Liz Dahl MacGregor is running for City Council in Ward 3 of Ypsilanti. This is her submission for WEMU's "Soapbox Summer."
Hi. I’m Liz Dahl MacGregor and I’m running for City Council in Ward 3 of Ypsilanti.
I love Ypsi. I grew up in this area. When I finished getting my law degree, my husband, Ken, and I moved to back Ypsilanti because we wanted to raise our family in a community that has a rich history and a diverse population. It is important to us that we live in a place that is walkable, welcoming and strong.
But our community could be stronger. I want to cultivate our local economy and our local businesses while bringing new jobs, diverse jobs to our city. I want to see our empty storefronts filled, and housing built on empty land. We’ve got a big, hole in the middle of our city; I want to help clean it up and make it valuable. I want our city to grow and for us to grow with it.
I’ve worked for the growth and improvement of Ypsilanti for years. I am a member of the City of Ypsilanti Planning Commission. I served on the board of the Ypsilanti Food Cooperative from 2008 until this year. For the last few years, I served as the president of the board. I led the board as it implemented a system of governance that established greater accountability. In doing so, I honed my skills as a facilitator and a consensus builder, working with diverse views and strong opinions to build a better co-op community.
I was a founding board member of our local timebank, hOur Exchange Ypsilanti. I am a board member of Sunday Assembly Ypsilanti. In 2004 and 5, as secretary of the Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse, I helped write its first set of by-laws and negotiate the first contract with the city to manage the Freighthouse.
Today, much of my professional work is helping business owners build our economy. As a Sustainable Economy Law Center fellow, I work with cooperative lawyers across the country to reduce barriers to starting local businesses. I’m a strong believer in our local economy, but we have to have the systems in place and the support to make it an attractive and affordable place for a local economy to thrive.
I’m an entrepreneur. I’m a professional. I’m a mother of two. We need a fresh voice on our City Council and I can bring it to the table. I want to work with people, not against them, in a way that is respectful and courteous, yet challenging. I’m a collaborative problem solver. I’m a creative problem solver. We need to figure out how to come to solutions that are going to serve the people of Ypsilanti in the best way possible. I believe we can do politics without drama.
I believe in community engagement. I believe in sustainability. I believe in creative solutions to hard problems. I believe in Ypsilanti.
We need new guidance. We need new eyes to see a clearer path. We need to work together under confident leadership to bolster the city we love, the community we live in, our friends, our families, and ourselves. I can help us do that.
Vote for Liz Dahl MacGregor for Ward 3 City Council. We do better when we solve problems together.