

Separately, realizing the completion of the trail network being completed around Boardman Lake (on the east side of the railroad tracks from The BLAh) is certainly close at hand. Yesterday, the City received $210,000 via a Michigan Natural Trust Fund Grant (RE) that already has a local match via TIF dollars from the property. Now it is time to move to final design and ultimate construction. It is an excellent time to involve dedicated citizens to be certain that we get a design that is the best it can be. There are some property issues as well as real topographic challenges that deserve the eyes of those who will be using the trail. This project is getting close to something special as it will connect the community to the lake and create a unique recreational & transportation opportunity.

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* Dog Park

At the regular meeting this December 19th (in two weeks), the Parks and Recreation Commission will be requesting for the City Commission to approve the establishment of a dog park in the lawn space at the NW corner of Cypress and Division Streets, at what is now named Veteran’s Park. P&R has worked with community partners for almost a year to develop a plan of implementation (Scribd).

There were numerous public meetings to ask for feedback, with the latest being a special meeting dedicated to this site. We are emphasizing that this is a park for all people, pet owners and non-owners alike. I encourage you to read the proposal and contact commissioners with your support.

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* CVS Pharmacy

This week, the Planning Commission found the proposal by CVS Pharmacy for conditional re-zoning at the Front and Division St. location ready for a public hearing. That meeting is set for January 4th, 2012. As the discussion on MyWHaT suggests, this is a difficult position for the City representatives. On the one side, there is a potential developer willing to invest in what has been a blighted piece of property for at least 15 years. It is another commercial property placed on the tax roles. On the other side, the site-plan being floated is better suited for suburbia than for what the Master Plan calls for in this location–pedestrian focused higher-density land use. The fundamental question the Planning Commission is asked to eventually consider is whether this project adequately moves the City closer to fulfilling the vision expressed in the master plan. Expect this one to take a few turns before it is resolved.

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The People Tunnel

Here’s another project that simply won’t go away despite questionable need and effectiveness. City Staff continue to double down on this project which was left over from a 20-30 year old dream. I am convinced a tunnel will get some use, but there is no reason that it will be a preferred route for the majority of people making their way to West Bay unless they are on Garland St.

A more cost-effective and value added solution to providing access across Grandview Parkway is to alter the design of major highway running through our City. Plans to do so came out of the 2010 Bayfront Plan and the tunnel is simply a distraction from the inevitable tackling of that beast head-on. Chasing federal money (.Gov) in attempt to make more palatable a project that has already more than doubled in projected costs is simply a distraction and delay of a more direct amelioration of the problem–motorized traffic going 35-50mph through an urban community next to a park–Meh, what to do…Expect this to be back on the agenda at the beginning of the year once TIGER Grant winners are announced. Perhaps next year we can apply for TIGER Grants to do something really helpful like redesigning the entire trunkline.

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Division Street

The community needs a hero on this one. And, it needs to be someone who has authority to keep it on the City Commission’s agenda until it is recognized as a priority. Too many citizens invested too many hours working with staff, transportation agencies and consultants to see the plans from 2010 and citizen recommendations from 2011 (GV) simply sit on the shelf because a few people in the community have a mental disconnect with a basic transportation tool: the modern roundabout.

As long as we are tying to move cars and people around efficiently, safely and without breaking the bank, roundabouts are a part of the future. The sooner leadership grasps this reality and forgets personal ideology the better our community will be. There are severe problems at the intersections from 14th to Grandview Parkway–we need continued energy from the decision makers to see some progress.

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Corridors Study

Not widely reported on, but the City was a recipient of $100,000 HUD Sustainable Communities Grant last year. A subcommittee of the Planning Commission is working with consultants to complete revitalization plans for 8th St. (btw Union and Fair Streets), E. Front St. (btw Railroad & Fair), W. Front St. (btw river and City limits), 14th St. and Garfield Ave. This isn’t a transportation study; it is an economic vitalization project that focuses on the impact the built environment has on business opportunities & residential quality of life issues. These corridors all struggle to maintain property values and thriving businesses. Place makes a difference and this is a project that needs support and needs to succeed if we are ever to achieve projects like this. There will be a public meeting on January 12th at 7pm at the Traverse City Area District Library.

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That’s all I have; there is certainly more, but I trust this is enough to keep you busy. If not, throw something else on the table in the comments section below.

What is going on in your world?

