Thursday, June 11, 2020

INDEX

Vol. CXXIX, No. 124
 © 2020 The Michigan Daily 
NEWS ....................................
OPINION ............................... 
ARTS/NEWS..........................
MiC.........................................
SPORTS................................

MICHIGAN IN COLOR

My experience in a 
COVID-19 hotspot
Reflections of trip to a 
declared ‘hotspot’ of the 
coronavirus pandemic, 
Gatlinburg, Tenn. 

>> SEE PAGE 9

NEWS
Off-campus leases

Students talk about the 

struggles of getting out of 

their leases amid COVID-19 
 
 
 
 
 

>> SEE PAGE 2

OPINION
Downplaying the 
pandemic

Comparing Trump and Bolso-

naro’s leadership and response 

to COVID-19 >> SEE PAGE 4

ARTS
Taylor Swift’s 
‘folklore’ 
New album from the pop 
star both signals new 
directions and is a return 
to form. >> SEE PAGE 6

SPORTS
Shut down
Following positive COVID-
19 test results, four 
sports suspend voluntary 
workouts. 

>> SEE PAGE 11

inside

2
4
6
8
10

On the Aug. 4 primary election 
ballot, voters will decide on five 
seats on the Ann Arbor City 
Council. With one seat open in 
each ward and 13 total candidates 
running, The Daily has put 
together a City Council election 
guide with each candidate’s 
platforms to help Ann Arbor 
voters make informed decisions 
at the polls.
Ward 1
Anne Bannister (D), incumbent
Bannister was first elected to 
City Council in 2017 and is seeking 
a second term on the council. She 
grew up and went to school in 
Ann Arbor and graduated with 
a degree in psychology from 
the University of Michigan in 
1986. She is a Certified Financial 
Planner and has worked for the 
Teachers Insurance and Annuity 
Association of America for 10 
years.
Bannister often voted against 
new housing developments in 
Ann Arbor during her time on the 
council, citing density and zoning 
concerns. She supported A2Zero, 
the recent initiative to help Ann 
Arbor go carbon neutral by 2030. 
Bannister 
also 
supports 
the 

Independent Community Police 
Oversight 
Commission 
and 
community policing techniques.
Lisa Disch (D)
Disch is a professor in the 
political science and women’s 
studies 
departments 
at 
the 
University. She has lived in 
Ward 1 since 2008 and is a part 
of Voters Not Politicians, an 
initiative to end gerrymandering 
in Michigan, in 2018. According 
to her website, she is a “life-long 
Democrat.”
Affordable housing, safety and 
environmental sustainability are 
at the top of Disch’s platform. 
She 
supports 
funding 
the 
development 
of 
affordable 
housing 
and 
has 
proposed 
the 
creation 
of 
a 
Renters’ 
Commission. 
Additionally, 
Disch wants to implement more 
sustainable practices city-wide 
and 
strengthen 
community 
oversight of policing in Ann 
Arbor.
Ward 2
Jane Lumm (D), incumbent
Lumm was previously on the 
council as a Republican from 
1993 to 1998. She has served as 
a representative of Ward 2 as 
an Independent since 2011 and 
announced her decision to run as 
a Democrat in April. 
During Lumm’s tenure on City 
Council, she has consistently 

voted against new development 
in Ann Arbor, as well as against 
increased spending and taxes. 
Lumm, along with Ali Ramlawi, 
D-Ward 5, is a City Council 
liaison 
to 
the 
Independent 
Community 
Police 
Oversight 
Commission. 
She 
supports 
fiscal responsibility, as well as 
prioritizing spending on essential 
services and infrastructure. 
Linh Song (D)
Song is in her second term 
as president of the Ann Arbor 
District 
Library 
Board 
of 
Trustees. 
She 
has 
lived 
in 
Ann Arbor for 21 years and 
graduated from the University 
with a degree in political science 
and later obtained her Master 
of Social Work in policy and 
evaluation. Song has worked in 
the nonprofit sector doing anti-
trafficking work and serves on 
the board of directors for both 
Avalon, an affordable housing 
organization, and the Ann Arbor 
Area Community Foundation. 
In 
her 
platform, 
Song 
discusses city services, good 
governance 
and 
community. 
She supports improving public 
bus routes and other forms of 
public transportation, promoting 
engagement 
within 
the 

AAPS board 
talks safety 
for 2020-21 
school year

Board of Education 
discusses details of 
possible methods of 
instruction

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-NINE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Read more at michigandaily.com

KRISTINA ZHENG
Summer News Editor

BARBARA COLLINS
Daily News Editor 

Read more at michigandaily.com

michigandaily.com

Who are you voting for? Ann Arbor 
2020 City Council election guide

Design by Hibah Chughtai
With just over a month left before 
school starts for the Ann Arbor Public 
School district on Sept. 8, the AAPS 
Board of Education met Wednesday 
evening to discuss instruction plans 
for 
this 
upcoming 
school 
year, 
particularly 
with 
the 
Reimagine 
Learning plan.
The board meeting opened up with 
public commentary, and many AAPS 
parents and faculty raised concerns 
with changes to scheduling, resources 
for student mental health, details on 
attendance and safety measures.
Jeanice Swift, superintendent of 
Ann Arbor Public Schools, began the 
presentation with an update to the 
AAPS food distribution program. She 
detailed the decisions going into the 
fall semester with an emphasis on 
understanding the range of challenges 
students and their families are facing.
“We understand that our students 
have experienced trauma or have 
family that have experienced trauma, 
and we’re going to keep these things 
in mind as we put together the plan,” 
Swift said.
An 
important 
part 
of 
this 
discussion, Swift added, is considering 
the impact of the dense college 
student population returning to Ann 
Arbor. While Swift emphasized the 
pride in living in a college town with 
the University of Michigan, she said 
it is crucial to consider the reality 
of potentially inviting over 40,000 
students from across the world. 

michigandaily.com
Thursday, July 30, 2020
ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-NINE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
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