Water Damage Restoration in Ann Arbor, MI

Update: Ann Arbor voters reject election reform proposals by over 2-to-1 margin

ANN ARBOR, MI — Two citizen-initiated proposals aiming to significantly reform the way Ann Arbor elects its mayor and City Council went before voters Tuesday, Nov. 5.

With polls closed as of 8 p.m., votes are now being tallied and early results show opposition to both ballot measures.

With all 47 precincts in the city partially counted, Prop C to make city elections nonpartisan has 8,730 yes votes to 20,733 no votes, 70% against it so far.

Prop D, which calls for introducing public financing of mayor and council campaigns, has 9,330 yes votes and 19,796 no votes, 68% against it so far.

Live results for the Tuesday, Nov. 5 general election in Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County

While there’s been a fair amount of debate over the proposals among close observers of city politics, most voters who spoke with MLive/The Ann Arbor News after voting said they either didn’t have strong feelings about the proposals or didn’t feel like they knew enough about them to support them.

Some said they were swayed by Mayor Christopher Taylor and his City Council allies urging a no vote on both.

“I listened to mostly the City Council and the mayor on those two issues,” said Bryan Ukena, after he voted early at city hall on Sunday, Nov. 3. He might have been more open to introducing city taxpayer funding of mayor and council campaigns if the proposal was structured differently, he said.

“I think also there wasn’t a lot of information out there,” he said. “It would have been helpful to have more of a debate about it. I didn’t have a full grasp of what the ramifications would be, where it’s been done in other areas, what the pros and cons of it are.”

Fake Trump ads are latest twist in debate over Ann Arbor ballot proposals

Austin Baker, who also voted early at city hall, said he didn’t see a problem with dropping party labels for mayor and council candidates, so he supported Prop C.

“Especially if we know who we’re voting for, I don’t think having the party label on there really matters,” he said.

As for Prop D, he wasn’t sure about it, so he voted no, he said, describing the proposal as wonky.

Other voters said, rather than putting hundreds of thousands of dollars per year from the city budget into a campaign finance fund to match small campaign donations for candidates, they’d rather the city spend the money on other needs.

Some voters also said they had concerns about landlords helping fund the pro-Prop C and D campaigns, as differing opinions over new dense housing development in the city has been at the center of the debate over the proposals.

See who’s behind over $385K poured into fight over Ann Arbor Props C and D

Prop C proposed dropping party labels for mayor and council candidates and getting rid of the city’s August primaries, so candidates of all political stripes would compete for city offices in November when voter turnout is higher.

Prop D, which the Michigan attorney general’s office said conflicts with state law, called for starting a taxpayer-funded campaign finance program, putting hundreds of thousands of dollars per year from the city budget into a Fair Elections Fund to match small campaign donations of up to $50 for mayor and council candidates at a 9-to-1 ratio.

That means for every $50 someone gave a candidate for city office, they would get another $450 from the city — up to a maximum of $40,000 for council candidates and up to $90,000 for mayoral candidates. But they would have to agree to lower campaign contribution limits and refuse donations from corporations, PACs and other organizations.

Would nonpartisan elections disenfranchise Democratic voters in Ann Arbor? Groups debate

A group called the Coalition for Ann Arbor’s Future collected over 11,000 signatures to get the proposals on the ballot. The group is comprised of residents and former council members concerned about the way city elections have gone in recent years and the level of campaign spending in city races.

They have characterized the proposals as an attempt at progressive reform to fight the influence of big money in city politics and help more people compete for office, but Taylor and his allies branded it as an attempt to get more conservative-minded, anti-housing candidates elected to council and said it would disenfranchise Democratic voters by getting rid of Democratic primaries. They also had concerns about the potential for fraud and abuse of public funds, while Taylor specifically argued in campaign literature it could help fund candidates running on extreme or hateful platforms.

The debate over the proposals has been reflective of the deep factional divisions that existed on council for years before Taylor and his allies gained control of all 11 seats in recent elections.

Elizabeth Nelson, one of the former council members who collected signatures to get the proposals on the ballot, wrote in her latest blog post on Election Day she was anxious and worried about the consequences of Tuesday’s election and what it means for democracy, both at the federal and local levels.

“This year, the country has a choice between supporting leaders who believe in an inclusive democracy or supporting others who aim to serve themselves and profit interests,” she wrote. “I hold out hope that enough voters are able to recognize and reject ugly rhetoric and fear mongering in order to make choices that uplift our democracy. At the local level, I hope for the same.”

