DeHaye For Huntsville Blog

Returning soon

2004-12-08T11:45:00.000-06:00

I have been delinquent lately but will be returning shortly.

Playing Hockey With No Air

2004-10-22T13:46:00.000-05:00

Last weekend while playing hockey, I felt worse than I ever have while playing hockey. I felt extremely tired, out of breath, and slightly nauseous. Many other players felt the same way. One player on our team had to leave the game because he felt so bad.

Well, it turns out the Zamboni was malfunctioning and releasing excessive amounts of carbon monoxide. Someone emailed the manager and asked if anything was wrong. Here was her reply:

Thanks for the information. I wasn't called last night or I could have gotten the doors open a lot sooner for you guys. We had a clogged filter line on the Zamboni which caused all the problems. I apologize for any inconvenience and have taken care of the problem and the training of the employees for the future.
Thanks again,
Marie

Let's hope the problem is fixed. I don't want to die from playing hockey.

The Big Screw You at Big Spring Park

2004-10-22T13:20:00.002-05:00

Why can't we stop this Summit project? I don't think I have heard of one person other than Loretta Spencer and her business cronies that supports this project. I love some of Triad Properties descriptions of the project. "Providing unique and spectacular views of Big Spring Park, the building has been designed by Fuqua Osborn Architects to create a visually rich impression of understatement, quality and stature." Unique and spectacular views for the people in the building NOT for the people in the park.

Look at your own picture of the building, Fuqua and Osborn. Do you really believe that this building creates a "rich" impression and is understated? It is a giant monstrosity. Just because you try to sell the project by describing it as the exact opposite of what it really is does not make it so. Fuqua and Osborn, you are hacks, architectural hacks. What really disappoints me is that your firm is actually based here in Huntsville. You have sold out your city and sold out the park.

I love this one too, "Visual Enhancement - Elegant design provides visual appeal to park visitors by replacing a portion of the concrete parking structure." Now while I agree the parking garage is and has long been an eye sore, replacing it with piece of garbage isn't going to make it any better. I don't go to the park to look at the "elegant" buildings; I go to enjoy the park.

Marian Accardi writes about how the building is starting to fill up with businesses. She quotes Loretta as saying "the park is going to grow. We continue to stress that." Clearly Loretta only considers the park to be a business opportunity, not as something which should be preserved and cherished.

We really need to stop this if it is at all possible. I think that maybe this warrants protests at the construction site. At the very least, email Loretta and the city council members to tell them to do whatever they have to do to stop this project.

Loretta: lspencer@ci.huntsville.al.us

Councilman Showers: richard.showers@hsvcity.com

Councilman Russell: Mark.Russell@hsvcity.com

Councilman Moon: Sandra.Moon@hsvcity.com

Councilman Kling: Bill.Kling@hsvcity.com

Councilman Watson: GLENN.WATSON@hsvcity.com

Living in a Fat State

2004-10-21T16:43:00.000-05:00

Something for us to be proud of: Alabama is now the fatest state in the union. At least we are first in something. Who needs an education anyway? I'll have fries and a shake with that burger, please.

A new study shows that 28.4% of adults are obese in Alabama, which is a higher percentage than any other state. I often refer to myself as a disgusting fat body, but now I know that, at least, I am amoungst friends.

Seriously though, this is a problem and is typical for a state like Alabama, which is relatively poor and backward. For more on the fast food culture which makes us fat, please read Fast Food Nation and watch Supersize Me.

Let the Sprawl Sprawl

2004-10-21T15:34:00.000-05:00

Even John Peck sounds worn out from the continuing sprawl happening here in Huntsville:

It's become an all-too familiar scene in city planning meetings: Plans are reviewed for yet another sprawling subdivision for west Huntsville. And talk resurfaces about traffic, school overcrowding and other growth concerns. Wednesday was no different as a city planning subcommittee reviewed plans for a 1,027-home development south of Martin Road and west of Zierdt Road near Williams School.
The proposed "Lake Forest'' subdivision would be a mixture of patio homes, own houses and single-family dwellings. Developer Louis Breland said prices will probably range from the upper $300,000s to around $700,000 for larger homes; $240,000 to $325,000 for the smaller ones. Construction startup hinges on approval by the full planning commission, possibly within a month or two.
Breland said Lake Forest will be "an upscale, private, gated community,''complete with walking trails, a 31-acre lake, basketball and tennis courts, soccer fields and an 8,000-square-foot clubhouse. "It will be a mixture that should attract retirees, executives and families,'' he said.

Just what we need: another development. An "upscale, private, gated community" no less. Heaven forbid that any poor people might dare to drive through your neighborhood. That's a really dangerous area out there, you know.

What a joke. This is just typical. Another giant development, designed for a priveledged group of people, which not only tries to segregate itself from other people, but puts up gates to keep them out. They want to make sure no inner city kid can ever come use their precious soccer fields.

I think that these communities are inherently designed to propogate the divisions which we see in society today. They promote a culture in which the rich should be seperated from the poor; and I will also suggest that this kind of seperation often translates into racial segregation. But don't misunderstand me; I am not being a socialist. I am not saying we should redistribute wealth or anything. Nothing of the kind. But it seems like if we segregate ourselves along these lines, then we will create small homogenous pockets of culture where everyone in our neighborhood is basically just like us.

And it is that lack of diversity which disturbs me. I think the lack of understanding of people other than ourselves promotes apathy towards the less fortunate or even anyone different than us. How often is it that the guy that hates blacks or gays is the exact same guy that has no black friends or has never even met a gay person? Diversity is a strength; and the current way we develop our communites typically does the exact opposite of promoting diversity. Ultimately these development methods will make our society weaker and even more divided.

