In Tuesday's primary election, two Democrats will compete for the Ann Arbor City Council's open seat for Ward 5, which contains a significant portion of Main Street and the neighborhoods west of downtown.

Ward 5 residents will decide whether Carsten Hohnke or Vivienne Armentrout should replace Christopher Easthope (D-Ward 5), who is running for 15th District Court judge.

Hohnke, who was endorsed by Ann Arbor mayor John Hieftje, is an Ann Arbor native and University alum. He said he is running for city council because of a strong interest in public policy and love for the city where he was raised.

Armentrout, the former chair of the Ann Arbor Solid Waste Commission and freelance writer for the Ann Arbor Observer, said she is running because she is concerned about the way priorities are being set on city council.

"I feel like a lot was being conducted in secret," she said.

Easily the most hotly debated issue in Ward 5 is the recently-approved $47-million police-court facility on Fifth Avenue and Huron Street. The building will house the police department, city hall and Washtenaw County’s 15th District Courthouse.

Armentrout said she has long disagreed with City Council’s plan to fund the new municipal building through bonds.

"I think the whole thing is a disaster,” Armentrout said.

Hohnke said he is happy with the funding plans but worried that city council discounted citizen participation when it made the decision.

"I think the city council dropped the ball on engaging folks in the conversation," he said.

Now that construction is underway, Hohnke said he believes City Council should be proactive in ensuring that the police-courts facility is an environmentally friendly and inviting public space, constructed with Ann Arbor residents' views in mind.

"Council should actively engage citizen participation in the remainder of the design process and in conversations about how to maximize public use of the space," he said.

With regards to University issues, both candidates agree that a wider distribution of student housing would be better for Ann Arbor’s future.

"I don't like the idea of a student ghetto," Armentrout said. "I like having all of our demographic groups mingled."

Similarly, they both said they see students as having a vital role in the election process.

"I think they need to seek out that role," Hohnke said. "For anybody, no matter where they are, they should always look for a way to get involved."

Both Hohnke and Armentrout expressed an interest in enhancing the city's mass transit system and support the increase of non-motorized transportation—including the addition of bike lanes and the implementation of the Allen Creek Greenway.