Vivienne ArmentrouT

Since moving to Ann Arbor with her husband Charlie (a physicist) in 1986, Vivienne has focused on community service and on her work as a free-lance editor, writer, and publisher. Previous to the move to Michigan, Vivienne was a college professor at California State Polytechnic University and holds a Ph.D. in Botany and Plant Pathology. She will bring her experience in public service, together with her love for Ann Arbor as a livable community, to represent you on City Council at a crucial moment in our city’s history.

A history of civic action:  Vivienne has extensive experience in taking both action and leadership in the community. She:

• Ran and was elected to the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners (BOC), serving from 1997-2004
• Chaired the Ann Arbor Solid Waste Commission for five years
• Served on the boards of the League of Women Voters and Project Grow
  
• Participated as a member of the Ann Arbor Budget Review Committee  in 1995
• Volunteered in numerous Democratic campaigns

Working for a better environment:  Among Vivienne's passions is a commitment to environmental stewardship and renewal, including a concern for our community's food security. Vivienne has worked to:

• Promote recycling while on the Solid Waste Commission
  
• Minimize pesticide use in the city as a volunteer at the Ecology Center
• Preserve farmland on the county commission, while also working to address the Pall-Gelman contamination
  

Vivienne's concern for fresh local food for all has brought her to support community gardens at Project Grow, to work for farm preservation while she was county commissioner, and to join Slow Food Huron Valley. She recently wrote an article on local food issues for the Ann Arbor Observer called "Meet the Locavores." 

Vivienne is a longtime member of the Sierra Club (since 1973) and was awarded the 1998 and 1999 Environmental Steward of the Year by the Huron Valley Chapter.  She is also a charter member of the Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy and belongs to the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Environmental Defense Fund.

A commitment to citizen involvement:   Believing that citizens must be  involved in determining outcomes of issues that affect them, Vivienne's approach in community leadership roles has been to assure public participation:

• From early days at the Ecology Center, she sought out and brought multiple voices into the discussion. 
  
• While on the BOC, she initiated a Neighborhood Advisory Council for residents near the new homeless shelter on Huron (now the Delonis Center) so that their concerns could be addressed.
  
• As Commissioner, she reinstated an intergovernmental group to address the Pall-Gelman contamination and invited citizen participation, making special efforts to involve neighborhood groups. 
  
• While chair of the county Planning Advisory Board, she insisted on public participation during the making of the Comprehensive Plan for Washtenaw County, where many examples of citizen input are now incorporated into the plan.

Experience with planning issues:  Vivienne has concentrated on planning and land use issues throughout her public life. She was the editor of four books on planning and served on the county's Planning Commission as well as on the Planning Advisory Board and the Agricultural and Open Space Task Force.  She has worked with neighborhood groups on local projects and was the editor for the Comprehensive Plan for Washtenaw County.  Many of her articles for the Ann Arbor Observer were about planning issues, including her article "Our Town vs. Big City: The clash of cultures over downtown." 

Your choice will determine Ann Arbor's future: Vivienne Armentrout has the experience of taking action in government, the leadership and integrity to do what is right rather than what is expedient, and the strategic skills to work effectively as a City Council member. She has a demonstrated history of working to represent and include her constituency in decision making processes, which has been sorely lacking in the current City Council.  If you are committed to a vibrant, livable future for Ann Arbor, please cast your vote for Vivienne Armentrout on August 5, 2008.