If Loretta had any guts, she would appoint me to this board so that I could fight tooth and nail against proposals like this.

GO SOX!!!

2004-10-21T14:53:00.000-05:00

So what if it has nothing to do with local politics. Go Sox! There is nothing sweeter than watching the New York Yankees loose, and there is really nothing sweeter than watching them loose after they had a 3-0 game lead in the series against Boston. I hope Derek Jeter is crying right now. Cry, Jeter, cry! This is the year the Bo Sox win it all.

Patriot Act in Huntsville

2004-10-20T17:03:00.000-05:00

It is about time people started discussing the Patriot Act here in Huntsville. To me it is obvious that the Patriot Act infringes on our basic constitutional rights and in a way which is not necessary to protect our security. The Patriot Act doesn't necessarily have to be overturned, but it needs to be revisited. This concept is, of course, far to complicated for many politicians to comprehend. It is easier for them to say "you are either for us or against us" and that daring to even question the Patriot Act is tantamount to being unpatriotic. After all, it is called the "Patriot Act"; that must mean that it is patriotic.

This view is, of course, imbecilic. When I ran for mayor, I strongly considered bringing up the idea that Huntsville should pass a resolution which opposes the portions of the Patriot Act which infringe on our constitutional rights. For many this might at first sound absurd. But over 300 communities and over 40 states have passed such resolutions. Here is a list of the communities.

But I must admit that I was too afraid top bring it up. I knew that it wouldn't go over well, and that it would not seem germane to the local mayoral race. But in retrospect I wish that I had. It would have been perfect to bring up at the mayoral forum at the public library, because the American Library Association is one of the biggest protagonists against the Patriot Act. I swear, if something pisses off a bunch of librarians this much then it must be wrong.

More on Spencer's Sly Appointment

2004-10-20T15:57:00.000-05:00

John Ehinger has an editorial today about Mayor Spencer's quick and fast appointment of an acting poilice chief. In large measure I agree with him. Of course, Spencer doesn't have to notify the city council about the appointment, but the fact that she didn't is indicative of how she does not work well with the council. Ehinger points this out, but I would emphasize this point more strongly.

A leader does not lead by just doing whatever he/she wants. A leader leads by persuading others to follow them, or even by listening to others and working to form a concensus about the direction which needs to be taken. The thing is that this was one of the primary complaints about Spencer during the election season, that she seldom worked or listened to other people, and it appears that not much will be different this time around.

I basically disagree with Ehinger that the council should have acted differently. There are not always two sides to a coin. Spencer acted with disregard toward the council, and some of the council members rightly pointed out that she had done so. If people do not speak out when our elected officials do something wrong, then those elected officials can get away with whatever they want. I think that Spencer should have at least thrown out Reynolds name before appointing him to see if there were any strong disaggreements within the council or the general public. I don't know anything about Reynolds, good or bad, but that is the point. The people should know who he is before the mayor appoints him as acting chief. That is the least we should expect from our mayor.

Further Destruction of Jones Valley?

2004-10-19T13:55:00.000-05:00

Let's face it. Jones Valley is pretty much already ruined. It has become a true suburban nightmare of turning a beautiful pastoral area into a commercial hell. Now it may be getting worse. John Peck reports that "Throngs of south Huntsville residents jammed City Hall on Thursday night over a controversial rezoning one critic warned would turn scenic Jones Valley into "Condo Valley."" The controversy here is that the rezoning paves the way for a Georgia company to develop another large condo complex geared toward south Huntsville's "aging population."

When I was a kid I had a paper route that went along this portion of Four Mile Post and it is so sad to see it developed to death. To me this is a good example of the local government caving to the interests of the developers rather than protecting the interests of the particular neighborhood. Interestingly though, it sounds like the neighborhood is only upset that the development is too concentrated; that it is condos instead of houses. In my opinion, more concentrated housing within the city is what we need to strive toward rather than just building new spread out developments on the edge of town. But I have almost no faith that these developers will create a complex which is asthetically pleasing or geared much toward the needs of the residents. I suspect that their only incentive is too make more money by shoving more people into the same space. Every building will most likely look identical to all the other buildings; modern development is so impersonal.

Not to mention the fact that this raises the question of what are we doing with our elderly? Why are we segregating them from the rest of society? Why does there need to be a condo complex specifically geared toward the aging population? Probably because the developers can charge more for it; a higher profit margin.

But maybe I am wrong. Here are a couple thoughts from The Pattern Language:

40 Old People Everywhere

155 Old Age Cottage

Five Points Improvement Project

2004-10-19T13:37:00.000-05:00

The city council approved a measure to go ahead with the Five Points Improvement Project. The Times article only says that the "plans call for landscaped sidewalks and benches, lantern-style streetlights, a more narrow, pedestrian-friendly Pratt Avenue embedded with replica trolley rails, and other improvements." Also, parts of the original Auburn study have been scraped, such as the controversial closing off of Holmes Ave. at Andrew Jackson. That is a good thing, but I hope that the rest of the changes are well thought out. I am currently trying to get an electronic copy of the plan to post here. Although, now that the resolution is passed it may be too late to do much about it even if there are some stupid changes planned. Nevertheless, we Five Points residents have to keep our city government honest. So if there are things we don't like, we need to raise hell about it and raise it quick.

