I am not running to join an establishment -- I am running to challenge one.

I do not seek endorsements from our sitting City Council, or politicians in Lansing -- I answer to residents. I will cite my sources. I will explain my reasoning. I will keep money out of politics. I challenge my opponents to do the same.

Our home should be guided by logic, evidence, and transparency: not by money, not by political hierarchy, and certainly not performative outrage. If we cannot model and act with civility and integrity in our own neighborhoods, how can we expect it from Lansing or Washington? Our home sets the stage for the world.

Campaigns have become small-scale industries in our community: yard signs, glossy mailers, consultant fees, and wasteful spending. I reject that model. Money belongs in people’s pockets and not in campaign finance accounts.

I am pledging to run a fiscally honest campaign that:

• Accepts no corporate or PAC funding, from any source.

• Caps individual donations at $50 maximum.

• Accepts no more than $1,000 total in campaign contributions.

• Donates any remaining funds at the end of the campaign to local charitable causes.

I will not allow my campaign to be bought or inflated. And it will not confuse fundraising with public service. I invite my opponents to make the same pledges.

Partisan politics do not belong in municipal government. We, in Ann Arbor, all agree on fundamentals:

• We need more housing.

• We need better public transit.

• We need faster city services.

Party labels do not fix potholes. They do not build homes. They do not plow snow. Unlike our current Council, I believe voters are smart enough to reject harmful ideas, and elect independent candidates that are most fair to them. Ann Arbor remains one of only three cities in Michigan that still uses partisan local elections. This outdated system forces residents into a primary process that requires more time off work, more research, and upholds a two-party structure that divides our nation and rips at our society’s seams.

The current system benefits those already in power. It narrows who can compete and discourages independent, working-class candidates from entering the race.

In 2020, City Council voted 7–4 to send a referendum to voters regarding non-partisan elections, Mayor Taylor vetoed this proposal from the Council↗, but I believe it’s time to revisit this.

Local government should be about service and not party allegiance. Ann Arbor deserves a municipal system that reflects our community, not national political divisions.

Ann Arbor is becoming unaffordable by design. For too long, our city has allowed housing policy and the system to work for developers and private equity↗ instead of residents. Rents are rising faster than wages. Longtime neighbors are being pushed out. Working families are being priced out of the very community they built.

Meanwhile, new construction continues to prioritize low-effort “luxury” units marketed at the highest possible price point -- not homes that teachers, nurses, service workers, or young families can actually afford. These are our homes, not investment vehicles. The Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) that our current council has pushed fails to address these issues.

Housing should not be treated like a stock portfolio. People are not cash flows. Residents are not profit centers.

We do not have to accept this system.

We, in Ann Arbor, can:

• Continue to directly fund and build permanently affordable housing, not just subsidize private projects.

• Attach equity requirements to public funding, so when the city invests in a development, taxpayers retain ownership stake -- not just risk.

• Prioritize community land trusts and cooperative housing models that remove property from speculation, rather than purely trusting the developer’s word.

• Strengthen enforcement against negligent and exploitative landlords, including aggressive use of nuisance laws and rental licensing authority.

• Reserve eminent domain for genuine public good, and not just university expansion.

Eminent domain should never displace working families for institutional expansion while slumlords operate freely. If the city is willing to use its authority, it should use it to protect residents — not to concentrate wealth.

People are not cash-cows↗ to be abused by the wealthy. Better policy is within an arm’s reach and a single vote. We can change this for the better.

It is no secret that the elephant in the room, University of Michigan, plays a vital role in Ann Arbor’s identity, economy, and global reputation - but partnership does not mean exemption from accountability.

The University owns over 10% of Ann Arbor↗ and roughly a quarter of downtown property. Its footprint continues to grow. That growth places real pressure on housing supply, infrastructure capacity, and city services -- while the University itself is largely exempt from local property taxes. City Council has failed to properly acknowledge this and work with the University on planning the future of our home. We are going to continue seeing conflicts, such as eminent domain for dorms, unless this changes.

The University answers primarily to its Board of Regents and the State of Michigan -- not to Ann Arbor voters. Yet, its expansion directly affects:

• Rental prices

• Traffic and transit demand

• Public safety coordination

• Utilities and infrastructure strain

• Downtown land availability

As enrollment increases and land is acquired, the city absorbs secondary costs -- but has limited leverage in return. We need negotiation and transparency regarding this, not decisions being made behind closed doors. I am willing to bridge that gap. A few individuals on City Council are payrolled by the University - this is a conflict of interest to which these individuals need to recuse themselves, and we need parties to meet in the middle.

Alongside that, recent controversies involving surveillance, protest response, and policing on campus have raised legitimate concerns about transparency and civil liberties - the University was recently found to have been harassing and stalking people with opposing political views↗.

The University maintains its own fully empowered police force with jurisdictional authority. While legal, this structure demands oversight and coordination with City Council to ensure our rights are not trampled.

Ann Arbor’s rising costs are squeezing workers, renters, and small businesses from every direction. Rent is up. Groceries are up. Transportation is up. Electricity bills keep climbing -- because we rely on a private monopoly.

