Dean Benjamin McLaughlin
American astronomer
Dean Benjamin McLaughlin (born October 25, 1901, Brooklyn, New York City; died December 8, 1965, Ann Arbor, Michigan, US) was an American astronomer. He was a professor of astronomy at the University of Michigan. He was the father of the science fiction author Dean B. McLaughlin, Jr. He received his B.S. (1923), his M.S. (1924) and his Ph.D. (1927) all from Michigan. McLaughlin married fellow astronomer Laura Elizabeth Hill in 1927.
In 1954, he proposed the theory that there are volcanoes on Mars and that their eruptions change the albedo features called "mare" (The Martian equivalent of Lunar mare). His proposal was partially confirmed in 1971 with the arrival of Mariner 9, which showed that strong winds could move dust around the planet, creating the changes of appearance formerly attributed to some kind of vegetation.
A crater on Mars was named in his honor, as is the crater McLaughlin on the far side of the Moon and the asteroid 2024 McLaughlin. In 2014 NASA scientists announced they had discovered evidence of water in Mars' McLaughlin Crater.
References.
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Ann Arbor, Michigan
City in Michigan, United States
Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the fifth-most populous city in Michigan. Located on the Huron River, Ann Arbor is the principal city of its metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Washtenaw County and had 372,258 residents in 2020. Ann Arbor is included in the Detroit–Warren–Ann Arbor combined statistical area and the Great Lakes megalopolis.
Ann Arbor was founded in 1824 by John Allen and Elisha Rumsey. It was named after the wives of the village's founders, both named Ann, and the stands of bur oak trees they found at the site of the town. The University of Michigan was established in Ann Arbor in 1837, and the city's population grew at a rapid rate in the early to mid-20th century.
A college town, Ann Arbor is currently home to the University of Michigan, which significantly shapes the city's economy, employing about 30,000 workers which includes about 12,000 in its medical center. The city's economy is also centered on high technology, with several companies drawn to the area by the university's research and development infrastructure. The city has been a center for progressive politics as well as several social and religious movements.
History.
Before founding as Ann Arbor.
The region was once inhabited by several Native American tribes, the most prominent being the Anishinaabe people of the Three Fires: the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi. The Potawatomi founded two villages in the area of what is now Ann Arbor in about 1774. Other tribes that inhabited the area included the Fox, Wyandots, and Sauk. These peoples established several trails that converged on present-day Ann Arbor. The land that included Washtenaw County was ceded to the U.S. by the Odawa, Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Wyandot in the Treaty of Detroit of 1807.
19th century.
Ann Arbor was founded in 1824 by land speculators John Allen and Elisha Walker Rumsey. On May 25, 1824, the town plat was registered with Wayne County as the Village of Annarbour, the earliest known use of the town's name. Allen and Rumsey decided to name it for their wives, both named Ann, and for the stands of bur oak in the of land they purchased for $800 () from the federal government at $1.25 per acre. The local Ojibwa named the settlement , after the sound of Allen's sawmill.
Ann Arbor became the seat of Washtenaw County in 1827 and was incorporated as a village in 1833. The Ann Arbor Land Company, a group of speculators, set aside of undeveloped land and offered it to the state of Michigan as the site of the state capitol, but lost the bid to Lansing. In 1837, the property was accepted instead as the site of the University of Michigan.
Since the university's establishment in the city in 1837, the histories of the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor have been closely linked. The town became a regional transportation hub in 1839 with the arrival of the Michigan Central Railroad, and a north–south railway connecting Ann Arbor to Toledo and other markets to the south was established in 1878. Throughout the 1840s and the 1850s settlers continued to come to Ann Arbor. While the earlier settlers were primarily of British ancestry, the newer settlers also consisted of Germans, Irish, and Black people. In 1851, Ann Arbor was chartered as a city, though the city showed a drop in population during the Depression of 1873. It was not until the early 1880s that Ann Arbor again saw robust growth, with new immigrants from Greece, Italy, Russia, and Poland.
20th century.
Ann Arbor saw increased growth in manufacturing, particularly in milling. Ann Arbor's Jewish community also grew after the turn of the 20th century, and its first and oldest synagogue, Beth Israel Congregation, was established in 1916.
Following a 1956 vote, the city of East Ann Arbor merged with Ann Arbor to encompass the eastern sections of the city.
In 1960, Ann Arbor voters approved a $2.3 million bond issue (equivalent to $ million in 2023) to build the current city hall, which was designed by architect Alden B. Dow. The City Hall opened in 1963. In 1995, the building was renamed the Guy C. Larcom Jr. Municipal Building in honor of the longtime city administrator who championed the building's construction.
During the 1960s and 1970s, the city gained a reputation as an important center for liberal politics. Ann Arbor also became a locus for left-wing activism and anti-Vietnam War movement, as well as the student movement. The first major meetings of the national left-wing campus group Students for a Democratic Society took place in Ann Arbor in 1960; in 1965, the city was home to the first U.S. teach-in against the Vietnam War. During the ensuing 15 years, many countercultural and New Left enterprises sprang up and developed large constituencies within the city. These influences washed into municipal politics during the early and mid-1970s when three members of the Human Rights Party (HRP) won city council seats on the strength of the student vote. During their time on the council, HRP representatives fought for measures including pioneering antidiscrimination ordinances, measures decriminalizing marijuana possession, and a rent-control ordinance.
Two religious-conservative institutions were created in Ann Arbor; the Word of God (established in 1967), a charismatic inter-denominational movement; and the Thomas More Law Center (established in 1999). Since 1998, Ann Arbor is also the home office of the Anthroposophical Society in the United States, an organization dedicated to supporting the community of those interested in the inner path of schooling known as anthroposophy, developed by Rudolf Steiner.
21st century.
In the past several decades, Ann Arbor has grappled with the effects of sharply rising land values, gentrification, and urban sprawl stretching into outlying countryside. On November 4, 2003, voters approved a greenbelt plan under which the city government bought development rights on agricultural parcels of land adjacent to Ann Arbor to preserve them from sprawling development. Since then, a vociferous local debate has hinged on how and whether to accommodate and guide development within city limits. Ann Arbor consistently ranks in the "top places to live" lists published by various mainstream media outlets every year.
In 2016, the city changed mayoral terms from two years to four. Until 2017, City Council held annual elections in which half of the seats (one from each ward) were elected to 2-year terms. These elections were staggered, with each ward having one of its seats up for election in odd years and its other seat up for election in even years. Beginning in 2018 the city council has had staggered elections to 4-year terms in even years. This means that half of the members (one from each ward) are elected in presidential election years, while the other half are elected in mid-term election years. To facilitate this change in scheduling, the 2017 election elected members to terms that lasted 3-years.
