Browsing Category
Gov
Ann Arbor: A Tyranny of Competent But Mediocre Governance
Writer's Note: Eighteen months ago I posted an essay on NextDoor about how Ann Arbor is governed. The post was removed without due process and without substantive dispute.
by David Fresco
In November 2024, Ann Arbor voters returned…
Neighbors for More Neighbors A2 Wants Answers From Council Candidates, But Members of the Group Have Some Explaining to Do
by P.D. Lesko
Perhaps you've seen the yard signs: Neighbors for More Neighbors. The signs are made available by a "Team of Neighbors" who want to densify Ann Arbor through influencing public policy, including planning and zoning. That…
Ward One Council Candidate Uncovers Waste, Duplication of Efforts and Foot-dragging in Implementing Unarmed Police Response
Editor's Note: Ward One City Council candidate Rebecca Arends used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain public records to try to understand why, several years after City Council allocated more than $3.5 million to shape and implement…
Ann Arbor For Public Power vs. Ann Arbor Responsible Energy Coalition: A Misinformation War on Both Sides
Updated May 1, 2026 with a comment from Tegwyn John of A2P2.
by P.D. Lesko
Ann Arbor for Public Power (A2P2) is a local group circulating petitions to gather 6,500 signatures to put the question to local voters of establishing a…
Washtenaw County State Reps and A Tale of Pork Spending: New Firetrucks and $988K for Barton Hills
by P.D. Lesko
In March 2025, State Reps. Jason Morgan, Jimmie Wilson and Carrie Rheingans submitted requests for pork spending to benefit Ann Arbor, Superior and Scio Twps. The Reps., along with local elected officials, want Michigan…
A Board Like No Other: Donald Trump Has Turned the Presidency Into a Vanity Project
by Mel Gurtov
Donald Trump has turned the presidency into a vanity project, putting his name and image all over Washington (most recently, a banner of him atop the department of justice), campaigning for the Nobel Peace Prize, pimping…
Lawmakers unveil bipartisan plan to lower the cost of housing that could upend Ann Arbor’s proposed comprehensive land use plan (CLUP)
by Rep. Joe Aragona
A standard rule of thumb for personal budgeting used to be spend about a quarter of your income on housing. ("A week for a month.") Then that slowly inched up until the guideline became spend 30 percent of gross…
New Poll: Michigan Residents Favor Statewide Legislation That Reins in ICE
by Emma Salter
The majority of Michiganders view U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) negatively and strongly favor state legislation that would rein in ICE and other federal law enforcement, according to a new poll released…
Scio Twp. Trustees Continue to Violate Ordinance That Requires Reimbursement of Supervisor’s Legal Fees—Supervisor Threatens to Sue
by P.D. Lesko
In a two-page letter dated Nov. 24, 2025, Scio Twp. Supervisor Jillian Kerry wrote to the Scio Twp. Board of Trustees, "I sincerely hope the Township isn’t now inviting me to file a lawsuit to enforce its legal…
Scio Twp. Residents Complain Clerk Flintoft Ignores FOIAs and Delays Releases of Public Records
by P.D. Lesko
Scio Twp. resident Pam Boyd submitted a FOIA request to obtain a copy of "the note" several months ago. Boyd's FOIA request was approved by Scio Twp. Clerk Jessica Flintoft, but the Clerk did not provide Boyd a copy of the…