Kalamazoo’s Illusion of Democracy: How Leading Surveys & Unelected Bureaucrats Steamroll Public Will               Richard Stewart   @REOmamma_ · Mar 27   Kalamazoo, Michigan, loves to tout its "public input" process—like it’s some shining example of democracy in action. But let’s cut through the noise: citizens here are fed up, and for good reason. The city’s been caught red-handed using carefully crafted surveys to push predetermined outcomes, all orchestrated by unelected bureaucrats who couldn’t care less about what residents actually want. From unsafe bike lanes to stinking sewage systems, the evidence is piling up—Kalamazoo’s leadership is ignoring the people they claim to serve. Take the bike lane fiasco. The city’s been hell-bent on carving out road space for cyclists, even when... 03/31/2025

In The City of Kalamazoo, Michigan, a recent decision by city officials to reconfigure downtown parking and traffic flow has sparked a significant debate on disability discrimination. The city, in an effort to promote cycling and reduce car dependency, has replaced front-door accessible parking spaces, crucial for individuals with disabilities and seniors, with bike lanes. This move has been criticized for prioritizing the mobility of the able-bodied over the accessibility needs of those with disabilities, highlighting a form of ableism in urban planning. The Decision and Its Implications The removal of accessible parking near the front doors of businesses and public buildings in downtown Kalamazoo directly impacts individuals who rely on these spaces for independence and access. For ma... 09/07/2024

https://www.searchallproperties.com/guides/RichardStewart/TnpJJTNE 03/20/2023

Richard Stewart, the principal Associate Real Estate Broker at REO Specialists Llc in Kalamazoo MI has been designated by the Residential Real Estate Council as a Certified Residential Specialist/CRS. This designation signifies his commitment to the real estate profession through advanced training and experience.  Richard Stewart, RealtorREO Specialists llc828 Portage StKalamazoo MI 49001269-345-7000www.RichardStewart.com Try our FREE selling tools at www.iListMichiganHomes.com 03/10/2022

Richard Stewart Kalamazoo Realtor with REO Specialists llc 269-345-7000 www.RichardStewart.com 06/27/2021

​_Your Website Title // How to Share With Just FriendsHow to share with just friends.Posted by Facebook on Friday, December 5, 2014 https://www.facebook.com/facebook/videos/10153231379946729/ 08/19/2017

Monday 12/7/15 at 7pm, the Kalamazoo City Commission will vote in the approval for the Allied site cleanup that they have decided on. In addition, they will approve a $250,000 "gift" to out of town developer NOMI for its cooperation on 508 North St. Further, the city will approve a "payday advance" of $3,000,000 to itself as a "TAX ANTICIPATION NOTE" to balance the 2016 budget INSTEAD of cost cutting in the City Managers office and the Community Planning departments. As a Reminder, the last commission approved hiring the Assistant City Manager at a starting salary of $110,000 per year. Then, her responsibilities were cut in half and a 2nd Assistant City manager job appeared out of nowhere, for an industry insider ALSO to be paid $110,000 per year. We have never had 2 assistant city mana... 12/02/2015

November 3, 2015, Kalamazoo City voters will have their first opportunity to vote for Mayor.  If you were to vote today, who would you vote for? Please participate in the straw pole at www.NextDoor.com   Remember to vote November 3, 2015 10/26/2015

Residents have watched each and every commission meeting in The City of Kalamazoo, Michigan in 2015. We have seen how Hopewell, David Anderson and the 50th commission have systematically ignored the citizens with contempt while boasting intentional engagement with their chosen few. We remember how angry we have been this past 2 years. We have watched as the city has taken away our rights, sold our golf course, forgiven over 1,000,000 loan to friends, mismanaged our taxable parcels to near bankruptcy, the list goes on and on. Its time for change not more of the same. Vote for Kris O. Mbah for mayor and new commissioners like Sonjalita Hulbert who will defend our rights against the predators and bad actors in local Kalamazoo government. Vote Kris Mbah for Mayor November 3, 2015   This art... 10/24/2015

www.krismbah.com#bobbyhopewell#davidanderson#cityofkalamazoo#kalamazoocommission#kalamazooelection 10/22/2015

Fellow citizens of Kalamazoo We must be proactive in our fight against a City Tax. Now is the time to reach out to candidates that will protect us from Mayor Bobby Hopewell's plan to force a City Tax on us. I urge you to reach out to the following commission candidates and ask their commitment to vote no on a city tax. We should commit ourselves to support candidates who will not vote for a city tax. These are the candidates that have not yet voiced support for Hopewell's city tax:Kris Mbah for MayorEric Cunningham Cody DeckerLeona CarterReed YoungsKevin StatenJason MilanSonjalita HulbertLets keep the opposition to the Kalamazoo City Tax as the primary issue during the campaign for Kalamazoo Commission this November.#cityofkalamazoo#bobbyhopewell#jackurban#davidanderson# 08/24/2015

Richard Stewart speaks at Kalamazoo City Commission meeting 4/20/15. City Commissioner unanimously approved the liquor license to be located across the street from Alano Club on S Burdick St. Commissioner Jack Urban admited he is a drinker and "not ashamed of it". Jack Urban has announced he will seek re-election in the upcoming Kalamazoo City Election. Commissioner David Anderson also works for Kalamazoo Community Health and Substance Abuse but voted for the liquor license. Anderson also will seek re-election. Bobby Hopewell, the Mayor of Kalamazoo owns Salut, a liquor store outside of the city limits. Hopewell is also seeking re-election.  I ask the citizens in the City of Kalamazoo to remember these bad actors when you Vote November 3, 2015 and say no to increasing the negative effec... 08/08/2015

