The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com News Wednesday, September 2, 2020 — 5 Pizza Bob’s moves to new location on S. State Street After more than 50 years of operation at its original location, Pizza Bob’s will find a new home this Tuesday just 110 feet north at 800 S. State Street. The new location, previously home to Red Light Cafe, will offer both indoor and outdoor seating. According to owner Pam Pietryga, the move was largely motivated by a desire for more space. The seating in the original location was limited to a front counter and a single round table, whereas the new location offers space for both indoor and outdoor dining while maintaining appropriate social distancing. Pietryga plans to use the basement of the restaurant to host larger parties when COVID- 19 restrictions no longer apply. The space also makes it possible for one of the restaurant’s most well-known items, the Chipati sauce, to be prepared in-house. The owners had previously rented a kitchen in Ypsilanti to make the sauce. Pietryga said another perk of the new building is its public bathroom, which the previous space lacked. She also hopes the placement at the stoplight on the corner will increase visibility and foot traffic. Kailana Dejoie, LSA sophomore and Pizza Bob’s employee, is hopeful that the new location will improve business. “I think it’s going to be a great development for Pizza Bob’s and I think it’s a good location in terms of the community too,” Dejoie said. “I know a lot of people were sad that we switched locations because that’s been there for 50 plus years, but I think for the business it’s a good move.” Pietryga said she plans to retain as many aspects of the original restaurant as possible in the new space, including its posters, frames, handmade signs and the plexiglass wall filled with postcards sent to Bob Marsh, the original cook and the restaurant’s namesake. The restaurant will also be painted in the original maize and blue color scheme, with plans to recreate the past location’s Pizza Bob’s mural. “All the different things people come to notice and point out about Pizza Bob’s … we’re not forgetting any of that,” Pietryga said. “We’re taking as much with us, and trying to find a good way of displaying it, so that we always have that memory and history and stuff that people like to see.” Pietryga said while it’s hard to say goodbye, the benefits of the larger space outweigh the losses. “I think the customers are gonna like it much better because … with all the renovations done, we’re going to be able to seat more than we ever could, and then when all this passes and we’re all back into our normal life, we’ll definitely be able to enjoy the customer interaction,” Pietryga said. “We’ve missed that now, the past four months. One of the things we love about Pizza Bob’s is the camaraderie with the customers.” Pietryga said Pizza Bob’s has been able to stay open during the pandemic due to the support of loyal Ann Arbor customers. According to Andy Lansing, a University of Michigan alum and Pizza Bob’s customer, it is this companionship that sets Pizza Bob’s apart. “What makes it special is just that it is today what it’s always been,” Lansing said. “In a world of chain restaurants and a world of sort of similar concepts, similar styles of restaurants, I think Pizza Bob’s is a mountain of its own… I think that the environment and just their style of service is really special and there’s something about it that’s really magical — and of course, the sauce.” ANGELINA LITTLE Daily Staff Reporter Read more at MichiganDaily.com Challengers swept incumbents in the Aug. 4 primary election for open seats in each of the five wards on the Ann Arbor City Council. Each candidate is currently running unopposed in the Nov. 3 general election and will take office later that month. The Daily spoke with Lisa Disch of Ward 1, Linh Song of Ward 2, Travis Radina of Ward 3, Jen Eyer of Ward 4 and Erica Briggs of Ward 5 to discuss their reflections on their campaigns during a summer of an unabating pandemic and civil unrest, as well as their priorities when inaugurated in November. Lisa Disch, D-Ward 1 As a University of Michigan professor in political science and women and gender studies, Disch said she will bring a unique perspective to city council after her inauguration. In an email to The Daily, Disch wrote she feels very lucky to have the opportunity to regularly interact with students who bring different political viewpoints into the classroom. “I have developed skills of communication and habits of listening and working in the classroom that I hope will make me a more effective representative,” Disch wrote. “I’ve also always thought that my job is more about learning things than it is about knowing and ‘professing’ them. This is a political moment when openness to learning in the face of unprecedented challenges might be a very good thing to have.” Disch wrote she was excited about her win considering it was her first time as a candidate. “Nobody does systematic polling in an election like this one, and my excellent campaign manager and advisors had warned me throughout the campaign that Council elections are often very close,” Disch wrote. “I can honestly say that the results surprised me and my team — and thrilled us.” On her platform, Disch cites urban and environmental stewardship, civic engagement and safety as some of her top priorities. Disch wrote she wants to improve the tone of council meetings and work collaboratively with other council members to put problem-solving ahead of personal and political differences. She plans to push for more affordable housing and the redevelopment of North Main Street. “There are many pressing issues in Ward 1 that I want to be prepared to take up right away with staff,” Disch wrote. “Such as traffic management on residential roads like Pontiac Trail and Barton Drive that have become major commuter through-ways, and implementing the parts of the City’s sustainability plan that help reduce the disproportionately high costs of energy for lower-income households.” Disch said the unavailability of affordable housing intersects with so many other challenges that Ann Arbor faces. “It means that too many people in Washtenaw County are paying too much of their incomes for rent and that too many people are commuting too far to their jobs,” Disch wrote. “It is a top priority for me because it is a contributing factor to economic stratification, to structural racism and to the climate crisis.” Linh Song, D-Ward 2 Throughout Song’s campaign for a seat on council in Ward 2, which her former opponent Jane Lumm first held in 1993-1998 and again from 2011 to the present, Song emphasized Ann Arbor’s national ranking as the eighth most economically segregated community in the U.S. As the Black Lives Matter movement swept the nation with renewed energy