Four candidates are competing for three seats on the Ann Arbor District Library board on Nov. 3. Plans for a new downtown library are a central issue in the race.

Three candidates are running as a slate: incumbent Cassie Haynes, Wines Elementary school librarian Rachel Goldberg and housing advocate Gaurav Kulkarni. The fourth, Zach Buck, is running independently. The winners will serve four-year terms on the seven-member board.

The downtown library question

The Ann Arbor City Council voted unanimously on April 20 to sell air rights above the city-owned Library Lane parking structure to AADL for $1, MLive reported. The deal allows a building up to 260 feet tall. Ann Arbor voters authorized the transfer in August 2025 through Proposals A and B.

The planned development calls for a new public library with indoor meeting spaces, about 10,000 square feet of outdoor public space and a mix of housing units, including affordable, senior and arts-community units. AADL expects to keep operating in the current downtown library until 2029. If the library does not begin construction within seven years, the air rights revert to the city, though AADL may request an extension of up to three years.

At the June 22 board meeting, Director Eli Neiburger said AADL was negotiating easement, development and construction agreements with the city and expected the transaction to close by the end of summer. He said work on concepts for a developer request for proposals would continue in the fall.

All four candidates agree the downtown project is a major issue facing the board, but they differ on priorities. In a Sept. 29 voter guide published by MLive and the League of Women Voters, Kulkarni said his first goal is "ensuring the new library serves the wide variety of uses that patrons have come to expect … along with much needed mixed-income housing."

Buck took a different approach. He argued that consistent operational surpluses are moved into the Capital Projects Fund for the downtown project rather than reinvested in neighborhood services. He said he would "remain vigilant against public debt being taken on to subsidize private real estate ventures."

The candidates

Haynes, a 22-year Ann Arbor resident, was appointed to the board earlier in 2026 to fill a vacancy and has served on its budget and finance committee. Her background spans law, public health, government administration, nonprofit leadership and local news.

Goldberg chairs the Elementary Library Services Department in Ann Arbor Public Schools and is an active member of the Ann Arbor Education Association.

Kulkarni, a 21-year Ann Arbor resident, serves on the board of Neighbors for More Neighbors, a housing advocacy group. He campaigned for Proposals A and B in 2025.

Buck has more than a dozen years of experience working in public libraries and holds degrees from Michigan State University and UC Santa Cruz.

Endorsements and finances

The Haynes-Goldberg-Kulkarni slate is endorsed by the Washtenaw County Democratic Party, the Ann Arbor Education Association, the Michigan Education Association and current board members Molly Kleinman, Aidan Sova and Scott Trudeau. The slate's campaign website confirms the county Democratic Party, education association and three trustee endorsements, while the Michigan Education Association separately lists all three among its recommended candidates.

Buck is backed by Washtenaw County Commissioner Yousef Rabhi, who won the Aug. 4 Democratic primary for Ann Arbor mayor, along with Ypsilanti District Library Board President Kristy Cooper and local historian Chris Crockett, according to MLive.

AADL Board minutes show the library had collected about $22.8 million in tax revenue as of May 31, reaching 101.75% of its budget target, with an unassigned fund balance of about $7.9 million. Earlier records show the library transferred $2.8 million to the Capital Projects Fund in December 2025, after which its unassigned fund balance stood at $6.9 million.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Voters can read full candidate responses through the League of Women Voters voter guide at Vote411.org.