Richard Etue, seen here, was one of 12 members elected to the Neighborhood Advisory Council on Wednesday, April 23. (Ryan Felton/Metro Times)
Unfortunately, we were unable to attend last night's Neighborhood Advisory Council, which, in case you were unaware, is a 16-member board established to weigh in on the new Red Wings arena near downtown.
About three dozen residents and property owners cast ballots by the 8 p.m. deadline on Wednesday inside the Block at Cass Park, The Detroit News reports. It's the culmination of a handful of community meetings which began weeks ago. Councilwoman Raquel Castaneda Lopez facilitated the meetings, but emphasized at previous meetings that it's up to the community to conduct business.
According to the News, the 12 candidates selected include: Michael Boettcher, Richard Etue, Jason Gapa, Francis Grunow, Steve Guether, Paul Hughes, Ray Litt, Warner Doyle McBryde, Karen McLeod, Delphia Simmons, Melissa Thomas and Anthony Zander. Joel Landy, a land owner in the area, lost his bid. The City Council appointed four candidates last month.
As we reported in this week's issue, the Neighborhood Advisory Committee was negotiated after Olympia Development of Michigan, Detroit Red Wing's owner Mike Ilitch's real estate arm, balked on a proposed community benefits agreement. The committee is charged with the task of offering input on the arena's design, parking security and more.
