City council races were actively contested in only three of Ann Arbor’s five wards in the Democratic primary: Ward 1 (orange), Ward 2 (green) and Ward 3 (teal).

November will see at least three newcomers to the 11-member council – Kirk Westphal in Ward 2, Julie Grand in Ward 3, and Graydon Krapohl in Ward 4. Westphal and Grand won their respective Democratic primaries that featured no incumbents. Both candidates were coming off unsuccessful council campaigns last year – against Jane Lumm (Ward 2) and Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3), respectively.

Westphal received 1,819 votes (59%) to Nancy Kaplan’s 1,261 (41%) in a race that was anticipated to be somewhat closer. Grand received 1,516 votes (51.1%) compared to Bob Dascola’s 794 (26.8%) and Samuel McMullen’s 616 (20.8%). That gave a decisive result to a Ward 3 race that had been fraught with legal disputes – about Dascola’s eligibility to appear on the ballot in the first place; and then about how to count misprinted absentee ballots, which omitted Dascola’s name.

Krapohl’s race did not even appear on the Aug. 5 ballot – because he was unopposed in the Democratic primary and no Republican qualified for the ballot. The omission of the race from the ballot under those conditions is stipulated in a clause of the city charter.

Krapohl will be filling the seat to which Democrat Margie Teall did not seek re-election. Westphal will almost certainly be filling the Ward 2 seat that Sally Petersen left to pursue an unsuccessful mayoral campaign. And Grand will almost certainly be elected to fill the seat vacated by Christopher Taylor, who ran a successful campaign for mayor.

Taylor, who’s currently a councilmember representing Ward 3, will be the Democratic nominee in the Nov. 4 general election against independent Bryan Kelly. Assuming Taylor does prevail, he will remain on the council as mayor. And among the 10 councilmembers who represent one of the five wards, he’ll almost certainly see a total of seven returning faces, including the two incumbents who prevailed in the Aug. 5 primaries.

That’s because those two incumbents, like the new Democratic council nominees, will also be unopposed on the November ballot. First-term Ward 1 councilmember Sumi Kailasapathy prevailed over Don Adams, who was seeking elected office for the first time. Kailasapathy received 1,113 votes (56.8%) compared to 840 (42.8%) for Adams.

And first-term Ward 5 councilmember Chuck Warpehoski prevailed over Leon Bryson, who had announced he was withdrawing from the race after the deadline to remove his name from the ballot. Bryson still collected 674 votes (18.6%), but Warpehoski’s total was 2,936 (81%).

Those three newcomers and two incumbents will join the five councilmembers who are currently in the middle of their two-year terms: Jane Lumm (Ward 2), Jack Eaton (Ward 4) and Mike Anglin (Ward 5) – as well as Sabra Briere (Ward 1) and Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3), who were unsuccessful in their mayoral bids.

Below are some maps illustrating the geographic distribution of votes in the three actively contested city council races, as well as some limited analysis of the Ward 2 race in terms of questions that were part of a pre-election poll conducted by Public Policy Polling.

Ward 1 Maps

In the Aug. 5, 2014 Democratic primary, first-term Ward 1 councilmember Sumi Kailasapathy prevailed over Don Adams, who was seeking elected office for the first time.

Maps are shaded by precinct based on the percentage of votes received by each candidate. Kailasapathy’s percentages are shown in red; Adams’ percentages are shown in blue.

Kailasapathy received 1,113 votes (56.8%) compared to 840 (42.8%) for Adams. That’s a similar percentage breakdown to the 2012 Democratic primary race that Kailasapathy won against Eric Sturgis. In the 2012 race, Kailasapathy received 863 votes (58%) compared to 628 (42%) for Sturgis.

Kailasapathy lost one precinct to Adams – Precinct 1-10. The tally there was 273 for Adams compared to 211 for Kailasapathy. That precinct includes Arrowwood Hills Cooperative Housing, where Adams lives.

When The Chronicle dropped by the Precinct 1-10 polling station on its Election Day tour of the polls, Adams indicated he’d be spending the whole day at that precinct, saying “This is my family.”

In the color-shaded maps that are included in this article, Precinct 1-10 stands out in the central northern part of the ward.

In 2012, Kailasapathy was not as strong in Precinct 1-10 as she was in other parts of Ward 1, but still prevailed there against Sturgis. That year she lost a different precinct to Sturgis – Precinct 1-5, just to the south of Precinct 1-10 – by a tally of 123 to 157. That precinct was the home precinct of Sturgis. This year she prevailed there against Adams – by a tally of 177 to 136. Sturgis worked for Kailasapathy’s campaign this year.

Ward 1 Maps: Adams

Ward 1 Maps: Kailasapathy

Ward 2 Maps

In the Ward 2 city council race, Kirk Westphal received 1,819 votes (59%) to Nancy Kaplan’s 1,261 (41%) in a primary that was anticipated to be somewhat closer.

Westphal currently serves on the city planning commission, with a term ending in July 2015. In November each year, the city council makes an annual appointment from its own members to the planning commission – a position currently held by Sabra Briere (Ward 1). Regardless of how the council handles that appointment this year, an additional appointment will need to be made to the planning commission from the citizenry at large – to fill the spot that Westphal will be giving up to serve on the council.

Ward 2 precincts color-shaded according to percentage of the vote received: Westphal (blue) and Kaplan (red).

Westphal’s decisive margin in the Aug. 5 primary – of nearly 3 to 2 – saw Kaplan receiving about the same percentage of the vote as Westphal did last year in the 2013 November election in Ward 2 – a race in which Jane Lumm prevailed.

One of the two precincts Westphal won that year was percentage-wise especially strong for him this year against Kaplan – Precinct 2-1 in the middle of the ward. In 2-1, Westphal received 73% of the vote this year. But it was comparatively lightly voted – with the actual tally just 77 to 28 votes. The neighboring Precinct 2-8, just to the west of 2-1, was also nearly as strong for Westphal percentage-wise at 68%, but offered a much greater plurality. The tally was 289 to 136.

Kaplan did not win any precincts. The sparsely voted 2-2 was split three votes apiece for both candidates. Kaplan’s home base of support in the southern part of the ward near Huron Hills golf course delivered the closest meaningful total for Kaplan – at 48%. Kaplan had campaigned in part on her participation in an effort a few years ago to defend Huron Hills golf course from a future that’s different from its status as a public park.

Ward 2: Poll Question Breakdown

Westphal had campaigned in part by contrasting himself with Kaplan with respect to three points: (1) attitude toward downtown development (as a planning commissioner, Westphal voted to recommend 413 E. Huron for approval); (2) public transportation (Westphal supported the recent AAATA millage, which was approved by voters in on May 6); and (3) development of rail-based transportation options (Westphal supports investment in a new rail station).

Two of those issues were touched on in a pre-election poll of Ann Arbor voters, which was conducted by Public Policy Polling (PPP). Voters were asked their opinions about recent downtown development and their perceptions of a need for a new train station.

In general, do you support or oppose the increased development being approved and built downtown in recent years?

Do you think Ann Arbor should build a new train station/transit center, or do you think the current train station is adequate?

Base on those poll results, Westphal’s general position on those topics seems to resonate with more Ann Arbor voters citywide than not. A slim majority of Ann Arbor residents think Ann Arbor needs a better train station: The need for a new train station polled at 52%, while the alternate view – that the current station is adequate – polled at 35%. The poll indicated 46% support for the downtown projects that have been approved and built in recent years, and with opposition at 39%.

The poll had 435 respondents citywide, which means that the numbers for each of the individual five wards were fairly small. So conclusions about each ward’s cut of the data would need to be viewed with even more caution than the poll’s overall results.

But the breakout by ward on those two pre-election poll questions showed a great deal more ambiguity amongst Ward 2 voters than among voters citywide. Contentment with the current train station polled two points better in Ward 2 than a perceived need to build a better one – 44% to 42%. And support for recent downtown developments showed a split of 43% to 42%. Westphal’s ultimately successful campaign strategy did not appear to try to straddle the fence on those issues. Those results are presented in Charts 1 and 2 below.

