The November general election is getting closer, and more events are coming up to highlight the upcoming ballot. Judicial races, affordable housing, and voter registration info are just some of topics discussed in this week's "Civic Matters" with WEMU's David Fair and the CivCity Initiative's Mary Morgan.
Mary Morgan brings a wealth of experience to the airwaves. While heading up the CivCity Initiative now, Mary was previously co-founder and publisher of the Ann Arbor Chronicle. Prior to that, she served as a reporter and editor for the Ann Arbor News when it was a daily, print edition newspaper.
This Week's Topics:
• The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners has several items of interest on its Sept. 19 agenda: 1) Authorizing two purchase agreements – with Thrive Collaborative and Avalon Housing – for the proposed development of county property on Platt Road. 2) proposed salary increases phased in from the current $15,911 to $27,056 by 2020; and 3) appointing someone to replace Liz Gerber on the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Board. Wednesday's meeting of the county board begins at 6:30 p.m. at 220 N. Main St., Ann Arbor. You can watch online here.
• Several events this week focus on development and housing issues: A forum on Monday about the Collective on 5th (the Library Lot site); a presentation at Monday night's Ann Arbor District Library Board meeting by Peter Allen about ideas for downtown development; and a Brews & Views session on Wednesday about affordable housing.
• The folks at the Washtenaw County Elections Division and 7 Cylinders Studio produced a short video about how to register to vote. It's the first installment in a 4-part series about voting in Michigan. We're looking forward to the upcoming vids! And remember: The deadline to register to vote is Tuesday, Oct. 9. Watch the video – and share widely!
• It's never too early to start prepping for your Nov. 6 ballot, and this week we'd like to highlight some judicial races. For several local and regional court seats, only the incumbents are running. However, there are competitive races in the 14A District Court and the Michigan Supreme Court. Click here to learn more about the judicial candidates.
• On Saturday, Sept. 22, the City of Ann Arbor is holding an auction of its used and damaged boats. Specifically, auction items include aluminum canoes, two-person kayaks and one-person kayaks. The fun starts at noon at the Gallup Park Canoe Livery, 3000 Fuller Road. Click here for info on the city's canoe/kayak liveries.
• What better way to celebrate Constitution Week (Sept. 17-23) than by testing your knowledge about one of our country's founding documents? For the occasion, we're resurrecting this 10-question quiz published a few years ago by U.S. News & World Report. Click here to play – no cheating!
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— David Fair is the WEMU News Director and host of Morning Edition on WEMU. You can contact David at734.487.3363, on twitter @DavidFairWEMU, or email him at dfair@emich.edu
