Your mega guide to Tuesday's election
Polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Here's a glimpse of the voting precinct at Saline's United Methodist Church on Tuesday morning.
Angela Cesere | AnnArbor.com
Updated: Check here for election results from across Washtenaw County
Here's a roundup of AnnArbor.com's election coverage from the past few months. We have city council races, school board elections and a number of ballot proposals for you to read up on before you cast your vote.
Ann Arbor City Council
Ann Arbor City Council Member Stephen Rapundalo, D-2nd Ward, and Independent challenger Jane Lumm are in a heated race that could be close.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
- Stephen Rapundalo and Jane Lumm trade barbs at City Council candidate debate
- Rapundalo vs. Lumm: 2nd Ward race for Ann Arbor City Council heating up
- 2nd Ward candidates differ on public art, crosswalk law, city spending and transit
- WITH POLL: Jane Lumm gets support from unruly crowd at candidate debate against Stephen Rapundalo
- Lumm raises $19K to Rapundalo's $4K in race for Ann Arbor City Council
- Three Republicans seeking seats on Ann Arbor City Council in Tuesday's election
Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education
Six candidates are seeking two seats on the Ann Arbor Board of Education.
Joseph Tobianski | AnnArbor.com
- Meet the candidates: Six people vie for two seats on the Ann Arbor Board of Education
- Ann Arbor school board candidates raise and spend money in bids for four-year seats
- Ann Arbor Board of Education candidates meet in final forum at Ann Arbor Open
Area ballot proposals
Lisa Vance stands on the sidewalk in front of her home in Ann Arbor's Dicken Woods neighborhood, where she paid to replace 11 sidewalk slabs. She's now against the city's proposed sidewalk millage on the Nov. 8 ballot because she sees it as a double tax to residents like her.
Jeff Sainlar | AnnArbor.com
- WITH POLL: Sidewalk millage: Ann Arbor residents face Nov. 8 vote
- WITH POLL: Christopher Taylor champions tax increase for sidewalk repairs in letter to Ann Arbor residents
- Ann Arbor voters will be asked in November to approve tax increase for sidewalk repairs
- Ballot language available for three proposals going before Ann Arbor voters in November
- Ann Arbor voters will be asked in November to remove city administrator from pension board
- Ann Arbor officials: Proposal 3 on Tuesday's ballot improves pension board composition
- Sylvan Township officials plan informational meetings about 4.75-mill tax increase request
- Ann Arbor Township Public Safety Millage ballot language
Other city council races
- Chelsea: 7 candidates running for 3 open seats on the Chelsea City Council
- Chelsea: Chelsea voters to choose three City Council members; Sylvan Township voters decide on 4.75 mil tax levy
- Saline: Four candidates seeking three open seats on the Saline City Council
- Saline: Saline voters head to the polls Tuesday to elect 2 school board and 3 city council members
Other school board races
- Lincoln: Three candidates bring different backgrounds to race for two Lincoln Consolidated School Board seats
- Saline: Four candidates running for two seats on Saline school board
- Ypsilanti: Three candidates seeking two open spots on the Ypsilanti School Board
- Ypsilanti: Write-in candidate files for Ypsilanti School Board
- Countywide preview: Who's facing off in Washtenaw County school board elections
Still need information on poll locations or actual ballot language? Check out Washtenaw County's elections website.
Comments
onthepath
Wed, Nov 9, 2011 : 3:35 a.m.
I'm sorry to say that I did not pay attention to the City Council contest. However, when I voted, I did not see anyone but Jane Lumm listed on the ballot.
Urban Sombrero
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 6:45 p.m.
So, about what time can we expect some returns to start coming in?
Urban Sombrero
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 11:16 p.m.
@treetowncartel, I didn't know that. I figured we'd get a little bit of guessing, like they do with the presidential election. You always get exit polling results throughout the day and evening, even before polls close. I guess this election isn't as glamourous, haha. @TomTeague, it's good to know I have an option, should this dentistry thing ever stop working for me!
treetowncartel
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 10:36 p.m.
It is illegal, i think, to post polling results before the polls actually close.
Tom Teague
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 8:32 p.m.
@Urban - That qualifies you for a job as a Cable News Election Analyst!
Urban Sombrero
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 8:23 p.m.
