By Larry Merrill/Michigan Townships Association The August primary ballot question in Onekama Village and Onekama Township to dissolve the village drew statewide attention from media and policy pundits who portrayed the election as a harbinger of voter willingness to consolidate Michigan local governments. In the aftermath of its defeat, proponents contend that failure resulted from […]
Guest Commentary
At Bridge, we believe in listening to voices from all over our state. Got something to say? Contact us and join the conversation (details below)
How to submit a Guest Commentary
What to know:
Bridge welcomes a diversity of voices and perspectives from readers on issues important to Michigan. Guest commentaries reflect the views of the author(s), and are independent of the nonpartisan, fact-driven reporting of Bridge’s newsroom staff.
Commentaries must be the author’s original work and preferably will not have appeared first in other publications. Bridge reserves the right to decline submissions at our discretion.
We reserve the right to edit commentary for grammar, clarity, brevity or to address legal or factual concerns. We may offer editing suggestions, but in the service of making your work more accessible, not to alter your views.
We do not pay for guest commentary.
Here are some guidelines:
- Columns are usually 500-700 words
- They generally focus on a Michigan topic or policy and should avoid ad hominem attacks
- The more direct, distinct and/or intimate your perspective, the more effective your column will be
- The best columns do more than identify problems; they also offer solutions and facts to back them up
- Please include a one- or two-sentence bio, including the writer’s organization or relevant background.
- Authors must show their work, by backing up facts with links to reports or studies
- Bridge does not publish self-promotional columns or candidate endorsements
- Send a good quality, large headshot of the writer(s) as an attachment
- We also ask that, in return for publishing a guest commentary, the author(s) and their organizations generously promote the link to the published column through your Facebook, Twitter and other social or professional networks.
That’s about it. Keep the writing clear, conversational and free of jargon, and sell our smart and receptive readership on the argument you are trying to make.
Who to contact:
Email your submission or idea to guestcommentary@bridgemi.com. Please briefly describe who you are and what you would like to say and put the words “guest commentary” in the email subject line.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Going green, getting green with new mileage standards
By Mark Schauer/ BlueGreen Alliance The first Model T rolled off the assembly line to great excitement about the future of an emerging industry — and the potential for this new product to take Americans places they’d never been before. More than 100 years later, the auto industry is a keystone of the American economy. […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Consolidating government easier said than done
By Tom Ivacko/Center for Local, State and Urban Policy With the citizens of the village of Onekama and Onekama Township voting today on whether to merge – and with local governments across Michigan looking for ways to save dollars while continuing services – Michiganians might be wondering: Will consolidation be coming to my community anytime soon? Not […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Legal barriers create Michigan’s doctor shortage
By Mark D. DuBay In “Michigan gets med-school boom, doctor bust,” the author correctly points out that a doctor may not be fully licensed in this state unless a period of post graduate education, also known as a “residency,” is first completed. Under section 333.17031 of the Public Health Code, a doctor is to “complete […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Rules on wine shipments confuse vintners, hurt consumers
By John Wilson/Winestyr.com One element of Michigan’s regulatory framework surrounding alcohol that gets a lot of attention is the recent movement to allow direct-to-consumer (DTC) wine shipments. Such sales take place when a winery sells and ships their wine directly to a Michigan consumer, without going through traditional distribution channels. Until the last decade or […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Where will Michigan get its energy in 2030?
Michigan citizens may be hearing a great deal of power-plant technology, carbon emissions and renewable energy standards this fall if a ballot proposal to require a larger share of state electricity come from renewable sources makes the statewide ballot. Prior to that determination being made, Bridge Magazine asked representatives of a large Michigan utility and […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: 'Doctor shortage' doesn't affect everyone in Michigan equally
By Marianne Udow-Phillips and Josh Fangmeier/ Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation Ron French’s recent piece in Bridge highlighted concerns about the supply of primary care physicians in Michigan, today and into the future. In 2014, assuming the Affordable Care Act takes full effect in Michigan, the state’s primary care system will be further strained […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Elites are trying to wrest control of courts from the voters
By Dan Pero/American Justice Partnership The recent recommendations of Michigan’s Judicial Selection Task Force have been widely hailed by legal elites, prominent newspaper editorial boards and others. Yet the proposed changes would do little to reduce the influence of money or politics in the judicial selection process, while seriously weakening the power of ordinary voters […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Unfunded legacy costs = big trouble for local governments
By Robert Daddow/Oakland County deputy executive “Property tax revenues implode.” “Deficit elimination plan draconian.” “Troubled pension plan may not pay benefits.” “Pension investments crash, will cost retirees.” These troubling headlines reflect a branding that no responsible official would ever want to see for their community. They create an image that stains a local unit as […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Incentives can address Michigan's rural doctor shortage
By Rep. Jim Ananich and Rep. Frank Foster Everyone in Michigan, regardless of where you live or where you’re traveling through, deserves access to basic, primary health care. Unfortunately, a shortage of specially trained doctors and medical professionals in some areas provides a costly barrier for too many families. Recent coverage in Bridge rightly pointed […]