A2Politico

A2Politico: County Law Enforcement Leaders Kiss Up To Perps While Crime Rates Skyrocket - The Ann Arbor Independent by P. D. Lesko The May 27, 2023 video sent to me of the new Ypsilanti Chief of Police Kirk L. Moore shows him speaking to a small crowd, a little more than a dozen people, excluding elected officials. As the videographer pans around the sparse circle, the camera takes in an equal number of […]

When those who enforce the law behave as though they're above it.

County’s Chief Asst. Prosecutor Owes Thousands in Campaign Finance Fines Related to Failed Run This article was made possible by donations to the Ann Arbor Independent FOIA Fund. Click here to donate. by P.D. LeskoCampaign finance statements show that Washtenaw County's Chief Asst. Prosecutor Victoria Burton-Harris has igno

In July 2022, the Washtenaw County Administrator Greg Dill recommended to the Board of Commissioners that they vote to give a $1.2 million ARPA fund grant to non-profit Supreme Felons, Inc. The grant raised eyebrows among non-profit leaders in Ypsilanti. The grant also raised questions about the credibility and veracity of the RPF submitted by Supreme Felons, Inc. in support of the $1.2 million grant.

County Commissioners Handed Registered S*x Offender, and County Employee on Parole $1.2M ARPA Grant Washtenaw County earmarked a total of $8 million in federal ARPA funds to distribute grants to community groups focused on, among other issues, community violence intervention. In July 2022, County Administrator Greg Dill recommended County Commissio

Among the amended filings submitted by Taylor and his treasurer between April 26-May 6 were multiple disclosures that documented the amounts Taylor had spent on Facebook advertising for candidate campaigns between 2018 and 2020. Taylor’s amended disclosures substantiate the allegations of multiple campaign expenditure omissions made in the campaign finance violation complaint submitted to Michigan officials in March 2021.

County Clerk Asked to Disqualify Ann Arbor’s Mayor From Running for Re-Election by P.D. LeskoWhen filing to run, candidates for elected office sign affidavits swearing their campaign finances are in proper order. Between 2018 and 2020, Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor purchased multiple Facebook ads, but his campaign Treasurer

Ann Arbor’s elected officials and city staff manage our city services as revenue centers, including the city-owned water and sewer utility. The Ann Arbor for Public Power folks present no evidence that a publicly-owned energy utility would be managed any differently.

Why “Ann Arbor for Public Power” Should Scare You to Death by P.D. LeskoAnn Arbor for Public Power appears to be a group of ecologically-minded people sick to death of DTE's "dirty," high-priced services and outage-a-palloozas in Ann Arbor. They want Ann Arbor to replace DTE with a "clean," public energy uti

The Ward 4 City Council candidates' campaign finances mirror the 2010 Michigan House race between Jeff Irwin and Ned Staebler.

Campaign Finances of Ward 4 Incumbent Show Financial Support Primarily From Ward 4 Residents by P.D. LeskoAnn Arbor City Council member Elizabeth Nelson (D-Ward 4) ran as an unknown in 2018 for a four-year term. Nelson is running for re-election in 2022. According to her pre- and post-election campaign finance statements filed with the Count

Big donors in Ward 3 and outside money are fueling the campaign of Ward 4 challenger Dharma Akmon.

Few of Ward 4 Council Challenger’s Donors Live in Ward 4 by P.D. LeskoLibrary Trustee Dharma Akmon has raised $15,365 for her Ward 4 City Council race, according to public campaign finance records. On April 14, 2022 Akmon Tweeted out a thank you to "***194 individuals***" who have allegedly donated to her

Council member Kathy Griswold (D-Ward 2) was the only one of Ann Arbor’s eleven members who questioned how the UBI might impact the ability of recipients to continue to receive state and federal disability, health insurance and food benefits.

