Voters in Ann Arbor’s Third Ward have two candidates on the ballot for this fall’s election.
Democrat Ryan Bartholomew says he’s running for city council to tackle Ann Arbor’s high cost of living. He’s policy director for state Rep. Carrie Rheingans.
Bartholomew says he wants to be a voice for Ward 3 residents.
“Something that I heard from a lot of my neighbors is that they didn’t feel like they were included in a lot of the decisions that the city council was making, that their voices were not heard.”
Challenger Kenny Leicht is a repair and maintenance technician. He says he’s running as an independent because he doesn’t want anyone to believe he’s beholden to a party boss or platform.
“The people that they say they are running to represent and they don’t have a clue of how they actually live and work and exist here in Ann Arbor.”
One major issue the candidates agree on is Proposal E. Both support the possibility of Ann Arbor establishing its own municipal utility.
This story is part of a series previewing major local races in the 2026 midterm elections. Click here for more of WEMU's local election coverage.
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