"How we walk with the broken speaks louder than how we sit with the great." This quote goes out to all those Kalamazoo City Commissioners who boast of their deeds and pat each other on the back for a job well done while our homeless population grows, our tax base further erodes and a financial crisis is looming for our city. This quote goes out to the Neighborhood Associations that serve only a select few of their residents who they "like" and ignore or worse "intimidate" those who they don't like. The discrimination by the Neighborhood Associations must stop and the Kalamazoo City Commissioners should monitor their operations. I encourage anyone who has the desire to help our city out of the mess our current commission has caused, to run for Kalamazoo City Commission. The process has b... 05/25/2015

Anyone who has considered running for Kalamazoo City Commission is encouraged to take this opportunity to run. Now is the time to begin the process to be a candidate for the November election. The process beings with obtaining only 75 signatures. I would be willing to help with this. We deserve better than what we have now. As an unhappy Kalamazoo Voter, I welcome you to run so we have more options than the current status quo. We desperately need diversity on the commission who will consider the needs of the entire community and not just the downtown, Winchell, Stuart and Milwood Neighborhoods. Residents within Kalamazoos Northside Neighborhood, Vine Neighborhood, Eastside Neighborhood are highly encouraged to run. These areas have no representation at the present time. We desperately n... 05/23/2015

 The Downtown Design Review District Expansion in Kalamazoo Michigan was overwhelmingly opposed by the residents and the existing business owners. The public was not expecting the commission to approve the gentrification of another low income neighborhood that will potentially dislocate many of the most vulnerable Kalamazoo city residents. This disturbing action, sends a wake up call to Kalamazoo city residents and reminds everyone to VOTE in November city commission election. Here are a few words that describe our plight in Kalamazoo MI regarding the DDRD/Gentrification question.It is, without doubt, possible to overlook or simply ignore those things which are not very obvious in our daily lives, it is this fact that makes many of the actions of our government possible. Actions of gove... 04/30/2015

Dear Kalamazoo Citizens: Informed Public awareness is essential to establishing any community standard. The current Kalamazoo City Commissioners approve new liquor licenses as if they were handing out candy to children. One proudly even boasts that he is a drinker and not ashamed of it. This helps to explain why we have seen a new liquor license pop up on nearly every block downtown over the last 10 years. I believe it is time to curb the approval process of new liquor licenses as we have a record breaking amount already operating in the city. It is unfortunate the city of Kalamazoo leaders have taken a pro alcohol position, even promoting alcohol consumption in photos. Kalamazoo City Leaders need to be mindful of the negative consequences alcohol has on its citizens. Not only is it a d... 04/25/2015

 On February 16, 2015, Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley released an open letter to Kalamazoo outlining policing reforms in response to the racial profiling study conducted in 2013.As a community-based anti-racist organization, Kalamazoo4Justice incorporated the long-standing concerns of Kalamazoo residents about the continuous and systemic abuse of power. The attached response was created to inform the larger community of ongoing issues within KDPS that Kalamazoo4Justice intends to address In light of recent events sparking national discourse on policing and the increased media attention on Kalamazoo’s own police force, Kalamazoo4Justice seeks to respond to Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety’s Chief Hadley’s open letter to the Kalamazoo community. Led by a comm... 04/17/2015

ImageineKalamazoo website missing OTHER-category response       What good is www.ImagineKalamazoo.com if your going to ask us a question and give us a list of approved choices? If this site is to be truly AUTHENTIC, it needs to always include an OTHER-option to answer all questions with a comment field to add citizens input. For example, if you ask us the top 3 things that need improved in our city, if you pick the answers we get to choose from, it is NOT authentic. I remember when the failed Mainstreet program was headed by DKI in 2002, it also used these misleading tactics by limiting the answers to questions posed to the public in order to artificially control the answers. Richard Stewart  03/23/2015

The Kalamazoo City Commissioners are only paying Lipp service on the road repair issues. We currently have $425,000 readily available for local street repairs from HUD that the city is choosing to allocate to increased Code enforcement instead, which is nothing more than a tax on property owners. The disbursement of the HUD funds being granted to Kalamazoo is open to public comment only until 4/2/15. If we remain silent, the city will be keeping a total of over $800,000 of the 2.1 Million grant with absolutely no right sizing or cost reduction of its inefficient departments. Code enforcement has 19 full time staff that could be cut in half to reduce costs. The community planning department is a huge pit the city continues to throw money into in order to perpetuate the financial crisis. ... 03/23/2015

#ImagineKalamazoo The lie we live in Kalamazoo Michigan       Transcript 0:00 At this moment you could be anywhere doing anything 0:04 Instead you sit alone before a screen. 0:07 So what's stopping us from doing what we want, being where we want to be. 0:11 Each day we wake up in the same room and follow the same path, to live the same day as yesterday. 0:16 Yet at one time each day was a new adventure. 0:19 Along the way something changed. Before our days were timeless, 0:23 now our days are scheduled. 0:25 Is this what it means to be grown up? To be free? 0:29 But are we really free? 0:32 Food. Water. Land. 0:35 The very elements we need to survive are owned by corporations. 0:38 There's no food for us on trees, no freshwater in streams, 0:42 no land to build a home. 0:44 If you try ... 03/18/2015