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Specifically, what are some projects outside of the City that MyWHaT readers might be interested in?

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~ Guest Contributor James Bruckbauer, transportation specialist at MLUI brings MyWHaT readers the first look at sweeping new recommendations for BATA. Bruckbauer also writes about transit for the MLUI blog, Our Voices, where a version of this post will appear. 

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The Bay Area Transit Authority unveiled on Wednesday a groundbreaking study aimed at improving our region’s largest bus system. Working with transit consultants Vlecides-Schroeder, recommendations are now in place that, if implemented, will help people get from their homes to jobs and stores. It will help visitors and tourists better connect to and enjoy the region. At the same time, BATA will continue to be a vital service for hundreds of families for daily needs. It could will transform transportation in the region.

It’s called the Transit Service and Coordination Study and it could be one of the most significant pieces to implementing the Grand Vision to date.

You can view it here or in the embed below.

The following recommendations are worth noting:

• Reorganize the Cherriot system: for example, straightening routes, getting rid of inefficiencies, and increasing speed.
• Provide a “campus connector”: create a  service that circulates the city (replacing the Express Route) connecting NMC’s main campus, the University Center, and Munson Hospital.
• Improve Village Connectors: BATA’s “fixed-schedule routes that connect to cities and towns outside TC every hour, possibly extending the hours, and running on Saturdays and Sundays.
• Add Village Connectors: develop two more Village Connectors that would connect Traverse City to Interlochen and the Grand Traverse Resort in Acme.
• Introduce Technology: upgrade the fare system to use card-swipe technology.
• Miscellaneous: other perhaps more obvious recommendations include improving bus stops and their connections to sidewalks and trails, redesigning the agency’s website, and improving overall marketing.

The plan is not perfect; a few lingering questions remain about Cherriot routes in town. For example, Why not run a bus on Division? Is there a strong need to run on Oak St.?

Still, most of the changes would be a dramatic improvement. With these changes, the system would become more attractive for those who want to get around the region without depending on a car, including many commuters.

But we need to be patient; this will take some time. In fact, the agency will still have to turn the recommendations into a solid 5-year plan before it can implement. However, I trust we can get this done.

This study supports the way we want to grow in this region. Our towns and villages will be better shaped and connected to each other, commuters will have more choices, our streets will have less congestion, and our neighborhoods will be healthier.

I’ll try to keep you informed in the coming months on the plan, some of the changes, and what they will mean to you.

Go ride a bus! 

• Village Connector Schedule

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Thank You…

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…to all who bother to read. To everyone who contributes to the discussion. To those who contribute with guest posts. To those who contribute to the cause. 

…to all who engage and represent in their local governments. To those who engage and represent with area organizations. To those who are all in to protect and improve the commons.

…to all who gleefully use public spaces. Who take an elder to a park, sit on a park bench with a child and occupy our public drinking fountains. To those who stop to linger. To consider. 

…to all who feed our brains, minds and bodies.  To everyone who challenges us. To the strangers who pass by and leave behind subtle, powerful gifts. To those that become friends. 

…to all that believe it is worth the effort, thank you.

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UPDATE: 4pm, 11/17- Correction, the City Commission will consider the 2012 Clinch Park plan at their November 28 study session.  Formal action on the park design by the City Commission may occur on December 5. Still, between now and then they need to hear from people who want something great, not merely adequate. 

Action Needed

Help support bold progress for the Bayfront Plan

In the last decade area citizens have been asked to dream big about our community. Perhaps we can blame it on the national press the area receives (or, perhaps it is something in the water), but when area residents are asked to vision, like they were for the Grand Vision as well as the original Your Bay, Your Say, they dream big. In both of the above cases, they did so in large numbers.

Traverse City’s waterfront has come a long way. Growing up here over the last 39 years I’ve seen surprising transformations. That there really used to be a working coal plant right downtown on West Bay remains difficult to believe.

Still, the waterfront has a lot more potential. It can be an expression of the community’s commitment to protecting and connecting to the water. As JRW likes to say, “Michigan…It’s the Water!” and nowhere should that be more of the case than in Traverse City. Currently, we are separated from it by  an aggressive highway and, in the case of Clinch Park, a space that does little to capture people’s imaginations. It is a place to pass through, not linger.

The Your Bay, Your Say and last year’s Bayfront Planning process were the latest attempts to remedy that situation. Planning is important and there has been plenty. Unfortunately, we continue to have reluctant City Commissioners who are unable or unwilling to take bold actions when needed to implement those plans.

