Vresics Won’t Campaign for Ward 1 Seat

An email sent to media by Mixed Use Party co-chair Will Leaf late Sept. 2, 2013 indicates that University of Michigan student Jaclyn Vresics has announced she won’t be contesting the Ward 1 Ann Arbor city council race this fall. Reached by text message Vresics confirmed her intention to withdraw from the race.

Vresics had qualified for the ballot by submitting more than the 100 required nominating signatures by the Aug. 7 deadline. However, the deadline for withdrawing formally from the race has passed, according to city clerk Jackie Beaudry.

According to Secretary of State documents the deadline to withdraw is Aug. 12, 2013, or three business days after the Aug. 7 filing deadline. So her name will still appear on the Nov. 5, 2013 ballot. [.pdf of Secretary of State election deadlines]

In a statement Leaf conveyed in his email, Vresics stated: “Although personal reasons require that I withdraw from the election, the Mixed Use Party has my unwavering support. I have full confidence in Conrad [Brown] and Sam [DeVarti] as candidates, and I maintain my belief that the party’s platform will bring much needed and beneficial change to Ann Arbor.”

That will leave incumbent Democrat Sabra Briere and independent Jeff Hayner as the two remaining candidates who will be actively campaigning to represent Ward 1.

The two men mentioned in the statement relayed by Leaf – Conrad Brown and Sam DeVarti – are Mixed Use Party affiliates who are contesting Ann Arbor city council races in Ward 2 and Ward 3 respectively. Along with Brown, the Ward 2 race features incumbent independent Jane Lumm and Democrat Kirk Westphal, who was unopposed in the August primary. DeVarti is competing to represent Ward 3 with incumbent Democrat Stephen Kunselman, who prevailed in the August primary against Julie Grand.