City Council’s Universal Basic Income Program Could Hurt Low-Income Recipients by P.D. Lesko Si ce Li h So g (D-Ward 2) was elected to A Arbor City Cou cil i 2020, the average media household i come i the city has rise to $104,000. There are 5,500 people o A Arbor’s public housi g waitlist for 150 available spots, a d the media price of a si gle-family home has [...]

Five anonymous city staffers aired their complaints about the former city administrator in secret. Now, a local attorney is going to court to force Ann Arbor officials to reveal the identities of the city employees who complained.

Former Ann Arbor City Attorney Files Suit to Force City to Identify Staff Members in Report Used to Fire City Administrator by P.D. Lesko R. Bruce Laidlaw, the A Arbor City Attor ey betwee 1978 a d 1991 a d a Assista t City Attor ey for six years before that, se t a email o Feb. 25 to A Arbor’s Mayor Chris Taylor, City Attor ey Stephe Postema a d Je ifer Salvatore, a fou di g attor ey at [...]

FDA Authorizes Second COVID Booster for Those 50 and Older by Je ifer Shutt–Michiga Adva ce The U.S. Food a d Drug Admi istratio has authorized a other rou d of COVID-19 booster shots for people 50 a d older, as well as those who are immu ocompromised. The decisio to ame d a earlier emerge cy use authorizatio for a seco d booster dose of the Pfizer or Mod...

A2Politico: County Residents Deserve Leadership, Not Gaslighting from Ann Arbor County Commissioners by Patricia Lesko Cou ty Commissio er Ricky Jefferso . Photo | Washte aw Cou ty Let me preface this by sayi g that i 2013, whe our so was diag osed with whoopi g cough, we received excelle t support a d supervisio from the Washte aw Cou ty Health Dept. Our e tire family was quara ti ed. [...]

Political Donor to Mayor & His Council Allies Benefits From City Zoning Changes Around Briarwood by P.D. Lesko Cou cil member Kathy Griswold’s (D-Ward 2) resolutio asked City staff for the a swers to a few questio s: Who ow s the 69 parcels impacted by the City-i itiated rezo i g arou d Briarwood? How much is each parcel worth ow, a d how much will that assessed value i crease as a result [.....

Why is the County Administrator handling appeals related to his own phone bills and emails?

County Administrator’s Attempt to Charge A2Indy $200+/Hour in FOIA Fees to Release His Own Phone Bills and Emails, Reversed by P.D. Lesko The A Arbor I depe de t used the Michiga Freedom of I formatio Act to obtai eight mo ths of Cou ty Admi istrator Greg Dill’s cou ty-ow ed cell pho e bills, as well as emails betwee Dill a d former SafeHouse Executive Director Barbara Niess-May excha ged betwee the two i the space of ...

The City budgeted $5M for public services in 2021. In 2020, taxpayers contributed $27M to city employee pensions. Public records reveal that the majority of $3M in overtime pay went to just 120 of the city's 2,200 FT and PT employees. The records also revealed rampant pension spiking by city employees, costing taxpayers additional millions.

With Overtime, City Employees Increase Their Take-Home Pay by as Much as 58 Percent by P.D. Lesko The City of A Arbor curre tly employs approximately 840 full-time regular employees a d 1,400 part-time a d temporary employees. I 2020, taxpayers forked over $64 millio i salaries to the city’s 2,240 employees, accordi g to public records. That amou t i cluded $3 millio i overtime p...

County Administrator Greg Dill Gaslights & Misleads Community With His “Statement on SafeHouse” Editor’s ote: O October 17, 2021, The A Arbor I depe de t published a editorial i which we called for the Washte aw Board of Commissio ers to fire Greg Dill for his role i putti g domestic viole ce victims a d their childre i da ger, for maki g wome a d childre homeless, a d for [...]

In Whistleblower Complaint, Michigan AG Asked to Investigate SafeHouse Board, Executive Director and Staff by P.D. Lesko A whistleblower’s complai t agai st SafeHouse Ce ter, the o -profit’s Board members, Executive Director a d staff, dated October 31, 2021, has bee filed with Michiga ’s Attor ey Ge eral. The complai t asks AG Da a Nessel to i vestigate “discrimi atio i hiri g practices, treatme...

