60th District Seat Endorsements as of 8-26-09

(All endorsers do so in their capacity as private citizens)

Sid Aaron
David Anderson, Kalamazoo City Commissioner
Jeff Angles
Rob Barnard, Kalamazoo County Commissioner
Dick Barron
Nona Barron
Gifford Blaylock
Paul Bostic
Josh Brandt
Rena Brooks
Martin Burch
Toni Buskirk
Kristi Carámbula
Robert H. Cinabro
Amber Colgrove
Don Cooney, Kalamazoo City Commissioner
June Cotton
Leroy Crabtree, former Kalamazoo County Commissioner
Ron Crowell
Nancy Crowell
Lesley Crowell
Diane Downing
Ken Dumas
Linda Dunn
David Feaster
Wendy Flora
George Franklin
Stephanie Giguere
Carol Haenicke
Joe Hawver
Marti Hearron
Ed Heinig
Ruth Heinig
Elizabeth Henderson, Kalamazoo Public Schools Trustee
Art Hilgart
Carolyn Hilgart
John Hilliard
Geno Hinton
Susan Hoffmann
Bobby Hopewell, Mayor, Kalamazoo City Commission
David Houghton
Lynn Houghton
Jim Houston
Katie Houston
Anne Howley-O’Brien
Laurie Iden
Mona Lisa James
Frank Jamieson
Paula Jamieson
Janet Jones
Keith Jones
Dorothy Jordan
Mattie Jordan-Woods
Andrea Juarez
Norman & Barbro Jung
Brad Kent
David Kinsey
Sandy Kristen
Terry Kuseske
Priscilla Lambert
Holley Lantz
Corey Leon
Dr. Joyce Leon
Ana M. Light
Rick Light
Habib Mandwee
Judy Mayo
Phyllis Marsh
Daniel McGlinn, former Kalamazoo County Commissioner, Vice Chair
Justine McKenna
Hannah McKinney, Vice Mayor, Kalamazoo City Commission
Jim McKinney
Barbara Hamilton Miller
Stephanie Moore, Kalamazoo City Commissioner
Thom Myers
Nelson B. Nave
Morgan Norrod
Pam O'Connor
Terry O’Connor
Marcy Ohs
Steve Ohs
Larry Oppliger
Eva Ozier, former Kalamazoo County Commissioner
Ericka Parkinson-Kilbourne
Michael Parkinson-Kilbourne
David Pawloski
Vernon Payne
Dorphine Payne
Ann Perry
Jeff Perry
Mollie Peterson, Kalamazoo Public Schools Trustee, President
Matt Phelan
Dave Posther
Todd Redmond
Danielle Redmond Streed
Ron Reid
Chris Roussi
Lisa Salay
Paul Scott
Patti Sholler-Barber, Kalamazoo Public Schools Trustee, Past President
Thomas Seiler
BJ Shell
Barbara Shell
Jake Smith
Laurie Terleskey
Doug Thompson
Penny Thompson
Thomas Thornburg
Max Tibbits
Michele Van Allen
Dan VanSweden
William Venema
Carrie Venema
Rev. Douglas W. Vernon
Andrew J. Vorbrich
Gary Wager
Lenora Webster
Karen Wellman
Linda Wienir
Paul Wiener
Don Wotruba
JoAnn Yochim
Raoul Yochim


TO ADD YOUR ENDORSEMENT, SEND AN EMAIL TO: seanamccann@hotmail.com or call 269-207-6963

Announcement for State House of Representatives

McCann to Seek Jones’s House Seat

(Kalamazoo, MI) August 1, 2009 -- Five-term Kalamazoo City Commissioner Sean McCann announced today that he will seek the 60th District State House of Representative’s seat in the November 2010 general election.

“In nearly 20 years serving Kalamazoo, I have met challenges and solved problems on behalf of my diverse constituency in a way that has prepared me well to represent this district,” McCann says.

“While I have been gratified in my years of service to help our community progress, many of Kalamazoo’s challenges are regional if not statewide and national. I want to take the work I’ve been doing to the next level for the district and make a real contribution in Lansing.”

McCann cites excellent constituent service as his personal hallmark. “I have come to know the people of the 60th district very well, as it includes all of the City of Kalamazoo,” he says. “I have always tried to respond swiftly to constituent needs and requests, and will continue that service for the citizens of this district,” says McCann.

McCann has served for ten years as a city commissioner, elected in 1999 at the age of 27, and will not seek a sixth term this fall. Robert Jones recently announced that he is running for the 20th District State Senate seat next year.

“Based on many factors – my years of hard work to help Kalamazoo prosper, my love of Michigan, my friends’ and family’s future – I have a huge stake in making sure those in our community have a good quality of life and have access to people in government,” says McCann.

