My Letter To The Editor which probably won't get published. Political Mysteries, Shortsightedness; Definitely NOT Art Appreciation! It's Local.

*I actually wrote most of this the morning after the meeting, however, due to my schedule and inexplicable problems with blogger I haven't been able to post it until today. There are still weird font things going on, but at least it's not arbitrarily rearranging my text anymore, so I'm posting it anyhow!*

I have about 500 things I should be doing right now. As a small business owner my work is constant as anyone in the same boat can appreciate; however, I am incredibly frustrated after the experience of attending a local zoning board of appeals meeting last night, June 14th (I started this at about 5AM yesterday morning and worked on it periodically throughout the day when I could steal a couple of minutes.). To be honest, maybe I was naive. I expect self interest and ignorance on both the State and National level (with a few exceptions and I promise I will write about my experiences working in these organizations at some point!), but I really thought it would be better here locally, in Brighton, Michigan.

Yes, this is the building where it happened. Brighton is a fantastic city. A beautiful downtown complete with the mill-pond and the bridges for walkers, many unique downtown shops, restaurants and gathering places, additional walking areas, a wonderful children's playground and generally an environment that people love to hang out in. It really is a shame that there won't be a live Theatre in the area to benefit  the schools, the local merchants and bring in more residents, visitors and businesses. The experience of attending a ZBA meeting was quite depressing, actually.

 It wasn't better, it was awful. So I wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper, which they may or may not publish. It seems to be somewhat arbitrary much of the time; plus my letter is quite long. I am way over their 250 character limit. So even though I sent an email asking them to make an exception, it probably won’t happen. Hence I am self-publishing, PLEASE feel free to share!

About my letter. It doesn't cover every detail of the zoning variance which was sought, nor does it cover every aspect of the ordinance, etc. and so on. All of that is available should you care to go to the effort to request it from the City of Brighton through the Freedom of Information Act. In fact, it will probably be available on the City website within the next month or so, they do post minutes although I’m not sure what their timetable is.

What this letter does cover is my experience of being in attendance last night, as well as my feelings and observations. I found the entire experience so incredibly frustrating in part because I seriously love Brighton. I was not a willing Michigan immigrant, so the fact that I’ve come to love the place over the past 17 years is pretty impressive.

The Brighton Community is what changed my mind about Michigan. I grew up in California and Colorado. I lived in Arizona when I met and married my husband, who immediately was transferred to Michigan.We lived in Northville and Novi for a few years before leaving to spend several years in England. I cried when we had to come back. Fortunately, while we were gone the company my husband worked for had moved to Brighton. After much research and many visits to every community in the area, we bought a house in Brighton.

The logo for the City of Brighton, A place I love.

Brighton is a wonderful community. Brighton is full of wonderful, caring and intelligent people who love their children and the arts and support both with heavy involvement both personally and financially. Brighton also has the distinction of having one of the most highly educated citizenry in the state of Michigan (according to the 2010 Census). It has been a wonderful place for my children to grow up and I cannot say enough about my personal experiences regarding the love and support of the local community during difficult times.

Brighton could benefit from some diversity (which live theatre would definitely improve), and if only someone could do something about the weather here in Michigan (I’m a transplanted Coloradoan, the place with probably the most awesome climate on earth, ok? I spent most of my summers and holidays growing up in Northern California and the Northwest Corner, plus I went to school in Hawaii. So yes, the weather bar is high.) but . . . still, if the weather was better, this place would rate an A+++++ instead of just an A++. At any rate, I would love to hear your views; too, on anything really, but especially in regards to the recent decision by the Brighton Zoning Board of Appeals and the future development of Brighton, should you care to share!

By the way, the sentiment I heard expressed the most, while explaining what had happened at the meeting to the many who wanted details was, “I wish they would sue just so the Board would learn something.” Interesting, yes? I thought so. At least in my experience, support for a professional theatre venue in Brighton was overwhelming.  Even more relevant, many of those (at least 40%) who were completely disgusted by the final decision of the Zoning Board of Appeals were under the age of 20, MOST OF WHOM --yes, this is major for anyone interested in the future of Brighton!--are not interested in being directly involved in productions, they just want the option of live theatre locally! This is the demographic specifically targeted for the preservation and future health of the community!