Cop26, l'ipocrisia dei partecipanti: oltre 400 jet privati atterrano a Glasgow, l'ingorgo in timelapse Il Gulf Stream da 56 milioni di euro di Jeff Bezos, fondatore di Amazon, ha guidato una parata di 400 jet privati diretti alla COP26 di Glasgow. Tra questi quelli del Principe Alberto di Monaco, di decine di reali e di dozzine di amministratori delegati 'green', che hanno creato uno straordinario in...

The County Prosecutor smeared his own witness, because she aired her concerns about his handling of her case in the media. In retaliating against the 27-year-old Black woman for speaking to the press, Eli Savit may have violated the woman's First Amendment rights. The Prosecutor is sworn to uphold the Constitution, not subvert it.

County Prosecutor Released Public Statement to Retaliate Against Victim for Speaking to Media by P.D. Lesko Note: The A Arbor I depe de t se t a request for comme t a d questio s to the Cou ty Prosecutor, Victoria Burto -Harris a d Christi a Hi es via email. Read that email here. Sources i side a d outside the Washte aw Cou ty Prosecutor’s office allege that Cou ty Prosecutor [...]

New arts mag. in Ypsi. Shout out to Chris Usera.

U Magazine – Ypsi Proud Editor’s Note: Christia Usera covered the arts for The A Arbor I depe de t. He is the Editor-i -Chief at U Magazi e. by Christia Usera I a Post- Covid -19 world, i dividuals are co templati g their place i society. What are our respo sibilities to others a d ourselves? What ki d of cha ges ca [......

October is GLOW time in Ypsilanti! WonderFool Productions is excited to announce plans for ypsiGLOW 2021, the annual community-created celebration of the power of art and light in building commUNITY across Ypsilanti.

Get Ready for ypsiGLOW 2021 by Je ifer Goulet October is GLOW time i Ypsila ti! Wo derFool Productio s is excited to a ou ce pla s for ypsiGLOW 2021, the a ual commu ity-created celebratio of the power of art a d light i buildi g commUNITY across Ypsila ti. Photo: Wo derFool Productio s I its sixth year, ypsiGLOW 2021 will be....

The leak of the whistleblower’s allegations against Fournier came shortly after the Interim City Administrator was the subject of a glowing memo circulated to Council by Mayor Christopher Taylor. It's not the first time Fournier has been caught up in allegations of wrong-doing.

Mayor Pushes Council to Protect and Reward John Fournier, Subject of Allegations by City Hall Whistleblower by P.D. Lesko A a o ymous source emailed MLive’s gover me t reporter a copy of a complai t submitted by a whistleblower who is amo g the ra ks of A Arbor’s upper ma ageme t. I the complai t, the whistleblower alleged to members of City Cou cil that I terim City Admi istrator Joh Four ier [...]

From the food poisoning of a resident and her child through the consumption of out-of-date food provided by SafeHouse Center to its residents, to fist and knife fights, and the alleged kidnapping of a survivor's 2-year-old child by a drug-addicted fellow resident, the survivors who spoke to The Ann Arbor Independent all described SafeHouse Center as a "jail," and a "detention center." What the women perhaps don't know is that those housed in the County jail, unlike SafeHouse Center, are provided cooked meals three times daily, are provided medical care.

SafeHouse Center is a “Dangerous Dump” and Survivors Say, “Enough is Enough” by P.D. Lesko Note: SafeBoard Executive Director Barbara Niess-May was asked to comme t for this story a d to a swer the allegatio s made i it. She refused. Likewise, SafeHouse Board Preside t Tara Maho ey, a lawyer who works for Masco, was asked to comme t a d to a swer the allegatio s made i this....

