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OneSaginaw's Mission to Bring
Stability to City Government
By Robert E. Martin
OneSaginaw is a new political action group consisting of residents of the City of Saginaw that is committed to working for change on the Saginaw City Council in the November election.
Consisting of campaign co-chairs
Mike Hanley, a former city councilman & former State
Representative; Pat McGovern, a retired city Director of
Saginaw's Streets, Rubbish & Recycling Department, and Toni Garcia,
a retired community organizer that worked for Lutheran Social Services
& the United Way for over 20 years, since their recent formation the
group has captured the imagination and commitment of close to 70
volunteers.
Unlike former business & private
advocacy groups such as The Committee of 50, United Saginaw
Citizens, Operation Equality, and CAAL, OneSaginaw
is a racially and ethnically diverse coalition stemming from all areas
of the City. As a non-partisan group, their key mission is to support
the election of Council members who will work together to provide
competent, intelligent, responsible, creative, accountable and
strategic leadership.
ADDRESSING THE MAJOR PROBLEMS Something that all members of OneSaginaw believe is that the major problem Saginaw faces that feeds into other problems such as poverty, crime, blight, and budget crises is depopulation. For years people have been moving outside the city limits, so the key challenge for OneSaginaw is to stabilize our population and attract more people and businesses back into the City.
A fundamental problem with democracy in
Saginaw is that very few people participate in it. Equally troubling
is the fact that few community leaders actively support candidates by
campaigning for them.
Moreover, in a City of almost 60,000
people with a valuation of $600 million dollars, a strong
indicator of dysfunction is the fact that candidates are often elected
to the City Council who have raised less than $1,000 in their
campaigns. Ability to raise money is one good indicator of the
ability to build coalitions within the community, and while too much
money in politics is a bad thing, OneSaginaw believes that lack
of interest among stakeholders, businesses, and citizens is equally
deleterious to the social fabric.
Because citizens of Saginaw have lost
faith in the ability of the current City Council to lead the City,
OneSaginaw believes a new Council majority is essential to any
plan for recovery. In terms of a 'platform' they believe that the
Council must earn the trust of the community, public safety must be
the top priority of Council, and that Council must not cater to
factions or special interest groups.
Finally, they must be open, visible and
available to all citizens.
FOLLOWING THE PROCESS After the candidate-filing deadline on September 20th, OneSaginaw's Screening & Endorsement Committee thoroughly evaluated all candidates with a questionnaire and interview process. With four vacancies in the 4-yer division and one vacancy for the 2-year seat coming up for election in November, OneSaginaw also hosted a public forum for all candidates to express their views. Out of this process they endorsed the following slate of candidates whom they feel will restore the public's trust in the City Council. * Greg Branch * Vice President and creative director for Princing & Ewend , Branch has also served on numerous Boards & Commissions such as The Historic District Commission. * Andrew Wendt * A band teacher at Saginaw's Arthur Hill High School. * William Federspiel * A Saginaw resident and Saginaw Township Police Officer who was appointed in July to a vacancy on the Council. * Amanda Kitterman * A teacher at Saginaw's Arthur Eddy Academy. THE INTERVIEWS * LEARNING MORE ABOUT OneSaginaw With the City Council election less than a month away, this is perhaps the first time in recent memory where a new citizen based and racially united advocacy group has stirred front-and-center into the political spotlight perhaps more so than the actual field of candidates themselves.
This being said, recently I sat down
with the co-chairs of OneSaginaw in order to shed greater light
on the goals, motives, and aspirations of their admirable endeavor.
Review: What do each of you feel is the true purpose of OneSaginaw? What, to your mind, does the organization represent? McGovern: I think it represents the hope of the City. Many residents of this town are very upset with the way city government has run these last few years. The present City Council is a thorn in the side of city residents. They haven't performed as they should and our city has suffered because of their actions. This group was formed to make a change. It is the hope & aspiration of every member of OneSaginaw to find and support good candidates to make a chance at City Hall this November. Hanley: I think this Council's made big mistakes over the last 14 months, beginning with the firing of Debbie Kimble and that has shaken the faith of our community and the community has lost faith in City Council.
We know there are certain members
departing council, some we think performed well and some we think have
made major mistakes that have caused this credibility problem.
I've been looking at politics around
this town for a long time and just because certain individuals we've
had problems with might be leaving, it doesn't mean that they will be
replaced by people we don't have problems with.