Chart 1: From July 28-29, 2014 pre-election survey of 435 likely Democratic primary voters by Public Policy Polling. Chart by the Chronicle.

Chart 2: From July 28-29, 2014 pre-election survey of 435 likely Democratic primary voters by Public Policy Polling. Chart by the Chronicle.

Also part of the Ward 2 campaign was an explicit association of Westphal with mayoral candidate Christopher Taylor by the Michigan Talent Agenda’s set of endorsements. Westphal and Taylor also shared several donors to their campaigns. To the extent that voters perceived Westphal as similar to Taylor, that may have worked to Westphal’s benefit – because according to the PPP poll, voters have a favorable opinion of Taylor – not just citywide, but also in Ward 2.

Poll respondents were asked a different question about current mayor John Hieftje – related to job performance, as opposed to a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the person. But on that question Hieftje’s approval showed a different pattern from Taylor’s. Both men polled positively citywide, but more Ward 2 voters disapprove of Hieftje’s job performance than approve of it. There’s been a smattering of commentary over the last few years attempting to associate Westphal with Hieftje – based on the fact that it was Hieftje who nominated Westphal to the planning commission. Based on the outcome of the primary, that appears to be an association that is not felt strongly enough by voters to make a difference.

Results by ward on poll questions about Taylor and Hieftje are presented in Chart 3 and Chart 4.

Chart 3: From July 28-29, 2014 pre-election survey of 435 likely Democratic primary voters by Public Policy Polling. Chart by the Chronicle.

Chart 4: From July 28-29, 2014 pre-election survey of 435 likely Democratic primary voters by Public Policy Polling. Chart by the Chronicle.

Ward 2 Maps: Westphal

Ward 2 Maps: Kaplan

Ward 3 Maps

In the three-way Ward 3 race, Julie Grand received 1,516 votes (51.1%) compared to Bob Dascola’s 794 (26.8%), and Samuel McMullen’s 616 (20.8%).

Grand (green), Dascola (red), and McMullen (orange).

That gave a decisive result to a Ward 3 race that had been fraught with legal disputes – about Dascola’s eligibility to appear on the ballot in the first place; and then about how to count some misprinted absentee ballots, which omitted Dascola’s name.

Concern about how to count those ballots – if a voter did not send in a replacement ballot – had been heightened by the fact that Ward 3 has historically featured close races. The 2009 primary race was decided by just six votes, which triggered a recount.

In the end, Grand eked out an actual majority of votes, comfortably outpolling Dascola and McMullen.

That outcome was based in part on Grand’s strength in the two precincts nearest to the center of the city near the Burns Park area – 3-3 and 3-4. Grand’s support in those precincts approached 60%. Grand also won Precinct 3-3 in her race against Kunselman last year, which she narrowly lost overall.

Like last year, Grand was not quite as strong in the mid-outer precincts of 3-8, 3-7 and 3-6, but still had more votes than Dascola and McMullen in every precinct in the ward.

The pattern of Grand’s support in the ward was similar but not identical to that of mayoral candidate Christopher Taylor’s in Ward 3 – his home ward. Precinct 3-6 was the only precinct won by Stephen Kunselman in the mayoral race (his home precinct). Grand still polled 41% there, after losing the Democratic primary to Kunselman last year. Grand had publicly endorsed Taylor in his mayoral race.

Precinct 3-6 was also one of the strongest precinct for Bob Dascola – among those precincts with a significant turnout. Dascola had publicly endorsed Kunselman in his mayoral race.

In the 2013 primary, Grand had also won Precinct 3-5 in the south of the ward. And that precinct was one of her stronger precincts again this year. Grand received nearly 58% of the vote in that precinct.

McMullen’s strongest precinct was 3-7, where he received nearly 28% of the vote. That’s the home neighborhood of Jeannine Palms, a long-time parks and environmental activist who had publicly endorsed McMullen and campaigned on his behalf.

Ward 3 Maps: McMullen

Ward 3 Maps: Dascola

Ward 3 Maps: Grand

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Contributions made to candidates in Ward 1, Ward 2 and Ward 3 council races are plotted based on the address of the contributor. (Image links to sets of dynamic maps by broken down by candidate.)

That’s about $100,000 less than the amount raised by four candidates in the mayoral primary. The filing deadline for pre-primary reports was July 25.

In Ward 4, incumbent Democrat Margie Teall is not seeking re-election and only one candidate is running – Graydon Krapohl. So he did not need to file campaign finance reports. In Ward 5, Leon Bryson announced several weeks ago that he was withdrawing from his challenge of first-term incumbent Chuck Warpehoski. Even though both Ward 5 candidates filed campaign finance reports, this article does not analyze them.

Accounting for more than half of the total amount raised in the other three wards were the two candidates in Ward 2: Kirk Westphal and Nancy Kaplan. Kaplan’s $16,314 was easily more than any other candidate. By way of comparison to recent Ward 2 races, for the pre-primary campaign period in 2011 and 2013 Jane Lumm raised about $19,000 and $20,000 in those respective years. Westphal raised $12,420 this year, which is about $2,000 more than he raised during the comparable period in his unsuccessful 2013 campaign against Lumm. Westphal and Kaplan are competing for the Ward 2 seat currently held by Sally Petersen. She decided to run for mayor instead of seeking re-election to the Ward 2 seat.

This year’s Ward 3 contest features Julie Grand, Bob Dascola and Samuel McMullen, who are all competing for the seat that Christopher Taylor is leaving in order to run for mayor. Among the three, Dascola raised the most money with $7,385 in contributions compared to $6,595 for Grand and $5,248 for McMullen. (McMullen’s campaign reported a total of $5,315 in itemized contributions, but The Chronicle’s calculation was for $67 less than that, based on the documents.) Grand’s total this year is significantly less than the $10,825 she raised in the comparable period in 2013 for her unsuccessful campaign against Stephen Kunselman.

The Ward 1 race features one-term incumbent Sumi Kailasapathy and Don Adams. Kailasapathy raised $5,345 compared to $4,570 for Adams. Kailasapathy’s amount this year is about $1,000 more than what she raised during the pre-primary period for the 2012 primary, which she won against Eric Sturgis.

While the raw totals provide some insight into how the campaigns are being financed, there’s more to it than that.

Here’s a read-only link to the Google spreadsheet used by The Chronicle to generate charts and maps: [2014 Council Campaign Finance: Ann Arbor] For readers who’d like full-sized versions of the maps embedded below, here’s a link to the Google Fusion tables: [2014 Council Campaign Finance Maps]

Below we present charts and maps to illustrate the distribution of donations by amount and geography.

Charts

Below are frequency distributions of donations grouped by size of the donation. In the last few years, winning campaigns for city council races have been characterized by distributions that skewed toward smaller donations.

Charts: Ward 3

McMullen raised a total of $5,248 from 88 contributions for a mean contribution of $59. The median contribution was $25.

Grand raised a total of $6,595 from 45 contributions for a mean contribution of $146. The median contribution was $100.

Dascola raised a total of $7,385 from 75 contributions for a mean contribution of $98. The median contribution was $50.

Charts: Ward 2

Westphal raised a total of $12,420 from 95 contributions for a mean contribution of $130. The median contribution was $100.

Kaplan raised a total of $16,314 from 132 contributions for a mean contribution of $123. The median contribution was $50.

Charts: Ward 1

Kailasapathy raised a total of $5,345 from 51 contributions for a mean contribution of $104. The median contribution was $50

Adams raised a total of $4,570 from 31 contributions for a mean contribution of $147. The median contribution was $100.

Maps

Maps are plotted by location of the person making the contribution.

