Note: Incumbent Marcia Higgins was invited to participate in this interview, but neither she nor her campaign manager, Leah Gunn, responded to repeated efforts to contact them.
Da’ud (David) in Arabic means “beloved.” Whether Fourth Ward challenger Independent candidate Hatim Elhady, Da’ud, can take down the Fourth Ward’s five-term Goliath, Marcia Higgins, is a battle that many are watching very closely. A loss for Higgins, on the heels of the ouster of Third Ward power-broker Leigh Greden, would change the dynamics of power on Ann Arbor’s City Council. A look at Higgins’s web site, and one notices that, unlike her soon-to-be ex-Council colleague Greden, who ran a campaign on his endorsements—both from Council colleagues, including Marcia Higgins, as well as U.S. Representative John Dingell—Marcia Higgins has just eight endorsements on her web site after a decade in office.
One is from her campaign manager County Commissioner Leah Gunn. Gunn supported and endorsed Leigh Greden, as well. Obviously the city’s Mayor Pro Tem couldn’t convince her skittish Council colleagues to openly support her; several did, however, contribute to her campaign. The Council majority group was badly shaken by Greden’s loss in conjunction with Fifth Ward incumbent Mike Anglin’s August primary win with 65 percent of the vote egainst Scott Rosencrans (also endorsed by Leah Gunn).
Fourth Ward City Council Challenger Hatim Elhady was born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan to parents who’d emigrated from Yemen. They’d come to the United States to provide economic and educational opportunities for their children. His father encouraged Elhady to contribute through leadership and political activism as a way to express appreciation for the opportunities the United States had provided.
Hatim attended the University of Michigan, and graduated with dual degrees in Economics and Near Eastern History. During his time at the university, he served on the Executive Board of the Multicultural Council at Bursley Hall. He became a PULSE (Peer Utilizing Leadership and Student Experience) health adviser in South Quad, and acted as Chair of the Minority Affairs Commission (MAC) in the Michigan Student Assembly, and as Vice-President of Marketing for the University Activities Center. He also assisted in admissions recruiting for the University of Michigan.
During his senior year, Hatim Elhady served his country on an international level. He was awarded an internship with the U.S. State Department in Frankfurt, Germany. He is bilingual in Arabic and English. In Germany, he worked on U.S.-funded community projects, co-authored a speech for the Chief Political/Economics officer, and compiled weekly briefings on the German economy for transmission to Washington. Because of the political sensitivity of this assignment, he obtained a Secret Level Clearance from the U.S. Government.
He is the first Muslim to run for Ann Arbor City Council and, if elected, will be the first student to serve on City Council in nearly three decades. Elhady knows he faces a challenge in unseating a five-term incumbent, but has garnered impressive support from long-time Fourth Ward activists, such as Larry Horvath of the Georgetown Neighborhood Association, as well as Jack Eaton, President of the Friends of Dicken Woods. Eaton and Horvath are Democrats. Elhady landed an endorsement from Fifth Ward Democratic incumbent Council member Mike Anglin. First Ward Council member and Democrat Sabra Briere has been helping Elhady with his campaign, and her photo appears on his web site. A drive past the Fourth Ward house of Dicken Elementary School principal Michael Madison, and one spies “Elhady for Council” signs on the lawn. It has been said that, in past, Madison has been notoriously reticent to take sides in his Ward’s Council races.
Former Ann Arbor City Democratic Party Chair Tim Colenback was quoted on AnnArbor.com as saying that the defeat of three-term incumbent Leigh Greden was the “biggest political upset in Ann Arbor in 30 years.” Should Hatim Elhady manage to defeat incumbent Marcia Higgins, he will make history not only in defeating a five-term incumbent, but in many other ways, as well.
Question 1. There is a good-sized Jewish population in Ann Arbor, and for many years there was one Jew on City Council, Second Ward’s Joan Lowenstein. Over the past half a dozen years, Ann Arbor has become home to a sizable Muslim population (large enough to support a mosque, clergy, and a Muslim day school), do you see your candidacy in some way as representing this demographic shift in Ann Arbor’s population? Do you think you’ll be seen as the token “minority,” as were Joan Lowenstein, and Fifth Ward’s ex-Council member Wendy Woods, by some?
HE: Unfortunately this simple question has become a serious concern to some people in our wonderful city, which is ridiculous. But the simple truth is that I view my candidacy as real representation with integrity for all Fourth Ward and Ann Arbor residents regardless of religion, race, occupation, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, sex, or national origin. I honestly do not know if I will be seen as such, but if the voters speak out and elect me, I would know for a fact they will see me as their candidate who listens and responds to them, and provides them with a fresh perspective and practical solutions.
