1. What is it that you love about Ann Arbor?
Ann Arbor is a city where people care about ideas, about each other, and about the direction we’re heading together. Growing up, I had relatives on the east side of the state, and driving past stretches of urban decay and strip malls always made me grateful for the beauty and care reflected in Ann Arbor’s neighborhoods and tree canopy.
What I love most is the sense that people here believe they can positively influence their community. There’s intellectual curiosity, compassion, and a high tolerance for creativity and difference. That engaged optimism is rare and something worth protecting.
2. What are the three most pressing problems that you care most about fixing?
Stewardship of public spaces, engaged and responsive representation, and infrastructure
Residents want a city that feels cared for, clean, safe, and maintained. Right now, many people feel those basics have slipped, whether it’s cleanliness downtown, responses from council members, feedback and engagement with residents regarding the Comprehensive Land Use Plan and neighborhood concerns, infrastructure concerns, or environmental issues like the Huron River and water quality.
Transparent and accountable spending
Good stewardship means thinking carefully about implementation, watching for unintended consequences, and being willing to adjust when real-world results show a better path forward. It also means proactively seeking feedback from the people and stakeholders affected by those decisions. People should be able to understand where public dollars go and why. We can’t have everything we want and have outrageous property taxes that reduce affordability for those that aren’t wealthy. That’s reality.
Economic pressure on residents and local businesses
A resilient city depends on thriving local businesses and neighborhoods where people feel connected and can build meaningful lives. Good cities don’t happen by accident. They are maintained with intention, careful stewardship, and ongoing feedback from the people who invest their lives here. How the Ann Arbor City Council chooses to spend public dollars directly affects residents, workers, and business owners trying to reach their goals. I want to see more thoughtful stewardship of tax dollars that reduces unnecessary and excessive financial pressure, supporting long term community stability.
3. How would you go about fixing those problems?
I start by listening deeply, setting priorities, and working collaboratively with council members and city staff. I believe in measurable goals and visible outcomes that residents can actually see and feel. Residents don’t need more promises. They need results they can observe. Many residents tell me they have different financial priorities than their current Mayor and Ward 1 representatives.
4. Let’s say your solution meets resistance or some part of your plan doesn’t work. What do you do next?
You adjust, openly and honestly.
Resistance isn’t failure. It’s useful information. Local government works best when we’re willing to learn and adapt together.
5. The way that we do politics in this country has been changing rapidly. What are your thoughts, and how has it changed the way that you approach running for office and delivering for the people?
Over the past decade, politics has become louder, more polarized, and increasingly performative. There is more emphasis on attention, fundraising, and messaging than on thoughtful problem solving. That tone has started to filter down into local government, where it doesn’t belong.
At the same time, people are overwhelmed. They are constantly receiving political texts, emails, and ads, many of them emotionally charged or financially driven. It creates fatigue and, ultimately, disconnection from the very systems meant to represent them.
My approach is intentionally different. I believe local government should be steady, respectful, and focused on practical outcomes that improve daily life. That’s why I have chosen not to accept donations and not to run digital ad campaigns. Residents are already under financial and mental strain, and I don’t believe public service should add to that.
Instead, I focus on direct communication, showing up in the community, and listening carefully to what residents are actually experiencing. Running for office, to me, is not about visibility or influence. It is about responsibility. Delivering for people means staying grounded in their day-to-day realities in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County.
6. The nation is at a low ebb in trust and connection. Why should readers believe in you?
A lot of people feel disconnected from government right now. I believe in prompt communication, respectful dialogue, and treating people with dignity, especially when they are frustrated or feeling unheard.
The fact that I am refusing donations shows I am not afraid to have bold ideas that serve residents. I also built my own website and am running my campaign myself. My long record of volunteering in Ann Arbor demonstrates that I am willing to work hard for the community I am passionate about serving.
Many residents know me through my work in human services and community volunteerism. I have shown that I am willing to work hard for residents because I care about this city, not because it is politically convenient. I want people to feel seen, included, and respected, whether or not they agree with me on every issue.
Right now, Ward 1 needs representatives who will show up, listen, respond respectfully, and stay focused on the voters in Ward 1, not on what the Mayor or other council members think.
7. Zingerman’s, Ahmos, No Thai, Fleetwood, or Le Dog. Where would you rather go to lunch?
I hear often from restaurant staff who miss the energy of a busy lunch crowd, and I think supporting small businesses and creating welcoming shared spaces is part of bringing that vibrancy back. Many of us asked the DDA to offer two hour free parking to support that effort. I would pick lunch at any of those establishments as they all add a facet of uniqueness to our culinary landscape.