Copyright M Live Michigan
ANN ARBOR, MI — Ann Arbor City Council Member Jenn Cornell has announced she’s seeking reelection. The 5th Ward Democrat, first elected to represent Ann Arbor’s west side in 2022, is seeking a second four-year term in 2026. She’s running on a platform of continuing to support basic city services, infrastructure, affordability, equity and sustainability, as well as advancing housing, environmental and transportation safety goals, she said. That includes the city’s new plan for increased housing density across the city. “When I first ran for office, I spoke with many residents about how our housing crisis — a national issue we face locally in Ann Arbor — contributes to our looming environmental crisis,” Cornell said in a statement. “I’m proud to be advancing a land-use plan to increase housing supply and promote dynamic, affordable and sustainable neighborhoods.” She’s also proud to have worked on affordable housing in the city, she said. The city’s Housing Commission director recently reported there are more than 1,200 affordable housing units built or in the pipeline using funds from the city’s affordable housing millage approved by city voters in 2020. Cornell is one of six council members whose current terms expire in 2026, including Mayor Christopher Taylor, Cynthia Harrison in Ward 1, Chris Watson in Ward 2, Ayesha Ghazi Edwin in Ward 3 and Dharma Akmon in Ward 4. Cornell is the first to announce she’s seeking reelection and will compete in the August 2026 primary. The only other 2026 council candidate to emerge so far is Chuck Ream, who is running on a platform critical of the city’s housing density plan and seeking the 3rd Ward seat held by Ghazi Edwin. Critics of the city’s density plan have said they’re aiming to oust council members who support it. Outside of council, Cornell is executive director of the Ann Arbor Art Center. She said she also is involved with organizations whose work and values promote climate justice, a vibrant downtown and literacy in underserved communities, serving on the boards of the Ecology Center, Main Street Area Association, Destination Ann Arbor and the Family Learning Institute. Among her first-term accomplishments, she cited her advocacy for safety improvements in the Miller Avenue improvement project, which will include a new protected bikeway, and establishing Ann Arbor’s first sustainable energy utility to deliver affordable renewable energy to residents, an initiative still in the works. She also has supported transitioning the city’s vehicle fleet from gas to electric, she said, and she sponsored an ordinance in 2023 to phase in a citywide ban on gas-powered leaf blowers. She’s one of three council members — along with Akmon and Erica Briggs — affectionately referred to by supporters as council’s “ABC Caucus.” They championed a city budget amendment in May to put $500,000 toward quick-build safety improvements on city streets. In an 8-3 council vote in April, Akmon, Briggs and Cornell were the only three council members against asking the city’s Planning Commission to impose a three-story height limit for new development in low-rise residential neighborhood areas in the city’s new land-use plan. Cornell said it felt like council was putting its fist on the scale. Cornell also was on the losing side of a 6-2 vote in July when council decided in favor of limiting allowable by-right density in low-rise residential areas to three-unit triplexes. “I believe we need more housing of all types in every neighborhood,” Cornell said then, saying she was fundamentally opposed to council interfering with the work the Planning Commission was doing to draft the plan. Cornell said she’s proud to have the support of local elected officials, business leaders and community members, including the mayor, state Rep. Jason Morgan, County Commissioners Katie Scott and Andy LaBarre and her 5th Ward colleague, Briggs. Cornell is honest, transparent, hardworking, committed to serving residents and championing policy aimed at building a vibrant, more affordable and sustainable future, Briggs said in a statement.