Each member of the current City Commission has somewhere along the way said that the Bayfront is a priority. They have also voted at least 3 times in the last year to move forward with a vision for excellence. They have done so because it makes economic sense for a city celebrated for its high quality of life to invest in its most visible public spaces.  They have also done so because they know the countless hours and energy that hundreds, if not thousands, have given to the cause over the last 5,10, 20 years.

UPDATE: Last night the Planning Commission voted the above campus plan inconsistent with the 2010 Plan due to the inclusion of the train. At their previous meeting the eastern portion (Phase I) was found consistent.

Moving Forward with the 2012 Bayfront Construction

Last spring an RFP went out for a first phase centered around the eastern edge of Clinch Park. This is the most coveted part of the park.  It is the area where the majority of activity wants to take place; people gravitate towards the water’s edge. The firm hired for this phase produced an adaptation based off of the 2010 plan as expected.  A sub-committee consisting of 3 Parks and Recreation Commissioners (myself included) and anywhere from 4-6 City staff members worked with them over the summer to approve a design recommended by the Parks and Recreation Commission for review by the Planning Commission and finally the City Commission. The latter needs to sign off before construction begins. Their next opportunity will be at their November 21st November 28th meeting.

It has been a difficult summer concerning the plan. The majority of the voices that the city has heard lately have been extremely negative in tone and extremely short-sighted in the level of investment required to honor the public process. Apparently it is working, as one City Commissioner has even expressed that perhaps the entire plan be scraped and that the City start over with a smaller expectations. As an appointed advisor to the City, I strongly recommend the opposite. This is the time to be raising the expectations, not taking them backward.

This is no time for small thinking and cold feet; the City Commission needs a reminder of the support they have for being brave.  Please, email City Commissioners before their next meeting and remind them to be bold, visionary and inventive. 

After starting with $0 last year, the City has $1.3 million dollars pledged to phase 1 at Clinch Park (note: phase 1 does not include  all of what is shown above). Over $400,000 is from private, local donors committed to the 2010 Bayfront project. There is also $480,000 from the Natural Resources Trust Fund  that is matched by the Traverse City DDA. With just under a year to go, we are short anywhere from $375,000 to design/construct new bathrooms or up to $2-mil if we attempt to do something more special in 2012.

With commitment and full engagement to the cause, I’m confident that our current City Commission can work with staff and other City boards to find a solution that honors the vision of the community for a newly imagined waterfront.

They need to be reminded that city residents support a project that is bold and that honors the effort put in over the last decade. Please send a brief, supportive message to that end.

As a former mayor once said about the Bayfront plan just before the 2010 planning:

“We can do something average, or something great.”

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I prefer great. You?

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There is now a MyWHaT email resource page, but for convenience below are the emails for City Commissioners, Planning Commissioners, and Parks and Recreation Commissioners. Please paste into the email as a BCC. 

mgillman@conklinbenham.com, “Mary Ann Moore” <maryannmoore@charter.net>, “Jim Carruthers” <jccarruthers@gmail.com>, “Jody Bergman” <jodyabergman@yahoo.com>, “Barbara Budros” <bbudros2@ci.traverse-city.mi.us>, “Michael Estes” <mestes@chartermi.net>,  ”Jeanine Easterday” <jeasterday@ci.traverse-city.mi.us>, “Ben Bifoss” <bbifoss@traversecitymi.gov>, “Russ Soyring” <rsoyring@ci.traverse-city.mi.us>, “Andy Andres” <a.andres@charter.net>, “Jody Bergman” <jodyabergman@yahoo.com>, “Jennifer Jaffe” <jdjaffetc@gmail.com>, crmcnally@chartermi.net, “Mary Ann Moore” <maryannmoore@charter.net>, jfskbs@gmail.com, jawarren@tbaisd.k12.mi.us, werner_tm@yahoo.com,“Lauren Vaughn” <LVaughn@ci.traverse-city.mi.us>, “Missy Luick” <mluick@ci.traverse-city.mi.us>, “Keedanlex@gmail.com” <keedanlex@gmail.com>, “Brian Haas” <ob1haas@gmail.com>, “Traverse City Parks” <traversecityparks@gmail.com>, steinbl@yahoo.com, “Arianne Petersen” <ariannepetersen@hotmail.com>, “Robert Cole” <rcole@ci.traverse-city.mi.us>, “Sheila Dodge” <sdodge@ci.traverse-city.mi.us>, <citizenhowe@gmail.com>

