Christopher Taylor (politician)

Christopher Taylor (born 1967) is an American attorney and politician who has served as the mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan since 2014.

Christopher Taylor
61st Mayor of Ann Arbor
Incumbent
Assumed office November 10, 2014
Preceded by	John Hieftje
Personal details
Born	1967 (age 53–54) New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Eva Rosenwald
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Michigan (BA, BMA, MA) University of Michigan Law School (JD)

He has earned four degrees from the University of Michigan, and served on the boards of directors of various Ann Arbor non-profit organizations before being elected to public office. In 2008, Taylor was elected to Ann Arbor City Council as a Democrat, on which he served a total of three terms before announcing his mayoral campaign in 2013. After winning a highly contested Democratic primary in August 2014, he was elected Mayor of Ann Arbor on November 4, 2014, winning 84.21% of the vote as he easily defeated independent candidate Bryan Kelly.

Taylor's philosophy generally resembles that of his predecessor, John Hieftje, including his emphases on development, infrastructure, and the relationship between the city and the University of Michigan.

Early life

Taylor was born in 1967 in New York City, and moved to Illinois with his family in 1976. During his junior and senior years of high school, he attended the Interlochen Arts Academy, near Traverse City, Michigan.[1] In 1985, he enrolled at the University of Michigan, from which he has earned four degrees: a B.A. in English, a B.M.A. in Vocal Performance, an M.A. in American History, and a J.D.[1][2][3] He was president of the Inter-Cooperative Council at the University of Michigan, a housing cooperative counting 550 members,[2] and served as editor-in-chief of the Michigan Law Review while attending the University of Michigan Law School.[3][4]

Taylor is a corporate and commercial attorney, and he practices with the law firm Hooper Hathaway in Ann Arbor.[2] Prior to joining Hooper Hathaway, he worked with Butzel Long, also in Ann Arbor, and Ropes & Gray in Boston; he was additionally a law clerk for Bruce Selya, a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.[3] Prior to being elected to public office, Taylor served on the boards of directors of the Ann Arbor non-profit organizations 826michigan, Ann Arbor in Concert, and FestiFools.[2][4]

Political career

Ann Arbor City Council

In 2008, Taylor ran for Ann Arbor City Council as a Democrat on a platform that included restraining spending, balancing development with the city's character, investing in infrastructure, protecting the city's parks and recreation offerings, and supporting its neediest residents.[5] In the election, he defeated fellow Democrat Stephen Kunselman by a two-to-one margin for a seat on the council. He would not be challenged in an election again until he ran for mayor in 2014.[4] Taylor served a total of three terms on Ann Arbor City Council, where he represented the city's Third Ward.[2] In 2010, he announced that he would seek re-election due in part to the effects of the Great Recession on the city.[5]

During his tenure, Taylor participated in the City Council's Budget Committee, City Administrator Search Committee, Council Rules Committee, Parks Advisory Commission, Senior Center and Mack Pool Task Force, and Taxicab Board.[2] As a Council member, Taylor gained a reputation for supporting Ann Arbor's local crosswalk law, advocating for more commercial and residential recycling, maintaining zoning boundaries and downtown building height limits, opposing digital billboards, and subsidizing public art;[4][5] in December 2013, he co-sponsored a proposal to contribute $10,000 to help fund the 2014 Ann Arbor Street Art Fair.[4]

Mayoral campaign

Taylor officially announced his campaign for mayor on December 20, 2013, when he submitted the 250 signatures (50 each from Ann Arbor's five wards) required to run for the office.[6] At the time, MLive reporter Ryan Stanton described him as one of then-mayor John Hieftje's "closest political allies"; for his part, Hieftje called Taylor "incredibly competent and highly qualified" and opined that he would "make a fine mayor".[4] In August 2014, Taylor took 47.57% of the vote and the party nomination in the Democratic primary, edging fellow Council members Stephen Kunselman, Sabra Briere, and Sally Hart Petersen in a highly contested race. During his campaign, Taylor spent more money than any of his competitors: a total of $75,698.[7]

Mayor of Ann Arbor

On November 4, 2014, Taylor was elected Mayor of Ann Arbor, winning 84.21% of the vote as he easily defeated independent candidate Bryan Kelly.[2][7][8] Andrew Cluley of WEMU described the result as one that would not bring any major changes to Ann Arbor's municipal government, opining that while "a few names may be changing...most of the policies are expected to remain the same".[8] Taylor was sworn in on November 10, 2014 at the city clerk's office.[9] In a December 2014 interview, he outlined some of the most pressing issues facing the city and his administration: among them, the need for greater residential density downtown, making the city more affordable for the working class, better supporting the arts, and determining the future direction and development of Liberty Plaza, a downtown park.[10]

