Candidates Take Action in City Council Races

A challenger to Ward 1 incumbent Ann Arbor city councilmember Sabra Briere has pulled petitions for the Nov. 5 general election, according to the city clerk’s office. Jaclyn Vresics, who’ll be running as an independent, pulled petitions on April 30 for the Ward 1 race.

Vresics is a University of Michigan student who is affiliated with the Mixed Use Party. The Mixed Use Party stresses land-use and zoning as key to environmental preservation and legal equality. The website for the party indicates the desire to “create a new zoning code, abolish tax increment financing, legalize victimless crimes, and look for other ways to improve the city.”

So far Vresics is the only potential challenger to Briere, who pulled petitions in February but has not yet filed the required 100 valid signatures. Briere, who was first elected in 2007, has included zoning and land-use issues as part of her focus during her time on the council. Since November 2012, she has served as the city council appointee to the city planning commission.

Also this week, two candidates have filed petitions in other ward races for the Aug. 6, 2013 Democratic primary election. Ward 4 incumbent Marcia Higgins and first-time candidate Julie Grand, who’s running in Ward 3, both filed more than the required 100 petitions on April 29, which were subsequently validated by the city clerk’s office this week.

Ward 3 incumbent Stephen Kunselman, who will be challenged by Grand, had filed valid petitions on March 8.

Several other candidates have pulled petitions, but not yet filed them with the city clerk. Those include Jack Eaton in Ward 4, Kirk Westphal in Ward 2, and Ward 5 incumbent Mike Anglin. Westphal is likely to face incumbent Ward 2 councilmember Jane Lumm, who was elected in 2011 as an independent.

The deadline to submit petitions for the August primary – with at least 100 valid signatures – is May 14. The deadline for filing petitions in non-primary races is Aug. 7.