For many years there have been racial
voting patterns in the city. It isn't unique to Saginaw, but certainly
an organized effort on both sides of the river over different times
has promoted that type of voting. My hope with OneSaginaw is
that by bringing people from both sides of the river together of all
ethnicity and race, we can discourage that kind of factional voting.
Our primary purpose is to deal with the
crisis we've got going on in City Hall right now, but our more
enduring purpose is to make sure these kinds of crisis don't happen
again. Because we elect our people with grassroots community
supporters that work with each other like they have not done before, I
think we can forge this fundamental change in city politics.
Garcia: I really got frustrated over the past few months at what's been going on at City Hall. It got to a point where I said 'no more, I've got to do something'. The only ones that can make change is each of us as city residents. I'm tired of complaining and not doing anything about it. Now I'm informing my friends, neighbors, and parish and encouraging them to get involved. We all have to take a stand and need to voice our opinion and make it count. Review: Over the years you've had groups like the Committee of 50 and United Saginaw Citizens that in turn led to Operation Equality and I think this started the factionalism at City Hall. How is OneSaginaw different from other non-elected community leaders trying to get blocks of candidates elected to council? Hanley: I think this group is a broader partnership. We made a conscious effort to bring in not just African Americans, Hispanics, and Whites together from both sides of the river, but to partner with the business community that have legitimate interests in the City of Saginaw whether they live here or not. We want to form a functioning partnership between all the stakeholders in this town, because we all have the same goals.
What's important right now is to build
a council that can regain our trust. We know we've got a public safety
crisis, a budget crisis in general, and we know we need a Council that
can attract or retain a competent City Manager, so there isn't much we
disagree about.
There are those out there that don't
want to share power. We want to share power.
McGovern: We've tried black power, we've tried white power, we've tried economic power, and none of them have worked. It's time for all three to blend together and work together for this City. I think its about time this City, County, and Country moved away from race. It's time we put the betterment of all people ahead of our own personal needs. Review: How did you base the decision of your endorsements? McGovern: Eight of our members sat on a Screening Committee that asked a series of questions to the candidates. We also sent each candidate a questionnaire, asked their background & involvement in community activities, along with their goals and aspirations for the City. We also asked 10 additional questions concerning vision for the city, race, ethnic, economic relations in the City and challenges. Finally we based our decision on each answer of the candidate and the Committee rated them and came up with these four candidates. Each member kept score based on the questions asked and at the end of all interviews, these are the candidates we came up with. Hanley: Then the Committee came to the full group at a ratification meeting. We had a healthy discussion and I think the Screening committee conducted a fantastic process. Review: But why did you only endorse three candidates in the four-year terms when four slots are open? Hanley: Because it was the consensus of the Screening Committee that those candidates stood head & shoulders above the rest, not simply because of the questionnaire and interview process, but because of background and qualifications in terms of community involvement in Saginaw over the years.
Just because we didn't endorse a
particular candidate doesn't mean we oppose their candidacy. That's
important to state. We had five people that didn't interview with us
and we don't know why that is. That is a question for the media to
ask.
Garcia: Every candidate was offered the chance to attend the Screening & Interview, it was his or her choice not to attend. Review: In recent council elections you've had a 17 percent voter turnout, which says 83 percent of the city isn't interested. How do you hope to get around that problem? Do you think your endorsements will encourage people to vote? Garcia: Our Committee is united and will come forth with members that will go door-to-door and encourage people to vote. If people complaining don't do anything about it, they have no reason to complain. We've taken it upon ourselves to get the vote out for this election in the City. McGovern: Many people in this town are forced to complain. Voters on the West Side might say 'why vote anyway because the Blacks are going to win'. But I believe a more significant number of residents at this stage of the game have said 'We're not leaving the City and we're not going to let you destroy it.' I think those voters and people are going to change the city and that is going to make a difference in this election, people talking with one another, neighbor to neighbor. Hanley; Whether people vote for our candidates or not, we want people to get out and vote. One reason there is frustration with the status quo at City Hall is that more money is spent and more numbers come out for Governor and Presidential election years. More interest is raised in those elections. We hope to raise more money and more volunteers, so at the end we'll stage a Get Out the Vote Drive and you'll see more activity on the street.
