If you have something to say...
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If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
The Blog
Detroit continues to face a fiscal crisis. However, the issue to address crime in the neighborhoods is not about resources; it's about managing the resources. The crime affecting our neighborhoods is fixable.
This year in the name of financial stability, the citizens of the city of Detroit will be disenfranchised. Democracy will be sacrificed at the altar of economic efficiency.
"Taxation without representation." It's an idea our nation was founded to oppose. Yet, right here in Detroit in 2012, it's a threat that's all too real.
We need to encourage the mayor and the council to insist on their authority to make decisions. If the state is unwilling to protect the elected officials, we encourage the city to declare bankruptcy.
Even with the February 29 delivery of over 226,000 signatures to a petition to overturn Public Act 4, there has been another brave and bold attempt to overthrow the law.
Is democracy a luxury good in America, discarded when the going gets rough? Apparently Michigan's Gov. Rick Snyder thinks so.
Folks, it's time to just shut up and focus on what's coming at us across that metaphorical Dardanelles Strait. If the walls are breached, it really won't matter whose fault it is or how it happened. We'll all be in a bad way.
It was thought by many that Detroit would get an emergency manager. Gov. Snyder spoke boldly of helping Detroit fix itself, and if he settles for a consent agreement it will clearly say that he has decided it's too much of a political risk.
The concept of emergency management, as pushed forward by Gov. Snyder, is deeply flawed. It is a draconian attempt at a solution to a problem caused in large part by policies and circumstances not promulgated at the local level.
Emergency managers have the ability to make policy changes that are not necessarily politically popular, but are considered to be in the best interest of the city and its residents.
To abort Public Act 4, before it has been allowed an opportunity to be assessed, would be unfortunate, not only for the communities it is specifically designed to help, but for other communities that would benefit indirectly.
I believe that as emergency manager, I can be most effective if I communicate frankly with all District stakeholders. I have a controlled "open door" policy.
I have been an emergency manager under both Public Act 4 and its predecessor Act. The major drawback I had operating under Act 72 was that the process of restoring fiscal stability took too much time.
While there are notable exceptions, for the most part both local Michigan units of government and schools have done whatever was necessary to remain fiscally sound under very difficult circumstances.
If the proper mix of solutions work in Detroit, there will be a recipe for success that will help to guide other major cities with problems very similar to ours.
For the first time in two fiscal years, the city will not have to borrow to meet operating expenses. The current fiscal year budget is balanced, with general fund revenues expected to outpace expenditures.
