Letter to Mayor Lindauer read & delivered at City Council meeting August 24 by Cathy Bean on behalf of many others

Jason Lindauer, Mayor August 24, 2010
City of Chelsea
305 South Main Street
Suite 100
Chelsea, Michigan 48118

Dear Mayor Lindauer,

I am writing this letter to you not only for myself as a resident of Chelsea, and a member of Preservation Chelsea, but as a voice for the over 700 citizens who signed our petition saying they wanted the Livery and Daniels Showroom buildings in Chelsea saved from demolition. As you are well aware, the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) voted last week to not accept the THIRD proposal submitted by The Chelsea Connection LLC that would have saved all these Nationally Significant Historic buildings from demolition. Forming an LLC was necessary after the first submission, in February 2010 for a collaborative effort by the DDA and Preservation Chelsea-Chelsea Connection Team (PC-CCT), was not well received. Clearly, there was no interest by the DDA for collaboration. At that time, PC-CCT was willing to work to seek funding and provide skilled assistance with the rehabilitation of the entire Longworth Complex.

Several members of the original PC-CCT including myself have grave concerns about the operation of the DDA which is under the direct supervision and control of the City of Chelsea Government. As directly quoted from State Act 197 of 1975 that allows for the formation of Downtown Development Authorities, “an authority shall be under the supervision and control of a board consisting of the chief executive officer of the municipality…”. We are assuming that you as the mayor of Chelsea would be considered the “chief executive officer” as mentioned in the act as well as your position as a voting city liaison member of the DDA. We believe that the DDA is operating outside the requirements of the State Act 197 of 1975 and the Chelsea City Ordinance, and have serious concerns about their unwillingness to work with the public and listen to what 700 + residents of Chelsea and the surrounding area have to say. They seem to be operating in a vacuum and are being allowed to make decisions that are detrimental to the rich historic legacy that makes Chelsea a place that people want to come to.
Several members of our group have received very different answers from City employees as well as City Council members about the relationship between the DDA and the City.
Because the City seems to clearly have some responsibility for the operation and existence of the DDA, we feel you, and not the DDA should respond to our concerns.

Therefore, we have the following questions about the operation of the DDA:

1) We need clarification, in writing about the relationship between the City of Chelsea and the Downtown Development Authority. Who specifically from the City of Chelsea (by name) is in charge and what power does the City have over the DDA and the decisions that they make?