Loretta Chooses a New Acting Police Chief

2004-10-19T13:14:00.000-05:00

Loretta names Reynolds as acting police chief. My only question here is why did Ms. Spencer not even tell the city council about the appointment before she made it. Is this what she considers working well with the council? There appears to be a severe disconnect between the mayor's office and the city council. Nevertheless, she has only made Reynolds acting chief. An appointment is supposed to be made within 60 days after the job opening is made official. So the next 60 days will serve as a vetting period for Reynolds. Hopefully the council and the Times will take that opportunity to delve into Reynolds' background to make sure that he is indeed the right man for the job. This is one of the most important positions that the mayor appoints, so we need to diligent in considering who are next police chief will be.

Living in a Redneck State

2004-10-12T17:14:00.000-05:00

Surprise, surprise, surprise. Guess what? Roy Moore is against a cnstitutional admendment to be voted on Nov. 2 that will remove "long-unenforceable language from the state constitution," with the intent to erase "the last vestiges of Jim Crow provisions from Alabama's law." When will Alabama be rid of these clowns which just reinforce the image of Alabama as a racist redneck state? Why does anyone even bother to listen to people like Moore? But what does Alabama do? We elect him to the Supreme Court, and we will probably elect him to be our governor in two years. I'm sickened by the prospect.

Back in Business

2004-10-06T15:49:00.000-05:00

I took a vacation of sorts after the election, but now I am back. There are tons of blogs out there. Most of them are typically just about the blogger's life. The famous blogs tend to deal with national politics. Although I would love to do a blog about national politics, the fact is that there are people out there who can do it better than me. We don't need yet another political blog...unless?

What we DO need is a blog which covers local politics, so that people can see what our local government is doing without it being filtered by the often inept local paper and local television stations.

I have to find out about it, but I have heard that the city planning department has finished the much talked about but seldom seen Five Points plan. Now it is up to us to make sure that they haven't completely messed it up. I hope to visit the city planning office by the end of the week to look at the plan. Why isn't stuff like this immediately available on the internet? More coming soon...

DeHaye For Huntsville Blog is Now Open

2004-09-01T11:15:00.000-05:00

Since I am no longer a candidate, I want to transform this blog into a blog about Huntsville in general. Since Blogger is a free service, I don't think there should be any conflict of interest with my "campaign", because my campaign didn't pay for it. But if you know of any potential problem, please let me know.

This is now your one stop source for interesting commentary on and links to local news.

Dollars Per Vote

2004-08-26T11:06:00.000-05:00

Based off this article from the Times, here are the dollars spent per vote for each of the major candidates and Jackie Reed and myself (I have spent about $300).

Candidate..........$ Spent....Votes....$ Per Vote

Mary Jane Caylor....215129.....6987........$30.79
Parker Griffith.....351757....13690.........25.69
Loretta Spencer.....255992....17729.........14.43
Michael DeHaye.........300......175..........1.71
Jackie Reed............775......516..........1.50

I don't know how much the other candidates spent, since like me, they did not file a disclosure report since they have not raised over $1000.

So, Mary Jane Caylor wins for the most money spent per vote. Woo woo! To me the Caylor, Griffith, and Spencer numbers are a bit absurd. Does the Huntsville mayoral race warrant the spending of this kind of money? They should have just taken everyone out for a nice dinner; that would have made the voters happy.

Congratulations to Jackie Reed for running the leanest and most efficient campaign of us all. It shows that she would have probably been a most frugal and fiscally conservative mayor.

Election Results

2004-08-26T10:39:00.000-05:00

Thank you everyone that voted for me. It means a lot that you voted for me considering that I didn't have much of a chance to win this time around. For the most part, I am happy with the results. They weren't as good as I had hoped, or as bad as I had feared. The final results were:

Loretta Spencer.......17729...45.0%
Parker Griffith.......13690...34.8
Mary Jane Caylor.......6987...17.8
Jackie Reed.............516....1.3
Michael DeHaye..........175....0.4
Jim Casey...............117....0.3
Michael Polemeni.........81....0.2
Sandra Lance.............57....0.1

So there will be a runoff between Loretta and Parker. Let me know if you think I should officially endorse anyone. Here is the Times article about the election results and how Spencer and Griffith are "scrambling" for Mary Jane Caylor's endorsement.

Election Day Party

2004-08-24T19:46:00.000-05:00

Some friends and I are going to Humphry's tonight, if you would like to join us.

It's Election Day!

2004-08-24T00:58:00.000-05:00

Today is election day. No matter whom you have decided to vote for, please take the time to go vote today.

Synopsis of Principles of Smart Growth

2004-08-23T01:31:00.000-05:00

Just in case I don't have time to write in-depth posts about all the principles of smart growth before the election, here is a brief synopsis:

Higher Density Growth- not only should we discourage growth from spreading out from the city, we should encourage growth to have a higher density, i.e. more homes/people per acre. Not only does this help stop the city from spreading out more, but it makes neighborhoods smaller and more pedestrian friendly, creating that small town feel, especially if small commercial centers can be incorporated into the neighborhoods.

Diversity of Housing Choices- This is key for new developments. Many developments are very exclusive. Hampton Cove and Providence are priced such that only very well off people could ever dreaming of moving there. With each new development, the rich neighborhoods become more and more segregated from the poorer older neighborhoods. Also, important city resources are spent on infrastructure and new schools for these new exclusive neighborhoods at the expense of the rest of the city. For this reason, I think it is likely that schools in north Huntsville will continue to perform at lower standards than new schools in the favored neighborhoods. Exclusive developments make it extremely difficult to promote a diverse and vibrant community. Every new development should encouraged to offer a range of housing choices, affordable for low income families to rich families.

Walkable Neighborhoods- This is a more common problem in more urban areas. However, we should strive to make all our neighborhoods pedestrian friendly AND to give people something to walk to. Small commercial centers should be are incorporated into neighborhoods, and parks and communal gathering places should be accessible to everyone by foot. Ultimately we need to make neighborhoods where cars aren't completely dominant, and people can walk safely to a store if they want to.

