End Of An Era

This month marked the end of John Hieftje's 14-year reign as Ann Arbor's mayor. City Council Member Margie Teall, who served alongside Hieftje for the last 12 years, also stepped down. Hieftje, an Ann Arbor native, is the longest-serving mayor in the city's history, going back to the 1850s. Go here to read an exit interview with Hieftje. Go here to read coverage of his council sendoff.

Primary Night in Ann Arbor — Aug. 7, 2012

Three new faces will join the Ann Arbor City Council in November after Tuesday's primary turned out wins for Sumi Kailasapathy, Sally Hart Petersen and Chuck Warpehoski. That means Mayor John Hieftje and his ruling coalition have three months before they lose their 7-4 majority. Meanwhile, Andy LaBarre won his race for the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, and Adam Zemke won his race for state representative in the 55th District. Evan Pratt came out ahead in his race for county water resources commissioner, and attorneys Jim Fink and Carol Kuhnke advanced as 22nd Circuit Court judicial candidates. Read an analysis on how the council races played out.

Trust And Transparency

A discussion on trust and transparency in Ann Arbor city government led to a feisty exchange between two 2nd Ward candidates for City Council on Saturday. Sally Hart Petersen, who is running as a Democrat against incumbent Tony Derezinski in the Aug. 7 primary, took issue with Derezinski after he spoke about the importance of holding neighborhood meetings to get feedback from residents. Petersen questioned the openness of those meetings, while Derezinski questioned his opponent's allegiance to the Democratic Party. Read the story.

83-Year-Old Bridge

With sledgehammers in hand, Ann Arbor officials joined U.S. Rep. John Dingell today in taking a ceremonial first whack at the Stadium bridges. The 83-year-old spans over South State Street and the nearby Ann Arbor Railroad tracks will be completely demolished starting next week as part of a $22.8 million project. Dingell said the federal funding almost didn't happen. "We had to yell twice as loud to get this one," he said during today's groundbreaking ceremony. Read the story.

Word Games

Ann Arbor City Council members huddled during a break in Monday night's meeting to get advice on carefully wording a resolution of intent to form a corridor improvement authority along Washtenaw Avenue. It was a matter of semantics that essentially ended in the changing of one word. Shown in this last-supper-esque picture (seated from left to right) are Council Members Margie Teall, Marcia Higgins and Stephen Rapundalo. Standing behind them (also from left to right) are Council Member Christopher Taylor, City Attorney Stephen Postema, WATS Director Terri Blackmore and Planning Manager Wendy Rampson. Read the story here.

Solemnly Swearing

City Clerk Jackie Beaudry swears in, from left to right, Mayor John Hieftje and Ann Arbor City Council Members Sandi Smith, Margie Teall, Carsten Hohnke, Tony Derezinski and Christopher Taylor after their successful re-election campaigns.

Election Night

This was the scene at the victory party at Vie Spa & Fitness in downtown Ann Arbor on Election Night. Mayor John Hieftje cruised past his opponent, as did Council Members Margie Teall and Carsten Hohnke. Sandi Smith, who celebrated over at Braun Court, barely squeaked by in a close race. U.S. Congressman John Dingell, D-Dearborn, was in attendance, as was a long-lost former council member who lost by six votes last August.

Margie Teall

I caught up today with Margie Teall, who represents the 4th Ward on the Ann Arbor City Council. Teall has worked as a photographer and assistant director of religious education at the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor. She and her husband, Graham, live in the Lower Burns Park area with their two daughters, Clara, a graduate of Pioneer High School, and Gillian, who attends Community High School.