What Could Possibly Go Wrong with Proposal B?

Eastern Echo, October 14, 2026:

"Anderson shared that currently, the Ypsilanti Police have 27 officers with six vacancies. There are five officers currently in training and one recruit that is being sent to the academy by the end of this month.

"I do think we have a difficulty retaining officers," Anderson said. He said that there is currently a very competitive market. "To be quite frank, this community at times, sometimes from this board, provides a very anti-police narrative. So when officers can leave and go somewhere and make more money and actually be applauded for the efforts that they make ... it's gonna put us at a disadvantage to retain talent."

"After careful consideration, I want to share my personal position on Proposal B on the November ballot in the City of Ypsilanti.

I am OPPOSED to Proposal B.

I have concerns about the lack of clarity around the process, including what would actually constitute an “increase” to the police budget and how that determination would be made.

I am also troubled by how past changes to the police budget have been characterized in conversations surrounding this proposal. In my view, some of those characterizations do not accurately reflect the decisions that were made or the circumstances surrounding them, and I find that framing disingenuous.

More fundamentally, residents elect their Mayor and City Council to represent them, weigh competing community needs, and make difficult budget decisions. I take that responsibility seriously. Our budget process should be transparent, accountable, and responsive to the needs of the entire community, while allowing elected officials to do the job residents elected us to do.

I encourage everyone to read Proposal B, ask questions, and make their own informed decision. As for me, I will be voting NO."

"Understand this… Proposal B is a proposal, that in my opinion, would derail the process by which Council is held to in order to properly pass our city’s budget every year by June 7th. This proposal can also open us up as a city to litigation, drive morale of our mostly young police force down further, make our recruiting/retention/hiring abilities much harder, and drive our existing officers to leave our organization and go elsewhere. The people of the City of Ypsilanti have spoken already. They elected each of us to represent them in EVERY meeting, to take into consideration the wants and needs of the ENTIRE community.

Recently, in our [October 6 Ypsilanti city council] meeting, there was much discussion surrounding “the removal of council from the Adaptive PUD process” and placing it in the hands of “non-elected planning commissioners” and how certain Council Members view that as wrong… then later in the meeting we’re discussing a process by which the responsibility/ “final say” on our Police Budget, which in turn effects our ability to approve our ENTIRE BUDGET, will be stripped from THE ELECTED OFFICIALS and then given to NON ELECTED COMMUNITY MEMBERS and how that is the way we should go!?! Excuse me… but the math just ain’t mathing.

I am voting NO on Proposal B in November because I refuse to jam up our budget process for this currently seated council, councils of the future, and our residents!"