Make Unique Neighborhoods- In my opinion the most unique neighborhoods in Huntsville are Twickenham, Old Town, Five Points, and Blossomwood. Each of these neighborhoods has a special quality to them which is very recognizable. However, most of our other neighborhoods look like typical suburbia, indistinguishable from any other place in suburban America. We need to do our best to give each neighborhood in Huntsville its own unique character.

Protect and Create Green Space- This is so important to creating an environment in which life is pleasant and enjoyable. We have to protect our city from becoming overwhelmed by highways and parking lots. We need to create green spaces throughout the city as much as possible: parks, greenways, recreational areas, etc. We should require that developers not be allowed to cut down every tree in a new development just because it makes their job easier. Additionally, we should require simple things like that giant parking lots should have trees incorporated into the parking lot, rather than being just a field of asphalt. And most importantly, we have to protect those truly unique green areas in Huntsville, like Big Spring Park, from being over run by crass commercialism. The idea of an office tower potentially casting a literal and figurative shadow across Big Spring makes my stomach turn.

Concentrate on Developing and Renovating Old Neighborhoods- Too much effort is concentrated on brand new developments on the outskirts of town. Our city resources should be spent on strengthening existing neighborhoods, rather than providing infrastructure and new schools to exclusive developments outside of town. The tendency to cater to these exclusive developments is blatantly unfair to me. We need to provide incentives for people to develop inside the existing city and to renovate older neighborhoods. And of course, we should do everything possible to protect and preserve of our irreplaceable historical areas.

Variety of Transportation Choices- I don't think that this principle applies very well to Huntsville. We are already spread out so much that public transportation is largely unfeasible. However, I do think that we need to make our neighborhoods pedestrian and biker friendly, rather than being dependent solely on the automobile.

Encourage Community Involvement and Investment- The key to any vibrant community ultimately falls on the people in the community. If they are very involved, the community by definition will be vibrant. We need to give people in individual neighborhoods a very real and direct influence into the city's development policies. People know what is best for their own neighborhood. The Mayor, just because he or she is mayor, does not know what is best for your neighborhood. And I think that when people are given a direct say in how things are done in their own backyard, that they will quickly step up and provide great insight and energy into making their own community better.

Principles of Smart Growth- Mixed Land Uses

2004-08-22T23:42:00.000-05:00

One of the key problems of typical development is that land uses are completely seperated. Residential neighborhoods are seperated from commercial areas and these are both seperated from industrial areas. The most obvious effect of single use development is that it makes the community very "car centric". You live in your suburban home and you have to get in your car and commute to work. You have to get in your car and drive to the grocery store . Basically you have to drive to get to anywhere, and as the city spreads out this becomes more and more of a problem. It is particularly obvious and bad in bigger cities like Atlanta where a commute to work might easily take a hour. That is an hour of someone's life which is completely wasted. Who wants to spend an hour or two a day in their car driving to work?

My suggestion is that we need to address this problem in Huntsville before it gets out of hand, before we become like a mini-Atlanta. We still have a chance to change the course of the way our city is laid out, but this will require that people start to embrace smart growth. First, we need to allow mixed land uses in our neighborhoods. I live in Five Points and I can not even begin to express how wonderful it is to be able to walk to my neighborhood grocery store, Star Market. I don't have to get in my car and drive 15 minutes to Walmart and waste an hour wandering around a giant store and waiting in line.

Five Points is an older neighborhood, so it developed before the rash of suburban sprawl in Huntsville. It is a good example of a neighborhood with a better balance between residential homes and small commercial centers. You can get your basic ammenities close by, rather than having to drive a long way to go to a resturant, or a grocery, or a little shop. So I advocate that we should make all of our neighborhoods like this, that our neighborhoods should not be completely isolated from commercial centers, and that the commercial centers incorporated should be small and convienant, rather than unweildy giant superstores.

However, even if we decide that we wanted mixed land uses, we can't do it right now because our zoning laws make it extremely difficult. In my opinion, it is because developers and large corporations (like Walmart and Target) don't want it this way. The typical developer doesn't want to have to think about "smart growth". He wants to raze the land of all trees, build houses as quickly as possible, sell them fast to people that have few other real alternatives, and move on to the next project. The typical developer does not care in the least bit how his development effects the community, and he wants as few regulations as possible to impeed him from doing whatever he wants; it is in his best interest that zoning laws are incredibly lax. In a similar way, giant corporate companies like Walmart seem to want to move into our cities and overwhelm the market place, devastating local small businesses and giving people few choices other than to shop at that Walmart. All I can say, is that we need to fight to change this situation.

To learn more, please visit Smart Growth Online here.

Basics of Smart Growth

2004-08-22T23:00:00.000-05:00

My basic platform is that we need to stop or at least slow down suburban sprawl in Huntsville. Initially this might sound like a single catch phrase issue, but it is much deeper than that. It has to do with the way we live our lives, and that the way in which we plan and develop our city has a direct and profound influence on our quality of life. This is not merely an argument against the aesthetics of suburban sprawl with its giant strip malls, boring ubiquitous residential developments, and endless highways with the resulting polution. Rather it is an argument that this way of developing our city, that suburban sprawl itself weakens the community at large. It causes and propogates many of the problems which any city like Huntsville faces, like long commutes, bad traffic, segregated and exclusive neighborhoods, disparity between schools, loss of green space, a loss of community spirit, and the struggle of small businesses because of large commercial giants like Walmart.

