EDITORIAL: Fewer Residents Rate Major City Services “Excellent”
THE CITY’S 2013 National Citizen Survey revealed that 92 percent of Ann Arbor residents rated the city as an “excellent” or “good” place to live based on overall quality of life. That figure is unchanged from the National Citizen Survey…
Ann Arbor State Representative Jeff Irwin Introduced 16 Bills, 5 Resolutions & 7 Amendments During 2013
ANN ARBOR’S 53RD District Representative Jeff Irwin introduced 16 bills between January and December 2013. All of the Irwin’s bills were referred to committees, where they remain. Those bills included one to legalize marijuana, a bill to…
Deliverance: The “Chickification” of the National Football League
OVER THE LAST five or six years, I have noticed a trend among the “football cognoscenti.” During the lead up to the season, excitement and interest in examining schedules, prognosticating, evaluating rookie performances, and drafting…
Op-Ed: Edward Snowden Is the Whistleblower of the Year
by Dan Sirota
FOR MONTHS A debate over Edward Snowden’s status has raged. In the back and forth, one question about this icon who disclosed NSA abuses has dominated: Is he or is he not a whistleblower with all the attendant protections…
Op-Ed: Natural Gas and Fracking Debate In Michigan Must Consider Environmental Justice
by David Sheaffer
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE as defined by the EPA is the “fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people……with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and…
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…
City Officials Spend Heavily On Advertising In Monthly Tabloid & Rely Less On Advertising In Twice Weekly Newspapers
THE ANN ARBOR Indepdendent accepts no advertising from local, county or state government, local universities or the Ann Arbor Public Schools. It is a policy that takes direct aim at bolstering the newspaper’s editorial independence. The…
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…
From Non-Motorized Transit To Solid Waste, Ann Arbor’s Multi-Year Plans Fail To Achieve Targeted Environmental Goals
THE 2013 NON-MOTORIZED Transportation Plan (NTP) should make the average driver pull over and take notice. The NTP lays out plans for so-called “road diets,” whereby some of the city’s busiest streets—such as Jackson—are slimmed from four…
U of M Among U.S. Colleges Spending The Most On Lobbying In DC
SPENDING ON LOBBYING was down across the board in 2012, but the education industry led the way in tightening the purse strings. According to OpenSecrets.org, “In 2011, the industry, which includes both for-profit and nonprofit colleges and…