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City Council
Four Assistant City Attorneys Assigned to Fight Former City Attorney’s Request for Public Records
by P.D. Lesko
The Ann Arbor Charter states that, like the County, Ann Arbor shall employ a single City Attorney. There are, at present, a dozen attorneys employed by the City, plus numerous contract attorneys. Four of those twelve…
County Clerk Asked to Disqualify Ann Arbor’s Mayor From Running for Re-Election
by P.D. Lesko
When filing to run, candidates for elected office sign affidavits swearing their campaign finances are in proper order. Between 2018 and 2020, Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor purchased multiple Facebook ads, but his…
Campaign Finances of Ward 4 Incumbent Show Financial Support Primarily From Ward 4 Residents
by P.D. Lesko
Ann Arbor City Council member Elizabeth Nelson (D-Ward 4) ran as an unknown in 2018 for a four-year term. Nelson is running for re-election in 2022. According to her pre- and post-election campaign finance statements filed…
Few of Ward 4 Council Challenger’s Donors Live in Ward 4
by P.D. Lesko
Library Trustee Dharma Akmon has raised $15,365 for her Ward 4 City Council race, according to public campaign finance records. On April 14, 2022 Akmon Tweeted out a thank you to "***194 individuals***" who have allegedly…
Former City Administrator Takes First Step Toward Suing Mayor and Council Members for Defamation
by P.D. Lesko
In August 2021, former Ann Arbor City Administrator Tom Crawford resigned. Seven members of Ann Arbor City Council (Taylor, Disch, Song, Grand, Radina, Eyer and Briggs) had voted to terminate Crawford's employment based on…
Former City Attorney to File Grievance With Michigan Bar–Alleges Mayor and City Attorney Engaged in “Unprofessional Conduct”
by P.D. Lesko
R. Bruce Laidlaw, the Ann Arbor City Attorney between 1978 and 1991 and an Assistant City Attorney for six years before that, sent an email on Feb. 25 to Ann Arbor's Mayor Chris Taylor, City Attorney Stephen Postema and…
Political Donor to Mayor & His Council Allies Benefits From City Zoning Changes Around Briarwood
by P.D. Lesko
2/11/22: This article has been updated with comments from Council member Kathy Griswold (D-Ward 2).
Council member Kathy Griswold's (D-Ward 2) resolution asked City staff for the answers to a few questions: Who owns the…
How Many Units of Market Rate, Low-Income, Workforce and Affordable Housing Has Ann Arbor Built Since 2014?
by P.D. Lesko
"If you want to work on affordability, the thing that you do is try to increase supply. So, that is going to be a community conversation that we are going to continue to have. Obviously it’s going to mean that we have to…
First Amendment Twist: Federal Judge Awards Local Hate Group $159K in Legal Fees
by P.D. Lesko
Note: Our family belonged to Congregation Beth Israel from 1992-2004. I served on the Board in the early-90s. When the protests by Witness for Peace began, we were members of the synagogue. We joined Temple Beth Emeth…
A2Politico: How Utterly Pedestrian– The DDA’s State Street “Redesign” is All About Cars
by Patricia Lesko
Ann Arbor and the environment need expanded non-motorized transportation infrastructure. The need is particularly acute on Main St., State St., and Liberty. When the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority (DDA) came…
