Exceptional City Service + Good Governance
One of the reasons I was motivated to run for City Council in 2020 was because I was dismayed by the chaos Council was causing at City Hall. I was not alone in my concern. In every Ward, Ann Arbor voters elected new progressive leaders.. And in 2022, voters continued to clean house, marking a clear course correction. I’m proud to be serving on a majority female Council (8 out of 11 members are women) and one that is the most diverse Council in the City’s history
I have been committed to stabilizing City Hall so we can deliver the exceptional city services and programming residents expect in Ann Arbor. Now, more than ever, we need professional, competent, and innovative civil servants and elected officials to ensure city operations are delivered efficiently and challenges are effectively addressed. Because while Ann Arbor is consistently ranked as one of the best cities to live in the United States, we still have work to do to make sure we provide a high quality of life to all residents.
This is why when I learned that 5th Ward residents living along the gravel roads west of Maple had experienced severe flooding for decades, I fought to secure funding to identify solutions to fix the problem.
And when residents brought concerns about unsafe roads, I pushed not only for more funding for roads maintenance, but also that we consistently rebuild them so they create a safe, accessible network for all users. Traffic deaths for pedestrians and bicyclists have skyrocketed across the US and Michigan, but we can be proud that in Ann Arbor our work is truly saving lives. Thanks to our commitment to implementing proven safety measures and complete infrastructure, we are demonstrating that truly fixing the “damn roads” doesn’t just mean filling potholes.
Finally, I believe good governance means listening to and communicating with residents. I have held frequent Ward meetings to hear from constituents in the 5th Ward and send a bi-monthly Council newsletter to keep you informed about what’s happening at City Hall. So I was well positioned to know that there were serious community concerns about entertaining an unsolicited proposal for a Sports Illustrated hotel and conference center downtown. I pushed for a more transparent and competitive process and remained consistent in my opposition to a project that was clearly misaligned with community goals and interests.