2026 Election Questionnaire - Mayor
Neighbors for More Neighbors A2 is a group of Ann Arbor area residents who have come together to work toward a more inclusive Ann Arbor. You may have seen our purple lawn signs around town. We created and circulated a questionnaire for candidates running for city council and mayor in the primary on August 4, 2026. We hope that this information is useful to all Ann Arbor voters as they prepare to vote this summer.
Our goal was 100% participation, and we are disappointed to not have answers from every candidate. We invited all candidates to our general meeting in April to meet our members and learn about our organization. Our board then sent the questionnaire via email to all candidates on April 24.
In our communications with candidates, we committed to publishing their answers unedited and in full, and we have done so below.
We followed up with those who had not replied on May 15, and then again on June 12. We made every effort to contact candidates directly using the information from their nominating petitions filed with the city clerk, their campaign website, and social media. We also encouraged members of the public to reach out to all candidates directly to encourage their participation, and many did so.
What you see here is exactly what candidates submitted verbatim. We have noted when no response was received or when a candidate declined our invitation.
1. Candidate's Housing Story
How has your housing story shaped your views on housing and land use in Ann Arbor? (i.e., how did you come to live in Ann Arbor, what type of housing have you lived in, how did you acquire your housing, how have your or your family's experiences with housing and neighborhoods shaped your approach to policy?)
Christopher Taylor (incumbent)
I came here for college, stayed for grad/law school, and returned home after a few years out East. In Ann Arbor, I've lived in dorms, housing-coops, a student apartment, a neighborhood triplex, and small-lot, single-family homes, including nearly a year in my parents' home with my wife and young children as we looked for a place in A2 we could afford.
My housing experience has shaped my policy/housing approach on at least two fronts.
In the InterCooperative Council co-ops -- 17 homes, 500 members -- we focus on living together in a place where everyone does their part, where all voices are heard, and where the goal is to thrive today, affordably, while improving the organization for members yet-to-come. After a variety of work-duty assignments in the house, I had the pleasure to serve as house president and ultimately ICC president. That ethos of living-together for both now and the future, combined with the need to balance the disparate needs, views, and abilities of members, shaped the approach to governance I employ today. Listen. Inquire. Think about today. Think about tomorrow. Act.
When we moved from our student apartment to the triplex, we simply couldn't believe our good fortune. A living room, stairs, a basement that was ours. There was a tenured professor on one side and a family with children next door. It was the home to which we returned the night we married. I rototilled the backyard for a small garden. We got to know our immediate neighbors and the people nearby. It was just the sort of place that could (and did) affordably and meaningfully house folks at all stages of life -- people who didn’t qualify for subsidized housing, but didn’t make enough to really compete. We need more of this missing middle housing in Ann Arbor. I don't know what people thought when the building was built, but I do know what they thought when we were there -- "That's where Christopher and Eva live". Check it out for yourselves -- 1101 Henry Street.
Yousef Rabhi
Candidate did not respond.
2. Neighborhood Businesses
2a: Do you support zoning changes to allow neighborhood businesses (e.g. Jefferson Market, Argus Farm Stop, Washtenaw Dairy) across all of Ann Arbor? (Y/N)
2b: Please explain your stance.
Christopher Taylor (incumbent)
2a: Yes
2b: Yes, I support these zoning changes and I helped enable them on City Council. Having a neighborhood business adds a sense of welcoming and belonging, critical third spaces, and makes our community more walkable. Who doesn’t want a Jefferson Market in their neighborhood!
Yousef Rabhi
Candidate did not respond.
3. Tenant Protections
How can the city better protect renters and ensure they have safe, dignified, and stable living conditions?
Christopher Taylor (incumbent)
I’m proud of the significant strides Ann Arbor has made to protect tenants from predatory landlords, expand renters’ rights, and improve the safety and energy efficiency of all rental units. About half of Ann Arbor residents rent - we’re doing everything we can to make sure these units are affordable & safe and renters’ rights are protected.
We have taken meaningful actions to improve the quality of life for tenants:
- Eliminating junk fees, such as waitlist, holding, and excessive application fees.
- Requiring cost transparency, so renters know what they’re paying for.
- Providing stability by creating a right to renew.
- Enhancing safety by expanding rental unit inspections to over 6,000 annually.