I prefer wild speculation, myself. :P
say it plain
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 7:42 p.m.
yep, exactly @Tom Teague... I prefer my 'returns' reporting to happen *after* polls close :-) We can play angry birds or something until then, for our entertainment needs!
Tom Teague
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 7:07 p.m.
I was curious about that and checked some past election postings. In an article about the August primaries, aa.com provided this amazingly accurate prediction of when it would post returns: "Polls close at 8 p.m. and results are expected sometime after that." I grew up in a southern state where vote counting at least once involved calling out the National Guard and election results were often foregone conclusions. I guess posting results *after* the polls close is somehow better if less entertaining.
AASteve
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 4:44 p.m.
Why don't you cover Milan's elections? Isn't Milan part of Washtenaw County? One of the issues Milan's current city leaders is considering, is taking the southern part of Milan and putting it into Washtenaw County - taking it away from Monroe County. But if annarbor.com doesn't see fit to cover Milan elections in the news, then maybe Milan's leaders should reconsider moving Milan out of Monroe county. Do you think that there aren't any Milan residents that read annarbor.com?
amlive
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 4:18 p.m.
Does anyone know if the street & sidewalk millages will have 1% going toward public art, or are specific mils not subject to this. Either way, I'm hesitant to trust any extra revenue with the current A2 government. Maybe the funds are needed, but I think I'm willing to withhold any allowance increase until the current mayor and much of the council are gone. Call it cutting off the nose to spite the face, but so be it. I really hold a good deal of spite for the current face.
Ashok Gopalakrishnan
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 4:33 p.m.
The Percent for Art ordinance, in its present form, does not exempt special millages. So, yes, even though the proposal language does not say it, 1% of money spent on capital improvement (or new) projects, up to a maximum of $250,000, WILL go into the Percent for Art fund. That said, council is going to discuss this next week (I think). CM Briere, in October, had introduced legislation to exempt special millages from the Percent for Art rule. But no decision was made, and the discussion will be taken up again by council after today's election.
Robert
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 11:41 a.m.
A2.com: Can you please, please, please stop titling articles "Your mega guide to _______"? It's seriously nauseating. "Your guide to _______" will suffice.
say it plain
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 7:21 p.m.
Yeah, the "ultra-mega-super" magically could kick in to their titles once readers like @Barb supply info like the links to the ballot language they they leave out of the merely "mega" guide! It could be "super-premium" content that garners them extra ad-click revenue perhaps!
amlive
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 4:13 p.m.
I think they really need to step it up, Ultra-Mega-Super or something like that. This would make for much more megasuper-professional journalism.
Brad
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 2:05 p.m.
Really. If a half-page of old news counts as "mega" you probably need to recalibrate your adjectives.
thorj97
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 11:21 a.m.
Long time -- I think support for the sidewalk millage depends in part on if you think the money will actually be wisely spent on sidewalk repair. As others have said, this millage DOES NOT appear to absolve the property owner of repairing the sidewalk (that's written into City law, and nothing on the ballot appears to change that). If the City does not come through with the money, the property owner will probably still be liable. Buying sidewalk "insurance" makes sense, but you have to trust the insurer. So which scenario do you think is more likely: a) Three years from now sidewalks are substantially improved and residents are relieved not to worry about the burden of replacement b) Three years from now, the City says all the money in the sidewalk fund is spent (blaming/spending it on pensions, health care, art, trees, etc., etc.) and notes that owners are still liable for repairs. Notably, sidewalks adjacent to City property do appear to have been upgraded prior to the fund going bust.
Bill
Mon, Nov 7, 2011 : 10:34 p.m.
Vote tomorrow and let the current city council and mayor know that Ann Arbor is ready for a change in leadership.
Long Time No See
Mon, Nov 7, 2011 : 7:31 p.m.
I'm mystified by the arguments against the sidewalk millage. It seems to me that the people who have paid a lot for sidewalk repairs are exactly the people who should be supporting this millage so that they don't have to go through that pain again, and so that it isn't just the property owner who has to pay (especially if one has a large amount of sidewalk to care for).
2WheelsGood
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 1:49 a.m.
