After four years on the Ann Arbor City Council, my wife Dharma Akmon’s term has come to an end. It’s hard to believe how fast the time has passed.
Admittedly, it took some arm-twisting to convince her to run. She had already served a four-year term as an elected member of the Ann Arbor District Library’s Board of Trustees. However, once she decided to run for Council, Dharma did what she does best: she went from zero to 100 and gave it her all.
From the very beginning, she brought a thoughtful, caring approach to serving our city. She spent countless hours listening to constituents, studying the issues, and putting in the work. Often, after a day at work, she was still at it long after most people would have called it a night. She never treated the role as a title. To her, it was a responsibility to the people who trusted her with their voice.
Ann Arbor has long been a shining light in Michigan. The city’s economy is strong, anchored by a world-class university and a thriving local business community. Ann Arbor has also led the way on climate action, housing, and safer streets. Over the past four years, Dharma helped push that work even further. She voted to adopt the city’s first new comprehensive plan in nearly two decades. It is a blueprint for a more affordable, sustainable, and equitable Ann Arbor through 2050. A bike advocate before she ever ran for office, she championed safe streets and multimodal transportation so everyone can walk, bike, ride transit, or drive with confidence. During her term, Ann Arbor voters overwhelmingly approved a first-in-the-nation sustainable energy utility. The city also became one of the first two communities in Michigan to earn platinum certification for environmental leadership.
It hasn’t always been easy. Politics, even at the local level, has become meaner and more divisive. Through it all, Dharma stayed diplomatic, ethical, and true to herself. She led with grace and listened with an open mind. She never lost sight of why she was there: to make Ann Arbor a better home for all of us.
Dharma, I am so proud of you! Thank you for the time, heart, and energy you gave this community. Thank you for the example you set for everyone around you, me most of all. Ann Arbor is better because of you, and so am I!
