Election 2020: Lisa Disch launches bid for Ward 1 #a2Council seat

U of M Political Science Professor, Lisa Disch, has announced that she is running for the Ward 1 Ann Arbor City Council seat currently held by Anne Bannister. Disch is running as a progressive and lists 5 main priorities: urban stewardship, affordable housing, environmental stewardship, safety, and small "d" democracy. The Ward 1 seat represents Ann Arbor's Northside and is currently held by Anne Bannister. Bannister's campaign website is currently not working. Assuming Bannister runs for reelection, she and Disch would face off in the August 2020 primary.

UPDATE: I reached out to Disch and asked her why she is running for council. Here is what she said:

I'm running for Council because I believe that Ann Arbor is at a turning point. Over this past year, I watched Council vote against projects on affordable housing for seniors, on making our most trafficked streets safer for bicyclists that had been carefully vetted by the appropriate commissions and approved by city staff. I feel as though I am seeing a politicization of common sense in local politics that mimics some of what I am confident most Ann Arborites dislike most about national politics. As an economic engine for Southeast Michigan, Ann Arbor cannot afford to lag far behind Washtenaw County in population growth. But we do! And this means that we face more commuters, more traffic, unsustainable carbon emissions, and the possibility of irreversible economic stratification. Currently, our skyrocketing housing market prices out many people who ought to be able to live here if they choose to: people who teach in our K-12 schools, our firefighters, police officers, and the young people whose creativity and entrepreneurship keep Ann Arbor interesting. The upcoming Master Planning process gives us an opportunity to change course but we are going to need a change of leadership to make that happen. I want to be part of that change. I have lived in Ann Arbor's First Ward since 2008 and I feel lucky to have put down roots in a community where people set high standards for political awareness and engagement. I hope to tap that grassroots energy in my campaign and focus it on the master planning process and beyond.

Previously:

Election 2020: Beto in Greektown