The Ann Arbor Independent Editorial Team 2249 posts 224 comments

by P.D. Lesko Ward 4 Council member Dharma Akmon posted to Facebook about the Ballot Question Committee Ann Arbor for Public Power (A2P2) that, "The proposed charter amendment would create a new municipal electric utility and a new…

Editor's Note: This article has been corrected. Council member Harrison doesn't live in Arrowwood Co-op. by P.D. Lesko At the one-hour Ward 1 candidate forum sponsored by Arrowwood Cooperative, where candidate Rebecca Arends lives,…

by P.D. Lesko Aiden Sova, current President of the Board of the Ann Arbor District Library, posted a video to his Facebook campaign page in which he identifies himself as the President of the AADL Board, speaks on behalf of the AADL,…

Writer's Note: Eighteen months ago I posted an essay on NextDoor about how Ann Arbor is governed. The post was removed without due process and without substantive dispute. by David Fresco In November 2024, Ann Arbor voters returned…

by Bob Topper For years I have tried to understand how and why so many of my family and friends, good and intelligent people, buy into the Trump-MAGA promise of quick and easy solutions to complex problems. I see why they believe…

by P.D. Lesko Perhaps you've seen the yard signs: Neighbors for More Neighbors. The signs are made available by a "Team of Neighbors" who want to densify Ann Arbor through influencing public policy, including planning and zoning. That…

Editor's Note: Ward One City Council candidate Rebecca Arends used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain public records to try to understand why, several years after City Council allocated more than $3.5 million to shape and implement…

by Sydney Bleh For millions of Americans, having a criminal record can feel like a life sentence. In Michigan, there are 32,411 people in prison as of December 2025. That is enough to fill about one third of the Big House in Ann Arbor.…

Updated May 1, 2026 with a comment from Tegwyn John of A2P2. by P.D. Lesko Ann Arbor for Public Power (A2P2) is a local group circulating petitions to gather 6,500 signatures to put the question to local voters of establishing a…

by P.D. Lesko In March 2025, State Reps. Jason Morgan, Jimmie Wilson and Carrie Rheingans submitted requests for pork spending to benefit Ann Arbor, Superior and Scio Twps. The Reps., along with local elected officials, want Michigan…