1. What is it that you love about Ann Arbor?
I love the city’s culture of civic mindedness. We have so many thoughtful residents who care about their community and want to be engaged on local issues. I’m continually humbled by the deep local knowledge that people have. While knocking on doors and listening to residents, I’ve learned so much because of their enthusiasm to share their expertise about how to make Ann Arbor a place for everyone. Ann Arbor also has an important history of local left-wing politics such as the abolitionist movement during slavery, Ann Arbor’s civil rights movement, the Human Rights Party, and the Ann Arbor Tenants union. These local historical accomplishments have inspired me to fight for the city’s people in the name of democratic socialism.
2. What are the three most pressing problems that you care most about fixing?
Ann Arbor is in a housing crisis. Many of the people that make this city run work in sectors like police, fire, healthcare, education, government, and service and they can’t afford to live here. Homelessness is also increasing, tenants are being squeezed by landlords, and the elderly have few housing options. Although the city has high property taxes, public services are not being adequately funded. City services are being privatized, resulting in higher costs and lower quality of service, and too many outside consultants are being hired by the city. There is also a democratic deficit in the city. Many residents do not feel their voices are being heard and think that current leadership is prioritizing the interests of corporations over the people. Ann Arbor has a political machine that controls the entire city council, so there’s nobody to question the status quo and hear the voices of the people.
3. How would you go about fixing those problems?
I will protect our publicly owned properties instead of selling them to private developers, and ensure public money goes towards public housing, cooperatives, or land trusts, rather than private developments. I fully support the AATU’s tenant bill of rights, which includes the right to organize, the right to rent control, and the right to counsel. I’m exploring whether we can pass a vacancy tax on landlords to ensure units are being rented faster and at lower rates. We also need to properly enforce AirBnb restrictions. I also want to ensure city services, like downtown garbage collection, aren’t being privatized or outsourced. The city can utilize more in-house work rather than contracting out to consultants. We can expand city services by municipalizing the electricity grid so that DTE can no longer exploit people’s utility rates and we can have renewable energy. I am an advocate for labor unions, and will fight for all city workers to get the prevailing wages and fair benefits they deserve. We need a process of democratizing density when it comes to the new zoning code. Too many residents’ voices were left out of the comprehensive land use plan process, and many others were not even aware of the proposed changes in the first place. Each neighborhood in Ann Arbor is unique, and we need to have stronger community input and participation moving forward.
4. Let’s say that your solution meets resistance or some part of your plan doesn’t work. What do you do next?
Democracy is about engaging with opposing viewpoints and finding compromises that reflect the diverse interests of the wards in the city. I will work with city council members to find an equitable solution when there is resistance. I’ve found that constituents are amenable to compromise at city council when they are meaningfully involved in the local democratic process in the first place. My priority is to ensure that happens to help overcome resistance. I also believe elected officials have a responsibility to stand by the principles their community supports so that people are properly represented in government. Principle and compromise is good governance, so I will work with the people in my ward to ensure they are treated fairly in the balance between the interests of the city and the interests of their neighborhood. All elected officials are human beings that make mistakes, change their minds, or have lapses in judgement that result in their plans not coming to fruition. In these moments, officials must be transparent about why a plan didn’t work out or why certain decisions were made.
5. The way that we do politics in this country has been changing rapidly via Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Marjorie Taylor-Greene, Abigail Spanberger, Mikie Sherrill, and Zohran Mamdani. What are your thoughts on this decade + evolution in how we do politics in this country, and how has it changed the way that you approach running for office and delivering for the people?
Economic inequality has gotten significantly worse over the past decade. People are not satisfied with the status quo and are demanding real material changes in their lives. But the government represents the interests of the 1%. Because of this gap between people’s everyday lives and their government’s interests, many are paradoxically more receptive to different political ideas while the barriers to realizing those ideas democratically remain firmly in place. Zohran cut through this problem. He not only spoke directly to the everyday issues people are facing, he also formed a successful coalition based on grassroots campaigning. Like Zohran, I am talking to people, hearing them out, and being clear about my own values. I believe it is possible to build support for democratic socialist policies that benefit people.
6. You are one of three candidates running for this seat. How do you think that the voters of Ward 4 should think about the difference between you and your opponents?
I’m the only democratic socialist running in my ward. Democratic socialism is rooted in the principle that ordinary people, not corporations, landlords, or the 1%, can govern themselves as equals over the issues that affect their lives. To realize this, we must deepen democracy where it exists, and introduce democracy where it is absent. My policy positions activate faith in people’s power to meaningfully participate in the democratic process by protecting and expanding community ownership and public services. As a long-time social activist and labor organizer, I’m the only candidate with the grassroots experience to actively listen to and work with local communities to build coalitions and expand democracy for the people. As a candidate, I’m also challenging the status quo. One candidate in this race is endorsed by every member of the current City Council.
7. The nation is at an extremely low ebb in democratic participation, trust in institutions, and feeling truly connected to a community. I want to give you the chance to make your case to AA Observer readers that you really care about them, and that you are the right person, with the right talents and strategy, to make meaningful changes that will improve their economic lot in life, safeguard the rule of law, make sure that they won’t be left behind, and that you can ensure their inclusion and dignity in Treetown.
Trust in government is at an all-time low because people know their elected representatives make decisions that prioritize corporations, landlords, and consultants. Our community is made up of workers – we are teachers, nurses, public servants, bus drivers, librarians, custodians, and gig workers. I am running for local office to represent the workers that make this city run. I have the grassroots experience to understand that people are the experts in their own lives as the keepers of local knowledge. They are what makes governance meaningful. I have been fighting for social justice my entire life. I have the courage to stand up for what’s right in the face of fascism, the commitment to improve people’s lives, and the coalition-building skills that are necessary to win dignity and freedom for all.
8. Zingerman’s, Ahmos, No Thai, Fleetwood, or Le Dog. Where would you rather go to lunch?
I support any local restaurant that treats their workers with dignity and respect, pays them a fair wage with benefits, and most importantly, doesn’t union-bust.