“As an elected official, there is an obligation to provide a voice for and opportunities for those who do not have resources or means.”

Here comes the election and voters are eager to learn more about the three candidates vying for three available seats on Dexter’s City Council. To shed light on their plans for the city’s future, The Sun Times News asked each candidate several questions related to key local issues such as development, communications and transparency, and leadership qualities. Candidate responses to the first two questions are below.  Responses to additional questions will be published next week. Write-in candidate Ray Tell did not respond to the STN questionnaire.

Q: The council has recently discussed developments like the Pelham Condominiums project and the Dexter Flats attainable housing efforts. What is your stance on balancing new, high-end developments with the need for diverse options and attainable housing in Dexter?   

Wa-Louisa Hubbard
In my perfect vision of our community, we have a diverse stock of housing types that welcomes a variety of people to live in Dexter. My stance on that hasn’t changed since first running for Council in 2020. As someone who has known this town before, during and after its development boom in the early 2000s, I know we’ve gone through a lot of changes in housing availability and pricing. Right now, we have an abundance of single-family homes that cater to higher income couples and families and fewer that provide opportunities to those with middle and lower incomes. 

What I have unfortunately learned in my first 4 years in office is that a solution to this challenge is mostly out of city government’s hands. Dexter has very little vacant land, and 99% of what is vacant is owned by private citizens. Take the high-end Pelham development, If a private land owner comes to us with a plan such as this that meets all of our zoning requirements, there is little Council can do to completely change a project into, say, a park or into more attainable housing. 

As much as I, personally, would like to see something different there that provides either more housing opportunities to residents from different economic backgrounds or a project that would be open and usable by everyone in the community, Council does not and cannot control the proposals that come to the table. Related to this issue, the one thing we do have more of a say in as a council is whether or not to work with surrounding townships on possible annexation of land. For me, those discussions are a low priority with my preference being to focus on what is already within our city borders. 

Zach Michels
Housing has always been an interest to me. My mom had to fight with FHA to get the house I grew up in because they didn’t think a single mother could or should be able to support the demands of homeownership.  That stable foundation was important for her career and our education and growth. I have been formally involved in housing, from the urban planning side, since 1999.

Within a year of first getting on council, I started flapping my arms that we needed to get serious about how we would encourage housing. That didn’t get any traction until the Dexter Community Schools shared that it was becoming difficult to attract and retain teachers because they couldn’t afford to live in the community. When I look up and down my block, I don’t think any of us could purchase our homes today (at market value). Most Dexter children won’t be able to have their own place here until they are in their 40s.

My observations and experience is that those with the resources and means will be able to take care of themselves. As an elected official, there is an obligation to provide a voice for and opportunities for those who do not have resources or means.

Scio Township and Ann Arbor have been pushing for and requiring some attainable or affordable housing with new planned developments. It is something that we should absolutely be doing. In the short term, it can be done through the review process, in the longer term, it can be included in ordinance amendments.

Q: Citizens often attend council meetings to comment on agenda items but leave frustrated when they feel their comments did not impact the final vote. Many participants are unaware that the most substantial discussions happen much earlier in the council’s process than the final meeting where a vote takes place. How do you plan to enhance transparency and increase community participation in long-term decision-making processes, particularly regarding the city’s projects, developments, and services? 

Zach Michels
Public engagement and transparency are engrained into folks who go through urban planning school from the very start. It is important to understand the different desires and dreams of community members in order to shape and craft policy. Residents need to have faith that their government is acting openly, that decisions aren’t being made with influence or in the back of a tavern late at night by a select few.  

I have heard from a lot of people who are absolutely frustrated and have completely disengaged. Clearly, there are many opportunities to improve in these areas.

As a firmly placed minority in council, it is difficult to see a path that would allow me to have a significant impact in the policy making space in this area. In the past, I have advocated for a clear email use and retention policy that would require elected officials to only use Dexter city email (not their personal or work email) for city business; I have advocated for providing Dexter city email for all appointed officials.

Personally, I have taken the time to talk and meet with folks who want to talk to me about anything related to City activities or decisions, especially folks who disagree with some vote I have taken or a position I have. I LOVE this type of communication. It is the best way to learn different perspectives. It provides me an opportunity to find opportunities to suggest revisions to serve more residents and more perspectives. I use Dexter city email for official city business.

If I had a magic wand, I would love for council to adopt an email use policy, for all appointed officials to have a city issued email, for the city to adopt a public participation plan (as recommended by MEDC’s Redevelopment Ready Community program).

Wa-Louisa Hubbard
This is a very important, yet tough, question. Right now, the city already does more than required by law with regard to posting information about not only upcoming City Council meetings but also ALL meetings of boards and commissions. Any meeting where there will be more than 3 members of any given group in attendance is already posted and open to the public. 

The challenge with civic engagement is not an issue of transparency but an issue of time and the rapid changes in communication patterns the world has experienced in the last 30 or so years. In the past 4 years I have primarily seen two schools of thought on how to get information to the public in a timely manner: electronically via social media and emails and in person or over the phone. My preference is the latter for several reasons. 

One, this is a small community of under 5000 people. With a population that size, word of mouth is still a very real and very effective way to spread information. What I have always done, and will continue to do, is get out and talk to my neighbors when I’m out walking, attend as many community events and festivals as I possibly can and ask people what’s on their minds, call residents I know are interested in a particular issue when first comes to a board or commission (well before it comes to Council if it makes it there at all). 

It is often said that Dexter is a wonderful community, and we have a track record of coming together to help each other when help is needed, whether the need be big or small. Yes, electronic communication can bring people together, but I will always prioritize talking one-on-one as it builds more real and lasting relationships, and it allows for an honest back and forth conversation where resident’s questions can get answered in real time with more depth. By relying strictly on electronic communication, I have seen residents end up missing vital parts of past discussions on issues and leaving conversations without a full understanding of how we got to where we are. To me, this is a dangerous practice that leads to misinformation and division, which is a shame in a community where that has not always been the norm.