Kunselman, Kailasapathy File Petitions

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Candidates for local Ann Arbor office have started filing petitions for the upcoming August primaries.

First to file the minimum 250 signatures (50 per ward) for a mayoral candidate was Stephen Kunselman. The Ward 3 city councilmember turned in his signatures on March 17, 2014 and by the following day, the city clerk’s staff had verified 286 of them, according to records from the clerk’s office.

First to file signatures for city council was Sumi Kailasapathy, the incumbent Ward 1 candidate. She turned in more than the required 100 signatures on March 19, 2014, but as of late afternoon that day the clerk’s staff had not completed the verification process. [Updated: On Friday, March 21 the clerk's office verified that 102 signatures had been verified for Kailasapathy.]

Both Kunselman and Kailasapathy are running in the Aug. 5, 2014 Democratic primary.

Other candidates for mayor who have taken out petitions but not yet filed are city councilmembers Sabra Briere, Sally Petersen and Christopher Taylor. Other city council candidates who have taken out petitions and intend to file include Kirk Westphal in Ward 2, Julie Grand and Bob Dascola in Ward 3, and Graydon Krapohl in Ward 4. None of those four currently serve on the council. Westphal would be competing for the council seat left open by Petersen’s mayoral candidacy. Grand and Dascola would be competing for the council seat left open by Taylor’s mayoral candidacy.

However, Dascola may not be able to run, because the city has determined that he does not meet one-year city charter eligibility requirements. Ann Arbor’s city charter requires one year of voter registration and residency in the ward that the city councilmember seeks to represent, before being elected to office.

Krapohl would be competing for the Ward 4 seat currently held by Margie Teall, who has announced she will not seek re-election.

Ward 5 incumbent Chuck Warpehoski took out petitions last year but has not yet filed them.

All candidates who have taken out petitions so far are Democrats. The deadline to file petitions to run for Ann Arbor mayor and city council in the Aug. 5 partisan primary is April 22.