John Hieftje

by P.D. Lesko In September 2011, former Ann Arbor News reporter Tom Gantert did what he does best: published the truth. In point of fact, writing for Michigan Capitol Confidential, Gantert published information about the pay of staffers at…

by P.D. Lesko Fifth Ward Council member Mike Anglin sent out an email on January 15, 2012 in which he urged Ann Arbor residents to vocally oppose John Hieftje's proposal that Ann Arbor enter into a regional transportation agreement under…

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 Erika McNamara Detroit organizations that assist the homeless in the city report that the number of homeless individuals is on the increase and the shelters are at over capacity. The number of people requiring assistance this year is…

by P.D. Lesko How many direct hits from within can the Hieftje-Hive-Mind-Collective Cube withstand? In summer 2009, the Cube took its first hit from within: Ann Arbor residents woke up to a front page piece in the Ann Arbor News that was…

by P.D. Lesko City Council committee appointments are out, and it looks as though newly elected Second Ward Council member Jane Lumm worked some black magic to get herself spots on two of the most powerful Council committees. For…

by P.D. Lesko On The Atlantic's web site, writer Micki Maynard quotes David Askins of The AnnArborChronicle.com explaining how the pedestrian crosswalk ordinance mess has gotten so out of hand. Askins, with a straight face one presumes,…

by P.D. Lesko U.S. Representative John Dingell and his wife Debbie couldn't save Second Ward Council member Stephen Rapundalo's political hide. Dingell endorsed Rapundalo and donated $250 to his campaign. While challenger Jane Lumm spoke…

by P.D. Lesko In June of 2009, the now defunct Ann Arbor News broke a story that revealed Ann Arbor City Council members were abusing email during open meetings to mock and make fun of constituents, to script debates and to rig votes, such…

by P.D. Lesko Despite her continued opposition to the city's Greenbelt millage, money that city officials have used to purchase thousands of acres of land (tip o' the keyboard to Rita Mitchell), including farmland, in the area…