Meet the 3 candidates in Ann Arbors 4th Ward council race – MLive.com

ANN ARBOR, MI Over 15,000 absentee ballots have been issued in Ann Arbor already for the Aug. 2 primary and roughly a quarter have been filled out and returned so far.

Competing for a share of the votes in the 4th Ward are three City Council candidates, including Democratic incumbent Elizabeth Nelson and two challengers: Dharma Akmon and Mozhgan Savabieasfahani.

Nelson is seeking a second four-year term and discussed some of the big issues facing the city in a recent candidate forum with her opponents.

No independents or Republicans have filed to challenge the Democratic primary winner.

The candidates also shared their views in the Vote411.org voter guide, which MLive/The Ann Arbor News has partnered with the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide.

Continue reading to see what they had to say about their goals, qualifications, growth and density in Ann Arbor, and more.

Ann Arbor's new ward boundaries for 2022, showing Ward 1 on the north side, Ward 2 northeast, Ward 3 southeast, Ward 4 southwest and Ward 5 on the west side.City of Ann Arbor

Note: All responses in the voter guide were submitted directly by the candidates and have not been edited by the League of Women Voters, except for necessary cut if a reply exceeded character limitations. Spelling and grammar were not corrected. Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely in the interest of public service and should NOT be considered as an endorsement. The League never supports or opposes any candidates or political parties.

Number of years as resident:

Akmon: 20

Nelson: 18

Savabieasfahani: 20

What in your education and experience make you the best qualified candidate for this position?

Akmon:

I am currently an elected trustee of the Ann Arbor District Library Board, where I have served two terms as Treasurer and am now serving as Vice President. I have overseen the development and implementation of a new strategic plan and managed a $17 million annual budget. My education and leadership experience also position me well for this role. I have a PhD in Information from UM, where I gained the analytical skills needed to make data- and evidence-informed policy decisions. I am currently a research scientist at UMs Institute for Social Research, where I lead two units encompassing over 30 staff. I have established myself as a collaborative, compassionate, problem-solving leader who uses rapport-building communication to mediate conflict and work through disagreement.

Nelson:

A little over twenty years ago, I trained as a lawyer-- this education does inform how I analyze policy at the local level. I am also a certified teacher-- I currently teach in a licensed preschool that has maintained in-person instruction these last two school years. That experience has given me significant perspective on the special challenges of health and safety during this pandemic. My experience serving on Council these last three years - - engaging with residents and working to solve community and neighborhood problems -- is really what makes me the most qualified candidate for this position. I understand that as elected representatives we are meant to be a bridge between residents and City Hall. I have significant experience advocating for residents. Council members are the point of contact for people who identify problems in our community and want solutions. In the last three years, I have made an effort to listen and learn from our community and advocate for Ward 4.

Savabieasfahani:

I am an environmental toxicologist and a human rights activist. It is clear to me that business as usual is the road to our destruction on this earth. We must make drastic changes in our ways of thinking and acting if we dont like it like this. And I know many dont. As an environmental toxicologist, I am horrified that we now live on top of the largest dioxane contamination in the word. I am disgusted to hear fake concerns of our city officials about the environment, when what the City has insisted on doing for 60 years has brought us to the current devastation of our environment and water resources.I am sick of fluff talk and business as usual by the Mayor and his slate. And no doubt those they have endorsed will join their toxic bandwagon. We need to force our City Government to act in the interest of the public and environment. That is not what they have been doing. I have witnessed it since I arrived here in 2001. We need structural changes. I will push for that.

What are your goals should you be elected and how will you work to accomplish them with current resources?

Akmon:

If elected, I would like to develop a plan that responds to our housing crisis. Specifically, I intend to work with fellow councilmembers, staff, and the community to create a new comprehensive land use plan that responds to population growth projections, our status as the 8th most economically segregated city in the country, and our A2ZERO carbon neutrality goals in ways that build our community and enhance livability. I would also like to make significant progress on ensuring that people can safely and easily get to where they need to go, no matter the mode of transit. Our roads are in severe need of repair and must be fixed. As we do so, we must use evidence-based design to enhance mobility for all and increase public safety so that children can safely get to school, people who dont have a drivers license or cant afford a car can get to work, and seniors and people with disabilities can move around independently.

Nelson:

I look forward to continuing my work on tenant rights issues in collaboration with the newly formed Renters Commission. I am committed to addressing the huge disparity in power between landlords and tenants, adopting policies (like Just Cause for Eviction) that exist in other communities. I will continue to push for more transparency and accountability in our decisionmaking, which will be especially relevant as we pursue revisions to the Citys Comprehensive Land Use plan. I support investments in multi-modal infrastructure that are targeted to meet the community needs identified by residents. Existing resources are targeted very differently when we conduct meaningful public engagement and listen to residents. Many of the things I accomplished these last three years were not goals that I could have predicted in 2018, because they were brought to me by community members. I believe this is how our democracy should work. My agenda is primarily driven by residents.

