Ryan Bartholomew and Aidan Sova held commanding leads in Ann Arbor’s two contested City Council races in unofficial county returns from the Tuesday, Nov. 3, election.
Bartholomew had 91% of the vote in Ward 3, leading independent Kenny Leicht 10,654 to 942, according to unofficial results published by the county. Sova had 89% in Ward 4, leading independent James Trost 10,510 to 1,291.
Both Democrats won their August primaries and faced only independent candidates on the general-election ballot, according to city filing records. The returns put Ann Arbor’s City Council on track to remain entirely Democratic.
The races are for seats held by Ayesha Ghazi Edwin in Ward 3 and Dharma Akmon in Ward 4, according to city records.
Housing, potholes top the agenda
Bartholomew’s campaign platform identifies housing affordability and child care costs as priorities.
“Obviously, the cost of living is insanely high, and this is felt really acutely by the folks in Ward 3,” he told WEMU.
Sova told WEMU he wants to reduce living costs and improve city services, including repairing Ward 4 potholes.
Democrats lead city races
The lopsided margins mirror a broader pattern in Ann Arbor. Democrat Yousef Rabhi had 97% of the vote in the mayoral race, according to the county’s unofficial returns. Rabhi defeated Mayor Christopher Taylor in the August Democratic primary.
The county report, updated Nov. 4 at 3:12 p.m., lists all 112 precincts as fully counted. The totals remain unofficial pending canvassing and certification.