Ward 3 Maps: McMullen

Contributions to Samuel McMullen’s campaign are plotted in red. Several contributions came from the area south of Washtenaw Avenue in Ward 3 – from the ward’s tip in the pie-shaped wedge to the farther reaches of the ward. But those Ward 3 contributions do not form an obvious concentration in Ward 3. Several of McMullen’s contributions – 35 of 88 contributions –were made by residents outside the city, in other parts of the country. Many of those appear to have been made by family members.

Ward 3 Maps: Grand

Contributions to Julie Grand’s campaign are plotted in yellow. They show a clear clustering toward the tip of Ward 3′s pie-shaped wedge near the center of the city.

Ward 3 Maps: Dascola

Contributions to Bob Dascola’s campaign are plotted in green. Many of Dascola’s contributions come from south of Washtenaw Avenue in Ward 3. But he’s received many contributions from across the city. He received several contributions from north of Washtenaw Avenue, in Ward 2. He also received several contributions from the central western part of the city in Ward 5 as well as the northwest corner of Ward 4.

Ward 2 Maps: Westphal

Contributions to Kirk Westphal’s campaign are plotted in green. The majority of Westphal’s contributions come from Ward 2 – north of Washtenaw Avenue and in the Glazier Way area in the central eastern part of the city. There’s a sprinkling of contributions from other parts of the city as well.

Ward 2 Maps: Kaplan

Contributions to Nancy Kaplan’s campaign are plotted in yellow. Kaplan’s contributions show a heavy concentration in the southern part of Ward 2 – in the Huron Hills area north of Washtenaw Avenue. The central western part of the city (Ward 5) shows a fairly high concentration of contributions as well.

Ward 1 Maps: Kailasapathy

Contributions to Sumi Kailasapathy’s campaign are plotted in blue. Kailasapathy’s contributions are mostly from Ward 1 in the northern part of the city. But she’s also received contributions from the central western part of town (Ward 5).

Ward 1 Maps: Adams

Contributions to Don Adams’ campaign are plotted in purple. Adams received contributions from the Northside area along Pontiac Trail. He also received a sprinkling of contributions from the Burns Park area.

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Group photo of candidates in Ward 1, Ward 2 and Ward 3 at the Ann Arbor Democratic Party forum held on Saturday, July 12, 2014. From right: Ward 1 candidates Don Adams and Sumi Kailasapathy; Ward 2 candidates Nancy Kaplan and Kirk Westphal; and Ward 3 candidates Julie Grand, Samuel McMullen and Bob Dascola.

The forum will be held at the Traverwood branch of the Ann Arbor District Library.

The Ward 2 city council race features Kirk Westphal, current chair of the city planning commission, and Nancy Kaplan, current trustee on the Ann Arbor District Library board.

There’s no incumbent in this race, because Ward 2 city councilmember Sally Petersen is running for mayor instead of re-election.

The Chronicle plans to broadcast live audio of the event. The live audio player is embedded below. After the event, it will be replaced with an .mp3 recording. Update: Several .mp3 files broken down by question are now included in the article in place of the live-stream player.

Previous Chronicle coverage of the Ward 2 city council race includes: “Ward 2 Candidate Forum: CTN Broadcast” (embedded video with transcript in a scrolling text box) and “Council Candidates Live: Ann Arbor Dems” (.mp3 audio files).

Community Television Network has pre-recorded some comments from candidates in all races. [link to CTN video-on-demand for council candidate comments ]

And the League of Women Voters provides written candidate profiles with responses to questions on its Vote411.org website. [Ward 2 Vote411.org profiles]

Listen below to the live broadcast from the Traverwood branch of the Ann Arbor District Library.

Under the audio player are two text boxes with identical content. They’re used to provide notes to the listener about what’s happening during the live broadcast. The first box forces the view to the bottom of the file so that a reader is always offered a view of the most recent notes. The second box does not force the view to the bottom of the file.

[.mp3 of Ward 2 Traverwood forum]

• Traverwood-01-Intro
• Traverwood-02-Public-Safety-Staffing
• Traverwood-03-Nixon-Dhu-Varren-Dev
• Traverwood-04-NHoods-vs-Downtown
• Traverwood-05-Public-Schools
• Traverwood-06-Nixon-Plymouth-Corridor
• Traverwood-07-Train-Station-Location
• Traverwood-08-Social-Justice-Issues
• Traverwood-09-Big-Small-Small-Big
• Traverwood-10-Response-Times-Medical
• Traverwood-11-50-Story-High-Rise
• Traverwood-12-Crosswalk-Ordinance
• Traverwood-13-Streams-Watersheds
• Traverwood-14-Budget-Cuts-Revenue
• Traverwood-15-Chains-Downtown-Vitality
• Traverwood-16-Current-Mayor-Legacy-Mayoral-Campaign
• Traverwood-17-Revitalization-of-N-Main
• Traverwood-18-Closing

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This is a microphone.

The Chronicle plans to broadcast live audio from the event. A live-stream audio player is included below. [Updated: The live stream audio player has been replaced with a set of .mp3 audio files from the event.]

Primary elections take place on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014.

All candidates who have qualified for partisan primary ballots are Democrats. No Republicans have filed in any ward. In Wards 1, 2 and 3, the Democratic primary is contested.

The Ward 1 race features one-term incumbent Sumi Kailasapathy and Don Adams, who is seeking elected office for the first time. [Ward 1 Candidate Forum: CTN Broadcast]

The Ward 2 city council race features current chair of the city planning commission, Kirk Westphal, and current trustee on the Ann Arbor District Library board, Nancy Kaplan. [Ward 2 Candidate Forum: CTN Broadcast]

This year’s Ward 3 contest features Julie Grand, Bob Dascola and Samuel McMullen, who are all competing for the seat that Christopher Taylor is leaving in order to run for mayor. [Ward 3 Candidate Forum: CTN Broadcast]

Ward 4 does not offer a contested race. Graydon Krapohl, a Democrat who is currently vice chair of the park advisory commission, is the only person who has qualified for the ballot.

The race in Ward 5 is also uncontested, practically speaking. Leon Bryson, who will appear on the Democratic primary ballot, has announced that he’s withdrawn his candidacy and won’t campaign for the seat. That means that one-term incumbent Chuck Warpehoski is almost certain to prevail in the primary.

Listen to the broadcast from the July 12 forum using the audio player below. 

A comment thread is open. Feel free to use the commenting section to alert us to any technical difficulties.

After the live broadcast, we expect to make the recorded file from the event available for playback at a listener’s convenience.

Two text boxes will appear below the audio player as a way to provide live notes to listeners – for example, the current question that candidates are answering, who is currently talking, or other listener aids. The first box is programmed to force the scroll continuously to the bottom of the text notes file – so that no manual scrolling or refreshing should be required. The second box does not force the view to the bottom of the file.

