Ann Arbor City Council candidates outline plans on housing, public safety, power and roads in CTN forum

At a CTN Candidates Comment forum, eight people running for Ann Arbor City Council presented platforms that emphasized housing affordability, public safety, infrastructure and differing approaches to public power. The program presented candidates in alphabetical order and closed with a reminder to vote on or before Aug. 4.

Cynthia Harrison, a candidate for Ward 1 and director of innovative reentry at the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office, framed her candidacy around a housing-first approach and criminal legal reform. “Housing is health care and housing is safety,” Harrison said, and she described support for the Rising Hope for Housing program that uses opioid settlement and marijuana excise tax dollars. She also cited work on a “driving equality” ordinance to limit unnecessary contact between law enforcement and civilians and listed endorsements including the Ann Arbor Education Association.

Sandy Aldrich, running for Ward 2, called the city’s recently approved comprehensive land use plan “visionary” but not binding, and said council, the planning commission and residents must build the guardrails that implement it. Aldrich said she supports adding diverse housing types while protecting neighborhood character, urged a full cost analysis before pursuing wholesale municipal control of the electric grid, and said she would bring private‑sector management rigor to oversee the city’s roughly $600,000,000 budget.

Ryan Bartholomew, a Ward 3 candidate, framed his campaign around affordability and labor priorities and criticized the current council’s decisions on development incentives. Bartholomew argued the council has frequently favored large developer giveaways — citing “a $350,000,000 tax giveaway” in his remarks — and proposed a municipal child-care pilot and publicly owned permanently affordable housing.

Ashley Hall, also running in Ward 3 and director of board operations for the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, emphasized producing more housing of varied types, pledged not to support new millages in her first term to avoid increasing property taxes, and pressed for equitable road maintenance. Hall said the city’s affordable housing millage has led to about 1,200 units of affordable housing in the community.

Aden Sova (the forum transcript also contains an alternate rendering of the surname later in the program) said he has served as president of the Ann Arbor District Library Board of Trustees, described a strictly grassroots campaign that refused PAC donations, and prioritized affordable housing, fixing sidewalks and streets, and responsive city services.

Incumbent Jen Cornell, representing Ward 5, highlighted her environmental, housing and transportation safety work since 2022, argued for “gentle density” such as duplexes and small multifamily dwellings, and said policy decisions must be backed by measurable budget outcomes. She referenced work with local groups including the Ecology Center and the Main Street Area Association.

Greg Monroe, a longtime resident running for council, urged managed growth that protects nature areas and the city’s tree canopy, and warned that high taxes risk pricing residents out of the community. Monroe said stewardship of taxpayer dollars should guide council decisions.

The CTN host closed the program with a reminder to view the forum on CTN’s YouTube channel and to vote by Aug. 4. The forum presented each candidate’s platform in turn; no formal votes or council actions took place during the broadcast.