In 2020, partly as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the city government opened several downtown streets to pedestrians, limiting their use by motor vehicles to emergency vehicles during summertime weekends. In addition to providing a large pedestrian mall, these changes allow restaurants to use more of the sidewalks and part of the street for outdoor seating. These changes were popular enough that in 2021 the city council extended the dates from March to November, continuing the schedule of cordoning off cars from Thursday evening until Monday morning.
Geography.
Ann Arbor is located along the Huron River, which flows southeast through the city on its way to Lake Erie. It is the central core of the Ann Arbor, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of the whole of Washtenaw County, but is also a part of the Metro Detroit Combined Statistical Area designated by the U.S. Census Bureau. While it borders only Townships, the built-up nature of the sections of Pittsfield and Ypsilanti townships between Ann Arbor and the city of Ypsilanti make the two effectively a single urban area.
Landscape.
The landscape of Ann Arbor consists of hills and valleys, with the terrain becoming steeper near the Huron River. The elevation ranges from about along the Huron River to on the city's west side, near the intersection of Maple Road and Pauline Blvd. Ann Arbor Municipal Airport, which is south of the city at , has an elevation of . Ann Arbor is nicknamed "Tree Town", both due to its name and to the dense forestation of its parks and residential areas. The city contains more than 50,000 trees along its streets and an equal number in parks. Into the early 2000s, the emerald ash borer has destroyed many of the city's approximately 10,500 ash trees.
The city contains over 160 municipal parks ranging from small neighborhood green spots to large recreation areas such as Buhr Park. Several large city parks and a university park border sections of the Huron River. Fuller Recreation Area, near the University Hospital complex, contains sports fields, pedestrian and bike paths, and swimming pools. Opened in the summer of 2014, the city-funded Ann Arbor Skatepark is a skatepark located within Veterans Memorial Park. The city is also home to the Washtenaw County-owned County Farm Park. The Nichols Arboretum, owned by the University of Michigan, is a arboretum that contains hundreds of plant and tree species. It is on the city's east side, near the university's Central Campus. Located across the Huron River just beyond the university's North Campus is the university's Matthaei Botanical Gardens, which contains 300 acres of gardens and a large tropical conservatory. Several other green spaces around Ann Arbor are privately owned or owned by government agencies such as Ann Arbor Public Schools.
Cityscape.
The cityscape of Ann Arbor is heavily influenced by the University of Michigan, with 22% of downtown and 9.4% of the total land owned by the university. The downtown Central Campus contains some of the oldest extant structures in the city—including the President's House, built in 1840—and separates the South University District from the other three downtown commercial districts. These other three districts, Kerrytown, State Street, and Main Street are contiguous near the northwestern corner of the university.
Major landmarks in downtown Ann Arbor include the Michigan Theater, The Diag, and Tower Plaza, a 26-story condominium building that is the city's tallest building. Downtown is also home to several Fairy Doors and other public art installations.
Three commercial areas south of downtown include the areas near I-94 and Ann Arbor-Saline Road, Briarwood Mall, and the South Industrial area. Other commercial areas include the Arborland/Washtenaw Avenue and Packard Road merchants on the east side, the Plymouth Road area in the northeast, and the Westgate/West Stadium areas on the west side. Downtown contains a mix of 19th- and early-20th-century structures and modern-style buildings, as well as a farmers' market in the Kerrytown district. The city's commercial districts are composed mostly of two- to four-story structures, although downtown and the area near Briarwood Mall contain a small number of high-rise buildings.
Ann Arbor's residential neighborhoods contain architectural styles ranging from classic 19th- and early 20th-century designs to ranch-style houses. Among these homes are a number of kit houses built in the early 20th century. Contemporary-style houses are farther from the downtown district. Surrounding the University of Michigan campus are houses and apartment complexes occupied primarily by student renters. The 19th-century buildings and streetscape of the Old West Side neighborhood have been preserved virtually intact; in 1972, the district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), and it is further protected by city ordinances and a nonprofit preservation group.
Climate.
Ann Arbor has a typically Midwestern humid continental climate (Köppen "Dfa"), which is influenced by the Great Lakes. There are four distinct seasons: winters are cold and snowy, with average highs around . Summers are warm to hot and humid, with average highs around and with slightly more precipitation. Spring and autumn are transitional between the two. The area experiences lake effect weather, primarily in the form of increased cloudiness during late fall and early winter. The monthly daily average temperature in July is , while the same figure for January is . Temperatures reach or exceed on 10 days, and drop to or below on 4.6 nights. Precipitation tends to be the heaviest during the summer months, but most frequent during winter. Snowfall, which normally occurs from November to April but occasionally starts in October, averages per season. The lowest recorded temperature was on February 11, 1885, and the highest recorded temperature was on July 24, 1934.
Demographics.
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Ann Arbor has seen consistent growth in population between all decennial censuses since 1860 with the exception of the 2010 census which reported almost no growth from the previous census. As of the 2020 U.S. census, there were 123,851 people and 49,337 households residing in the city, with a population density of . The racial makeup of the city including Hispanics in the racial categories was 67.6% White, 6.8% Black, 0.2% Native American, 15.7% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 1.8% from other races, and 7.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race made up 5.5% of the population. Ann Arbor has a small population of Arab Americans, including students as well as local Lebanese and Palestinians, and a large community of Japanese nationals.
According to the 2022 American Community Survey estimates, out of 49,337 households, 33.8% were married-couple households, 9.8% were cohabiting couple households, 26.1% had a male householder with no spouse present, and 30.4% had a female householder with no spouse present. 18.4% of the households had individuals under the age of 18 living in them, and 20.1% had individuals over age 65 living in them. The average household size was 2.22 people and the average family size was 2.78 people. The median age was 25.9; 12.2% of the population was under age 18, and 12.3% was age 65 or older. The percentage of city residents age 25 years or older with at least a high school degree was 97.8% while 77.5% had a bachelor's degree or higher, which is higher than the U.S. national percentage of 89.1% for persons age 25 years or older with at least a high school degree and 34.3% with a bachelor's degree or higher.
The median household income in 2022 was $78,740 (versus the U.S. national figure of $75,149), with family households having a median income of $126,292. The per capita income for the city was $52,276, which is higher than the U.S. national per capita income of $41,261. Males working full-time jobs had median earnings of $86,970 compared to $61,543 for females. Out of the 109,973 people with a determined poverty status, 23.1% were below the poverty line compared to the U.S. national poverty rate of 11.1%; the age group with the highest percentage below the poverty level was persons between 18 and 34 years at 43.0% while other age groups have percentages between 2.7% and 7.7%. Further, 3.5% of minors and 7.7% of seniors were below the poverty line.
Crime.
