(courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) David Hollister knows a bit about how public budgets work. He served as mayor of Lansing for a decade. Before that, he served two decades in the Michigan House, representing Lansing. And he says, “We need to recalculate how urban centers are funded.” A Munetrix review of data from […]
Bridge Staff
Bridge’s mission is to inform Michigan citizens about their state, amplify their views and explore the challenges of our civic life.
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
Look! Up in the sky!
It’s that time of year again when you see folks wandering around in the woods or in fields, or even parked haphazardly along the road, staring up at the sky. Serious birders know that Michigan is a treasure trove of avian species, especially during spring migration. For a couple of bucks, you can install a feeder or […]
Posted inMichigan Government
See how your hometown’s checkbook is holding up
Nearly a decade ago, as Michigan struggled through a massive recession, the state Department of Treasury began to look at how the tough times were affecting the bottom lines in city and village halls across the state. These fiscal scores and Treasury’s “fiscal watch list” quickly became a source of controversy as local leaders contested […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest commentary: Survey finds hostile political rhetoric erodes trust in government
By Tom Ivacko/Center for Local, State and Urban Policy Oakland County Executive Brooks Patterson uses a comb to make a comparison between House Speaker Jase Bolger and Adolph Hitler during a recent taping of WKAR’s “Off the Record” program. Tom Ivacko argues that a Michigan survey shows that hostile political rhetoric damages trust in government. […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest commentary: In Detroit, put the value of early learning to work for all children
By Katherine Foran/Excellent Schools Detroit (courtesy photo/Excellent Schools Detroit) “We are consumed by issues of remediation,” Dan Varner, CEO of Excellent Schools Detroit, observed. We struggle with costly “fixes,” targeting academic failure, high dropout rates, unemployment, low wages, higher substance abuse and incarceration rates, poorer health outcomes and diminished opportunities that too often spill over […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest commentary: Hacking our way to better government, communities
By Alok Sharma The National Day of Civic Hacking is June 1 and I’m proud to say that the Detroit technology community is really rallying around the cause. The day’s events wouldn’t be successful, however, if they only consisted of a group of technologists in a room. Civic hacking, like any other community driven event, […]
Posted inQuality of Life
A photographic tour of Belle Isle
Belle Isle Park is Detroit’s signature green space. According to the city of Detroit’s records: “Detroit’s city fathers purchased the 983-acre island in 1879 for $200,000, against the opposition of those who thought the price was too high. They elected to retain the name Belle Isle (beautiful island) by which the property was popularly known. […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest commentary: Why do EAA critics want children trapped in failing schools?
By John William Covington/Education Achievement Authority Rep. Ellen Lipton’s comments about the Education Achievement Authority are an example of the way so much of the educational establishment and their political allies are trying to kill an innovative approach to educating young people who have been abjectly failed by the old, outdated system of public schooling. The […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest commentary: Educators ready to join governor in open discussion of school reform
(Bridge illustration/A.J. Jones) By William Mayes/Michigan Association of School Administrators On April 22, leaders from the education, business, manufacturing, government, and nonprofit sectors gathered for Gov. Rick Snyder’s 2013 Education Summit. The day’s events focused on ways Michigan could better serve its students while boosting the economy by creating a smoother transition from school […]
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
A survivor’s tale of a bumper-sticker outing
I was 37 years old when I put my first bumper sticker on my car. I’d always had a car. When I turned 16, my mother gave me her silver 1980 Pontiac Phoenix and said, “Now you can drive yourself wherever you need to go — but you also have to take your sister anywhere […]