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County Government
Local Bar Association Survey Rates Eight Judicial Candidates. Candidates Say, “The poll is very political…”
THERE ARE TWO vacant seats on the Washtenaw County Trial Court that voters will decide during the August 5 primary election. The two non-partisan candidates who collect the most votes in the primary will face each other in the November 5…
Ann Arbor District Library Rule Number 7—What “Dozing” Meant for Homeless Library Patrons During the Polar Vortex
by P.D. Lesko
A Washtenaw County employee told City Council in January 2014 that Ann Arbor’s homeless men, women, children and families could use a variety of public buildings during the day to escape temps. that plummeted to -20F. One…
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…
Commissioners Unaware of Investigation of Head Start Director As County Administrator Pushed to End Funding For Head Start & Transfer Administration to WISD
Information about the outside investigation was shared with commissioners “after the fact” and after commissioners had voted to eliminate county funding for Head Start. One commissioner asks whether the County’s funding for and…
A2POLITICO: Paying Attention to the “Public’s Perception”—Grudgingly
by P.D. Lesko
THE COUNTY EMPLOYEES had taken the majority of the chairs out of the waiting room and into a conference room, where a gaggle of them were gathered around a table having a meeting. The waiting room was full of people…
Former County Head Start Director’s Extensive Travel Months Before Retirement, Including A Trip To Hawaii, Received “Verbal” Approval
Washtenaw County’s former Head Start Director Patricia McGee was put on leave weeks before she retired in December 2011. A county official told a reporter in December 2011 that Ms. McGee was being investigated due to unspecified…
A2Politico: County Treasurer—“There Was Too Much Possibility For Fraud Or Abuse.”
by P.D. Lesko
THIS NEWSPAPER, UNLIKE many in the United States, has a regular column that deals with the issues of hunger, homelessness and poverty in our city, state and nation. “Urban Exile” is not fluffy feel-good journalism. The…
Months Before Retiring, County Head Start Director Paid For $1,846 Waikiki Sheraton Charge With County Credit Card
ON MARCH 11 The Ann Arbor Independent published its results of an analysis of almost 14,000 credit card charges made by Washtenaw County employees between 2011 and 2014. That analysis revealed multiple charges for luxury lodging, meals out…
Commissioners Ask County Administrator To Report On Employee Stays At Vegas Casinos
County Administrator Verna McDaniel says Ann Arbor Commissioners Rabhi and LaBarre asked her to prepare a report that addressed The Ann Arbor Independent’s March 11 story that documents county employee and elected officials’ stays at Las…
Washtenaw County 14a District Court Employees Use County Credit Cards To Make Dozens of Purchases At Ypsilanti Tim Horton’s
WASHTENAW 14A COURT employees Colleen E. Turek and Lisa Mull have each used their county-issued credit cards to make dozens of purchases at the Ypsilanti Tim Horton’s. The most recent purchase was one for $57.42 made on February 7, 2014 by…