- Advancing the Green Rental Housing Ordinance to promote health, comfort, and savings through energy efficiency.
Despite all of our progress, I will not stop working to protect our renters. I look forward to continued work with our Renters Commission to identify areas for improvement.
Yousef Rabhi
Candidate did not respond.
4.Three Homes Per Lot
4a: The City’s new Comprehensive Land Use Plan calls for allowing at least three homes per lot citywide. Do you support this change? (Y/N)
4b: If not, where do you think it should be illegal to build three homes on a lot?
Christopher Taylor (incumbent)
4a: Yes
4b: n/a
Yousef Rabhi
Candidate did not respond.
5. Ending Ann Arbor's Housing Shortage
What roles should market-rate housing, public-private partnerships, and public housing each play in ending Ann Arbor’s housing shortage?
Christopher Taylor (incumbent)
We’re in the middle of a housing crisis, and we can’t afford half measures.
Public housing is pivotal to allow our service workers, low-income residents, and seniors to remain in Ann Arbor. We need to build public housing, but we must also build more housing of all types. Teachers, nurses, firefighters, and other middle income workers making more than $53,000 per year do not qualify for public housing, and so focusing exclusively on public housing ignores these workers, shrinks our tax base, and forces us to contemplate tax increases or cuts to city services.
Public-private partnerships and market-rate housing are critical to address our supply shortage and to fill our gap in missing middle units, necessary to make Ann Arbor more affordable for all who wish to live here. I support Ann Arbor’s Community Land Trust, incentives for affordable and mixed-income housing developments, and zoning changes along our transit corridors to support growth and end Ann Arbor’s housing shortage.
Yousef Rabhi
Candidate did not respond.
6. Public Housing
6a: Do you support building more public housing in Ann Arbor? (Y/N)
6b: If so, approximately how many units would you aim to build over the next decade; and how, specifically, would you pay for them?
Christopher Taylor (incumbent)
6a: Yes
6b: We have 1200+ units of affordable housing built and in the pipeline, setting us up to more than double our existing supply. These units include nearly 400 homes in the downtown. We will support the construction and operation of these units using Ann Arbor’s Affordable Housing Millage, which I championed in 2020 and was the only candidate in this race to publicly support; our Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which was at $0 before I secured $1,000,000 a year for 8 years for it in 2017; public-private partnerships, which I have always voted to support and incentivize when they deliver for our residents; and projects that contribute additional capital funds/units.
After these 1200+ units are built, we will need to evaluate how much of the 20-year millage remains unobligated and then determine the best next steps.
Yousef Rabhi
Candidate did not respond.
7. 2025 Prop A & B (Library Lot) Vote
7a: Did you support Props A & B in 2025 to expand AADL’s Downtown Branch into the neighboring lot and build housing above it?
7b: Please explain your stance.
Christopher Taylor (incumbent)
7a: Yes
7b: Yes - I support the phenomenal Ann Arbor District Library, and I was an early and consistent advocate for Proposals A & B. I worked alongside residents, colleagues, staff, and the AADL to develop the shared vision that was the foundation for the ballot proposals: a new Downtown Library spanning the Library Lane Parcel and existing 343 S. 5th Ave. site, with hundreds of units of diverse housing—artist spaces, condos, affordable, and market-rate—new outdoor public open space, event venues, and small business development space at below-market cost, all without new taxes.
I campaigned in support because this project addresses multiple community needs at once: expanding library services, adding diverse housing downtown, and activating a long-underutilized parcel through a single innovative public partnership. I have never wavered in my commitment to learning, housing access, and downtown placemaking, and Proposals A & B are exactly the kind of bold, collaborative approach Ann Arbor needs.
Yousef Rabhi
Candidate did not respond.
8. Addressing Housing Injustice
8a: Do you believe that Ann Arbor's housing history – including racial covenants, exclusionary zoning, and the displacement of Black communities – should influence the city’s decisions about housing? (Y/N)
8b: What are your specific proposals to address historic and ongoing harms caused by the city’s housing policies in an equitable and restorative way?
