Priorities 2024

Social Justice

Social justice is a leading community priority that my City Council colleagues and I have vigorously pursued these past four years.

• Social Safety Net: I have voted to fund eviction prevention, mentorship, and other programming for underserved youth, and to improve housing stability for low-income households (especially those affected by the criminal legal system). I also voted to support a Universal Basic Income (UBI) pilot that provides cash grants to 100 Ann Arbor entrepreneurs. In partnership with the University of Michigan, this program will also generate research findings that support UBI initiatives nationwide.  

• Criminal Legal System Reform: I have voted to fund innovative new programs in Ann Arbor for expungement, which removes de-criminalized drug offenses from people’s records; diversion, which connects people with mental health and other treatment providers post-arrest; and deflection, which refers people to providers before they become justice-involved (read more or make a referral here).

• Traffic Stops: I voted in favor of “Driving Equality”—an ordinance eliminating traffic stops for minor traffic violations that can be ticketed by mail, a change sponsored by my Ward One colleague Cynthia Harrison.

• Unarmed Response: I voted to allocate $3.5M in federal American Rescue Act monies to this initiative and support continued vigorous effort to advance this initiative before the funds expire.

• Workers’ Rights: I voted to ensure that Ann Arbor’s “best value procurement” process is properly implemented so that contractors hired by the city pay people full-time wages and benefits. I also voted for compliance checks to ensure that contractors hired by the city comply with Ann Arbor’s prevailing wage legislation.

 

Affordable Housing & Development

There is an urgent need for housing in Ann Arbor that serves working and low-income families. I have voted for every measure this Council has taken to meet these needs. As Planning Commission liaison, I have helped streamline the City zoning code to promote housing affordability. 

• Dunbar Tower at 121 E. Catherine: The Ann Arbor Housing Commission and Avalon broke ground April 15, 2024, on this six-story 63-apartment project—the first to be realized from the 2020 affordable housing millage!!! The development will serve households with incomes at 60% of Area Median Income and lower, provide supportive services for half the residents, include 9 units that are fully barrier free, and host a community and cultural space to recall and honor this neighborhood’s former identity as a centerpiece of Black entrepreneurship and community in Ann Arbor.

• Transit Corridor Zoning: On Planning Commission, I helped develop this new zoning category to serve teachers, hospital workers, young professionals and more by stimulating residential development along transit corridors outside of downtown including Plymouth Rd.

• Eliminate Required Parking Space Minimums Citywide: I voted for this change to the City zoning code which will reduce rents by eliminating costly excess parking and enable entrepreneurs to open more neighborhood businesses like the new and lively Lowertown Bar and Café in Ward One.

 

Basic Services

Ann Arbor residents deserve exceptional basic services that are delivered in ways that are consistent with community values of equity, diversity, and environmental sustainability. 

• Mobility: I voted for a $15M road bond to accelerate reconstruction and resurfacing of local roads which has resulted in treatment of almost 20 lane miles. I have also voted for pedestrian safety improvements and bike lanes, plus equipment to keep them clean. In addition to these system-wide transformations, I have advocated persistently for Ward One constituents who contact me regarding problems with street lighting and sidewalks. 

• Snow Clearance: I voted for a $500k budget increase to fund faster, more complete plowing on local roads.  

• Water Autonomy and Quality: I voted to proceed with rehabilitating the Ann Arbor Water Treatment Plant to ensure that the City continues to exercise autonomy over its water rates and to deliver residents the highest-quality water that meets and exceeds state and federal standards.

• Gelman Plume: I voted to seek EPA listing for this toxic chemical plume, which resulted (March 2024) in the EPA proposing to add Gelman Sciences Inc. to the Superfund National Priorities List. I also voted for the City to take legal action to enforce its 2006 settlement agreement with Gelman sciences, which has resulted in Gelman installing additional monitoring wells that would enable the City to claim monetary damages if 1,4 dioxane levels exceed the agreed-upon threshold.

 

Climate Action and Environmental Stewardship 

I am grateful for the natural endowments of our city and, as Council’s liaison to the Environmental Commission, I have actively pursued conservation and climate action initiatives. 

• Clean Energy: I support the A2Zero goal of powering Ann Arbor’s electrical grid with 100% renewable energy. I voted to place an initiative on the upcoming November 2024 ballot that asks Ann Arbor residents to authorize the City’s moving forward with developing a Sustainable Energy Utility by establishing neighborhood microgrids powered by rooftop solar and geothermal energy. I also support further exploration of a Municipal Energy Utility (“Public Power”) and voted to proceed with a Phase 2 study to appraise DTE’s assets. 

• Re-use, Repair, Swap, Share—“The Circular Economy”: I partnered with Environmental Commission members, UM sustainability graduate students, and City staff to promote activities that give goods and resources a new life. We built a website and a locator map.

• B2B Trail: I advocated for and voted to fund the Bandemer tunnel project that closes a crucial gap in the 35-mile ADA accessible border-to-border trail that connects cities, parks, and other destinations across Washtenaw County (construction expected 2025). 

• Greenbelt and “Buy-Protect-Sell”: I am excited to see Parks Commission extend the mission of the Greenbelt district to protect farmland and provide land-insecure farmers with affordable buying options. I also voted to expand the size of the district to bring in new partners to create additional opportunities for farmland preservation and to expand its mission by creating a Source Water Protection District that allows acquisition of land that directly protects Ann Arbor’s drinking water quality.