Among McCann’s growing list (attached) of public endorsers for his bid are current city commission colleagues: Mayor Bobby Hopewell, Vice Mayor Hannah McKinney and Commissioners Don Cooney, David Anderson, Barbara Miller, and Stephanie Moore. “Sean will work tirelessly for the success of Michigan as he has for Kalamazoo,” says Mayor Hopewell. “I fully support his election as our State Representative.”

Accomplishments McCann cites during his service to the city include: fighting the dumping of PCBs into the Kalamazoo River; keeping the city’s public safety department strong and focused on community involvement and responsiveness; improving neighborhood quality of life, revitalizing downtown Kalamazoo; and cleaning up polluted brownfield sites for re-use.

Retaining and creating jobs in the state will be a driving focus for McCann. “The Kalamazoo community has fared better than the rest of Michigan and that is not by accident. As we reinvent Michigan’s economy, I will work to bring Kalamazoo’s unique success in this arena to the state level.”

Sean McCann has lived in Kalamazoo for 20 years, and graduated from Western Michigan University in 1993. He is Director of Financial Development for the Greater Kalamazoo Area American Red Cross and resides in the Milwood Neighborhood with his wife, Priscilla Lambert, and their dog, Arnold.

More Parades!

It's always a privilege to be able to walk in Kalamazoo parades, and they're a lot of fun. Priscilla and Arnold joined me in the November, 2008, Downtown Kalamazoo Holiday Parade, and then just Arnold for this past Saturday's St. Patrick's Day Parade. Arnold loves the parades and the kids flock to pet him. Priscilla is taking the photo at St. Pat's, and Laurie Terlesky snapped the Holiday Parade photo.

Memorial Day Parade

I had the pleasant opportunity to walk with current 60th District State Representative (and former Mayor of Kalamazoo) Robert B. Jones in Kalamazoo's Memorial Day parade on May 26th. Thanks to Mark Miller for snapping the image. For more photos from the parade, go to West Michigan Rising at: http://www.westmichiganrising.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=295

Cheapest Gas in Kalamazoo

From Department of the Not-Reinventing-the-Wheel:
I had a thought a while back to start a blog whereby people could let other motorists know where to find the best price of petrol in town. Lo, and behold, a quick google search revealed there already is such a site.

Of course, better alternatives include carpooling, taking the bus, telecommuting, riding a bike, or--heaven forbid--walking. I know I personally am guilty of driving to go get Martini's three blocks away. But for the time being, as filling our tanks is a necessary evil, here you can find the cheapest gas in Kalamazoo County.

Remember: If you're driving more than a few miles out of your way to save a few cents per gallon, it's--more or less--a wash.

Inspiring DC

My apologies for being away for so long. As hectic as campaigns are, the aftermath is equally so, though in a much different way. The new commission is getting up to speed and we have a draft 2008 budget for the city to review and eventually adopt.

My work at the American Red Cross took me to Washington DC for the first time in my life. How odd, I think, for me to have not been there before now, but that was the case. Following a mid-week two-day training, I stayed on through the weekend and packed in as much as I could.

Of course I didn't even scratch the surface, but there were some definite highlights - the Capitol Rotunda, the Washington and Lincoln Memorials, the National Archives and looking at the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. It was inspiring and re-energizing, to say the least. Much more to go back for.

Commissioner McCann at Swearing-in Ceremony

The 47th Kalamazoo City Commission was sworn in this evening at City Hall. Sean McCann was re-elected with a total of 5803 votes, placing him third after Hopewell (6118) and McKinney (6064).
Photo: Dominick Gladstone

Sean McCann quoted in Monday's Gazette Editorial

From the Kalamazoo Gazette:

"Last week, Kalamazoo City Commissioner Sean McCann urged the administration to shed more light on the departures. 'There's the notion all of this is tied to the 2003 prostitution investigation,' he said. 'If this is not the case, we owe it to the public to offer an explanation.'

"We agree."

To read the whole editorial, click here.

Tour a Norman Carver, Jr. house in Parkwyn Village

Loads of Letters to the Editor

Check out Sunday's slew of letters in the Kalamazoo Gazette.

Arnold ... campaign mascot

My girlfriend, Priscilla, has an Akita-Shepherd mix dog named Arnold. She recently equipped him with a special 'sandwich board' for his walks around the neighborhood. A passing van slowed when we were taking this picture and shouted out the window "He's got my vote!"

We weren't sure if the driver meant Arnold or me.

Highlights of Sean at the Second Candidate Forum

Thank you Friends!