According to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program in 2022, Ann Arbor had 371 reported violent crimes (which include homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) and 2069 reported property crimes (which include arson, burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft). With a violent crime rate of 309.5 per 100,000 people, the city's violent crime rate is lower than Michigan's rate of 461 per 100,000 people and the U.S. national rate of 380.7 per 100,000 people. However, Ann Arbor's property crime rate, at 1726.0 per 100,000 people, is higher than Michigan's property crime rate of 1536.8 per 100,000 people and lower than the U.S. national property crime rate of 1954.4 per 100,000 people.
Economy.
The University of Michigan shapes Ann Arbor's economy significantly. It employs about 30,000 workers which includes about 12,000 in the medical center. Other employers are drawn to the area by the university's research and development money, and by its graduates. High tech, health services and biotechnology are other major components of the city's economy; numerous medical offices, laboratories, and associated companies are located in the city. Automobile manufacturers, such as General Motors and Visteon, also employ residents.
High tech companies have located in the area since the 1930s, when International Radio Corporation introduced the first mass-produced AC/DC radio (the Kadette, in 1931) as well as the first pocket radio (the Kadette Jr., in 1933). Current firms include Arbor Networks (provider of Internet traffic engineering and security systems), Arbortext (provider of XML-based publishing software), JSTOR (the digital scholarly journal archive), Truven Health Analytics, and ProQuest, which includes UMI. Duo Security, a cloud-based access security provider of two-factor authentication, is headquartered in Ann Arbor. It was formerly a unicorn and continues to be headquartered in Ann Arbor after its acquisition by Cisco Systems. In November 2021, semiconductor test equipment company KLA Corporation opened a new North American headquarters in Ann Arbor.
Ann Arbor is the home to Internet2 and the Merit Network, a not-for-profit research and education computer network. Both are located in the South State Commons 2 building on South State Street. The city is also home to a secondary office of Google's AdWords program—the company's primary revenue stream. As of 2022,[ [update]] Ann Arbor is home to more than twenty video game and XR studios of varying sizes. The city plays host to a regional chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) which hosts monthly meetups, presentations, and educational events.
The city is the home of many research and engineering centers, including the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory that is operated by NOAA and the Michigan Tech Research Institute. Other research centers sited in the city are the United States Environmental Protection Agency's National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory and the Toyota Technical Center. The city is also home to National Sanitation Foundation International (NSF International), the nonprofit non-governmental organization that develops generally accepted standards for a variety of public health related industries and subject areas.
Non-high tech companies in Ann Arbor include Domino's Pizza, headquartered on Domino's Farms, a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired complex just northeast of the city. Another Ann Arbor-based company is Zingerman's Delicatessen, which serves sandwiches and has developed businesses under a variety of brand names. Avfuel, a global supplier of aviation fuels and services, is headquartered in Ann Arbor as is Pinkerton, a detective and private security firm. Many cooperative enterprises were founded in the city; among those that remain are the People's Food Co-op and the Inter-Cooperative Council at the University of Michigan, a student housing cooperative founded in 1937. There are also three cohousing communities—Sunward, Great Oak, and Touchstone—located immediately to the west of the city limits.
Culture.
Several performing arts groups and facilities are on the University of Michigan's campus, as are museums dedicated to art, archaeology, and natural history and sciences. Founded in 1879, the University Musical Society is an independent performing arts organization that presents over 60 events each year, bringing international artists in music, dance, and theater. Since 2001 Shakespeare in the Arb has presented one play by Shakespeare each June, in a large park near downtown. Regional and local performing arts groups not associated with the university include the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre, the Arbor Opera Theater, the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, The Ark, and Performance Network Theatre. State Theatre and the adjacent Michigan Theater are a movie palace and a performing arts center, respectively. Another unique piece of artistic expression in Ann Arbor is the fairy doors. These small portals are examples of installation art and can be found throughout the downtown area.
The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, an interactive science center, is located in a renovated and expanded historic downtown fire station. The Ann Arbor Art Center is a nonprofit that organizes art activities and exhibitions. Aside from the Ann Arbor District Library, which maintains four branch outlets in addition to its main downtown building, and being the home to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, Ann Arbor ranks first among U.S. cities in the number of booksellers and books sold per capita.
Several annual events—many of them centered on performing and visual arts—draw visitors to Ann Arbor. One such event is the Ann Arbor Art Fairs, a set of four concurrent juried fairs held on downtown streets. Scheduled on Thursday through Sunday of the third week of July, the fairs draw upward of half a million visitors. Another is the Ann Arbor Film Festival, held during the third week of March, which receives more than 2,500 submissions annually from more than 40 countries and serves as one of a handful of Academy Award–qualifying festivals in the United States.
Ann Arbor has a long history of openness to marijuana, given Ann Arbor's decriminalization of cannabis, the large number of medical marijuana dispensaries in the city (one dispensary, called People's Co-op, was directly across the street from Michigan Stadium until zoning forced it to move one mile to the west), the large number of pro-marijuana residents, and the annual Hash Bash: an event that is held on the first Saturday of April. Until (at least) the successful passage of Michigan's medical marijuana law, the event had arguably strayed from its initial intent, although for years, a number of attendees have received serious legal responses due to marijuana use on University of Michigan property, which does not fall under the city's progressive and compassionate ticketing program.
A person from Ann Arbor is called an "Ann Arborite", and many long-time residents call themselves "townies". The city itself is often called "A²" ("A-squared") or "A2" ("A two") or "AA", "The Deuce" (mainly by Chicagoans), and "Tree Town". With tongue-in-cheek reference to the city's liberal political leanings, some occasionally refer to Ann Arbor as "The People's Republic of Ann Arbor" or "25 square miles surrounded by reality." In "A Prairie Home Companion" broadcast from Ann Arbor, Garrison Keillor described Ann Arbor as "a city where people discuss socialism, but only in the fanciest restaurants." Ann Arbor sometimes appears on citation indexes as an author, instead of a location, often with the academic degree "MI", a misunderstanding of the abbreviation for Michigan.
Sports.
Ann Arbor is a major center for college sports, most notably at the University of Michigan. Several well-known college sports facilities exist in the city, including Michigan Stadium, the largest American football stadium and the third-largest stadium of any kind in the world with a capacity of 107,601. The stadium is colloquially known as "The Big House" due to its status as the largest American football stadium. Crisler Center and Yost Ice Arena play host to the school's basketball (both men's and women's) and ice hockey teams, respectively. Concordia University, a member of the NAIA, also fields sports teams.
In semi-professional sports Ann Arbor is represented in the NPSL by AFC Ann Arbor, a soccer club founded in 2014 who call themselves The Mighty Oak.
Government.