Priorities and Projects

Congratulations to last night’s winners for the Traverse City City Commission and mayoral seat. As many of you already know, the winners are incumbents Barbara Budros and Jim Carruthers, former planning commissioner Jeanine Easterday, and former mayor Michael Estes returning for another round. *

In an interview with the Record Eagle last night (RE), the new mayor mentioned he will be creating a list of priorities. This is a grand idea and one that we need to help him form–representation is a partnership and here at MyWHaT we believe in full engagement whether invited or not. Mayor Estes’ list includes increasing infrastructure spending and moving forward with the bayfront plan; both fine, broad goals. But, what else?

Off of the top of my head:

• MDOT Roads in the City: Both professional plans and citizen recommendations for Division St. and Grandview Parkway have been produced in the last 2 years. We need leadership from the commission to direct staff to make them happen. Focusing on the intersections is the recommended measure to calm those beasts. Instead of wasting staff time on a $3-million tunnel, we need to see an application for a massive TIGER grant to design and build some modern roundabouts.
• Complete Streets Design Guidelines: Yes, Traverse City has moved forward with a Complete Streets resolution and is beginning to address the car culture that sees no issue buzzing people while they walk across a crosswalk, but we need to do more. For all of the talk about increasing expenditures on infrastructure, there still remains a disconnect in the process for almost every street reconstruction–sidewalks on both sides or, at all? Bike lanes, or are fog lines ok? Where does parking policy fit in? How do we implement Green Streets into the planning? Let’s set a mission, make a plan and stick to it.
• The Bayfront: Clarify the process and stop penny-pinching. The City is attempting to build something that attracts people for the next 50 years and each year we delay we increase the cost and increase the likelihood of inaction. We also risk losing the enthusiasm that so many people brought to the project in the Spring of 2010. We have a good plan that needs attention to detail.
• Energy Conservation: Not something I often talk about, but since Traverse City Light and Power will certainly become a topic in the next two years, the City Commission needs to accept, promote and encourage energy conservation as an energy solution. The City has started it with the TC Saves program. Let’s find ways to expand it.
•  No New Roads: In a time when we are struggling to find money to rebuild & maintain the streets we have, it is ludicrous to be building more without a specific, broad, multi-use intention of return. There is a case to be made for the newly opened South Campus entrance, but the dream that has become of the West Boardman Lake Avenue is past its prime. If it is simply intended as a bypass around one street, it is not worth the investment. 30 years ago the plan called for an extension of the City; now, we are left with a speedway overlooking a beautiful Lake. If we have a traffic volume problem, we need to reduce the traffic not shift the problem elsewhere. And, if where we can’t reduce automobile traffic, we need to calm it.
• Treat Parks and Recreation as Investments: Economic resilience is not simply the domain of the Chambers of Commerce, communities that invest in public parks and public services (like Hickory Hills) see return on investments in increased property values, but also by becoming places that attract new businesses and new economic and social investments–people choose to live here and choose to stay.

What else?

What does the City need to focus on in the next two (or 5) years?

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* I believe we now have a full commission that uses email–welcome to 2011 everyone! So, don’t hesitate to give them a note from time to time.

• “Jim Carruthers” <jccarruthers@gmail.com>
• “Jeanine Easterday” <jmeasterday@charter.net>
• “Barbara Budros” <bbudros2@ci.traverse-city.mi.us>
• “Michael Estes” <mestes@chartermi.net>
• “Jody Bergman” <jodyabergman@yahoo.com>
• “Michael Gillman” <mgillman@conklinbenham.com>
• “Mary Ann Moore” <maryannmoore@charter.net>

Rant & Ramble

“We need to take over,” said a former high school classmate recently, referring to general politics and organizational management. Adding, “people like my dad are just against everything.” What we might diagnose as an extreme NIMBY (Not-in-my-backyard) condition.

Her father, like people we all have in our lives, represents a mindset that can creep up on anyone and is particularly strong in geographical regions with an over sense of self (rugged individualism ho!). It is a worldview where the individual concentrates on getting (protecting) his own and the idea of improving the commons is an alien concept. NIMBYism is a state of mind spanning the age continuum, but finds a considerable degree of support amongst a generation described to me by one of its own as, “it’s all about me, me, me. That’s my generation. The Me Generation.” This gentleman is in his early 60′s and has often made comments about how his generation grew up with a basic world view that you work until your 65, retire and live the highlife into your 80′s without worrying about what you’ve left–however big the mess. As he said more bluntly once, “you know, Gary. We really fucked your generation.”

