Browsing Tag
Julie Grand
by P.D. Lesko
R. Bruce Laidlaw, the Ann Arbor City Attorney between 1978 and 1991 and an Assistant City Attorney for six years before that, sent an email on Feb. 25 to Ann Arbor’s Mayor Chris Taylor, City Attorney Stephen Postema and!-->!-->!-->…
Now Playing at the Theater of the Absurd: The Ann Arbor Witch Trials Starring Tituba Taylor and Mercy Grand
Updated: CM Ali Ramlawi (D-Ward 5) issued a statement in which he withdrew his support for the actions of the Mayor, CMs Grand and Eyer.
“The truth always arrive too late, because it walks slower than lies. Truth crawls at a snail's!-->!-->!-->…
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!-->!-->!-->…
Disturbing Details Emerge on Why City Administrator Put AAPD Chief on Two-Week Leave
by P.D. Lesko
Correction: Derek Delacourt, Ann Arbor's Community Services Area Administrator, responded to say he has no involvement with or jurisdiction over the Ann Arbor Unit of Community Standards.
On Friday February 21, 2020!-->!-->!-->!-->!-->…
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…
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…
Amid Claquers, Boos, Cheers and Political Theater Council Votes 8-3 to Sell Library Lot to Core Spaces
by Patricia Lesko
The 8-3 vote last night to sell the Library Lot, a plot of publicly-owned land adjacent to the Downtown Library on Fifth Ave., will bring in $10 million from the developer, half of which will be deposited into the…
Crime Data Show Rise in Reports of Violent Crime in Ann Arbor—Is It a Blip or a Trend?
by Patricia Lesko
Ann Arbor recently passed Detroit as the city with the highest assessed value in the state. In the realm of public safety, however, while the number of violent crimes and property crimes in Detroit have fallen, in Ann…