Would you support a revision to the organizational chart for the City of Ypsilanti that put the City Manager and Mayor in second tier positions to the voters. The Mayor and City Manager would would be one tier above an elected Treasurer, elected City Clerk, elected City Council and and elected Parks & Recreation Commissioner. This tier would be followed by Neighborhood Association Presidents, Boards & Commissioner and the City Administrator. The tier below the City Adminstrator would include the Police Chief, Fire Chief, Public Works and the Building Department. The last tier would be individual residents
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We welcome your comments on the questions. The questions appearing in this blog have been submitted by Ypsilanti city residents and interested parties. The YMDC will not inform the candidates of the actual questions to be used in the debate.
Each candidate will be asked to answer all questions asked during the debate and will be given a maximum of three minutes to respond to each question. The moderator is given the authority to keep time and to gently inform candidates when their answer-time has expired.
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While YMDC hopes for questions that can be posed to all three candidates, and while these will be the kinds of questions asked at the debate, we realize that there are significant questions that need to be asked of each candidate. YMDC does not plan to remove those questions from the list of questions we receive. Where we draw the line, however, is with clearly confrontational, accusatory statements. The committee reserves the right not to post such items.Submit a Debate Question
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Don't forget to mark your calendars for Thursday, July 27 at 7 p.m. You can observe the three candidates running for mayor at EMU’s McKenny Union, and you can submit a written question for the candidates at that time.About YMDC
The 2006 Ypsilanti Mayoral Debate Committee is a grassroots, nonpartisan, wholly volunteer organization made up of Ypsilanti city residents. The committee’s purposes are several:
First, the committee seeks to inform the public about mayoral candidate views and policy positions through a public debate.
Second, the committee hopes these efforts foster a sense of community and connectedness among city residents as they participate in the electoral process.
Last, the committee desires that this event will inspire future public forums where community members and voters will take an active role in defining public policy.
Members of the 2006 Ypsilanti Mayoral Debate Committee
Mark Maynard
Rachel Cheng
Amanda Edmonds
Linda French
Barry Hall
Mark Higbee
Eric Lagergren
Richard Murphy
Nancy Shore
Kathryn Taylor
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July 26, 2006 at 9:47 am
Now, we’re getting somewhere! These are the kinds of questions and ideas that need to be floated.
To the previous question, we don’t need more tiers, commissioners, aldermen/ alderladies, etc. We’re not Chicago. Lean and mean is the name of the game. However …
The City Manager & Staff functionally operate City business (and do it well). They’re the professionals. Reporting to the elected officials (Mayor, Council) is fine. What we need is mofre transparency and accountability to the citizenry.
That’s why I like the idea of Neighborhood Association (CoPAC-affilliated) officers added to the mix. The association presidents are elected by their neighbors and have a real pulse on what is going on (crime, fun activities, ideas, needs, landlord/rental and home-ownwer issues) and can best be counted on to have the “pulse” of the City.
This layer is critical to keeping in touch with the citizenry and should have direct input to Council … “the Mayor is only one vote” according to Paul Schreiber.
The adhoc or official (which?) input/oversight of CoPAC association leaders would help keep democracy alive and would assure that the council doesn’t form secret deals (according to a present council member Nichols: “What we want from a new mayor is a team player.” Yikes!
I think, what we need from council and in the mayor’s chair are fresh ideas and independent thinkers who can LEAD us into the future, relate to the voters, repair and expand on city/township issues, etc. … rather than “invent.”
Let’s keep commissions and commissioners where they are in the city … as a needed, but unelected leadership level serving at the pleasure of the citizens and council and functioning under clear and strict ordinance provisions … ie. the HDC, etc.
July 26, 2006 at 6:21 pm
I could ony wish that City Council would share your enthisiasm when this was presented
The biggest changes would make the City Manager responsible for Finance, Assessor, DDA / DTDA and Economic Development, everyday management of police, fire and DPW would be handled by the City Administrator.
It is my opinion that the City Manager has been inundated with ancillary duties like Downzoning, let him concentrate on the major issues. I feel that this organizational chart would have prevented Water Street
July 18, 2009 at 5:34 pm
ehh… nice )