On August 24, after reading the newspaper’s July 31 article in which multiple SafeHouse Center residents and staff made allegations that the non-profit shelter was mismanaged, unsafe and filthy, Ypsilanti resident Ravone Fields and five other SafeHouse residents (past and present) contacted The Ann Arbor Independent and asked to meet to discuss concerns they have about the continuing unsafe conditions, threatening, racist and bullying treatment of the primarily Black survivors by SafeHouse Center staffers.

SafeHouse Exec. Dir. and Staff Retaliated Against S*xual/Physical Assault Survivors Who Spoke Out About Health and Safety Concerns at the Shelter by P.D. LeskoSafeHouse 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 staff, interns and clien

Staff and Clients Allege SafeHouse Center is Mismanaged and a “Racist, Toxic” Environment by P.D. LeskoIn February of 2021, SafeHouse Center clients, staff and interns, present and past, came forward to allege that under Executive Director Barbara Niess-May, who has been at the helm since 2002, a "toxic, racial divide" exists between mana

There have been numerous questions from the public concerning an alleged double standard being applied to Hayner versus Council members who have broken Council Rules, state and federal laws, including Taylor himself.

Council Votes to Remove Member From His Boards and Commissions for Seven Months, “Against Advice of Counsel” by Patricia LeskoOn April 19, 2021, in a move that the Ann Arbor City Attorney Stephen Postema called "unprecedented," Jeff Hayner (D-Ward 1) was stripped of his seats on seven boards and commissions, including the Parks Advisory Commission, the Gre

Alleged governmental corruption, the alleged cover-up of a serious crime by the City Attorney’s office, a pandemic, poisoned ground water, hunger, homelessness, domestic violence, a pending budget deficit, a mayor who undermines the Police Oversight Commission, sewage running in the streets. Instead of tending to the important business of the public, the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem of Ann Arbor are dressing up in their best Puritan hats and playing Salem Witch Trials to benefit themselves and their friends, personally and politically.

Now Playing at the Theater of the Absurd: The Ann Arbor Witch Trials Starring Tituba Taylor and Mercy Grand “The truth always arrive too late, because it walks slower than lies. Truth crawls at a snail's pace.” --Arthur Miller, The CrucibleHistorians say that the Salem Witch Trials were not about witchcraft, but rather about personal independence and real

Ann Arbor City Attorney Stephen Postema’s abuse of governmental power and privilege to benefit Mitchell Irwin and Jennifer Eyer Irwin, and potentially himself, is classic corruption. It must be investigated, and all involved held accountable.

Corruption On Display: The Ann Arbor City Attorney, the Washtenaw County Prosecutor, and the Irwin/Eyer DV Case by Patricia LeskoThe majority of domestic abusers are poorly-educated, white men. In the case of Mitchell Irwin, the abuser is a 1 Percenter Poster Boy, an educated, rich, 68-year-old white man, a former Michigan State Senator, Granholm appointee, fo

Should Council member Eyer Irwin resign?

Ann Arbor Council Member Allegedly Told Employee Complaining About S*xual Harassment to “Be Thankful for the Attention” {Editor's note: Chris Savage has written for A2Politico.] The movement started in October of 2017 with the "Sh*tty Media Men" Google spreadsheet. Women crowdsourced information about alleged serial sexual harassers and rapists in the media ind

Former state senator and husband of Ann Arbor City Council member sentenced.

Mitchell Irwin Sentenced on Domestic Violence Charge [To watch a video of the sentencing, click here.] On March 23, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. Judge Miriam A. Perry sentenced former Michigan state senator Mitchell L. Irwin on a single charge of domestic violence, a misdemeanor. Irwin is the father of Michigan s

Ann Arbor Summer Festival 2020 Cancelled Editor's Note: According to the Ann Arbor Summer Festival's most recently-released 990 tax forms, the organization lost almost $60,000 on revenue of $1.2 million, revenue which was down from $1.5 million the preceding year. According to its tax retur