Comments on: Ann Arbor Dems Primary: Three For Ward 3 http://annarborchronicle.com/2011/07/24/ann-arbor-dems-primary-three-for-ward-3/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ann-arbor-dems-primary-three-for-ward-3 it's like being there Tue, 16 Sep 2014 04:56:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.2 By: Vivienne Armentrout http://annarborchronicle.com/2011/07/24/ann-arbor-dems-primary-three-for-ward-3/comment-page-1/#comment-69514 Vivienne Armentrout Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:23:35 +0000 http://annarborchronicle.com/?p=68476#comment-69514 Re #1: Since the city attorney serves at the pleasure of Council (which is, effectively, the Mayor), apparently his workarounds to the charter and the principle of transparency are satisfactory to his customer.

]]> By: Alan Goldsmith http://annarborchronicle.com/2011/07/24/ann-arbor-dems-primary-three-for-ward-3/comment-page-1/#comment-69513 Alan Goldsmith Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:07:37 +0000 http://annarborchronicle.com/?p=68476#comment-69513 “The DDA has been doing a good job, she said. [In late 2009, Think Local First, the organization that Ault leads, received a $6,000 grant from the DDA to study the feasibility of introducing a local currency in Washtenaw County.]”

Lol.

]]> By: Mark Koroi http://annarborchronicle.com/2011/07/24/ann-arbor-dems-primary-three-for-ward-3/comment-page-1/#comment-69505 Mark Koroi Mon, 25 Jul 2011 04:13:06 +0000 http://annarborchronicle.com/?p=68476#comment-69505 The question of transparency is a good one relative to the City Attorney opinions.

The Ann Arbor City Attorney has the highest salary of any city attorney employed in the State of Michigan. He earns close to double what some other city attorneys are earning. Accountability and absolute profesionalism is required from all holders of this office.

City attorney opinions are in some instances confidential for good reasons. A city attorney recommending a lawsuit settlement offer to City Council would not want it known, for example, that he believed the city had a weak defense and large damage exposure to a claimant against the city; that type of advice should obviously be kept confidential. Confidentiality should be waived in other areas.

There are other types of opinions I believe that should be made open for the benefit of the public interest. An example would be the city attorney’s opinion, if any, on E-Mailgate issues. Did he believe any of the challenged correspodences violated the Open Meetings Act ot the Michigan Campaign Finance Act?

There needs to be a mechanism in place where the public can review city attorney opinions in a reasonably transparent manner.

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