The basic movements to fight suburban sprawl are called Smart Growth and New Urbanism. I am going to post here a basic discussion of the tenets of smart growth and how those tenets relate to Huntsville.

Chamber of Commerce Mayoral Debate

2004-08-21T14:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the Chamber of Commerce held the last of the mayoral debates. Comcast taped the debate and is airing it on channel 3, the public access channel. The first airing was last night, but I believe they are going to replay the debate several times, specifically at 3:30 on Monday afternoon.

I think that this was the best of the debates/forums that I have participated in. Since the entire debate went for over two hours, it allowed all the candidates to have enough time to express their thoughts and ideas thoroughly, even despite the fact that there are eight of us.

Here are a couple short articles from WHNT and WAFF. I encourage everyone to watch the broadcast if you can and post your thoughts and comments.

WHNT's Mayoral Debate

2004-08-21T14:20:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, Channel 19 (WHNT) had a mayoral debate which included all eight candidates. I felt that I wasn't particularly eloquent that night. It is quite hard to distill all your ideas down to one minute sound bites. But I tried my best and I hope some of my ideas came through.

But you be the judge. WHNT has posted the entire debate on the web. Unfortunately there is not a direct link to the video, but you can find the video on their front page:

http://www.whnt19.com/

The video is listed under "Featured Videos" as "Mayoral Debate on August 17, 2004".

Flinging Dirt

2004-08-17T11:40:00.000-05:00

The race is getting ugly. The mud is starting to be flung.

Times' Endorsement

2004-08-16T00:37:00.000-05:00

Today the Huntsville Times gave their endorsement to Loretta Spencer. Was this the right choice? What are your thoughts?

Although they didn't endorse me, they did give me a bit of a plug.

Times' Q&A With Mayoral Candidates Part 2

2004-08-16T00:31:00.000-05:00

Today the Times published the candidates' answers to the last five questions they posed. I can't find a link to all the special article, but my answers are shown below. I encourage you to get a copy of the paper to compare all the candidates' views.

6. Does the city need new revenue? How would you raise it?

I think the city does need more revenue, specifically for improving the schools. The long-term benefits of providing a first class education to all our children are immeasurable, and every parent realizes this. We should increase the sales tax and earmark it for education. Additionally, we should lobby the state legislature to pass laws which allow us greater leeway in raising property taxes, which again should be earmarked for education.

7. Should there be further development around Big Spring International
Park? Explain.

No, there shouldn’t be further development around Big Spring Park, which is already one of the most popular places in the city to enjoy a nice serene environment. Further development designed to capitalize on the park’s popularity would only jeopardize the park’s appeal and threaten to turn it into a vehicle of crass commercialization. I even question the wisdom of the derivative “riverwalk.” This is Huntsville, not San Antonio. Let Big Spring Park speak for itself.

8. Is the Von Braun Center adequate? If now, what would be your plan
for expansion.

At this time I believe the VBCC is adequate and doesn’t warrant expansion. A larger VBCC might attract more conferences but it is by no means certain, and it is doubtful that the increased revenue would offset the cost of expansion. This would not be high on my priority list.

9. What innovative policy or project (s) do you have to offer?

Government, which doesn’t interact well with the people, cannot govern effectively. Elected officials don’t know better than you what is right for your neighborhood. I suggest we establish defined neighborhood organizations throughout the city which interact with elected officials on a regular basis via the internet and at town hall meetings so that the people can have a direct influence and a vested interest in the policies of the city.

10. Why are you the best candidate?

I believe that I am the best candidate because I am more directly and honestly addressing the big question of what do we really want Huntsville to be like, what kind of society do we want to live in. I believe that government should address the needs of the people before the needs of business, and growth, and development. And as mayor I promise to fight for you and to make Huntsville a better place.

Conversation with the Candidates on WAFF

2004-08-16T00:28:00.000-05:00

Channel 48 (WAFF) broadcast a conversation with the candidates on Wednesday, August 11. What were your thoughts about the broadcast?

Here is a link to the transcripts of the full interviews of each candidate:

Conversations With The Candidates

Washington Post Series on Sprawl

2004-08-11T01:11:00.000-05:00

Over the last few days, the Washington Post published three excellent articles about suburban sprawl in the Washington area. I can't emphasize enough that we face similar problems on a smaller scale, and that if we continue with our same policies for development, we will continue to encounter even more problems. We have an opportunity to change the course our city is taking, but we have to take the initiative.

These articles show the quagmire of suburban sprawl. So many of the problems of modern life have their origin in the dysfunctional way we plan and develop our cities. Even when the problems are recognized, the solutions become increasingly difficult.

The Post requires registration, so I created a fake account for anyone that is hesitant to give away so much information. The fake account info is:

user: votedehaye
password: vote2004

The articles are:

The Role of Government

The Price Commuters Pay

The Limits of Smart Growth

Tax Increment Financing (TIF)

2004-08-10T17:22:00.000-05:00

In this election, there has been much debate and arguing about Tax Increment Financing (TIF), which has been extremely crucial to the developments Mayor Spencer has initiated. Opponents have sought to demonize it, and proponents have tried to glorify it. The reality of the situation is much more complex and cannot be reduced to such simple characterizations. This article from the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions is the best clear and concise discussion of the pros and cons of TIF that I have found.

First, we need to clear up some of the misconceptions about TIF. From the article:

"Tax increment financing funds infrastructure improvements through a partnership between local government and a private developer or company. Expected growth in property tax revenues from a designated area are used to finance the bonds that pay for improvements in the TIF district."

"The TIF system relies on the appreciation in value of the land and buildings in a TIF district. If a development is profitable, then the costs will be paid for in the growth of property tax revenues. If the property fails to increase in value, the improvement costs fall back on the general taxpayer.