That's another thing we want to
emphasize. You may have been able to afford not to vote in the past,
as you may have been able to view Saginaw as two different cities in
the past, but the issues facing us now are too serious to be divided.
We have to come together. We have to be one Saginaw. When people lead
their leaders will follow.
Review: In terms of a platform or mission statement, how does OneSaginaw articulate its stand? Hanley: Our platform has more to do with what the Council has to do over the next four years which is primarily earn and re-earn the trust of the community. In terms of public policy, it isn't a litmus test for us. Obviously we're concerned about public safety & blight, how attractive is a town without a recreation department, and questions like that. Mainly we want to make Saginaw a healthy place to live, raise a family, and invest. How they get there is the Council's business.
We do believe a strategic planning
process that not only stabilizes us but points us in a different
direction is clearly what the council has to engage in. Our problems
won't be solved over night.
McGovern: We're not a 'solve all' group. We're here with the goal of getting better government, which will in turn solve the problems. Review: What criteria did you use to interview the candidates you selected? McGovern: Willingness to work together is the most important factor. Vision for the city was also important, as we need a new vision for this town. We can't continue the same old story. Garcia: We're also looking for those individuals that have worked with budgets and finances to distinguish them from those without that much experience. We also looked at whether they would question financial decisions, as opposed to being a rubber stamp councilperson. McGovern: We focused on choosing candidates that have had budget experience either with their jobs or community involvement. Understanding a budget is a big part of City Council. I know past councils have simply trusted the City Manager to have the numbers right. The new council is going to have to assume more involvement in the budget process. You can't go on the word of the City Manager. Review: A major problem regardless of who the City Manager or Council is centers around the perennial $1.8 million shortfall that occurs within the City due to unfunded liabilities. How is Council going to effectively address that short of tax hikes, tightening up subsidies, or filing for bankruptcy? Hanley: The way I understand it some things cannot be changed, and pensions are one of them. There is no way to negotiate concessions and contracts with retired employees. I do think a lot of city contracts are open next year for negotiation and those decisions will be difficult ones for the Council and the City Manager.
I come from a labor background and feel
city workers need to be treated fairly. At the same time I feel city
residents need services. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if
sacrifices are requested at those contract negotiations. If we're
asking citizens to sacrifice at the ballot box with their tax dollars,
there needs to be a partnership all around.
One thing I'll say about current City
Manager Early is that he's dealt with lots of turnarounds and
financial crisis with city government. A lot of the financial
mistakes made over the last 14 months were made at the staff level.
My problem with Council is the
political mistakes made and the failure of certain members to
understand what their community wants.
You don't fire the City Manager on the
night she gets a raise, you don't take City Council off the television
screen in the middle of a meeting that only costs $1,000 a year to put
on, you don't propose a raise a day before a millage vote, you don't
state in a public meeting you might know the name of a person selling
guns from our town and then refuse to tell the police what that
person's name may or may not be.
We're looking for common sense on
Council.
People make mistakes and some good
people have made those mistakes. I've supported some of them and think
they still care for the city, but I don't agree with their decisions.
On the issue of cell phones one council
member said it was 'chump change'. First of all, if you serve on
Council you will lose money, because of all the fundraisers you need
to attend and all the time you need to invest. But when you ask the
public to make a sacrifice, you've got to lead by sacrifice. Whether
that's a small thing to you, it's a big symbol when asking people to
sacrifice their tax dollars. That's what I mean about political
leadership.
Review: Any final thoughts? Garcia: If you plant seeds flowers will bloom as long as they're nurtured. I see that happening in Saginaw. So many good things are happening right now in Saginaw, from the Medical Centers to the Temple Theatre, the Lawn Chair Film Series, the new buildings and construction in Old Town, the renovations of Downtown Saginaw. We don't need leadership that will sell us short. Hanley: I usually say people get the government they deserve, but witnessing the past 14 months, I'd say that would be a disservice to the citizens of Saginaw. But if anything this crisis forged an opportunity that has brought us together. OneSaginaw is going to exist after the City Council election and work to make this political culture more functional and vibrant. We intend to move the community forward, not just by the City Council race, but by getting involved in community organizations and by being people that oppose the forces of division that have overplayed their welcome for far too long. To volunteer for OneSaginaw please visit OneSaginaw.blogspot.com or call Carolyn at 790-3514. To contribute please send checks to: OneSaginaw, 3075 W. Genesee, Saginaw, MI 48602 |
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