Mike's Blog

Ready to Roll

Mike — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 23:30:00 +0000

Things are almost back to what passes for normal around our house, at least for a little while. We had a great Thanksgiving holiday. As is our usual pattern, we had a house full of friends to share dinner and each other's company and laughter; a nice evening. My son called earlier in the day and I was most pleased to hear from him. He had Thanksgiving dinner with his longtime girlfriend Beth and her family in Fargo and sounded so wistful when I mentioned that we were brining our turkey again this year that I wanted to fax him a slice.

Certainly I have a lot to be thankful for this year, and not the least on the list is having been elected to the Iowa City Council. I still don't always believe it happened. I want to thank everybody again for that. I had a lot of help from family and friends (new and old) without which the victory would have been impossible. It is truly an honor and I pledge to be the best city councilor I'm able to be.

And while I'm talking about being thankful, as we approach the Hanukkah/Christmas/Solstice season, please consider forgoing some spending on stuff and give a gift instead to one of the many nonprofits here in Iowa City or elsewhere. A lot of people (and animals) don't have the advantages that others of us do. Remember them.

Shelter House would love a donation, as would the Food Bank, the Animal Care and Adoption Center, the Emma Goldman Clinic, the American Friends Service Committee, and the list goes on and on. Every year I give a donation to Emma Goldman in honor of my elderly aunt and uncle, the last survivors of my parent's generation. They appreciate it far more than anything I could buy them, and I know my money has gone to a good cause. Think about it.

OK. I'll step down off my soapbox now.

There's a lot of work ahead, and trust me, I'm excited! The new city council will be, almost assuredly, building and staffing a new fourth fire-station, a task I can't wait to get started on. We'll also be hiring a new city manager, and amazing opportunity and responsibility, and crafting the next city budget, which is likely to be an involved and, at least sometimes, contentious process. But I'm ready. I've had a little time to recover from the campaign, catch up around the house, and I honestly can't wait to get started!

Thanks again, one and all. Keep in touch.

The End is Near!

Mike — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 01:15:00 +0000

And that fact doesn't break my heart.

I have learned so much over the past five months of campaigning. Certainly I've learned a lot about how politics works in Iowa City, and I've learned an immense amount about the community. I've also learned a lot about myself and just how much really can be packed into a 24 hour day. It's a lot, by the way.

But right now the campaign is in hyper-drive during key hours of the day -- I spent a lot of time today phoning people to remind them of early voting -- but at other times it's oddly quiet. For the first time in who knows how many weeks I wasn't at the Iowa City Farmer's Market, manning the Wright for Iowa City table and chatting with fellow candidate Matt Hayek. I know we're supposed to be adversaries, but Matt's also my lawyer (it's a small town! What are you going to do?) and a good guy, so I enjoyed the Saturday mornings when we "tabled" side-by-side. We bought each other coffee (I think I owe Matt at this point) chatted with people, and during the down times talked to each other, swapping campaign stories and generally making the time pass quickly.

I was up early, about 6:45, and fueled by caffeine managed to do a bunch of small jobs that I've been putting off for months. I even met some friends for more coffee while my partner, Michael K. was at the first Winter Farmer's Market, which he helped coordinate. Then I started phoning, took a break compliments of the Hawkeyes (woe unto those who do phoning during a Hawkeye game!) and raced up a ladder to finish painting about 1/32-nd of our house. It's a big, ratty-looking old place, but let me tell you, when it's all done it's gong to look really nice. I think of it as historic preservation in action.

Anyway. We'll be shutting things down on Tuesday, about 7:45 PM. Wow. That's a strange, and frankly bittersweet, sentence to write. This campaign has been a huge piece of my life since June 7th. It's absence will leave a void. But hopefully, the loss of the campaign will be replaced by the gain of a seat on the Iowa City Council!

Everthing's Speeding Up

Mike — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 04:59:00 +0000

The pace of the campaign is picking up fast. Tomorrow, Thursday October 25th, I will attend three events: The Human Rights Awards Breakfast, the Bicyclist of Iowa City (BIC) Lunch, and the League of Women Voters Forum in the evening. If I’m not at meeting a or talking to supporters I’m calling voters, planning neighborhood canvassing, and watching the days fly by. And sometimes sleeping.

I am very proud to say that I have won the endorsement of Local 1260 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, the Iowa City Federation of Labor, and the Iowa City Sierra Club. In practical terms, endorsements can mean additional donations and volunteers to help on the campaign. They mean a lot to me personally as well.

