Today is the second of two episodes about the August 2026 Partisan Primary. And although we’re in Ann Arbor and in some ways this goes without saying, I’ll just say out loud that for the sake of this podcast, we are only talking about the Democratic candidates. If you haven’t already, please check out our first primary episode, where we discuss (aka have strong opinions about) the hyperlocal races, including city council, mayor, and countywide ballot proposals. Endorsements: State Representat...

Today is the first of two conversations preparing for the August 2026 primary election in the City of Ann Arbor; we help you do your homework for the ballot proposals and city races. We let you know how we’re voting and why, and invite you into conversation with fellow Ann Arbor AFers online. Endorsements: Ballot proposals Public Schools of the City of Ann Arbor Building and Site Sinking Fund Millage Renewal Proposal: yesWashtenaw Community College Operating Millage Renewal Proposal: ye...

On this episode, we invited Sunil Rajaraman, founder of Hamlet and author of a recent article about Ann Arbor city council voting patterns titled “The City That Won’t Agree,” which prompted a lot of discussion and debate online. Sunil agreed to join us to discuss his work, his data, and the surprising finding that prompted his article on Ann Arbor. References: Hamlet Ann Arbor Voting Analysis CodeWikipedia article on Mayor-council government that explains the “weak mayor” systemSupport the sh...

This episode is a special one for a lot of reasons: On March 10th, along with my cohost Jess Letaw, we did our first-ever live recording, and it was so much fun. We were joined by friend of the pod and Jess’s frequent collaborator, Yodit Mesfin Johnson, and we were hosted by the University of Michigan’s Ginsberg Center, surrounded by our neighbors from Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, and the University. Many thanks to everyone who came out and everyone who helped make it possible. We talked abou...

After a quiet fall and winter…we’re baaaaaack! Today, we’re giving you a heads up on what to look forward to from Ann Arbor AF in 2026 (land use planning, library stuff, and ‘lections, plus a lot of other chats). We also take a moment to flash back to when we started the podcast in 2020, what hasn’t changed and what has in the city and for us on the pod. Given what we’re going to be talking about this year, we also recommended some past A2AF episodes as warmup, and we teed y’all up with a co...

Today we are talking about Proposals A & B, on the ballot this August 5th, which would authorize the city of Ann Arbor to transfer the air rights of the parking lot known as the Library Lot to the Ann Arbor District Library. Links supportaadl.com: volunteer, donate, get a lawn signYour Dream Library (see Molly's Dream Library on the Episode page)AADL Prop A & B Voting Information PageAADL Downtown Branch Feasibility study from 2019 Support the show Come check out our episodes and tra...

Today we are talking about proposals A and B on the August 5th ballot - yes, we have an August ballot! - and plans for a new downtown library. With us, we have Eli Neiburger, director of the Ann Arbor District Library, to answer our questions and talk all things factual about the ballot measures, as well as share the possibilities of a new downtown branch. Learn more at the Ann Arbor District Library Voting Information page and get involved at SupportAADL.com. Support the show Come check o...

Learn more and get involved at SupportAADL.com Original Episode Notes In a continuation of our new miniseries, Civic Therapy, we are talking with Dan Adams about WTF, Library Lot. Dan is a corporate attorney, local housing activist, and long-time bike person. He has lived in Ann Arbor since 2008 and grew up down the road in Dexter. In November 2022 he published a long piece in Damn Arbor about the current status of the Library Lot, how we got to this place, and what we should do to get out o...

Jess and Molly come out of hiatus to share our recommendations for local non-partisan races and ballot initiatives. Move the Needle signup: Zoom or Insta. Get a sample ballot (scroll down) Our list of recommendations (Reminder: These are only the contested races): JUSTICE OF SUPREME COURT 8 Year Term Kimberly Ann Thomas JUSTICE OF SUPREME COURT Incumbent Position Kyra Harris Bolden JUDGE OF CIRCUIT COURT 22ND CIRCUIT COURT Jinan Hamood JUDGE OF DISTRICT COURT 15TH DISTRICT COURT S. Ke...

Check out the week of events and updates at www.dogoodwork.org/houseparty Registration for Jess' panel: History to Present Day: Race and Housing in Ann Arbor Come check out our episodes and transcripts at our website, annarboraf.com. Keep the conversation going with fellow Ann Arbor AFers on Twitter and Facebook. And hey, if you wanted to ko-fi us a few dollars to help us with hosting, we wouldn't say no. Support the show Come check out our episodes and transcripts at our website, annarboraf...