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ANN ARBOR, MI - Cherry Republic in downtown Ann Arbor has officially expanded its footprint with its full-size wine bar.

Cherry Republic, 223 S. Main St., doubled its Ann Arbor location after taking over the storefront that formerly housed Anneke’s Downtown Hair at 221 S. Main St. The hair salon closed in March 2022 after more than 30 years in business.

The expansion officially opened on Oct. 17 and gives customers a total “wine bar experience,” to taste all of the options that Cherry Republic offers, said Rita Dudek, Ann Arbor’s store manager.

Related: Cherry Republic to see full-size wine bar as part of Ann Arbor expansion

“Customers have been super excited to come on in and try our products or get like a glass of wine while they shop,” she said. “We’re really hoping (this expansion) just brings more people in.”

Ann Arbor’s Cherry Republic always offered samples, but this new expansion gives customers another spot to try wines and more room for customers to walk through the location. Wine tastings will cost customers $9 to try six of the roughly 20 wines offered.

The store carries all of the wine samplings in bottles so customers can buy a wine they really love, or they can just come in for a taste.

The wine bar offers customers a chance to order wine flights, rotating flavors for wine slushes and glasses of wine to enjoy in the store or as part of the downtown social district. There are also non-alcoholic soda slushes and eight sodas on tap for those who aren’t 21 years or older.

Dudek said the Ann Arbor location has some ideas for its wine bar in the future. One deal going on right now through Thanksgiving is its happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday where wine tastings only cost $5.

“We’re really excited and we’re also thinking about the summer and that it’s going to be a very popular spot to come to when people are out in Ann Arbor,” she said.

This has been a project that has been in the works for years now. Dudek said it’s very exciting that people can finally experience this expansion. She’s just ready for Ann Arbor to realize the wine bar is now open and ready for business.

Cherry Republic’s current hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. These hours are only through Thanksgiving and will change for the holiday season. Learn more on social media or by phone at 734-585-5231.

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ANN ARBOR, MI - A 25-year-old man has been charged in federal court after threatening to kill former President Donald Trump and Christian conservatives if Trump wins the election.

Isaac Sissel was arrested the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 5 after an anonymous online submission to the FBI National Threat Operations Center indicated he planned to carry out an attack against conservative Christians.

“I have a stolen ar15 (sic) and a target I refuse to name so I can continue to get away with my plans,” the threat read in part, according to court records. “Without a specific victim or ability to find the place I hid the gun, there’s not a thing the FBI can do until I complete the attack.”

The submission also indicated that whoever made the complaint had a firearm, hollow point ammunition and a chemical irritant, according to court records.

Officials used phone records and an IP address to connect the submission to Sissel, according to court records.

Sissel has also been connected to several Reddit accounts with usernames like “ShootUpTrumpRally,” “PlanningToShootTrump” and “WillShootTrumpSoon,” according to court records. The accounts were banned, a Reddit spokesperson confirmed.

When contacted at a hotel in Canton, Sissel told officials he believed Trump was a threat and that progressive and politically left groups were not violent enough, according to court records.

“Sissel said that he wouldn’t kill Trump, but if he knew someone was going to assassinate Trump that it was his (Sissel’s) duty to not intervene,” the complaint reads. “Sissel said that he hated conservative Christians, who he enjoyed threatening.”

Sissel does not have a consistent address in Ann Arbor and stays near a rehabilitation center in the city, according to court records. He told law enforcement that he would frequently harass clinic patients, as well as threatened officers.

Sissel had both a Washington state and New York state driver’s license on his person, according to court records.

He told officers he had a knife but did not own a firearm, records show. Sissel is set to appear in federal court Tuesday afternoon.

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A suffocating performance from Oregon’s defense defined the Ducks’ successful road trip to Michigan

Jack Lazarus, Associate Sports Editor

“I think everybody in the nation needs to recognize what kind of quarterback we got. He’s a really really special player,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said after his squad’s 38-17 victory at defending national champions Michigan.

He’s referring to the 294 yard, two total touchdown day from his star quarterback, Dillon Gabriel.

The visiting Ducks elected to play defense first, forcing the ball into the hands of the lackluster Michigan offense. A 3-and-out lasting just under two minutes ensued, giving Oregon the opportunity to give the ball to its playmakers early on.

