“Ann Arbor for the People”
Dave Zeglen Announces Candidacy for Ann Arbor City Council
ANN ARBOR – Today, Dave Zeglen officially announced his candidacy for Ann Arbor City Council in Ward 4, seeking to bring democratic socialism to the city council. He is launching a grassroots campaign that relies on volunteers rather than paid consultants, connections with local community groups not corporate interests, and small dollar donations from everyday people instead of establishment money. “Our focus is fighting for an Ann Arbor for the people, a city that prioritizes the public, not profits.”
Says Zeglen, “I am the only candidate running in Ward 4 that has the experience working at the grassroots level to build local democracy with constituents.”
Zeglen is a lecturer at the University of Michigan where he has taught for the past four years. He is a labor organizer and social activist who will use his years of experience building grassroots communities to strengthen the peoples’ voice on city council.
““People in Ann Arbor are not being listened to right now. We need city council members that directly engage with the people and are responsive to their feedback,” says Zeglen. ”
He specifically cites the frustration many residents in Ward 4 have expressed to him over the city’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP). “I’ve spoken to many people in my neighborhood that are only recently learning about the CLUP and feel left out of the process. Others that do know about the plan want the city to thoughtfully incorporate neighborhood concerns rather than implement the one-size-fits all model that is being proposed by the city in a top-down way.”
Zeglen is motivated to bring diversity of thought to the city council, where “over 90% of the votes on city council are passed with consensus with very little discussion.”
Says Zeglen, “Democracy is about engaging with opposing viewpoints and finding compromises to reflect the diverse interests of the wards in the city. I bring a fresh perspective on city issues that is much needed for a healthy democratic process.”
A proud member of the Huron Valley chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, Zeglen was inspired to run by Zohran Mamdani’s electoral victory in New York and Yousef Rabhi’s bid for mayor in Ann Arbor. Zeglen believes democratic socialism can do great things for the city. “The Midwest has its own tradition of democratic socialism, such as Milwaukee's Sewer Socialism era. The socialist municipal government there delivered on building social housing, improving social services, and establishing city-owned utilities.”
“Zeglen adds, “Democratic socialism in the United States gave us Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security - all wonderful programs that people love.” ”
Zeglen’s platform for Ann Arbor City Council centers on:
Social Housing: developing new union-built, permanently affordable social housing that is owned by the community to ensure that everyone can live here.
Public Power: establishing a city-owned, 100% renewable grid democratically controlled by the people to reflect the city’s commitment to a carbon-neutral future for its people.
Labor Rights: supporting the city’s labor unions and promote unionization to ensure that the workers that built and run this city have fair wages and benefits for a dignified life.
Public Peace: mobilizing the city’s resources to protect people from ICE violence and provide police alternatives to ensure everyone can live in a sanctuary city.
“City council’s preference for relying on the free market to solve the housing crisis isn’t working. It never has,” says Zeglen. “Housing is a human right that must be guaranteed by the municipal government so that tenants, the unhoused, and would-be homeowners can live dignified lives.”
As a tenant, Zeglen says the city isn’t doing enough for renters. Zeglen is endorsed by the Ann Arbor Tenants Union and fully supports their tenants bill of rights, which includes the right to organize, the right to counsel, and the right to rent control.
Zeglen opposes the city’s ongoing support to the private sector, such as the $300 million public subsidy for a private development at Arbor South. He also opposes the approval of the sale of the downtown Kline’s public parking lot, which could be used to build more public housing, to private developers. “As a council member I will fight for community interests over private interests,” he says.
Zeglen supports the Ann Arbor for Public Power ballot initiative to establish a municipal utility board that puts utilities in the hands of the people. “DTE has a virtual monopoly on the local energy grid and continues to be unreliable, expensive, and polluting,” says Zeglen. “DTE will stress our grid with AI data centers that fuel ICE and military interests. We need energy democracy to realize a greener and freer future for the people.”
Zeglen is involved with several student organizations on University of Michigan’s campus, including the Human Rights Party, who he fully supports in the upcoming student government elections. Zeglen hopes that his campaign inspires students on campus to run for public office in the future. “We need more elected democratic socialists who are willing to fight for the people,” he says.
The campaign is hosting a trivia night fundraiser on Tuesday February 24th at 5pm at Bløm Taproom, 100 S 4th Ave, Ste 110, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. RSVP HERE