Amber Fellows / Campaign for Mayor of Ypsilanti

Ypsilanti Should Work for Everyone

Amber Fellows is running for Mayor of Ypsilanti to build a city rooted in housing justice, community resilience, and people-powered leadership.

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Meet Amber

My name is Amber Fellows. I'm a multi-decade resident of Ypsilanti, first arriving in 2003 for community and education, and then making it my permanent home. I am 43 years old, an EMU alumn, a first-generation Japanese-American, queer, musician, and community organizer. In August 2024, I won a competitive primary election and earned a seat on City Council. Today, I'm running for mayor in the Democratic primary as a DSA-endorsed candidate.

My career in social services has given me hands-on experience in budgeting, policy, and cross-sector collaboration. Currently, I work in support of Resiliency Hub Initiatives right here in Ypsilanti.

In my time on Council, I've already delivered results: funding public restrooms and drinking fountains in our parks, launching a city-run Community Responder program, and leading Ypsi to join Mayors for Peace. I imposed a year-long data center moratorium, restricted ICE from staging and entering city-owned property, and created the Water Street Citizens Committee and Tenants' Rights Committees.

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Ypsilanti, Michigan

Amber Fellows standing with campaign volunteers holding signs and shirts in a Ypsilanti park.

In Community

Built with neighbors, organizers, and volunteers

This campaign is powered by the people who show up for Ypsilanti every day. Amber's work is rooted in community relationships, volunteer energy, and a belief that city government should belong to residents.

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Campaign Video

Watch Amber's campaign video

Hear directly from Amber about the campaign, the stakes in Ypsilanti, and the vision behind this run for mayor.

The campaign platform

Amber's platform centers housing justice, shared decision-making, community resilience, repairing systemic harm, public safety and health, and ending local cronyism.

Platform

Renter's Rights & Housing Justice

At nearly 70%, Ypsilanti has one of the highest rental household rates in the state. A few landlords owning most housing are at the root of injustice for low-income, BIPOC, disabled, LGBTQIA+, immigrant, single parent, senior, and student residents. Our path includes allowing more building types, reforming zoning, creating a revolving-loan fund and bond revenue for affordable housing, overturning the rent control ban, establishing a Tenant Right of First Refusal, and building a permanent low-barrier shelter.

Platform

Budget Balance & Tax Fairness

Ypsilanti's tax burden is tough on residents and delivers few services. We can balance finances and reduce stress by diversifying revenue and prioritizing quality city services, infrastructure, healthcare, and education over private profits, consultants, war, ICE, fossil fuels, or data centers. Reinvestment in neighborhoods and downtown helps local residents, workers, and businesses thrive.

Platform

Community Decision-Making

A few staff and seven council members should not make every governmental decision. We can include resident input through committees, surveys, and semi-annual city-wide votes on issues like Water Street, the YPD budget, and more. Expanding community decision-making ensures our city's future reflects the will of the people and distributes power more equitably across all neighborhoods.

Platform

Green Infrastructure, Transit & Local Jobs

We can reduce financial stress while building a sustainable future by investing in green infrastructure, renewable public power, and transit. That includes fixing local roads and bridges, expanding D2A2 bus service, relaxing restrictive lawn ordinances to encourage native and edible landscaping, and creating partnerships to improve our parks and tree canopy. Reinvesting tax dollars into the environment and local jobs creates upward mobility, and a resilient Ypsilanti prioritizes the health of its people and the planet over fossil fuel and Wall Street interests.

Platform

Unarmed Response & Harm Reduction

Improving public safety means creating a new city service. Amber has already funded the unarmed Community Responder program; the next step is full implementation so residents in mental health crisis or poverty get help, not a jail cell. We must declare homelessness, substance use, and community violence a public health crisis, modeled on Baltimore's 5 Year Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan, and address root causes. Supporting community-led harm reduction and drug-checking initiatives saves lives in our most vulnerable populations.

Platform

Reparations & Healing

True safety requires confronting past injustices. Establishing a Reparations Committee will draw deeply from the perspectives of residents impacted by historical and contemporary racial harm. This work has the potential to set off a cascade of healing by addressing the root causes of generational poverty and displacement, ensuring our path forward is grounded in equity, repair, and justice.

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