following the killing of several Black men and women at the hands of police, Song said her campaign shifted gears from an emphasis on affordable housing to focusing on issues of racial justice. “So if I keep saying, ‘We are the eighth most economically segregated community in the U.S.,’ that’s what we’re talking about: that history of racial economic segregation,” Song said. “And we need to own up to it.” Song said knowledge of Ann Arbor’s racial history — from restrictive housing covenants to the political pushback following the election of Ann Arbor’s first and only Black mayor Albert Wheeler — must guide any conversations about the future of the city, including conversations around affordable housing and policing. In 2014, police officer David Ried fatally shot Aura Rosser, a Black woman living in Ann Arbor, and faced no charges. This prompted protests and the creation of a police oversight commission. Mark Bernstein and Shauna Ryder Diggs, both Democratic incumbents and University of Michigan alum, were nominated to defend their seats on the University’s Board of Regents at the Michigan Democratic Convention this weekend. Both have served as regents since 2012. U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., spoke to nominate Bernstein, while University Regent Denise Ilitch spoke to nominate Ryder Diggs. In a video posted online earlier this month, Bernstein detailed his previous work as a University regent, including advocating for making college more affordable. “It is an honor to have run and won eight years ago with my friend Shauna Ryder Diggs,” Bernstein said. “We’re eager to continue serving as Democratic regents at the University of Michigan … As a regent, I have aggressively advanced our Democratic vision for affordable, accessible and excellent public higher education, while embracing diversity, honoring labor and protecting the environment.” In another prerecorded video, Ryder Diggs also discussed the importance of college affordability, noting her own experience with student loans. “As a daughter of two university professors, I believe in the power of higher education to improve the lives of us all,” Ryder Diggs said. “I’m a physician in solo private practice, and I attended Michigan for college, medical school and residency. Those years were wonderful and I built long lasting friendships and was trained by the best doctors in the nation, but they were costly. Even when my family supported me, I still had to take out large loans to pay for this extraordinary education.” Ryder Diggs emphasized several policy issues she has focused on over the past eight years, including support for more equitable funding across all three University campuses and organized labor. “I believe in the power of collective bargaining,” Ryder Diggs said. “That is why I’ll continue to support the faculty and staff doing the work on a daily basis … but there is still much more work to be done.” The two will appear on the ballot for the general election in November. According to campaign finance documents filed prior to the convention, Bernstein’s campaign has raised a total of $25,964.25 in contributions and other receipts. Of that, $20,000 came from a direct contribution Bernstein made to his own campaign on Aug. 3. Meanwhile, Diggs’ campaign had a total of $4,799.65 in contributions and other receipts. On Aug. 19, Diggs reported a late contribution of $2,500 to her campaign. While both are Democrats, they have not been in lockstep with one another in their time as Regents. Over the summer, as the Board debated a tuition increase to help the University deal with a budget crunch brought on by the COVID- 19 pandemic, Diggs voted against the initial budget proposal while Bernstein supported it. That proposal, which failed with a split vote, would have increased tuition across all three campuses while providing additional funding for the Flint and Dearborn campuses. The move drew swift criticism from students, who argued that classes will not be as valuable as they would be under normal, pre-pandemic circumstances and that the heightened monetary burden was a blow to people facing financial straits of their own. At another meeting several days later to consider a new budget proposal, Diggs and Bernstein maintained their initial positions: Diggs voting no and Bernstein voting yes. That budget passed in a 5-2 vote and included a 1.9 percent increase in tuition for the Ann Arbor campus; a 3.9 percent increase for UM-Flint and UM-Dearborn; a 1.9 percent increase in room and board fees and a $50 COVID-19 student fee. In February, Bernstein announced the Board of Regents would reevaluate the University’s policy on investing in fossil fuel, freezing any new investments during that time. The decision followed months of public commenters highlighting the threat of climate change and the University’s responsibility to combat it. At that same meeting, Bernstein also advocated for ensuring that major capital projects undertaken by the University align with its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. In December 2019, when the Climate Action Movement and One University members expressed frustration at a lack of direct response from the Board regarding climate change, Diggs was the only Regent to respond to their questions. She noted that the Regents do take into account public commenters’ arguments and sympathize with their views. Bernstein’s efforts to support the University have not always been well received. In July 2016, he withdrew a $3 million donation he had made to the new Trotter Multicultural Center due to concerns about naming the building after Bernstein. The Trotter Multicultural Center, which honors activist and newspaper editor William Monroe Trotter, is the only building on campus named after an African American. Bernstein said his intention was not to minimize Trotter’s legacy, adding that the decision came after feedback from the University community. BRAYDEN HIRSCH & JULIANNA MORANO Daily Staff Reporters Democratic incumbents nominated to defend seats on Board of Regents Following state convention, Mark Bernstein and Shauna Ryder Diggs will seek re-election in the November general election after first being elected in 2012 Courtesy of Mark Bernstein and Shauna Ryder Diggs Mark Bernstein and Shauna Ryder Diggs were nominated to seek relection at the Michigan Democratic Convention this week. A2 City Council primary winners look ahead to the future of the city Challengers swept incumbents out of office with victories August elections Read more at MichiganDaily.com SARAH PAYNE Daily Staff Reporter Read more at MichiganDaily.com Local eatery expands seating with increased space; owner says move will allow restaurant to accommodate more patrons PENNY LAM/Daily Pizza Bob’s, a popular spot for U-M students, will move to a different location on S. State St this coming Tuesday.