12 GROUNDCOVER NEWS LOCAL NEWS AADL buys Observer JUD BRANAM Groundcover contributor In a move aimed at preserving local news coverage amid a fragmenting media environment, the Ann Arbor District Library announced plans September 29 to purchase the Ann Arbor Observer news monthly. The move is part of a leadership succession at the Observer, with Publisher Patricia Garcia and Editor John Hilton both retiring after almost 40 years of running the magazine. Media Director Danielle Jones is taking over as publisher, and Deputy Editor Brooke Black is assuming the top editor’s spot. The library has been digitizing and archiving back issues of the 49-yearold Observer, and it was during preparation for a 2024 Observer exhibit at the library that the topic of the publication’s future first came up, Hilton said. While plans were in place to hand the reins to Jones and Black, the finances were tougher. “It’s not a good time to ask somebody to take on a bunch of debt on a print product,” Hilton said. Instead, the library has gone beyond preserving the publication’s past to providing a backbone for its future. The library is clearly in good financial health, with 1.8 mills of permanent property tax support from a rapidly growing tax base. AADL showed a surplus of more than $3 million in its $22.4 million budget for 2024-25, with property tax revenues projected to increase by $1 million this year. The terms of the sale have not been announced, but Hilton told WLBY radio host Lucy Ann Lance Tuesday that the library will be paying “a similar amount” to the $625,000 that he and Garcia paid for the business in 1986. The library’s Board of Trustees is expected to vote on the final terms of the deal in December. AADL Board Vice President Aidan Sova said in a statement the Observer is another element in the library’s suite of community-based information services, adding that the partnership is “a perfect fit, aligning local journalism with the library’s mission to foster an informed public.” In August, voters approved plans for the library to purchase property adjacent to its downtown location for an expansion. Library Director Eli Neiburger said there are no plans for the Observer to move into library space, adding that decisions about real estate will be made by the publication’s management. Hilton said the Observer has returned to profitability since the pandemic, and Neiburger said remaining in the black will be the paper’s responsibility. “The plan is not for the Library to subsidize the Observer’s bills,” Neiburger told Lucy Ann Lance. Neither, he said, will library officials steer the publication’s coverage or editorial direction. “We will become the owners of the Observer — not the editors of the Observer.” OCTOBER 3, 2025 CONNECT from page 12 them, Sloane Lynch, MD, recently graduated from Tufts Medical School and is now doing her residency at a local hospital. Co-founder Payton Watt, finished her Bachelor’s degree with a major in Public Health and Biology, and a minor in Community Action for Social Change. She went on to receive a Master’s degree at U-M and is now a healthcare management consultant. Co-founder Hussain Ali, finished his undergraduate with a major in dental public health and master’s in business management and most recently a doctorate in dental surgery. Michigan Movement's story is one of great kindness, community service and service learning. On November 15, the Michigan Movement students will hold another Project Connect for the homeless at Mercy House. We invite members of the community and other service providers to show up. We especially would like to invite the new executive director of the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County — Ms. Nicole Adelman — to visit and chat with the students and the homeless individuals, and our community leader, Ms. Peggy Lynch. To contact or volunteer with Michigan Movement, visit linktr.ee/mimovement or email mimovement@umich.edu
13 Publizr Home