Every Monday morning, the executive director of the CivCity Initiative joins WEMU's David Fair for a conversation on topics pertinent to Washtenaw County and the city of Ann Arbor. Mary Morgan will provide news, analysis, commentary and explain the various ways residents can become more engaged.
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.
Topics included in this week's discussion:
- The city of Ann Arbor is exploring whether to pursue a local income tax, rather than relying on revenues from property taxes. The City Council will hear from staff at a work session on Monday, Sept. 11. These are very preliminary discussions, and it's not clear if the council will take action to move this process forward. The issue might also be a topic of discussion at Tuesday's Economic Development Summit
- Public health officials are increasingly concerned about suicides in Washtenaw County, especially by young people. September is Suicide Prevention Month, and the county's public health staff is providing resources to address this issue. Click here to learn more.
- What does it take to get a statewide proposal on the ballot? The Michigan State University Extension's civic engagement program gives an overview of the process, with advice on what to keep in mind when asked to sign a ballot petition and a list of active petitions. You can also sign up to get MSUE's civic engagement newsletter.
- Kids are back in school, and public entities that oversee our educational system are in session this week, too. That includes the Washtenaw Intermediate School District Board (Tuesday), the Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education (Wednesday), and the University of Michigan Board of Regents (Thursday).
- Friday, Sept. 15 is National Park(ing) Day! The purpose is to "call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat." We'll be looking to see if anyone gets creative in this community, as they've done in previous years.
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— David Fair is the WEMU News Director and host of Morning Edition on WEMU. You can contact David at 734.487.3363, on twitter @DavidFairWEMU, or email him at dfair@emich.edu
