Political notebook: Think Local First executive director enters 3rd Ward race for Ann Arbor City Council
Ingrid Ault, executive director of Think Local First, has filed to run against incumbent Stephen Kunselman for a seat on the Ann Arbor City Council.
Ault will challenge Kunselman, D-3rd Ward, in the Aug. 2 primary. The winner advances to the Nov. 8 general election.
A 47-year-old native of Ann Arbor, Ault has served since 2008 as the head of Think Local First, a nonprofit that works with locally owned independent businesses to raise awareness of the importance of keeping business dollars and jobs in Washtenaw County.
Ingrid Ault
"If we're going to generate revenue for our communities to replace the revenue we're losing, we have to encourage small business development and it has to happen all around our community," she said. "It's important that a voice who is strong can represent them."
Ault also said she's interested in affordable housing issues. Last year, Mayor John Hieftje appointed her to the city's Housing and Human Services Advisory Board, and she served as the interim director of the Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority.
Another potential 3rd Ward challenger, Marwan Issa, 27, has pulled petitions to run but has not filed yet. He's the technology director at Global Education Excellence in Ann Arbor.
The filing deadline is 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Ault holds two degrees from Eastern Michigan University, a bachelor's degree in geography and a master's degree in urban planning.
In 2008, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners appointed her to the Washtenaw Economic Development Corp.
Stephen Kunselman
He served on the City Council from November 2006 to 2008 before losing his seat to current Council Member Christopher Taylor. Kunselman returned to the council in November 2009 after ousting 3rd Ward incumbent Leigh Greden.
Ault said she volunteers for the Huron River Watershed Council, the Humane Society of Huron Valley and the Community Television Network. She previously served as the vice president of Ann Arbor Meals on Wheels and volunteered for The Original Street Art Fair, Planned Parenthood, HOSTS (Helping One Student to Succeed) and 826 Michigan.
Other Ann Arbor City Council members up for re-election this year include Sabra Briere, D-1st Ward; Stephen Rapundalo, D-2nd Ward; Marcia Higgins, D-4th Ward; and Mike Anglin, D-5th Ward.
Tim Hull, 25, a programmer at the University of Michigan, has pulled petitions to run against Rapundalo but has not filed yet.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's e-mail newsletters.
Comments
Marvin Face
Wed, May 4, 2011 : 10:44 p.m.
This is excellent news. Now, can we get anyone to run against Briere or Anglin? Anyone? A potted plant (!)? Anyone?
mike umbolt
Wed, May 4, 2011 : 8:49 p.m.
In Kunselman's defense it should be noted that the mayor appointed him to the planning commission before he was ever elected to council. He voted with the mayor for the new home for the police and courts. Good thing too.
unrulyfan
Wed, May 4, 2011 : 8:47 p.m.
@keepingitreal please explain how anyone can be "over educated"?
KeepingItReal
Wed, May 4, 2011 : 8:27 p.m.
Sounds like another overly educated bored privileged person looking for something to do.
Fred Gilbert
Wed, May 4, 2011 : 8:16 p.m.
Alan: Are you working for Ms Ault's campaign? If you can prove a link to the mayor it would be the best thing that could happen to her. As a third warder, I don't remember him ever losing a precinct in this ward in 5 election cycles. He won close to 90% in the 3rd ward primary last August. I voted in the Republican primary or he would have had my vote too.
DaLast word
Wed, May 4, 2011 : 8:03 p.m.
Unfortunatly Mr. Goldsmith has got many of his facts incorrect,... many. It sounds like he has his own aggenda.
David Briegel
Thu, May 5, 2011 : 1:16 a.m.
So, which facts are incorrect?
Alan Goldsmith
Wed, May 4, 2011 : 6:20 p.m.
From A2Politico.com: "The most recent candidate to pull petitions was Ingrid Ault. She's the more interesting of the two challengers. She's the one with the direct connections to John Hieftje, the challenger he appointed to the groovy-sounding-on-paper-do-little-in-practice Housing and Human Service Advisory Board in March of 2010. Ault is the Executive Director of Think Local First (TFL) an Ann Arbor 501(c)6 entity that exists to, according to its 2010 990 form filed with the IRS, "provide learning, teaching, resource sharing and community building opportunities for locally-owned independent businesses and increase community awareness." Tax documents, however, show that TLF spends the bulk of its money on overhead, not programming. In 2009, TLF took in $62,673 and spent $32,888 on a salary for Ault, who works 24 hours per week, another $3,222 on professional fees and independent contractors, $2,638 on rent, $1,024 on sending Ault to conferences and another $1,004 on office expenses. The previous year, TLF took in $44,122 and Ault's salary was $24,701. That year TLF spent $1,558 on travel expenses, and the entity ended up with a net loss of $1,292. In short, since its inception, IRS tax forms show that Think Local First has spent 65-75 percent of the money it takes in on overhead expenses, and spends a small percentage of the money it collects providing "learning, teaching, resource sharing and community building opportunities for locally-owned independent businesses and increase community awareness."" <a href="http://www.a2politico.com/?p=7410" rel='nofollow'>http://www.a2politico.com/?p=7410</a>
Alan Goldsmith
Wed, May 4, 2011 : 6:08 p.m.
I see, someone the Mayor feels comfortable enough with to appoint to a city board and the was a member of Washtenaw Economic Development Corp. Re: another lapdog for the Mayor and his buddies. And it would be nice for one of these political hacks to talk about TAXPAYERS for once. Let's hear about her 'views' on the spending money for the new Court-Police Building, the giant water fountain, the Conference Center, the Argo Dam, and wasting in local groups like SPARK. And see if she differs with the Mayor on ANY issue. And let's hear about the non-profit she runs, where the money comes from, and how it's spent to help 'localism'. Form other blog reports and how much of it goes to 'salary'.