Ann Arbor City Council

by P.D. Lesko A Washtenaw County employee told City Council in January 2014 that Ann Arbor’s homeless men, women, children and families could use a variety of public buildings during the day to escape temps. that plummeted to -20F. One…

AT ITS JUNE 16th meeting, Ann Arbor City Council members once again approved a contract with Governmental Consultant Services Inc. for lobbying services. GCSI has been paid to lobby in Lansing on behalf of the city of Arbor since 2001. Kirk…

by P.D. Lesko THE ANN ARBOR Charter requires City Council members to evaluate two of the city’s 690 employees: City Administrator Steve Powers and City Attorney Stephen Postema. City Attorney Postema, whose total compensation package…

by P.D. Lesko Please note: Kai Petainen is a member of The Ann Arbor Independent’s Editorial Board ANN ARBOR SPARK CEO Paul Krutko was “angry” and “screaming,” according to a City Council member who heard an exchange between Krutko…

by P.D. Lesko YOU PROBABLY DON’T know it, but sitting through a candidate forum in Ann Arbor is like watching paint dry. The same 50-60 people (many of whom are candidates in other races, office holders, political appointees or people…

Please note: Kai Petainen is a member of The Ann Arbor Independent’s Editorial Board by P.D. Lesko ANN ARBOR SPARK is once again under fire for discrepancies in its job creation claims. Forbes.com writer Kai Petainen uncovered a…

ANN ARBOR CITY Council members recently passed a resolution urging the State’s Attorney General to stop defending Michigan’s ban against gay marriage. In 2011, Ann Arbor City Council went on the record objecting to a Republican-backed drive…

CITY ADMINISTRATOR STEVE Powers was hired in 2011. His job performance during the past 3 years has not yet been evaluated by City Council. The Charter requires Council to evaluate both the City Administrator and the City Attorney annually.…

By P.D. Lesko LOOKING FOR WHAT is called a reliable voter? Look for a white woman aged 70 and above (a Baby Boomer), according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Looking for the least reliable voter on whom a candidate should think twice about…

by P.D. Lesko 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…