As the county seat of Washtenaw County, the Washtenaw County Trial Court (22nd Circuit Court) is located in Ann Arbor at the Washtenaw County Courthouse on Main Street. Seven judges serve on the court. The 15th Michigan district court, which serves only the city itself, is located within the Ann Arbor Justice Center, immediately next to city hall. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit are also located in downtown Ann Arbor, at the federal building on Liberty Street.
In the Michigan Legislature, the city is split between Districts 23, 33, 47, and 48 in the Michigan House of Representatives. In the Michigan Senate, Ann Arbor is covered by Districts 14 and 15. Ann Arbor is within the 6th congressional district, currently represented by Debbie Dingell.
Ann Arbor has a council–manager form of government, with 11 voting members: the mayor and 10 city council members. Each of the city's five wards are represented by two council members, with the mayor elected at-large during midterm years. Half of the council members are elected in midterm years, with the other in general election years. The mayor is the presiding officer of the city council and has the power to appoint all council committee members as well as board and commission members, with the approval of the city council. The current mayor of Ann Arbor is Christopher Taylor, a Democrat who was elected as mayor in 2014. Day-to-day city operations are managed by a city administrator chosen by the city council. While Democrats, as of 2024,[ [update]] hold the mayorship and all ten council seats, Ann Arbor has two major political factions. A major source of this local divide is differences in views on the city's growth.
Education.
Primary and secondary education.
Public schools are part of the Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) district. AAPS has one of the country's leading music programs. For the 2021–2022 school year, 17,070 students were enrolled in the Ann Arbor Public Schools. Notable schools include Pioneer, Huron, Skyline, Community high schools, Pathways to Success Academic Campus, and Ann Arbor Open School. The district has a preschool center with both free and tuition-based programs for preschoolers in the district. The University High School, a "demonstration school" with teachers drawn from the University of Michigan's education program, was part of the school system from 1924 to 1968.
Ann Arbor is home to several private schools, including Clonlara School, Michigan Islamic Academy, and Greenhills School, a prep school. The city is also home to several charter schools such as Central Academy (Michigan) (PreK–12) of the Global Educational Excellence (GEE) charter school company.
Higher education.
The University of Michigan dominates the city of Ann Arbor, providing the city with its distinctive college-town character. University buildings are located in the center of the city and the campus is directly adjacent to the State Street and South University downtown areas.
Other local colleges and universities include Concordia University Ann Arbor, a Lutheran liberal-arts institution. Washtenaw Community College is located in neighboring Ann Arbor Township. In 2000, the Ave Maria School of Law, a Roman Catholic law school established by Domino's Pizza founder Tom Monaghan, opened in northeastern Ann Arbor, but the school moved to Ave Maria, Florida in 2009, and the Thomas M. Cooley Law School acquired the former Ave Maria buildings for use as a branch campus.
Media.
"The Ann Arbor News", owned by the Michigan-based Booth Newspapers chain, was the major newspaper serving Ann Arbor and the rest of Washtenaw County. The newspaper ended its 174-year daily print run in 2009 due to economic difficulties, and began producing two printed editions a week under the name AnnArbor.com. Ann Arbor has been said to be the first significant city to lose its only daily paper. The publication resumed using its former name in 2013, and also produces a daily digital edition named MLive.com. Another Ann Arbor-based publication that has ceased production was the "Ann Arbor Paper", a free monthly. The "Ann Arbor Chronicle", an online newspaper, covered local news, including meetings of the library board, county commission, and DDA until September 3, 2014.
Current publications in the city include the "Ann Arbor Journal" ("A2 Journal"), a weekly community newspaper; the "Ann Arbor Observer", a free monthly local magazine; and "Current", a free entertainment-focused alt-weekly. The "Ann Arbor Business Review" covers local business in the area. "Car and Driver" magazine and "Automobile Magazine" are also based in Ann Arbor. The University of Michigan is served by many student publications, including the independent "Michigan Daily" student newspaper, which reports on local, state, and regional issues in addition to campus news.
Four major AM radio stations based in or near Ann Arbor are WAAM 1600, a conservative news and talk station; WLBY 1290, a business news and talk station; WDEO 990, Catholic radio; and WTKA 1050, which is primarily a sports station. The city's FM stations include NPR affiliate WUOM 91.7; country station WWWW 102.9; and adult-alternative station WQKL 107.1. Freeform station WCBN-FM 88.3 is a local community radio/college radio station operated by the students of the University of Michigan featuring noncommercial, eclectic music and public-affairs programming. The city is also served by public and commercial radio broadcasters in Ypsilanti, the Lansing/Jackson area, Detroit, Windsor, and Toledo.
Ann Arbor is part of the Detroit television market. WPXD channel 31, the owned-and-operated Detroit outlet of the ION Television network, is licensed to the city. Until its sign-off on August 31, 2017, WHTV channel 18, a MyNetworkTV-affiliated station for the Lansing market, was broadcast from a transmitter in Lyndon Township, west of Ann Arbor. Community Television Network (CTN) is a city-provided cable television channel with production facilities open to city residents and nonprofit organizations. Detroit and Toledo-area radio and television stations also serve Ann Arbor, and stations from Lansing and Windsor, Ontario, can be seen in parts of the area.
Infrastructure.
Healthcare.
The University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) includes University Hospital, C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and Women's Hospital in its core complex. UMHS also operates out-patient clinics and facilities throughout the city. The area's other major medical centers include a large facility operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs in Ann Arbor, and Saint Joseph Mercy Hospital in nearby Superior Township.
Utilities.
The city provides sewage disposal and water supply services, with water coming from the Huron River and groundwater sources. There are two water-treatment plants, one main and three outlying reservoirs, four pump stations, and two water towers. These facilities serve the city, which is divided into five water districts. The city's water department also operates four dams along the Huron River—Argo, Barton, Geddes, and Superior—of which Barton and Superior provide hydroelectric power.
The city also offers waste management services, with Recycle Ann Arbor handling recycling service. Other utilities are provided by private entities. Electrical power and gas are provided by DTE Energy. AT&T Inc. is the primary wired telephone service provider for the area. Cable TV service is primarily provided by Comcast.
A plume of the industrial solvent dioxane is migrating under the city from the contaminated Gelman Sciences, Inc. property on the westside of Ann Arbor. As of 2021,[ [update]] the average measured concentration was found to be 201.19 ppb, with the maximum being 6.000 ppm. While the United States Environmental Protection Agency does not impose a federal limit on the level of the contaminant allowed in drinking water, the World Health Organization suggests a limit of 35 ppb. The Gelman plume is a potential threat to one of the City of Ann Arbor's drinking water sources, the Huron River, which flows through downtown Ann Arbor.
Transportation.