Question 2. Marcia Higgins is a five-term incumbent and you are a relatively inexperienced candidate. Why should Ward Four voters go with inexperience over experience? Why do they need a new City Council member?
HE: This is true. The incumbent is more experienced, but how is that experience an advantage when passion and commitment are lacking? It is not an advantage, and in fact, when an experienced official lacks dedication, it can do more harm than good. Over my years studying at U of M, as an elected member of the Michigan Student Assembly (U of M Student Gov’t), holding executive positions in student orgs., along with my internships, I have learned to be a committed, responsible, representative. I know exactly what it means to “learn as I go.”
In essence, I am experienced; I have experience being committed, doing my homework, dedicating myself to the goals I have set for myself, and fulfilling the tasks of a responsive representative. The Fourth Ward needs a new council member who listens to them, gets them involved in issues they are interested in by creating much needed transparency. They need a council member who makes decisions on behalf of the Fourth Ward neighborhoods, and a new council member who knows to make it a priority to fund necessities (roads and bridges) over luxuries (new courts building).
Question 3. You are running as an Independent, but have garnered endorsements from Democrats (the incumbent is a Democrat). Granted, some of the endorsements have come from Fourth Ward activists who have been vocal in their criticism of Council member Higgins. So, is their support of your candidacy about you, or is the support meant as a sharp stick in the eye to Higgins, with whom they have had public political dust-ups?
HE: That is the beauty of the democracy. If you are an elected public official who doesn’t satisfy your duties to your constituents, they support and vote for someone else who can. To my supporters I am that “someone else” who, if elected, has chosen to serve all Fourth Ward residents, and represent them to the best of my ability with honor and integrity.
Question 4. Speaking of honor and integrity, you’re running on a platform of bringing integrity back to City Council, as did newly elected Third Ward council member Steve Kunselman. This summer, we learned that there is a group on Council (that included Marcia Higgins) who rigged votes together, scripted debates and used email to deliberate privately in the middle of public meetings. Do you think her participation in the email scandal is reason enough for Marcia Higgins to be voted out of office (as Ward Three voters polled by an AnnArbor.com reporter indicated that it was reason enough to vote incumbent Leigh Greden out of office)?
HE: Before every council member took office, they took an oath. In that oath, they swore to serve with integrity and honor, and to faithfully discharge their duties as a council member. It is the moral obligation of our council members to live up to that responsibility and live up to the oath of office. If they do not, then it is up to us to vote them out of office.
Question 5. Whose work do you admire on Council, and why?
HE: [I adire the work of Fifth Ward council member] Mike Anglin, and here are a few reasons. First, he listens to the neighborhoods and his constituents; he takes action and makes decisions on behalf of his Ward, and has no problem sponsoring resolutions that the rest of council refuse to support [such as the resolution to release six years of secret Council emails to each other sent during open meetings], because he believes a good council member is not on council for personal gain, but instead for the gain of the residents of his Ward and Ann Arbor.
Question 6. Why shouldn’t voters see Hatim Elhady as the “student’s candidate?” What does your candidacy, (what ideas do you offer) Fourth Ward residents who are not students?
An honorable council member and candidate who will not take sides in the Fourth Ward. An honorable council member and candidate who will be a representative of all residents in the Ward regardless of religion, color, occupation, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, sex, or national origin. I view myself as the candidate who will work on behalf of for ALL the Ward and Ann Arbor.
Question 7. What do you see as the three most pressing challenges you will face if elected to Council in November?
HE: Fiscal prioritization to ensure we can provide on-time quality city services, such as snow plowing and garbage pick-up ,while implementing important city projects such as rebuilding our infrastructure and restoring [rebuilding] our emergency services.
The second is working with other City Council members amicably to solve issues in Ann Arbor, such as the proposed area, height, and placement rezoning, in a way that is beneficial to Fourth Ward neighborhoods.
The third is finding conducive non-conflicting solutions to issues where all my cons (renters, homeowners, students, retirees, families and individuals) can be heard, be happy and satisfied.
