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Michigan Government
Court of Appeals: Trial Court Judge “Rewarded Parental Kidnapping”; “Enabled Illegal Behavior”
by P.D. Lesko
NOTE: This is one in a series of articles about the Washtenaw County Trial Court and cases where a litigant or litigants appealed a County Trial Court judge's ruling. The majority of local Trial Court rulings are upheld…
County DEI Director Fabricated Work, Education and Business Experience; She Got Hired and Makes $147K
Download and view Alize Asberry Payne's Dec. 2018 job application, cover letter and resume:
Letter-Resume-Application-Alize-Payne_RedactedDownload
by P.D. Lesko
Records, including public records, show the County's Racial…
School Board Member and Wife Took County Grant Money For Which They Were Ineligible
by P.D. Lesko
County records show Ann Arbor School Board Trustee Ernesto Querijero, through his wife Lisa Querijero, applied for funding from the Washtenaw County Community Priority Fund in 2022. The money, according to the application…
A2Politico: County Pols Plan to “Protect” the Mental Health Millage. They’re Five Years Late & $35M Short
by P.D. Lesko
The 2016 Mental Health and Public Safety Millage was the brainchild of County Commissioner Andy LaBarre (District 7). It was the perfect way to get voters to pony up tens of additional millions for two of the poorest run…
Deadbeat Commissioners Owe Taxpayers Thousands for Over-Spending on Travel, Hotels and Conferences
by P.D. Lesko
County Commissioner Crystal Lyte.
In Jan. 2024, Washtenaw County Commissioners voted to adopt new Board of Commissioner Rules and Regulations. Among those rules and regulations is Section X. Commissioner Optional…
County Commissioner Belittles Public and Public Concerns About DEI Director’s $115K in Credit Card Charges
by P.D. Lesko
Former Ypsilanti Twp. trustee Monica Ross-Williams attended the Mar. 20, 2024 meeting of the Washtenaw County Commissioners for one reason: she wanted to register her shock and displeasure at the County Commissioners' lax…
Alize Asberry Payne Slept (Ate and Ubered) Here: County DEI Dir. Charged $115K to County Credit Card
by P.D. Lesko
County records revealed that between 2022-2023, Alize Asberry Payne charged $115,000 to the credit card given to her by Washtenaw County. Along with trips, workshops, conferences, and a $3,700 payment to the Detroit…
Gov. Whitmer Wants to Cut Funding for Public Transit. Ann Arbor State Reps. Jason Morgan and Carrie Rheingans Caucus For Funding Hike
by Jon King
A bipartisan legislative panel met for the first time Wednesday in Lansing with a focus on improving Michigan’s transit infrastructure.
Let by state Reps. Jason Morgan (D-Ann Arbor) and Mike McFall (D-Hazel Park), the…
County Sheriff Spends Mental Health and Public Safety Millage Money on New Boat, New Furnishings, Graphic Design, and Bogus Therapy Program
by P.D. Lesko
This article was made possible by The Ann Arbor Independent FOIA Fund.
At a recent "informational meeting" with officials from western Washtenaw County, the Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton, The Sheriff's…
In May 2023, Michigan Court of Appeals Found That Local Trial Court Judge Showed Bias, Abuse of Discretion and Ignorance of Court Rules
by P.D. Lesko
On May 11, 2023, the Michigan Court of Appeals published an opinion in which a three-judge panel found Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Tracy E. Van den Bergh's rulings in a divorce case repeatedly showed bias and abuse…