The streets in downtown Ann Arbor conform to a grid pattern, though this pattern is less common in the surrounding areas. Major roads branch out from the downtown district to the highways surrounding the city. The city is belted by three freeways: Interstate 94 (I-94), which runs along the southern and western portion of the city; U.S. Highway 23 (US 23), which primarily runs along the eastern edge of Ann Arbor; and M-14, which runs along the northern edge of the city. Other nearby highways include US 12 (Michigan Avenue), M-17 (Washtenaw Avenue), and M-153 (Ford Road). Several of the major surface arteries lead to the I-94/M-14 interchange in the west, US 23 in the east, and the city's southern areas. The Washtenaw County Border-to-Border Trail connects Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti, mostly along the Huron River, for pedestrians, bicycles and other non-motorized transportation.
The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (AAATA), which brands itself as "TheRide", operates public bus services throughout the city and nearby Ypsilanti. The AAATA operates the Blake Transit Center on Fourth Ave. in downtown Ann Arbor, and the Ypsilanti Transit Center. A separate zero-fare bus service operates within and between the University of Michigan campuses. In 2019, 36% of trips in Ann Arbor were taken by walking, biking or transit.
Since April 2012, the "AirRide" connects to Detroit Metro Airport a dozen times a day. The Michigan Flyer, a service operated by Indian Trails, cooperates with AAATA for their AirRide and additionally offers bus service to East Lansing. Greyhound Lines provides intercity bus service. Megabus has direct service to Chicago, Illinois, while a bus service is provided by Amtrak Thruway for rail passengers making connections to services in East Lansing and Toledo, Ohio.
Amtrak, which provides service to the city at the Ann Arbor Train Station, operates the "Wolverine" train between Chicago and Pontiac via Detroit. The present-day train station neighbors the city's old Michigan Central Depot, which was renovated as a restaurant in 1970. Ann Arbor Municipal Airport is a small, city-run general aviation airport located south of I-94.
Sister cities.
Ann Arbor has eight sister cities:
Notes.
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References.
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McLaughlin, South Dakota
McLaughlin (Lakota: "matȟó Akíčita or Makáȟleča"; "Bear Soldier") is a city in northeastern Corson County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 663 at the 2010 census. It is the largest city in the southern Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Most Lakȟóta speakers refer to the town as Makáȟleča or Matȟó Akíčita.
History.
The town is named after a US Indian Service Agent James McLaughlin, who supervised the Standing Rock Indian Agency from 1881 to 1895. He moved to Washington, D.C., where he was Inspector of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Department of the Interior. After McLaughlin's death in 1923, his body was returned here for burial.
In 2015, the McLaughlin School District changed the name of their school's "Midget" mascot after protests came from Little People of America. The school's basketball coach, an alumnus, drew comparisons to the Native American mascot controversy adding that he "never liked the nickname."
Geography.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
Demographics.
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2010 census.
At the 2010 census, there were 663 people, 233 households and 154 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 270 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 28.1% White, 65.3% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 1.1% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.8% of the population.
There were 233 households, of which 43.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.9% were married couples living together, 21.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 10.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.9% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.54.
The median age was 31 years. 31.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.6% were from 25 to 44; 24.2% were from 45 to 64; and 11.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.2% male and 50.8% female.
2000 census.
At the 2000 census, there were 775 people, 268 households and 181 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 291 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 41.29% White, 0.13% African American, 55.74% Native American, 0.13% from other races, and 2.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.77% of the population.
There were 268 households, of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 20.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.48.
33.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.
The median household income was $22,500 and the median family income was $31,111. Males had a median income of $22,500 and females $18,229. The per capita income was $10,682. About 15.8% of families and 25.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.8% of those under age 18 and 30.0% of those age 65 or over.
References.
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External links.
 Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

Edward F. McLaughlin
American politician
Edward Francis McLaughlin (June 6, 1883 – January 28, 1953) was an American politician from Boston.
Early life.
McLaughlin was born on June 6, 1883, in Boston's South End. He graduated from Rice Grammar School in 1898 and Mechanics Arts High School in 1901.
Political career.
Massachusetts General Court.
From 1913 to 1915, McLaughlin represented the 12th Suffolk District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. From 1916 to 1918 he represented the 4th Suffolk District in the Massachusetts Senate.
City of Boston.
In 1918, McLaughlin was elected to the Boston City Council. He chose not to run for reelection in 1921, but remained involved in politics as chairman of the Democratic City Committee and as a state committeeman.
In 1930, McLaughlin was appointed fire commissioner by Mayor James Michael Curley. In October 1933, McLaughlin resigned in order to support Frederick Mansfield for Mayor. Mansfield won the election and McLaughlin returned to the position of fire commissioner in January 1934. McLaughlin resigned in January 1938 and became involved in the insurance and road construction industries. In 1941, he returned to city government as street commissioner under Mayor Maurice J. Tobin. He later served as the city's Federal relations secretary until 1945.
Personal life and death.
McLaughlin and his wife had five children, one of whom, Edward F. McLaughlin Jr., followed his father into politics. In 1926, the family moved from the South End to Jamaica Plain.
McLaughlin died on January 28, 1953, in Boston.
References.
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Leo McLaughlin
American politician
Leo Patrick McLaughlin (June 5, 1888 – May 5, 1958) was an American politician who served as the mayor of Hot Springs, Arkansas from 1927 to 1947, and in the Arkansas House of Representatives in 1911. He was the head of a political machine in Garland County, Arkansas.
McLaughlin was born in Hot Springs in 1888, and was educated at Hot Springs High School while shortly attending the University of Arkansas. He entered politics in the 1910s with him serving as a member of the state house before being elected as city attorney in Hot Springs. He was temporarily out of politics after being drafted into the United States Army, but returned to the position of city attorney.
McLaughlin was elected as mayor of Hot Springs in 1927. During his tenure illegal gambling was rampant and criminals, such as Al Capone and Lucky Luciano, received protection. His opponents, under the leadership of Sid McMath, defeated members of his political machine in the 1946 election and took the mayoralty in the 1947 election after McLaughlin dropped out due to an investigation. The charges against him were dropped and he unsuccessfully attempted to return to politics before dying in 1958.
Early life and education.
Leo Patrick McLaughlin was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on June 5, 1888, as one of eight children of Irish immigrants John Henry McLaughlin and Bridget Adela Russell. John left Ireland during the Great Famine and immigrated to Maryland in 1850, before moving to Memphis, Tennessee, and then Hot Springs. He graduated from Hot Springs High School in 1908, and was president in his senior year.
Career.
State politics.
