Arbor Update

Politics

A Decision-Making Guide to the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative

Posted by Bruce Fields on 12. September 2006

Gus Teschke writes:

UM Prof. Scott Page, of the Center for the Study of Complex Systems, recently published a interesting and balanced account of the Michigan (anti-)Civil Rights Initiative titled
A Decision-Making Guide to the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative. It presents two sides for six arguments, and presents a decision-making model like what you might use for buying a house, but does not take sides.

Comment [72]

Campus

We're on STRIKE

Posted by Josh Steichmann on 12. September 2006

EMU Faculty voted to strike last week, after the administration walked away from the bargaining table.

EMU faculty are seeking pay raises to keep up (at least) with inflation, an explicit dedication to faculty teaching classes, and renegotiations on health care.

Union website lives here

Eastern Echo special coverage

(And I wrote a pro-strike editorial for the Echo board that you can find if you poke around a little bit).

Comment [7]

The Return of Glen Ann Place

Posted by Dale Winling on 12. September 2006

After a tumultuous year of consideration and reconsideration, Glen Ann Place may be back. Last fall Ann Arbor’s Historic District Commission voted against a PUD submitted by Joseph Freed for the corner of Glen and Ann Streets. The decision provoked a great deal of controversy, not least because the city’s Planning Commission and City Council had already approved the project, which would demolish two houses on Glen St. and replace them with a 10 story mixed-use building. Freed resubmitted the proposal without demolition, instead proposing removal of the houses, but withdrew the plan to pursue the case in the courts.

Comment [22] • Read More »

Local

Ann Arbor Fastest Falling Housing Market in the Nation?

Posted by Bruce Fields on 10. September 2006

Ken Clark writes:

Thought you guys would be interested in this. This CNN/Money story reports on a new Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight report. The OFHEO is the federal oversight board for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. While real estate values are still increasing across most of the nation, the rate of increase is falling fast. In some markets, the price of real estate has actually fallen in the past year. Many of those markets are in Michigan, and the worst in the nation for real estate values over the past year is Ann Arbor.

Page 22 of the OFHEO report shows that Ann Arbor real estate values lost 1.28% of their value in the past year, lost 1% in the most recent quarter, and gained 20.97% over the past five years. That makes us worst of the largest 275 MSAs in the past year.

Comment [7]

Regional

SOS 20,000 short - Michigan's latest tax revolt not on ballot!

Posted by Murph on 9. September 2006

Yesterday, the Board of State Canvassers voted unanimously to reject the “Stop Overspending” petition from the November ballot. SOS fell approximately 20,000 valid signatures short of the needed 317,000, despite handing in more than 500,000.

Defend Michigan, the coalition opposed to the SOS measure, are breathing a sigh of relief; they had said the measure would have “devastating effects on the ability of state and local government to provide essential services” by preventing both the creation of new tax levies and user fees or increases in existing ones by local entities.

SOS’s backers have appealed the Board of Canvassers’ decision. Over 100,000 duplicate signatures appeared on the petition, and the Board rejected all copies of these signatures, rather than keeping one and rejecting only those past the first. While the Board claims that this is in keeping with a 1940 Michigan Supreme Court decision, and is intended to discourage reckless petition drives, SOS feels that there is no statutory requirement to reject all copies.

Comment [8]

Local

Ann Arbor Democratic Party General Meeting, Sept. 9

Posted by Juliew on 8. September 2006

Saturday, September 9, 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon
(new member orientation 9:30 am)
Michigan League Koessler Room 3rd floor

Meeting Agenda
1. Presentation on the M(not)CRI Proposal

2. Resolutions

A. Resolution against Michigan Stadium Luxury Boxes: RESOLUTION expressing the Ann Arbor Democratic Party’s support for renovations to Michigan Stadium that do not include private luxury boxes, but instead protect the stadium’s classic form and architecture and honor egalitarian values that are part of the core of American democracy.

B. Resolution Forming a PAC: WHEREAS, the Party does not presently have a political action committee (known as a “political committee” under Michigan law); and WHEREAS, such a PAC could contribute to candidates for Ann Arbor Mayor and
City Council…

3. Nominating Committee

4. Bylaws Revisited

Comment [62]

City Council

City Council: Oops Edition

Posted by Juliew on 5. September 2006

Meeting moved to Tuesday, September 5 at 7:00 pm due to Labor Day holiday.

There are two contentious items on the Council Agenda:

• Metro 202 reconsideration
• Lower Town historic designation

Also of interest:

• CVS Pharmacy planned project site on Stadium. The developers want to build a standard ugly CVS building and the Planning Commission thinks the project should be better (Planning voted against this project 6-1). It will be interesting to see how Council votes.
• Letter from irate typewriter-user regarding Metro 202.

Planning Commission
Meeting moved to Thursday, September 7 at 7:00 pm.
Agenda is available here.

Comment [34]

Local

A2 Power Outages

Posted by MarkDilley on 2. September 2006

From an email we received:

Over the last couple of days particularly, the electricity in Ann Arbor has been going off and on. On Friday morning between 5.30 am and 6.00 am there were 11 instances of a quick power off and back on. Each outage lasting a second or two.

In addition over night last night this same thing was happening in the early am hours 1 to 2 or so. Similar symptoms. These kinds of outages can likely lead to the damage of lots of gear that people have these days.

I think it’s worth publishing this since DTE on the phone doesn’t seem to take it all that seriously and that I’ve not seen it reported anywhere even though it’s well known to us in the town.

Anyone else experiencing this?

Comment [39]

Regional

Sheriff's showdown: Minzey sticks to the fax

Posted by Murph on 2. September 2006

Earlier this year, the County Board of Commissioners voted to phase out the use of subsidized Sheriff’s deputies as local police. Most local units that use these patrols opted to sign a new contract with the County that will equalize the price of patrols with the cost of providing the service. With three Townships continuing to hold out against paying their fair share for Sheriff’s coverage, however, and joined by Sheriff Dan Minzey in their suit against the County, the drama keeps on building. Read on for all the gory details.

Comment [66] • Read More »

Culture

Carfree Ann Arbor

Posted by MarkDilley on 1. September 2006

Scott TenBrink, a new guest contributor here, has started collecting and posting tips, tricks, resources and ideas on living without a car in Ann Arbor at Carfree Ann Arbor

The intent is to recognize and support what I’m finding to be quite a large number of people living carfree in and around town. Hopefully everyone can pick up some good ideas about getting around without a car. The info is local when possible and it would be great if others would contribute their own ideas via post comments, email or becoming a regular contributor.

Despite the name, info on Ypsilanti and surrounding communities is encouraged.

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