Browsing Tag
Chuck Warpehoski
by P.D. Lesko
On July 31, 2021, The Ann Arbor Independent published an article that revealed SafeHouse Center was unsafe, unsanitary and that client-facing staff at the non-profit worked in an atmosphere of what they called "racist!-->!-->!-->…
Council Member Apologizes for Using Facebook and Twitter During Public Meetings
by Patricia Lesko
During four public meetings in early 2017, Ward 4 Council member Jack Eaton (D) spent a total of four hours accessing Facebook and a total of five hours accessing Twitter. Eaton, when asked to comment said: "I…
Emails/Texts Reveal Council Members Staged Homeless Support for Library Lot Sale Vote
by Patricia Lesko
The Ann Arbor Independent used FOIA to obtain emails, Tweets and text messages sent over several weeks prior to the April 17 City Council meeting between a trio of Council members and Caleb Poirier, founder of tent…
Records Reveal Ward 3 Council Member Spends Hours on Social Media and Sends Secret Emails During Public Meetings
by Patricia Lesko
City web server log records turned over to the The Ann Arbor Independent in response to a series of FOIA requests show that yet another Ann Arbor City Council member used his city-owned computer to access Facebook and…
During Public Meetings, Records Show Two Council Members Spend Hours on Twitter and Facebook
Update: This article has been updated to correctly attribute the video screen capture photo of Council member Chip Smith to Ward 5 resident Kevin Leeser.
by Patricia Lesko
Public records turned over to the The Ann Arbor Independent…
Ward 5 Council Candidate David Silkworth Wants Local Government to “Put People First”
by Patricia Lesko
U.S. Navy veteran and Democrat David Silkworth has pulled nominating petitions to run for Ann Arbor City Council in Ward 5. Silkworth, an insurance executive, must gather 100 signatures of registered Ward 5 voters in…
City Vendor Records Reveal Handful of Board/Commission Members Paid $1.33M
by Patricia Lesko
NextDoor is a city-wide listserv where neighbors can post everything from requests for babysitters to football tickets for sale. Neighbors have also taken to posting information about local city government. In Feb.…
EDITORIAL: 1,4 Dioxane “Happy Talk”
MAYOR CHRIS TAYLOR recently posted an “update” concerning public safety, the city’s finances, parks, trees and the environment, to his Facebook page. In the course of updating the public about the feared contamination of the Huron River and…
Let the Dysfunction Games Begin? Vote to Exclude CPA From Budget Committee, Repetitive Pleas for Concision
The Dec. 1 City Council meeting included members grappling over their own rules, a failed floor motion to put Council’s only CPA on the group’s Budget & Labor Committee and a lengthy debate centered around limiting members’ speaking…
Ann Arbor District Library Rule Number 7—What “Dozing” Meant for Homeless Library Patrons During the Polar Vortex
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…