Mike Martin is the president of First Martin Corporation, a real estate development company that has been based in Ann Arbor for over fifty years. Parts of this video have poor sound due to internet connection problems. (The pandemic forces us all to depend on...
Colin Smith has worked for the city of Ann Arbor since 1998 and has been the Director of our Parks and Recreation Services department since 2007. He oversees a lot of public activities that are going to look very different (if they happen at all) this summer...
Yousef Rabhi is the State Representative for the 53rd District of Michigan and represents Ann Arbor. I first met him because he lives in Ward 4. In our conversation, Yousef described how trips to Lansing expose him to risk, how much his cat appreciates him...
Kirk Profit lives on the west side of Ann Arbor. He is a consultant who works in Lansing to represent the interests of his clients. I first met Kirk through my work with the city - his firm is employed by the city of Ann Arbor to promote our local government...
Brian Steglitz is the manager of Water Treatment Services in the city of Ann Arbor. He has worked for the city for 22 years - first as an engineer at the water treatment plant, and manager of the department since 2014. In our conversation, Brian talked about...
Jackie Beaudry has been the City Clerk for Ann Arbor since 2005. She lives in Ann Arbor with her partner, Derek, who is a city fire fighter. The office of the City Clerk (second floor of City Hall) provides a lot of direct services to the public and behind-the-scenes...
Luke Bonner has a consulting firm, based in Ann Arbor. I first met Luke in 2018, when he was doing community and public engagement work for the Core Spaces project. He consults with companies from all around the country, working on economic and real estate...
Derek Delacourt is the Community Services Administrator for the City of Ann Arbor, overseeing numerous departments and functions: building permits, planning, parks, rentals and inspections, etc. Derek has held this position since 2016. In our conversation, he shares...
Tom Crawford was appointed Interim City Administrator shortly before the COVID-19 crisis prompted the current state of emergency and quarantine. He has been Chief Financial Officer of the City since 2004. Twice before, Tom has been appointed Interim City...
Ann Arbor City Fire Chief Mike Kennedy spoke to me from his office but explained that he also works from home during this pandemic. Chief Kennedy described how differently his department is functioning with added precautions to protect both the public and his own...
Our City Police Chief Michael Cox and his wife (an anesthesiologist) have lived here for less than a year. Some of the questions that I typically ask were less relevant in this conversation because Chief Cox and his wife both work jobs that are essential (and...
Stephen and his wife live near me, on the west side of town. I know both of them via their careers: Stephen is currently a colleague at City Hall and his wife taught my children as the media specialist at their elementary school. In our conversation, Stephen explained...
Kevin lives on the west side of Ann Arbor and has spent the last month organizing a large collective of local volunteers who produce and distribute face shields to healthcare workers. The face shields are a combination of 3D printed headbands (made by volunteers on...
My friend, Cat, lives in Ann Arbor with her husband and two toddlers.We talked in her front yard while one of her children napped and her husband was out at the grocery store.She describes the challenge of building a daily routine with very young children and helping...
Stephen lives downtown with his wife and three young children.When we planned this interview, he suggested meeting at a local park where he would be with his family, during an intentional break in his work day. Stephen’s family schedule and regular habits have changed...
Dianne and her husband, Jack, are retired and live on the west side near me.Dianne talked to me while out in her front yard, gardening.We talked about the how she keeps busy and how she and Jack try to follow the rules to keep safe. This is part of a series of...
Alex lives in my neighborhood, but I only met her for the first time during my 2018 campaign. She lives alone and works from home. In our conversation, she tells me about an idea she has introduced on her street: a beautiful daily ritual of human connection and...
Ed and Rita are friends of mine who live on the Old West Side. They are political activists and environmentalists. Ed and Rita make an effort to be informed and they were eager to share what they’ve learned from paying attention to expert advice. I was particularly...
Christa lives up the street from me with her partner, Mel, and their little girl.I stopped to talk to Christa for the extra benefit of seeing her answers in sign language.Christa is dealing with these circumstances as a parent of a young child (she also has adult...
Sonja and her adult daughter, Jenny, live down the street from me. In recent years, Sonja has suffered from serious vision problems, so Jenny moved back home to help her. Before Jenny returned to Ann Arbor, Sonja had lived alone for many years. First I talked to...
Ted lives down the street from me with his wife Pat. Under usual circumstances, they manage pretty well. However, Pat recently broke her arm, which has made things more difficult around the house. It’s easy to imagine that they aren’t the only folks coping with an...
I have known Abby for fifteen years - she lived on my street for many years with her husband, Peter. She and Peter moved to Pittsfield Township a few years ago. Since Peter passed in 2018, she has lived alone. The sound of wind is loud in parts - below is a transcript...