Tag Archives: Pontiac

Protecting Ypsilanti’s community-owned assets from the Emergency Financial Manger… Have we done everything that we can to prepare?

By Mark | March 3, 2012

A little while ago, in an exchange with Jill Morey, the director of the Ypsilanti District Library, the subject came up of what would likely happen to the downtown library building, should an Emergency Financial Manager be appointed to takeover the City of Ypsilanti, and charged with liquidating our communal assets. Thankfully, we were told […]

Posted in Ypsilanti | Also tagged community assets, Emergency Financial Manager, Emergency Financial Manager’s Act, Friends of Rutherford pool, Friends of the Freighthouse, income tax, Jill Morey, local income tax, Parkridge Community Center, Project Grow, public school challenges, Richard Murphy, Riverside Arts Center, Stop City Income Tax, Water Street, Ypsi neighborhood associations, Ypsi Public School District, Ypsi Senior Center, Ypsilanti District Library, Ypsilanti Public Schools | 27 Comments

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, Michigan Suburbs Alliance, PA4, Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners | 6 Comments

How are things in Ypsi likely to change, if the city income tax doesn’t pass?

By Mark | January 26, 2012

Our last few posts about the proposed city income tax have not only initiated a lot of good, substantive conversations, but they’ve also led to quite a few more questions. Case in point… a couple of days ago, I received the following note from a reader of this site named Erika. Hi Mark, thanks for […]

Posted in Ypsilanti | Also tagged Act 51, Benton Harbor, Brian Robb, budget cuts, building inspection, business friendly, city employees, city planning, city services, code violations, DPW, economic development, Erika Nelson, Frank Daniels, Garden City, general fund, Grove Road, Headlee, Huron River Drive, income tax, LED street lights, local income tax, Michael Bodary, millage, ordinance enforcement, parking tickets, parks, Paul Schreiber, Pete Murdock, property values, Proposition A, public safety, recycling, Richard Murphy, road maintenance, street lights, Valentine Vodka, Waste Management, Water Street, Water Street debt reduction millage, Ypsilanti Building Department, Ypsilanti City Council | 110 Comments

NBC Nightly News sends crews to visit Michigan cities in hopes of terrifying nation into paralysis

By Mark | January 15, 2012

It would be great if, one day, a national news crew came to Michigan for something other than a “canary in the coal mine” story… I suppose we should be thankful that people around the country are finally taking notice of the plight of Michigan’s cities, which, one-by-one, are being sold for scrap by non-elected […]

Posted in Michigan | Also tagged America's great cities, cities, Detroit, Emergency Financial Manager, Martin Luther King, protests, Rick Snyder, Ricky Gervais, the future of American cities | 8 Comments

Detroit moves one step closer to state takeover

By Mark | January 10, 2012

It’s looking like today may mark the beginning of the end for Detroit’s Mayor and City Council. According to numerous sources, the closed-door meetings on the take-over of the City have begun. The following comes from the Detroit Free Press. …A 10-member team appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder is trying to determine if a financial […]