Ann Arbor City Council convened
virtually April 5 to discuss the
development of an unarmed safety
response team, support for the
University of Michigan’s President’s
Commission on Carbon Neutrality,
an amendment to the housing rental
period and a resolution to condemn
anti-Asian hate crimes.
The council discussed DC-3, a
resolution that would task the city
administrator with investigating
different pathways for developing an
unarmed first responder program
for mental health crises within the
Ann Arbor community. According
to the proposal, police officers are
currently responding in situations
that would be better handled by
trained mental health, public health
and human services professionals.
“We ask our police to do too
much in our community that they
are called upon to do things where
they do not have expertise,” Mayor
Christopher Taylor said. “And yet,
there are subject matter experts
among us — that is to say there are
mental health experts and staff
among us, there are human services
experts among us, public health
experts among us.”
Ann Arbor resident Paul Fleming
spoke in support of the resolution,
saying it is a decision supported by
evidence and is a step in the right
direction toward supporting those
going through mental health crises.
“Rethinking how we approach
public safety so we don’t rely on
police is in-line with evidence
based public health best practices,”
Fleming said. “Current policing
practices have spillover effects on
entire communities, particularly
communities
of
color,
making
people who live in areas that are
aggressively policed more likely to
suffer mental health issues and have
physical health ailments.”
Many other councilmembers also
expressed their enthusiasm for the
resolution, citing examples around
the country where unarmed first
responders could have prevented
a deadly outcome and instances of
police brutality.
“This program is far overdue
and it has serious needs and
consequences,” Councilmember Ali
Ramlawi, D-Ward 5, said. “A call
to the police should not be the last
call you make when you’re calling
for help. And unfortunately, for a lot
of people it is—with mental illness
or struggling with something they
could easily be helped with.”
The council also noted specifics
not addressed within the resolution,
including lack of knowledge about
where funding would come from.
At a March 16 meeting, City Council
had voted to use revenue from
recreational marijuana excise taxes
to fund social equity programs that
support individuals impacted by the
“War on Drugs.”
Leading up to Monday’s vote,
many
community
members,
including the Washtenaw County-
based advocacy group Liberate
Don’t
Incarcerate,
expressed
concerns that the program could be
tied to the police department despite
the fact that it would serve as an
alternative to policing and had asked
for the resolution to be delayed.
City
Administrator
Tom
Crawford said the process of
exploring options would entail
a more thorough investigation
into
where
to
get
funding.
Councilmembers
also
stressed
to Crawford the importance of
community engagement in this
process.
“I think this is a huge effort that
we’re undertaking and we need to
be thinking about what those costs
are right now, and that there should
be something in our budget that
we’re adopting if we’re serious about
this,” Councilmember Erica Briggs,
D-Ward 5, said.
One
of
Liberate
Don’t
Incarcerate’s reasons for wanting
the resolution tabled was that they
felt there had not been “meaningful
participation” with community-led
groups.
The council unanimously voted
to pass the DC-3 resolution.
The
council
also
discussed
another
resolution,
DC-2,
that
supports
the
PCCN’s
recommendations to reach carbon
neutrality for direct emissions
across all three campuses by 2025,
though with the controversial use of
carbon offsets.
In 2019, University President
Mark Schlissel announced the
creation of the PCCN with the goal
of reducing carbon emissions put
out by the University and ultimately
achieving carbon neutrality. The
announcement came in response
to sustained community activism
that put pressure on the University
to commit to achieving carbon
neutrality. After the PCCN was
created, student activists continued
to protest for greater transparency,
leading 10 students to be arrested for
trespassing.
In December 2020, the PCCN
proposed a series of actions and
recommendations for public review
and commentary. This public review
concluded in February 2021 when
the commission finalized their
recommendations and submitted
it to Schlissel and the Board of
Regents for approval. At a March
25 Board of Regents meeting, the
University voted to disinvest in fossil
fuel companies and committed to a
net-zero investment portfolio by
2050, again after years of activism
from campus groups.
According to Melissa Stults,
Ann Arbor’s sustainability and
innovations manager as well as a
PCCN member, the city’s goal to
reach carbon neutrality by 2030 uses
carbon offsets and indirect carbon
emissions because Ann Arbor does
not have the resources to make a
complete change in infrastructure.
“The city doesn’t have all of
the levers in our disposal to be
able to do things like, remove
all gas stations or all natural gas
connections that exist within
homes or within businesses,”
Stults said. “And so offsets became
part of the conversation from a
more rational interpreting role.”
Stults said the city is attempting
to achieve as close to carbon
neutrality as possible, but offsets
will still be part of the equation.