Below are .mp3 files of candidate responses from the event edited together by ward and sorted by ward:

• Mayor-Support
• Ward-1-Affordable-Housing-Sumi-Don
• Ward-1-Closing-Sumi-Don
• Ward-1-Crosswalk
• Ward-1-Differ-Don-Sumi
• Ward-1-Intro-Sumi-Don
• Ward-1-Library-Lot-Sumi-Don
• Ward-1-Marriage-Equality-Sumi-Don
• Ward-1-Platt-Road-Sumi-Don
• Ward-1-Town-Gown-Don-Sumi
• Ward-1-Traffic-Mix-Sumi-Don
• Ward-1-Transit-Millage-Sumi-Don
• Ward-1-Whole-Ward-Rep-Sumi-Don
• Ward-2-Affordable-Housing-Nancy-Kirk
• Ward-2-Closing-Nancy-Kirk
• Ward-2-Crosswalk-Nancy-Kirk
• Ward-2-Differ-Kirk-Nancy
• Ward-2-Intro-Nancy-Kirk
• Ward-2-Library-Lot-Nancy-Kirk
• Ward-2-Marriage-Equality-Kirk-Nancy
• Ward-2-Platt-Road-Nancy-Kirk
• Ward-2-Town-Gown-Nancy-Kirk
• Ward-2-Traffic-Mix-Nancy-Kirk
• Ward-2-Transit-Nancy-Kirk
• Ward-2-Whole-Whole-Rep-Nancy-Kirk
• Ward-3-Affordable-Housing-Julie-Sam-Bob
• Ward-3-Closing-Julie-Sam-Bob
• Ward-3-Crosswalk-Julie-Sam-Bob
• Ward-3-Differ-Bob-Sam-Julie
• Ward-3-Intro-Julie-Sam-Bob
• Ward-3-Library-Lot-Julie-Sam-Bob
• Ward-3-Marriage-Equality-Julie-Sam-Bob
• Ward-3-Platt-Road-Julie-Sam-Bob
• Ward-3-Town-Gown-Julie-Sam-Bob
• Ward-3-Traffic-Mix-Sam-Bob-Julie
• Ward-3-Transit-Julie-Sam-Bob
• Ward-3-Whole-Ward-Rep-Bob-Julie-Sam
• Ward-5-Warpo

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Nancy Kaplan and Kirk Westphal marches in Ann Arbor’s Fourth of July parade.

The Ward 2 city council Democratic primary forum features current chair of the city planning commission, Kirk Westphal and current trustee on the board of the Ann Arbor District Library board, Nancy Kaplan.

The Ward 2 seat does not have an incumbent this year, because Sally Petersen is running for mayor, instead of seeking re-election to another two-year term on the city council.

The scheduled broadcast start time on CTN is at 8 p.m. today (July 8) and can be viewed as a live video stream in the embedded player below.

CTN has pre-recorded some comments from candidates in all races. [link to CTN video-on-demand for council candidate comments ]

And the League of Women Voters provides written candidate profiles with responses to questions on its Vote411.org website. [Ward 2 Vote411.org profiles]

If you’re not sure whether you’re registered to vote or you’re not sure which ward you live in, Michigan’s Secretary of State website offers an easy way to check.

If you don’t think you’ll be able to make it to the polls on Aug. 5, an application to receive an absentee ballot can be downloaded from the city clerk’s website. [.pdf of absentee ballot application form] Completed applications can be mailed or hand delivered to the clerk’s office on the second floor of city hall, 301 E. Huron St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104. The applications can also be scanned and emailed to cityclerk@a2gov.org.

Watch the Ward 2 candidate forum below. The Ward 3 candidate forum will follow at 9 p.m.

Under the video player are two text boxes with identical content. They embed the file that The Chronicle will use to “voice write” the LWV candidate forums in real time. The top box forces the view to the bottom of the file, so that the forum can be viewed hands-free. The bottom box does not force the view to the bottom of the file.

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The reappointments of Hutton and Westphal were both included in a single resolution voted early in the meeting. On that resolution, Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3), Jack Eaton (Ward 4), Mike Anglin (Ward 5) and Sumi Kailasapathy (Ward 1) dissented, without deliberation. Later, towards the end of the meeting, Kailasapathy explained that her dissent on the EC appointments was based on opposition to Westphal, not Hutton. Jane Lumm (Ward 2), as a member of the prevailing side, then moved to reconsider the resolution so that the question could be divided.

When separated out, Hutton’s appointment was confirmed unanimously. The vote on Westphal’s appointment was again 7-4, with the same four dissenters – but not without 20 minutes of debate.

Westphal was put forward as the planning commission’s representative to the environmental commission. He currently serves as chair of the planning commission, which voted at its Jan. 23, 2014 meeting to recommend Westphal’s reappointment. Westphal did not participate in the vote on that recommendation.

Westphal, a Democrat, is contesting the Ward 2 seat to which Sally Petersen is not seeking re-election – because she is running for mayor. Nancy Kaplan, who’s currently a member of the Ann Arbor District Library board, is running for that same Ward 2 seat. Petersen and Kaplan are also Democrats.

The controversy on the appointment stemmed from a decision by mayor John Hieftje last year not to nominate Jeff Hayner to the public art commission – because Hayner was running for Ward 1 city council against Sabra Briere. Those who dissented on Westphal’s appointment argued in part that the same principle should be applied to Westphal. Those who voted for Westphal noted that it was the planning commission’s choice of Westphal to represent them. Hieftje also noted that his policy that led him not to appoint Hayner was not based on concern for political advantage, but rather about the ability of someone to serve on a city board or commission if they were successful in their council race.

The appointing resolution on the council’s April 21 agenda – which was postponed until May 5 – originally included David Stead as a reappointment along with Hutton and Westphal. Postponement after initial appearance on the agenda is not unusual for appointments to the EC, because it allows the appointment to mimic the two-step nominate-confirm process for mayoral appointments.

Stead’s name was not included in a substitute resolution put forward at the May 5 meeting. Sabra Briere (Ward 1) indicated in an email on May 2 that she’d be offering the substitute resolution, saying, “David Stead has decided that his life is busy enough he cannot do justice to serving on the commission.”

Stead’s four previous terms on the commission would likely have been a point of friction for some councilmembers.

David Stead, right, reads a resolution he proposed at an environmental commission meeting in 2009. The resolution, which was approved, recommended removing Argo Dam. At left is Margie Teall, a city councilmember who also sat on the environmental commission at the time.

Stead was among the first members to be appointed, on Sept. 18, 2000 – after the council established the commission in a resolution approved on April 3, 2000. And he has served continuously since that initial appointment. Stead also served on the city council representing Ward 5 from April 1993 through November 1994.

There are no term limits for Ann Arbor city boards and commissions, except those highlighted in the city charter as having a six-year maximum. The park advisory commission is an example of a city commission with such term limits. But several councilmembers have expressed concerns about the length of service by some members of some boards and commissions preventing a broader range of participation in local governance. Most recently, the issue arose in connection with the reappointment of Wayne Appleyard to the energy commission on Oct. 23, 2013. Also a factor in the 8-3 confirmation vote for Appleyard was his non-city residency.

During deliberations on May 5, Margie Teall (Ward 4) pointed out that earlier in the meeting, the issue of vacancies on the EC had been raised. “Beggars can’t be choosers,” she said. Teall was referring to a comment by Briere, who had noted the EC vacancies and had encouraged people with a background in environmental sciences, chemistry, biology and the like to apply.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron.

Samuel McMullen turned in supplemental signatures to qualify for the Ward 3 city council ballot on April 22. He’ll be contesting the open Ward 3 seat with Julie Grand and possibly Bob Dascola.

Council candidates must collect 100 signatures from voters registered in the ward they seek to represent. Mayoral candidates need 50 signatures from each of the city’s five wards.

All candidates who filed petitions are Democrats. No Republicans took out petitions. Only one race is uncontested – in Ward 4.

Here’s a quick listing of candidates for city office. Mayor: Sabra Briere, Stephen Kunselman, Sally Petersen, Christopher Taylor. Ward 1: Sumi Kailasapathy, Don Adams, Jr. Ward 2: Nancy Kaplan, Kirk Westphal. Ward 3: Julie Grand, Samuel McMullen and possibly Bob Dascola. Ward 4: Graydon Krapohl. Ward 5: Chuck Warpehoski, Leon Bryson.

The minor suspense stemmed from the fact that McMullen had fallen eight signatures short with his initial filing. But he handed in 17 supplemental signatures on April 22, about a half hour before the deadline. Those signatures gave him more than the 100 total he needed.

One independent, Bryan Kelly, took out petitions in Ward 1 – but he’s been informed by the city clerk’s office that he does not meet the one-year residency and voter registration requirements in the city charter. Kelly might become eligible, depending on the outcome of a pending lawsuit that’s been filed against the city by a would-be Ward 3 candidate, Bob Dascola.

Dascola has submitted sufficient signatures to qualify for the ballot, but has also been informed that he does not meet the charter requirements on one-year residency and voter registration. The U.S. District Court is handling the case on an expedited schedule, so the matter is likely be settled before ballots are finalized in June.

