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Best of The A2Independent
A2Politico Celebrates Citizen Activism With A New Annual Award
by P.D. Lesko
When I taught college, one writing assignment I most enjoyed was having my students compose letters to their elected officials. One woman chose to write a letter to the President. A couple of weeks later, she found her…
Dirty Air + Contaminated Water = Glowing Enviro Endorsements in One Michigan County
“John Hieftje has the strongest environmental record of any Mayor in the Midwest. He’s championed the city’s Greenbelt, the clean energy initiative, commuter rail, bicycling and our terrific parks system. These programs set Ann Arbor apart.…
Interview: Sally Hart Petersen— "A Real Democrat Is Running In Ward 2!"
SECOND WARD CITY Council member Tony Derezinski has get-togethers for Ward 2 constituents in the know at bars, and in March had a Ward 2 meeting at his home where, again, those in the know showed up and got to rub elbows with AATA Board…
The “Sustainable” Mantra — Organic, Local, and Slow — Won’t Save the World’s Hungry Millions
by Robert Paarlberg
From Whole Foods recyclable cloth bags to Michelle Obama's organic White House garden, modern eco-foodies are full of good intentions. We want to save the planet. Help local farmers. Fight climate change — and childhood…
Interview: Mayor Brenda Lawrence Is The Definition of An Underdog—To Get To Congress, She Has To Beat Two Incumbents & the Media
BRENDA LAWRENCE (LEFT) grew up on the northeast side of Detroit and was raised by her grandparents; her mother died when she was three-years-old. She graduated from Detroit's Pershing High School, and earned her bachelor's degree in public…
Interview: A Young, Black Detroiter Is Set To Derail the ALEC-Inspired Agenda of Michigan’s Millionaire Governor
BRANDON JESSUP IS young, black and lives in Detroit. Newspapers and magazines all around the country that trumpet bad news generated by statistical analyses and studies about the city will tell you that Brandon Jessup should be unemployed,…
Savaged: Brad Langerak Gives the 99% in Michigan A Digital Soapbox
By Chris Savage
It's hard to view any sort of media at all these days without finding reference to the Occupy Wall Street movement. With its made-for-viral-media meme "We are the 99%", this movement is one that's beginning to resonate…
The Parent Trap: An Interview With Annie Zipser—Mother to Hundreds
by Betsy McMillin
Eleven and eight years ago, my two oldest kids had the great fortune of attending Stone School Co-op Preschool. The teacher of the 4s class was Annie Zipser. I knew I liked Annie the first time I met her. She was honest,…
EXCLUSIVE Interview: Former Governor Jennifer Granholm Talks About the Political and Economic Past & Future of Michigan and the U.S.
by Chris Savage
Last week, former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm and her husband Dan Mulhern released their new book A Governor's Story - The Fight for Jobs and America’s Economic Future. (You can read my A2Politico review of their…
FOIA Reveals Mayor and Council Targeted Popular Parks For Development
A2PNotes: This is filed under "Scoops & Scores" because you read it here first
by P.D. Lesko
Collectively, Ann Arbor residents own about 2,000 acres of parkland. A conservative estimate of the value of the land, according to city…