Environmentalist Stance
Hieftje has typically campaigned as a staunch environmentalist, pushing various alternative energy, anti-sprawl, and parks measures. The largest of these was a 2003 ballot initiative in which Ann Arbor residents were asked to approve property tax increases to fund the Ann Arbor Parks and Greenbelt Program. This anti-sprawl program called for the purchase of conservation easements on up to 7,000 acres (28 km²) of land in and around the city in order to preserve farmland and open space. On November 4, 2003, Ann Arbor residents approved this program 2-1, generating about $35 million to purchase land.
However, his time in office has not been without its detractors. At times, Hieftje has been criticized by environmental groups, such as the local chapter of the Sierra Club, for being overly supportive of new development within the city, while other residents have attacked him for frequently deferring to neighborhood "NIMBYism" and blocking development projects - these latter detractors also cast Hieftje as a poor environmentalist for pushing growth to the edges of Ann Arbor and contributing to the sprawl that he campaigns against.
Read more about this topic: John Hieftje
Famous quotes containing the word stance:
“For good teaching rests neither in accumulating a shelfful of knowledge nor in developing a repertoire of skills. In the end, good teaching lies in a willingness to attend and care for what happens in our students, ourselves, and the space between us. Good teaching is a certain kind of stance, I think. It is a stance of receptivity, of attunement, of listening.”
—Laurent A. Daloz (20th century)