Re-Elect Mayor John Hieftje

Accessible, active leadership.

Mayor Hieftje and Ronnie Malcolm shaking hands “John has an open door, he listens to people and then takes action to get things done. He has our town working with its neighbors to save hard-earned tax dollars. John has been a good leader for all of us. He has earned our endorsement.”

— Ronnie Malcolm, President, Laborers Local 499

Political experience

  • Mayor of Ann Arbor: 2000-present
  • Established policy leading to the reorganization of the City Bureaucracy resulting in savings to the City of over $10 million per year.
  • Founded the Clean Communities Program to clean up and protect our neighborhoods.
  • Protected and expanded human services funding to help those most in need.
  • Championed the Parks and Greenbelt Initiative to forever save open space and farmland.
  • Issued the Mayors Green Energy Challenge calling for the City Government to use 30% renewable energy by 2010 and the city as a whole to use 20% renewable energy by 2015.
  • Championed the Percent for Art Program to provide consistent funding for public art to beautify the city for decades to come.
  • Founded the Washtenaw Metro Alliance for planning and cooperation with neighboring communities.
  • Pushed through the non-motorized initiative to move Ann Arbor to the forefront in cycling and pedestrian infrastructure.
  • Promoted the building of new affordable housing.
  • Keeps open office hours every week for residents to sit down and talk with the mayor.
  • Initiated new effort to plan for Ann Arbor’s future.
  • Re-established infrastructure repair, replacement and improvements as a priority in Ann Arbor.
  • Ann Arbor City Council: 1999-2000
  • Major initiatives: Passage of Ban on Mercury Thermometers. Sponsored a resolution for a reduction in the millage that was approved by City Council.

Boards & community organizations

  • Appointed to the Michigan Climate Action Council by Governor Granholm (2007 – present)
  • Board of Directors Huron River Watershed Council (1998 – present, currently an alternate member of the board.)
  • Downtown Development Authority (2002 – present)
  • Chair of the Board of Directors Recycle Ann Arbor (1989 – 1990)
  • Chair: Urban Core Mayors of Michigan (2004-05)
  • Member: The Wolfpack of the National Wildlife Federation
  • Board of Directors, Lake Superior Conservancy and Watershed Council, Sault St. Marie, Ontario (2004 – present)

Awards
  • Environmental Leadership Award for 2008, Michigan League of Conservation Voters
  • Elected Local Official of the Year, Michigan Parks Association, 2004
  • Conservation Leadership Award, Greater Detroit Audubon Society, 2004
  • Preservationist of the Year, Washtenaw Land Trust, 2003

Education

B.S. Political Science, Eastern Michigan University, Magna Cum Laude

Ann Arbor Pioneer High School

John has shown remarkable leadership and skill in a tough budget environment. He has reduced the cost and increased the efficiency of city government, while assuring that the city’s most important work is performed at a high standard. We are fortunate to have a mayor who has both progressive vision and a commitment to spend our tax dollars wisely.
—Paul N. Courant, Professor of Public Policy and Economics, former Provost, the University of Michigan