As an independent, Kelly would have until July 17 to file petitions to appear on the November ballot.

Brief snapshot descriptions of all candidates except for those in Ward 1, based largely on their own remarks or campaign website descriptions, are presented in this report. [Editor's note: We've elected instead to add Ward 1 candidate information to this article, instead of creating a separate file.]

Mayor

Mayor John Hieftje announced last year he would not be seeking re-election. Four candidates will be contesting the mayoral primary: Christopher Taylor, Sally Petersen, Stephen Kunselman and Sabra Briere. All currently serve on the city council.

Mayor: Christopher Taylor

Christopher Taylor was first elected to city council representing Ward 3 in 2008, having won the August Democratic primary against then-incumbent Stephen Kunselman. Taylor has not faced a challenge in a primary or general election since 2008.

Mayoral candidate Christopher Taylor.

Now in the concluding year of his third two-year term, Taylor will be leaving the council if he’s not elected mayor. The seat he currently represents on the city council is being contested by Julie Grand, Samuel McMullen, and possibly Bob Dascola.

At an April 16 candidate forum, which was held in the context of a public policy class taught by mayor John Hieftje at the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy, Taylor described himself this way: “I came to Ann Arbor in 1985 and like many of us, for the university, and, like many of us, stayed because I ended up loving the city. I am a four-time graduate of the university, two bachelor’s degrees, degree in American history and degree in law from the law school here. I am a lawyer. I work at the law firm of Hooper Hathaway downtown, where my representation mostly focuses on local individuals and local businesses. I have, let’s see, a wife and two kids – both go to the public school at Tappan.

“I have been on city council for six years, three terms, and my service on council has been tremendous. I have enjoyed it … the problems and challenges of government are to me intrinsically interesting and I have enjoyed so much working with residents and colleagues on the problems and opportunities, problems that confront us and the opportunities that present themselves. I am running for mayor largely because I love the city. And because the city is at an important time in its history and it is, I think, critical that the next mayor have the experience, temperament and judgment to work collaboratively with residents and colleagues and staff, of course, to work to improve and maintain the quality of life for everyone in the city. It is an important place. It is a special place and it deserves that careful attention.”

Mayor: Sally Petersen

Sally Petersen is concluding her first two-year term on the Ann Arbor city council, having been elected in 2012, after winning the Democratic primary against incumbent Tony Derezinski. If Petersen is not elected mayor, she won’t remain on the council. The seat she now represents is being contested by Kirk Westphal and Nancy Kaplan.

Mayoral candidate Sally Petersen.

At the April 16 candidate forum, Petersen described herself this way: “I moved here in the summer of ’96 from Massachusetts, which is where I grew up. I moved here with my husband, Tim, so he could attend the university at what was called the University of Michigan business school and I had a five-week-old baby at the time. … My undergrad degree is in psychology from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. I have an MBA from Harvard business school.

“So while I grew up and was educated in Massachusetts, most of my professional career has actually been in the Midwest. Between undergrad and graduate schools I worked for Cummins Engines in Columbus, Indiana, and after business school when I moved here with my husband I actually had to go back to work full time even though I had a baby, and I worked for CFI Group … and most recently in the for-profit world I worked for Health Media. In 2007 I became a stay-at-home mom. My kids were approaching middle school years, so I became very involved in the community, and … did a lot of PTSO, PTO work, and then eventually decided, after a couple of years, I would try to run for city council. And it has been a great experience.”

Mayor: Stephen Kunselman

Stephen Kunselman is in the middle of his fourth two-year term. Those terms have not been served consecutively, as he lost the 2008 Democratic primary to Christopher Taylor, after first winning election in 2006. The Democratic primary in 2006 was a three-way contest between Kunselman, Jeff Meyers and Alice Ralph.

Mayoral candidate Stephen Kunselman.

After his loss in 2008, Kunselman came back the following year with a successful challenge to Ward 3 incumbent Leigh Greden in the Democratic primary, which was a three-way contest that included LuAnne Bullington. Two years later, in 2011, the Ward 3 primary was again a three-way race won by Kunselman – against Ingrid Ault and Marwan Issa. And last year, in 2013, Kunselman prevailed in the primary against Julie Grand, and in the November general election against Sam DeVarti, who ran as an independent.

At the April 16 candidate forum, Kunselman described himself this way: “I was recently re-elected to my fourth term on Ann Arbor city council. I grew up in Ann Arbor, graduated from Pioneer [High School] in 1981, attended the University of Michigan, graduated with a bachelor of science in natural resources, spent the summer of ’86 working for the Ann Arbor city forestry department and in ’87 I was a driver for Recycle Ann Arbor. Went back to school, to the University of Michigan, [earned a] master’s of urban planning.

“And from about 1992 to about 2002, 2003, I worked in local government. I served as environmental planner for six years in Sumpter Township, which is in the southwest corner of Wayne County, and rose up through the ranks to township administrator, worked for seven elected officials for over ten years. And I think that is really one of the highlights of my qualifications for … mayor – that I know local government and I understand government, and I understand politicians and what we can do and what we cannot do within the limits of law. Local government is a book of rules and I think it is really important that we abide by those rules.”

Mayor: Sabra Briere

Regardless of the outcome of this election cycle, Sabra Briere will, along with Mike Anglin, have the longest tenure on the new council in November. Anglin and Briere were both first elected in 2007. Briere won the 2007 three-way primary, a race that included John Roberts and Richard Wickboldt.

Mayoral candidate Sabra Briere.

In 2009 she wasn’t challenged in the Democratic primary and prevailed over independent Mitchell Ozog in the general election. In 2011 she did not face a challenge. And in 2013 the Democratic primary was also uncontested. She prevailed in the November general election against independent Jeff Hayner.

At the April 16 candidate forum, Briere described herself this way: “My name is Sabra Briere, I sit on city council. I have been on council since 2007.

“I am a neighborhood activist – that is what got me involved in politics and it is what I still am. I have a firm commitment to government that is from the people, not to the people. And so as a person who believes government comes from an educated and engaged populace, my task has always been to try to engage the people of Ann Arbor in what we are doing. I am still trying to do that. And it is a challenge. This is an excellent way to do it, and I thank the class hosting us and I thank all of you out there for attending this class, because I think that we should all take some public policy classes from time to time.”

Ward 1

Two candidates will be on the ballot in the August primary: incumbent Sumi Kailasapathy and Don Adams, Jr.  When we have something more than cursory information to report on Adams, we’ll report Ward 1 separately. [Editor's note: We've elected instead to add Ward 1 candidate information to this article, instead of creating a separate file.]

Ward 1: Sumi Kailasapathy

Sumi Kailasapathy is concluding her first two-year term representing Ward 1.

Ward 1 incumbent Sumi Kailasapathy at the council’s April 7, 2013 meeting.

She won the 2012 Democratic primary against Eric Sturgis and was not challenged in the general election. That year, Sandi Smith did not seek re-election to represent Ward 1 after serving two terms.

Kailasapathy is an accountant, and works for a downtown firm. She describes herself on her website as focusing on the basics: fiscal responsibility, funding core services, protecting parks and natural areas, supporting local public transportation, preserving neighborhood character and upholding zoning ordinances.

She has served on the city council’s audit committee both years of her service, chairing that group this year. The audit committee has become more active over the last two years, as it has met to review the city’s annual audit as well as the audited statements of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority and the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority. That contrasts with 2010, when the council’s audit committee did not meet at all.

Kailasapathy’s efforts on the council have included a revision to the ordinance regulating the tax increment finance (TIF) capture of the DDA, a version of which eventually was approved by the council. Her efforts also included support for a revision of the city’s crosswalk ordinance – to remove the requirement that motorists stop for pedestrians who were standing at the curb, but not actually in the crosswalk. The crosswalk ordinance amendment was approved by the council, but subsequently vetoed by mayor John Hieftje. She also helped lead an effort to return money set aside under the city’s former Percent for Art program to the funds from which the money had originally been drawn.

