Get Informed
About Conan
Key Issues
Press & Releases
Endorsements
 
Get Involved
Join the Campaign!
Campaign Activities
Organize an Event

Register to Vote
Link to the MI Secretary of State
Get Connected
Contact Conan


Sign Up for Updates
[FrontPage Save Results Component]


Key Issues


Photo by Chris McCarus

 

 

   

       

 Enacting Smart Growth Polices

Accomplishments Goals for '07 - '08
  • Protection of historic assets like the East Delhi Road bridge and Gordon Hall.
  • A shared-service agreement saving the struggling city of Ypsilanti more than $30,000 annually.
  • Reduction of the sprawl subsidy for police services, allowing $2 million to be redirected to social services.
  • Merger of the Washtenaw Development Council and SPARK streamlining economic development efforts in the county.
 Although the county has little land use authority, we can influence how development happens.  In the coming term I will be working to create a county transfer of development rights program, adopt an historic bridges preservation policy, improve funding for tourism economic development (including ecotourism as well as sports and leisure), create a fund for countywide mass transit, and link our land use and transportation planning processes with those of local units of government.
Enhancing Civil Rights
Accomplishments Goals for '07 - '08
  • Adoption of the state's first policy for religious accomodation at public pools.
  • An analysis of county hiring practices with relation to race and gender.
 Building off the new equal opportunity report, we need to eliminate gender tracking to jobs within the county.  We still need to enhance options and protections for women seeking reproductive health services. Unfortunately, racial profiling continues to be a problem in county patrols and it has gone unaddressed.  To help identify additional opportunities for reform, I will assemble a countywide Equity Summit bringing together advocates and policy makers.   
Protecting Our Environment
Accomplishments Goals for '07 - '08
  • Preservation of 61 acres through the Natural Areas Protection Program with more than 100 additional acres in process.
  • Enhancement of the county Purchase of Development Right program enable the protection of several hundred acres -- the best record in the state in 2005.
  • Completion of a coordinated Parks and Open Space plan among 12 jurisdictions.
  • Coordination of government and citizen groups fighting the Pall-Gelman dioxane contamination.
 Urban sprawl and threats to our water quality continue to top the environmental issues facing the county.  I will continue to aggressively promote and defend the county's land acquisition programs.  The dioxane threat from Gelman is expanding rapidly and we need to organize to effectively push for state and federal support of the clean-up.  In the coming year, we will complete an investigation into the viability of wind power in the county.  The next step will be securing intergovernmental agreements that allow us to purchase either the energy itself or the infrastructure to create it.
Innovating Services for Citizens
Accomplishments Goals for '07 - '08
  • Wireless Washtenaw will bring free internet access to every corner of the county.
  • My training on fire service sharing is helping create faster response and more cost effective services.
  • I am leading an effort to distribute the costs of elections more equitably saving local governments thousands of dollars.

 

 Mostly in the coming year, I foresee finishing things that have just started.  Wireless Washtenaw needs to be implemented as does the elections cost-sharing strategy.  On a regional level, I believe we can create an insurance pool to save money and look at transferring assessment duties to the County making a duplicative process more efficient.
   
Some documents on this site require the Adobe Acrobat Reader, available for free by clicking here: