What I have heard

I got to tell ya’ - walking around the neighborhood and canvasing, to get my 100 petition signatures to get on the ballot, was quite an experience. I had no idea how many engaging conversations I would have. It was great and fun talking to people. I highly recommend it. I felt I listened to about 94% of what people were saying and this is what I heard (paraphrased):

• The city and city government has gotten to big and lost its values and vision as to what Ann Arbor was built on. It’s not the town I grew up in. We feel forgotten.

• We feel unlisted too… as if the city has its own agenda just pushing through spending bills without much conversation as to what it actually returns to the community.

• Thank you for running. We really need that diversity of vote.

• My neighbors, who have been owned their home here for 35 years have to sell their house because they can’t afford to live here anymore.

• Sorry, I’m not a registered voter and I can’t sign your thing.

• We both worked at UM all our lives and now we are retired. We fixed up our basement so we can rent it out to some kid, because after living here for 25 years, in the recent months we are finding hard to make ends meet with the rising costs of taxes and everything else. We weren't planning on this.

• Why are their big buses running up and down the streets with one person riding in them?

• It seems UM isn’t paying their fair share of taxes. What’s up with that?

• What’s Ward 5?

• I don’t want to hear more about the state of our economy and banking system. Your making me nervous.