The
Kang campaign just sent me a piece of literature they have been
distributing in Ward 2 with a letter from Eugene and his platform for
City Council. Here’s the text:

EUGENE KANG FOR WARD 2:
WAKE UP THE CITY COUNCIL!

Dear Neighbor,

My
name is Eugene Kang, and I am running for Ann Arbor City Council. I am
proud to have lived in Ann Arbor for my entire life. And I am proud to
have spent almost my entire life right here in Ward 2.

Many
people have asked me why I want to run for office. The answer is
simple: I want to give back to this wonderful community. I attended
King Elementary School and Greenhills School for 6-12th grades. Next
year I’ll be a Senior at the University of Michigan, majoring in
English and Philosophy.

I am energetic, dedicated, and I know
I have a lot to learn. I hope that I can serve a unique role as someone
connected to both U of M students and to the greater Ann Arbor
community. Because the City Council should be more responsive to your
concerns, I have launched a precinct-by-precinct listening tour.
Together, we can make Ann Arbor an even greater place to live.

As
a lifelong resident of this community, I am aware of the challenges
facing Ann Arbor. And, on the next page, I have identified key areas in
which I plan to focus my attention. I look forward to listening to your
concerns and working for you in the future.

Sincerely,
Eugene Kang

And his platform:

Increasing Fiscal Responsibility
• Our city budget has been in deficit for the past five years and
expenses are expected to exceed revenue for at least the next two
years. We need to close this gap – but not on the backs of taxpayers
who are already paying more than their fair share.
• The cost of living in Ann Arbor is already significantly higher than
that of similar cities in the Midwest, and higher taxes will only make
it more difficult for people, especially new homeowners, to remain in
our City.
• I am committed to balancing Ann Arbor’s budget and look forward to
meeting with you to discuss your priorities and listen to your ideas.

Making Ann Arbor More Affordable
• Making Ann Arbor a more affordable place to live is critical to the
City’s future. We cannot allow our middle-class and economically
disadvantaged citizens to be pushed out of our City because of sky-high
housing prices.
• Ann Arbor spends $5.6 million dollars a year to discourage Ann Arbor
residents from moving away. Unfortunately, we spend only 10% of that
amount to encourage people to live in our City by making housing more
affordable.
• To curtail urban sprawl and enable people who work in Ann Arbor to
live here as well, we must provide incentives for residents to remain
in the City.

A Practical Approach to Downtown Density
• Downtown density is inextricably connected to the issue of affordable
housing. While I recognize that building taller structures downtown
would create more space for residential and commercial enterprises, I
am sympathetic to how these structures would change the downtown
aesthetic.
• I support a pragmatic case-by-case approach that would carefully
consider each proposal and weigh the benefits of density with the costs
to aesthetics. It is Ann Arbor’s sense of community that makes it so
special. We must not alter the City’s unique appeal as we work to make
sure as many people as possible can afford to enjoy the Downtown area.

Listening to Every Voice
• The Arbor City Council is not representative of Ann Arbor’s
population. University of Michigan students are Ann Arbor residents.
Their views should be represented on the City Council. An accusation
often leveled against my generation is that we are politically
apathetic. My peers and I are working hard to change this perception.
• Young people do care about politics and I believe that the student body does care about the greater Ann Arbor community.

Contact us at kangforcitycouncil at gmail.com or (734) 972-7254

> Download a PDF of the Flyer Here
> See my coverage of the Kang campaign
> See my viewpoint in the Daily: “A Perfect Storm Brewing in City Politics�

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