I’m writing today to urge my friends to vote YES on Ann Arbor City Proposals C and D. Proposal C changes City elections to nonpartisan and eliminates partisan city primaries. Proposal D institutes a small donor matching fund for City elections. Many of you who know me know that I’ve worked on numerous local citizen-initiated proposals starting in the 1970s. I’ve also served on City Council and Planning Commission in the 1980s and I currently serve as a nonpartisan elected trustee of Washtenaw Community College.

PROP C

In the 1990s, I was part of the coordinating committee for VINE (Voter Initiative for November Elections). Voters overwhelmingly approved moving City elections to November. When City elections were moved to November, voter participation in City elections increased several fold. An unintended consequence of that change was that primaries for City Council races were moved to early August when voter participation is very low.

A vote YES for Proposal C will address that problem by moving the consequential city election to November when voter participation is at its highest. Having run and been elected in nonpartisan elections to the WCC Board of Trustees, I can personally attest to the importance of standing before the largest electorate possible. Though the contest is a nonpartisan race, I proudly advertise my support and endorsements from the Democratic party, labor, and other organizations that support me because of the issues that I stand for. Opponents of Prop C say a nonpartisan election allows candidates to hide their political affiliations. True, but in this community, I trust the voters to judge based on the stands I take and endorsements. I receive and I’ve now won two county-wide nonpartisan elections by publicly standing for progressive democratic values.

PROP D

A vote YES for Proposal D will create an opportunity for candidates who may not have deep-pocketed, large dollar contributors. The Fair Election Fund will match small dollar contributions and will not raise taxes. When I ran for City Council in the 1980s, many City Council races were funded at a level of just $5,000 - $7,000. Now, City Council races cost as much as $40,000. Research shows that in 2022, successful City Council and Mayoral candidates collected over $60,000 from donors outside Ann Arbor and over $25,000 from political action committees (PACs). Under Proposal D, in order to get matching funds for local Ann Arbor contributions of $50 or less, the candidate has to agree to not take PAC money and they agree to a much lower limit (25% of the state limit) on any individual contribution.

These progressive policies have been endorsed by Katie Fahey, the founder of Voters Not Politicians and by other community leaders I respect, like Lori Saginaw.

 –Dave DeVarti, Ann Arbor Ward 3 resident

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