THIS is not unexpected but, in my mind, chilling. Gov. Rick Snyder is expected as early as Friday to begin the process to appoint an emergency manager for the city of Detroit, the Free Press has learned. Snyder is expected to call for a financial review, the first step in state intervention. Both Mayor Dave Bing and Detroit City Council […]

Former temporary mayor and city administrator of Flint, Michigan, Michael Brown has been named the Emergency Manager of Flint. The decision to appoint an EM was made the same day current mayor Dayne Walling was re-elected. “Michael Brown has a strong track record of serving the Flint-area community,” Snyder said in a statement. “Given his experience in public, private, and […]

There’s no debate over whether or not there are problems with the Detroit Public School system. It’s a decades-old problem made worse by a dwindling city population, higher-than-ever poverty levels and, in some cases, malfeasance, corruption and outright criminal activity by some. Although they are improving with respect to school attendance, Detroit still has big problems in that regard, too. […]

While state officials mull over appointing an Emergency Manager for Benton Harbor schools, the state’s largest teachers union, the Michigan Education Association (MEA), has stepped up to help teachers there with much needed supplies. They put out a call to MEA teachers (flyer HERE (pdf)) to make donations and teachers across the state responded. When Republican lawmakers pushed through more […]

Benton Harbor schools are a whisker away from getting a — you guessed it — an Emergency Manager. The State of Michigan will conduct a preliminary review of the “critical and alarming financial situation” at Benton Harbor Area Schools. This is the first step in a process that would determine if the school district needs a state-appointed emergency manager. It […]

As I have written about in the past, Emergency Manager Joe Harris by-passed the normal process simply decreed that seven proposals be placed on the ballot for last Tuesday’s elections. These proposals would have altered the Benton Harbor city charter to reduce the number of City Commissioners and eliminated the ward system. In addition to the three I previously wrote […]

This is becoming a daily thing for Michiganders. On the heels of an announcement yesterday by the Governor’s office that Flint may soon be put under the control of an Emergency Manager, today it was announced that Inkster may also receive an Emergency Manager, as well. The state Treasury Department announced today that a preliminary review of Inkster’s books shows […]

While many of us expected this and knew it was coming, it’s still painful to see. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder says Flint is ready for an Emergency Manager. Governor Rick Snyder says a financial emergency exists in Flint. That determination could lead to the appointment of an emergency manager for the city. “The State’s decision shows how serious our financial […]

Back in July, the superintendent of Northville Public Schools used the threat of an Emergency Manager to try to force union concessions. Now it’s Detroit Mayor Dave Bing’s turn. Bing is threatening to bring in an Emergency Manager, too, and for the same reason. The City of Detroit is sliding closer to insolvency and may soon require the intervention of […]

The effort by Michigan Forward to repeal the odious Emergency Manager Law in Michigan (Public Act 4) is nearing the final stages. However, they are still short of the necessary signatures to put this on the ballot in February. Many of the folks who were working the hardest on signature gathering over the summer were teachers who have now gone […]

In September, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder appointed Lou Schimmel to replace Michael Stampfler as Pontiac’s Emergency Manager. Yesterday, Schimmel fired several key department heads: the city clerk, the city attorney and director of public works. Pontiac Emergency Manager Lou Schimmel has fired the city’s clerk, attorney and director of public works in what he says is realignment in City Hall. […]