In political terms, endorsements are shorthand for where a candidate stands. Iowa City labor is a natural ally in my goals of improving public safety, expanding support for affordable housing, and promoting historic preservation. The Sierra Club and I agree completely on the importance of improving Iowa City's green efforts.

Most importantly these groups, like me, are here for the long haul. If I am lucky enough to be elected I will look to them, and many other community members for ideas, debate, and assistance. I have learned so much over the last several months, crisscrossing Iowa City, meeting people I might never have encountered otherwise, and discovering how passionately we all are about this town. It’s an impressive place.

I want to thank the Carpenters, the Iowa City Federation of Labor, and the Sierra Club, for their votes of confidence, and to acknowledge the other groups that spoke with me as a council candidate, tested my mettle, and proved to be terrific sounding-boards.

Now it’s time to back to the phone; my dialing finger isn't numb any more.

Libraries and Stuff

Mike — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 02:53:00 +0000

Friday marked the end of the annual Iowa Library Association conference, held at the Coralville Convention Center. As a member of the ILA Board of Directors, I was hopping from the opening on Weds. to the final bell on Friday afternoon. The conference this year had a focus on intellectual freedom that I found incredibly satisfying. Intellectual freedom, based on the First Amendment to the Constitution, refers to freedom of inquiry, thought, and certainly the freedom to read. Our keynote speaker was young adult author, and frequent victim of would-be censors, Chris Crutcher. He has power tales to tell and is an incredible champion of intellectual freedom. Later in the conference I presented a session for librarians on dealing with attempts at censorship: how to deflect them, and what to do when the censor comes knocking. It was a standing room only crowd and we had a great time while working with a serious message: there's always somebody out there who's more than willing to tell you what you can read, watch, or, ultimately, think. This is an issue I'm passionate about, and I believe we have to fight censorship tooth and nail. I hope I inspired a few people likewise.

On the Campaign Trail:

This afternoon a group of volunteers and I set forth on the Charge of the Wright Brigade. We fanned out over the neighborhoods along and south of Kirkwood Ave. By 5 PM we'd visited nearly 500 homes! Our reception was very positive, and I was even stopped on the street to discuss the election. I was elated! This type of one-on-one interaction is fun for me, and valuable too: I always learn a lot about what's on people's minds. It also turned into a beautiful afternoon to be out walking around.

Thanks, everybody! Thanks so much!

Mike — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 11:38:00 +0000

I am so pleased that I came in second in the Iowa City Council primary yesterday. Pleased and honored. I really appreciate all the support I've gotten thus far, certainly in terms of votes, but also in terms of support, advice, assistance, and of course, cash. And it's all added up to a pretty respectable finish in the primary. Thanks again!

I'm probably dating myself, but do you remember the old ads the for Avis rental car agency? "When you're number two, you try harder" was the slogan as I recall. Well, it's true.

The next month is going to be hectic: forums, meetings, door-to-door, you name it. But I'm going to finish second (or maybe even first, but I won't be greedy -- second would work just fine) again in November and that's going to be a lot of work. Fortunately, it's fun!

Slingin' Slaw

Mike — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 01:18:00 +0000

Saturday was the big Johnson County Democrats Barbecue, and it was also a politician's dream. A couple of thousand or more people in one place, to socialize and have dinner, sure, but mainly to hear what politicians had to say. OK, so the main attraction wasn't the slate of Iowa City Council candidates, and yes, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, et al., do have a bit more star power that I do. It was still fun.

I spent an hour+ spooning cole slaw onto people's plates, then beat a retreat down the line to slap together my own sandwich, doused in Ralph Neuzil's amazing BBQ sauce. Then I made the mad dash to the Iowa City Council candidate's table, where I joined Regenia Bailey, Matt Hayek and Brandon Ross, and met with an amazing number of IC residents who wanted to talk issues. And talk we did. I folded up my shop about 7:45; my voice was shot (I'd been campaigning for 12 hours at that point) but I talked to a lot of people and I learned a lot that day. It was local politics at its finest. I was happy to have been part of it.

The Unions and Me

Mike — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 23:02:00 +0000

I've written before about my Mom the Detroit cop and one of the first members of the Detroit Police Officer's Association in 1944, and how so many people from Michigan understand that it was the labor movement that helped regular working people earn decent wages and send their kids to college.

Simply put, unions help make life better and more fair.

