Ann Arbor's 4th Ward will have a contested City Council race on the Nov. 3 ballot, with Democrat Aidan Sova facing independent James Trost for the seat being vacated by Councilmember Dharma Akmon.

The matchup, covered by WEMU, gives Ward 4 voters a choice between a Democratic primary winner with broad party endorsements and an independent candidate who says one-party rule has stifled debate on council.

Sova serves as president of the Ann Arbor District Library Board and became the youngest Black person elected to office in city history when he won a library board seat in 2022 at age 23. He works for Google, according to the Michigan Daily. His campaign biography identifies him as a first-generation college graduate with degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania.

Sova won the Aug. 4 Democratic primary against Dave Zeglen, according to the Michigan Daily. He has been endorsed by the entire current City Council, Mayor Christopher Taylor, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, according to his campaign’s endorsement list.

His campaign centers on housing supply and affordability, city services and transit. He says on his campaign website he has not accepted political action committee, or PAC, money.

Sova also pointed to his record on the Ann Arbor Human Rights Commission, where he said he helped pass a resolution to ban facial recognition software in local policing. He wrote that City Council's refusal to advance that proposal was "simply unacceptable," according to a Michigan Daily preview of the primary race.

Trost, who describes himself as a fourth-generation Ann Arborite, hosts the "A2 Insight" interview program on Community Television Network. He has worked on political campaigns for candidates including Rick Snyder, WEMU reported.

His great-grandfather served on City Council in the 1920s, his father was senior pastor at Bethlehem Church downtown, and his uncle was a deputy superintendent with Ann Arbor Public Schools in the 1970s, Trost says on his campaign website.

Trost filed as an independent candidate on July 13, according to city filing records. He argues Ann Arbor's partisan elections have limited the range of views represented on council.

"People are basically coming on council because the party has made the decision, and my theory is more voices, regardless if people are saying there are too many people running," Trost told WEMU. "I would rather have too many choices than less."

On his campaign website, Trost supports continued housing subsidies for lower-income residents while raising concerns about property taxes and residents’ ability to remain in Ann Arbor.

The city’s filing list shows no Republican City Council candidates. Ann Arbor's municipal elections are partisan, with candidates' party affiliations listed on the ballot, according to the city clerk's office.

Ward 4 covers southwest Ann Arbor. The winner will serve a four-year term alongside Councilmember Jen Eyer, who represents the other Ward 4 seat.

Ann Arbor early voting begins Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the University of Michigan Museum of Art and the Duderstadt Center. City Hall and the Traverwood, Malletts Creek and Westgate library branches open Saturday, Oct. 24. All six sites serve registered city voters through Sunday, Nov. 1. City Hall’s hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the other five sites are open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to the city clerk.