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City Council
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…
City Staff Agenda Responses Answer Some Questions About Landfilling of Glass Recyclables
by Patricia Lesko
The Ann Arbor Independent recently reported that for a period of time thought to be several years, prior to July 2016, Ann Arbor's recycled glass hauled by Recycle Ann Arbor and handled by ReCommunity had been processed…
In Pennsylvania, Game Commission Refuses to Approve Deer Management Plan Used In Ann Arbor
by John Hayes
In Mount Lebanon, Penn., White Buffalo, the same Connecticut-based animal management organization contracted to reduce deer density in Ann Arbor, was refused permission by the state to use the same experimental,…
City Vendor Records Reveal Handful of Board/Commission Members Paid $1.33M
by Patricia Lesko
NextDoor is a city-wide listserv where neighbors can post everything from requests for babysitters to football tickets for sale. Neighbors have also taken to posting information about local city government. In Feb.…
Sierra Club Endorses Anglin, Eaton, and Kunselman for Ann Arbor City Council
The Sierra Club, Huron Valley Group, and Sierra Club, Michigan Chapter today formally announced several endorsements of incumbent City Council members, each facing challengers in the Democratic primary in August.
"We are very pleased to…