EDITORIAL: AAATA’s Urban Transit Plan
THE BOARD MEMBERS of the AAATA (formerly the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority) include individuals who live outside Ann Arbor. Most Board members have little experience in transportation policy. This is because rather than appoint members…
OP-ED: Will Michigan’s White, Independent Voters Fall For Gov. Rick Snyder’s Song & Dance Again in 2014?
by Rob Smith
CHAD SELEWSKI IS a good writer. He opines on politics for the Macomb Daily. The Macomb Daily is one of the few newspapers published in southeastern lower Michigan not decimated by the slash and burn newsroom strategy being…
Council Members Discover Pedestrian Crosswalk Ordinance Passed Without A Professional Engineering (PE) Report
Editor’s Note: Katherine Griswold is the Chair of The Ann Arbor Independent’s Editorial Board.
WARD 1 COUNCIL member Sumi Kailasapathy conducted an email exchange this Fall with city staff, including the city’s transportation project…
EDITORIAL: Ethics Policy for City Council Members
WARD 2 COUNCIL member Sally Hart Petersen has shown promise as a leader who is scrupulous in conducting the people’s business openly and honestly. While we don’t always agree with Petersen’s positions on the issues, one issue Council member…
The Ann Arbor Independent 2013 Local Election Voter Guide
Click on the link to download The Ann Arbor Independent 2013 Local Election Voter Guide in PDF format:
ON NOVEMBER 5TH, Ann Arbor voters in Wards 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 will go to the polls and choose from among candidates running for City…
Op-Ed: Why I Support Ward 2 Independent Candidate Jane Lumm
by Jack Eaton
MY NAME IS Jack Eaton. I am the Democratic Party candidate for City Council in the Fourth Ward. I am unchallenged on the November 5 ballot. Like many local Democrats, I support Ward 2 Council member Jane Lumm’s re-election.…
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…