Lumm on Ballot for Ward 2 City Council

August 10, 2011 at 3 pm

On Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011 before the 5 p.m. deadline, Jane Lumm submitted nominating petitions to the Ann Arbor city clerk to appear on the Nov. 8 ballot as a candidate in the Ward 2 city council race. Lumm will apear on the ballot not affiliated with any party – as an independent. She turned in about 200 signatures at 2:30 p.m. As of 3:30 p.m., the clerk’s office had not yet verified the signatures, but only 100 are required.

Already appearing on the ballot as the Democratic Party’s nominee for Ward 2 is incumbent Stephen Rapundalo, having won his Democratic primary on Aug. 2 against challenger Tim Hull. Hull had the strongest showing of any challenger in the three wards that had contested primary elections, winning roughly 43% of the vote: 420 votes, compared with Rapundalo’s 573.

Lumm previously served on the city council from 1993-98, winning election as a Republican. During that span she served with a fellow Republican in the other seat for Ward 2 – first Peter Fink and then David Kwan.

In 2004, Lumm ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Ann Arbor as a Republican. Rapundalo is a former Republican, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2000. Rapundalo switched parties in 2005, winning his first term to represent Ward 2 in the November 2005 general election against Republican Tom Bourque. In a comment left on The Ann Arbor Chronicle’s website over the weekend, local attorney and prominent Democrat Tom Wieder indicated that he would be helping Lumm with her campaign, adding that it’s ”the first time in my life that I’ve worked for anyone other than a Democrat.”

In Ward 1, only one name will appear on the Nov. 8 ballot – that of incumbent Sabra Briere, who did not have a contested Democratic primary. In Ward 3, the winner of the Democratic primary, incumbent Stephen Kunselman, will face Republican David Parker. In Ward 4, incumbent Democrat Marcia Higgins will face Republican Eric Scheie. And in Ward 5, winner of the Democratic primary, incumbent Mike Anglin, will face Republican Stuart Berry.