In the course of my campaign I've made a serious effort to meet with many groups and individuals, including the local labor movement. I visited the Iowa City Federation of Labor, the group that unites many local unions. I also visted AFSCME Local 12, which represents UI merit staff, and let me tell you, these folks were fun. I felt right at home.

I have talked informally with AFSCME Local 183 members who work for Iowa City and hope to meet with leaders of the Iowa City Professional Fire Fighters Local 610 and from the Iowa City Police Labor Relations Organization. Most recently I had a terrific lunch with leaders of the SEIU (Service Workers International Union).

I've met with local labor to discuss the hopes and concerns of the people who make Iowa City work--union members drive us to work on the bus, check out books to us at the public library, teach our children, and care for us when we are sick. As I've known all my life, the labor movement is the backbone of the progressive coalition locally, statewide, and across the country and I'm proud to count many of these people as friends and supporters.

I know I'll be a friendly face to labor if elected to the City Council. While local unionists and I will not agree on every issue I will continue to seek their advice and assistance. I know that will help me be a better city councilor.

Blogger Blues

Mike — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 01:32:00 +0000

I'm in seemingly perennial trouble with my campaign manager.

I don't blog as often as he thinks I should. And I apologize both to him and to the, what, tens? of readers of this blog. : ) There's a lot going on.

Running for city council is intense. Add to that a full-time+ job, a relationship, and trying to do a tiny little bit to stay sane (for me, a really tiny bit!) chairing the neighborhood association, time runs short. So I tend to not blog. Tonight I had all good intentions, then it all went to pieces. The damned tornado sirens went off, my dog, Tank got very nervous and tried to sit in my lap (he's almost 90 lbs) and the evening just sort of evaporated.

Today was the Press-Citizen interviews for endorsement: tomorrow we find out who gets the nod. It was a good forum. I know for myself and suspect for the others that we as candidates find these as useful as any member of the public. You can tell who's doing their homework, who's found out something new (no offense to anybody, but the questions tend to be the same from one forum to the next -- there are only so many issues!) what new question brought everybody up short -- you get the picture. And each one is a chance to listen and learn.

So OK. I blogged! And I'm going to go to bed relatively early. I get up every morning at 5:22 to go running with The Tank. And I just remembered that our 16 year-old station-wagon* (the official campaign-mobile) has to go to the shop tonight... the tailgate no longer closes. Bed? Not so fast!

Good night. Almost.

*And it's not a record-breaker. I retired my 1968 Volkswagen in 1999 with an impressive 399,000 miles on the odometer. I paid $1000 for the thing, used. Drove it for many, many years, and sold it for parts for $400. That's economy! The old station-wagon has a mere 196,000 miles.

Life's Ironies

Mike — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 02:47:00 +0000

Tonight I was pedaling down Market St., on my way to the community forum on the recent epidemic of assaults (which was a terrific event, I might add -- sad that we had to have it however). The forum was held at the beautifully restored Englert Theatre, a gem we almost lost, as a theatre, some years back.

But a block from home, at the corner of Dodge and Market, my eyes found a sad sight: yet another house in the Northside Neighborhood falling to the wrecking ball. That's two this week. As a confirmed Northsider, this bothers me for all kinds of reasons.

I can't count the number of times I've heard references to the "historic Northside Neighborhood". It is historic; we have some of Iowa City's oldest homes. My own dates from 1873, although it had a big remodel about 1905 (those crazy kids at the turn of the century!) It was in the same family from 1885 to 1968. Yet almost all of the "historic Northside" is in jeopardy of disappearing. Despite the rhetoric, the "historic" Northside (except for Brown and part Ronalds and connecting streets) isn't a historic district and anybody can bulldoze any home for any reason.

That ain't right.

We need to expand historic preservation into the Northside. If elected, one of my chief priorities is to do just that, and more. Other areas are in danger as well. Parts of Downtown, Goosetown, Melrose, each of these historic areas deserves local historic district designation and protection.

Study after study shows that historic preservation attracts people to a city; it also is a proven money-maker. Property values go up in historic districts. They become very popular neighborhoods.

Now not every building can or should be saved. But most can and should. Preserving our heritage is the right thing to do. Once it's gone, we can't bring it back.

I'm cheap, I'm green. Get used to it!

Mike — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 00:01:00 +0000

Those who know me call me cheap if they like me, miser if not. I prefer to think of myself as frugal.

One reason that I ride my bike is to save gas money, and the parking fee of course. But I also ride because it's good for me and for the environment. Coming from Detroit, I've always been sensitive to the impact that cars have on the places we live, and one of the things I love most about Iowa City is it's bikeable scale.