Hello! If we want to stop the so called "brain drain" we have to make our communities places where people graduating from college want to live! This is the demographic group who not only the city of Brighton and the State of Michigan most desires to retain (or at least retrieve once they have finished college), but the group who will determine the course of history within the next 30 years! Hmm.

The 2012 Brighton High School  Production of "Legally Blonde, The Musical," which had record sales, an incredible amount of parental support and increased local merchants revenue by over 17% for the two weeks the production was in performance. All performances but one (Opening Night and only 17 seats were left) sold out. Think there's much support for theatre in the Brighton area?

In preface, I have strong opinions and I’m not going to apologize for them. I do my research and I know my stuff. I also have a very low tolerance for political bullshit, sorry for the language, but that’s what it is.

In the name of Full Disclosure, I am a Theatre Geek and proud of it. My education is in theatre and I have worked professionally and in amateur theatre as an actor and director as well as in Costume Design. I have also been very involved with one of the local Community Theater Groups, Directing their Youth Theatre Program for years, directing productions and serving on the Board of Directors multiple times since moving into the community. I freely admit that I have a personal bias towards theatre and what it can and will do for a community and individuals, especially youth.

I have seen first hand the incredible benefits that live theatre brings to a community and most especially to youth who become involved. It literally transforms lives. The proposed and now not happening, in Brighton at least, Dionysus Theatre was planning to become heavily involved with the local community and collaborate with the school system and the arts organizations in the area to further educational opportunities for local youth. Educational benefits will now be given to another, more receptive, community. A huge loss of an opportunity for Brighton that will, most likely, never be repeated.

If you're interested, here is my letter:


“We moved to the Brighton area almost twenty years ago and have been very happy here. We’ve been thrilled with the expansion of local businesses and restaurants. Since then, I have heard on many occasions from different people how difficult it is for new businesses to become established and operate within the City of Brighton. In the past, I have always taken this with a grain of salt, knowing there are two sides to every story. Unfortunately, after attending the Board of Appeals meeting last night, June 14, 2012, in regards to a requested zoning variation for the proposed Dionysus Theatre; I can no longer give the City the benefit of the doubt. Frankly, after witnessing the debacle of the meeting last night I am surprised any business chooses to open in Brighton.
 
The embodiment of the worst stereotypes of bureaucratic ineptitude was appalling and mind boggling. Several members of the Zoning Board showed absolutely dogged determination to avoid any semblance of the desire to understand both the law and the issues involved required for doing their job. According to the Michigan Municipal Board of Appeals handbook, that job is to interpret the zoning ordinance, not to find ways to keep from interpreting it, which is what they worked very hard to do.

The site of the proposed theatre is in an area currently designated "light industrial." There currently are and have been many times commercial businesses operating in the development, all of which falls into the same zoning designation. This particular photo, displayed on the WHMI website without the knowledge of the prospective owners of the theatre, was one of the things that Mr. Conedera seemed to take as a personal affront. No worries, the theatre and all of its economic and cultural benefits will now be locating elsewhere. Neighbors of the site, both residential, industrial and commercial voiced no concerns about the proposed theatre and were, in fact, very enthusiastic and supportive. Oh well.

Throughout the meeting they consistently ignored not only the best interests of the community of Brighton and the will of its residents, they also refused to acknowledge the legalities involved (should the applicants choose to sue the City, according to expert legal opinion, the City would lose, as has happened in several cases with similar paradigms) but also absolutely refused to take into account the available information. This was obvious as they repeated the same questions, which had already been asked and answered, multiple times.

According to the Michigan Municipal Board of Appeals handbook, one of the duties of a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals is to act in the best interest of the community. They are also supposed to “base interpretations on any relevant historical information” and “take into account the potential effect of a determination on the surrounding properties.” All aspects of these points were clearly addressed and explained by the applicants’ attorney, as were additional questions asked. There are more points involved, of course, all of which were clearly addressed by the very well informed and eloquent attorney for the applicants, Leigh Hansmann. After listening to the repeated and clearly spelled out points she enumerated for these same Zoning Board members and the information from the Brighton City Attorney, I was left unsure if they (on re-reading this I realize this is unclear, unfortunately. I was referring to particular ZBA members here, that's what happens when you write emotionally instead of completely rationally!) didn’t have the capacity to understand the answers or just didn’t want to hear them. Both possibilities are quite disturbing in regards to the future development of Brighton as a Vibrant Community.

