Browsing Tag
Jane Lumm
by P.D. Lesko
On August 11, 2021, in a letter to City Administrator Tom Crawford, the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) said of the proposed plan to build a $171,410,000 "train station," the feds!-->!-->!-->…
Emails Show Mayor Tried to Have UM Regent “Jump the Line” and Take ICPOC Appointment
by P.D. Lesko
The Chair of ICPOC asked that the name of the UM Regent who contacted Mayor Taylor—and whom Taylor attempted to have appointed to ICPOC—be withheld in order to save the individual any embarrassment. That request has been!-->!-->!-->…
City Council Members Vote to Require a Funding Plan for the $1 Billion A2 Zero Carbon Neutrality Plan
by P.D. Lesko
"There is no funding plan." Ward 2 Council member Jane Lumm (I) repeated this phrase during the discussion on April 20 of a resolution co-sponsored by Mayor Taylor, Ward 3 Council members Grand and Ackerman, and Ward 5!-->!-->!-->…
These Council Members Handed Howard Lazarus His Golden Parachute in 2016, Then Pretended They Didn’t
by P.D. Lesko
The only reason former City Administrator Howard Lazarus is several hundred thousand dollars richer is thanks to an open-ended, 2016 contract negotiated by someone among the attorneys employed in the City Attorney's!-->!-->!-->…
Pedestrian Safety “Top Council Priority” in Dec., Months Later $450K for Pedestrian Safety at Schools Voted Down
by Patricia Lesko
At the May 15, 2017 Ann Arbor City Council meeting, Ward 2 Council member Jane Lumm (I) put forward five of the seven proposed amendments to Ann Arbor's over $350 million budget. Four of her amendments had co-sponsors,…
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…
City Staff Agenda Responses Answer Some Questions About Landfilling of Glass Recyclables
by Patricia Lesko
The Ann Arbor Independent recently reported that for a period of time thought to be several years, prior to July 2016, Ann Arbor's recycled glass hauled by Recycle Ann Arbor and handled by ReCommunity had been processed…
EDITORIAL: City Council Candidate Websites
THIS AUGUST, VOTERS will go to the polls and choose from among candidates running in the City Council Democratic primary elections. In Wards 1, 3, 4 and 5, incumbents’ and challengers’ websites are up and populated with a variety of…
Pedestrian Task Force Members up in Arms After Council Members Indicate Unwillingness to Follow Recommendations
by P.D. Lesko
MEMBERS OF THE Ann Arbor Pedestrian Safety and Access Task Force proposed changes to the city’s snow removal ordinance which would drop the one-inch threshold for the removal of snow and ice. The proposed changes would…
DDA’s $899K Downtown Ambassador Program: Policing Visitors and Merchants
Criticism of the Downtown Ambassador proposal has been sharp. Comments from the public included in the FOIA response to The A2 Indy about the Ambassador program range from mild to spicy.
by P.D. Lesko
THE BOARD OF the Ann Arbor…