Look around at the horrible Ann Arbor roads. If they can't take care of the roads, how do you figure they're going to take care of the sidewalks?
grye
Mon, Nov 7, 2011 : 9:16 p.m.
I was all for this millage and in fact suggested to the city council and mayor several years ago. Obviously fell on deaf ears. But I am bothered by the estimated 25% administrative costs associated with managing the fund and replacing slabs. I would rather see (and also recommended to the city council) an escrow fund where the homeowner replaces slabs marked for replacement and then submits the reciepts for reimbursement. This would cut down on overhead costs. I'd bet the farm that the council won't impliment any sort of common sense plan.
Tony Livingston
Mon, Nov 7, 2011 : 8:33 p.m.
It is not just a question of whether we have already paid or not. It is also a question of whether we want the city involved in this or not. City hall has a way of being extremely inefficient with our money. It will cost way more to have them handle the sidewalks as they tack on a lot of extra personnel costs. And don't forget those hefty retirement expenses that are underfunded. The city handles rental property inspections and charges upwards of $100 a shot for their employees to look at a house. That is way over the going rate in the private sector.
Dog Guy
Mon, Nov 7, 2011 : 6:24 p.m.
I am looking forward to having the election over: The street repair crews blocking every other main road in Ann Arbor since last week will go away.
dotdash
Mon, Nov 7, 2011 : 5:50 p.m.
I'd like more info on Proposal 3. From the article linked above, it appears to re-align the city's Pension Board, but I can't make out whether the city govt and pension board will be more intertwined after the realignment (the mayor will appoint 5 citizens to the board) or less (the city administrator will be removed from the board).
Julie Baker
Mon, Nov 7, 2011 : 8:07 p.m.
Reporter Ryan Stanton just posted another story on the proposal. Here's the link: <a href="http://annarbor.com/news/ann-arbor-election-ballot-proposal-3-pension-board-changes/">http://annarbor.com/news/ann-arbor-election-ballot-proposal-3-pension-board-changes/</a> Thanks for reading.
Barb
Mon, Nov 7, 2011 : 5:22 p.m.
Actual ballot info from the City website: <a href="http://www.a2gov.org/government/city_administration/City_Clerk/Elections/Pages/Ballot.aspx" rel='nofollow'>http://www.a2gov.org/government/city_administration/City_Clerk/Elections/Pages/Ballot.aspx</a>
Cici
Mon, Nov 7, 2011 : 3:43 p.m.
Well, it's my understanding that our property taxes SHOULD already cover these millage requests. Another tax increase for what should already be standard city responsibilities!!! Sidewalks should be in the same catagory as roads (Grrr.......!!) and covered by our property taxes. And we have buckets for art projects? (Oh! And too many parks!!) I don't approve of any of these tax increases!
Dog Guy
Mon, Nov 7, 2011 : 2:53 p.m.
Ann Arborites should support all millages. Not only do taxes support me, they also force uninteresting people to move elsewhere. Support our wonderful system!
grye
Mon, Nov 7, 2011 : 2:01 p.m.
Would be nice if annarbor.com would post the issues on the ballot instead of regurgitating old news columns.
incognito348
Mon, Nov 7, 2011 : 1:23 p.m.
I agree with the statement about using your right to vote. Please make sure you know your candidates and who you are supporting with your vote. Two of the candidates in Saline have used an unprecedented amount of funding for their campaign. Their supporters are also part of the Tea Party and have strong ties to groups outside of Saline. You can find this information yourself very easily, by 'googling' the words Tea Party and Ron Paul, and the names of the candidates and their supporters. If that still makes the candidates your choice than go for it, we live in a free country with the right to vote for whoever we deem fit, just make sure you know your candidates before you cast a vote.
2WheelsGood
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 1:47 a.m.
I'd vote for the first candidate in Ann Arbor to even mention Ron Paul's name!
Kai Petainen
Mon, Nov 7, 2011 : 1:19 p.m.
Best wishes, and best of luck to both Rapundalo and Lumm.
say it plain
Tue, Nov 8, 2011 : 7:18 p.m.
well, that's a nice sentiment and all lol, but it feels logically impossible... since they're running against each other, and all.... just to say... :-)
a2grateful
Mon, Nov 7, 2011 : 12:06 p.m.
Please exercise your right ( or left : ) to vote !