Ward 1: Don Adams, Jr.

In a phone interview with The Chronicle, Don Adams Jr. described himself as originally from Detroit, having lived in Ann Arbor for the last 13 years.

Don Adams Jr. (Photo provided by Adams)

Since 2005 he has worked at the Eisenhower Center, a rehabilitation facility for patients with traumatic brain injuries. He serves on the center’s board of directors, a group drawn from the employee-owners of the company, which is structured under an employee stock ownership plan. He’s completed coursework at Eastern Michigan University most recently in health administration and before that in biology, chemistry and initially in computer science. His undergraduate studies were interrupted when the car he was driving was struck by a drunk driver. He spent a year in rehabilitation for injuries to his leg and arm.

Adams serves on the executive board of the Ann Arbor Public Schools PTO Council and has for the last three years served on the PTO of Northside Elementary School, where his two daughters attend school. He described how Alena (age 7) and Ayana (age 6) joined him as he walked the ward to gather signatures for his candidate petitions.

Adams indicated that he’s running to represent Ward 1 on the city council because Ward 1 residents want accountability and collaborative government – based on the input and ideas of a lot of people. They’re not sure they’re getting that, he said, because city councilmembers seem like they’re fighting all the time. He bases his impressions of what Ward 1 voters want on his interactions with people as part of the PTO, and the local Democratic Party organization – saying that his ear is to the ground. He wants to be a voice that will work for the best interests of the ward. He said that he would schedule a regular coffee hour for Ward 1 residents on either a weekly or monthly basis – citing the coffee hours of state representative Jeff Irwin (D-53) and city councilmember Sabra Briere (Ward 1) as examples. “You need it, I’m doing it,” he said. “You’re my boss.”

Ward 2

The incumbent candidate for this Ward 2 seat would be Sally Petersen, but she is running for mayor. The seat open is being contested by Kirk Westphal and Nancy Kaplan.

Ward 2: Kirk Westphal

Kirk Westphal previously ran for a seat representing Ward 2 in 2013, but did not prevail in that general election contest, which was won by independent Jane Lumm – in a field that also included independent Conrad Brown.

Kirk Westphal was in the audience at the March 4, 2013 meeting of the Ann Arbor city council, when the council considered a moratorium on site plans for areas of the downtown zoned D1. He serves as chair of the city planning commission.

Westphal currently serves on the city’s planning commission, having been first appointed in 2006, and is now chair of that group. He also serves as the planning commission’s representative on the city’s environmental commission.

His reappointment to the environmental commission, representing the planning commission, will be considered at the council’s May 5, 2014 meeting.

Westphal holds a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Michigan and owns a business that produces video documentaries based on research and interviews, with an emphasis on urban topics. Westphal served on the leadership advisory group for the Connecting William Street study, which contemplated future use of five city-owned parcels downtown. That study, led by the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, concluded in early 2013.

Westphal is married, with two sons ages 5 and 7.

Ward 2: Nancy Kaplan

Nancy Kaplan was elected to the Ann Arbor District Library board in 2012 for a term that runs through 2016.

Ann Arbor District Library trustee Nancy Kaplan at the Jan. 21, 2013 meeting of the AADL board.

She’s told The Chronicle that she’d resign her position on the AADL board if she were elected to the city council.

Kaplan’s press release announcing her candidacy describes the priorities of Ward 2 residents as having “well-staffed police and fire departments and well-maintained streets and parks.” Another priority that her press release describes is  ”growth that respects Ann Arbor’s community values.”

Kaplan has lived in Ann Arbor for 37 years. She is former director of the physical therapy department at Glacier Hills Retirement Community.

Her public service has also included tutoring for Washtenaw Literacy, and membership on the Allen Creek Greenway Conservancy Advisory Committee.

Ward 3

Christopher Taylor would be the incumbent candidate for the Ward 3 seat, but he is running for mayor instead. Candidates for the seat are Julie Grand, Samuel McMullen and possibly Bob Dascola. Dascola’s participation depends on the outcome of a pending lawsuit that will determine whether Dascola is eligible to run, in light of city charter one-year durational requirements on residency and voter registration.

Ward 3: Julie Grand

Julie Grand‘s previous experience running for elected office was the 2013 Ward 3 Democratic primary – a race that was won by incumbent Stephen Kunselman.

Julie Grand, a candidate for city council in Ward 3 at a June 8, 2013 candidate forum.

Grand is a lecturer in health policy studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Before earning her doctorate, Grand worked as a health educator for the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute’s Community Outreach Division.

Grand served the maximum two three-year terms on the park advisory commission, concluding the last three years of that service as chair of that group. Grand volunteers at Burns Park and Abbot Elementary Schools.

Grand has lived in Ann Arbor for 17 years, and is married with two children ages 8 and 5.

On her campaign website, she describes why she’s seeking office: “My reasons for running for city council have not changed. I continue to believe that Ward 3 is in need of a representative who will be responsive to constituents, thoughtful in their decisions, and focused on promoting healthy neighborhoods and community.

“The current composition of City Council and transition to new leadership in 2014 further heightens the need for leaders capable of making sound policy decisions and providing comprehensive constituent services. I look forward to our conversations and the campaign ahead.”

Ward 3: Samuel McMullen

Samuel McMullen is concluding his freshman year at the University of Michigan, where he’s studying biochemistry with the intent of eventually attending medical school.

Samuel McMullen sat in the audience of the April 7, 2014 city council meeting.

He grew up in Ann Arbor in Ward 4, right across Packard Street from Ward 3. He attended Rudolf Steiner High School.

He works as a nurse’s aid at the Rudolf Steiner Health Center, which is an anthroposophical medical practice operated by his parents, who are both physicians.

In an interview with The Chronicle, he said that as he’s gone door-to-door collecting signatures, one concern he hears about frequently is the condition of the roads: “I hear about roads a lot. About every other person says, ‘What are you going to do about roads?’”

McMullen said one of the main responsibilities of local government is “to keep roads in repair, to keep infrastructure in repair.” Once infrastructure and public safety are covered, he said, then it’s possible to start thinking about further development. That’s something he says he was already planning to run his campaign on, but that’s been reinforced in the conversations he’s had with Ward 3 residents so far.

His interest was drawn to city politics, he said, when independent Sam DeVarti’s Ward 3 city council campaign – for the fall 2013 general election – asked him to help register people to vote. He wasn’t campaigning for DeVarti, and is not affiliated with the Mixed Use platform that DeVarti ran on. But he helped with the voter registration effort, he said, and as he started to research city politics in more depth, he knew that it was something he wanted to do.

McMullen participated in the model UN in high school – as ambassador representing Cuba.

Ward 3: Bob Dascola

Dascola’s candidacy depends on the outcome of a lawsuit that is currently pending in U.S. District Court.

Bob Dascola sitting in the audience of the April 19, 2011 Ann Arbor city council meeting. On that occasion, he addressed the council during public commentary on the topic of panhandling in the State Street area, where his downtown barbershop is located. (Image links to Chronicle report of that council meeting.)

Ann Arbor’s city charter includes two durational requirements – for residency and voter registration – each for one year prior to election.

In his most recent filing, Dascola’s attorney Tom Wieder rejects what he calls the city of Ann Arbor’s implication that “Dascola is some sort of aggressive interloper who is trying to exploit legal loopholes so he can parachute into the city and do political mischief.” Wieder concludes that: “Fortunately, neither of these portrayals bears any resemblance to the truth,” pointing out that Dascola has spent his entire career as a barber, always working in the city of Ann Arbor.

In a press release, Dascola described himself as a downtown barber, a community activist, and a Vietnam veteran.