Oddly, he meant it as a pep talk for people of my age, forty and under, to stay engaged in local issues and politics. As someone engaged, any sort of pep-talk is appreciated; I understand I’m an anomaly. I was one of only 194 of my age group who voted in 2009 in Traverse City. Dismal numbers in an age group that was only one contribution to an embarrassingly low, but utterly predictable, 22% total voter turnout. Still, the forty and under really stand out. As reported a few weeks ago:

The under 40 crowd represent 42% of the potential voters and only 6% of the 40 and under crowd cast a vote in 2009.

If we want to see a diverse set of world views, values, and priorities represented in our local politics more of us need to vote. We need a younger YIMBY (Yes-in-my-backyard) electorate that is engaged in the most basic aspect of community democracy – voting. As I stated before, the NIMBYs (and YIMBYs, for that matter) span the age continuum. Not everyone older than forty is a block to an improved community or a constant source of challenge for the placemaking ideals touted on this blog. In fact, I seek advice from my elders on a regular basis. They guide me – teach me valuable lessons – often. Yet, I still try to follow the rule that for every person I meet with over fifty, I need to follow-up by meeting with someone under thirty.

Seeking Balance

Why do I do that? I simply find more creative, positive energy in the generation X and younger crowds. The under forty crowd is more enthused about collaboration over competition. They don’t start with “no” or by asking “how much?”. Instead, they are wired to find amicable solutions that make our community more inclusive and connected. The mantra is, “yes! Great idea, how do we make it better. Wouldn’t this be a great addition?” We trend towards the YIMBY. We need a touch of NIMBYism to balance that, but the current climate is out of balance.

In organizations/communities where negativity, or worse, indifference, is strongly perceived, YIMBYs lose enthusiasm and retreat. The otherwise neutral activity of politics is then tarnished and becomes something to avoid. Saved for a time, or age, when we simply want to protect something. The younger demographics, seeking a positive experience, are thus more prone to becoming disillusioned and disengaged. This is unfortunate because politics isn’t bad– bad politics is bad. And, it can be changed with numbers.

Here is a civic lesson: when you don’t like how something is proceeding, increase your numbers.

One Small Step to Engagement

A MyWHaT reader sent the following comment concerning the age demographics and voting. He writes:

The younger demographic needs to be more proactive in being leaders of our community, and to not be stymied by the tough to crack political cliques perceived to exist in our community.What I think is most important, and rarely looked at with regard to the younger demographic, is how our demographic is growing. We are moving to the community for the pie in the sky intrinsic reasons, with some ideas of what worked well in our previous communities, or the typically exciting college community for someone who is a native and returning of the area. As a group we are not just growing one by one, we are often growing in pairs with couples moving to the region. As the pairs turn into threes, fours, fives, etc. how will our perceptions of the communities we grew up in, or were a part of impact how we see our community, the challenges within it, the processes that solve the challenges, and what legacy will it be important for us to leave?“

Occupy the Polls

Like everyone, I have my macro-level concerns that include global weirding, over-consumption, extreme wealth gaps, water degradation, whether or not the NBA will have a season… In the most vulnerable of times I feel that it is really all out of my control and it is easy to blame phenomena on a one group or another, but at the end of each day, if I haven’t attempted something to improve my most immediate community then I’m really just shouting at the wind.

I can’t stop the 40,000 annual road deaths in the U.S., but I can help Traverse City provide more safe and inviting transportation choices. I certainly won’t be solving the national debt crisis or restructuring Bank of America, but I can have an impact locally on how one government body spends the tax dollars it receives by continually asking it to check its expenses against a set of values. It is still a small contribution, but the impact is more personal.

I’m a YIMBY and I vote. I will vote next Tuesday for the most immediate representation I have– City Commissioners. Please, do the same regardless of your age, but particularly if you are under forty in human years, dog years or simply in heart and mind. As a friend likes to respond to questions of age and voting, “I believe not enough people vote within any age bracket.” I appreciate her optimism that, “more people voting can only help the good guys.”

If you have taken the time to read this to the end (or simply skipped to the end) there is one take away: next Tuesday, occupy a voting booth and vote. You need to vote!

