POW! Picks Stew Nelson to Pilot 2nd Ward
When encountering Stewart Nelson on the campaign trail one is struck by the earnestness with which he is pursuing election in the Second Ward. More than any candidate running for council this year, Stew is committed to involving people and constituencies into the local political process. While he will most likely be in the moderate mainstream of his Second Ward district, POW! has been impressed with his desire to include a diverse set of voices in our political process in Ann Arbor.
Stew set out to speak with 100 diverse leaders within our community as part of his campaign. He not only succeeded in meeting this goal, but indeed surpassed it. Stew hands out cards with his personal cell phone number as a demonstration of his commitment to accessibility.
For many years Stewart Nelson was an airplane pilot. Its clear that this experience prepared to take on whatever tasks he will face as our Second Ward representative. We are especially impressed with Stew’s ability to effectively communicate his disagreements with the current council and City Administrator Roger Fraser. We need a Second Ward representative willing and able to work for change even when the mayor and prevailing council majority resists. Stew has the intellect and the courage to successfully lead on issues as diverse as implementing open government, tax fairness, efficiencies in the provision of governmental services, green initiatives and arts funding.
Many in the Second Ward were quite upset when the city administrator and others sandbagged the community with a secret plan to sell the Huron Hills Golf Course to developers. One of the common complaints when this issue first came to the public’s attention concerned the lack of communication between council representatives and citizens affected by the proposed development of the golf course. Also, the lack of care, concern and connection the community experienced with their council representatives was clearly apparent. POW! feels strongly that these connections between councilmembers and citizens must be established throughout our community. Stewart Nelson will develop these connections in the Second Ward. That’s why POW! believes Stewart Nelson deserves the votes of Second Ward citizens in the Democratic Primary August 5.
(You can find Tim Colenback at Knight’s Steakhouse when he’s not leading the revolution that will not be televised.)