Corporate Money Comes for Ypsi Politics

A mayoral race in the city of Ypsilanti between incumbent Mayor Nicole Brown and City Councilmember Amber Fellows will be decided on Tuesday, August 4th. After review, campaign finance reports show that landlords, political action committees (PACs), and the extremely wealthy are decidedly favoring one of the candidates in the race.

Nicole Brown’s campaign has taken donations from landlords like Karen Maurer of Maurer Management and Properties (and notable landlord attorney James Fink), Ann Arbor affluent tech legends Linh and Dug Song (who sold his tech company for 2.35 billion dollars), as well as from a Senior Manager for DTE, and a Political Action Committee (PAC) that has endorsed Haley Stevens, a candidate for the senator race who has been funded to the degree of $40+ million to win against candidate Abdul El-Sayed.

While only 35% of all funds donated to Brown’s campaign have come from Ypsi city residents, 80% of all funds donated to Fellows have come from residents within the city.

The Michigan Laborer’s Political League, a PAC that has endorsed Haley Stevens, cut Nicole a $1,000 check. Another PAC by the name of Michigan Families Matter sent out a mailer campaign in support of Mayor Brown. Michigan Families Matter has received significant financial support from another PAC by the name of Michigan Energy First, which is a known dark money front group run by DTE executives. By distorting democracy through suffocating everyday Ypsilanti voters with donated funds from out-of-town wealth and special interest groups, Nicole Brown’s campaign allows PACs to continue their illusory yet legal capacity to corrupt local politics while marginalizing grassroots campaigns that truly represent the people.

A PAC that has endorsed Haley Stevens, the Michigan Laborer’s Political League, cut Nicole a $1,000 check. Another PAC, by the name of Michigan Families Matter, sent out a mailer campaign in support of Mayor Brown. Michigan Families Matter has received significant financial support from another PAC by the name of Michigan Energy First, which is a known dark money front group run by DTE executives. These donated funds from out-of-town wealth and special interest groups distort democracy. Nicole Brown’s campaign has chosen to allow PACs to continue their illusory, yet legal, capacity to corrupt local politics while marginalizing grassroots campaigns that truly represent the people.

Prior to winning the mayoral seat in 2022, Nicole Brown served on City Council since 2014. Councilmember Amber Fellows has been a local organizer since 2016 and served on Council since 2024. The two have been somewhat of political rivals, dating back to the International Village Scandal in 2017, where Brown — then Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem — took a developer-paid trip to China and was a supporter of the large-scale development, while Fellows was a leader in the fight against the development that turned out to be a sham EB-5 Visa scheme/mill.

Brown and Fellows have continued to clash on issues involving social justice and human services, such as housing (Fellows securing affordable housing, citizen negotiation power, and renter’s rights; Brown voted in favor of housing projects but against including a critical Housing Affordability & Accessibility report to the 2020 Master Plan after city staff recommendation), police and public safety (Brown pushing money into YPD budget against staff recommendation; Fellows funding a non-police unarmed crisis response), and democracy (Brown has helped cut public comment at City Council meetings while Fellows has fought to keep it, and has created citizen committees for Water Street and Tenant Rights). 

“While only 35% of all funds donated to Brown’s campaign have come from Ypsi city residents, 80% of all funds donated to Fellows have come from residents within the city.”

Mayor Brown’s platform has expressed support for housing access, resilient neighborhoods, infrastructure, and economic opportunity and has received endorsements from many local politicians. Councilmember Fellows, a Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) endorsed candidate, not only platforms but embodies ongoing work that supports social justice, community resilience, tenants rights, public goods, and fighting data centers.

People who live in Ypsilanti are familiar with the city’s use of “lack of money” as a reason for their inability to do many things they claim to consider worthwhile priorities. While they can prioritize new Ypsilanti Police Department (YPD) fleet vehicles, but not public restrooms for years until Councilmember Fellows pushed that forward, a lot of questions arise when we talk about money. 

Money flows in two directions, so when we analyze campaign finances for a small city like Ypsilanti, many wonder why have landlords and special interests thrown support for Nicole Brown? Why does the majority of Mayor Brown’s financial support come from people who do not live in Ypsilanti? Though the area median income for a single adult in Ypsilanti is around $46,588, why are wealthy people who don’t live in Ypsilanti interested in the local Ypsilanti election?

Perhaps it’s the fact that Amber has run on a slogan of “Fight Landlord Monopolies,” has been a champion of expanded tenants’ rights and housing access, a vocal advocate against data centers and supporter of public power, and a voice against police hegemony. As an organizer and council member, Amber Fellows is a disruptor of the status quo which is a clear threat to the ruling class. This tenacity being met with obstruction follows a historical pattern of our nation’s creation. But can outside money donated to Ypsilanti candidates solve Ypsilanti issues without conditions attached? When does money begin to compromise what you stand for, fight for, and vote for?

Ypsilanti has the opportunity to shake up the current political landscape drastically; that means electing a Mayor who will fight for ALL of Ypsilanti — not just for those who have the most wealth, privilege, and influence.