I'm pleased to report that tomorrow the Friends of Sean McCann candidate committee will file Campaign Finance Reports reflecting $12,110 raised from more than 250 contributors during January 1 to October 21, 2007. My sincerest thanks to everyone who has put their time, talent and treasure behind this effort.

UPDATED 10/27/07: Here are the reported amounts raised by candidates per The Kalamazoo Gazette:

Bobby Hopewell -- $20,548
Sean McCann -- $12,110
Hannah McKinney -- $9,087
Barbara Miller -- $7,930
David Anderson -- $6,937
Tammy Barnard -- $1,674
Aaron Davis -- Filed waiver, expects to raise or spend less than $1,000
Brian Shaff -- Filed waiver; expects to raise or spend less than $1,000
Angie Suarez -- Filed waiver; expects to raise or spend less than $1,000
Don Cooney -- No filing*
Angela Jackson -- No filing
Stephanie Moore -- No filing
* Said Friday that he intends to file Monday.

Open for business

The city recently celebrated a great accomplishment - the opening of our Davis Creek Business Park. We cleaned up a huge "brownfield" - an old oil refinery, and prepared the land for new business ventures. This action filled a void in our economic development strategy by offering up new "greenfield" develop-able space. Photo is the City's Brownfield Redevelopment Authority Chairman Bob Miller and me cutting the ribbon.

Preliminary Survey Results

A few months ago, we began distributing a short survey with four multiple-choice questions about City issues and how the City was doing in addressing them. What follows is an overview of the results to-date.

Surveys distributed
7000 (100.00%)
Surveys returned to date
343 (4.90%)

Male
135 (39.36%)
Female
138 (40.23%)
M/F (two voters)
31 (9.04%)

Age
18-30--21 (6.12%)
31-55--106 (30.90%)
56-75--136 (39.65%)
76-95--45 (13.12%)

Question 1--City Met or Exceeded Expectations
1 Downtown Revitalization 183 (53.35%)
2 Parks & Recreation Programs 126 (36.73%)

Question 2--City Aspects or Services Need Improvement
1 Economic Development 186 (54.23%)
2 Neighborhoods 161 (46.94%)

Question 3--City's most pressing concerns (check two)
1 Jobs 215 (62.68%)
2 Poverty 137 (39.94%)

Question 3--City's least pressing concerns (check two)
1 Historic Site restoration 162 47.23%
2 Parking 140 40.82%
_____________________________________________

Obviously, these are early numbers. We'll be getting more data in the weeks ahead. We promise to publish more comprehensive results soon.

Chamber of Commerce

Here are the responses I gave to the questionnaire from the Kalamazoo County Chamber of Commerce:

1. What is your experience interacting with city employees to start or expand a business (have you ever applied for a permit?). If so, could that process be improved?

I operate a small business in Kalamazoo and have sought various permits from the city. However, my primary interaction with city staff is through my years of serving as the commission’s liaison to our Economic Development Corporation and Brownfield Redevelopment Authority.

The city has worked hard to create a “one-stop shop” for assisting businesses as efficiently as possible. This is working well to my knowledge, but we should always seek to improve our services. One way to do this is make sure that commissioners hear directly about how well this is running. I will propose this to the City Manager.

2. In your opinion what is the overall perception of customer service within the City?

I think the perception of our customer service is good, overall. One thing that might improve our services in various departments would be to always seek to provide accurate timelines on how long processes and projects are going to take. For example, the South Street/W. Michigan/Oakland intersection sewer improvements caused road closures, but our engineering department gave an end date for the construction and held to it. An “Open Door” dialogue and communication policy between business and government is the key to building relationships.

3. What policies would you enact to improve customer service and foster improved government/business relationships?

The message needs to go out from the Commission and resonate through every level of the organization that we are here to serve the people of this community. I think we should have a system for tracking complaints so that if someone with a legitimate issue has made multiple calls on the same problem, the issue is automatically flagged and moved to the front of the line.

4. Under what circumstances would you definitely support tax abatements?

Any employer who creates good jobs for the people of this community should be eligible for tax abatements under the existing guidelines. Likewise, tax abatements should be used as a tool for retention and attraction of good jobs.

5. Under what circumstances would you definitely oppose tax abatements?

An employer who fails to meet the terms of their existing tax abatement agreement should not receive another (or have it revoked) until they have rectified the situation. If jobs are promised, they must be delivered. I also would not support tax abatements to employers who clearly do not demonstrate how they will add substantial value to the local economy through their workers wages and benefits.

6. What economic development tools does the city have that are ‘essential services’ on par with tools the police department has to ensure citizen safety?

