Browsing Tag
Ann Arbor City Council
by P.D. Lesko
Margie Teall is not one of the Ann Arbor City Council members who used to be a Republican, changed parties, then ran as Democrats. She's one of the Democrats on Ann Arbor City Council who votes like a Republican, squeezes pay…
“Green” Mayor’s Parkland-for-Train Station Scheme Underwritten In Part By Slush Fund
by P.D. Lesko
Let's start with a quiz:
1. Has Ann Arbor City Council voted to approve the construction of a train station in Fuller Park?
2. As the city Charter requires, have the citizens of Ann Arbor voted to give over the 10-acre…
Ward 5 Council Candidate Chuck Warpehoski: A Moderate Religious Voice Prone To Immoderate Lapses
by P.D. Lesko
Fifth Ward Council member Carsten Hohnke has had enough. In his email to constituents, Hohnke told readers he was stepping down after two terms to "spend more time with his family." A classic political dodge. Norman Fowler, a…
Tony D Is Suddenly For Ann Arbor—Crass Political Opportunism Makes A Return
by P.D. Lesko
In November 2011 Second Ward Council member Stephen Rapundalo sent a damaging email to AnnArbor.com in which he painted himself as a disingenuous opportunist, writing that he wanted to “look engaged” prior to the election. …
Six Candidates Now Poised to Run For Mayor & City Council
by P.D. Lesko
It's February, and in another 60 days or so those in the mood to run for mayor and City Council as Democrats or Republicans will have gone to the City Clerk's office and taken out petitions. Those running as Independents have…
Look Out Boys! The Über Spinster Lets Down Her Hair
by P.D. Lesko
I read it, and I laughed. Out loud. I read it again, and laughed even more. I kept reading. Sometimes, I get bored and quit in the middle. Other times, reading this stuff is like taking flax seed oil. It's good for me, so I…
Local Politico to City’s Voters: You’re “Xenophobic,” “Old,” “Selfish” and “Stingy.”
by P.D. Lesko
DDA Board member and former Second Ward City Council member Joan Lowenstein (right) is having a really tough time of it, politically speaking. Should you care? Absolutely. It's a better show than "Real Housewives," but with…
Will Ann Arbor Voters Press Delete and Dump Another Politico Because of An Email Scandal?
by P.D. Lesko
In June of 2009, the now defunct Ann Arbor News broke a story that revealed Ann Arbor City Council members were abusing email during open meetings to mock and make fun of constituents, to script debates and to rig votes, such…
Sierra Club Endorses Jane Lumm in Ann Arbor Ward 2 City Council Race
by P.D. Lesko
Despite her continued opposition to the city's Greenbelt millage, money that city officials have used to purchase thousands of acres of land (tip o' the keyboard to Rita Mitchell), including farmland, in the area…
Urban Exile: Prepared to Slash Human Services Funding, County Commish Writes That Board “Needs Understanding”
by P.D. Lesko
Barbara Levin Bergman (left) is retiring from the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners at the end of her present term. As is the case in Washtenaw County politics, Andy LaBarre has been identified as the next District 8…