Councilmember Jeff Hayner,
D Ward-1, raised concerns about
how
supporting
the
PCCN’s
proposals correlates with Ann
Arbor’s goals as a city. Hayner said
members of Washtenaw350, an
environmental organization, have
reached out asking for the council
to not support this bill in protest,
saying the PCCN’s proposal is not
enough to truly address climate
change.
“(Washtenaw350)
folks
have
been reaching out to me saying,
‘Please don’t say yes to this because
we don’t feel it’s strong enough, and
we don’t know enough about their
solutions,’” Hayner said.
On March 31, the University
of Michigan Board of Regents
scheduled a special meeting for
April 2 to vote on whether to
censure one of their own, Regent
Ron Weiser (R). Though a censure
would signal that the Board
condemns Weiser’s actions and
deems him unfit for office, it is
largely a symbolic move. No public
commenters will be allowed at the
meeting.
Ahead of this unusual meeting,
The Michigan Daily explains how
the administration has reached
this point by recapping various
controversies Weiser has been
embroiled
in
throughout
the
semester, as well as listing those
who have criticized or called for
Weiser’s resignation as of April 1.
What has happened over the past
few months?
Friday,
Jan.
8:
University
community members called for
Weiser’s resignation in a petition
and open letter, due to his failure
to specifically denounce former
President
Donald
Trump
for
inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riots in an
interview with Bridge Michigan.
Wednesday, Feb. 3: The Daily
reported that Weiser sent emails
to
fellow
regents
comparing
their silence amid calls for his
resignation to “Germany in the
1930s,” describing graduate student
protesters as “hired union hacks”
and sending a message with only a
picture of a bikini-clad woman.
Thursday, Feb. 4: Weiser was
accused
by
former
Michigan
GOP Chair Laura Cox of making
undisclosed payments of $200,000
to a former candidate for secretary
of state in hopes he would withdraw
his candidacy. Weiser has denied
these accusations.
Saturday, Feb. 6: For a third
non-consecutive
term,
Weiser
was elected chair of the Michigan
Republican Party despite Cox’s
accusations. He won more than
66% of the vote during the 2021
virtual MI GOP convention.
Thursday, March 25: At a
meeting of the North Oakland
Republican Club, Weiser referred
to
presumably
Gov.
Gretchen
Whitmer,
Michigan
Attorney
General Dana Nessel and Michigan
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson
as “the three witches” and made
a comment about burning them
at the stake. He also referenced
“assassination” when discussing
the reelection of two Michigan
Republican
Congressmen
who
voted
to
impeach
Trump
in
January.
For more information on past
controversies surrounding Weiser,
read The Michigan Daily’s fact or
fiction analysis from February.
What has Weiser’s response
been?
In response to the criticism of his
response to the Jan. 6 Capitol riots,
Weiser told Bridge Michigan on
January 7 he had undergone oral
surgery earlier in the day and so
was not aware of the situation in the
Capitol when he was first contacted
by the media.
Weiser has made no public
statements about his inappropriate
emails to other regents.
When
accused
of
making
undisclosed
payments,
Weiser
denied the claims and said he did not
violate any law.
“Laura Cox’s baseless allegations
are a desperate attempt to smear
my name, based on a longstanding
political grudge, and her inability
to hold onto the job of party chair
that she could not keep on her
own merits,” Weiser wrote. “I’m
disappointed by Laura’s shameful
attempt to destroy our party with
unfounded and reckless conspiracy
theories so that she can get back
in the chair’s race and save her
paycheck.”
While initially defending his
comments about Whitmer, Nessel,
Benson and Reps. Fred Upton (R)
and Peter Meijer (R), Weiser said
they were taken “out of context.”
He later released a more apologetic
statement on March 27 saying
he would be “part of a respectful
political dialogue going forward.”
Weiser deleted his personal
Twitter account last week, and
his email was removed from the
University Board of Regents website.
What’s could happen moving
forward?
Because Weiser is an elected
official, in order for him to be
recalled from office, Benson would
have to file an official petition. No
later than 25 days following the
filing of the petition, Benson would
then have to declare if the petition
has enough signatures for a recall or
not. To trigger a recall election, the
number of signatures on the petition
needs to equal 25% of votes cast
by Michigan residents in the 2020
general election.
As of April 1, who has called for
Weiser’s resignation?
• Four University Regents
Regents Jordan Acker (D), Mark
Bernstein
(D),
Michael
Behm
(D) and Paul Brown (D) have all
issued statements urging Weiser to
resign. Despite criticism from the
University community of Weiser
for months, Weiser’s fellow regents
had not previously criticized him
publicly.
“So, particularly at this moment
in our history when such extreme
rhetoric from too many political
leaders has sewn deep division
in society, hurt individuals, and
threatened our democracy, I can
only come to the conclusion that
any
official,
including
Regent
Weiser, who would unrepentantly
engage in such speech should not
remain in public office, especially
at an institution like the University
of Michigan, which so values
upholding gender equality and
protection
of
women’s
rights,”
Brown wrote in his statement.
