About 20 people listened to two of the four candidates running for three Chelsea City Council seats answer questions at the Chelsea Area Chamber of Commerce candidate forum Wednesday night.
The City Council election takes place Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Incumbent Frank Hammer had to miss the forum because he is the chairman of the Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority (WWRA), which had a budget meeting scheduled that night, and Tony Iannelli was out of the state for business so he was not able to attend, either.
However, both provided written opening statements and answered two questions posed to all of the candidates.
Candidate Peter Feeney and incumbent Jane Pacheco were able to attend the forum that was held on Oct. 28, in the Council Chambers of the Municipal Building.
Feeney, 56, said he’s lived in Chelsea since he was 13 years old, was a former member of the city’s Planning Commission, the United Way Board, and is currently a member of the Chelsea Community Foundation Board and the Purple Rose Theatre Board as well as having an active involvement with the Huron Waterloo Pathways Initiative.
“There are literally thousands of places to volunteer and be leaders in this community and I look forward to contributing (even more),” Feeney said.
Hammer, 70, said in his written statement, he’d been on the City (and village) Council for 23 years, has been chairman of the WWRA board for 10 years and has served on the Senior Citizens board for six years.
Hammer said, “My opinion has always been that each citizen in each community has an obligation to give back via some form of community service,” he wrote, adding, “My involvement with the community has been very satisfying and fulfilling in multiple ways. I am running again because I would like to serve for another four years as I am sure there is more to be done to improve the community of Chelsea. I hope that I can garner sufficient public support to fulfill that goal.”
Iannelli, 45, said in his written statement that he’s lived in Chelsea for 20 years. He said he chose to move from Ann Arbor to Chelsea because of “the friendliness of strangers that would greet you as you walked down the street, the courtesy that was shown when you visited one of the local businesses, the kindness and trustworthiness of your neighbors, these were things that I thought were from an Americana past that only existed in story books from when I was a kid.”
He and his wife, Dawn and two step-children, have lived in Chelsea since 1995.
“This summer I was notified that there were vacancies coming up on the City Council and it was not looking like anyone was stepping in to fill them. I felt this was the opportunity for me to give back something to the community that I have learned to love that has given me so much to be thankful for. I hope that my becoming a Council Member allows me to help the community continue to grow and thrive, while still maintaining its unique charm and personality that drew me here over 20 years ago,” he wrote.
Pacheco, 42, said she was first elected to City Council in 2013. She grew up in Chelsea, went to school in the city’s schools, and attended University of Michigan for her undergrad years. She said she moved away and returned in 2003, and she and her husband have two children. Since she’s come back to Chelsea, she was a founding member of Lunasa, an online healthy food source, and was a founding member of the Yellow Door, which has raised funds for numerous organizations. She volunteers with the Go Getters 4-H Club, the Chelsea First United Methodist Church and currently works for the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice.
Pacheco said when she ran for City Council the first time, she said she’d ask a lot of questions to learn more about city government operations and make the process more transparent to residents, and that’s what she’s done.
“I’m still asking a lot of questions and I’m still learning,” she said.
One of the two questions the candidates were asked was about the importance of the I-94/M-52 entrance to the city. All agreed that it was a gateway to Chelsea and that the south end of town was just as important as the north end and the downtown area.
Feeney said Southtown, as it’s called, was an area that the Planning Commission “took on” and made it a gateway. He said he’d like to see the power lines in the area buried and folks shouldn’t be surprised if a round-about appears there. He said that the area between I-94 and Old US-12 is a significant part of the growth of Chelsea.
Hammer said that with the new sidewalks that connect the downtown with southtown “we have added another positive step in bringing the gateway and downtown together.” He said, “The southern portion of the Chelsea business district is important to the image of Chelsea, not only in service and value provided but also with regard to the visual impression they leave.”
He hoped that “the businesses of the southern corridor start working with the DDA as well as the businesses in the north corridor.”
Iannelli said, “As the main gateway to our city from I-94, the southtown area may be the only part of Chelsea that many highway travelers see and therefore will be the only part that makes an impression on them. While distinctly different from our downtown, this area still offers an opportunity fr our city to stand out among other nearby towns off the highway. … This area plays a significant role in our business community’s growth, as it applies equally to Chelsea residents as well as non-residents.”
Pacheco said, “Planning for this area is the key,” and that the city was currently updating its Master Plan, developing an economic development plan and “we are fortunate to live in a community with planned growth.” She said there is a lot of data gathering currently taking place and that all “stakeholders” will have an opportunity to be part of the planning process.
Both candidates in attendance said they were in favor of a community center for the city when asked about this initiative. In addition, both agreed that they want to help build an even stronger Chelsea community by building relationships with the surrounding townships.
It’s expected that a video of the forum will be available on the city’s website.
City residents are reminded to cast their vote on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at the Washington Street Education Building. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
