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Political Donor to Mayor & His Council Allies Benefits From City Zoning Changes Around Briarwood
by P.D. Lesko
2/11/22: This article has been updated with comments from Council member Kathy Griswold (D-Ward 2).
Council member Kathy Griswold's (D-Ward 2) resolution asked City staff for the answers to a few questions: Who owns the…
How Many Units of Market Rate, Low-Income, Workforce and Affordable Housing Has Ann Arbor Built Since 2014?
by P.D. Lesko
"If you want to work on affordability, the thing that you do is try to increase supply. So, that is going to be a community conversation that we are going to continue to have. Obviously it’s going to mean that we have to…
First Amendment Twist: Federal Judge Awards Local Hate Group $159K in Legal Fees
by P.D. Lesko
Note: Our family belonged to Congregation Beth Israel from 1992-2004. I served on the Board in the early-90s. When the protests by Witness for Peace began, we were members of the synagogue. We joined Temple Beth Emeth…
A2Politico: How Utterly Pedestrian– The DDA’s State Street “Redesign” is All About Cars
by Patricia Lesko
Ann Arbor and the environment need expanded non-motorized transportation infrastructure. The need is particularly acute on Main St., State St., and Liberty. When the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority (DDA) came…
Independent Investigation Confirms Allegations of SafeHouse Mismanagement: Executive Director Barbara Niess-May Resigns
Updated 1/24/22 with comments from Nicole Beverly.
by P.D. Lesko
On January 18, 2022, after the results of an independent investigation into allegations of mismanagement were delivered to the SafeHouse Board of Directors, long-time…
SafeHouse Center Sued for Allegedly Violating Michigan’s Freedom of Information and Open Meetings Acts
by P.D. Lesko
1/22/22: This article has been corrected to include a legal explanation as to why SafeHouse Center is allegedly subject to the Open Meetings Act.
The Ann Arbor Independent filed suit in Washtenaw County's 22nd Circuit…
County Administrator’s Attempt to Charge A2Indy $200+/Hour in FOIA Fees to Release His Own Phone Bills and Emails, Reversed
by P.D. Lesko
The Ann Arbor Independent used the Michigan Freedom of Information Act to obtain eight months of County Administrator Greg Dill's county-owned cell phone bills, as well as emails between Dill and former SafeHouse Executive…
U-M Reaches $490M Settlement with 1,050 Anderson Plaintiffs
The University of Michigan and attorneys for approximately 1,050 claimants who have alleged abuse by the late Dr. Robert Anderson announced they have reached a settlement agreement that would resolve all of those survivors’ claims against…
With Overtime, City Employees Increase Their Take-Home Pay by as Much as 58 Percent
Updated on 1/24/22 with comments from Council member Jeff Hayner.
by P.D. Lesko
The City of Ann Arbor currently employs approximately 840 full-time regular employees and 1,400 part-time and temporary employees. In 2020, taxpayers…
County Administrator Greg Dill Gaslights & Misleads Community With His “Statement on SafeHouse”
Editor's note: On October 17, 2021, The Ann Arbor Independent published an editorial in which we called for the Washtenaw Board of Commissioners to fire Greg Dill for his role in putting domestic violence victims and their children in…