Savabieasfahani:

We need an immediate cleanup of the Gelman dioxane contamination. Look at New York they are actively cleaning up their similar water contamination problem. Lets follow their example. We dont have to re-invent the wheel. Start throwing money at a real cleanup not at fatcat developers. City Council must abandon its obviously fake squeals of concern for the environment, their bogus moaning and groaning about global warming, and instead start protecting our environment for real. Clean up our water and stop massive environmental destruction that only serves market needs. Also-- Workers in Ann Arbor need at least $15 an hour. At least. We must fight and get it. Countless cities have done it already. Why hasnt our City Council ever debated it or acted on it? I will push against local, State and Federal laws that try to illegalize the $15 minimum wage. We need to start now. This blabber-mouth do-nothing City Council has delayed way too long.

What would you like to see happen with growth and density in Ann Arbor in the next ten years?

Akmon:

Ann Arbor has the good fortune of being an economic and higher education hub. As well, its vibrant downtown, impressive cultural amenities, and high overall livability position it as a highly desirable place to live. Growth is here; without adequate housing, the cost of living will continue to increase, pushing people out of our city. Id like us to respond to these realities by adopting policies that make our community more inclusive, equitable, and accessible to people from all walks of life. This includes transit oriented development that concentrates, pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use communities on transit corridors; changing zoning laws that currently prohibit multi-family structures such as duplexes; and leveraging our affordable housing millage to subsidize housing and create new affordable units on city-owned properties. Density done well will deliver benefits that improve our quality of life, increase the walkability of our neighborhoods, and deliver city services at lower cost.

Nelson:

A community conversation about goals and strategies is overdue. In the near term I would like to see that happen through revisions to our Comprehensive Land Use plan. In the next ten years, I expect to see quite a lot of growth on transit corridors like South State Street and Stadium Boulevard. The redevelopment of Briarwood Mall is likely to happen as well. I would like intentional, serious planning that identifies what we want to see and requires that of the developers who want to build here. For example, if we say that growth and density will support more amenities and walkable retail for the benefit of neighborhoods, we should expect to see that happen. We saw in Ward 4 how density on Packard added a good supply of housing, but the local neighborhood ended up losing all of the walkable retail that previously existed. What happened on Packard should help us make better decisions in planning similar corridors -- like Stadium Boulevard -- that are adjacent to neighborhoods.

Savabieasfahani:

I have been hearing about growth and diversity here for more than 20 years. What a shame that diversity and equity is taking a nose dive as our City Council yells itself blue in the face telling us how they supposedly care about diversity and equity. The Councils big fat lies have left us more segregated than ever, while filthy rich developers are cashing in beyond their wildest dreams. You tell me why the University of Michigan gets a free pass from City Council, even though they never kept their promise to achieve 10% Black enrollment. Never. You know that City Council could make the Universitys life miserable until they finally get to 10% Black enrollment. I say do it! City Council must pressure the University until they get to 10% Black enrollment. Dont let the Mayor ooze his phony-baloney love for Black people when he does nothing to get them a spot at the U of M.Demand the $10 black enrolment and push to get it. That is fighting for real diversity and real equity.

How do you plan to communicate with the residents in your ward?

Akmon:

I am a skilled communicator who listens and makes herself available to people. I will bring these skills to the Ann Arbor City council, where I will be committed to listening to residents and increasing engagement with those that feel our city isnt responsive to their needs. I will have open and continuous communication with residents and seek out opportunities to connect with Ward 4 residents by going where they gather. Finally, if elected, I will have regular coffee hours and send electronic newsletters to increase engagement with residents and to transparently communicate City policy and programs to them.

Nelson:

I have worked hard these last three years to engage with Ward 4 residents and help them connect with the City. Since my election, I have maintained a website with regular updates that I organize by topic. Anyone can sign up to receive an emailed newsletter from me a few days before every Council meeting; my newsletter summarizes our meeting agenda. I publish voting charts after every meeting so that residents can see how issues were decided and by whom. Before every Council meeting, I host coffee hours at Ward 4 cafes, local parks, or via ZOOM. Anyone is welcome to attend. I believe that this local level of government can and should be where our democracy is strongest-- residents should be able to easily track the work of their elected representatives. At this local level, we should be most accountable to the residents we serve. I have invested considerable time in making myself and the work of City Council accessible to the whole of our community.

Savabieasfahani:

Social media. I communicate with my students globally via telephone and social media. Every one of my constituents will be able to reach me every day on the phone and on social media. I have spoken with thousands of my constituents already. In Ward 4, I already see my constituents during my walks around the ward. So, in conclusion: I will push for the $15 minimum wage, all the public housing we need, and a real Gelman clean-up. Without pressure and a push-back on how we currently do business, nothing will change. We have to have the courage to push back. The purposely vague language which candidates use worries me. I hear no understanding of the need to drastically change institutions and laws that have enslaved us to this point Look, we still have no $15 minimum wage, and virtually no public housing. We need those things now.

Read more Ann Arbor-area election coverage.

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Meet the 3 candidates in Ann Arbors 4th Ward council race - MLive.com