The Ann Arbor Independent Editorial Team 2257 posts 224 comments

by Rob C. Smith IN DECEMBER 2012 Governor Rick Snyder was quoted in the Detroit Free Press as saying that “Michigan is well-positioned for a comeback.” A few days later, for the third year, Forbes Magazine ranked Michigan 47th in Forbes’…

by Warren Liverance MY NOT-SO-benevolent editor and I had a chat about how and where we get our news and information. We agreed that the way we access the written word has changed radically over the past decade. So, I decided to devote a…

Please note: Kai Petainen sits on The Ann Arbor Independent’s Editorial Board. SINCE 2009 ANN Arbor’s elected officials have given Ann Arbor SPARK over $5.1 million dollars in public money. In addition, a Washtenaw County tax has…

ROBB WOULFE, THE Executive and Artistic Director of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, will be stepping down from his role to take up a new post in Colorado. He will become the new Chief Executive Officer of cultural arts for the city of…

ANN ARBOR SPARK officials have refused to provide audited financial statements to the public and elected officials. When Governor Rick Snyder and MEDC CEO Michael Finney headed the organization, the Annual Report claimed that over 12,000…

THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION of University Professors has released its 2013 Salary Survey. The comprehensive look at what colleges and universities across the U.S. pay their faculty includes breakdowns of state-by-state data. In Michigan,…

AT THE NOVEMBER 7th City Council meeting, Ward 4 City Council member Margie Teall made an observation: She said that Ann Arbor locals shop at big box stores and that downtown is supported by “tourists.” It should be noted that Teall did not…

Editor’s Note: Kai Petainen serves on the Editorial Board of The Ann Arbor Independent. THESE ARE THE facts: 1.  Between June 2009 and November 2013, the City of Ann Arbor gave Ann Arbor SPARK $5.1 million dollars from its General…

ANN ARBOR CITY Attorney Stephen K. Postema has represented the City Council as its legal eagle since 2003. He advises the Mayor, City Council, City Administrator and oversees the City Attorney’s Office, with a staff of 10 attorneys and a…

MAYOR JOHN HIEFTJE’S propensity to populate the city’s boards and commissions with what City Council members allege are his political cronies has long irked political insiders. This, among other reasons, is why there is a quiet movement…