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a bit more personal than typical posts. I serve on the TC Parks and Rec Commission and I’m involved in a recommendation from that body that has generated some negative feelings;there is a process for them to voice their concerns. This is a big picture response to one particular email sent to the the CC.

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An email sent to the Traverse City City Commissioners was recently shared with me. I can only assume for the entertainment value. It’s subject heading sent me into a day of introspection and self-discovery (¡).

Subject: What is wrong with Gary Howe?

As a friend commented on the question: “This is a can of worms, I’m sure.” Tell me about it; I live with myself! I ask myself daily why do I do what I do? Am I crazy? That was even the theme of one of my first posts.

What a relief to have someone I don’t know, have never spoken with, have never seen at a parks and recreation meeting (the reason for the email) and didn’t know existed until he started a campaign to repeal the City’s Anti-Discrimination Ordinance (Plan for TC) share my concerns about self-awareness.

The email goes on to call for my censure and resignation and/or dismissal from Parks and Recreation Commission (a volunteer position that advises the City) due to my role in the planning down at Clinch Park. Apparently, as citizens of a community, we aren’t allowed to have differences of opinion.

I’ll spare you the full text of the email, but I share this because one statement really satisfies the irony bone. Again note, the author of the email (NExpress) is the driving force behind the referendum to repeal the City’s Anti-Discrimination Ordinance–an ordinance passed by a 7-0 vote by an ideologically diverse City Commission. Yet, the author of the email, asking for my resignation due to my inability to “grasp the chain of command“, doesn’t have any cognitive dissonance uttering the following comment:

“Why doe’s he not understand that the Commission has the finial word, and that is the word of the people of Traverse City” [sic].

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Again, this from a guy trying to repeal a unanimous decision by the exact same City Commission. Huh?

Do me a favor, please. On November 8th go to the polls, take a ballot and make your first mark a Yes on proposal 1. Also, in comments to this post, let’s show that MyWHaT readers are in full support of Traverse City’s step towards addressing discrimination, for any reason, in the work place. As for the plans for Clinch park, that discussion can wait. Those recommendations are working their way to the Planning Commission and will be back to the City Commission sometime in November. In the meantime:

Ballot Langauge:

Shall Chapter 605 of the Traverse City Code of Ordinances, entitled Non-Discrimination, which does the following, with certain exceptions:

1. Prohibits specified discriminatory practices in housing, public accommodation, and employment,
2. Prohibits discriminatory policies and advertisements,
3. Prohibits retaliation against a person for making a complaint or assisting in an investigation under the Chapter,
4. Prohibits conspiring to discriminate,
5. Requires non-discrimination by city contractors, and
6. Sets forth remedies and penalties for violations of the Chapter,

remain in effect?

Vote Yes!

3. Name and describe the most memorable public park, anywhere in the world, that you’ve ever visited?

Sleeping Bear National Dunes Lakeshore

4. What is your primary mode of transportation within the City limits?

auto to work; walk everywhere else

5. On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the most likely, how would you rate your likelihood to increase your use of the following personal transportation methods?

(Answers in Bold & Black)

6. In response to question 5, what is your biggest obstacle to more transportation options?

I’m always running late so I drive to work (1 mile). If I need to travel to a meeting during the day, I have acess to quick auto transportation. Other than that, I try to walk most places unless the weather or distance is prohibitive. Since I live in downtown TC I am close to most of the services I need.

7. Please rate your level of participation in the following Traverse City activities:

8. What are your thoughts about large events, like those in question 7, in Traverse City?

Large events need to be managed given the proximity to location. Events in or on the edges of neighborhoods need to be sensitive to the time of day, the noise levels, and the degree to which length of the event or type of event disprupts the neighborhood. Events that create vitality are healthy but need to be balanced with the demands put on city services.

9. Define, or give an example of, effective leadership that you have seen in Traverse City?

Effective leadership is demonstrated in many ways. The quiet competence and supportive atmosphere demonstrated by Ben Bifoss is an example to all. As a result, a competent and service-focused culture is evident in many city services. Leadership is also demonstrated by those who lead the hundreds of volunteers in the TC region responsible for the many charitable, service organizations, and city boards and commissions dedicated to everything from environmental and historic preservation to health and human services.

