http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/Judy McGovern opinions and columns from The Ann Arbor NewsenWed, 15 Jul 2009 11:13:02 PDTMovable Type Enterprise 4.29-advance http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/noJudy McGovern opinions and columns from The Ann Arbor Newsjudy_mcgovernhttp://feedburner.google.comhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/judy_mcgovern/~3/WkOc_paNCgc/thanks_ann_arbor.htmljmcgovern@annarbornews.com (Judy McGovern)Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:13:02 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/judy_mcgovern//3119.3242234 ]]>Greetings... and goodbye. Activity in the waning weeks of The Ann Arbor News has pulled me away from this spot. Rather than letting it sit idle any longer, I'm going to sign out. The blog has provided a nice outlet...http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/2009/07/thanks_ann_arbor.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/judy_mcgovern/~3/ZETWhe0CTgc/ann_arbor_officials_embarrassi.htmlCity of Ann Arborjmcgovern@annarbornews.com (Judy McGovern)Sun, 07 Jun 2009 18:31:43 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/judy_mcgovern//3119.2954694 ]]>A little more on the Ann Arbor City Council e-mails that were the subject of a story published today. (See the coverage.) • As the story said, the messages came from three City Council meetings. Only one council member -...http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/2009/06/ann_arbor_officials_embarrassi.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/judy_mcgovern/~3/DrHLnq72gDQ/ann_arbor_street_art_fairs_bro.htmljmcgovern@annarbornews.com (Judy McGovern)Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:19:50 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/judy_mcgovern//3119.2930393 ]]>A little more on the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair's fund-raising campaign and the art fairs in general. The four fairs that, together, draw several hundred thousand people every July have different organizational structures and different missions. Those differing missions...http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/2009/06/ann_arbor_street_art_fairs_bro.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/judy_mcgovern/~3/b7FiGt_68GQ/ann_arbor_parks_staff_has_big.htmlCity of Ann Arborjmcgovern@annarbornews.com (Judy McGovern)Tue, 26 May 2009 10:17:14 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/judy_mcgovern//3119.2854926 ]]>With Ann Arbor's 2009-10 budget approved, there's time to look at a few of the things that got short-shrift in the discussion of the big-dollar items. One of the more interesting items is an emphasis on external communication. Each city...http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/2009/05/ann_arbor_parks_staff_has_big.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/judy_mcgovern/~3/Cre43JptHgI/an_invitation_to_name_the_best.htmljmcgovern@annarbornews.com (Judy McGovern)Sat, 23 May 2009 13:52:57 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/judy_mcgovern//3119.2839627 ]]>Michigan native Dave Dempsey invites folks to nominate their favorite Great Lakes beaches on the Web site The Great Lakes Town Hall. An author and environmentalist, Dempsey is a co-moderator of the site run by a Madison-based nonprofit Biodiversity Project....http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/2009/05/an_invitation_to_name_the_best.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/judy_mcgovern/~3/MKT6fKJPP0E/ann_arbor_greenbelt_has_14_tak.htmlCity of Ann Arborjmcgovern@annarbornews.com (Judy McGovern)Sun, 17 May 2009 05:52:51 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/judy_mcgovern//3119.2786469 ]]>An update on the Ann Arbor greenbelt initiative meant to give land owners a one-time opportunity for a fast-track sale of land or development rights. A robust 14 offers were submitted, said Ginny Trocchio of the nonprofit Conservation Fund, which...http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/2009/05/ann_arbor_greenbelt_has_14_tak.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/judy_mcgovern/~3/ED3hYozeYiU/ann_arbor_gets_money_to_work_o.htmlCity of Ann Arborjmcgovern@annarbornews.com (Judy McGovern)Thu, 14 May 2009 20:22:15 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/judy_mcgovern//3119.2769458 ]]>Earmark's only a dirty word when someone else gets the money. So Thursday Mayor John Hieftje had only good things to say about some money coming Ann Arbor's way. The city will get $200,000-plus dollars to investigate underground pollution at...http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/2009/05/ann_arbor_gets_money_to_work_o.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/judy_mcgovern/~3/kRuwrQZYSZ0/more_ann_arbor_cops_eligible_f.htmlCity of Ann Arborjmcgovern@annarbornews.com (Judy McGovern)Wed, 13 May 2009 08:40:18 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/judy_mcgovern//3119.2752428 ]]>A little more detail on the Ann Arbor police department buyouts and how the apparently well-received program could influence the budget: As The News reported Monday night, more officers than first anticipated appear ready to take the early-out. What wasn't...http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/2009/05/more_ann_arbor_cops_eligible_f.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/judy_mcgovern/~3/N9QgG06sl9c/ann_arbor_officials_get_argo_d.htmlCity of Ann Arborjmcgovern@annarbornews.com (Judy McGovern)Thu, 07 May 2009 10:32:55 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/judy_mcgovern//3119.2706210 ]]>Next month, Ann Arbor's City Council expects to take up the question of whether to repair or remove the Argo dam. A question that's been the subject of intense study, it remains a tough issue with rowing interests on one...http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/2009/05/ann_arbor_officials_get_argo_d.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/judy_mcgovern/~3/KWTvoVjcQaw/nickels_and_dimes_distract_ann.htmlCity of Ann Arborjmcgovern@annarbornews.com (Judy McGovern)Sun, 03 May 2009 07:43:36 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/judy_mcgovern//3119.2673680 ]]>An observation on Ann Arbor's budget process as the deadline for adopting a financial plan approaches. There's some indication that City Council members are ready to question assumptions in the administration's proposed 2009-10 budget. The problem is that an awful...http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/2009/05/nickels_and_dimes_distract_ann.