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 […]
Detroit
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 inLand O Links
Land O Links
“Education in the light of present-day knowledge and need calls for some spirited and creative innovations both in the substance and the purpose of current pedagogy” — Anne Sullivan Macy, tutor of Helen Keller. * Stockton, Calif., just became the largest U.S. city to ever file for bankruptcy. The invaluable Atlantic Cities site rounds up […]
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 inQuality of Life
Talking Detroit's Eastern Market, the hunt for the Michigan potato, and other food stuff
Dan Carmody joined Detroit’s Eastern Market Corp. in 2007, just in time to catch the local-food wave. The market district covers one square mile on Detroit’s east side and holds about 150 businesses, but the public draws are the five city-owned structures where, on Saturdays year-round, Metro Detroiters flock to buy fresh produce, meat and […]
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 inBusiness Watch
What's the business case for second Detroit bridge?
Editor’s note: Gov. Rick Snyder joined Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper last Friday to announce a formal deal to start construction on a second bridge linking Detroit to Windsor, Ontario. Snyder announced his support for the span in his first weeks as governor in 2011. Michigan’s share of the construction costs — $550 million — […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
“If you can’t explain to a 5-year-old what you’re doing, you don’t know what you’re doing” — Robert D. Ballard, explorer of shipwrecks. * The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities addresses “some basic facts” about state and local workers. Among them, “Benefits like pensions and health insurance are larger and more secure for most […]