There are things we can do to promote more biking here. Trails, possibly designated bike lanes, and more police bike patrols come to mind. The bike racks on city busses are a great idea. And my experience shows that we need more and better-placed bike racks downtown.

Running our busses on bio-diesel is another positive step the city has taken to become more environmentally friendly. I'd like to study the idea of running all heavy city vehicles on bio-diesel--garbage trucks, roads, fire trucks...

I'm convinced we also need to do everything possible to promote LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for new buildings in Iowa City. Certainly we must have this for all buildings in which the city has a funding say. LEED certification is based on a series of environmentally-friendly standards relating to design, construction, and operation of new buildings. LEED buildings are green in a big way.

Historic Preservation is also an environmentally friendly idea--instead of developing open space, preservation rehabs existing buildings and preserves the unique character of Iowa City neighborhoods. But, preservation can be hard work. Just ask me when I'm two stories up on a ladder repainting our 134 year old house...

Bad blogger! Bad!

Mike — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 23:53:00 +0000

I haven't been a good blogger. I keep running short on time, and maybe energy, honest. This is really hard work!

As a candidate for the first time I have gained an appreciation for for the energy level office holders who have been doing this for a while. I am excited to see friends like Regenia Bailey, Rod Sullivan, and Lonny Pulkrabek running for reelection. But I do wonder where they find the stamina for another campaign.

I guess you get a second wind, and I have found that having definite goals gives you the energy to knock on one more door or write one more letter. Rod Sullivan, who's been more than generous to me with his advice and support, announced that he will seek another term on the Boad of Supervisors last week. Rod really deserves it, and we really need him.

It's a truism in Iowa City that many people don't realize how many services the County provides--everything from rural law enforcement, social services, SEATS, to parks and road clearance. Anyway, I am glad to see Rod running again, I've learned a great deal from him and we also share strong interests in effective social services, environmental progress, and accessible government. I hope to be able to work with Rod, and the rest of the Supervisors, if I am elected to the Iowa City Council.

Now if I can just figure out how to knock on doors and hold on to Tank the pony dog I'd double my campaign time...

Eating Some Crow!

Mike — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 01:53:00 +0000

I visited the Iowa City Municipal Airport the other day, and it was good. Great, even. You could have knocked me over with a feather.

I had not been a supporter of the airport, mainly because, like a lot of other people, I thought it seemed like a big duplication of service with the Eastern Iowa Regional Airport just up the road. I was wrong.

Turns out it’s not duplication at all. Iowa City Municipal is the second busiest general aviation (as opposed to commercial) airport in the state. There’s a long waiting list for hangar rental, even though the rents tend towards the high side. There’s also an amazing (and I do mean amazing) research facility, the Operator Performance Laboratory, run by the University with a number of Federal and private co-sponsers.

And the City’s airport subsidy been going down. In other words the IC airport is doing a good job of paying for itself and even generating revenue. It’s one of our best-kept secrets, and that’s a shame. It's worth our support. Check it out.

Enjoy Your Labor Day!

Mike — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 14:53:00 +0000

As we roll through the Labor Day weekend, I recalled a bumper-sticker I saw a while back that’s stuck with me: “The Labor Movement: The Folks Who Brought you the Weekend.” Weekends and a whole lot more. Labor has been a presence in my life as long as I can remember.

I grew up in a union town in a union state. When he was a senior in high school in 1933 my dad wrote an essay in which he praised FDR and the labor movement because he knew they would stick up “for the little guy.” My police-officer mom, working vice out of Detroit’s First Precinct at 13th and Beaubien, was one of the earliest members (male or female) of the Detroit Police Officers Association, formed in 1944. The DPOA worked hard for their members, gaining hospitalization insurance in 1947 and a five-day work week in 1948. As for me, growing up in Michigan in the 1960s and 70s it would have been difficult to find somebody whose life hadn’t been improved by unions. I know many kids I went to school with whose college educations were made possible by the good union wages paid to their parents.

The labor movement has done a lot to improve life for everybody, union members or not. As we enjoy the Labor Day holiday, I invite my fellow Iowa Citians to take a minute and reflect upon just why we celebrate Labor Day. Whether it’s the five day work week, health care benefits, or decent wages, labor’s accomplishments are impressive and I say “Thanks! Keep up the good work!”

Campaign Kickoff Party Sunday!