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/judy_mcgovern/~3/mbOHuDXcKws/special_ann_arbor_greenbelt_pr.htmlCity of Ann Arborjmcgovern@annarbornews.com (Judy McGovern)Fri, 01 May 2009 12:46:02 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/judy_mcgovern//3119.2664946 ]]>At least half a dozen property owners have submitted proposals for selling land or development rights to Ann Arbor taxpayers in a special program offered through the city's greenbelt program. A variation on the greenbelt's normal acquisition process, the limited-time...http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/2009/05/special_ann_arbor_greenbelt_pr.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/judy_mcgovern/~3/PjgLfFp-bpk/ann_arbor_area_socialservice_n.htmlCity of Ann Arborjmcgovern@annarbornews.com (Judy McGovern)Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:01:54 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/judy_mcgovern//3119.2589138 ]]>The Ann Arbor-Washtenaw County Office of Community Development has compiled data on the return on investment provided by local human-service nonprofits. The findings? In addition to providing help to folks in need, the organizations bring other money into the community...http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/2009/04/ann_arbor_area_socialservice_n.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/judy_mcgovern/~3/XhQRFJgimLw/readers_following_details_of_a.htmlCity of Ann Arborjmcgovern@annarbornews.com (Judy McGovern)Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:54:20 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/judy_mcgovern//3119.2566519 ]]>This week's reporting on Ann Arbor's proposed two-year budget included a number of details - and there are more to sift through. But some of the information already has people thinking. For example, reader Dawn Meyer had questions about the...http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/2009/04/readers_following_details_of_a.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/judy_mcgovern/~3/VvWpQkrrfuQ/income_rather_than_a_property.htmlCity of Ann Arborjmcgovern@annarbornews.com (Judy McGovern)Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:44:13 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/judy_mcgovern//3119.2557780 ]]>FraserThere was another quick mention of a possible Ann Arbor city income tax at Tuesday's town-hall meeting. And it was notable because the city administrator offered a fairly rare personal opinion: Roger Fraser would grab the chance to switch from...http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/2009/04/income_rather_than_a_property.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/judy_mcgovern/~3/NUG21mqsXQc/link_to_ann_arbor_budget_prese.htmlCity of Ann Arborjmcgovern@annarbornews.com (Judy McGovern)Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:20:42 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/judy_mcgovern//3119.2553235 ]]>Ann Arbor City Administrator Roger Fraser's budget presentation is on the city's web site. The document covers declining tax base and a proposed cost-cutting. Note: The slide on projected general fund reserves does not reflect the $4.8 million that could...http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/2009/04/link_to_ann_arbor_budget_prese.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/judy_mcgovern/~3/SEQef0yeT2U/ann_arbor_budget_squeeze_leads.htmlCity of Ann Arborjmcgovern@annarbornews.com (Judy McGovern)Tue, 14 Apr 2009 06:39:48 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/judy_mcgovern//3119.2549542 ]]>Faced with a budget that - for the first time is at least a dozen years - must actually shrink, Ann Arbor officials are looking for options. Though they have few, those alternatives to hard cuts do merit watching. As...http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/2009/04/ann_arbor_budget_squeeze_leads.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/judy_mcgovern/~3/Gao1xL9AwDE/um_arb_and_botanical_garden_go.htmljmcgovern@annarbornews.com (Judy McGovern)Sun, 12 Apr 2009 13:17:43 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/judy_mcgovern//3119.2541009 ]]>Locavores have a new friend. The University of Michigan's Matthaei Botanical Garden and Nichols Arboretum launch a new locavore series this month. Held at Matthaei, the community education program has long included food-focused classes - think herbs and morels -...http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/2009/04/um_arb_and_botanical_garden_go.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/judy_mcgovern/~3/oG6guGRlJ-I/art_meets_economy_in_levin_int.htmljmcgovern@annarbornews.com (Judy McGovern)Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:47:49 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/judy_mcgovern//3119.2535704 ]]>Kerry Waghorn illustrationLevinHe's a six-term member of the U.S. Senate and he's s doodler. In a recent interview at The News, Democrat Carl Levin borrowed paper to draw a series of successively larger snowballs as he talked about the economic...http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/2009/04/art_meets_economy_in_levin_int.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/judy_mcgovern/~3/iSpICcxSXZM/ann_arbor_budget_presentations.htmlCity of Ann Arborjmcgovern@annarbornews.com (Judy McGovern)Fri, 10 Apr 2009 10:34:54 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/judy_mcgovern//3119.2532075 ]]>A reminder for Ann Arbor residents interested in city finance: There's a town-hall meeting Tuesday, 7 to 9 p.m. at the Community Television Network offices, 2805 S. Industrial Highway. City Administrator Roger Fraser will make a budget presentation and take...http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/2009/04/ann_arbor_budget_presentations.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/judy_mcgovern/~3/8optc1_cK48/sorting_out_ann_arbor_official.htmlCity of Ann Arborjmcgovern@annarbornews.com (Judy McGovern)Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:22:11 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/judy_mcgovern//3119.2524492 ]]>Some thoughts while sorting out the City Council's changes to Ann Arbor's new downtown zoning plan... The move to kill the so-called diagonal rule, intended to create shapely towers, was certainly welcomed by developers who grumped about the constraint. It's...http://blog.mlive.com/judy_mcgovern/2009/04/sorting_out_ann_arbor_official.htmlnonadult