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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