Boy, I sure shouldn't have bought new trash cans . . .

The wheels fell off my three-year-old trash cans. So, I went to Lowe's and bought new ones. I filled one halfway up with trash, and left it out at the curb. When I got home, it was still sitting there, still half-filled with garbage. It had a DayGlo green sticker on it notifying me that I violated the Ypsilanti City Ordinance, which prohibits containers larger than 32 gallons. My new one is 50. I bought two. Which, I might add, was the apparent equivalent of tearing up $70 into little pieces and flushing them down the toilet. Curious, I looked up the City Ordinances online, and curiously, they don't say that anywhere I could find. I searched under "trash" and "garbage." I tried "receptacle" and "container." I tried "32" and "gallon." Nothing anywhere at all. What kind of city puts only some of its ordinances online? Our kind of city, that's what. Oh, well, I guess I'll email my City Councilman, and maybe he can show me where the ordinance is, or if we even have one. Or, if he has a chance to read this, maybe he'll grace my blog with the favor of a comment. I sure wouldn't want to be a lawyer violating the law and claiming that I didn't know what the law was for the silly-ass reason that nobody bothered to write it down anywhere I could find. Anyone want to buy two practically new, 50 gallon trash cans, used only once, in mint condition? I'll give you a deal. I'll even throw some trash in for free . . . UPDATE: The notice is here. UPDATE: Thanks to Mayor Schreiber for explaining that this is a guideline, and I guess then apparently not an ordinance, which would mean (thank goodness) that I won't be spending the weekend in jail. To the contrary, I exceeded the guidelines (who knew?), which are published on the City's site, and very easy to find. They aren't in the ordinances at all! All you have to do is go to the City's site at www.cityofypsilanti.com, click on City Departments, click on Public Works, click on Trash and Waste Services, and then click on Trash Service. How logical is that? I can't believe I missed it. UPDATE: Mayor Schreiber moved the Trash Guidelines to the front page of the web site. Thank you! :)

Free YSO Pops concert this Saturday in Riverside Park

The Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra, in cooperation with the Washtenaw County Parks Comm'n and Target, will hold a special, free pops concert this Saturday, May 24, at 2:00 P.M. in Riverside Park. Come join us for what will no doubt be a wonderful afternoon of music and fun. The theme is for Memorial Day, and will feature a Tribute to the Americas. Be there, or be square!

Press release: Bodary files for Ypsi City Council, Ward 2

Longtime Westside resident Michael Bodary announced today that he is running for Ypsilanti City Council as a Democrat from Ward 2. Bodary, 57, was born and raised in Ypsilanti. Bodary has a BBA degree in Management from Cleary University and has worked at the University of Michigan for 12 years in the Parking and Transportation Department. Bodary said, "I am running for Council because the city needs new leadership, new ideas, and a new voice with honesty and integrity. The City has wasted millions on Water Street. The Council spent two years on a City Income Tax that was defeated by the voters 2 to 1. Days after the election, the city announced they had a $1.3 million budget surplus. Residents have rightfully questioned the council's ability to make proper use of the city's money. Ypsilantians deserve better than that." "I will focus on rebuilding trust in the community through open government. We must preserve vital services like police and fire", said Bodary. "We have to work to keep the Pool and Senior Center open, and we have to work with our neighboring communities and Universities to make sure we keep our public buses rolling." Bodary, employed at U of M in transportation, believes he can bring a unique perspective and new thinking for regional transportation. We can no longer accept the status quo approach of pitting public transportation against public safety. We need them both to be a vibrant and growing community. Bodary has been very active in the community. A member of the U of M Parking and Transportation Department's Safety Committee, S.O.S. Community Crisis Center volunteer, past president, current treasurer Michigan Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association, retired State Director of Referee Assessment, United State Soccer Federation, volunteer, Stop the City Income Tax Initiative, and member, Measure for Measure, a men's chorus based in Ypsilanti. Michael and his wife Kathy have been very involved in historic preservation and have lovingly restored a 1949 house on Westmoorland in the Normal Park neighborhood. Michael and Kathy have been married for 35 years and they have two grown kids, Alex is an author and associate Professor of English at the University of Maine and Andy is a teacher at Woodhaven Schools but still lives in Ypsilanti. They have three grandchildren. Kathy is a successful Residential Interior Designer in her own business. Michael's father Vance Bodary retired a 25 year veteran of the Ypsilanti Police department and mother Homa taught at George Elementary and was president of the Y.E.A.

