City of Ypsilanti
Ypsilanti City Council members are elected to four-year terms. The council includes six members, elected from three different wards. Ypsilanti voters also elect a mayor. The city operates under a council-manager form of government. The council hires aprofessionarly trained manager to oversee the delivery of public services.
Ward 1 City Council Member
Candidate: Roland Tooson
Roland Tooson is a member of the Ypsilanti City Council, representing Ward 1. He was first elected to the post in 2022 and is seeking reelection in 2024. (Courtesy city of Ypsilanti)
Party affiliation: Democratic
Public service: Currently serving on the council after being elected in 2022 to fill an unexpired term
Endorsements:
Education: Washtenaw Community College
Family:
Age: 27
Priorities:
Ward 2 City Council Member
Candidate: Steven Wilcoxen
Steve Wilcoxen is a member of the Ypsilanti City Council, representing Ward 2. (Courtesy of City of Ypsilanti)
Party affiliation: Democratic
Public service: Served on the council for six years, two years as mayor pro-tem. Current Ward 2 City
Council Member. Working to restore the Huron River with the Huron River Watershed Council
Endorsements: Endorsed by State Senator, Jeff Irwin; State Representative, Jimmie Wilson Jr; and
County Commissioner Annie Somerville.
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in biochemistry at the University of Illinois and Master’s Degree in
Environmental Health/Water Quality at the University of Michigan
Family: Married, has two adult children, two grandchildren and a dog
Age: 62
Priorities:
Infrastructure: “We need to take care of our roads, bridges and storm drains and find new ways to fund those things. ”
Safety: “I have been working with other council members to get an unarmed crisis response team.”
Housing: “Working on creative ways to look at our zoning, so we can have different types of housing than what we’ve had before. A lot of the old stock (housing) is not in great shape, so getting the code enforcers to do the inspections. Getting new stock through some developments, without handouts to developers.”
Candidate: Peter Church
Peter Church is a candidate for the Ypsilanti City Council, seeking to fill an unexpired position in Ward 2. (Courtesy Peter Church)
Party affiliation: Independent
Public service: Organized EMU Star Party for two years, organized the Candy Cane Park Cleanup for three years, member of the Friends of Candy Cane Park, volunteer for Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels
Endorsements: “I am not soliciting endorsements. This is a campaign about you. I want you to vote for me because my ideas reflect your own”
Education: Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering at the University of Utah
Family: Married to his wife, Dana, a retired registered nurse. They have a rescue husky mix dog
Age: 66
Priorities:
Education: “Getting truancy under control, improving literacy, and developing an Ypsilanti Promise program to enable more people to pursue a college or technical education.”
Safety: “We also need to be a safe city for everyone. We need to make the mental health millage do what it was supposed to do, provide mental health care for those that need it. We also need to provide addiction intervention.”
Mobility: “We need to invest in a broad range of events to delight out residents, and to make others want to visit us, and spend their money here.”
Ward 2 City Council Member
This is a race set to fill an unexpired term on the council. This candidate's term will end Nov. 9, 2026.
Candidate: Patrick McLean
Patrick McLean is a member of the Ypsilanti City Council, representing Ward 2. (Courtesy of City of the Ypsilanti)
Party affiliation: Democratic
Public service: Current Ward 2 City Council member. Volunteer services include Normal Park Neighborhood Association, the Friends of Rutherford Pool, the Washtenaw Community College Board of Trustees, the Ypsilanti Housing Commission, and the Ypsilanti Ethics Commission.
Endorsements: Mayor Nicole Brown, Former Mayor Paul Schreiber, Councilman Roland Tooson, Councilman Steve Wilcoxen, Lisa Wozniak, Huron Valley Area Labor Federation
Education: Multiple Political Science and related degrees; bachelor's degree from the University of Dayton, master’s degree from Miami University and master’s from Freie Universitaet in Berlin
Family: Married, with a son who is a sophomore in college. He also has a dog named Charlotte.
Age: 61
Priorities:
City finances: “Making sure our budget and finances in the city are stable.”
Infrastructure: “The infrastructure in our city, I am especially worried that were not properly prepared for climate change and significant weather events so our drains and sewers and roads.
Safety: “Safety of the downtown community, right now that's something we're dealing with.”
Ward 3 City Council Member
Candidate: Mark Alan King
Mark Alan King is a candidate for Ypsilanti City Council Ward 3. (Courtesy Mark Alan King campaign)
Party affiliation: Libertarian
Public service: N/A
Endorsements: Nominated by the Libertarian Party
Education: Bachelor's degree in mathematics and computer science at Eastern Michigan University
Family: Has a black lab Australian shepherd mix, named Bodhi.
Age: 29
Priorities:
Property taxes: “Decrease property taxes to try and drive down living expenses.”
Public safety: “Increase public safety, because we have a major problem, especially in downtown.”
City finances: “Use the funds that we have here in Ypsilanti and actually maintain city things, and not be trying to start new things.”
Candidate: Amber Fellows
Amber Fellows is a candidate for the Ypsilanti City Council. (Courtesy of Amber Fellows)
Party affiliation: Democratic
Public service: Served six years in city government. Led the passage of a ceasefire resolution mobilizing a hundred public comments; Worked at Planned Parenthood as a patient-advocate for youth seeking abortion access; Led passage of resolution to end Right to Work.
Endorsements: Desirae Simmons; Me'Chelle King, AMPAC, Leftist Student Coalition, Alex Thomas, Monica Ross Williams
Education:
Family:
Age: 41
Priorities: Housing justice: Enacting a tenant right of first refusal and overturning a statewide ban on rent control. Public safety and health: Allocate funding for an unarmed crisis response team. Broaden decision-making power: Include resident input on important community issues via survey and city-wide voting on a semiannual basis.
