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A2Politico
QB Schlissel Throws a Pick-Six
by P.D. Lesko
SO, MICHIGAN AD Dave Brandon is out. He allegedly blamed the political composition of the U-M Board of Regents (Republicans, the lot of them) for his woes. Dave Brandon ended up with a multi-million dollar payout over the…
Ann Arbor Politicians Trot Out the “Young People” as a Campaign Issue—A “Young Person” Responds
Editor: Democratic candidate for mayor Christopher Taylor has repeatedly commented on the need to encourage “young people to choose Ann Arbor.” We sent our 17-year-old high school intern, Micaela Stevenson, to the League of Women Voters…
Washtenaw Community College Prez “Refutes” Criticism
by P.D. Lesko
ANN ARBOR NEWS reporter Matt Durr is a graduate of Washtenaw Community College. Folks at The Washtenaw Voice, the student newspaper, speak of Durr in glowing terms, the guy who made good in the world of print journalism.…
Conflicts of Interest—AAPS School Board Candidates
by P.D. Lesko
Please Note: I am acquainted with Hunter Van Valkenburgh, as well as his wife Aina Bernier. Monica Harrold, the wife of Board of Education candidate Jeffrey Harrold, was the principal at Northside Elementary, which my kids…
A2Politico: What’s the Diff Between WCC Prez & Foodstamp Recipients?
by P.D. Lesko
FOODSTAMP RECIPIENTS are not allowed to buy beer or wine with their public food assistance money. So can someone please explain to me why Dr. Rose Bellanca, president of Washtenaw Community College, should use public money…
A2POLITICO: Where’s Your Snyder, Now, Eh?
by P.D. Lesko
IN THE FILM “The Ten Commandments,” with Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson, a mocking Robinson quips to downtrodden Hebrew slaves “Where’s your Moses, now, eh?” It’s a line that is all at once absurd (Robinson’s New…
A2POLITICO: Biting the Hand That’s Under the Impression It’s Feeding You
By P.D. Lesko
THE EMAILS WERE clear: the PR rep. at Washtenaw Community College was not amused that The Ann Arbor Independent published an article about Dr. Gus Demas, a $500/day consultant hired by the college’s president. The college’s…
A2POLITICO: When the Koch Bros. Walk, People Listen
by P.D. Lesko
THE KOCH BROS. last week pulled $1.1 million in ads buys in the metro-Detroit marketplace. Well, not the Koch brothers themselves. They work through intermediaries. A powerful group funded by the Koch brothers pulled $1.1…
A2POLITICO: Toledo Water Crisis and the Ann Arbor Water Crisis
by P.D. Lesko
I AM AT work on an investigative piece about money allegedly mishandled. I don’t want to give away too much, but suffice it to say the people involved would rather the story not be told. We’re all guilty of wishing we…
A2POLITICO: Mayor’s Race: Looking Past the Platitudes to the Voting Records
By P.D. Lesko
IF A PLATITUDE falls from the lips of a political candidate and no one’s there to hear it, does it make a sound? The local media are breathlessly reprinting the platitudes offered up at the many mayoral forums sponsored by…