The story of Albert Wheeler, Ann Arbor’s first and only Black mayor Updated Feb 28, 2021; Posted Feb 28, 2021 Albert Wheeler at his desk at the University of Michigan in November 1968, seven years before he would become Ann Arbor's first Black mayor.Ann Arbor News archives courtesy of OldNews.AADL.org Facebook Share ANN ARBOR, MI — The elections that catapulted Albert Wheeler into the Ann Arbor mayor’s office in 1975 and led to his ouster three years later were nothing short of unusual. They involved razor-thin margins, a controversial new voting system later repealed, and a reelection victory followed by a court battle and special redo election.