Nicole Brown · The Ypsilantian

Nicole Brown is the sitting Mayor of Ypsilanti and the Democratic incumbent in the August 4, 2026 primary. She won the 2022 mayoral race with 76% of the vote. She is endorsed by Amanda Edmonds, Annie Somerville, and Justin Hodge.

McMullan Exit Package Brown voted to allow former City Manager Frances McMullan to retire early — rather than be terminated for cause — and provided an exit package that included a guaranteed positive work reference. This occurred in August 2023 while McMullan was under Michigan State Police investigation for credit card fraud. McMullan subsequently collected two government pensions (Ann Arbor + Ypsilanti) after pleading to a single misdemeanor and paying $125.

China Trip 2017 Brown was a passenger on a 2017 trip to China, organized through a Wayne State University student group pass-through, funded by developer Amy Foster. The city attorney warned in writing the trip was "unethical and illegal." Then-Council Member Amber Fellows stood at public comment on October 17, 2017 and demanded accountability. Brown and Fellows now serve together on council and have voted together on $1 million spending packages.

Supreme Felons Inc. Brown did not cast a vote on the $1.2M ARPA grant to Supreme Felons Inc. — that was a county commission vote. However, the organization operated in Ypsilanti under her mayoralty from 2022 through 2024.

Endorsement Network Brown's 2026 endorsers include Amanda Edmonds (Growing Hope), Annie Somerville (County Commissioner, voted yes on SF grant), and Justin Hodge (County Commissioner, voted yes on SF grant, chaired CABLE law enforcement advisory board during 2020 Grady El incident, had Mackinac Conference paid for by Alize Asberry Payne's fraudulent county card).

2026 Mayoral Race Brown is running against Amber Fellows, the Ward 3 council member who originally raised the China trip in 2017. Fellows filed April 20, 2026 — one day before the deadline.

Did Brown know about the MSP investigation into McMullan before providing the guaranteed positive work reference? McMullan departed August 2023. A2Indy confirmed MSP was investigating as of September 2023. The city attorney (Barr) appears to have been aware. Whether Brown was informed before giving the reference is undocumented.