Ward 3 Voters Reject Mayor’s Council Candidate in Favor of Democratic Socialist Ryan Bartholomew

by P.D. Lesko

Ward 3 City Council candidate Ashley Hall’s “Endorsements” webpage groans with political support. All of the 11 Ann Arbor City Council members endorsed Hall, including Mayor Taylor, who began his political career in 2008 representing Ward 3. That year, Taylor, backed by then Mayor John Hieftje, beat incumbent Council member Stephen Kunselman, whom Taylor dubbed “The Chicken Man,” mocking Kunselman’s support of the Ann Arbor ordinance allowing backyard chickens. The Jews endorsed Ashley Hall (Michigan Jewish Democrats), the Blacks (Washtenaw County Democratic Party Black Caucus) endorsed the white woman, as did the social workers (National Association of Social Workers Michigan Chapter) and the realtors (Greater Metropolitan Association of Realtors). Five state representatives endorsed Ashley Hall, as did six County Commissioners. But Ashley Hall lost to Ryan Bartholomew, who captured 52.44 percent of the Ward 3 vote. It was a second electoral rebuke to Taylor, this one by his Ward 3 neighbors; they rejected his hand-picked candidate to represent them.

There were no Republican candidates in this primary election and no Independent candidate has stepped forward. As such, Ryan Bartholomew will be unopposed in the Nov. 2026 General Election.

While County Commissioner Yousef Rabhi trounced Mayor Chris Taylor in the Aug. 4, 2026 primary election, Rabhi’s coat tails were difficult to ride for his allied Council candidates. Only Bartholomew prevailed of the four City Council candidates whom Rabhi endorsed and for whom Rabhi campaigned.

Ryan Bartholomew is the policy director for Ann Arbor State Representative Carrie Rheingans, who endorsed him. His wife teaches in the AAPS (the AAEA endorsed Bartholomew). The Huron Valley Area Labor Federation endorsed Bartholomew, but none of the other building trades unions that can be counted on to give support and donations to local candidates for City Council did.

On his website, Bartholomew vowed to “Stop Subsidizing Large Corporate Developers: We should not be providing corporate welfare to multi-million dollar development companies, like the more than $350 million for Arbor South’s parking structures. Ann Arborites’ tax dollars should stay in our community to pay for essential services and help people who are struggling.”

Among her priorities Ashley Hall told voters, “Ann Arbor must build more housing of all types to meet the needs of working families, older adults, and those who provide essential services in the city. By increasing housing options near jobs, transit, and services, we can reduce pressure on costs, while allowing for gentler growth in our beloved neighborhoods. Thoughtful zoning reform and predictable processes will allow us to grow responsibly….” Predictably, corporate developers donated to Ashley Hall. The building trades unions (Washtenaw County Skilled Building Trades Council, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Northern Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters and LiUNA) that have benefitted from the development projects of large corporate developers endorsed Ashley Hall.

Campaign finance disclosures filed July 24th showed that as of that date Hall had raised $36,660 in campaign donations, $5,000 of which came from the Northern Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters PAC, and $500 from the UAW Voluntary PAC. Ryan Bartholomew raised $26,188. Of that, $500 came from the Teamsters Local 243 PAC and $1,000 came from Yousef Rabhi’s Liberty and Justice for All PAC.

When he announced his candidacy in Feb. 2026, Bartholomew said, “Ann Arbor has become increasingly unaffordable for the people who take care of us – our teachers, nurses, and first responders. As a policy director, I have worked on legislation to fight for working people and stand up to corporate monopolies. Together, let’s build an Ann Arbor that prioritizes taking care of the people who take care of us.”

Both Rabhi and Bartholomew may find themselves hemmed in politically by a hostile Council majority that could be unsupportive of the more populist ideas embraced by Rabhi and Bartholomew. To make matters more difficult, the nine members of the Taylor-backed Council majority will have enough votes to over-ride any mayoral veto, to obstruct any mayoral appointment, to sell public land, float bonds, and to control executive-level hiring within City government.

The terms of the five members of City Council who didn’t run in the 2026 primary election require them to run for re-election in 2028.