The last of Kelly’s signatures were validated late yesterday, July 16, the day before the deadline for independents to file. Mayoral candidates must obtain signatures from 50 voters in each of the city’s five wards for a total of 250. Kelly was short in Ward 2 and Ward 3 for his initial submissions, but filed sufficient supplemental signatures to qualify. By ward, his signature tally broke down as follows: Ward 1 (52); Ward 2 (51); Ward 3 (50); Ward 4 (56); Ward 5 (73).

Kelly’s campaign website includes the following background on his campaign:

I am a 28-year-old writer and regular old 12-to-8-er who was inspired to enter politics after attending a city council meeting in the thick of the 413 E. Huron development debate.

Listening to citizens of Ann Arbor plead with city government to vote against approval of the site plan – which was, in my mind, in clear violation of the spirit and letter of the community standards set forth in the A2D2 zoning regulation – motivated me to speak out. In this campaign, I’d like to try and represent those who are opposed to the too-rapid and too-slipshod development of Ann Arbor’s downtown and surrounding areas.

I am concerned that if the city remains on its current path, it will lose sight of what most people love about Ann Arbor: the Arbor part. The reason we choose to live in this city is the opportunity to live side-by-side and in communion with nature. Our parks, bike lanes, community gardens and farmer’s markets matter far more to me than parking structures, paved lots and fourteen-story high-rises that throw entire neighborhoods – including parts of Ann Street, the neighborhood in which I lived as a student – into shade, threatening property values, cluttering thoroughfares and endangering historic trees.

I feel that the candidates running for mayor in the Democratic primary have been too lax or too timid in addressing this issue.

Candidates in the Democratic primary are all currently members of the Ann Arbor city council: Stephen Kunselman, Sabra Briere, Christopher Taylor, and Sally Petersen. No Republican candidates filed. There is no incumbent in the race, as mayor John Hieftje announced last year he would not be seeking an eighth two-year term.

The Chronicle could not survive without regular voluntary subscriptions to support our coverage of local elections. Click this link for details: Subscribe to The Chronicle. And if you’re already voting for The Chronicle, please encourage your friends, neighbors and colleagues to help support The Chronicle, too!

Howard might still appear on the Nov. 6 ballot – but not as a Republican. On Friday, May 18, Howard pulled petitions to run for Ann Arbor mayor with no party affiliation.

Candidates who are not affiliated with a political party (independents) have until July 19, 2012 at 4 p.m. to file petitions to appear on the Nov. 6 general election ballot.

For a line-up of candidates in the Aug. 7, 2012 partisan primaries, see Chronicle coverage: “Ann Arbor City Races Set.”

Here’s an outline of the broadcast content, which can be viewed on CTN at multiple times before the election, or via the video on the CTN website.

• Opening Statements
• Question: What leadership qualities do you bring to the office of mayor and how would you use them to make the city a better place to live?
• Question: What is your vision for the city of Ann Arbor five years from now?
• Question: Given the recent neighborhood objections to a project known as 601 S. Forest, should the city reinstate a cap on building heights?
• Question: Some of the residents who live in the Lower Town area of Ann Arbor have objected to the extensive development the university on land it owns in that area. What role should the city play in this controversy?
• Question: In these challenging financial times, all cities are facing challenging budget decisions. If you were elected, what would be your fiscal priorities for the city?
• Closing Statements

Because there’s plenty of time before the election for readers of The Chronicle to view the candidates’ responses, we’re not summarizing the content of the candidate’s reponses. If you look around this online newspaper site, you’ll see it’s all about watches. So, c’mon – it’s only a half hour of your time – go ahead and watch. Comments are open.