Ypsilanti Solar Project looking more and more like a go each day

My friend and neighbor, Dave Strenski, somehow managed to pull a major rabbit out of a hat with his solar energy project. Unbeknownst to many of we locals, he got both Ypsi City Hall and the Ypsi Food Co-op some major grant funding from the Michigan Public Service Commission. From the State of Michigan's web site: Ypsilanti Food Cooperative - $35,980 to install solar photovoltaic panels on the roofs of its facility and the Ypsilanti Town Hall building, and a Web site that will show real-time energy savings. The grants are part of the Low‑Income and Energy Efficiency Fund, which provides energy bill assistance for low‑income customers and promotes the efficient use of energy by all customer classes. Since this project was on life support not all that long ago, this is welcome news. I'm looking forward to seeing this get off the ground and to our town continuing to be a pioneer in the quest toward alternative and greener energy.

How my dead iPod proved that CDs are dead

Couple of weeks ago, the drive on my iPod went belly up. I tried resurrecting the data. I tried re-formatting the disk, and when that didn't work, I tried partitioning the disk to figure out which area didn't work so I could print to the part that did. After spending hours over the course of several days, I finally gave up and threw the darn thing away. I got my trusty CD cases out, put them in my car, and started listening to CDs again. Then, Death Cab for Cutie's new record came out. Since I had no iPod, yet I wanted this record very badly, I had to *gasp* actually go to the store to buy it. Today, I was on the road, so the first place I tried was a Super K-Mart in Port Huron. I parked my car. I got out. I walked into the store. I proceeded to the electronics section. I looked at the CD section. No Death Cab for Cutie anywhere. I asked the guy working there. "Who's that?" he replied. I left. Following my business in Port Huron, I had a meeting in Lansing. I stopped at a Target store just off the freeway. I parked my car. I got out. I walked in. I proceeded to the electronics section. I looked all over the CD section. They had "Plans," which was Death Cab for Cutie's last record, but not the new one. There was nobody in the vicinity to ask, so I left. As I was traveling to my next meeting in Farmington Hills, I got off the freeway in Brighton and went to Best Buy. I parked my car. I got out. I walked into the store. I proceeded to the CD section. BINGO! There was the CD. And it was on sale. So I bought it. As I was walking out of the store, it occurred to me that over the last several years, ever since getting my iPod, I haven't bought a single CD. Okay, I bought one through mail order, but only because it wasn't available for download. It was piano arrangements of Iron Maiden songs. (Yes, I do appreciate what a huge nerd that makes me.) Instead, I can, anytime I'm at home, even at 2:30 A.M. if I so choose, in a matter of minutes have pretty much any record I want, usually for 10 bucks or less. I can even sample the music before deciding whether I want to purchase. Which makes this whole going to the store and shopping thing a drag, inconvenient, and some might say, a total waste of time. Oh, and by the way, I recently downloaded the new Nine Inch Nails record for free, totally legally, off the official website. If you go there now, you still might be able to get a free copy yourself. Is it any wonder that the record companies aren't making any money selling CDs anymore? Though I'm glad I have the CD, the second I have some free cash, I'm buying myself another iPod so I never have to actually go into a store to buy music again.

Pete Murdock announces run for City Council

My friend and neighbor, Pete Murdock, announced he is running once again for City Council, Ward 3. Pete is far more experienced than anyone currently on City Council. A former 3-term Mayor of Ypsilanti and a former 4-term City Councilman, Pete hopes to use his experience to return common sense to city government. In his announcement, Pete said, "I believe I can bring the kind of experience, knowledge and common sense approach that will be of great value in guiding our community through these most difficult times." During the Stop City Income Tax campaign, of which he was a leader, Pete concluded "that a large majority of city residents feel alienated from City Government and that City Government is out of touch with them and their daily lives." Pete wants to "restore trust and confidence in our elected officials and government by listening to more voices and to be open to new ideas." I couldn't agree more. Pete also has extensive experience recycling, being a leader in the area of being "green" long before it was fashionable. Pete is married to longtime Ypsi resident and activist, Grace Sweeney. I hope you will join me in supporting Pete in his candidacy. I can't think of anyone better to represent the 3rd Ward.

Graveyard for dead ordinances receives one more

You may recall that I posted previously (as did other local bloggers) about Ypsilanti's proposed truancy ordinance. I was not in favor of the ordinance (in its current incarnation), because, among other things, I thought it was unnecessary. Yesterday, Chief of Police Matt Harshberger appeared before City Council and asked that the ordinance not be adopted because -- you guessed it -- it was unnecessary. Cases that get so far as court are referred to social services, who work with parents to resolve the violations, which is similar to what the schools (and officers) can already do without the ordinance. In Chief Harshberger's words, the ordinance represents "a pointless process." Kudos to Council and Mayor Schreiber for making the call on this one.

