Accessible, active leadership.
“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