As several people have pointed out over the past few weeks in relation to the Water Street debt reduction millage which was recently defeated at the polls, the people of Ypsilanti already pay a much higher tax rate than those who live elsewhere in the region. In hopes of finding out why that is, I […]
Tag Archives: economic development
Just how high are the taxes in Ypsilanti anyway?
Public forum on the Water Street debt reduction millage this Thursday
The last time we, the citizens of Ypsilanti, were asked to pass a tax increase in order to pay down the debt associated with the 38-acre Water Street redevelopment project, there was an attempt to bring representatives from both sides of the debate together for a fair, neutral forum on the subject. Unfortunately, as you […]
Author Michael Shuman will be speaking in Ann Arbor on Wednesday on the importance of local business ecosystems
If you’re a regular reader of this site, you know that I think very highly of economist and author Michael Shuman, our nation’s foremost authority on the importance of cultivating, supporting and investing in local businesses. Well, he’s got a new book out called The Local Economy Solution: How Innovative, Self-Financing Pollinator Enterprises Can Grow […]
Why’s the internet turning on Jake Croman?
I’m fascinated by the evolution of frontier justice in the digital age. Whenever there’s a story of someone being turned on by the internet, I’m completely captivated. Regardless of whether or not it’s deserved, I just can’t turn away. It’s one thing to watch a story spread like Janet Jackson’s nipple across the internet, but […]
The launch of Landline Creative Labs, and the development of 209 Pearl
As you may have heard today, Jesse Kranyak and I are attempting to purchase and renovate a building in downtown Ypsilanti. The 9,000 square foot building, which was constructed about 100 years ago by Michigan Bell Telephone, has been largely vacant since the summer of 2014, when a fire ended its most recent incarnation, which […]