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City Council
Critics Allege Secondhand Drug Money Helped Finance Sabra Briere’s Reelection To City Council In November 2013
IN HER 2013 City Council race, almost half of Ward 1 Council member Sabra Briere’s 2013 campaign funds came from money donated by the owners of medical marijuana dispensaries. The owner of a local dispensary held a fundraiser for Briere…
A2POLITICO: You Want What? “We Can’t Possibly Fix All The Roads.”
by P.D. Lesko
THE LAST TIME Julie Grand ran for City Council, she told a room full of voters at a Democratic candidate forum: “And I don’t know that we can get every road paved in the neighborhood. I don’t know that we can fix all of the…
Ward 2 Council Member Petersen Announces She’ll Run For Mayor: Move Mirrors Hieftje’s Path To The Gavel
ANN ARBOR CITY Council member Sally Hart Petersen announced in a press release sent to the media on January 14 that she plans to run for mayor. Petersen, elected to represent Ward 2 in 2012, unseated former state legislator Tony Derezinski…
Keeping Tabs—Local To Watch In 2014: Ward 4 Council Member Jack Eaton
Friends say: He’s measured. Collegial. A leader. Detractors say: He’s a DINO. Anti-everything. Bad for Ann Arbor.
Jack Eaton speaks slowly, so slowly that sometimes you wonder how he doesn’t nod off in the middle of a sentence.…
Keeping Tabs—Local To Watch In 2014: Ward 2 Council Member Sally Hart Petersen
Over the past 190 years, only two women have served as mayor of Ann Arbor. Can Sally P. be #3?
Sally Hart Petersen ran a clever campaign to defeat two-term incumbent Tony Derezinski, a former state legislator. Mostly though, Sally…
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…
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…
EDITORIAL: The City’s Five Year Capital Improvement Plan
FROM A TRAIN STATION to sidewalks, the city’s 2015-2020 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) is jam-packed with projects that city staff suggest will “provide for large, physical improvements that are permanent in nature that are needed for the…
Council Members Sending Private Electronic Communications During Open Meetings
WARD 5 COUNCIL member Chuck Warpehoski, in violation of Council rules and, perhaps, Michigan’s Open Meetings Act law, has used email and Twitter on multiple occasions during the months of November and December during open meetings. At the…
Ward 4 Council Member Claim “Residents Don’t Shop Downtown” Draws Sharp Criticism
AT THE NOVEMBER 7th City Council meeting, Ward 4 City Council member Margie Teall made an observation: She said that Ann Arbor locals shop at big box stores and that downtown is supported by “tourists.” It should be noted that Teall did not…