Tag Archives: Michigan Suburbs Alliance

Washtenaw County Commissioner Conan Smith clarifies his stance on Emergency Financial Managers

By Mark | February 21, 2012

Yesterday, Washtenaw County Commissioner Conan Smith dropped by the site and left a few comments, as he’s known to do on occasion. Well, one of those comments, which pertained to Michigan’s Emergency Financial Manager law, drew quite a bit of criticism, and, to his credit, Smith came back this evening and responded to it. Here, […]

Posted in Civil Liberties, Economics, Politics, Ypsilanti | Also tagged Benton Harbor, Busy Dying, Conan Smith, Detroit, Dragon, Ecorse, Emergency Financial Manager, Emergency Financial Manager Act, Flint, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Jennifer Granholm, Lansing, PA4, Pontiac, Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners | 6 Comments

Who will fight for Michigan’s struggling cities, like Ypsilanti, against the Snyder budget?

By Mark | March 6, 2011

As we’ve discussed here in the past, the budget put forward by our new Governor, Rick Snyder, would appear to put a disproportionate amount of the burden on aging, urban communities, like Ypsilanti. Here are just a few of the ways that Ypsilanti will be impacted by the new budget if it is ratified. • First, […]

Posted in Detroit, Economics, Michigan, Politics, Uncategorized | Also tagged Andrew Shirvell, asbestos, Brownfield MBT, Brownfield Redevelopment Tax Credits, Chamber of Commerce, Club for Growth, College Republican National Committee, fire protection, Glen S, Grover Norquist, Historic Preservation tax credits, Jean Benet Ramsey, John P. Yob, John Ramsey, Karl Rove, Koch brothers, lead, Lee Atwater, leveling the playing field, Mack & Mack Building, Mellencamp Building, Michigan Municipal League, Mike Cox, Missouri Federation of Young Republicans, Pete Murdock, picking winners and losers, Ralph Reed, revenue sharing, Richard Murphy, Rick Snyder, SEMCOG, soil contamination, Straight Talk Express, Thompson Block, union busting, Value for Michigan, Water Street | 61 Comments

If you support rail in Michigan, pick up the phone Tuesday morning and make a call

By Mark | November 29, 2010

Tomorrow, Michigan proponents for rail, like myself, are being encouraged to pick up their phones and call Michigan Senate Majority Leader Michael Bishop, urging him to call a vote on the $35 million in matching funds necessary if we’re to claim the $161 million federal rail grant we recently became eligible for. Here, with the […]

Posted in Michigan, Rail, Ypsilanti | Also tagged Ann Arbor - Detroit rail, call to action, Connecting the Midwest, Detroit - Chicago rail, DetroitTransit, Federal Rail Administration, funding match, HB 6484, high-speed rail, Kalamazoo, Liz Brater, mass transit, Michael Bishop, Michigan Senate, Millennial Mayors Congress, More Transit More Jobs, PIRG, Rail, regional funding of mass transportation, Richard Murphy, State Building Authority, TEN, transportation funding, Transportation Riders United, TRU, Wayne Schmidt | 15 Comments

Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line scaled back almost to the point of non-existence

By Mark | March 20, 2010

Remember how Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm proclaimed that she’d be riding the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter line by the end of her term this fall? Well, it looks as though that might not happen. Ypsi City Council member Pete Murdock just sent me a note, letting me know that the Detroit-Ann Arbor rail project has been […]

Posted in Ann Arbor, Detroit, energy, Environment, Michigan, Rail, Ypsilanti | Also tagged Ann Arbor - Detroit rail, Bill Shea, Carmine Palombo, Depot Town, Detroit - Chicago rail, high-speed rail, Jennifer Granholm, Pete Murdock, Rail, Richard Murphy, SEMCOG, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, train platform, Ypsi/Arbor commute, Ypsilanti train depot | 20 Comments

Bye, Murph

By Mark | January 30, 2010

For his years of loyal service to this great City of ours, I’d like to thank city planner Richard Murphy for a job well done. For those of you that might not have heard the news, Murph yesterday accepted a position working for Conan Smith, doing transportation/transit and transit-oriented development policy research and regional advocacy […]