‘Ville Don't Shoot the Message

My plan was to write about volunteering, after being inspired by the inaugural Northville Chamber of Commerce Awards Dinner, where five invaluable volunteers, including Sue Hillebrand, the 2023 John Genitti Citizen of the Year, were recognized.

It was a great night of food and camaraderie that focused on volunteerism and how vital it is to a community’s success. In Northville, we’re blessed to have an abundance of people who go above and beyond to help so many vital causes.

Hillebrand, the longest-serving clerk in Northville Township’s history, was a great choice for the award. See Page 10 for more on this inaugural event, which I hope will continue for many years to come.

Instead, I’m going to address the “Let’s Open Northville” paid content we ran on a full page last month. A group of local, mostly downtown business owners paid to run the content, which is highly critical of the Main and Center streets closures.

I’ve received some criticism because we ran it, which I did for two reasons. Number one, The ‘Ville is a business. Without paid advertising there is no publication. Number two, and more importantly, The ‘Ville is a place where ideas and opinions can be shared.

The group behind the ad say the street closures have negatively impacted their businesses, and they have started a movement to persuade the City Council to rethink their decision last year to close downtown’s streets on a “permanent” basis.

In hindsight, the page should have included a disclaimer that it was paid content. I didn’t think there was much question, as it included QR codes and an email address that clearly was not associated with The ‘Ville, but it would have cleared up any misconceptions readers might have had.

The group received a huge response, and they are running more information this month (yes, it is labeled). You may have also seen their “Let’s Open Northville” yard signs popping up around town.

There is a large segment of the community that has grown weary of the street closures, which began during the early days of the pandemic to help downtown restaurants and other businesses survive. With those days behind us, many are asking what is the point anymore, especially when you see empty streets most of the time.

The group says the closures are killing business, because they no longer get drive by traffic or it is very difficult to get customers in the door because they have to park too far away. Several businesses have recently closed their doors, and I’m hearing rumors that others are close to that point.

There are also many people who support the closures, feeling it makes downtown unique and safer for pedestrians. Several business owners, particularly downtown restaurant owners, have also benefited from the outdoor seating area.

This is why I think it’s important to have a place where ideas can be exchanged and opinions shared. And that’s what The ‘Ville will continue to be.

While some members of the City Council believe this issue has been decided, momentum is building to have the issue revisited. The DDA board, made up mostly of downtown business folks, recently voted to recommend opening up Center Street, and only close Main seasonally. After that vote, a large number of people showed up at the March 6 council meeting to echo those sentiments, though there was no action on the nonagenda item.

At the meeting a council member criticized us for running the “Let’s Open Northville” content – saying it was misleading. There’s an old saying about shooting the messenger. In this case, it wasn’t my message, but if I had a recommendation it would be for city leaders not to ignore it or the people behind it.

They are serious. And their opinions matter.

Kurt Kuban is the Publisher and Editor of The ‘Ville. He welcomes your comments at kurtkuban@ thevillemagazine.com.