The election of Ann Arbor’s mayor and other City Council
members will shape the near future as Ann Arbor voters make their
decisions in Tuesday’s election.

Mayor John Hieftje, the Democratic incumbent, is facing
Republican challenger and former councilmember Jane Lumm.

Hieftje, who is finishing his second term as mayor, puts
environmental concerns, keeping neighborhoods tidy through the
Clean Communities program, fiscal responsibility and continuing
implementation of the Greenbelt on his platform.

The Greenbelt project, approved by voters last year under
Hieftje’s watch, was created to preserve parks in Ann Arbor
and curtail urban sprawl. The Clean Communities program, which
Hieftje has recently been advocating, encourages property owners to
keep their land free of garbage by assessing fines for dirty
lawns.

Hieftje said he has also helped to maintain fiscal
responsibility in Ann Arbor by reducing the size of the city
administration.

“We’ve been successful in reorganizing the
city’s bureaucracy, and we need to continue with that effort.
We already know it is saving us over $8.5 million per year,”
Hieftje said.

Lumm promises a recommitment to allow citizens to participate in
policy making and setting priorities. She also vows implementation
of the Greenbelt, balancing preservation and development in Ann
Arbor and creating more affordable housing.

Lumm said the city needs to address the broader issue of the
affordability of living in Ann Arbor.

“The cost of living and doing business in Ann Arbor is
escalating. The issue isn’t just affordable housing, but
affordable living for all of us. The first step is to align city
spending with the community’s priorities,” Lumm
said.

The other contested City Council race is in the 3rd ward, which
is bounded by Packard Road and Washtenaw Avenue and includes the
East Quad residence hall voting site, where Democratic incumbent
councilmember Jean Carlberg is being challenged by Green Party
candidate Marc Reichardt and Libertarian Rich Birkett.

Carlberg is running for her sixth term on the council, and says
she is interested in protecting Ann Arbor’s environment and
neighborhoods, improving city services and infrastructure,
increasing affordable housing and participating in regional
planning for connected parks, open spaces and transit.

“One of the things I’ve worked on pretty extensively
is affordable housing. I’ve worked on creating policy for
affordable housing and negotiating with developers to get
affordable housing built,” Carlberg said.

Housing costs are also among Reichardt’s major concerns.
He said he believes mixed-use buildings, featuring businesses and
residential apartments, need to be built in the city’s
downtown to increase density and reduce sprawl to other areas.

Another one of Reichardt’s major platforms is pushing the
University to contribute more to the community.

“The University doesn’t pay property taxes on the
massive amount of land they have. The city ends up losing tax
revenue and services start to break down,” Reichardt
said.

If elected, Reichardt also hopes to address questions of racial
justice in Ann Arbor and provide a voice for those not often
represented on council — like students.

Rich Birkett’s signature issue is the passage of Proposal
C, to legalize medical marijuana in Ann Arbor. Birkett wrote the
proposal.

“If passed, this initiative would prevent the city from
prosecuting medical marijuana patients,” Birkett said.

Birkett’s platform includes abolishing the city income tax
and reducing reliance on taxes altogether; opposing the proposed
porch furniture ban, reforming the city code to allow First
Amendment-protected activity, such as rallies, without a permit;
and defending and protecting anyone who might be subject to
profiling and other intrusive investigative actions. Specifically,
he mentioned students, protesters and minorities.

Four other City Council members are also up for re-election, but
are running uncontested. They include 1st ward candidate Kim
Groome, 2nd ward candidate Joan Lowenstein, 4th ward candidate
Margie Teall and 5th ward candidate Chris Easthope.