Vance v. Ananich

This case presents an issue of first impression in Michigan which involves whether a municipal ombudsman may subpoena witnesses to appear before him. In fact, the whole matter of ombudsmen is of relatively recent origin in Michigan. Nationally, "ombudsmania” in the United States, which is defined as the emerging and growing ombudsman phenomenon, is sometimes said to date from 1966,1 when Walter Gellhorn published his seminal works on the subject.2 In the broad sense, the ombudsman concept is said to spring from the question of how best to inquire fairly and quickly into asserted official…