Mike — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 10:57:00 +0000

We’ll be spending much of the weekend cleaning and cooking because it’s time for a party. Sunday night, Ed Fallon, a longtime member of the Iowa House, candidate for governor in 2006, and founder of I'M for Iowa (www.imforiowa.org) will be here with his accordion (he’s an Iowa State Fair prize-winner) to help kick off the Wright for City Council campaign in style!

I’m for Iowa is dedicated to developing a broad movement committed to progressive reform in state and local politics. One of their goals is to help local candidates get elected and to support them in office. I’m one of those local candidates and I’m so pleased and honored that Ed’s coming to give me a hand.

Please make it a point to stop by Sunday evening between 6:30 and 8 PM at our house, 225 N. Lucas St. in Iowa City. Donations will be gladly accepted, but don’t let that keep you away – come on by! For more information call 358-9344. See you Sunday night.

PS: Our dogs, Tank & Molly, and the cats won’t be able to attend the party -- it interferes with their weekly Scrabble game.

My Knife-Wielding Mom

Mike — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 03:23:00 +0000

As long as I could remember, my mom opened her mail with a switchblade knife. I never thought this was odd, and never really thought about it at all. My mom was a cop in Detroit. She joined the force in 1941, generally working vice, so maybe my tolerance for the unusual is higher than most. While visiting her a number of years back I watched as Mom began to open the mail. It suddenly struck me that very few 85-year-old women opened their mail with a switchblade, so I asked. Turns out she’d arrested a prostitute in about 1945, found the pearl-handled switchblade in the woman’s stocking, thought it was pretty, and pocketed it. Ethical issues aside (my “You stole it???!!” got a defensive reaction – with the hindsight of 55 years she knew she shouldn’t have) it is a pretty knife. Mom is gone now, as I’m guessing is the prostitute, and the knife is one of those freaky mementos that many families have.

The point? Having grown up with a switchblade-wielding, prize-winning sharpshooter police officer for a mom is a little different, and it’s also given me some valuable perspectives. The police have a special place in my heart, and I’ve always been keenly aware of issues affecting them. One issue confronting our department here in Iowa City is a lack of staff. Our police force is badly short of officers; we have 71. Champaign, IL with a nearly identical population, has 94. Waterloo, Iowa, slightly larger than Iowa City, has 80 patrol officers. Coralville, one-thid the population of Iowa City, has 29 officers.

This isn’t good for Iowa City’s businesses and residents. Not only do we have fewer officers on the street than we need, it means there are police-sponsored programs that we simply can’t staff, such as Neighborhood Watch. If elected to the City Council I promise to do all I can to convince my fellow councilors that this is an important need and one we need to address sooner, rather than later.

On the Crisis at the Animal Shelter

Mike — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 01:52:00 +0000

My partner and I are both animal lovers. We have a small menagerie. Our cats range from the creaky, 18 year-old Mr. Higgins to six-week-old Hetty, a stray we found living in our garage a week ago. We have two dogs as well: Molly the Princess, a beautiful and astonishingly smart Australian Shepherd , and our other baby, Tank, a huge loveable German Shepherd mix. All our pets, save little Hetty the stray, were adopted from shelters. The quality they add to our lives can't be measured.

Right now our local shelter needs everyone's help. Nearly 60 dogs and an even larger number of cats need homes. Moreover, the materials needs of housing them are huge. If you want to and are able to adopt, please think about doing so now. And whether you can adopt or not, please go to www.icanimalcenter.org and review the list of what's needed. This is the time to lend a hand to these folks and these animals. Thanks.

Outdoor Seating on Ped Mall Planters?

Mike — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 01:05:00 +0000

So what about the proposed extended outdoor seating on the Ped Mall in front of (and at the behest of) The Saloon? This is on the College St. section of the Mall, just east of Clinton St. The seating would be on top of the large limestone planter in front of The Saloon and Donnelly’s Pub. It’s in the public right-of-way. Do you think it would set a precedent – will it open up the Ped Mall to private concerns? Is this is OK or not a good idea? How would you want your City Council to react to such a proposal? Is it an issue at all? I’m really curious as to what people think on this one. Thanks!

Johnson County Fair

Mike — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 02:38:00 +0000

I was at the Johnson County Fair this week, wandering around, talking to folks, and trying not to overdo on all the good fair food. Perhaps it's not the usual venue for a city kid, but I had fun. I'd suggest stopping out there if you have the chance -- it's a lot of fun and a great chance to meet people you haven't seen for a long time -- and it closes Thursday.

MW