Conan Smith

by P.D. Lesko In 2004, the Ann Arbor News Editorial Board published an endorsement of Hieftje's mayoral opponent that included this zinger, preserved for posterity by Google: “Hieftje’s largest failure is not one of vision, but leadership.…

By Chris Savage "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."— attributed to Mohandas Gandhi What would you call a group of municipal leaders that was receiving $1.5 million in…

by P.D. Lesko In September 2011, MLive political analyst Susan J. Demas outed Democratic State Senator Rebekah Warren (left) as one of only four Michigan legislators who had accepted more than $1,800 in free food and drinks from lobbyists…

We must all be vigilant as we move forward to ensure that we keep the voice of Michigan citizens one that can be heard and one that is listened to. The Michigan Planning Enabling Act, PA 33, was intended to improve planning in Michigan…

Lawrence Kestenbaum has just 280 followers on Twitter. Not a grand following for the County Clerk of Washtenaw County. Kestenbaum, a Democrat, yesterday made the unusual choice to tweet about a new recall effort launched in the state of…

Think of it as the political Miss U.S.A. contest. The swimsuit competition. The catwalk. The talent competition. Then, the judges vote. In this case, the judges are, literally, voters, and millions of them are suffering some serious…

The fact is that Michigan's Governor Rick Snyder is not very popular at the moment. That could change. Certainly President Obama's approval ratings, once stellar, have fallen, then recovered. The fact of the matter is that governance and…

Let me just say for the record that I like 52nd District Michigan State House Republican Mark Ouimet. He's a personable, warm and friendly man. Washtenaw County Democrats, led by Stu Dowty, then Chair, tried to derail Ouimet's march to the…