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City Council
Pedestrian Safety “Top Council Priority” in Dec., Months Later $450K for Pedestrian Safety at Schools Voted Down
by Patricia Lesko
At the May 15, 2017 Ann Arbor City Council meeting, Ward 2 Council member Jane Lumm (I) put forward five of the seven proposed amendments to Ann Arbor's over $350 million budget. Four of her amendments had co-sponsors,…
Council Member Apologizes for Using Facebook and Twitter During Public Meetings
by Patricia Lesko
During four public meetings in early 2017, Ward 4 Council member Jack Eaton (D) spent a total of four hours accessing Facebook and a total of five hours accessing Twitter. Eaton, when asked to comment said: "I…
Emails/Texts Reveal Council Members Staged Homeless Support for Library Lot Sale Vote
by Patricia Lesko
The Ann Arbor Independent used FOIA to obtain emails, Tweets and text messages sent over several weeks prior to the April 17 City Council meeting between a trio of Council members and Caleb Poirier, founder of tent…
Ward 3 Challenger Kunselman Says City Council “Lacks Direction and Leadership”
by Patricia Lesko
Ward 3 resident and former council member Stephen Kunselman announced on April 26 that he has qualified to appear on the August 8 Democratic primary ballot. The City Clerk's office confirmed that he had submitted at least…
Sierra Club Issues Surprise “Early” Endorsement of Ward 4 Candidate for Council
by Patricia Lesko
The Sierra Club, Huron Valley Group, and Sierra Club, Michigan Chapter today formally announced an early endorsement of Ann Arbor Council member Jack Eaton (D-Ward 4) for re-election. In past, such endorsements have…
Records Reveal Ward 3 Council Member Spends Hours on Social Media and Sends Secret Emails During Public Meetings
by Patricia Lesko
City web server log records turned over to the The Ann Arbor Independent in response to a series of FOIA requests show that yet another Ann Arbor City Council member used his city-owned computer to access Facebook and…
Amid Claquers, Boos, Cheers and Political Theater Council Votes 8-3 to Sell Library Lot to Core Spaces
by Patricia Lesko
The 8-3 vote last night to sell the Library Lot, a plot of publicly-owned land adjacent to the Downtown Library on Fifth Ave., will bring in $10 million from the developer, half of which will be deposited into the…
Let Them Eat Barbecue: Council Members Plan to Use Homeless at Upcoming Meeting to Show “Strong Support” for Library Lot Sale
by Patricia Lesko
As the saying goes, "In a free-market economy, you get what you give. In a state-run economy, you get what you can bribe a politician to give you." The Ann Arbor Independent was made aware of allegations that members of…
During Public Meetings, Records Show Two Council Members Spend Hours on Twitter and Facebook
Update: This article has been updated to correctly attribute the video screen capture photo of Council member Chip Smith to Ward 5 resident Kevin Leeser.
by Patricia Lesko
Public records turned over to the The Ann Arbor Independent…
It’s Sunshine Week: Ann Arbor and Michigan Struggle With Governmental Transparency
by Dave Alexander
In recognition of Sunshine Week, a time that highlights the need for transparency and accountability in government, Progress Michigan is rolling out several major updates to the Sunshine Squad, an online tool that now…