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Investigations
Ann Arbor Independent & ACLU Press Police to Release Public Records About Rosser Shooting
The Ann Arbor Independent filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the incident report filed by AAPD officers after the shooting of Aura Rosser. The ACLU of Michigan has been in contact with the AAPD, as well, urging the release of…
UPDATED: WCC President Reimbursed for $2,873.60 Meal at Vinology With WCC Foundation Funds
UPDATED: The newspaper has filed a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain the names of all the participants at the Vinology event for Wendy Lawson. We have also filed a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain the name of the…
From 2010-2013 Number of City Employees With Six-Figure Compensation Packages More Than Tripled
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…
County Employee Credit Card Records Show Las Vegas Trips, Stays at Luxury Hotels Curtailed
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…
Ward 3 Politicos Oppose Inquiry into 40+ Cash Withdrawls Made By Chair of Ann Arbor City Democratic Party
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…
Ann Arbor District Library Rule Number 7—What “Dozing” Meant for Homeless Library Patrons During the Polar Vortex
by P.D. Lesko
A Washtenaw County employee told City Council in January 2014 that Ann Arbor’s homeless men, women, children and families could use a variety of public buildings during the day to escape temps. that plummeted to -20F. One…
Ann Arbor Residents Submitted More Freedom of Information Act Requests Than Local News Media in 2013
by Rob Smith
ACCORDING TO THE City of Ann Arbor’s log of FOIA requests submitted between January 2013 and May 2014 519 FOIA requests were submitted to the Ann Arbor City Clerk’s office. Thirty-three of the 519 requests came from The Ann…
Officials Charge High Fees for Public Records Relating to Alleged Retaliatory Dismissal of City Employee
ANN ARBOR CITY Administrator Steve Powers, hired in 2011, has sent an email to a City Council member claiming that high fees assessed for providing public records are justified because “...there is a direct benefit provided to the…
Commissioners Unaware of Investigation of Head Start Director As County Administrator Pushed to End Funding For Head Start & Transfer Administration to WISD
Information about the outside investigation was shared with commissioners “after the fact” and after commissioners had voted to eliminate county funding for Head Start. One commissioner asks whether the County’s funding for and…
Costco Democrats Vs. Home Depot Republicans—Consumers Watching Where Businesses Target Political Contributions
The Koch brothers, billionaires, have created a tangled web of 17 nonprofits, PACs and businesses through which they funneled over $400 million dollars in 2012 aimed at influencing national and state politics. Most companies doing business…
