Bitter fight over Ann Arbor's Proposal C to eliminate city's August primaries, party labels
City elections would also become non-partisan. Godfrey says without a "D" or "R" after their names, more candidates with a greater diversity of views and backgrounds could run.
Proposal C is the result of a power struggle between the current Democratic city leadership and a Democratic faction, over competing visions for Ann Arbor's future.
Behind Proposal C is a group of city council members who lost their seats in previous primary elections. To a large extent, they represent residents who feel Ann Arbor is losing its character. They don't like many of the changes they're seeing — like high rise buildings and traffic accommodations for bike paths. They see the current city council as being in lockstep with the mayor, and hostile to alternate views.
But Godfrey said the issue is bigger than these views.
https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2024-10-24/bitter-fight-over-ann-arbors-proposal-c-which-would-eliminate-citys-august-primaries-party-labels