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76 Percent Of Citizen Survey Open-Ended Response Answers Focused On Roads & Taxes
IT’S USUALLY DEATH and taxes that define the inevitable. However, in the city’s 2013 National Citizen Survey, comments about roads and taxes dominated the open-ended question responses. Respondents were asked to record their opinions about…
City Officials Spend Heavily On Advertising In Monthly Tabloid & Rely Less On Advertising In Twice Weekly Newspapers
THE ANN ARBOR Indepdendent accepts no advertising from local, county or state government, local universities or the Ann Arbor Public Schools. It is a policy that takes direct aim at bolstering the newspaper’s editorial independence. The…
Jane Lumm Pushes Mayor For “Timely” And “Equitable” Sharing Of Info With City Council Members
WARD 2 COUNCIL member Jane Lumm ran for re-election in 2013 on a a platform that included improving the transparency of city government. She was not only talking about the need for city government to do a better job of sharing information…
From Non-Motorized Transit To Solid Waste, Ann Arbor’s Multi-Year Plans Fail To Achieve Targeted Environmental Goals
THE 2013 NON-MOTORIZED Transportation Plan (NTP) should make the average driver pull over and take notice. The NTP lays out plans for so-called “road diets,” whereby some of the city’s busiest streets—such as Jackson—are slimmed from four…
U of M Among U.S. Colleges Spending The Most On Lobbying In DC
SPENDING ON LOBBYING was down across the board in 2012, but the education industry led the way in tightening the purse strings. According to OpenSecrets.org, “In 2011, the industry, which includes both for-profit and nonprofit colleges and…
University of Michigan Patent Revenue Down 40 Percent Between 2008 and 2011
ACCORDING TO 2011 data supplied by University of Michigan officials to the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) and published by AUTM in its 2012 survey, U of M spent $1.23 billion dollars on research and earned $15.6…
In The Michigan 7th Dem Pam Byrnes Has Her Work Cut Out To Unseat Rep. Walberg
FORMER REPRESENTATIVE Pam Byrnes has taken aim at the U.S. Congressional seat held by Republican Tim Walberg. Byrnes, back from two years in China working as the Executive Director at the University of Michigan Shanghai Jiao Tong University…
Citizen Survey Reveals Low Levels Of Civic Engagement & Activism In Ann Arbor
CITIZENS OF ANN ARBOR may just be resting on Alan Haber’s laurels. In 1960 Haber was the first president of the radical student group Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). SDS has been an important influence on student organizing. The…
Could Assistant Chief Ellen Taylor Bring Needed Stability To The AAFD As Ann Arbor’s First Female Fire Chief?
IN JANUARY 2014, Ann Arbor Fire Department Chief Chuck Hubbard will retire. His departure opens the door for the promotion of Assistant Fire Chief Ellen Taylor to the top spot in the AAFD. Should she be moved into that job, Taylor will…
Mayor & Council Member Petersen “Filtering” Info About Important Land Deal?
Please note: Council member Sally Hart Petersen was informed by Mayor Hieftje of U of M's proposal to purchase the Edwards Brothers property on State Street on November 18th. She attended a November 27th meeting with the owners of the…