AAPS Sinking Fund Millage Renewal Deserves Close Attention
THE ANN ARBOR Board of Education is asking voters to approve a proposed five-year renewal of its 1 mill sinking fund millage. That means the owner of a home with a taxable value of $200,000 would pay $100 per year. By law, funds captured…
The Changing Nature of Internships—When Is It OK to Not Pay an Intern?
In June 2013, a federal judge ruled that Fox Searchlight violated minimum wage laws for not paying two production interns. So what are those laws? Are unpaid internships ever OK?
Here are some answers to commonly asked questions about…
Q & A With Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Mark Schauer
MARK SCHAUER SERVED as a U.S. Representative for Michigan’s 7th congressional district between 2009 and 2011. Schauer was a member of the Michigan Senate, where he served as the Minority Leader, and the Michigan House of Representatives. In…
MCFN Again Lists Sen. Rebekah Warren Among Pols Accepting Most Lobbyist-Paid Hospitality
IN SEPTEMBER 2011, MLive political analyst Susan J. Demas reported that Ann Arbor’s Democratic State Senator Rebekah Warren was one of only four Michigan legislators who had accepted more than $1,800 in free food and drinks from lobbyists…
EDITORIAL: The Ann Arbor Public Schools & Transparency
Saline, Michigan public school Superintendent Scot Graden has been blogging about his job, public education and a variety of other education-related issues since 2007. In 2009, writer Mark Stock published a piece in The School…
Ward 2 Challenger’s Fundraising Letter Misleads Voters About Incumbent’s Record
KIRK WESTPHAL'S FUNDRAISING letter, has raised a ruckus among Ward 2 residents who found claims made about incumbent Ward 2 Independent Jane Lumm misleading. The letter is on Westphal's campaign stationary and signed by Downtown Development…
Interview: Ward 2 Incumbent Discusses the Pedestrian Crosswalk Ordinance, City Employee Pensions, Parks & Transit
A2Indy: What are the two most pressing issues facing Ward 2 in your opinion?
Many of the most pressing issues in the 2ndWard are city-wide issues – enhancing public safety, adequately funding core infrastructure needs, and carefully…
Interview: Ward 2 Challenger Kirk Westphal On Prosperity, Downtown Ann Arbor & The DDA
What in your education and experience make you the best qualified candidate for this position?
My degrees in economics and urban planning serve me well in understanding both: 1) the current fiscal demands, and 2) the future promise of…
Local Political Appointees In Electronic Hot Water For Denigrating Women, Voters & Council Members Online
SHORTLY AFTER BEING nominated to serve on the Ann Arbor Planning Commission by Mayor John Hieftje, Jeremy Peters’s credentials were closely questioned by residents and Council members.
Peters (left), Director, Creative Licensing,…
The Ann Arbor Independent—First time in over 110 years the city has a locally owned weekly newspaper
WELCOME TO The Ann Arbor Independent. For the first time in over 110 years Ann Arbor once again has a locally-owned weekly newspaper. The last time our city had a locally owned weekly newspaper was 1902, when the Ann Arbor Argus-Democrat…