This risk makes some governments wary of employing TIFs. Such concern, while important, must be weighed against the alternative. Without the use of TIFs, cities must either use general tax revenues or have no improvements at all. In light of this, the decision to use tax increment financing for improvements is really the difference between the possibility of taxpayer responsibility and the assurance."

Seen in this light, I believe that when TIF works, it can be a very good thing, because we get improvements, stimulate the economy, and the costs are paid by those who benefited from the improvements. However, I also believe that we should be very cautious when using TIF because of the possibility that the cost will fall back on the general taxpayer.

We need to be very honest about the benefits and risks of TIF. In my mind, Mayor Spencer has only portrayed TIF as an "innovative" way to finance projects while failing to explain any of the risks; I think this is a bit disingenuous. The people of Huntsville need to know that TIF is basically taking out a loan, the cost of which may fall back on the general taxpayer. There is a threat involved in using TIF. But that isn't to say all TIF is bad either, it really depends on the particular development and the associated risks.

The TIF used in conjunction with the makeover of the Parkway Place mall seems very reasonable to me, although for the life of me, I will never understand why they put the car deck on the parkway side rather than in the back where it would not have been such an eye sore. Nevertheless, I think the TIF has a very good chance of succeeding because the stores in the mall and the surrounding area will clearly benefit from the improvements. Economically speaking, I think the same is true for the new Target shopping center off University Dr. However, in this case I believe the TIF help contribute inconsiderately to more and more suburban sprawl.

Although I understand the schools urgently need more funding, I am at a loss to see how the TIF funded new schools will generate more revenue. I suppose the idea is that new schools will attract more families to move to those areas, create more demand for homes, and result in higher revenue because property values will go up with the demand. I personally do not believe it will have that great of an effect, and the sad thing is that we will not realize that the cost of these new schools will fall on the general taxpayer until many years from now, most likely well after Mayor Spencer is no longer in office.

To sum up, TIF is not necessarily good or bad, but depends on the specific application and always comes with some amount of risk. Moreover, it takes a long time to see if the gamble will pay off. However, TIF does give the local government the ability to finance much needed repairs and development when funding is tight, but even still, it has to be used with extreme care and consideration.

I would consider using TIF in certain instances, such as renovating older neighborhoods, but I would make absolutely sure that the people living in those neighborhoods understand that they will ultimately be paying for the renovations through higher property tax. I would also consider financing infrastructure for commercial development as long as it were environment and community friendly, i.e. not more suburban sprawl.

Times' Q&A With Huntsville's Mayoral Candidates

2004-08-08T16:46:00.000-05:00

Today, Sunday, August 8, the Huntsville Times published answers to five of ten total questions they posed. For the life of me, I cannot find an internet link to the special section; if you find a link to the article, email me at dehayeformayor@yahoo.com Since I wrote them, I am going to post my answers here. Next week, when they publish the other five questions, I will post my answers again. I encourage you to buy a Sunday paper so that you can compare and contrast the candidates.

My Answers:

1. In order, what are your top three priorities if elected?

First, we must combat the continuing and vast spread of suburban sprawl and the dehumanizing effect it has on the community. Second, we must implement innovative policies which give the community a direct and continual influence in the way the city is run. Third, we must expand Huntsville’s image as being simply a conservative engineering town to also include being an enlightened and progressive city by supporting initiatives, which promote greater culture and diversity.

2. How would you recruit jobs to the city?

I would take the opposite approach from the one most commonly taken. Rather than simply spending money to attract businesses and their promise of jobs, I would focus on investing in improving the community by fighting suburban sprawl, creating more green space, improving schools, developing neighborhood/community centers, and promoting the arts. I firmly believe that if we create a better and more vibrant community, people and businesses will flock here.

3. Should the city do more for city schools, and if so, where should the money come from?

Yes. However, keep in mind that the school board has the real power to do this, not the mayor. Nevertheless, we should strive to raise our system up to national standards (including funding), address the disparities amongst our schools, recruit better teachers, and develop programs to encourage greater student and parental interest and interaction in the educational process, especially at the lower performing schools. Nothing in life is free; our moral obligation is to raise sales and property taxes to fund this.

4. Should Huntsville develop a riverport? If so, where?

I don’t believe a riverport is worth investing in any time in the near future. There are better ways to spend money, for example a more vigorous revitalization of downtown. Although the Tennessee river is far from pristine, we should protect this nice green space from industrialization or even excessive recreational use.

5. What would you do to attract and retain more young professionals to
Huntsville?

Being a young professional, I feel uniquely qualified to answer this question. In many ways the answer is integrated into all of my positions. As a young professional I want a city which is unique, not like every other city with endless strip malls and developments with identical homes. Also, I want a city which is cultural and diverse and responds to the needs of its citizens, including the less fortunate.

Critique the Challengers

2004-08-08T15:50:00.000-05:00

I am not scared of being compared to the other candidates. What I want is an open and honest debate about what kind of city we want to live in and how do we go about making it that way. So with that in mind, what do you think of the other contenders? What do you like and dislike about their platforms?

Here are the other contenders' websites that I know of:

Parker Griffith: http://www.parkergriffith.com/

Mary Jane Caylor: http://www.maryjanecaylor.com/

Jim Casey: http://www.tocc.tv

I couldn't find websites for the other candidates. Send me an email at dehayeformayor@yahoo.com if you know of any. The other candidates are:

Jackie Reed
Michael Polemeni
Sandra Lance

Critique the Incumbent

2004-08-08T15:41:00.000-05:00

I would like to hear from you about what you think Loretta Spencer has done wrong over the past eight years, or for that matter what she has done right. Here is a link to her website:

http://www.lorettaspencer.com/

I'd also like to ask, what do you think her vision is for Huntsville? Is it your vision? If not, what is your vision? What direction do you want Huntsville to go in?

