Ward 4 Candidates’ Voting Records Raise Questions About Civic Involvement
Public records provided by the County Clerk’s office show that Ward 4 candidate Jen Eyer, who is running for City Council, missed multiple opportunities to vote against incumbent Jack Eaton. She has also missed opportunities to vote in support of education, special education, transit, county, state and national Democratic candidates. Like Ward 1 CM Anne Bannister, between 2009-2020, CM Eaton did not miss any opportunities to vote. Likewise, Ward 4 candidate Mozhgan Savabieasfahani who registered to vote in 2019, has a perfect voting record to date.
Among a slate of five Council candidates supported by Mayor Taylor and state Sen. Jeff Irwin (4 of the 5 have his endorsement), is Ward 4 resident Jen Eyer. Eyer is opposing Ward 4 incumbent Jack Eaton, who was first elected in 2013.
Like Dr. Lisa Disch who is running as a member of the slate in Ward 1, Eyer missed eight of her 26 opportunities to vote between 2009 and 2020—roughly one-third of her opportunities to vote.
Eyer says on her campaign Facebook page that, if elected, she will “take actions that match her words.” However, her votes paint a different picture.
The pro-transit candidate did not vote on the 2014 AATA Five-Year Transit Improvement Plan millage that extended bus service. In 2016, six months before she applied for a two-month appointment to fill an open seat on the Washtenaw Board of Commissioners, the Washtenaw Intermediate School District put a special education millage proposal on the May ballot. Eyer missed the vote to support special education county-wide.
The endorsement of Eyer by her step-son state Sen. Jeff Irwin (the two held an online town hall on June 14) has raised eyebrows, as neither Sen. Irwin or his step-mother have made public to voters their family connection. Eyer missed voting in the August 2012 primary election in which Jeff Irwin ran for the Michigan Legislature. She also missed the May 2012 AAPS millage vote.
Council candidate Eyer has been highly-critical of the Ward 4 incumbent, yet public voting records show that she has missed multiple opportunities to vote in local elections and, specifically, opportunities to vote against Eaton. Here are the local, county, state, national and school votes this Ward 4 Democrat has missed:
November 2009 General Election (City Council Higgins vs. Elhady)
November 2011 General Election (City Council Higgins vs. Schiehe)
May 2012 (AAPS School Millage)
August 2012 Primary (US Senator, Eaton vs. Teall Primary City Council)
August 2013 Primary City Council (Higgins vs Eaton)
May 2014 (AATA Five-Year Transit Improvement Plan Proposal)
November 2015
May 2016 (Washtenaw ISD Special Ed. Millage Proposal)