Five Council Members Launch An Unprecedented Effort To Curb Cronyism
by P.D. Lesko
"We keep seeing the same names."
"It's like there is some 'professional class' of board appointees."
"We need to draw from a larger group of citizens."
"I want to open the door for a closer examination of the appointment…
Mayor Proposes Citizens Advisory Commission Should Continue To Be A Whites-Only Country Club
by P.D. Lesko
John Hieftje is proposing to reappoint 10 people to the Downtown Area Citizens Advisory Commission (CAC) at City Council's May 13th meeting. By law the CAC Board is charged with advising the Board of the Downtown Development…
Downtown Area Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) Calls Resolution to Rein in DDA Board “Irrational.” Records Reveal All CAC Board Appointments Expired in 2012.
THE DOWNTOWN AREA Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) is supposed to be a group of no more than 15 mayoral appointees who, by Council resolution, live within the downtown area and "advise the DDA and City Council with regard to implementation…
Emails Reveal DDA Threatens to Cut Money That Funds Job of Council Member’s Wife
by P.D. Lesko
There are five solid votes on City Council to bring to heel the members of the Downtown Development Authority Board of Directors. Those are the votes of Sumi Kailsapathy, Jane Lumm, Sally Hart-Petersen, Stephen Kunselman…
Fighting Entrenched Cronyism One Vote At A Time
by P.D. Lesko
At the moment, Ann Arbor City Council members are trying to assert their Charter-mandated authority over the Board of the Downtown Development Authority like a parent trying to discipline a hopelessly out-of-control toddler…
Will Unpopular Highrises Help Jack Eaton Unseat City Council’s Zoning Czarina Marcia Higgins?
by P.D. Lesko
Today, Jack Eaton announced his candidacy first via email to a loosely-organized group of neighborhood activists, city and county politicians. He wrote, "I wanted all of you to hear it from me, because so many of you have…
AATA Board Members “Retiring” In Face of County-Wide Transit Debacle
Long-time Ann Arbor Transportation Authority Board members Jesse Bernstein and David Nacht will be "retiring." The public story is that the two have served their terms and are happily busing off into the sunset. Political insiders, however,…
U of M Lecturers Participate In FLASH MOB To Call Attention To Contract Negotiations
The University of Michigan's Lecturer's union, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), entered talks for the group's fourth contract with on November 30, 2012. LEO, as the union is known, represents some 1,500 full-time…
19 Top-Level City Staffers Lose Car Allowances, Including Police Chief and CFO
UNDER FORMER CITY administrator Roger Fraser, the amounts paid out in tax dollars for cell phone allowances increased almost 95 percent between 2009 and 2012. By 2012, 196 of the city's 693 full-time employees had been given cell phone…
Foodist Restaurant Review—The Original Cottage Inn
Restaurant Review: 2.5/5 stars (fair, satisfactory)—Ratings range from zero to five stars and reflect the reviewer’s reaction to food, with ambiance, service and price taken into consideration, as well.
The Original Cottage Inn…