Dascola describes his concerns as focusing on basic city services, police and fire protection, crosswalk safety, road repair, public transportation, the Allen Creek Greenway, and the city’s parks.

If elected, Dascola says he will set up a monthly town hall meeting for Ward 3 citizens.

Ward 4

The Ward 4 seat Graydon Krapohl is seeking to fill is open because Margie Teall is not seeking re-election. After mayor John Hieftje, Teall is the longest serving member of the council, having first been elected  in 2002.

Park advisory commissioner Graydon Krapohl at the May 21, 2013 meeting of the commission.

Krapohl was appointed to the city’s park advisory commission in January 2013. He currently serves as vice chair.

Krapohl describes himself on his website as born in Ann Arbor and raised in Jackson. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan, earned an MBA from George Mason University and a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College, where he teaches as an adjunct faculty member.

Krapohl is a colonel in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, having joined the Marines in 1984. He served nine years on active duty stationed in Hawaii.

In the private sector, Krapohl has worked for national consulting firms in operations management, information technology.

Graydon has been married for 25 years and has a daughter who attends Tappan Middle School.

Ward 5

Two candidates will appear on the ballot in Ward 5: incumbent Chuck Warpehoski and Leon Bryson.

Ward 5: Chuck Warpehoski

Chuck Warpehoski is concluding his first two-year term on the city council. He was first elected in 2012, having won the Democratic primary against Vivienne Armentrout. That seat was left open by Carsten Hohnke, who did not seek re-election after serving two terms.

Ward 5 incumbent Chuck Warpehoski arrives at the April 21, 2014 city council meeting.

Warpehoski serves on the city council’s audit committee and on the rules committee. For his first year on the council, He also serves he served as one of two council representatives on the city’s environmental commission. His efforts on the council have included an ordinance to regulate video surveillance, which did not get enough support on the council to move forward. He also worked to create a pedestrian safety task force and an ordinance to regulate smoking in certain outdoor locations, which was approved by the council at its April 21, 2014 meeting. Leon Bryson, who’s also running to represent Ward 5, delivered remarks at that meeting in support of the ordinance.

About his first two years of service, Warpehoski states on his website: “I’m proud to have increased funding for affordable housing, promoted policies to keep our neighborhoods safe from too-fast traffic, and fought for cleanup of pollution that threatens the supply of our drinking water, among other accomplishments.”

Warpehoski is director of the Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice. He is married with two children. His wife is Nancy Shore, who is director of the getDowntown program and employed by the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority.

Ward 5: Leon Bryson

Leon Bryson describes himself on his campaign website as originally from Detroit, and a 15-year resident of Ann Arbor.

Leon Bryson at the April 21, 2014 city council meeting. He delivered public commentary in support of the outdoor smoking ordinance, which was brought forward by Chuck Warpehoski.

He holds an engineering degree from Wayne State University and has worked in manufacturing and product development for larger companies, but currently operates a small business.

Bryson has attended several of the council’s meetings through the early part of 2014, and addressed the council on Jan. 21, 2014, calling for a moratorium on fracking in the city. During council communications, after Bryson’s commentary, Warpehoski pointed out that the city of Ann Arbor already bans fracking, through its prohibition on mineral extraction through drilling (Chapter 56: Prohibited Land Uses).

Bryson’s website highlights environmental issues, in part through his description of outdoor activities that he enjoys – and his campaign blog includes an entry describing a six-mile run he took through the ward on Easter morning.

On his campaign website, Bryson describes his entry into city politics as stemming from a perceived lack of focus: “[O]ur city government has lost its focus on providing the basic services we have come to expect. Our roads are crumbling. Leaf collection has been eliminated. Police and fire protection have been severely reduced. We also face the threat that our drinking water supply may be contaminated by the Pall/Gellman 1, 4-Dioxane now moving through the groundwater toward the Huron River.”

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The action taken by the council at its April 21 meeting was to postpone the vote until May 5. That’s not unusual for appointments to the EC – because nominations are not made by the mayor, as with most boards and commissions. Past practice as been for the appointments to the EC to mimic the typical two-step mayoral appointment process – with nomination at one meeting followed by confirmation at the next meeting. So council has customarily had the EC appointments on its agenda for initial consideration and postponed a vote until the next meeting.

But council sources indicate that there will likely be debate on at least Stead’s appointment. Stead was originally described in the agenda item as having served on the commission since 2007. That was subsequently corrected. City records in Legistar indicate he was among the first members to be appointed, on Sept. 18, 2000 after the council established the commission in a resolution approved on April 3, 2000.

Based on Legistar records, he has served continuously since that initial appointment. Stead also served on the city council representing Ward 5 from April 1993 through November 1994.

David Stead, right, reads a resolution he proposed at an environmental commission meeting in 2009. The resolution, which was approved, recommended removing Argo Dam. At left is Margie Teall, a city councilmember who also sat on the environmental commission at the time.

There are no term limits for Ann Arbor city boards and commissions, but several councilmembers have expressed concerns about the length of service by some members of some boards and commissions preventing a broader range of participation in local governance. Most recently the issue arose in connection with the re-appointment of Wayne Appleyard to the energy commission on Oct. 23, 2013. Also a factor in the 8-3 confirmation vote for Appleyard was his non-city residency.

Stead is vice president of Resource Recycling Systems. City council minutes show that the council has approved roughly $300,000 in contracts for consulting work by RRS for the city of Ann Arbor between 2007 and 2009.

Westphal is being put forward as the planning commission’s representative to the environmental commission. He currently serves as chair of that commission. The planning commission voted at its Jan. 23, 2014 meeting to recommend Westphal’s reappointment. Westphal did not participate in the vote on that recommendation.

Westphal, a Democrat, is contesting the Ward 2 seat to which Sally Petersen is not seeking re-election – because she is running for mayor. Nancy Kaplan, who’s currently a member of the Ann Arbor District Library board, is running for that same Ward 2 seat.

In 2013, mayor John Hieftje declined to nominate Jeff Hayner to serve on the public art commission, citing a policy against nominating candidates for city council to serve on city boards and commissions. Hayner ran for Ward 1 council against Sabra Briere that year – a race in which Briere prevailed.

Hutton was first appointed to the environmental commission in 2011 and is concluding her first three-year term.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron.

Screen shot of Washtenaw County clerk election results map for Ward 2. Purple shading corresponds to precincts won by Lumm, light blue to those won by Westphal. The two precincts won by Westphal were the lightly voted 2-1 (70 Westphal, 59 Lumm, 5 Brown) and 2-2 (7 Westphal, 3 Lumm, 3 Brown).

In Ward 4, Democrat Jack Eaton was unopposed on the ballot and won easily, with 88.9% of the tally, against declared write-in candidate William Lockwood.

The Ann Arbor Public Schools sinking fund millage won easily with a 13,321 (80.34%) to 3,259 (19.7%) margin.

The outcome makes Eaton the only new member on the 11-member council. He’ll replace Democrat Marcia Higgins. Eaton and Higgins contested the Aug. 6 Democratic primary, which Eaton won in decisive fashion – with about 65% of the vote.

The composition of the council will not change before its Nov. 7, 2013 meeting, which features a very heavy agenda. Eaton will join Ward 4 colleague Margie Teall at the table for the Nov. 18 meeting, but will be officially sworn in on Nov. 11.

Ward 2 featured the closest race, with Lumm’s 2,071 votes (55.9%) still a clear margin over Democratic challenger Kirk Westphal’s 1,549  (41.8%), and independent Conrad Brown’s 71 (1.9%). Lumm’s relative share of the votes was slightly less than the 60% she received in her 2011 win against Stephen Rapundalo, but came within eight votes of matching the number of votes she received in 2011 (2,079).

The $20,875 raised by Lumm during the pre-campaign finance period was twice what Westphal had raised. [Chronicle coverage: "Ann Arbor Campaign Finance 2013"] Possibly more significant than the total amount raised was the distribution of donation amounts. In recent years, those campaigns with a greater skew toward donations of lower amounts have been winning efforts. This year during the pre-campaign period, Lumm’s average donation was $102, compared to $133 for Westphal.