10. What are you for?

I am for people living cooperatively in a community that values the diversity and value of each individual. That individualtiy must be directed outwardly in the best interests of the community (think global, act local). I recently ran across a quote from FDR that succinctly communicates this. FDR said “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little”.

11. What do you fear for Traverse City’s future?

Traverse City is blessed with a number of resources both human and natural that fear for its future does not occupy much of my focus. My fears are from those forces over which we have less control. They are climate change and the world economy.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This November 8th there are 3 commission seats and a mayoral seat on the ballot in Traverse City. To help us prepare, throughout this week we ran responses from the 9 candidates (7 commissioner, 2 mayoral) to the MyWHaT survey. These ran in the order responses were received, one per day during the week and two each on Saturday and Sunday in the order of Michael Estes, Jim Carruthers, Barbara Budros, Robert Donick, David Ford, Patrick McGuire, Timothy Werner, Ralph Soffredine and, finally, Jeanine Easterday. 

Please note, the answers are published unedited without annotation. The questions were generated by the MyWHaT advisory council and this contributor. We chose a different path than asking straight-up positions on specific policy or issues. We wanted to get a sense of the person, their individual approaches to life, the public sphere and how they might make decisions.

Comments and endorsements are encouraged on any of these posts. You may even ask questions directly of the candidate, but I can not guarantee that they will respond or even see it. I just ask that we keep it friendly, brief and in-line with our comments policy. 

Happy voting!

3. Name and describe the most memorable public park, anywhere in the world, that you’ve ever visited?

The most memorable park experience for me was Isle Royal National Park in Lake Superior. The awe inspiring beauty the rustic nature of the hiking trails as well as the sense of real isolation made it a truly memorable experience.

4. What is your primary mode of transportation within the City limits?

My primary mode of transportation is a 1995 Pickup.

5. On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the most likely, how would you rate your likelihood to increase your use of the following personal transportation methods?

(Answers in Bold & Black)

6. In response to question 5, what is your biggest obstacle to more transportation options?

Most of my activities involve meetings with groups or boards at separate locations and at varying times of the day and evening. The necessity to be punctual and have the flexibility to stay as long as necessary without regard to the lateness of the hour or the weather conditions requires that I drive to most activities in my personal vehicle.

7. Please rate your level of participation in the following Traverse City activities:

8. What are your thoughts about large events, like those in question 7, in Traverse City?

Much of our economy is tourist based. These types of events when properly managed and supported by the community enhance the positive perception of our community and bring in outside revenue that many of our businesses and residents depend on. The thing that we must not lose sight of is that these events must also offer a diversity of activities that not only provide entertainment and revenue opportunities but adds to the livability of Traverse City and the surrounding communities.

9. Define, or give an example of, effective leadership that you have seen in Traverse City?

Effective leadership requires communication and commitment to meet the goals and responsibilities to the constituency that is served by the organization. All this must be done in an open and honest way. Community members that have demonstrated Effective Leadership: -Ross Biederman with the Traverse City-Garfield Recreation Authority. -Brian Crough , Dirctor, Traverse City DDA. -Tim Hinkley, Director of the National Cherry Festival. -Doug Luciani, President of the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce. -Ben Bifoss, Traverse City, City Manager.

10. What are you for?

Providing and maintaining a high level of city services that will preserve the quality of life for residents and visitors.

11. What do you fear for Traverse City’s future?

The lack of sustainable and diverse economic activity that is required to generate the jobs and revenues needed to support responsible growth.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This November 8th there are 3 commission seats and a mayoral seat on the ballot in Traverse City. To help us prepare, throughout this week we are running responses from the 9 candidates (7 commissioner, 2 mayoral) to the MyWHaT survey. These will run in the order that responses were received, one per day during the week and two each on Saturday and Sunday in the order of Michael Estes, Jim Carruthers, Barbara Budros, Robert Donick, David Ford, Patrick McGuire, Timothy Werner, Ralph Soffredine and Jeanine Easterday (names with embedded link have already been published).  

Please note, the answers are published unedited without annotation. The questions were generated by the MyWHaT advisory council and this contributor. We chose a different path than asking straight-up positions on specific policy or issues. We wanted to get a sense of the person, their individual approaches to life, the public sphere and how they might make decisions.

Comments and endorsements are encouraged on any of these posts. You may even ask questions directly of the candidate, but I can not guarantee that they will respond or even see it. I just ask that we keep it friendly, brief and in-line with our comments policy. 

Happy voting!