Ann Arbor Observer writer James Leonard described the similarities between Taylor and his predecessor, Hieftje, as "striking";[11] Michigan Daily reporter Emma Kerr noted that Taylor's philosophy echoed Hieftje's on several key issues, including development, infrastructure, and the relationship between the city and the University of Michigan.[7] More specifically, Taylor expressed his intentions to individually evaluate construction projects and amend then-current zoning regulations, maintain and repair local roads (although he acknowledged that much of this work was being done at the county level), and meet with University president Mark Schlissel.[7] Both Taylor and Hieftje consider transportation to be among the most important and impactful of the city government's responsibilities, including its local bus service and a proposal for commuter rail.[11]

Leonard also noted what he perceived to be key differences between the two mayors, describing Hieftje as "at heart a salesman who truly loves his product" and Taylor as "at heart an attorney who persuades through reasoned discussion"; he added that Taylor's "cooler approach could accomplish as much while alienating fewer people".[11]

Personal life

Taylor is married to Ann Arbor native Eva Rosenwald, and the couple have two children.[2][3] Outside of his political and professional careers, Taylor has also performed with a large number of community theaters and local choirs.[2]

Electoral history

2008

2008 Ann Arbor City Council Ward 3 Democratic primary[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Christopher Taylor	1,387	63.25%
	Democratic	Stephen Kunselman	805	36.71%
	Democratic	Write-ins	1	0.05%
Total votes			2,193

2008 Ann Arbor City Council Ward 3[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Christopher Taylor	9,671	98.93%
	Write-in	Write-ins	105	1.07%
Total votes			9,776

2010

2010 Ann Arbor City Council Ward 3[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Christopher Taylor (incumbent)	5,763	98.09%
	Write-in	Write-ins	112	1.91%
Total votes			5,875

2012

2012 Ann Arbor City Council Ward 3[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Christopher Taylor (incumbent)	9,112	98.59%
	Write-in	Write-ins	130	1.41%
Total votes			9,776

2014

2014 Ann Arbor mayoral election Democratic primary[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Christopher Taylor	7,073	47.57%
	Democratic	Sabra Briere	2,971	19.98%
	Democratic	Stephen Kunselman	2,448	16.46%
	Democratic	Sally Hart Petersen	2,364	15.90%
	Democratic	Write-ins	13	0.09%
Total votes			14,869

2014 Ann Arbor mayoral election[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Christopher Taylor	27,988	84.10%
	Independent	Bryan Kelly	5,144	15.46%
	Write-in	Write-ins	147	0.44%
Total votes			33,279

2018

2018 Ann Arbor mayoral election Democratic primary[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Christopher Taylor (incumbent)	16,869	58.85%
	Democratic	Jack Eaton	11,741	40.96%
	Democratic	Write-ins	56	0.20%
Total votes			28,666

2018 Ann Arbor mayoral election[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Christopher Taylor (incumbent)	42,705	96.11%
	Write-in	Write-ins	1,729	3.89%
Total votes			44,434

References

1. Stanton, Ryan (July 25, 2014). "Mayoral candidate profile: Christopher Taylor came to Ann Arbor for music school, returned to raise a family". MLive. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
2. "Mayor Christopher Taylor". City of Ann Arbor. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
3. "About Christopher". Christopher Taylor for Mayor. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
4. Stanton, Ryan (December 20, 2013). "Christopher Taylor announces plans to run for Ann Arbor mayor in 2014". MLive. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
5. Stanton, Ryan J. (March 24, 2010). "Christopher Taylor announces campaign for Ann Arbor City Council". AnnArbor.com. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
6. "Taylor Pulls Petitions to Run for Mayor". The Ann Arbor Chronicle. December 20, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
7. Kerr, Emma (November 4, 2014). "Taylor wins Ann Arbor mayoral race". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
8. Cluley, Andrew (November 5, 2014). "Christopher Taylor Celebrates Ann Arbor Mayoral Victory". WEMU. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
9. Stanton, Ryan (November 10, 2014). "Christopher Taylor is sworn in as Ann Arbor's mayor". MLive. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
10. Burg, Natalie (December 10, 2014). "5 hard questions with Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor". Concentrate. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
11. Leonard, James (December 2014). "Exit John Hieftje. Enter Christopher Taylor". Ann Arbor Observer. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
12. "Official Election Results Cumulative Report". Washtenaw County, Michigan. 11 August 2008. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
13. "Official Election Results NOVEMBER 4, 2014 GENERAL ELECTION ". Washtenaw County, Michigan. 15 November 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
14. "Official Election Results Cumulative Report". Washtenaw County, Michigan. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
15. "Official Election Results Cumulative Report". Washtenaw County, Michigan. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
16. "Official Election Results AUGUST 7, 2018 STATE PRIMARY ELECTION". Washtenaw County, Michigan. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
17. "Official Election Results NOVEMBER 4, 2014 GENERAL ELECTION ". Washtenaw County, Michigan. 17 November 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
18. "Official Election Results AUGUST 7, 2018 STATE PRIMARY ELECTION". Washtenaw County, Michigan. 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
19. "Official Election Results NOVEMBER 6, 2018 GENERAL ELECTION". Washtenaw County, Michigan. 19 November 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2019.

External links

• Mayor of Ann Arbor
• Christopher Taylor on LocalWiki