Polygon, the Dancing Bear

Occasional notes on politics, history, technology, architecture,
and the life of a county clerk

2002:
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November / December

2003:
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April / May / June / July
August / September / October
November / December

2004:
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April / May / June / July
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November / December

2005:
January / February / March
April / May / June / July
August / September / October
November / December

2006:
January / February / March
April / May / June / July
August / September / October
November / December

2007:
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August / September / October
November / December

2008:
January / February / March
April / May / June / July

Current entries

Wednesday, July 13, 2005, 11:34 pm

From the Clerk-Register: More letters to my staff, one of which I missed posting in the last batch:

Monday, June 6:

A storm passed through the area last night, leaving many residents without electric power. Our neighborhood, on the west side of Ann Arbor, still has no power. In this heat, the food in our refrigerator is spoiling, and we are not looking forward to the task of throwing it all away. Sarah's elementary school, like many others, is without electricity and closed today; my wife and I have to scramble to find child care.

A power outage is a very selective kind of catastrophe. On our block, there are no lights, no hot water, no television, no fans or air conditioning, no refrigeration. The nearby traffic light is dead, and temporary four-way stop signs have been posted by police. But a few blocks away everything is completely normal.

Just last month, I wrote about how dependent we are on the people who maintain the intricate systems that sustain our daily activities, from the water supply to the telephone network to the Internet. These systems have become so reliable that we take them for granted, and rarely think about the complicated and hard work required to keep them going. That is, until something goes wrong.

Today, the electric utilities in southeast Michigan are faced with the urgent and colossal task of restoring service to more than a hundred thousand households. Under the scrutiny of unhappy customers, impatient reporters, and probably panic-stricken executives, they are calmly and methodically trying to set things back to rights.

It's easy to be angry about the disruption. But we should have some empathy for these hard working folks who maintain our electric system.

Let's have a great week!

Monday, June 27:

Now that election consolidation, the February and May elections, the county directory, and some other urgent issues are over with, and the budget is on hold for the time being, I'd like to get started on something I promised to do when I was a candidate: to sit down and have regular individual meetings with each of the 57 people (besides myself) who work in this office.

I'm looking to hear your honest assessment of how we're doing as an organization, and how you think it could be improved. I'd like to hear about your own job and how we can help you do it better. If there are problems, hazards, or opportunities affecting your workplace, I want to know about them.

I know that many of the staff were very apprehensive about what would happen in January. I hope the chief deputies and I have been able to calm those fears and gain your confidence. My sense is that things are going pretty well right now, but we may have to weather some storms together in the future. It's critical that we establish open communication now.

Additionally, we're putting together a wall display with pictures of everyone in the Clerk-Register's office. When you come in for your meeting, or perhaps another time as arranged, Stephanie from the Deeds office will take a quick photograph.

I'm starting with the nonsupervisory staff. Some time this week, I'd like to meet with [list of names redacted]. Please arrange a half-hour with your supervisor and my schedule (perhaps via Outlook).

A management analyst once wrote that "The hallmark of a great organization is how quickly bad news travels upward." To help make the Clerk-Register's office a great organization, I hope you will be willing to share your complaints and criticisms with me.

Enjoy the hot weather, and have a great week!

Tuesday, July 5:

I hope everyone had a pleasant holiday weekend. I walked in the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti parades yesterday.

Tomorrow, I leave for Kentucky, to attend (and speak at) a memorial service for a friend of mine in Lexington. I will visit some relatives and do some research along the way, and will return on Saturday.

Copies of the new county directory will be available soon, perhaps this week. The cover photograph shows the old Washtenaw County Courthouse, which used to stand on the middle of the block occupied by the current courthouse. In the 1950s, they built the new courthouse around three sides of the old one, and then demolished the old one to make room for a parking lot.

Probably most county seats in America have a courthouse in a courthouse square in the middle of town; the courthouse is typically an older classically styled building with tall columns and a tower. Our old courthouse fit that pattern.

The tradition of a courthouse square is thought to symbolize American democracy, and the aspiration for local self-government. But the concept is not as obvious as it seems at first glance. For example, there is no comparable tradition of a city hall or a township hall being placed on a block by itself, though some city halls are sited that way.

The tradition is thought to have started with Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, which was planned in the 1700s with a central square for the courthouse. Even now, a courthouse square is sometimes called a "Lancaster Square".

So how did Lancaster come up with this? Some of the settlers there had come from Ireland, and remembered a similar arrangement. Indeed, many Irish cities and towns have a government building in the middle of the town square. Why? Well, when the English conquered Ireland hundreds of years ago, they needed places to put their military garrisons, and town squares were obvious sites. Those garrisons eventually became government offices.

It's ironic that something built for a military occupation in Europe became a symbol of democracy in America.

Here in Washtenaw County, we don't have the courthouse square any longer, but we still carry on the tradition of service to the people in our county. We maintain the records, we manage the systems, and we strive to treat every customer with courtesy and respect.

Individual meetings with staff members continue. Since I'm going to be away tomorrow through Friday, these are the people I'd like to meet with during the next two weeks: [list of names redacted].

Let's have a great week!

Monday, July 11:

I just received word that Bob Harris died yesterday.

Bob was a law professor and lawyer; he was once one of [County Administrator] Bob Guenzel's law partners. He was best known for being mayor of Ann Arbor in 1969-73, but he didn't like being introduced as a "former mayor". He'd rather describe himself as a guy who made model airplanes.

Bob was originally from Boston. His family was Lithuanian Jewish, but he had the easygoing charm of a Boston Irish politician - a charm that probably served him well in Ann Arbor's contentious politics thirty years ago. When he spoke to you, it was impossible not to like him.

He was articulate and strongly opinionated - you've probably seen some of his many letters to the editor - but he was also a practical fellow who believed in compromise and democracy and getting things done. Even in the heat of argument, he would be gentle and self-deprecating.

I know he was happier in recent years, helping care for his grandchildren and working for Food Gatherers, than he had been at any time in his earlier career. Being happy in retirement came as a surprise to him. He was an inspiration to those who might have seen it as a dismal stage of life.

And he was a great friend and mentor and supporter of mine. When I last spoke with him a few weeks ago, he was eager to hear all about how my now job was going, and solicited my ideas for new projects he could work on.

The funeral will be on Wednesday, July 13, at 4:00 pm at Temple Beth Emeth, 2309 Packard Road, in Ann Arbor.

May his memory be for a blessing.

Back here in the Clerk-Register's office, individual meetings with staff members continue. This week, I'd like to meet with [list of names redacted].

....Posted by Lawrence Kestenbaum.

2002:
May / June / July
August / September / October
November / December

2003:
January / February / March
April / May / June / July
August / September / October
November / December