Suburban Sprawl and City Planning Websites

2004-08-05T23:24:00.000-05:00

PreserveNet has many excellent links which document the problems and possible solutions of suburban sprawl. I particularly like the smart growth website.

I am particluarly influenced by the work of Christopher Alexander, specifically A Pattern Language. This is Alexander's website. If I were elected mayor, I would use this work as a guide to what kind of development I would advocate. This website gives an outline of the book, but it does not include the essential discussions of each problem. The work is in many ways very idealistic, and many of the suggestions do not apply to Huntsville. But it does offer an excellent guideline for what kind of development has worked throughout history. I believe Alexander's theories and findings to be extremely profound.

I also encourage people to read Jane Jacobs' The Death and Life of Great American Cities. I am particularly struck by how well meaning city panners haven't the foggiest idea of how to actually plan a city. Here are a few Jacobs links:

A CNN article

Links to articles

The Jane Jacobs Homepage

If I were elected mayor, I would absolutely require that anyone in the city development and planning divisions be devoted students to these two works.

The Hopelessness of Local Elections?

2004-08-05T00:10:00.000-05:00

David Prather's opinion piece makes me look SO forward to meeting with the Huntsville Times editorial board latter this week. I now know that it is going to be a tough audience. He says:

"It is, therefore, with trepidation that I seek your sympathy for what I have been undergoing and will continue to participate in for the seemingly interminable future: assisting colleagues on the editorial board as they interview candidates for local offices."

In many ways, I feel the same frustration with our typical candidates. In fact, it is largely that frustration which compelled me to enter the mayoral race.

He goes on, "much of what passes in candidates' minds as novel insights are the same unfulfilled promises I heard last election and the one before that and the one before that..."

This is a particularly biting criticism, and one which at the very least causes me to reflect hard on my own ideas. Ultimately, I have to express my thoughts about fighting suburban sprawl and the support of business before community, about creating more green space and protecting historical areas, and about encouraging more community involvement. However, I am dismayed how many of these issues are bandied about superficially. After all, who is going to be against green space? The question is do the candidates actually believe in these ideas? Will they fight for them? And most importantly can they get the job done?

I also wonder if the local political system is such that things can't happen quickly. Alternative candidates don't get elected. The people who are elected often seem so tied to local special interests that their hands are tied even if they wanted to do something "novel" or different. And it stays this way because we, as citizens, let it stay this way.

The situation is depressing, but even more depressing if we do nothing.

Press Coverage of Forums

2004-08-04T23:26:00.000-05:00

The Huntsville Times published these two articles recently about the mayoral forums sponsored by the Friends of the Library and the Sherwood Park Civic Association.

I felt that Mr. Casey using the library forum as vehicle to express past personal grievances was inappropriate, and I am a bit disappointed that so much of the article was about that. What can you do? I guess controversy is news.

I was frustrated that the Sherwood Park forum descended into an arguing match among some of the other candidates. The residents were expressing legitimate grievances about how the city often does not respond well to their needs, such as road repair. However, I felt that some of the candidates took advantage of the anger and frustration of the residents to pounce on each other, rather than keeping it on a more civil level.

Why Am I Running For Mayor?

2004-08-02T23:19:00.000-05:00

I began to consider running for mayor when I recently started to listen to what the candidates were saying as the mayoral race began to heat up. I must admit that up to now I have paid very little attention to local politics. I suppose that I felt outside of the system, marginalized if you will, as if my input and opinion would have little or no effect. It was the typical numbing effect that so many of us feel when faced by the indifference of politics, which can be particularly bad at the local level.

I was struck by how little the candidates addressed the issues that I was interested in. The debate seemed to be degrading into a discussion of superficial issues and about who can reduce their message into the best sound bite. I am particularly concerned that the campaign has become too oriented about who can raise and spend the most money. This Huntsville Times article details the situation link.

For me this calls into question how great the influence is of those who have contributed substantially to the three "major" candidates (Spencer, Caylor, and Griffith, although, as I understand it, Griffith is primarily contributing his own money). Whose interests do they represent? Do they represent the interests of the community at large, or do they represent the special interests of those who have contributed to them? Should the future of our city be reduced to who can raise the most money? How much influence should the political machine in Huntsville really have? And should we do something to try to change it?

So I have decided to run for mayor to make my voice heard. I no longer think it is acceptable to sit by idle and do nothing. I feel compelled to speak up, despite my initial hesitancy and fear to do so. I think that we need to elevate the debate to a higher level. We need to hold our elected officials accountable and force our candidates (including me now) to answer the questions which we think are important. Ultimately, I hope that we can give everyone, including the typical marginalized voters, some reason to vote and become involved in the local political process, where I swear, if you are willing, you can make a difference.

Friends of the Library Mayoral Forum

2004-08-02T22:49:00.000-05:00

I want to thank everyone who took the time to attend the mayoral forum hosted by the Friends of the Library. I must admit that I was quite nervous, given that it was my first time in front of a public audience. But I was very encouraged by the feedback that I received afterwards. I am very glad that my views resonanted with some of the people there. For what it is worth, your encouragement has really given me the courage to keep moving forward; it has vindicated my feeling that I am not the only person out there who has these questions.

I would appreciate any thoughts or opinions on how I did, or how the other candidates did for that matter. What did I did I say that was right? What did I say that was wrong? And what do I need to work on?