DTE holds an essential monopoly over power distribution in Ann Arbor. Residents cannot shop around. They cannot negotiate. They cannot opt out. Yet rates continue to increase, fees multiply, and executive compensation continues to rise — with the CEO cashing in nearly $13 million a year↗.

When basic utilities and needs remain profit engines in our community, residents pay twice:

• Once on their monthly bill.

• Again in higher retail prices as businesses pass those costs on.

Electricity is not a luxury. It is essential infrastructure. It is a modern necessity. Public utilities should be operating at cost, not for shareholder profit.

We already proved that public systems can work. Ann Arbor’s municipal water system is controlled by voters and accountable to residents, not to wealthy investors. It exists to serve the public, not to extract from it. Electric power can, and should, operate under the same principle.

Municipalizing utilities would allow us to:

• Set rates based on cost recovery and cost of operations, not profit margins.

• Increase transparency in pricing and infrastructure investment. All information is public.

• Reinvest surplus revenue into grid reliability and renewable energy.

• Protect residents from arbitrary fee increases while stabilizing long-term costs for households and small businesses.

Public power is not outrageous, nor impossible -- it is practical governance for our city.

As President of my Tenant Union, I’ve seen firsthand how powerful collective action can be. When we organize:

• Tenants can negotiate safer, more favorable conditions for their homes and businesses.

• Workers can negotiate fairer wages and benefits for their efforts and skills.

• People can gain leverage over wealth itself.

The right to organize, and the right to strike, are fundamental economic rights. They are how ordinary people like us assert power in systems that would otherwise ignore us. Striking allows workers and tenants to leverage their economic power↗ to demand just actions.

City Council may not control federal or state law -- but it can:

• Pass resolutions affirming the right to organize and strike.

• Require neutrality agreements in city contracts.

• Prioritize union labor in municipal projects, like munizipalizing energy.

• Provide public information sessions about tenant organizing rights and support their efforts.

• Ensure city policy does not undermine labor organizing.

• Strengthen renter protections that make collective tenant action safer for them.

Right now, the city does very little to educate residents about how to form tenant or labor unions. That silence benefits the powerful the wealthy developers devouring our home.

If we believe in democracy at the ballot box, we should also believe in democracy at work and at home.

As someone who uses public transit almost everyday - it should be frequent, reliable, and affordable, not an afterthought. Parking is expensive and growingly unaffordable in Ann arbor, and as such, our infrastructure needs to have consistent transportation available at low or no-cost to residents. Accommodations for individuals with disabilities and seniors are also critical to public infrastructure. I know there are critical gaps, like no service to our senior center. I won’t just campaign on “better public transit” - I use it and will see to it that it is feasible to use our system to traverse the entirety of the city, not just some downtown locations.

“Public Transport is critical to Ann Arbor, but it needs to be accessible.”

With a budget of over $70 million↗, continuing to develop the Ann Arbor Transit Authority (AATA/TheRide) will continue to not only improve our services, but public transportation has been shown to be a boon to local economies↗, providing better access to jobs, goods, and services that our local businesses have to offer us.

Ann Arbor’s goal of zero emissions (A2Zero) by 2030 is critical not only for us, but leaders of the green movement across the globe. With our progressive action, we not only become responsible stewards of our own lands here in town, but also set a beacon and path for others to do the same. Renewable energies pollute far less than coal or oil plants, which destroy our air quality.

“Clean air, clean water, and clean lands belong to all Ann Arborites.”

While we continue to promote our parks and air quality, the 1,4-Dioxane by Gelman Sciences (now Danaher) still contaminates possible groundwater↗ used for drinking, and is a carcinogen. Danaher should be held accountable for their pollution of our water and lands to the highest degree, but the city must still take action to protect our health

Equity isn’t something that appears overnight, or just from good intentions alone - it requires our deliberate choice. I believe in furthering our equity impact assessments for any city or budgetary decisions, expanding language and inclusive public engagement/outreach for feedback on decisions, and furthering investments in historically underrepresented or undeserved areas.

“Equity is our choice, not a back-burner thought.”

With federal crackdowns on equity and inclusion, it’s evermore important to come together as a community to promote it to protect our talent and economic well-being. Diversity is one of our strongest virtues here in Ann Arbor, with multiculturalism being at the center of our artistic talent and taste that makes our city so unique.

Public Safety is always a priority for me, but Public Safety does not just mean the increasing of a police force or surveillance - it also requires freedom from a dangerous or oppressive law enforcement agency. We’ve all seen the actions of Federal Enforcement, and to prevent such actions from being repeated in Ann Arbor, we need more extensive precautionary measures.

“Public Safety & Human Rights go hand-in-hand in Ann Arbor.”

Increasing our Independent Police Oversight Commission↗ in terms of powers and citizens is one way to ensure our rights are protected while enforcing our laws. I also support increasing assets and training in terms of mental health training for law enforcement, and diversion programs to prevent unneeded discipline.