Mike Eller is the owner of Populist Cleaning Company in downtown Ypsilanti and a lifelong resident of Ypsilanti. He is the former Chairman of the America First Party of Michigan (and Chairman of the National Finance Committee of the national America First Party). He is currently a member of the Democratic Populist Caucus.
In 2008, he ran for a position on the Ypsilanti City Council as an Independent, losing to Peter J. Murdock. In 2012, he challenged Murdock again, this time running as a Democrat. Observers of the race have criticized Eller's party switch, wondering how he can reconcile his past views as a member of the America First Party with his current identification as a Democrat.
Sources
- Mike Eller campaign website (2012): http://www.mikeellerforypsi.com/
- Mike Eller campaign website (2008), as archived by the Internet Wayback Machine: http://web.archive.org/web/20080919064310/http://www.mikeellerforypsi.com/index.htm
- MarkMaynard.com, July 2, 2012: Non-Democrats in the Ypsilanti Democratic Primary… is there anything wrong with that?
- AnnArbor.com, May 16, 2012: Anti-tax proposal candidates bid for Ypsilanti Council seats in 2 of 3 wards
