by Patricia Lesko On Aug. 8, Anne Bannister (D-Ward 1), Zachary Ackerman (D-Ward 3), Jack Eaton (D-Ward 4) and Chip Smith (D-Ward 5) won the Democratic primary elections. Smith and Eaton will face Independents (Ali Ramlawi and Diane…

Update: In its Aug. 2017 City Council candidate article written by James Leonard, the Observer states a married candidate's "girlfriend" donated thousands to the candidate's campaign. The woman named as David Silkworth's "girlfriend" is,…

July 3: UPDATED: James Leonard emailed on July 3, 2017 to say that he does, indeed, intend to comment. His comments will be added when they are received. July 7: UPDATED: James Leonard's comment has been added. by Patricia Lesko Charles…

by Rob Smith ACCORDING TO THE City of Ann Arbor’s log of FOIA requests submitted between January 2013 and May 2014 519 FOIA requests were submitted to the Ann Arbor City Clerk’s office. Thirty-three of the 519 requests came from The Ann…

IN THE JUNE 2014 issue of The Ann Arbor Observer, writer Jan Schlain reports, “So drivers will be hitting this year’s bumper crop of potholes for a while. They just shouldn’t expect any compensation from the city when they do so.” Ward 2…

by P.D. Lesko IMAGINE MY SURPRISE  when I opened the February 2014 issue of The Ann Arbor Observer and discovered my photo. The title of the piece? “A $250,000 Election: This Year’s City Council Race Is Shaping Up As The Most Expensive…

THE ANN ARBOR Indepdendent accepts no advertising from local, county or state government, local universities or the Ann Arbor Public Schools. It is a policy that takes direct aim at bolstering the newspaper’s editorial independence. The…

June 8th marked the 24th time Food Gatherers has put on its annual fundraiser Grillin'. According to Food Gatherers staffers at the event, this year's numbers topped last year's numbers, including number of attendees and amount raised.…

by P.D. Lesko The Boomers on Ann Arbor City Council are fixated on turning the city into a mecca for Young Professionals. After all, 35,000 wanna-be YPs study at the University of Michigan, and if all of them would just stay put, in less…

The City of Ann Arbor web site has a page titled "Recognitions." In 2010, among the recognitions Ann Arbor received: 2010: Taste Contest Award (Ann Arbor Water Treatment Plant) – American Water Works Association, Michigan Section, 2010…