• The Lecturers’ Employee
Organization
LEO,
a
union
representing
lecturers
who
work
at
the
University’s
three
campuses,
demanded Weiser resign from
the Board of Regents in a public
statement issued March 31.
The
group
expressed
concern over Weiser’s history of
controversial behavior but said his
most recent comments at the North
Oakland Republican Club meeting
were particularly problematic.
“The threats of violence towards
five democratically elected officials
are particularly abhorrent and have
no place in a university dedicated to
the open pursuit of ideas,” LEO said
in their statement. “In addition, Mr.
Weiser’s misogynistic statements
about the top three elected officials
of Michigan directly violate the
University’s core commitments to
diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
If Weiser refuses to resign,
LEO requests that the University
remove Weiser from all Regent
activities and remove his name
from any University buildings —
he is currently the namesake of
the Weiser Center for Emerging
Democracies, housed in Weiser
Hall, due to his numerous donations
to the University.
• The Graduate Employees’
Organization
GEO first called for Weiser to
resign in their Michigan Daily
op-ed from February 1, which said
Weiser should step down “due to
his fundamental conflicts of interest
and immoral conduct regarding the
Capitol riot.”
GEO criticized Weiser’s recent
comments in a tweet on March 26.
“Bad look Regent Weiser!” GEO
said in a retweet of the breaking
news about Weiser’s misogynistic
and violent comments.
• Political opponents and
public officials
The Michigan Democratic Party
released a statement demanding
Weiser resign as regent in a March
26 tweet. Whitmer, Nessel and
Benson — all of whom were assumed
to be referenced in Weiser’s most
recent comments — tweeted or
released statements in response.
State
Rep.
Donna
Lasinski,
D-Novi,
Michigan
House
Democratic leader, called on Weiser
to resign from the University
Board of Regents in a letter to
regents March 31. Five other state
representatives and one additional
state senator — including State Rep.
Yousef Rabhi, D-Ann Arbor, and
state Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor
— signed the letter, which was
written on behalf of all Democratic
legislators in the Michigan House of
Representatives.
“Ron
Weiser’s
sexist
and
markedly dangerous comments are
not only terribly inappropriate, they
also serve to damage the reputation
of the University of Michigan. His
choice of words and actions have
betrayed the trust that was given
to him when he was elected to the
University of Michigan Board of
Regents,” the letter reads. “As a
collective body of elected officials,
we officially call on Ron Weiser
to resign immediately from the
University of Michigan Board of
Regents.”
• The Senate Advisory
Committee on University Affairs
SACUA released a statement
March 29 criticizing Weiser’s use of
sexist and violent language, calling
his comments “a betrayal of the
trust our community — students,
faculty and staff — places on Regent
Weiser.” While the statement does
not explicitly call for Weiser to
resign, it implies it by questioning
his role as a leader on campus.
“SACUA believes strongly and
without any hesitation that Regent
Weiser cannot be an effective leader
in our community,” the statement
reads.
• Central Student Government
In a statement released March 29,
former Central Student Government
President
and
Vice
President
Amanda
Kaplan
and
Saveri
Nandigama,
alongside
current
President and Vice President Nithya
Arun and Carla Voigt, called on
the rest of the regents to denounce
Weiser’s actions and call for his
resignation.
“We stand with the six women
deans, and their allies, who released
a statement yesterday condemning
Regent
Weiser’s
actions,”
the
statement reads. “We urge the
remaining members of the Board
of Regents to also condemn his
remarks and join their peers in
calling for his resignation. We
deserve better.”
CSG first called for Weiser’s
resignation following the attempted
insurrection at the Capitol with a
resolution introduced Feb. 3 and
passed Feb. 17.
• Student-created petition
U-M
community
members
created a petition following the Jan.
6 Capitol riots calling for Weiser’s
resignation, which has garnered
over 6,300 signatures as of April 1.
The petition was updated on March
26 with Weiser’s recent comments.
“This sexist, violent rhetoric
has no place at the University of
Michigan or amongst its leadership,”
the petition says. “We loudly
reaffirm our demand that he resign,
and we expect President Schlissel to
condemn this threat to all students
of color on campus.”
• Faculty open letter
Hundreds of faculty signed an
open letter released in early January
that asked Weiser to resign due to
his involvement in the Michigan
GOP and initial failure to respond
to the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. The letter
states that Weiser’s role as GOP
chair is directly at odds with his
duties as regent.
