Howard Lazarus

During a work session Monday night, Ann Arbor's city council briefly mentioned what their next steps are after they decided to end their employment agreement with City Administrator Howard Lazarus last week without cause.  89.1 WEMU's Jorge Avellan was at the meeting and has the details.

Ann Arbor City Council member Jane Lumm says the decision to remove Howard Lazarus as the city administrator came after they thought "very carefully" before voting to remove him from the job.

Lumm talks with WEMU's Lisa Barry about the decision and says it boils down to "having a positive, healthy relationship between elected officials and the administrator necessary for city government to work effectively."

With fewer than ten days left on the job, Ann Arbor city administrator Howard Lazarus looks back at his experience with the city philosophically.

Lazarus, who City Council voted to remove from office on February 18, spoke to WEMU's Lisa Barry about his approach to a public service position saying he "worked as hard as he could, as long as he could in good faith and good spirits."

Saying the residents of Ann Arbor and the reputation of the city will suffer for "years to come," Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor calls the City Council firing of city administrator Howard Lazarus a political termination.  WEMU's Lisa Barry talks with the mayor following the move that now leaves the city without several key leaders.

In a 7 to 4 vote, Ann Arbor’s City Council voted last night to terminate City Administrator Howard Lazarus’ employment.  89.1 WEMU’s Jorge Avellan was at the meeting and has the details.

Last year, the City of Ann Arbor declared a "climate emergency."  Now, the city aims to be carbon neutral by the year 2030.  Missy Stults, City of Ann Arbor's Sustainability and Innovations Manager, provides further details on the plan with WEMU's David Fair in this week's "Issues of the Environment."

There are many opportunities to becoke more civically engaged in the weeks ahead. There is a plan to establish a Washtenaw County Youth Commission and mid-term elections are right around the corner and there are a number of ways to get involved. WEMU's David Fair and the CivCity Initiative's Mary Morgan will discuss these and other topics in this week's edition of "Civic Matters."

Last week, the Ann Arbor District Library hosted the fourth in a series of civic sustainability forums.  Among the panelists were CivCity Initiative executive director Mary Morgan and WEMU's Patrick Campion.  In this week's "Civic Matters," Patrick and Mary meet again to discuss the forum and all of the other civic events coming up this week.

More and more people are opting to cycle rather than drive for at least some of their transportation, whether for personal health, or for the health of the planet.  But safety is an issue, and emotions run high.  Conflicts occur over who has a right to the roadway. Should we encourage bicycles in the street, or should we try to separate bikes from cars?  In this installment of WEMU’s Green Room series, Barbara Lucas explores varying perspectives.

Washtenaw County administrator Greg Dill is going head-to-head with the city of Ann Arbor's administrator, Howard Lazarus.  

It's been an adventurous year in Ann Arbor when it comes to recycling.  Perhaps it's better characterized as a year of misadventures, as the city continues efforts to revamp the recycling program.

City officials in Ann Arbor are amping up their efforts to improve crosswalk visibility following the death of a 16 year-old high school student last week near Huron High School. 

Ann Arbor has a new city administrator, and he already has a vision for the city.