GET EMAIL UPDATES!
WHY I'M RUNNING
I chose Ann Arbor to raise my family because we are a progressive community.
Right now, Ann Arbor is at a crossroads. People are being priced out and left behind. The pandemic is hurting our local businesses — and our city budget. There are critical threats to our water supply.
We need new leaders who will take bold, creative action. In these times, the status quo isn't an option.
As your city council member, I will work to improve our basic services like roads and water, and I won’t back away from tough issues like housing affordability, police reform and climate change.
I’m asking the voters of the 4th Ward for your support and vote, so together we can lead Ann Arbor forward.
WHO IS JEN?
Lifelong Michigander, longtime Ann Arbor resident
Jen Eyer was born and raised in mid-Michigan, the daughter of an IBEW electrician and a nurse. Growing up in a family that discussed politics around the dinner table, Jen learned from an early age how political decisions affected her parents’ livelihood, job safety and the community. Her mother and father, both now retired, never missed an opportunity to teach Jen and her brother the value that the union brought their family and the middle class in general – lessons that shaped her political views going forward.
Jen has lived in the 4th Ward for 20 years -- nearly all of her adult life. She currently resides in the Lansdowne neighborhood with her husband, Mitch Irwin, and her two children. Over the years, Jen has turned down opportunities to move to larger cities because none compare to what she values here in Ann Arbor for her family: Strong neighborhood schools, walkable neighborhoods, public transportation, and safe public spaces for children to explore. Above all, Jen loves Ann Arbor for being a compassionate community that works to address economic inequality and supports programs to ensure the needs of the most vulnerable are met.
Photo by Amanda Allen/The Michigan Daily
Experienced leader
Following her college education from the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, Jen worked as a newspaper reporter covering local government. In the late 1990s, she became a pioneer in the digital revolution.
Jen joined MLive and The Ann Arbor News, and from 2000 to 2016, she held a variety of leadership positions, overseeing the company’s statewide editorial board, and social media and community engagement teams. She also managed the award-winning newsroom for The Ann Arbor News, and was honored to be named best editorial writer in the top division in the state for 2014 and 2015 by the Michigan Associated Press Media Editors.
Jen now provides strategic counsel to progressive organizations and candidates. She works tirelessly on behalf of those who are working to move Michigan forward.
Public servant
For the past two decades Jen has served the Ann Arbor community in many ways, including as Dicken Elementary School PTO president, Glacier Way Co-Op Preschool president, Girl Scouts troop leader, and various committees with United Way, the A2Y Chamber of Commerce, the Ann Arbor Art Center, and Ann Arbor Public Schools.
In September 2016, Jen was unanimously chosen from a field of seven candidates to fill an interim seat on the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, representing District 9 on Ann Arbor's west side. She served with distinction and, among other things, was recognized as being instrumental in helping the board reach consensus in hiring a new county administrator. During her tenure, Jen also was recognized by her peers on the Board, county administration and county staff for her ability to listen, carefully weigh all sides of an issue, and make even-handed, independent decisions.
.jpg)
Mother of two
From room parent to scout leader to carpool organizer and more, Jen has been active in the public school and parenting communities since her oldest child was born, in 2003. For a decade, she wrote a column for MLive and The Ann Arbor News that served as a helpful resource for Ann Arbor parents. Her children attend Ann Arbor Public Schools.
Jen will bring to City Council a fresh perspective and a positive vision for leading Ann Arbor forward, accompanied with 20 years of public policy, communication and community outreach experience.
