A Picture's Worth 1,000 Redacted Words

Ann Arbor City Council Member Jack Eaton, D-4th Ward, holds up a copy of an email that's been heavily redacted by the city's staff at the council's meeting on June 6, 2016. The intro, which is not redacted, indicates the email contains feedback from the Federal Railroad Administration on the city's analysis of possible sites for a new Amtrak station. However, what feedback the FRA provided is unknown because the city won't release the contents of this email, nor will it release the city's draft alternatives analysis report. Read the story.

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.

Pretty Sure I Asked For Pecan Sandies

Ann Arbor resident and labor attorney Jack Eaton is back taking another shot at running for the Ann Arbor City Council. Here he is in a photo I snapped last year at a council meeting, snack in hand for a long night of fun. Read about his candidacy.

On The Campaign Trail

Later this year, voters in Ann Arbor will pick from a field of candidates for several positions in city and county government, as well as state representatives in the Legislature. I've been sitting down with some of the incumbents and some of the newcomers and getting to know them for a series of personal profiles I plan to write sometime in the coming months. Here are a few of their portraits along the way.