Mayoral Forum Discusses Diversity

2004-07-28T11:49:00.000-05:00

The Huntsville Times published this article about a mayoral forum link I couldn't attend because I am in Virginia all week.

Since I preach the theme of diversity very strongly, I would like to know your thoughts on what we can do to promote greater diversity. What are some concrete ideas and programs which we could implement to make our community more diverse? I actually think that Huntsville is quite diverse, so more specifically, what could we do to understand and embrace our diversity?

Mr. Casey's argument struck me as the polar opposite of promoting diversity, and indicative of a pervasive mind set which we need to set out to change. To me, his view seems narrow minded, hateful, and ignorant. I strongly believe that we should embrace the gay community, which is actually quite large in Huntsville. We all need to realize that gay people are ultimately just like us on a human level, and that they contribute a great deal to our community. This is so obvious to me that I have a difficult time putting it into words. It is like, for instance, trying to answer someone who says that women shouldn't be in the work place. I am speechless.

I believe that we should adopt a resolution which strongly condems and protects against any sort of hate crime, in this instance, specifically for gays. I also believe that we should seek to educate the young gay community on the threat of AIDS, how to prevent it, and even provide the protection that they may need.

Perhaps there is a generational difference here. I find that young people, like myself, are much more willing to accept gay people for who they are.

I believe diversity begins with tolerance, and what I have suggested here are just a few examples of how I would go about creating diversity.

The Initial Spark

2004-07-23T03:05:00.000-05:00

Although it has absolutely nothing to do with local politics, the initial spark which encouraged me to become politically active has to be my opposition to the Iraq war. Despite the fact that there were many protests against the war, in retrospect, I feel that I could have done so much more to persuade people that the war in Iraq was unjustified and unwise before it happened. I think our government misled us and blindly rushed into war with little scrutiny of the policy and facts behind the justification of the war.

This isn't the place to go into depth about this subject, and believe me I could, but suffice it to say that the post war situation and revelations have shown that our government failed us horribly and created a much more unsafe situation than existed before. And once this realization sank in, I resolved to never sit by idle again and allow things to just happen, but rather to stand up and fight for what I believe in.

Who the Heck Am I?

2004-07-22T23:48:00.000-05:00

Who am I? Well, I am Mike DeHaye. I am currently an engineer working at Marshall Space Flight Center. I know what you are thinking. Is this guy just a typical boring anal engineer? Well, I hope not. While I am sure in some ways I fit the stereotype of an engineer, in other ways I hope that I break the mold. But I will let my future posts here prove this to you.

I was born and raised here in Huntsville, and like so many of us born here, through the years I have often moaned and groaned about where I came from. To a young person, Huntsville often seems uninteresting and boring. But I love Huntsville. Often I think of Huntsville like I think of family; on a day to day basis, they often annoy the hell out of me, but in the big picture I can't help but love them.

I attended Holy Spirit Elementary and Grissom High School. Then, I went to Alabama for several years where I concentrated in the classics (Latin and Greek). Eventually, I transferred to UAH and switched to mechanical engineering; I got my BSE in 1996. I went to graduate school at Texas A&M for a couple years but never completed my thesis. After that I came back home to work at Sverdrup, and a couple years later switched to a yellow badge, as we say, and started working for NASA.

Note: as a federal employee, I am subject to the Hatch Act, which does allow for a federal employee to run in a nonpartisan election, which includes the Huntsville mayoral race. Learn about the Hatch Act at:

http://www.osc.gov/ha_fed.htm

I am currently 34 years old, live in the Five Points area, and have never been married. This is my first foray into politics, so I admit that I have absolutely no political experience. But I don't think that is a such a bad thing considering the current state of our local politics. I believe that Huntsville needs a new direction, a new voice, preferably a young voice which represents the future of Huntsville. I hope that with your help I can be that voice.

The Rules of the Blog

2004-07-22T23:31:00.000-05:00

I love public debate. In many ways, the whole point of my running for mayor is to elevate the level of debate, because the level of debate is so low and superficial. Often I believe that the more debate there is, the closer you approach the truth. So in no way do I want to discourage serious debate or disagreements with my ideas. In fact, I encourage people to challenge my ideas, because if they don't hold up, then they ultimately weren't good ideas.

However, some level of decorum is required. I expect everyone that posts here to be civil to each other. So if there is any blatantly hateful posting, flaming, or trolling, I reserve my right to delete those posts. And just in case it needs to be said, please no cursing or specious accusations.

The DeHaye for Mayor of Huntsville Blog is Now Open!

2004-07-22T12:52:00.000-05:00

Welcome everyone. I am announcing that I am running for the office of mayor of the city of Huntsville. I hope that this will be a whole new way of running for public office in Huntsville, because I want you to help me formulate my platform and campaign.

I have my basic ideas of what I think the problems of Huntsville are and what the potential solutions might be. But I need your help. If you find my basic principles compelling, please help me refine my positions and define specific policies which can be implemented to make Huntsville a better place.

Although ultimately it is my name on the ballot and I have to support the platform I am advocating, I want this to be your campaign. I want to voice the thoughts and ideas of everyone that typically doesn't haven't any voice in local politics, probably because they don't think it matters, because they are so used to local politics which never address the things which they think are important. But to do this effectively, I need you to help me define the specifics of my platform, by either posting here on the blog, or by emailing me at:

dehayeformayor@yahoo.com

Thanks and here is to a better Huntsville.

Also, I have a website at

http://www.michaeldehaye.com

Blogger is a free service, so in that sense this site is not a paid advertisement. Nevertheless, this blog is run by myself, Michael DeHaye, the chairman of the DeHaye for Mayor Campaign.

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