Was Council Aware of the Successful Class Action Lawsuit Against Seattle’s Percent For Art Program Before Approving Ann Arbor’s Art Ordinance?
By P.D. Lesko
In 2007, Ann Arbor City Council passed the Public Art Ordinance that sets aside one percent of funds from all public construction budgets for art projects — to a maximum of $250,000 per project. On the City of Ann Arbor web…
Groupon Belly Flops Into Michigan’s Social/Tech Start-Up Pool
by P.D. Lesko
Groupon was founded and is headed by graduates from the University of Michigan. In January 2012, former AnnArbor.con business reporter Nathan Bomey wrote a glowing piece about Groupon, its founders and their connection to the…
Forget Voter Registration Drives. Get Michigan’s Registered Voters Interested in Elections.
by Rob Smith
Michigan Rising (formerly the Committee to Recall Rick Snyder) tried twice to collect enough signatures to put the question of whether to recall Governor Rick Snyder on the ballot. Twice the group failed. Such signature drives…
A2Politico Celebrates Citizen Activism With A New Annual Award
by P.D. Lesko
When I taught college, one writing assignment I most enjoyed was having my students compose letters to their elected officials. One woman chose to write a letter to the President. A couple of weeks later, she found her…
Members of Feisty Ward 2 Crowd Pressure Tony D. To “Answer The Question!”
by P.D. Lesko
The meeting room at the Traverwood Library is modern, with plenty of light and clean lines. The room was full, with about 70 people in attendance to hear the candidates answer questions for 90 minutes. It was there that Ward…
As Fast As Birkenstocks Can Carry Him Candidate Backpedals Away From Mayor’s Support
by P.D. Lesko
Ward 5 City Council candidate Chuck Warpehoski is being endorsed by many members of the local Dem Klan, including John Hieftje, whose 2010 Facebook page described him as "Ann Arbor's popular mayor." The Warpehoski race is a…
With her Checkbook, Jane Lumm Throws Down With Mayor & His Council Pals
by P.D. Lesko
Ward 2 Council member Jane Lumm is small, perhaps a little over 5 feet tall on a good day, but her desire to openly and diligently serve the people of Ann Arbor is gigantic. On AnnArbor.com, reporting about Lumm's work on…
Someone’s Not Feeling the Love: City Council Colleagues Donate Zip, Zero, Nada to This Incumbent
by P.D. Lesko
Tony D.'s campaign finance forms turned in on time to the Washtenaw County Clerk's office show that he has raised $8,475 to finance his effort to defeat challenger Sally Hart Petersen. Interestingly, Derezinski reported…
Interview: Christina Montague Wants to “Return” to the Washtenaw County BOC
by P.D. Lesko
Democrat Christina Montague wants to represent Ann Arbor on the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners. A politico who served on the BOC for 12 years, she is running to "return" to the BOC and wants to represent District…
East Lansing Amtrak Station on MSU Property Gets $6 Million Federal Grant For Expansion
P.D. Lesko
This is not satire. Those who support alternative transportation and expanded transit should read it and weep.
Elected officials in East Lansing, Michigan—along with officials at Michigan State University—recently showed how…
