Kathy Griswold would like your vote to represent Ann Arbor's Second Ward in City Council. This is the candidate's submission to WEMU's 2018 Soapbox Summer.
Hello, I’m Kathy Griswold running for City Council to represent Ann Arbor’s Second Ward. I’m asking for your vote on Tuesday, August 7.
Council Member Jane Lumm asked me to run and serve with her. My priority is to preserve and protect what we love about our neighborhoods -- And to focus on improving our roads, crosswalks, and basic services.
A few accomplishments that demonstrate my ability to serve:
•First, I championed a $250 million dollar bond to build Skyline High School and upgrade all school buildings. I served as an AAPS trustee from 2001-2005, where I had a reputation for listening to my constituents and getting results.
•Second, I am credited with Council lifting a 10-year moratorium on new streetlights in 2015. This stopped the practice of constructing crosswalks in the dark, such as the one on Fuller Road next to Huron HS, which resulted in a student death in 2016.
•Third, I am a seasoned advocated for pedestrian safety, including 15 years on the AAPS Transportation Safety Committee. I am a founding member of A2 Safe Transport, which successful advocated for a significant increase in funding for pedestrian infrastructure around our schools.
•Fourth, I have the experience of an elected official who knows that taxpayers should be asked for more money only when absolutely necessary and through a process that is completely transparent. I have worked against questionable tax hikes. At the same time, I support taxes that are justified such as the Skyline bond. Another example is the AAATA millage renewal that is on the August Ballot. Management set measurable goals and met them, thus earning my support for the renewal.
•Finally, I successfully advocated for a state crosswalk law. In early June, Representative Ronnie Peterson introduced a bill that will significantly improve safety for all roadway users across Michigan.
While I have been effective as a citizen advocate, I am running for Council to accelerate the improvements to our roads and basic services, introduce citizen engagement earlier in the planning process and to provide better representation to Ward 2 residents. I am proud to say the Sierra Club endorses me.
My background includes experience as a community leader, elected official and corporate director, plus an outstanding education from the University of Michigan: undergraduate in Sociology, Masters of Social Work and Masters of Business Administration.
I am now an active retired with leadership positions in the Ann Arbor Thrift Shop and Friends of the Michigan League. My husband Joe Machak and I live in the same passive solar house hat we built in the early 1980’s. We have two adult children and have had six foster children.
Please visit my website KathyGriswold.com and vote Griswold on August 7. Thank you to WEMU and its listeners.