Dec 2, 2014 | News |
In his successful mayoral campaign, Democrat Christopher Taylor got 27,979 votes. Independent Bryan Kelly got just 5,141. Measly as it is, that 15 percent showing was in line with those of other recent independent mayoral...
Read MoreNov 22, 2014 | News |
Mundane as it sounds, pruning dead and overgrown branches is the number-one goal of the city’s first-ever urban forestry plan. The trees lining city streets and in parks have “been under a tremendous amount of...
Read MoreNov 17, 2014 | News |
“Before 2005, the city never had any real program to monitor and inspect sidewalks,” recalls former city project manager Homayoon Pirooz. But in 2004, the Center for Independent Living sued, arguing that bumpy...
Read MoreAnn Arbor elects a mayor every two years. But because local voters are overwhelmingly Democratic, the only election that usually matters is the August primary. Mayor John Hieftje won the last four general elections with at least...
Read MoreNear the end of the November 4 ballot, far below the hotly contested races for governor and the U.S. Senate, is another contest: with, arguably, even greater impact on Ann Arbor–two Democrats and two Republicans are...
Read MoreThe meeting in July was amazing enough: all four mayoral candidates in the August Democratic primary faced 500 homeless people and their advocates at Genesis of Ann Arbor, the interfaith partnership between St. Clare of Assisi...
Read MoreWith its rows of golden corn and deep green soybeans leading to a big red barn, Bur Oaks Farm in Webster Township is a picture-perfect farm.”Crops this year are generally excellent,” emails Tom Bloomer, who bought...
Read MoreOct 10, 2014 | News |
“Everybody’s jumping for joy,” says Scio Township supervisor Spaulding Clark. He’s referring to the departure of a Traverse City-based oil exploration company which had drilled an exploratory oil well...
Read MoreOct 1, 2014 | News |
For two of the eight candidates on the November 4 ballot, the biggest issue is making tuition more affordable for more students. For one, it’s improving “collaboration between the faculty and local employers”...
Read MoreKirk Westphal was puzzled. In October 2013, he got a mass email from Chuck Gelman inviting people to “attend the democratic [party] meeting and support jane lumm or the candidate of your choice. this [meeting] is an...
Read MoreSep 10, 2014 | News |
The city’s in no hurry to hire a new fire chief. Since Chuck Hubbard retired abruptly in January after just two years on the job, two deputy chiefs have run the fire and police departments, with police chief John Seto...
Read MoreMichigan football is in the throes of a three-year slide, with last year’s outcome mirroring Rich Rodriguez’s 2010 swan song. In Rich Rod’s third year the Wolverines won seven regular-season games, then lost...
Read MoreSep 3, 2014 | News |
State representative Jeff Irwin figures his chances for winning a third term this November are good. “Ann Arbor is a pretty Democratic town,” says Irwin, a former Washtenaw County commissioner first elected to the...
Read MoreSep 1, 2014 | News |
More than twice as many people–7,073–voted for Taylor as for any other candidate. Sabra Briere was second in the four-way race, with 2,971 votes, followed by Steve Kunselman’s 2,448 and Sally Hart...
Read MoreAug 18, 2014 | News |
When Washtenaw County closed the books on 2013, it recorded a $3.9 million surplus. Now the question is what to do with it.From her perspective, “it needs to go into reserves,” says county administrator Verna...
Read MoreThe August 5 Democratic mayoral primary marks the end of one era and the start of another.After an unprecedented seven terms, John Hieftje is retiring undefeated. Since 2000, he has faced ten opponents in primary and general...
Read MoreThe drama of who’s running for city council began in March when Bob Dascola went to federal court to get a place on the ballot and climaxed in June when Dascola won his case and Leon Bryson abruptly ended his campaign.That...
Read MoreAug 1, 2014 | News |
Following a successful bus millage vote in May, 2014, the AAATA (the new third “A” is for “Area”) is drastically increasing route miles and hours in four phases over the next four years. The first phase...
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