Ann Arbor SPARK has announced that former Ann Arbor City Administrator Tom Crawford will serve as financial officer of the Tree Town development agency.

Tom Crawford formally resigned after City Council voted to terminate his employment over racially insensitive comments.

Community members wanting to steer the future of inclusivity and equity in Tree Town can now apply to be on the city’s new Ann Arbor Equitable Engagement Steering Committee.

In an open letter, the owner of Detroit Street Filling Station and The Lunch Room Bakery & Cafe implored city leadership to stop nonessential activity.

ANN ARBOR – City Council unanimously approved on Monday night the extension of downtown street closures for businesses to continue operating outdoors through Nov. 30. The closures were originally set to end on Nov. 1. The closures include:Main Street from William Street to Liberty StreetMain Street from Liberty Street to Washington StreetWashington Street from South Ashley to Main StreetMaynard Street from East Liberty Street to East William Street (seven days a week)East Liberty Street from Thompson Street to South State StreetSouth State Street from East Washington Street to East William StreetClosures will continue to be in effect from 2 p.m. on Fridays through 8 p.m. on Sundays. The Maynard Street closure will move to a weekend-only closure on Nov. 2. Ramlawi said city administrator Tom Crawford can end the closures at any time if they are deemed unsafe due to weather events.

ANN ARBOR – In a unanimous vote on Monday night, Ann Arbor City Council elected Tom Crawford as the new city administrator. A longtime Ann Arbor resident, Crawford has served as the Chief Financial Officer for the city since 2004 and recently filled the role of interim city administrator following the firing of Howard Lazarus in February. Before working for the city of Ann Arbor, Crawford worked at Ford Motor Co. in the company’s product planning, lending and development units. Councilmember Jane Lumm, I-Ward 2, said Crawford is a vetted candidate for the job, having served three times as interim city administrator over the course of nearly two years. After a nationwide search, council voted between finalists Crawford and Cara Pavlicek, the current village manager of Oak Park, Illinois.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. Four candidates have been selected by Ann Arbor City Council to be interviewed for the position of City Administrator. Candidates will be interviewed by a panel of Ann Arbor City Council members, community members and city staff. On Aug. 24, a special city council session will be held to discuss finalists and the next steps towards hiring a city administrator. In June, Ann Arbor City Council began searching for a replacement for former city administrator Howard Lazarus, who was fired in February without cause through a vote of 7-4. The following information about the four candidates comes from the City of Ann Arbor:Tom Crawford is currently the Chief Financial Officer for the City of Ann Arbor, since 2004.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. Ann Arbors deer cull will not happen this winter as the city takes steps to reduce its budget for the next fiscal year. Deer management related expenses, like data collection and the cull, costs the city $140,000. A highly debated topic within Ann Arbor, there have previously been five culls in order to manage the citys deer population. In January, 109 deer were lethally removed by sharpshooters from designated parks, nature areas, University of Michigan properties, Concordia University properties and selected private properties in Ann Arbor. The City Council approved a $466 million city budget during its May 19 meeting but is in the process of creating an economic recovery plan to counteract current and anticipated impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.