Oregon started its offensive attack with three straight screen passes which totaled 26 yards and set up two 1st downs. The Ducks did not slow down there.

After a methodical march downfield, including 7/7 passing from Dillon Gabriel, the Ducks punched it in. Gabriel found Evan Stewart on a fade route to the back left corner of the endzone, and Stewart fought off contact to make the catch and break the ice.

Another Michigan 3-and-out followed, capped off by a Davis Warren fumble caused by his own lineman. The stop was one of seven of Oregon’s tackles for losses on the day. However, disaster struck on the ensuing punt.

Due to a shoulder injury sustained by receiver and primary returner Tez Johnson, Ryan Pellum dropped back to return the kick. Pellum caught it and made a move, but in the process he lost the ball. The Wolverines pounced on it and gifted themselves an opportunity to start fresh in Oregon territory.

“I don’t really have any details on that right now. He wasn’t able to come back in the game,” Lanning said about Johnson’s injury.

Michigan took that opportunity in stride and tied the game up with a seven-yard strike to Tyler Morris.

The Ducks responded quickly with a two-minute, 75 yard touchdown drive that ended in a Noah Whittington punch-in from the 1-yard line. The one-yarder was set up by the 20-yard dump off to Terrance Ferguson, on which he was mere inches away from scoring.

The Wolverines’ failure to get the offense moving gave Oregon the ball back right away. The Ducks’ steady offense dominated its way to another touchdown and the first multi-score lead of the game.

It happened on another long throw, short punch into the endzone combination.

Gabriel unloaded a missile down the right sideline to Traeshon Holden for 38-yards and set the Ducks up at the six. Just 19 seconds later, Whittington strutted in for his second score of the day and a 21-7 lead for Oregon.

Holden, who has seen limited action recently, continued making plays. Gabriel found Holden over the middle for a 44-yard catch over the middle, which included him making a Michigan defensive back fall down after a nifty juke move. He finished with 149 receiving yards on just six receptions.

“I’m not surprised, this is how [Holden’s] been practicing,” Gabriel said. “You see three weeks ago and you see now, just growth and a guy who’s wanting to be better. I’m extremely proud of him, and I have a bunch of belief in him as a player and a person.”

The next play would have easily been the most exceptional of the game if not for an illegal man downfield penalty. Gabriel, with all the time in the world, threw one to the back of the endzone, supposedly out of play, but Stewart jumped up, grabbed it with one hand and got two feet down for an unreal catch. Alas, that 34-yard wonder-touchdown was taken off the board.

Gabriel was still able to tack onto the Ducks’ lead before the end of the half. Iapani Laloulu cleared a huge gap for Gabriel, leading to an incredibly smart scramble through the middle for a 23-yard score on the ground.

The first half ended 28-10.

The second half started as badly as it could have for Oregon. Michigan’s defense forced a 3-and-out, which led to a 75-yard Wolverine drive that ended in a Warren dart to Peyton O’Leary to move the Ducks’ lead to two scores.

Michigan’s offense consistently stemmed from its ability to get the ball into the hands of tight end Colston Loveland, who recorded seven catches for 112 yards on Saturday.

As soon as the Wolverines scored, the home fans returned.

With the crowd behind it, Michigan looked as if it had a route back into the contest and had escaped the routing at hand. The Wolverines thought they forced a punt on 4th down, but they had a man lined up over the long snapper, which resulted in a five-yard penalty and a 1st down for Oregon.

The Ducks couldn’t convert on the mistakes, as they settled for an Atticus Sappington 26-yard field goal to extend the lead to 31-17.

Following the field goal, each team could only generate small pockets of offense until Michigan strung together a few 1st downs and had the Ducks on their heels.

The character of that drive became a physical 26-yard run by Alex Orji, who broke multiple tackles to get into the redzone halfway through the 4th quarter.

The Wolverines could only gain five more yards that possession and turned it over on downs, which effectively ended the game.

“In the first half we did a really good job of establishing our run defense. We gave up a couple explosives in past games, just bad eyes…but overall I feel like we’re growing each week as a defense,” safety Kobe Savage said.

The effort from Oregon stayed relentless and didn’t end until the final whistle, which is incredibly important in matchups such as this one. The Ducks waddled into the Big House, did their job and now they move on as one of the nation’s only undefeated teams.