It is difficult to point to any city service that is not, at this juncture, an essential service that contributes to the ability of the city to promote economic development. Many of our most basic services have been reduced too far as it is. Street repair is chronically behind, however we are catching up as the gateway roads into the city are looking much better today than in the past, and it is challenging to properly maintain important amenities that the city provides (parks, cemeteries, etc.). A safe, enjoyable community is a critical economic development tool.

7. What economic development tools are luxuries that we are lucky to be able to afford, but may have to do without some day?

Due to consistent city commission support over the years, funds have been annually budgeted to promote and support critical economic development activities. These take the form of loans and financing assistance, tax abatements, Brownfield redevelopment credits, and forgivable loans. It would be short-sighted to eliminate the budgeting of these funds and I remain committed to these allocations due to their ability to leverage jobs and investment in Kalamazoo. It is very difficult to identify any luxuries that might be removed from the budget after many years of shrinking city budgets.

8. What parts of city government have been cut far enough, and/or too far, and should be considered for additional resource allocations?

We have many infrastructure needs, some of which will be crucial to fund if we are to continue providing a decent level of service to, and investment in, the community. For example, there is a great, ongoing need to replace our sewer and water lines. As well, most people would agree that we can’t reduce funding for street maintenance any further. It is always a challenge to balance limited resources among the many important needs of the community.

9. What parts of city government can be looked at to provide more efficiencies?

We should always be examining and evaluating the operations of local units of government to see where we can reduce redundancies and provide better services to the community at the current cost level (or lower). Intergovernmental cooperation provides the best opportunity to discover new ways to become more efficient and there are many areas where this is currently being explored and pursued. For example, “back office” administrative operations and public safety operations hold good potential. Local units of government might consider summits or quarterly round table meetings to give greater attention to the need to cooperate.

10. Understanding that Stryker and Pfizer are the marquis job providers in the area, what role as a city leader would you play to maximize their investment in the community?

We must continue to make it clear to the corporate leaders of all major employers that we value their presence in our community and want to ensure their employees have a good quality of life. We must remain responsive and aggressive in ensuring that these employers are able to operate here. Further, we must cooperate with organizations such as the Chamber, Southwest Michigan First, and Downtown development entities are all working in partnership to realize the most supportive community possible.

11. What opportunities do you see for fostering greater cooperation between the Cities of Kalamazoo and Portage and other local units of government?

Our recent success toward implementing county-wide transit represents an excellent step, but needs continued support to be fully realized. Another good example of cooperation is our county-wide first-responder agreements for fire and EMS, although there remains room to do more. Other cooperation may be feasible by fusing administrative functions among governments (potentially saving tax dollars). County-wide land-use planning would help control sprawl and reduce infrastructure costs. An inclusionary housing compact would enhance county-wide housing affordability.

12. As a City leader what will you do to grow enrollment in WMU and other local higher educational institutions?.

We must continuue to improve the brand of our community outside the immediate area and promote these institutions within the community. High school graduates in Southwest Michigan should find the choices in their own back yard as attractive as schools in other cities and states. Also important, parents must know their son or daughter will be safe in our neighborhoods and our community when they consider entrusting their child to our care. The city must partner with educational institutions to provide the best experience possible for all those attending school to advance themselves—and enjoy Kalamazoo in the process.

13. What single issue, above all others, drives you to run for this office?

Improving our neighborhoods and the quality of life they provide for our citizens. Economic development, supporting The Promise, street maintenance, snow removal, water quality, youth programs are but some of the parts that help the whole objective: to cultivate and sustain a place people want to call their home.

What's this?

Coming soon ... a lot of interesting feedback from the voters!

Great conversations

Dr. David Hougton of the WMU Political Science Department had me as his guest speaker for his Urban Politics class today. I had a wonderful discussion with the students about being a city commissioner. They asked well thought out questions and the time flew by too fast.

Later in the evening was the Kalamazoo County Democratic Party's Candidates Forum. This was also a nice chance for everyone to talk about our community's future.

Last stop for the night was the Friends of Historic East Campus's Legislative Forum featuring area state lawmakers. I wasn't able to catch the whole event, but it certainly is abundantly clear that there are a lot of needs that remain to be addressed in our state. Helping universities and core urban cities are right up there.

A Hero's Tribute

Kalamazoo County Sheriff Department Lt. Terry VanStreain's funeral service was today and I attended. The man was a hero to many and received a fitting farewell by hundreds of citizens and law enforcement officers. He will leave a lasting impact on the community, particularly now that the Kalamazoo Holiday Food Drive will be named in his honor. I'm already making plans to help the food drive again this year - one of the best warm feelings you can give yourself in December - try it!

Highlights of Sean at the First Candidate Forum