This was part of my April 2, 2022 newsletter:
https://www.a2elnel.com/post/city-council-newsletter-april-2-2022
Ward 4 People & Places You Should Know
If you pay attention to local housing or energy issues, you may already know Ember McCoy. She is an appointed member of the City’s Energy Commission (since 2018) and active in the Graduate Employees Organization (GEO). Ember is a Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Policy & Justice at U-M’s School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS). She studies the politics of air pollution regulation and monitoring in the US.
I first met Ember last year, when GEO and UM student leaders approached me to talk about how early leasing hurts tenants in Ann Arbor. Together, we successfully amended the City’s Early Leasing Ordinance and we continue to work toward policy reforms that will help renters in Ann Arbor.
Last year, Ember was a member of GEO’s Housing Caucus; she is currently the Contract Committee Co-chair for GEO, helping develop their platform for negotiations with the University. She has also been involved in climate-related activism in Ann Arbor, including a Climate Action Movement that successfully persuaded the University to divest from fossil fuels and a local campaign to try to stop DTE from building a new natural gas plant.
Ember first moved to Ann Arbor for a two-year masters program in Environmental Justice. She stayed here, working as a staff member in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs office at SEAS before starting her Ph.D.
Ember has lived in Ann Arbor for seven years and moved to Ward 4 last July.
When City Council considers housing or energy issues, we leverage expertise and experience from people like Ember. She is someone you should know!