Kunselman Pulls Petitions for 2014 Mayor’s Race

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Ward 3 Ann Arbor city councilmember Stephen Kunselman, a Democrat, has taken out petitions to run for mayor in 2014.

Kunselman obtained the paperwork from the city clerk’s office just before noon on Sept. 27, 2013. Kunselman is currently seeking re-election to represent Ward 3. He’s contesting the Nov. 5, 2013 city council general election with independent Sam DeVarti.

Kunselman would need to submit 50 valid signatures from each of the city’s five wards, in order to qualify for the ballot in the 2014 August mayoral primary election.

Terms on the Ann Arbor city council are two years. Each of the city’s five wards is represented by two councilmembers. So each year, one of the two seats is up for re-election. The position of mayor, which also has a term of two years and also serves on the 11-member council, is elected in even-numbered years. Current mayor John Hieftje is in his seventh term, which makes him the longest-serving mayor in Ann Arbor’s history.