Arbor Update

Transportation

Commuter Challenge 2009 Starts May 1

Posted by Nancy Shore on 30. April 2009

The getDowntown Program is holding the 4th annual Commuter Challenge during the Month of May.

The Challenge is a month-long online commuting-competition between Ann Arbor businesses (primarily downtown) to see who can walk, bike, bus, carpool, telecommute, etc. the most.

The Goal of the Challenge is to encourage people who are thinking about trying a sustainable commute to actually do it.

As of April 30th, 2009, 113 114 117 Organizations and about 1,200 Participants have signed up for the Challenge. Last year, 114 Organizations and 1,400 Participants competed. Organizations can still sign up for the Challenge throughout the month of May.

More information about the Challenge is below:

• About the Commuter Challenge
• Prizes for the Challenge
• Awards for the Challenge.
• All of the Events happening during the Commuter Challenge
• Commuter Challenge Sponsors
• Commuter Challenge Stats Page
• Meet the Competition: Info on Competing Organizations.
• The Commuter Challenge: What’s the Point?
• Commuter Challenge Ambassadors
• Commuter Challenge Info on the getDowntown Blog

Politics

FY2010 Proposed Budget Information

Posted by Matt Hampel on 29. April 2009

The City of Ann Arbor has posted its 2010 draft budget (direct budget book PDF link here). Arbor Update ran character recognition software on the PDF and produced a semi-searchable Word document (6mb zip file containing a 14mb document).

Comment [3] • Read More »

City Council

2009 City Council Elections

Posted by Bruce Fields on 27. April 2009

The City Council has ten members, two representing each of the five wards (ward map), with two-year terms staggered so that each ward elects one member yearly.

The Ann Arbor News reports that all incumbents are running for re-election. The list of incumbents (with possible challengers from the News article in parentheses) is:

Ward 1: Sabra Briere
Ward 2: Stephen Rapundalo
Ward 3: Leigh Greden (Steve Kunselman, Marwan Issa)
Ward 4: Marcia Higgins (Hatim Elhady)
Ward 5: Mike Anglin (Scott Rosencrans)

The general elections are November 3rd, but in recent years the Democratic nominees have always won, so the August 4th primaries will probably decide.

Comment [552]

AATA to negotiate for new CEO

Posted by Chuck Warpehoski on 23. April 2009

The Ann Arbor Transit Authority has just announced that they will begin negotiations with Michael Ford on a contract to serve as AATA’s new CEO.

The press release describes Ford’s background:

Ford, is currently a principal with MG Ford Consulting, based in Camas, Washington which provides organizational development services to businesses. Prior to his current position, he served as chief operating officer and assistant general manager for the San Joaquin (California) Rapid Transit District.

He began his transit career as operations manager with Greyhound Lines in Spokane, Washington, where he eventually served as area general manager. He went on to TriMet in Portland, Oregon, serving as director of operations before being promoted to provide strategic counsel as executive advisor to the general manager.

Comment [4]

City boards and commissions service data as a spreadsheet

Posted by Matt Hampel on 21. April 2009

The City of Ann Arbor posts the names and positions of people serving on various commissions on its Legistar site. It’s a pretty entertaining page to browse around. And Legistar has a fairly usable interface — but its export function is completely broken.

Brian Kerr and myself have scraped the information from its (technically) obfuscated format and put it in a generic spreadsheet system (also: Excel download) for your open-data consumption desires.

Comment [14]

Planning Commission to Consider Affordable Housing Request

Posted by Chuck Warpehoski on 20. April 2009

Avalon Housing along with Damian Farrell Design Group, Three Oaks Group, and Midwestern Consulting, LLC is proposing an affordable housing project they are calling Near North

This project comes before the City Planning Commission on Tuesday, April 21, at 7 p.m. in the Council Chamber, Second Floor of City Hall, with the Near North PUD Site Plan is expected to come up around 8 p.m.

The North Central Property Owners Association has opposed the plan, and the Planning Department has recommended against the planned unit development

That’s what they think. What do you think?

Comment [60]

Ypsi passes "Buy American" resolution, what do you think?

Posted by Chuck Warpehoski on 8. April 2009

The Ann Arbor News is reporting on a buy-local resolution that supports trying to “maximize the creation of American jobs” in the way it spends federal economic stimulus money.” They have a online poll (same link), but we’d like to hear your comments.

Comment [11]

Should city bonds need voter OK?

Posted by Chuck Warpehoski on 30. March 2009

The Ann Arbor News is reporting on a project called GO Ask Voters to require that bonds for city projects get voter approval before they are issued.

What do you think? Is this a needed check on our city government, or an added bureaucratic hoop for the city to jump through before it can do big projects?

Comment [95]

Crime

West Willow incident videos released

Posted by Matt Hampel on 29. March 2009

Sheriff Jerry Clayton has released several videos related to the death of Clifton Lee, Jr. in June 2006.

(this posted is a belated follow-up to the Sherriff’s Race thread.)

Comment [301]

Local Media

Ann Arbor News to Close in July

Posted by Juliew on 23. March 2009

The Ann Arbor News will close in July and will be replaced by a Web-based, media company called AnnArbor.com, Laurel Champion, publisher of The News, announced in a 9 a.m. meeting with staff.

More information on mlive.com.

Comment [78]