McLaughlin was an alternate delegate to the Democratic Party of Arkansas' state convention in 1910, a delegate to the 1914 convention, and a delegate to the 1948 Democratic National Convention. He and Representative George Whittington were given the nomination to run for the seats representing Garland County in the Arkansas House of Representatives and won in the 1910 election. McLaughlin, at age 22, was the youngest member of the state house. He served on the Judiciary, Banks and Banking, and Natural Resources committee.
McLaughlin supported Stephen Brundidge Jr. for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1913 and later supported George Washington Hays. He supported Governor Carl E. Bailey's campaign for a seat in the United States Senate in the 1937 special election. He led Attorney General Jack Wilson Holt Sr.'s campaign in Garland County during the 1942 U.S. Senate election.
Local politics.
McLaughlin received the Democratic nomination to run for city attorney of Hot Springs and defeated Sam McConnell, a member of the Republican Party who ran as an independent, in the 1912 election. He replaced J.A. Stallcup as the city attorney. He was a member of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee and was selected to be its secretary in 1912. He served as the party's chair and Jacob L. King, a member of McLaughlin's opposition, succeeded him as chair in 1948.
McLaughlin was reelected twice before being defeated by Jas S. McConnell, a Republican running as an independent, in the 1916 election due to Democratic voters, who voted for other offices, choosing to not vote in his election. He defeated McConnell and Sam Garrett in the 1918 election. However, he was drafted into the United States Army on May 27, 1918, where he served as a corporal before his honorable discharge on April 26, 1919. Orlando H. Sumpter was elected to replace him until McLaughlin reassumed the office after his military service. He was reelected in the 1920 election, with all of the candidates running as independents due to a lack of a primary, against Sumpter and Sidney S. Taylor.
Mayoralty.
McLaughlin defeated Sidney Nutt in the 1927 election. He defeated Elmer Tackett, a former member of the state house, in the 1937 election. He was accused of electoral fraud during his tenure with allegations of paying people's poll taxes and threatening to fire government workers who did not vote.
Criminals, such as Al Capone and Lucky Luciano, received protection by McLaughlin's Hot Springs government from law enforcement. A political machine was operated in the city and county by McLaughlin, Earl Witt, and Vernal Ledgerwood. Illegal gambling was sanctioned in the city with fees being paid to the local government to avoid police raids and McLaughlin advertised the city as a place to gamble. When an airport was constructed in Hot Springs it was named McLaughlin Field in his honor in 1946, but was later renamed to Hot Springs Memorial Field in 1947.
Sid McMath was one of the leading opponents against McLaughlin's political machine and the Government Improvement League, which was made up almost entirely of veterans, was formed under his leadership in 1945. McLaughlin's opponents, with McMath as one of their lawyers, challenged the receipts of 3,825 poll taxes, accounting for over one-third of the amount in the 1946 Democratic primary. Judge John E. Miller ruled that 1,607 of the poll taxes were invalid. The GI League won all of the county elections in the 1946 election except for constable and state senate. Ledgerwood stated in a post-election radio address that McLaughlin's regime came to an end and he did not seek reelection in 1947.
McLaughlin filed to run in the 1947 election, but later announced that he would not seek reelection after a grand jury launched an investigation into his administration. Earl T. Ricks defeated Clyde Wilson, who received McLaughlin's support, in the election.
Later life and death.
A grand jury indicted McLaughlin on four charges of bribery, two charges of conversion of city funds, and a charge of failure to file a city financial report on March 18, 1947, and was given a bond of $40,500. His brother George, secretary Hazel Marsh, and Elmer Walters were also indicted. Additional charges were filed against him, including robbery. He was acquitted on one charge and the remainder were dismissed. A lawsuit attempting to remove him as chair of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee was withdrawn due to McLaughlin leaving office and his indictment.
McLaughlin attempted to reenter politics after his mayoral tenure by running for city attorney as an independent in the 1952 election, but failed to qualify. He died on May 5, 1958, due to uremia.
Personal life.
J. W. McClendon, the mayor of Hot Springs, threatened to shoot McLaughlin's brother George while he was working as an election judge in a school board election in 1916, and was convicted for aggravated assault resulting in a sentence of one hour in jail and a $50 fine.
On June 19, 1918, McLaughlin married Juanita Gilliam in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, but she filed for divorce on September 5, 1919, in Denver, Colorado, and a judgement was made in her favor on November 18, although it was not finalized until June 2, 1921. He married Mary Francis Frink in 1931, but it ended in divorce a few months later. He married Florence Paul on November 4, 1931, the same day his previous marriage ended, and divorced her in 1936.
McLaughlin attended the University of Arkansas for two weeks and never took a bar examination, but he worked as a lawyer for forty-five years. His divorce papers in 1935 stated that he was earning ) per year. In 1937, Paul claimed during their divorce proceedings that McLaughlin's estate was worth $500,000. He was the president of the Hot Springs Broadcasting Company which was formed to prevent the removal of the KTHS station.
References.
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James C. McLaughlin
American politician
James Campbell McLaughlin (January 26, 1858 – November 29, 1932) was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.
Early life.
McLaughlin was born in Beardstown, Illinois. His parents, David and Isabella (Campbell) McLaughlin, had come from Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1851 and settled in Beardstown. The family moved to Muskegon, Michigan, in 1864, and David became a leading attorney in Muskegon. He served on the Muskegon School Board for 25 years and was the secretary for 19 years.
McLaughlin attended the public schools of Muskegon and graduated from high school in 1876. After a preparatory course, he entered the literary department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in the fall of 1878, but did not graduate. He became an assistant to his father and later worked at a bank. In the summer of 1880, he worked as an office clerk and bookkeeper in a law office, and studied the law. He entered the law department of the University of Michigan in the fall of 1881 and graduated in 1883. In the same year, he was admitted to the bar, and joined his father's law firm in Muskegon.
After his father's death in 1891, he had his own practice until 1899, when he formed the firm, J.C. & J.A. McLaughlin, with a cousin as the junior partner. McLaughlin also succeeded to the abstract business of his father, under the name of Muskegon County Abstract Company. He was also a director of the Enterprize Foundry Company and a director and attorney for the Home Builders & Loan Association, both of Muskegon.
Political career.
He served as prosecuting attorney of Muskegon County, 1887–1901. In 1901 was appointed by the Governor of Michigan Aaron T. Bliss as a member of the board of State tax commissioners and State board of assessors, on which he served until 1906. He also served at various times as chairman of the county and city Republican Party committees.
In 1906, McLaughlin was elected as a Republican from Michigan's 9th congressional district to the 60th United States Congress. He was subsequently re-elected to the twelve succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1907, until his death in 1932, just 21 days after losing the November 8 general election to Democrat Harry W. Musselwhite.
Death.
