Incumbent Ron Suarez will be on the ballot for a Ward 1 seat on Ann Arbor’s City Council, but don’t vote for him.

Due to family and work obligations, Suarez pulled out of the race and asked Patricia Lesko to run in his place as a write-in candidate.

“He called me up and asked me to run,” said Lesko, who edits the online journal the Adjunct Advocate and owns the publishing company the Part-Time Press. “I’m doing this because I really think the system works. I think I have the skills and abilities to help our city government work more efficiently and effectively.”

Sandi Smith, an Ann Arbor business owner, is running against Lesko.

Smith has served on the Ann Arbor Board of Realtors, the Downtown Development Authority and community taskforces for the greenway, community security and affordable housing.

Lesko said she doesn’t like the way the city runs. She said she thinks Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje is alienated from the citizens of Ann Arbor.

“It’s hubris to go to someone and say vote for me, and then you never see them again,” she said.

Smith, who was endorsed by Hieftje, said she wants to improve the current system with an optimistic outlook and management style.

“A single ‘no’ vote doesn’t do anything. You need to say ‘no, and I’d like to add this amendment that would favor the project in this way,’” Smith said.

Both candidates acknowledged that a looming concern for residents of Ward 1, which includes West Quad, Towers Plaza, the Law Quad, Martha Cook, Betsy Barbour, Newberry, University Towers and Bursley, is the prospective use of the undeveloped lots downtown and land stretching from North Campus to M-14.

“The more urban density, the more taxes you generate by adding more individuals and companies here,” Smith said. “But I want to make sure Ann Arbor still has the character that we like so much, pedestrian-scale and good-looking buildings.”

Lesko said she would like to see less “cookie-cutter condos” and more case-by-case evaluations of city development.

“I am not a knee-jerk kind of person,” she said. “If you’re a representative, you have to consult with your constituency.”

Lesko and Smith agreed that their constituency was a diverse one.

Smith said she wants to work with the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority to meet the varied needs of Ward 1 commuters.

“The routes do not seem to coincide with the way people need to live,” she said.

Lesko said she believes the AATA needs to focus on making its current buses more energy efficient instead of developing new systems of inter-city transport.

“I am not for the construction of light rail until we have the city budget completely under control,” she said.

Both candidates said they thought students could play a key role in bringing Ann Arbor and the city into a more efficient working relationship.

Smith said that her nephew, a student at the University, gives her insight to students’ reactions to the city.

“I welcome participation and dialogue from students,” she said. “I encourage them if they’re living here year-round to register to vote here.”

Lesko attributed the students’ lack of voice in city matters to the government’s lack of transparency and, again, communication skills.

“They know you’re an 800-pound gorilla, and they want to do everything they can to make sure you don’t flex your muscles,” she said.