Master Plan Survey: 38 Questions

 Where we last left off...

When  we last left our city's beloved Master Plan the year 2007 was coming to a close. Just when the Master Plan should have been picking up steam two new projects The Damone project (a Senior citizen's home now called the Woodward) and the Jonna project (A shopping center now called the Plaza)came along and stole the show.These two projects, not the Master Plan would be discussed, debated , and dominate the agenda of City Hall for the next three years.

Directions

If the Master Plan was about the directions  the residents wanted their city to take, the Projects were about the directions developers and members of city commission planned on taking.


 On May 6th 2008, oddly enough the day of the City's annual election. an unsigned letter was  sent a letter to to outgoing Mayor Patricia Hardy, incoming Mayor Michael Zambricki, , City Manager Jay Cravens and all city commissioners including  L.David Kellet, Michael MCready, retiring Dale Dawkins, and commissioner elect John Utley,  The letter was respectfully submitted by the Master Plan Task Force which included outgoing Mayor (but still commissioner Pat Hardy), and newly elected city commissioner John Utley, Planning  commissioner Virginia Fox,  Task force chairman  and Robert E Toohey, the letter's probable author of the letter.

 The letter presented  the results of survey, which perhaps on a per capita basis was one of the most elaborate and comprehensive ever taken by a municipality. Thirty eight questions on five major topics of concern were asked.  It was mailed  to 1621 households of which 430 or a whopping 27% responded. In a world where most direct mail solicitations go in the trash. a less than a ten percent return is the norm and a  15% percent return would be fantastic. The Master Plan Survey also required the recipient to fill out a two  page questionnaire and stop ands think  about  whether they strongly  agreed, agreed. strongly disagreed. or disagreed or had no opinion 38 times. For even,a well educated  moderately paced population that is a lot to ask.


The Master Plan Task force summarized the results of the survey by saying."Residents who responded favored wide open green spaces landscaped with abundant trees and bushes, large lots with low density, and a commercial area limited to it's current size."

Another Uncontested Election

The two candidates,  John Utley and  Commissioner L. David Kellet  running unopposed for two City Commission seats that same day, May 6th 2008, received  an embarrassing 12% voter turn out. It was the second straight year the city commission elections  had been uncontested. In the previous year in a three seat race   the Hardy, McCready, Zambricki, trio had produced a more respectable  34% turn out.Pat Hardy had received 704 votes and Michael McCready "winning " his first city commission  election in five attempts was second with over 621 votes.  Even third place finisher Michael Zambricki topped six hundred votes. By contrast a year later, newcomer John Utley topped sitting commissioner L.David Kellet 354 votes to 344 in the two seat race.



Hills Highlights Spring/Summer 2008. Click on to make bigger.



 

The urbane and dapper Mr. Utley. a candidate straight from central casting, was in fact sponsored by a citizens group who liked what they saw. Utley was member of the planning commission, and a member of the master plan task force. Surely he would uphold the principals of the Master Plan and support Mayor Mike Zambricki and  Mike McCready against the commercialism of the Projects. City Commissioners Kellet and Hardy (also members of the Planning Commission by virtue of  a cross over position on City Commission) had  in the Spring of 2008 fallen in a predictable vote pro project pattern. John Utley's Planning commission votes that Spring seemed much more thoughtful and balanced.

May 13th 2008. Left to right John Utley and L.David Kellet take

Oath of Office while Mayor Zambricki looks on,

The Art of Persuasion

 In an interview, 2008-2009 Mayor Pro Tem Kellet,  once told a publication he was not a politician. If true that was only partially true. Working a crowd may not have been his  forte. That Spring however he did not have to the convince the world . All he had to convince was one man, John Utley, and L. David Kellet was very good one on one.  In 2004 David Kellet lost his first race for City Commission by one  vote to two time Mayor Dale Dawkins. Dawkins and Kellet later became kindred spirits. Dawkins served as Chairman of the Planning Commission when Kellet was mayor. In 2007-2008  Kellet served  on the  Commission of Mayor Pat Hardy, who would for ever after sing his praises much to the irritation of her fellow future City commission colleagues. Who convinced who is a matter of conjecture, Maybe Pat Hardy an early supporter  of the Master Plan   convinced the other two. Maybe it was John Utlety who dazzled the other two.  Maybe it was L. David Kellet. Maybe  they all arrived at same conclusion independently.

The Master Plan Survey gets a rare mention.

 By The commission meeting of August 12th 2008  John Utley, in the eyes of his supporters who sponsored his candidacy, had gone rogue. Thus  the famous or in infamous 3 to 2 majority of Hardy, Kellet, and Utley which would rule City Hall until  May of 2010 was born.

The August 12th 2008 meeting was the first time the Master Plan was mentioned in the City Commission Meeting Minutes since the Master Plan Survey was  made public three months earlier.  The topic was "110-2008 Request for Conceptual Pud Approval  41150 .Woodward Avenue. Commissioner McCready  according to the minutes commented "that the city's zoning regulations should be upheld. He stated that the community has voiced their opinion by way of the Master Plan Survey to minimize commercial development and maintain green open space in the city." Despite such efforts Commissioners McCready and Zambricki were on the losing end of 3 to 2 vote , the first of many. Apparently Commissioners Hardy, Kellet, and Utley agreed to strongly disagree with a commercial area limited to it's current size. To Be continued.