The first series, Municipal Affairs, includes both records from Crary's tenure on the City Council and Planning Commission, and is arranged alphabetically by topic. This series is an excellent resource for those interested in the operations of municipal government, as well as those interested in the considerations involved in urban planning for a rapidly expanding city. Topics range from the mundane, such as the city's dog and cat ordinance, to more significant issues such as the creation and implementation of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, (found in the transportation files). In addition, the series reflects the myriad of issues with which a small city government must contend. It contains information on finances, feasibility, and public opinion. These files document municipal affairs from a number of angles.
Those interested in the social history of Ann Arbor can find useful information in this series. Information about the increasing need for low income housing during the mid-1960s, as well as a discussion of racial segregation during this period, is located both under housing files and in the human relations files. The tensions between the community and the University of Michigan student body, on the rise during the late 1960s, (heyday of student activism) are documented in files on student activism and the City-University Relations Committee.
The public's varied attitude towards city government is well documented in the correspondence file of the municipal series, which contains, among other items, suggestions for street names from Gretchen, aged ten, praise for the police department, threats to sue the city for various mishaps, and allegations that the inefficiency of Ann Arbor's city government reflects the downfall of the democratic system in modern times. Apart from the municipal records, those of the Huron River Watershed Council document the increasing concern for natural resource protection and management that began to take hold in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The council, along with several others in Michigan, worked to develop plans that would service the industrial and recreational needs of the growing region without destroying its water and land resources.