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neonvincentSecond of three on Ann Arbor City Council elections in 2015
Challengers and incumbents split primary victories for Ann Arbor City Council
Ann Arbor City Council will see two new members this fall, as two incumbents fell in Tuesday's Democratic primary. Zachary Ackerman edged out sitting council member Stephen Kunselman as the Democratic nominee for Ward 3, while Chip Smith handily unseated Mike Anglin in Ward 5.
Two other incumbents held on to their seats. Sabra Briere easily fended off a challenge from Will Leaf in a quest to retain her seat in Ward 1. Council member Jack Eaton had nearly as impressive a victory over challenger Jaime Magliera in Ward 4.
Endorsements appeared to play a role in the result, as three of the four nominees had the support of Ann Arbor Mayor Chris Taylor, while a slightly different group of three winners earned the endorsements of the Ann Arbor News. The two candidates supported by both the News and the Mayor, Briere and Smith, won their primaries. Ackerman was the only victor lacking the endorsement of the News, but he had the backing of the Mayor. Eaton faced a challenger supported by the Mayor, but he had earned the recommendation of the local newspaper.
Briere swept all precincts in her victory in Ward 1. She earned 690 votes (70.48%) to Leaf's 287 (29.32%) in a low participation election with only six percent turnout.
Briere could still face a challenge in November, even though there is no Republican nominee. The Ann Arbor News reported that her general election opponent from two years ago, Jeff Hayner, had pulled petitions for an independent candidacy. He has until 5 P.M. Wednesday to submit signatures.
Ackerman won narrowly over Kunselman by a margin of 40 votes, slightly more than two percent, out of 1862 cast. He carried only two precincts, but one of them was the precinct that included most of the Burns Park neighborhood, which had the highest turnout of any in the city at twenty and seven-tenths percent. The other precinct included the neighborhood around Bryant Elementary School. Overall, Ward 3 had a turnout of ten and six-tenths percent.
Ackerman will likely be unopposed on the November ballot. There is no Republican nominee and no one has pulled petitions for an independent candidacy in the ward.
Eaton swept to victory by more than twenty percentage points, earning 1082 votes to Magliera's 709. The incumbent won all but two precincts. One of the two precincts that went to Magliera included the portion of Burns Park west of Packard. Fortunately for Eaton, turnout there was low at just under seven percent. The incumbent benefited from winning the second-highest turnout precinct in the city, the neighborhood around Dicken Elementary, which had twenty and six-tenths percent. Overall, Ward 4 had a turnout of ten percent.
Like Ackerman, Eaton will likely benefit from no opposition in November. There is no Republican nominee and no one known to be running as an independent.
The biggest upset of the night occurred in Ward 5, where Smith defeated Anglin by more than ten percent, a margin of more than 300 votes, in a relatively high-turnout election. While other wards struggled to have more than ten percent of voters participate, Ward 5 had a turnout of fourteen percent with nearly 3000 people voting. Anglin only carried two precincts by narrow margins and both precincts had among the lowest turnouts in the ward.
Smith may still face a challenger in the general election. The Ann Arbor News reported that Kevin Leeser has pulled petitions for an independent run but has not yet submitted signatures.
Ward 2 did not hold a primary, but it may add to the number of incumbents turned out of office this year. Former council member Sally Hart Petersen is running as a Democrat against her former colleague and current incumbent Jane Lumm, who is running as an independent in the general election. Lumm used to be a Republican in a city that now has no elected Republican officials. Peterson lost her seat last fall when she ran unsuccessfully for Mayor.
Challengers and incumbents split primary victories for Ann Arbor City Council
Ann Arbor City Council will see two new members this fall, as two incumbents fell in Tuesday's Democratic primary. Zachary Ackerman edged out sitting council member Stephen Kunselman as the Democratic nominee for Ward 3, while Chip Smith handily unseated Mike Anglin in Ward 5.
Two other incumbents held on to their seats. Sabra Briere easily fended off a challenge from Will Leaf in a quest to retain her seat in Ward 1. Council member Jack Eaton had nearly as impressive a victory over challenger Jaime Magliera in Ward 4.
Endorsements appeared to play a role in the result, as three of the four nominees had the support of Ann Arbor Mayor Chris Taylor, while a slightly different group of three winners earned the endorsements of the Ann Arbor News. The two candidates supported by both the News and the Mayor, Briere and Smith, won their primaries. Ackerman was the only victor lacking the endorsement of the News, but he had the backing of the Mayor. Eaton faced a challenger supported by the Mayor, but he had earned the recommendation of the local newspaper.
Briere swept all precincts in her victory in Ward 1. She earned 690 votes (70.48%) to Leaf's 287 (29.32%) in a low participation election with only six percent turnout.
Briere could still face a challenge in November, even though there is no Republican nominee. The Ann Arbor News reported that her general election opponent from two years ago, Jeff Hayner, had pulled petitions for an independent candidacy. He has until 5 P.M. Wednesday to submit signatures.
Ackerman won narrowly over Kunselman by a margin of 40 votes, slightly more than two percent, out of 1862 cast. He carried only two precincts, but one of them was the precinct that included most of the Burns Park neighborhood, which had the highest turnout of any in the city at twenty and seven-tenths percent. The other precinct included the neighborhood around Bryant Elementary School. Overall, Ward 3 had a turnout of ten and six-tenths percent.
Ackerman will likely be unopposed on the November ballot. There is no Republican nominee and no one has pulled petitions for an independent candidacy in the ward.
Eaton swept to victory by more than twenty percentage points, earning 1082 votes to Magliera's 709. The incumbent won all but two precincts. One of the two precincts that went to Magliera included the portion of Burns Park west of Packard. Fortunately for Eaton, turnout there was low at just under seven percent. The incumbent benefited from winning the second-highest turnout precinct in the city, the neighborhood around Dicken Elementary, which had twenty and six-tenths percent. Overall, Ward 4 had a turnout of ten percent.
Like Ackerman, Eaton will likely benefit from no opposition in November. There is no Republican nominee and no one known to be running as an independent.
The biggest upset of the night occurred in Ward 5, where Smith defeated Anglin by more than ten percent, a margin of more than 300 votes, in a relatively high-turnout election. While other wards struggled to have more than ten percent of voters participate, Ward 5 had a turnout of fourteen percent with nearly 3000 people voting. Anglin only carried two precincts by narrow margins and both precincts had among the lowest turnouts in the ward.
Smith may still face a challenger in the general election. The Ann Arbor News reported that Kevin Leeser has pulled petitions for an independent run but has not yet submitted signatures.
Ward 2 did not hold a primary, but it may add to the number of incumbents turned out of office this year. Former council member Sally Hart Petersen is running as a Democrat against her former colleague and current incumbent Jane Lumm, who is running as an independent in the general election. Lumm used to be a Republican in a city that now has no elected Republican officials. Peterson lost her seat last fall when she ran unsuccessfully for Mayor.
