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Ann Arbor Government
News Reports Contradict City Administrator’s Claim That: “Snow emergency has been called once in the past 25 years.”
ANN ARBOR’S CITY Administrator Steve Powers, in explaining why a snow emergency had not been called in order to facilitate faster more efficient clearing of the 11 inches of snow that fell between January 4-5 claimed “a snow emergency has…
EDITORIAL: Neighborhoods Versus Downtown
OVER THE PAST decade, the city’s Mayor and Council members whom he has endorsed, and with whom he has allied himself, have neglected to tend to the basic infrastructure needs of Ann Arbor’s various neighborhoods. Roads and sidewalks have…
While Citizens Bemoan Roads & Taxes, Spending On Meals Out And Four Star Lodging For City Staff Rises 30 Percent
Please note: This piece was corrected to reflect the fact that Ward 2 Council member Sally Hart Petersen was not seated on Ann Arbor City Council until November 2012.
THE ANN ARBOR INDEPENDENT recently reported that 76 percent of city…
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…
EDITORIAL: More Money For Traffic Enforcement
AT THE DECEMBER 16th Ann Arbor City Council meeting, Council members Eaton, Lumm and Kunselman introduced a resolution to allocate $125,000 to Police Chief John Seto’s department. The money will fund enhanced traffic enforcement in order to…
76 Percent Of Citizen Survey Open-Ended Response Answers Focused On Roads & Taxes
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 their opinions about…
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…
Could Assistant Chief Ellen Taylor Bring Needed Stability To The AAFD As Ann Arbor’s First Female Fire Chief?
IN JANUARY 2014, Ann Arbor Fire Department Chief Chuck Hubbard will retire. His departure opens the door for the promotion of Assistant Fire Chief Ellen Taylor to the top spot in the AAFD. Should she be moved into that job, Taylor will…
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…