Oregon returns home to Eugene next Saturday against the struggling Maryland Terrapins (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten) at 4:00 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, MI — Ann Arbor can go forward with creating a city-run sustainable energy utility after city voters approved the measure with 79% support in the Nov. 5 election.

With all precincts fully counted, the vote on Proposal A was 47,299 yes to 12,854 no.

“I’m incredibly excited about the opportunity of the sustainable energy utility,” Mayor Christopher Taylor said, calling it a groundbreaking proposal put forward by city staff and ratified by a community committed to taking action to fight climate change.

As part of the city’s A2Zero plan, the city wants to operate a city-run power utility to supplement DTE Energy service in the city with new investments in local renewable energy, with the aim of improving power reliability and reducing carbon emissions.

Once the utility is up and running, the city would become a provider of renewable energy to local residents and businesses under an opt-in model for those who choose to subscribe and want to pay for energy through the SEU, as it’s called.

The city’s aim is to provide 100% renewable energy from local solar and battery storage systems and networked geothermal systems installed at participating homes and businesses. City officials characterize it as an innovative model focusing almost exclusively on energy generation at the point of use.

“The SEU will enable community members to enjoy renewable, reliable energy at what we believe to be below-market prices,” Taylor said.

While it would be publicly owned, it’s short of the full-scale public takeover of DTE that grassroots group Ann Arbor for Public Power wants to see eventually. The city intends to further explore the bigger undertaking as a future possibility, recognizing it could cost the city hundreds of millions of dollars.

Approval of the ballot proposal does not authorize the city to levy new taxes. Rather, residents and businesses have the choice whether to stick with DTE service or become SEU subscribers and pay SEU fees.

“No one will be required to take service from the SEU, but everyone will have the choice to participate in at least some of the SEU’s offerings,” the city website states. “By providing choices, we are diversifying our energy options and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of clean, healthy energy systems.”

The city’s tentative plan is to seek financing to start making investments through the SEU once there are 20 megawatts of commitments from people interested in subscribing. The city has been asking people interested to fill out an online form.

The city hasn’t really pushed the waitlist yet, but there are about 200 households so far, said Missy Stults, the city’s sustainability director, who said more details are coming.

“We are honored and humbled with the trust that Ann Arbor voters put in the city to advance the sustainable energy utility,” Stults said. “With this passage, we move into the final design phase and begin recruitment.”

Stults said she can’t wait to engage with the public more as the city creates a truly local, sustainable and resilient energy system of the future.

The city has advertised the SEU would provide access to clean energy at rates cheaper than what DTE customers currently pay for “dirty electricity.” It also would offer energy storage solutions for less than the average cost of a whole-house generator, helping to make clean energy options affordable to more residents, according to the city.

A DTE representative said in May the company had no formal position on the proposal, but the company released a statement saying DTE is positioned to continue to support Ann Arbor’s clean energy goals and is executing a four-point plan to provide increasingly reliable service to city residents.

“DTE is investing $215 million in infrastructure improvements in Ann Arbor over the next five years, which will result in 30% fewer and 50% shorter outages,” the company stated. “Today, 30% of all electricity within the city of Ann Arbor can be attributed to DTE’s Michigan-made wind parks and solar farms and DTE continues to invest in cleaner electricity generation to meet the state of Michigan’s new clean and renewable energy goals — 60% renewable energy by 2035 and 100% clean energy by 2040.”

DTE cites a 2023 study saying partnering with DTE to achieve the city’s goals is the lowest-cost option for city residents. And moving forward with full municipalization of the local power grid as a possible next step beyond the SEU would be prohibitively expensive for residents, the company argues.

Ann Arbor takeover of DTE could cost city up to $1.15 billion, study finds

The city has information about the SEU proposal at a2gov.org/a2seu.

“Through a diverse mix of energy generation and the use of energy storage, subscribers to the SEU will still have power even when disasters disrupt the traditional energy grid,” the city website states, showing graphics illustrating examples of different SEU service scenarios.

It would allow for microgrids, sharing solar energy between neighboring households and businesses.

“Focusing on generating energy at the source of use minimizes the need for distribution systems (e.g., poles and wires), which are currently the most vulnerable part of the existing energy system,” the website states. “This means that SEU-generated energy will be more reliable (and resilient) than energy from a traditional utility.”

City voters on Tuesday also renewed the city’s parks millage for 20 years, while rejecting two election reform proposals.

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