Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners

by P.D. Lesko Update 9/26/21: Ann Arbor Council member Elizabeth Nelson (D-Ward 4) signed the letter. Efforts by the Executive Director and Board members of SafeHouse Center to hire a Miller-Canfield lawyer and conduct a quiet…

UPDATE 1/22/22: Independent Investigation Confirms Allegations of SafeHouse Mismanagement: Executive Director Barbara Niess-May Resigns September 17, 2021: Updated with additional audio clips, video and photos. Update October 6,…

by P.D. Lesko SafeHouse staff, interns and residents say it's time for Barbara Niess-May to be replaced. When asked during a Monday August 30 interview why she'd contacted The Ann Arbor Independent about what multiple SafeHouse…

by Ryan Hunter “THOSE WHO KNOW me know I will have my say, when I need to have my say,” said an emotional Judge Simpson during a support rally held in his honor last February. After a week long hearing in March, Simpson finally had his…

UNDER STATE ACT 283 of 1909, a local road millage may be levied by the county board without voter approval. The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners has scheduled an Oct. 1 public meeting to hear from voters before the BOC imposes yet…

A PUBLIC HEARING for residents to comment on a proposed half mill tax hike is scheduled to take place on Oct. 1 at 6:45 p.m. The hearing will be held during the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners’ monthly meeting. County homeowners…

County Administrator Verna McDaniel says Ann Arbor Commissioners Rabhi and LaBarre asked her to prepare a report that addressed  The Ann Arbor Independent’s March 11 story that documents county employee and elected officials’ stays at Las…

On a path where politics and principles meet.  AT POLITICAL GATHERINGS, Washtenaw County Commissioner Yousef Rabhi is often the tallest man in the room and at 24-years-old, often the youngest. He is serving as the Chair of the BOC, one…

Please Note: Kai Petainen is a member of The Ann Arbor Independent’s Editorial Board. ANN ARBOR CITY Administrator Steve Powers (below) sits on the Executive Committee of Ann Arbor SPARK. SPARK is funded with public money from both state…

ANN ARBOR SPARK officials have refused to provide audited financial statements to the public and elected officials. When Governor Rick Snyder and MEDC CEO Michael Finney headed the organization, the Annual Report claimed that over 12,000…