Government

Election Revolution?

Election Revolution?

Sep 25, 2024 | , , |

The historic contest between Democratic vice president Kamala Harris and Republican former president Donald Trump at the top of the November 5 ballot is expected to draw huge numbers of voters on Election Day. But with no city council seats contested, the most impactful items locally are proposals near the end of the packed ballot—particularly Ann Arbor proposals A, to create a city-owned “sustainable energy utility,” and C and D, which would make city elections nonpartisan and provide public funding for council and mayoral candidates.

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Conservation Voters

Conservation Voters

Sep 25, 2024 | , , |

Wozniak is executive director of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. It was founded in 1999, she says, “to address some of our state’s most egregious problems regarding the air we breathe, the water we drink, and protecting public health and the natural environment.”

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Noah on Hoover St.?

Noah on Hoover St.?

Sep 25, 2024 | , , |

The U-M’s $631 million dorm complex on the old Elbel Field isn’t even finished, and Evan Pratt is already worried about its future. That’s because Allen Creek flows underground beside the property—and with Ann Arbor getting wetter, the county’s outgoing water resources commissioner says, it’s getting harder to keep it there. 

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Election Central

Election Central

Sep 25, 2024 | , |

That quote from a 2023 memo by then-deputy city administrator John Fournier has since become the unofficial motto for Ann Arbor’s new $5.25 million election center and studio space for Community Television Network.

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The Next State Rep?

The Next State Rep?

Aug 26, 2024 | , |

Morgan Foreman handily won the Democratic nomination to replace Felicia Brabec as representative for Michigan House District 33—and she did it with half as much money as her opponent, Rima Mohammad.

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The Next Sheriff

The Next Sheriff

Aug 26, 2024 | , |

Despite little sleep and no coffee, Dyer was “very excited” the morning after the election. “It took until late that night for the county clerk to determine the winner,” she says, and when she finally learned she’d won, it “was just such a relief!”

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Seeking Zero

Seeking Zero

Aug 14, 2024 | , |

In June, the Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability and Innovations (OSI) celebrated the fourth anniversary of A2Zero. The $1 billion climate action plan, which aims to attain community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030, was approved unanimously by the city council after Ann Arbor declared a climate emergency in 2019.

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Clerk Contenders

Jul 25, 2024 | , |

Larry Kestenbaum was first elected clerk in 2004 by defeating the Republican incumbent, and he’s defeated every challenger, Democrat or Republican, since then.

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The Next State Rep

The Next State Rep

Jul 25, 2024 | , |

Felicia Brabec, who represents Michigan House District 33, is stepping down after two terms to prepare to run for state senate in 2026. That leaves the district encompassing southern Ann Arbor, the city of Saline, and all or portions of Pittsfield, Saline, Lodi, York, Bridgewater, and Scio townships open for a new representative.

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Election Switcheroo

Election Switcheroo

Jul 25, 2024 | , |

By waiting until after the deadline to withdraw, McClary ensured that Lamelle-Sharp will be unopposed in the August 6 primary—and, given the heavily Democratic makeup of the county’s electorate, is all but certain to win the office.

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Hands-Free Means Hands-Free

Hands-Free Means Hands-Free

Jun 25, 2024 | , |

June 30 marks one year since the law banning “manual use” of cell phones in cars took effect. At their discretion, officers can give warnings or issue citations; the consequences can range from fines to community service to mandatory driving-improvement courses.

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No Parties?

No Parties?

May 24, 2024 | , |

August will see the first city council primary in at least twenty years with just one contested race. Six folks pulled petitions to collect signatures but only one turned them in: Mozhgan Savabieasfahani, who is running for a third time in the Fourth Ward.

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Question Corner | March 2024

Feb 23, 2024 | , |

Q. The U-M is always growing, and when it purchases property in the city, it is removed from the city’s tax rolls. Does the U-M make any payments to the city for services such as police and fire protection, road maintenance,...

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