What's Obama gotta do?

Barack Obama beat Hillary Clinton in the popular primary vote. If you add caucus votes to that tally, Obama still beat Clinton. With regard to pledged delegates, Obama has won more. If you factor in Michigan and Florida, Obama still beat Clinton nationally in both the popular vote and the delegate tally. If you add in superdelegates, Obama is less than 200 away from clinching a clear majority. Clinton is almost 350 delegates away from that goal. Obama has 45.3% of the delegates, and Clinton has 41.5%. There are only 533 delegates left that have not committed their votes, which represents only 13% of all possible delegates. Just to tie Obama at this point, Clinton would need to get 79% of the remaining delegates, an impossibility under even the best of circumstances. Obama has more money than Clinton, and she's been forced to loan herself over $11 Million just to keep her office lights on and gas in the bus' tank. Obama's total personal net worth is just a fraction of Clinton's loans to herself, yet he has raised far more than she has. But perhaps most importantly, Obama -- a relative newcomer to the political scene that almost nobody outside of Illinois had even heard of just four short years ago -- has beaten the best known woman in the country at a game she has been playing for decades. Clinton started this race out as the "anointed" candidate, the clear frontrunner. This race was hers to lose, and lose she has. Clinton's own friends and supporters, some of whom served in her husband's cabinet and as head of the DNC during her husband's presidency have rejected her in favor of Obama. What exactly does Obama need to do before this game is called in his favor? He's already won by every single measure that we normally use to determine winners of elections. Despite this, it looks like Clinton remains hell-bent on attacking him and damaging his candidacy until she has been deprived of every last chance of stealing this election. Because that's what a Clinton win at this point would be: stealing. Were she to somehow pull off such an extraordinary feat, she will have stolen an election that at no time during this race belonged to her. It's time for Clinton to throw in the towel and gracefully accept her fate. She did a good job, and ran a competitive campaign, but the voters have spoken. They picked the other candidate. It's time to move on.

Congrats to Berman, Devaney and Jackson

The returns are in for the Ypsilanti School Board. Congratulations go out to Kira Berman, Sarah Devaney, and Edward Jackson. Kira Berman won by a landslide, with a 13 point margin over Katherine Weathers. Sarah Devaney also won by a landslide, beating incumbent Tom Reiber by an 18 point margin. Edward Jackson also beat Reiber, but by a more narrow margin, just 2 points. There is an important lesson to be learned from these returns. The Ypsilanti Education Assocation and the Ypsilanti Support Staff Association began endorsing candidates four years ago. Every year since then, the candidates they endorsed won. Both the YEA and the YSSA have made themselves the go-to organizations for school board candidates, and rightfully so. Candidates that want to represent the citizens of Ypsilanti must prove that they are willing to work with our teachers and staff, and that they support these extremely important organizations. I'd like to personally thank Kira, Sarah and Ed for running fine campaigns and winning the privilege of serving our community on our Board of Education. Congratulations!

Berman and Devaney for School Board, this Tuesday, May 6

Our school board election is this Tuesday, May 6. Two candidates stand out above the others. I endorse them both and hope that you will vote for them. Kira Berman is a natural community leader. With her years of expertise in education, her clear commitment to ensuring all of our children succeed, and a results-oriented approach to student achievement, I can't think of anyone I'd rather have represent me on the Board. She has an excellent work ethic, and is dedicated to doing everything necessary to narrow the achievement gap. She will also work to ensure our ever-diminishing educational resources are used equitably for all students. Kira is endorsed by the Ypsilanti Education Association, the Ypsilanti Support Staff Association, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 252, as well as many community leaders and supporters of education. Sarah Devaney was previously appointed to the Board of Education, and has served for a year. Over that period of time, she has proven herself to be a team player, consensus builder, and advocate for our children. She does her homework and comes to meetings prepared to make wise, forward-thinking decisions. Sarah is results-oriented. She exhibits precisely the kind of commitment our community needs in a School Board Trustee. With her connections to the WISD, her personal stake in the success of our public schools, and her expertise in education, I can't think of anyone more qualified to represent our community on the Ypsilanti Board of Education. Sarah is also endorsed by the Ypsilanti Education Association, the Ypsilanti Support Staff Association, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 252, as well as many community leaders and supporters of education.