Browsing Tag
Ann Arbor SPARK
by P.D. Lesko
52nd District Representative Mark Ouimet and Governor Rick Snyder both let mainstream media assumptions that they were moderate Republicans go uncorrected. The last laugh, in retrospect, has been on all of the Ann Arbor and…
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…
Still Stealing You Blind: Ann Arbor SPARK Spends $7.7M & Creates 79 Jobs
by Rob Smith
The 1 percent here in Ann Arbor are just different than us. They look at out-of-work folks and hungry children, homeless men and women tossed out of Camp Take Notice, struggling small businesses and cash-strapped school…
Photos Reveal Michigan “Trade Delegation” to Europe “Exploring Growth Opportunities”—At Italian Art Museums
by Rob Smith
In the March 13th issue of the New York Times there is an article about the severe economic problems that face Italy. That country, like Michigan, has been in one of the deepest recessions on record. Unemployment in Italy last…
Residents Say “No Go” to Mayor’s Plan To Pay For County-Wide & Regional Transit With City Millage
by P.D. Lesko
The public speaker, an older woman who rides the bus regularly, recounted a conversation with a friend who lives outside of Ann Arbor: "My friend said to me that she wished the AATA buses would run near her house so she could…
How The 1 Percent Create Jobs: Officials Dump Millions In Public Money Into Local Job Creation & Exercise Little Oversight
by P.D. Lesko
Michigan has bled jobs, and the state's residents have suffered Depression-era unemployment levels.
The Detroit Free Press recently concluded in its report card evaluation of Governor Rick Snyder that Snyder's first year in…
Ann Arbor Politicos Dish Up Millions in Public Money & Give SPARK Pals A Pass On Public Accountability
by P.D. Lesko
I read a Tweet from Ann Arbor SPARK on November 17th: "Paul Krutko, Ann Arbor SPARK's CEO, speaking at the VC breakfast in San Jose, California. http://twitpic.com/7felds."
Krutko was the Chief Development Officer for the…
Neighborhood Candidate Forum Shows Just How Much Is At Stake in Ward 2 Election
by P.D. Lesko
A Ward 2 neighborhood association packed the house at Thurston Elementary School on Wednesday October 26, 2011 for a candidate forum between incumbent Ann Arbor City Council member Stephen Rapundalo (left) and challenger…
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…
New Research Shows Sharp Increase in Childhood Poverty in Michigan. Gov. Snyder Responds By Announcing Junket To Asia
Analogy Alert: President Obama is buying books (and playing golf) on Martha's Vinyard. In Sunday's New York Times, Maureen Dowd took the President to task as only she can. Dowd writes: "Is Obama so isolated he can’t see that Americans are…