McLaughlin died in Marion, Virginia, while en route to Washington, D.C. He is interred in Evergreen Cemetery in Muskegon, Michigan. He was a member of the Masonic Fraternity, the Foresters, Maccabees, and Elks.
His brother, Andrew C. McLaughlin, was a respected scholar of American history.

Joseph R. McLaughlin (Michigan politician)
American politician
Joseph R. McLaughlin (June 5, 1851 – July 3, 1932) was an entrepreneur and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan, serving as the 29th lieutenant governor of Michigan from 1895 to 1897.
McLaughlin was a graduate of the University of Michigan. He got his BA his 1877 and his law degree in 1879.
Early in 1886 McLaughlin thought he could see a future for electricity and undertook the organization of the Edison Company in Detroit. This company was organized in just six weeks from the time he undertook it. At that time, it was the second largest Edison illuminating company in the United States, only the one at the Pearl Street Station, New York City, was larger. The Detroit Edison company started with a capital of $250,000. Organizing this company McLaughlin was its Secretary and Manager during the construction of the plant and the first two years of its operation placing it upon a good paying basis. The Edison General Company recognized his ability as an organizer and made him their general agent for Ohio.
Prior to serving as lieutenant governor, McLaughlin was also a successful real estate developer in and around Detroit, MI. Arden Park-East Boston was originally called the McLaughlin's and Owens Subdivision, the development was platted on June 1, 1892, by McLaughlin and Edmund J. Owen.
McLaughlin was president pro tempore of the Michigan Senate in 1895 when Lieutenant Governor Alfred Milnes was chosen in a special election to replace Julius C. Burrows in the U.S. House. McLaughlin, at the resignation of Milnes, performed duties as the lieutenant governor under Governor John T. Rich from June 1, 1895, to January 1, 1897.
McLaughlin relocated to Seattle, WA where in 1906. Joseph R. McLaughlin, Paul C. Murphy, and Frank F. Mead pressed ahead with development [of "Laurelhurst"]. Realtors affixed enticing names to their peninsula developments. Besides "Laurelhurst," there was "Laurelhurst Heights," "The Palisades," "McLaughlin's Lawn Acres," and "Scottish Heights."

Mac McLin
Clarence Josef McLin Sr. (August 20, 1899 – December 20, 1966) was an American civic leader and businessman in Dayton, Ohio.
Early life.
McLin was born in Tennessee and also lived in Chicago.
Career.
McLin founded the McLin Funeral Home in 1932. He served as the eighth president of the Dayton Branch of the NAACP from 1937 to 1938. McLin also founded the Democratic Voters League and ran unsuccessfully for the Dayton City Commission.
Personal life.
He and his wife Rubie were married on April 28, 1920. They moved to Dayton, Ohio around 1931. McLin's son, C. J. McLin, served as a Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives.
His granddaughter, Rhine McLin, served as a minority leader of the Ohio Senate and was the mayor of Dayton from 2002 to 2010.

William McLaughlin (politician)
American politician from Michigan (born 1932)
William F. McLaughlin (born 1932) was an American politician from the State of Michigan.
McLaughlin resided in St. Clair Shores and Northville, Michigan. Prior to working as a party operative McLaughlin had an insurance business. He was a candidate for the Michigan State House of Representatives from Macomb County 2nd District in 1962 and a delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan in 1964.
He was Vice-chairman of the Michigan Republican Party in 1965 and later elected Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party from 1969-1979 tying Gerrit J. Diekema for ten consecutive years of service.

Patrick McLaughlin (criminal)
New York criminal
Patrick "Paudeen" McLaughlin (c. 1822 – March 20, 1858) was a New York criminal and a "slugger" for Tammany Hall during the middle of the 19th century. McLaughlin, whose nose had previously been chewed off during a brawl in the Five Points with the Alderman of the First Ward, was widely regarded in the underworld for his skill with a bludgeon and slung-shot.
Biography.
Born to Irish immigrants in Cohoes Falls (near Lansingburgh, New York), McLaughlin left home at an early age to work as an immigrant runner in New York and soon became a well known street fighter and was imprisoned for a time on Blackwell's Island. After being severely disfigured in a brawl with a future Alderman of the First Ward, he retired from immigrant running and was employed as hired muscle for the Erie Railroad Company for several years. During the mid-1850s, he and Jim Turner were bodyguards for Lewis "Lew" Baker during his feud with William "Bill the Butcher" Poole. He, along with Turner and several others were eventually convicted of aiding and abetting Baker after he shot and killed Poole on February 25, 1855.
McLaughlin himself, while drinking at a Howard Street saloon and dance hall, was mortally wounded when he was shot on the morning of March 20, 1858 by sportsman Daniel "Dad" Cunningham. He and Cunningham had become involved in a heated argument after McLaughlin had insulted the boxing abilities of John Morrissey. When a fight broke out between the two men, Cunningham pulled a revolver and shot McLaughlin in the chest. Although later taken to the New York City Hospital, he would die of his wounds several hours after his arrival as doctors failed to find the bullet which remained lodged in his chest.
References.
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Peter McLaughlin (politician)
American politician and educator
Peter McLaughlin (born August 8, 1949) was an American politician and educator.
McLaughlin was born in Corry, Pennsylvania. He received his bachelor's degree from Princeton University in 1971 and his master's degree from Humphrey School of Public Affairs in 1977. McLaughlin taught at Metropolitan State University and lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota. McLaughlin served on the Hennepin County Commission from 1991 to 2018 and was a Democrat. He also served on the Minnesota Council on Black Minnesotans. McLaughlin served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1985 to 1990.
References.
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Brian M. McLaughlin
American politician
Brian M. McLaughlin is a former American Democratic politician and labor leader from Flushing, Queens.
McLaughlin was a New York Assemblyman elected in 1992 to represent the 25th district in New York City. He was also elected, in June 1995, as the President of the Council on New York Labor.
McLaughlin was arrested October 17, 2006, on charges of stealing more than $2 million from the State of New York and labor unions. After his arrest, he announced that he would not run for re-election, and left office at the end of 2006.
In March 2008, he pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering and embezzlement. On May 20, 2009, he was found guilty of these charges and sentenced to ten years' imprisonment.
Early life and family.
McLaughlin was born in Inwood, Manhattan, New York, and grew up in Queens. His family moved to Brentwood, Suffolk County, New York on Long Island, when he was 10. His paternal grandfather, Miles McLaughlin, an electrician, was an immigrant from County Cavan, Ireland. McLaughlin's father was also an electrician, who worked for years as chief electrician at "The New York Times". His mother held jobs at General Motors and Gertz department stores. None of his family went to college. Both McLaughlin's father and his paternal grandfather were union activists; Miles McLaughlin sat on labor leader Harry Van Arsdale's "Committee of 100".
