Outreach Notebook Sunday Sept 4, 2022

Welcome back everyone to #eastannarbor. This week we look briefly at a couple of items before council on Tuesday Sept 6 [meeting is on Tuesday in observance of Labor Day holiday]. We also then invite you to a dinner and discussion for the Washtenaw County People’s Budget which aims to bring participatory budgeting to bear on the short and longer term county budget visioning. Finally, there is the Peace Day gathering at the A2 Commons site next to the library coming up on Sept 21. This event features a discussion on reparations.

Public Power in Ann Arbor?

This week council will vote on whether to fund a feasibility study of municipally owned and run electric utility company. There is a grassroots nonprofit organization, Ann Arbor For Public Power, advocating the city take this on especially in light of recent power grid failures and also as a means to achieve net zero energy goals the city has taken on.

Right To Renew

Also on the agenda this week is a first reading of the Right To Renew ordinance after some final review by the city legal department. If passed, on Tuesday it will be scheduled for a second reading before being put into the city code. Some landlords have been fighting this measure, so that likely means a win for renters on this particular issue.

Washtenaw County People’s Budget

We’d also like to invite you to a community dinner being held at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse in Depot Town.

We’ve written about this HERE if you would like to review.

Reparations To Be Discussed At Peace Day Event

On Wednesday Sept 21, there will be an International Peace Day Program on the Commons space next to the Downtown Ann Arbor District Library. One of the elements is an important consideration for us. Bringing the global to the local how do we institute a program of reparations. We have written about this HERE.

There are no web links for this event but here is the description of the item above in the agenda of the “Peace Day Program”:

“2:00 pm- -3pm      End Racism / Build Peace:  United Nations 2022 Theme

5 R’s toward ‘Righting’ a wrong:  Recognition, Repair, Restoration, Reparations, Reconciliation”

You can find out more about the Peace Day Program by contacting Alan at megiddo at umich dot com.

Sustainability and #eastannarbor Moving Forward

I will continue to write these newsletters, but, with work and other responsibilities, cannot keep up on weekly entries. So, this will become more of a periodic newsletter with no more than one email per week. I appreciate you and your readersip, the comments online and in my email inbox. Thanks for the support and feedback.

Please enjoy this image of a grasshopper on a flower petal of our abundant hibiscus in #eastannarbor. We wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t been there. See you out there and on here :-)