Christopher Taylor (incumbent)
8a: Yes
8b: I have supported the creation of Dunbar Tower at Catherine Street, which includes public space programmed by former Black residents called “Porter’s Place.” In addition, I have centered the loss of Ann Arbor’s Black population in our housing debate. We have economic segregation in Washtenaw County, and due to the current day/historic effects of white supremacy, that means we have racial segregation in our community. Ann Arbor’s historic reluctance to allow duplexes, triplexes, and greater density on transit corridors has a devastating impact on affordability and our Black community. I am working to counter this with leadership on affordable housing and authorizing the creation of new housing for folks who make too much to be eligible for affordable units, but who don’t make enough to compete in the market.
Yousef Rabhi
Candidate did not respond.
9. CLUP Recommendations
9a: Which 1-2 recommendations of the new Comprehensive Land Use Plan do you most strongly agree with, and why?
9b: Which 1-2 recommendations of the new Comprehensive Land Use Plan do you most strongly disagree with, and why?
Christopher Taylor (incumbent)
9a: Ann Arbor needs more housing, and many folks love their neighborhoods. The Comprehensive Plan recognizes both. First, it directs the bulk of new growth to meet existing infrastructure. The tallest, most intensive development belongs in Hubs at our major transit centers. Substantial mixed-use density belongs along transit corridors. In established residential neighborhoods, growth comes in scale-compatible infill (duplexes, triplexes, ADUs, and small multifamily up to three stories), with dimensional standards that respect existing streetscapes even as we welcome more neighbors. Second, the plan puts underutilized public and institutional land, including surface parking lots and school grounds, to work for housing and community use. Building on land already in public hands is fiscally prudent and locally driven. Together, these strategies add the housing supply we need and protect what residents cherish. This is how a growing Ann Arbor becomes more affordable, walkable, and welcoming.
9b: Designating South Industrial as Transition is understandable, but I am not convinced it is the best path. Housing supply is constrained, and the corridor's parcels and transit access make it a rational absorption zone. On the other hand, South Industrial is the city's last home for the light-industrial, contractor-supply, wholesale, repair, and resale tenants that serve the rest of Ann Arbor: Gross Electric, PTO Thrift, Creative Windows, auto and trades shops. Their customers live citywide.
The CLUP warns that Ann Arbor has few industrial sites left and that small businesses can be displaced when corridors redevelop for housing. Strategies 5.2 and 7.1 call for protecting such space, while Chapter 5 designates South Industrial without a preservation mechanism. There is, therefore, some tension here. Without restrictions, residential economics may be expected to pressure these businesses, undermining Goals 4, 5, and 11. I understand the housing-crisis exigency, but there are costs.
Yousef Rabhi
Candidate did not respond.
10. Transportation and Housing
How would your transportation goals and housing goals inform each other to create cohesive policies for both?
Christopher Taylor (incumbent)
Transportation and housing are a single system, not parallel tracks. The unifying frame is the 15-minute neighborhood: a place where daily grocery, school, business, and social needs can be met within a short walk or ride, reachable without a car.
This frame informs both policy tracks. Housing policy should direct new units to corridors and nodes where frequent transit already runs or is coming under TheRide's 2045 plan. Transportation policy should anticipate density with safer streets, complete sidewalks, well-marked crossings, protected cycletracks, and traffic calming near schools and seniors, so new residents can choose how they get around -- and, so residents are not required to drive.
The payoff is real: more homes near transit, more riders to justify service, less congestion, lower emissions, safer walks for kids and seniors, and neighborhoods where owners, renters, students, and retirees can thrive, whether they choose to use a car or not.
Yousef Rabhi
Candidate did not respond.
11. Policy Implementation Timeline
How would you ensure that City Council’s housing and transportation policies are implemented in a timely manner?
Christopher Taylor (incumbent)
Implementation fails when the process becomes the product. This is congruent to Ezra Klein’s abundance principle. We need momentum to accomplish our policy goals – deadlines, scorecards. Council direction on zoning reform and capital projects should move from vote to staff workplan to delivery in tracked stages, with transparent reporting so that delays surface early and can be addressed. I also recognize that momentum without public buy-in is brittle. Lasting change requires that residents see, understand, and trust what we are doing. That means proactive mythbusting (density does not ruin neighborhoods; transit safety investments are not punishment for drivers; missing-middle housing fits within existing established neighborhoods) backed by data, examples, and honest answers about tradeoffs. Speed without legitimacy invites backlash and rollback. Legitimacy without speed wastes the moment. The combination matters. The project requires both: ship the work, and engage the public.
Yousef Rabhi
Candidate did not respond.