Best of The A2Independent

by P.D. Lesko Since the hiring of City Administrator Steve Powers, compensation for city employees has risen sharply. In 2010, 13 employees earned six-figure base salaries. After three years of Powers’ at the helm, that number has…

by P.D. Lesko In 2013, The Ann Arbor Independent published articles detailing county employee stays at Las Vegas casinos, resorts and 4-star hotels at taxpayer expense. Analysis of 3,600 credit card charges made in 2014 show no trips to…

by P.D. Lesko THE EXECUTIVE Committee of the Ann Arbor Dems recently voted on a proposal put forward at the group’s most recent meeting to “close the books” on Chair Mike Henry’s $6,000 in cash withdrawls. The group voted to accept…

Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton talks about recent drug busts in the county jail, the socio-economics of crime in the county and "Orange is the New Black." SHERIFF JERRY Clayton currently oversees a $22 million corrections budget.…

by Mary Akers TWICE IN MY life, I have flown through an airport only hours before another plane crashed there. In 1994, with my two young daughters in tow, we landed in Charlotte, NC for an extended visit. Later that evening, a band of…

"I am running for Mayor of Ann Arbor because it is time for new leadership, new knowledge, skills and abilities to leverage the economic growth ahead of us into improved city services for all residents."—Sally Hart Petersen POTENTIAL…

MICHAEL WOODYARD is either Gandalf or Saruman, it just depends on whom you ask. He challenged Judge Timothy Connors for his seat on the 22nd Circuit Court last year, a seat Connors has either warmed, or filled admirably, depending on whom…

TRACY VAN DEN Bergh comes into Sweetwater’s in Kerrytown a bit before 10 a.m. on a Saturday. She’s holding an empty iced coffee and looks casually caffeinated. She’s 44- years-old, and wears her age well. Considering she’s competing in a…

by P.D. Lesko TAMARA GARWOOD is seated at a table in Cafe Verde  which is tucked in a corner. She has chosen a secluded spot where, presumably, our conversation will not be overheard.  The problem is that in Cafe Verde at  10 a.m. (my…

by P.D. Lesko PAT CONLIN HAS pink eye. It couldn’t have come at a more inopportune moment. A candidate running for office naturally wants to shake hands. He can’t. Pink eye is devilishly contagious and he wants to make sure he doesn’t…