Gov. Rick Snyder and the government of Canada recently brokered an “interlocal” agreement to proceed with construction of a second bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. That plan has long been opposed by the ownership of the existing Ambassador Bridge between the two communities. Said owners, the Moroun family, have funded numerous media ads decrying […]
Michigan Government
Citizens cannot do their job of running their government if they don’t know what their public servants are doing.
Posted inMichigan Government
Truth Squad delves into casino land ownership
A plan to build eight casinos in Michigan moving toward November’s ballot remains almost as sketchy in financial detail as the day it was announced in April. One of the key features of the proposal is to prescribe eight specific casino locations. So, not only is this a simple question of whether voters approve more gambling […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Pro-casino claims go a bit too far, finds the Michigan Truth Squad
What: Citizens for More Michigan Jobs radio interview Who: Emily Palsrok, Citizens for More Michigan Jobs spokeswoman Truth Squad call: Technical foul Backers of a proposal to add eight private casinos in Michigan sell it as a jobs plan for the state. They promise up to 16,000 in construction and casino jobs and $300 million […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Casino plan foes overstate ballot implications, Truth Squad says
What: Radio ads — “Don’t sign away your rights” and “Casino expansion kills Detroit jobs” Who: Protect MI Vote, an organization opposing a proposed constitutional amendment that would authorize eight private casinos, one in Detroit and seven scattered around the state, ran radio ads during the collection of signatures for a casino ballot proposal. Truth […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Millions at stake for schools as Senate considers teacher retirement change
David Campbell, superintendent of the Livingston Educational Service Agency, has been watching the debate over reform of the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System (MPSERS) for years from multiple perspectives, as a public school administrator charged with spending scarce resources, and as a future pensioner himself who will feel the effects of the reforms. All of […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Analysis: State department doesn't live up to Gov. Snyder's transparency pledge
By The Center for Michigan “As Governor, I will ensure that government is open, fair, and accountable to the citizens by making Michigan a national leader in transparency and ethics.” That’s what Rick Snyder pledged on the campaign trail two years ago. Yet last month, the Michigan Department of Human Services gave two completely contradictory answers […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Chasing the costs of ambulances
On a given day in Michigan, anyone with a scanner listening for 911 medical calls might hear something like this: “trouble breathing,” “pain in abdomen,” “swallowed something.” Some are emergencies. Others are not. In most municipalities, there is a good chance first on the scene will be a crew of medically-trained responders from the nearest […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Henry Ford CEO says higher pay is only way to attract primary-care doctors
Nancy Schlichting, chief executive officer of the Henry Ford Health System, which handles $4.2 billion in revenues, says there are no easy answers in addressing the projected shortage of physicians in Michigan, particularly primary care physicians. Health care economics also likely will dictate the end of small, independent community hospitals, she said. Those hospitals will […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Detroit, allies caught on blight treadmill
The numbers are inescapable: Estimates of just how many blighted buildings still stand in Detroit– most of them houses past rehabilitation, nests of crime and the most visible signs of the city’s distress – range from 30,000 to as many as 70,000. It costs about $10,000, on average, to take down one of them. Which […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Poor people aren't getting equal shake in court, governor's panel warns
Fridays in Ottawa County’s courts — when criminal defendants often are arraigned without legal representation — are referred to as “McJustice Days.” In Sault Ste. Marie, attorneys representing the poor have little time to prepare and wait in line to meet with their clients in the courthouse’s unisex bathroom. In Wayne County, court-appointed attorneys haven’t […]