Christopher Taylor

The 4 Ann Arbor City Council members seeking Mayor John Hieftje's job will participate in a forum in his Ford School of Public Policy class Wednesday.  The forum set to begin at 1 in the afternoon in Weill Hall will be open to the public.   Hieftje says he doesn't know exactly what the students will be asking Sabra Briere, Sally Hart Petersen, Stephen Kunselman, and Christopher Taylor.

Monday Ann Arbor City Council will consider a resolution that would designate about 10-thousand square feet of the surface lot on top of the Library Lane parking garage as the site of a future park.  City officials have long stated a portion of the area will become park space, but this resolution would nail down the specific location. 

The University of Michigan can go ahead with plans to buy the Edwards Brothers property on State Street for nearly 13 million dollars.  Ann Arbor City Council voted six to five Monday night against using the right of first refusal to match the university’s offer.  

The former chair of the Ann Arbor Park Advisory Commission is once more seeking a seat on City Council. 

Julie Grand has announced she will run for the third ward seat Council member Christopher Taylor is opting not to try to keep as he instead runs for mayor.  Grand says she learned some lessons from her narrow defeat to Council member Stephen Kunselman in last year's democratic primary.  She says however her philosophy remains the same.

Grand says she is still running to try to make a direct impact on the quality of life in Ann Arbor.  She says the city needs leaders who use data, best practices, and community engagement to make decisions on issues while also working on constituent services.

Another Ann Arbor City Council member has announced she’s running for mayor.  Second Ward Council representative Sally Hart Petersen today announced she will seek outgoing Mayor John Hieftje’s position.

Petersen says her combination of leadership experience, skills and interests in the private, public, and non-profit sectors make her uniquely qualified to lead Ann Arbor into its next era of growth and sustainability.  She says in addition to promoting growth, Ann Arbor's next Mayor needs to be a champion of civic engagement which she has done on council through surveying residents on a variety of topics.

Petersen says her top priority will be increasing city services.  She says this will be possible if the private business sector is stronger so more revenues will be available to dedicate to services.

Hieftje announced last year he wouldn’t seek re-election.  So far City Council members Sabra Briere, Stephen Kunselman, and Christopher Taylor have all announced they are running for mayor.

Petersen says she's thought about running for mayor for a long time and Hieftje's decision has really opened the door.

The race to be Ann Arbor’s next mayor won’t include the chair of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners. 

Yousef Rabhi today announced he won’t run for mayor this year.  Rabhi says he expects it to be an interesting race, but likely won’t be endorsing any candidate.

The Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original has been running at a financial deficit the last few years. Event organizers put the annual losses at a range from $5,700  to $8,000. 

Ann Arbor City Council  is dedicating $10,000 to it's community events fund to help cover anticipated losses in 2014. City Council Member Christopher Taylor explains that the unique importance of the art fair makes it worth supporting.

SEE ALSO: The Shadow Art Fair Set To Make Its Last Stand

Overall, the city charges the four art fairs about $60,000 for barriers, extra safety services, and trash removal.  $8,000  is paid by the original art fair.  This fair also pays rent to the University of Michigan and has limited sponsorship options because it's located on campus.

Christopher Taylor also says that the the other three art fairs haven't requested funding from the city, but did write in support of the original art fair receiving assistance.  He says the unique importance of the art fair to the city makes this investment worthwhile and doesn't serve as a precedent for funding other events.

Listen to Andrew Cluley's full report.

 — Andrew Cluley is a reporter and anchor for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him aCluley@emich.edu.

Another Ann Arbor City Council member is seeking outgoing Mayor John Hieftje's job.
Third Ward Democrat Christopher Taylor today announced he's running for mayor in 2014.

Stephen Kunselman who also represents the third ward on council has already announced he's running, while Hieftje has said he won't seek re-election.