Opinion

SINCE 2009, ANN Arbor SPARK and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation have come under intense criticism for misleading the public concerning the number of new jobs created. From the Detroit Free Press to the Lansing State Journal,…

THIS PAPER ENDORSES neither political candidates nor millage/bond proposals. We ascribe to the belief that an educated readership doesn’t need to be told whom or what to vote for. The Ann Arbor Independent educates readers on the issues.…

by Robert J. Schneider As I mull over the idea of paying more taxes if Proposition 1 passes tomorrow, I can't help but think that, instead of piling more taxes upon the poor schnook who already pays through the nose, wouldn't it be great…

FROM WALKING WITH signs in protest of the killing of Aura Rosser by a city police officer around City Council members mid-meeting as the elected officials sat in their chairs, to rushing U-M Regents shortly after that group’s April meeting…

THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR’S proposed $99 million General Fund budget was released ahead of last week’s Ann Arbor City Council meeting. The budget projects that expenses will outstrip revenue, and in what has become a commonplace occurrence,…

THE MICHIGAN ECONOMIC Development Corporation (MEDC) has a program for Michigan cities called Redevelopment Ready Communities (RRC). It is a voluntary certification offered at no cost to the communities that elect to participate. According…

WASHTENAW COMMUNITY COLLEGE Board of Trustees President Richard Landau was recently quoted in the media as saying that televised broadcasts of the community college’s Board of Trustee meetings are a “silly” idea and “a product no one has…

by Philip A. Bassett FOR A LESSON in bigotry, lies and sheer negativity, you could try the Berrien County courthouse in St. Joseph, Michigan. I wouldn’t recommend it, though. Since 2006, I’ve been a witness there to many of the legal…

by Cristina Glakas WHAT IS THE first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “feminism”? Do you think equal rights? Or do you associate feminism with man-hating? The first problem of feminism is the lack of agreement on what it…

THE BOARD MEMBERS appointed by former mayor John Hieftje to oversee the AATA (and then AAATA) were, ostensibly, blind-sided by an article published in The Ann Arbor News on Mar. 20. That paper reported that between 2010-2015 AATA/AAATA…