John Hieftje

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John Hieftje is the current Democratic mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was first elected in 2000 and was re-elected in 2002 and 2004. A native Ann Arborite, he began his political career as a city councilperson for Ann Arbor's 1st Ward in 1999. He went back to school as an adult and graduated from Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan in 1997.

Hieftje has served on the boards of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, the Michigan Theater, the Huron River Watershed Council, and the Lake Superior Conservancy and Watershed Council. He has served as Co-Chair of the Washtenaw Metro Alliance and as Chair of Recycle Ann Arbor and of Urban Core Mayors of Michigan. He is a member of the Sierra Club, the Ecology Center of Ann Arbor, and the National Wildlife Federation (Great Lakes Office).

A staunch environmentalist, Hieftje believes that Ann Arbor should pursue alternative energy. In addition, he fought for a 2003 ballot initiative in which Ann Arbor residents were asked to approve tax increases to fund the Ann Arbor Parks and Greenbelt Program. The anti-sprawl program called for the purchase of some 7,000 acres of land in and around the city and keep it undeveloped. The goal was to preserve farmland and open space. On Nov. 4, 2003, Ann Arbor residents approved the program 2-1, generating about $35 million to purchase land.

Hieftje has won several awards, including Local Elected Official of the Year Award from the Michigan Recreation and Parks Association, the Conservation Leadership Award from the Greater Detroit Audubon Society, the Conservation Award from the Huron Valley Group of Sierra Club, and the Preservationist of the Year Award from Washtenaw Land Trust.

Website: http://hieftje.org