Popularity: 16% [?]
feed://www.a2politico.com/?feed=rss2
My main issue with Mr. Elhady is that I see no reason to vote FOR him. I understand the vote against Higgins position. But as this Q&A demonstrates (along with his very late to come together website and council meeting appearances), Mr. Elhady seems to have very shallow views and positions. There’s no evidence of deep consideration, sophistication or even fact-finding in his responses. I’m also troubled by the fact that he didn’t bother to run in the Democratic primary but espouses supposedly progressive positions (btw Argo Dam In is not a progressive position… it is an apolitical issue). Nothing this young man has done has suggested to me he will do the diligent and hard work required to serve on council. The common wisdom in A2 is that the primary is the election… and he couldn’t get it together to run. With Eugene Kang that was never an issue. His care, consideration and efforts were evident and I think it was a damn shame he lost. Choosing to side with a particular party line philosophy (Ie. invoking Mike Anglin’s POV) is the lazy man’s approach to politics. I have no idea who Elhady is or how he arrives at his decisions. Ethically, I couldn’t support him.
Comment by BB9 — October 21, 2009 @ 1:04 pm
The Michigan Daily City Council endorsements came out and the Daily picked Elhady. http://www.michigandaily.com/content/daily-vote-elhady-briere
Comment by Robert Smith — November 2, 2009 @ 10:43 am
The performance of an elected official is reason enough to support another candidate, if that’s what the performance warrants. It’s enough for a challenger to not-be a badly-performing incumbent. That’s how we keep incumbents honest and responsive, by throwing the bums out every ten years or so….
If you are looking for “deep consideration”, “sophistication”, or “fact-finding”, I’m not sure that I would start my search at the corner of 5th and Huron.
The real election is supposed to be the general, in November. The primary is the defacto election only if no one else runs – it is never supposed to be – is not designed to be – the general election. Few people vote in August, and results can be based on the length of a candidate’s Christmas card list (i.e., the size of his social network – I appreciate Mr. Elhady’s Muslim faith). Kudos to Elhady for not playing the insiders’ game, but being on the ballot when it really counts: November.
Mr. Elhady did not endorse any particular view of Councilman Anglin. He simply admired the way that Mike actually represents his constituents, and that he shows more concern for his constituents and the public good, than he does for the tender and easily bruised feelings (egos?) of other council members. There are people in this town who do, indeed, find this to be a “party line”, rather than a job description for “Elected Representative”.
We need a second political party in Ann Arbor, but until we have one, Independents are a great interim solution.
Comment by John Floyd — November 2, 2009 @ 7:58 pm
John, have you considered that maybe it’s the nature of political parties (or membership in such) that might be behind the “need” you referenced? I briefly helped build a party and later decided that I’m more interested in building community. Taking that step was a good fit for my personal integrity and I haven’t found any compelling reason to reconsider ever since.
Comment by SBean — November 3, 2009 @ 1:09 pm
Mr. Bean,
You and George Washington felt the same way: that factions were an unhealthy vice, to be avoided by the polity at all costs, because they corroded the sense of community generated by the Revolution. Eventually, however, Washington lost that battle.
I agree with you, most institutions are concerned with their own survival first, last and foremost. Political parties are like other institutions in that way (unless, of course, the party insists on ideological purity, which in the end drives people away, to the detriment of the institution).
I also agree with you that Community – genuine, regular connection with other human beings – is both a means to reach goals, and the best end in itself. Mere partisanship is, at least on its face, only a means to an end, with no inherent value.
It is also my sense that it is hard to have community (regular, genuine connection) in a “community” (town) of more than a few thousand (as I recall, Plato claimed that 10,000 was the max). When your polity is too big for most people to know eachother, political parties perform important social functions that likely would not be done without them: fostering debate and discussion of public matters by offering people competing, coherent ways of viewing them.
Right today, we make public decisions not by holding Quaker consensus-meetings of 70,000 people, but via elections. At present, our elections are organized on a partisan basis. I could support a move to non-partisan elections, with the top-two vote-getters running off in November. Our current system, holding contested elections in the guise of an August primary and then running uncontested, meaningless elections in the Fall, strikes me as the worst of all worlds. It ain’t community, it avoids public discussion, and it disenfranchises most voters. As long as we make decisions via elections, and our elections are organized on a partisan basis, I submit that we need more than one party if we are to have genuine public discussion, debate, and democracy in Ann Arbor. These are the reasons that I part company with you over whether or not we need two parties.
I respect that party-building isn’t your thing. Parties are flawed, partisanship can be distasteful, and community-building is more rewarding. I just think that we really do need them.
Comment by John Floyd — November 4, 2009 @ 12:39 am
John, thanks for the reply. I just said that I’m more interested in community building–those other words are George’s and/or yours–but I suspect that the three of us do have much in agreement. I encourage you to investigate the benefits of IRV with regard to its potential for softening the hard edges of partisan politics.
Comment by SBean — November 4, 2009 @ 9:29 am