Part of Downtown Brighton. Lots of restaurants, small locally owned businesses and a surrounding community that has demonstrated a strong enthusiasm and support for the arts. In short, a community that is perfect for, and could really benefit from, an independent Live Theatre. Again, oh well. That's going somewhere else.

More disturbing still was the attitude and behavior of certain Board members throughout the proceeding. Two members in particular, Mr. Angst and Mr. Conedera had obviously already made up their minds on the issue prior to the meeting. Both seemed determined to keep the definition as narrow as possible, despite precedent and the fact that their job is to interpret the ordinance when specific circumstances are not addressed (which they clearly were not). Both of them not only refused to do this, they also ignored the background information provided as well as questions answered by not only their fellow Board members, the applicants and their attorney, but also by the City Attorney. Their final vote would be understandable if the sought after variance were actually defined under the current ordinance, however, it clearly was not. This was a decision that was up to the Zoning Board of Appeals to make.

In addition, the petty, small-minded and rude demeanor of Mr. Conedera in particular throughout the meeting was more suited to that of a playground bully than an appointed official entrusted with the public good. He appeared to believe that seeking a zoning variance was a direct insult at him, although this is quite difficult to understand. On top of his behavior during the meeting, the snide and nasty comment he made to the applicants, heard by at least ten other people, as he left the building was truly breathtaking. It is unbelievable that a city official acting in an official capacity would act with such arrogance and disrespect towards anyone, especially residents and potential business owners in the city. 

So, this particular business will now be locating elsewhere, as is at least one other I am aware of that was interested in filling VACANT buildings in Brighton within the past several months. Going with this business are tax revenue, local jobs, educational opportunities for the youth in the area and all the restaurant, small business traffic and out of town visitors that a live theatre attracts to an area. It’s a huge loss of what could have been an incredible benefit to Brighton.

Over the past several years the DDA in Brighton has talked non-stop about the need to attract new business to the area as well as develop Brighton into the type of community that will keep our youth in the area, a theme repeated throughout the state of Michigan. I can’t count the number of articles or quotes in the local paper regarding the need to “revitalize” Brighton and make it an attractive destination, especially to young people that have been made. It was quite disappointing to find that talk is all it is; at least for several members of the Zoning Board of Appeals. It appears that Brighton doesn’t actually want new business in the area, or else someone forgot to tell this particular branch of city government. 

Grand Rapids. The city decided to become an Arts & Culture Mecca. They've done it. Grand Rapids attracts thousands of out of town visitors each year just to visit the city. During the National Art Festival those numbers climb to the tens of thousands. Have you been to Grand Rapids? It's an awesome city. People love it. People visit, they spend money. It's the arts, stupid.

As members of the Zoning Board of Appeals are appointed by the Brighton City Council, I would ask them to choose their appointees with more care, although I must qualify that somewhat. The thoughtfulness, intelligent questions and careful decision making by the other two members of the Board (Mr. Rahilly for one) who were present was reassuring. Civility, intelligent questions and thoughtful contemplation of the various issues involved are what one would expect from someone who has been entrusted with this huge responsibility for the future of Brighton. Unfortunately because of the way the name plaques were situated I was not able to ascertain the names of the other two board members; one of whom earned respect, the other who appeared content to follow the lead of the "pack alpha," obviously Mr. Conedera); public records are no doubt available.”

Downtown Chelsea, Michigan. Before Jeff Daniels financed the Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea, how many people visited? Hardly Any. Now, The Purple Rose attracts thousands of outsiders to Chelsea every month. These people also eat and shop while they are there, boosting the local economy and keeping the city vibrant. It's called Art.

 

Thanks for reading and I look forward to hearing your feedback.