Ward 2 also had the highest voter turnout of any of the wards, with 3,751 voters participating. That’s 19.83% of registered voters. Even though Mike Anglin was unopposed on the ballot, Ward 5 had the second highest turnout, with 3,418 (15.37 %) of registered voters participating in the election.

Possibly helping that Ward 5 turnout was Chip Smith’s write-in candidacy for Ward 5, which was announced on Oct. 24, just shortly before the election. But voter turnout in Ward 5 is typically strong, compared to other wards. Anglin received 2,112 votes (67.8%), with “Write-In” receiving 1,004 votes (32%). That write-in tally is for the number of voters who filled in the write-in bubble, not broken down by candidate or validated by election officials. The two declared write-in candidates in Ward 5 were Thomas Partridge and Chip Smith.

The percentage of votes received by Ward 5 write-in candidates was similar to that received by independent Ward 1 challenger Jeff Hayner. Hayner received 549 votes (31.9%), compared to 1,147 votes (66.6%) for the incumbent Democrat Sabra Briere. Independent Jaclyn Vresics, who had announced she was withdrawing from the race – but not in time to prevent her name from appearing on the ballot – received 20 votes (1.2%).

In Ward 3, Democrat Stephen Kunselman received 1,545 votes (70.3%) compared to Sam DeVarti’s 618 (28.1%). Kunselman told The Chronicle that on Election Day, for two of the city’s five wards (Ward 3 and Ward 5) he managed to collect enough signatures to satisfy the requirement for his 2014 mayoral election effort. He collected 60 signatures in each of those wards, which gives him a margin of 10 over the minimum 50 in each ward.

As in Ward 5, in Ward 4 the write-in tally of 209 (11%) is for the number of voters who filled in the write-in bubble, but those have not yet been validated. So declared write-in candidate William Lockwood could have received a maximum of 11% of the vote. It’s possible some number of those write-ins were tallied for a joke candidate, Twenty Pound Carp.

Results here are unofficial. For unofficial results compiled by the Washtenaw County clerk’s office, including maps, see: Election Results.

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Early returns of Ann Arbor city council races based on paper tapes from precinct locations are published here with the most recent updates. Results here are unofficial. For unofficial results compiled by the Washtenaw County clerk’s office, see: Election Results.

Ward 1 Ann Arbor City Council Race

With results from 4 of 8 in-person polling locations informally reported, Briere has received 592 votes (67.4%), Hayner has received 274 votes (31.2%), and Vresics has received 9 votes (1%).

Updated at 8:20 p.m.: With results from 5 of 8 in-person polling locations informally reported, Briere has received 791 votes (66.6%), Hayner has received 378 votes (31.8%), and Vresics has received 13 votes (1%).

Updated at 8:58 p.m.: With results from 6 of 8 in-person polling locations informally reported, Briere has received 930 votes (64.9%), Hayner has received 485 votes (33.8%), and Vresics has received 13 votes (0.9%).

Updated at 10:02 p.m.: With results from 8 of 8 in-person polling locations informally reported, Briere has received 965 votes (65.2%), Hayner has received 492 votes (33.2%), and Vresics has received 15 votes (1%).

Updated at 10:26 p.m.: With results from 8 of 8 in-person polling locations informally reported, as well as absent voter totals from precincts in Ward 1, Briere has received 1147 votes (66.6%), Hayner has received 549 votes (31.9%), and Vresics has received 16 votes (0.9%).

Ward 2 Ann Arbor City Council Race

With results from 4 of 8 in-person polling locations informally reported, Lumm has received 1030 votes (55%), Westphal has received 815 votes (43.5%), and Brown has received 22 votes (1.1%).

Updated at 8:16 p.m.: With results from 6 of 8 in-person polling locations informally reported, Lumm has received 1285 votes (54%), Westphal has received 1043 votes (43.8%), and Brown has received 43 votes (1.8%).

Updated at 9:05 p.m.: With results from 7 of 8 in-person polling locations informally reported, Lumm has received 1553 votes (54.4%), Westphal has received 1243 votes (43.5%), and Brown has received 50 votes (1.7%).

Updated at 9:55 p.m.: With results from 8 of 8 in-person polling locations informally reported, Lumm has received 1556 votes (54.3%), Westphal has received 1250 votes (43.6%), and Brown has received 53 votes (1.8%).

Updated at 10:24 p.m.: With results from 8 of 8 in-person polling locations informally reported, as well as absent voter totals from precincts in Ward 2, Lumm has received 2071 votes (55.9%), Westphal has received 1549 votes (41.8%), and Brown has received 63 votes (1.7%).

Ward 3 Ann Arbor City Council Race

With results from 0 of 6 in-person polling locations informally reported, as well as absent voter totals from precincts in Ward 3, Kunselman has received 291 votes (83.3%) and DeVarti has received 56 votes (16%).

Updated at 9:25 p.m.: With results from 2 of 6 in-person polling locations informally reported, as well as absent voter totals from precincts in Ward 3, Kunselman has received 430 votes (78.1%) and DeVarti has received 114 votes (20.7%).

Updated at 9:42 p.m.: With results from 6 of 6 in-person polling locations informally reported, as well as absent voter totals from precincts in Ward 3, Kunselman has received 1545 votes (70.3%) and DeVarti has received 618 votes (28.1%).

Ward 4 Ann Arbor City Council Race

Write-in counts are for the number of voters who filled in the write-in bubble, not broken down by candidate or validated. The declared write-in candidate for Ward 4 was William Lockwood.

With results from 0 of 8 in-person polling locations informally reported, as well as absent voter totals from precincts in Ward 4, Eaton has received 383 votes (95.5%) and Write-in has received 18 votes (4.4%).

Updated 9:28 p.m.: With results from 8 of 8 in-person polling locations informally reported, as well as absent voter totals from precincts in Ward 4, Eaton has received 1678 votes (88.9%) and Write-in has received 209 votes (11%).

Ward 5 Ann Arbor City Council Race

Write-in counts are for the number of voters who filled in the write-in bubble, not broken down by candidate or validated. The two declared write-in candidates in Ward 5 were Thomas Partridge and Chip Smith.

With results from 1 of 10 in-person polling locations informally reported, Anglin has received 38 votes (63.3%) and Write-in has received 22 votes (36.6%).

Updated at 9:18 p.m.: With results from 2 of 10 in-person polling locations informally reported, as well as absent voter totals from precincts in Ward 5, Anglin has received 625 votes (81.3%) and Write-in has received 143 votes (18.6%).

Updated at 9:24 p.m.: With results from 3 of 10 in-person polling locations informally reported, as well as absent voter totals from precincts in Ward 5, Anglin has received 731 votes (78.5%) and Write-in has received 200 votes (21.4%).

Updated at 9:52 p.m.: With results from 10 of 10 in-person polling locations informally reported, as well as absent voter totals from precincts in Ward 5, Anglin has received 2132 votes (67.9%) and Write-in has received 1004 votes (32%).

AAPS Sinking Fund Millage

With results from 1 of 40 in-person polling locations inside the city of Ann Arbor informally reported, 358 (86.6%) have voted YES and 55 (13.3%) have voted NO on the AAPS sinking fund millage.

Updated at 9:00 p.m.: With results from 2 of 40 in-person polling locations inside the city of Ann Arbor informally reported, as well as absent voter totals from the city of Ann Arbor, 1378 (76.4%) have voted YES and 424 (23.5%) have voted NO on the AAPS sinking fund millage.

Updated at 9:58 p.m.: With results from 13 of 40 in-person polling locations inside the city of Ann Arbor informally reported, as well as absent voter totals from the city of Ann Arbor, 3497 (80.6%) have voted YES and 839 (19.3%) have voted NO on the AAPS sinking fund millage.