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Ann Arbor Government
City Administrator Once Again Refuses to Turn Over Records to a Council Member
CITY ADMINISTRATOR Steve Powers answers directly to City Council. The city’s Charter requires the 11-member group to annually review the City Administrator’s performance. Council sets his pay and has the ultimate authority to fire him. …
Over 1,000 Potholes Reported to City—Residents Can Seek Reimbursement for Damage to Vehicles
IN THE JUNE 2014 issue of The Ann Arbor Observer, writer Jan Schlain reports, “So drivers will be hitting this year’s bumper crop of potholes for a while. They just shouldn’t expect any compensation from the city when they do so.” Ward 2…
Highest Percentages of No Votes on AAATA Millage Came From Ypsilanti Township and Ann Arbor
THE AAATA MILLAGE vote was costly. Ted Annis, former treasurer of the AAATA Board of Directors placed the amount spent on the special election, staff time, surveys, consultants, marketing and materials by AAATA at around $1.5 million.…
A2POLITICO: Proposed City Budget Should Focus on the Results of the 2013 Citizen Survey
by P.D. Lesko
IT’S USUALLY DEATH and taxes that define the inevitable. However, in the city’s 2013 National Citizen Survey, comments about roads and taxes dominated the open-ended question responses. Respondents were asked to record…
Protected Bike Lanes Drive Economic Activity & Appeal to Millennials—What’s Ann Arbor Waiting For?
IN 2000 THERE were eight miles of bike lanes in Ann Arbor. City officials recently began touting the number of “lane miles” of bike lanes: 71.8 (a lane mile is a mile on one side of a two-land road). The mayor often tells media that Ann…
County Seeks Volunteers to Fill Board & Commission Openings
THE WASHTENAW COUNTY Board of Commissioners is looking for citizens to volunteer for a slate of positions with the various Boards, Committees and Commissions. The Board of Commissioners will make these appointments at their upcoming session…
OP-ED: We Must Encourage AAATA to Take a Hard Look at Their—At Our—Financial Bottom Line
By Jeffrey Hayner
I’m an Ann Arbor resident and I want to speak about the upcoming May 6th special election that’s been called to request a 34 percent increase in our transit millage. I’ve paid 2 mills for transit since I’ve lived in…
A2POLITICO: Tapping MI GOP Donors to Fund a Millage Campaign
CAMPAIGN FINANCE forms often make interesting reading if you can connect the dots and take a little time to find out who’s who. It’s actually the who’s who part that tells the story. A donor name is nothing without the story. On the…
UPDATED: Partners For Transit Ballot Question Group Raises $39,427.20 to Date—Gets Extensive Support From Big Names in Michigan GOP Donor Circles
Updated: On April 28, AAATA Board member Dr. Laurence Krieg, who represents Ypsilanti, made a late donation of $3,000 to the Partners For Transit Ballot Committee. The AAATA Board member has donated a total of $3,500. This donation means…
EDITORIAL: A Rancorous Millage Campaign Benefits No One
Please note: Editorial Board member Katherine Griswold did not participate in shaping this editorial.
A MEMBER OF a citizen group recently alleged that AAATA was involved in the theft of that group’s yard signs placed on…