“In sum, the MI-GOP’s current
political
program
depends
on
empowering factions and candidates
that seek to impede or even overturn
basic democratic principles, that
seek to exclude Black, Indigenous,
and other non-white residents
from political participation, and
that pursue their political goals
without regard to truth, honesty,
or integrity,” the letter reads. “You
have to choose between supporting
the University of Michigan and
supporting the darkest factions
of US political life. You cannot do
both.”
• Eight former regents
Eight former regents signed a
letter April 1 calling on Weiser to
resign, saying they were “appalled
to hear” that Weiser had advocated
for violence and used misogynistic
language
when
referring
to
Whitmer, Nessel and Benson. The
letter, a copy of which was obtained
by The Daily, states that while the
First Amendment guarantees right
to freedom of speech, it does not
excuse violent language.
“That doesn’t mean that if he
believes that he is free to denigrate
women with whom he disagrees
by calling them ‘witches’ and if he
encourages assassination as a way
to deal with honorable men of his
own party with whom he disagrees
he should retain the privilege of
remaining a fiduciary for a great
university,” the letter reads. “That is
why we are joining many others in
calling for his resignation.”
Who has condemned Weiser’s
statements but stopped short of
calling for resignation?
• Regent Denise Ilitch (D)
In an email to The Daily, Regent
Denise
Ilitch
(D)
expressed
disappointment
over
Weiser’s
recent statements but did not call for
his resignation.
“Despite any differences among
its eight members elected by the
State’s voters, we have worked
constructively on advancing the
institution
without
destructive
politics getting in the way,” Ilitch
said. “That is why it is so disturbing
to learn of the repugnant language
used by a member of our Board
when addressing a political group.
His use of violent imagery crosses
a line that is inconsistent with what
should be our shared values. There
should be no place for physical
threats by elected or political leaders
on our Board or in our State.”
• University President Mark
Schlissel
Schlissel issued a statement
April
27
condemning
Weiser’s
remarks, though he did not call
for his resignation. Schlissel has
not previously criticized Weiser’s
controversial actions.
“Such words are particularly
abhorrent in a climate where so
recently the use of language has
engendered violence and attempted
violence directed at elected officials,
our democratic institutions, and
the individuals who guard them,”
Schlissel’s statement said. “It is never
appropriate to raise the specter
of
assassination
or
perpetuate
misogynistic stereotypes against
anyone in any setting. Elected
officials must adhere to a higher
standard regardless of the context of
their remarks.”
In an interview with The Daily
Jan. 20, when asked about the faculty
letter and Weiser’s initial response
to the events of Jan. 6, Schlissel
referenced his own statement on
behalf of the University condemning
the violence and emphasized that all
regents are elected by a statewide
vote.
Schlissel did not then criticize
Weiser, either implicitly or explicitly.
“I’ve known Regent Weiser
practically since I arrived here,”
Schlissel said. “He has lived locally,
and he’s a major donor to the
University. I know for sure that
his affections for the University
run deep… So, I think that the
many faculty and students in
the community and others that
have objections are raising those
objections, they’re getting lots of
coverage in the media, and those fall
into the political process. It’ll have
to be worked out, but I can say that
the University itself, as well as all the
regents, unambiguously condemn
the violence and those that incited
the violence. That’s not a matter of
question.”
• Six U-M Women Deans
All six U-M deans who are
women wrote a letter on March 28
condemning Weiser’s comments.
The letter was signed by LSA Dean
Anne Curzan, School of Nursing
Dean Patricia Hurn, School of
Dentistry Dean Laurie McCauley,
School of Education Dean Elizabeth
Birr Moje, School of Kinesiology
Dean Lori Ploutz-Snyder and School
of Social Work Dean Lynn Videka.
All 13 additional deans signed the
letter in solidarity.
“We feel strongly that your
comments do not support the
university’s and our units’ values
of diversity, equity, inclusion, and
justice,” the letter reads. “Nor do
your comments support robust civil
debate and democratic engagement.
The latter point is particularly
saddening and ironic because you
have been a champion of democratic
values through institutions you have
supported on our campus.”
• Washtenaw County
Prosecutor Eli Savit
Savit called Weiser’s comments
“misogynistic and violent” in a
tweet on March 26.
Daily News Editor Emma Ruberg and
Daily Staff Reporter Martha Lewand
can be reached at eruberg@umich.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Wednesday, April 7, 2021 — 3
ADMINISTRATION
Calls mount for Ron Weiser to resign after violent,
sexist comments at Republican Club meeting
The Michigan Daily compiled a list of all groups and public officials that have criticized the regent or called on him to step down
EMMA RUBERG &
MARTHA LEWAND
Daily Staff Reporters
City Council approves resolution for unarmed safety response team
Councilmembers also talk U-M President’s Commission on Carbon Neutrality recommendations, rental period ordinance, anti-Asian hate
LILLIAN GOODING &
SHANNON STOCKING
Daily Staff Reporters
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
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