An effort to start the process of taking over DTE's electric infrastructure and establishing a municipal utility in Ann Arbor has failed.
Proposal E would have created a municipal utility board to direct and manage the establishment of a city-owned electricity provider.
But the proposal faced headwinds, including a lawsuit by the city council itself.
With all precincts reporting unofficial results early Wednesday, just shy of 52% of voters opposed the measure.
Still, the group behind the proposal,
Ann Arbor for Public Power (A2P2), looks forward to a friendlier city government going forward. Mayoral candidate Yousef Rabhi ran unopposed in the general election after beating incumbent mayor Christopher Taylor in the Democratic primary, and is supportive of public power.
“DTE spent almost $2 million against us, and this little ragtag grassroots campaign brought together hundreds of people from around the city,” A2P2 Field Coordinator Fiona Dunlop said on election night, before the loss was known.
“I feel so incredibly proud of the community that we've made and the friends that we've made and the little family that we've put together, and I don't think we're going to stop," said Dunlop.