In his high school yearbook, McLaughlin's stated career ambition was practical: electrician. He later dropped out of Bridgeport University and did become an electrician.
Career.
Electrician work and higher education.
McLaughlin started his career as a journeyman electrician. He belonged to Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and was one of the union's business representatives. At a union meeting, he met labor leader Harry Van Arsdale, Jr., head of the CLC, who would become his mentor. Van Arsdale also came out of Local 3 of the IBEW, which was "long the most politically active building trades union in New York".
Van Arsdale convinced McLaughlin that a job as a unionized electrician and a college degree were not incompatible, and persuaded him to attend night school.
While McLaughlin was working as an electrician, he attended the Empire State College of the State University of New York and eventually graduated with a B.S. He also attended the New York Institute of Technology, where he earned a master's degree in Industrial Labor Relations. He later said that at this time he also worked on honing his leadership qualities.
According to "The New York Times", Van Arsdale "tutored Mr. McLaughlin on the ins and outs of labor politics and electoral politics." In 1981, Van Arsdale "gave the ambitious young electrician a huge responsibility – to organize the first Labor Day Parade in the city in decades."
Eventually McLaughlin left his electrician job and went to work for the CLC.
Politics.
In 2003, McLaughlin was quoted about his happenstance of being a politician, saying he entered "politics quite by accident... I don't particularly like politics, and I have no ego for it, quite frankly... I guess all of us would say it's disproportionately influenced by money. But in the end, it's a process where you have a limited opportunity to champion and better the situation of the people who elected you. And if you don't have determination, it's an unfriendly process."
Democratic district leader.
McLaughlin, according to the "New York Times", "was drafted into running for Democratic district leader in 1986 with the Queens Democratic Party in disrepair after the suicide of Donald R. Manes; he won by 86 votes."
New York State Assembly.
In 1992, McLaughlin was elected to the New York State Assembly from the 25th Assembly District, which covers a portion of eastern Queens. He served as Chairman of the Democratic Conference and also sat on the influential Ways and Means Committee. While in the Assembly, he was author of the Sharps Bill, designed to prevent workplace injuries in the health-care industry. He was remembered as "not a particularly high-profile legislator; most of his influence was exerted as a union chief."
A February 2002 report noted that St. Ann's Athletic Association in Flushing had received $4,000 from McLaughlin for uniforms, equipment, and facilities, an appropriation he had introduced into the 1999 state budget. He stated, "Studies have shown that when kids play sports they are less likely to use drugs and get in trouble, and they are more likely to stay in school."
Mayoral ambitions.
In 2003, there was speculation of a possible McLaughlin run for the New York mayor's office in the 2005 election. By October 2003, he had raised over $1 million of campaign funds for a possible run.
Labor Council.
During McLaughlin's tenure at the Council on New York City Labor, he served as the assistant to the son of the first president of the organization, Thomas Van Arsdale. In 1986, Van Arsdale's father, Harry Van Arsdale, Jr., died, and he assumed his father's position in the organization as president.
The Labor Council today reigns as the largest municipal labor council in the country, a federation with 400 union locals and over 1 million members.
In June 1995, McLaughlin succeeded Van Arsdale as the president of the CLC in a landslide election; Thomas Van Arsdale floundered in the position and McLaughlin was charged with re-energizing the council.
The Labor Council represents laborers from a wide range of industries and enterprises. The union locals that belong to the organization "represent workers ranging from public school teachers to crane operators to employees at the Bronx Zoo, The council's main responsibilities are coordinating the various unions' political activities and placing labor's overall weight behind individual unions during organizing drives and strikes."
McLaughlin is also recognized for a number of achievements during his tenure at the CLC. He "was among the most influential labor leaders in New York City and in the state, providing pivotal early support for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's re-election and supporting the failed effort to build a football stadium on the Far West Side of Manhattan. He led the fight to keep Wal-Mart out of the city and lent strong support to transit workers" during a 2005 strike.
McLaughlin had also been courted by not just the mayor, but also bishops, corporate CEOs and real estate magnates, thus emerging "as a major player in some of the biggest municipal battles" of 2006, "including the transit strike and the West Side stadium fight."
As head of the Labor Council, McLaughlin led the annual Labor Day Parade. In 2001, he praised the selection of United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten as grand marshal of that year's parade. "Throughout the years, labor has focused on certain issues - the eight-hour workday, a livable minimum wage, the protection of Social Security. This year our attention will be on the need for quality public schools... Randi Weingarten has not only been an outstanding labor leader in this city. In a time where [sic] teacher bashing and finger-pointing, she has been a beacon in fighting for teachers and students."
On October 4, 2003, as New York chairman of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, McLaughlin presided over a rally of 100,000 immigrants and their supporters at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and spoke up for illegal-immigrant workers: "The labor movement is well placed to redefine itself around the needs of those who most need a labor union."
In 2004, McLaughlin protested Mayor Bloomberg's fiscal austerity, saying, "Now is the time to invest in our public employees who have not let us down... Years of privatization and productivity schemes from City Hall have gotten us nowhere."
In 2006, after McLaughlin's indictment, he was defended for his accomplishments; labor leaders "credited him with reinvigorating the Central Labor Council in a city where unions were once far more powerful." One of the many local labor leaders to praise McLaughlin during his indictment, was most notably Randi Weingarten, President of the United Federation of Teachers: "Brian took over the Central Labor Council when it was at its lowest point in terms of power, prestige and stature and made it into an important institution again... One of his big strengths is that even if you're in a fight that's unpopular, he'll stand with you."
Moskowitz hearings on UFT contracts.
In December 2003, it was understood that New York City Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz had "garnered the undisguised ire of Randi Weingarten, the powerful head of the UFT and Brian McLaughlin" by "publicly airing the work rules that many education reformers have criticized for years."
When Moskowitz held hearings in November 2003 "on how union contracts imposed inane work rules on public schools and made it nearly impossible for principals to fire bad teachers," she "went toe to toe" with Weingarten, who arranged to have McLaughlin, a longtime friend and ally, at her side during the confrontation. McLaughlin, who had opposed the hearings, said that he was there "to remind the city council members that the entire labor movement in the city is watching them." Influenced by McLaughlin's presence, then City Councilman Bill de Blasio, a strong labor supporter who would later become mayor, "did what he could to distance himself from Moskowitz during the hearing."
"The New York Daily News" stated in an issue of November 2003, "McLaughlin did not testify. But with 1.5 million members in his labor council - many of them active, Democratic voters - he didn't have to. McLaughlin's show of political muscle demonstrated how unnerved the unions are by the hearings."
In November, 2003, McLaughlin gave a speech at Queens College criticizing Moskowitz's hearings. He accused Gifford Miller, the City Council Speaker,