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Majority white communities avoid Emergency Financial managers with help from Republicans Denby and Rogers – UPDATED

By on September 27, 2012 in Benton Harbor, Emergency Financial Managers, Emergency Manager Law, Emergency Managers, GOPocrisy

Ah. So THAT’S how it works.

As majority African American communities in Michigan are forced to live under the rule of unelected dictators, formerly called Emergency Managers and, now, once again called Emergency Financial Managers, efforts by two Republicans in the heart of Republican Livingston County are hoping to avoid the same fate for their own, mostly white, communities. Fiscal troubles that can be laid largely at the door of state legislators Cindy Denby and Bill Rogers would be conveniently remedied by a new law that Rogers and Denby co-sponsored. Even though these communities are in trouble due to fiscal mismanagement on the part of their government leaders, they, unlike Benton Harbor, Flint, Pontiac and other Michigan communities, would receive a state bailout, not a takeover of their town by a state-appointed dictator.

Details after the jump.


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Civil rights law groups file suit against Snyder administration to halt use of Emergency Financial Managers

By on September 27, 2012 in Emergency Financial Managers, Emergency Manager Law, Emergency Managers, Michigan, Rick Snyder

Zombie fighters are on the case

In early August, after an intentionally absurd legal battle, Public Act 4 — Michigan’s anti-democratic Emergency Manager law — was repealed. Attorney General Bill Schuette immediately declared that the former version of the law, Public Act 72 — the Emergency FINANCIAL Manager law — was back in force. The lengths to which Schuette went to justify this decision were nothing short of epic.

Now a group of civil rights attorneys has stepped up to slay the zombie beast. Click through for details.


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The Art of Fablemaking: New York Times lionizes Michigan Governor Rick Snyder

By on August 20, 2012 in Emergency Financial Managers, Emergency Manager Law, Emergency Managers, Media, Michigan Republicans, Rick Snyder

They could have asked US…

The New York Times published a rather fawning review of Michigan Governor Rick Snyder on Saturday that suggests he’s a centrist leader who basically isn’t afraid to piss off and on anyone, no matter what their political persuasion. And, while it’s true that there are those on both the right and the left that are less than happy with the Tough Nerd, the NYT piece is noticeably free from some of the essential facts about his governorship.

My friend and fellow Michigander Marcy Wheeler from emptywheel has an elegant fisking of the article. It’s so good, rather than write one of my own, I will simply highlight some of the better parts of her essay, “The Gray Lady Falls Off the Balance Beam”, and point you to it to read the entire thing. Which you absolutely should do.

More after the jump.


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Michigan Emergency Financial Manager Round-up – Reclaiming our power edition

By on August 14, 2012 in Emergency Financial Managers, Emergency Manager Law, Emergency Managers, Public Act 4

Taking back control

In the wake of the suspension of Public Act 4, Michigan no longer has “Emergency Managers”. We now have, once again, “Emergency FINANCIAL Managers”, men and women with reduced power and a singular focus on financial matters. Several school districts and municipalities around the state have wasted no time in reasserting their power as elected officials.

Many examples and commentary after the jump.


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Stuff beginning to hit the fan in the fallout of suspending Michigan’s Emergency Manager Law

By on August 10, 2012 in Emergency Financial Managers, Emergency Manager Law, Emergency Managers, Public Act 4

This will NOT be pretty

Now that Public Act 4 — Michigan’s anti-democratic Emergency Manager Law — is suspended pending the November election, stuff is really beginning to hit the fan around the state.

Follow the drama after the jump.


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UPDATED: Michigan Board of State Canvassers puts Emergency Manager Law repeal on November ballot

By on August 8, 2012 in Emergency Financial Managers, Emergency Manager Law, Emergency Managers

Fer cryin’ out loud, was THAT so hard???

The Michigan Board of State Canvassers met today in Lansing and followed the order given to them by the state Supreme Court to put the repeal of Public Act 4 – our state’s anti-democratic Emergency Manager Law – on the November ballot.

While you would think that this is the final piece in the Republican Stall Machine, it’s not. Although PA 4 is now officially suspended until the election to determine if it’s repealed or upheld, there is now certain to be a court battle over what happens in the interim.

More after the jump.


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Michigan GOP AG Schuette resurrects Zombie Emergency Manager Law PA 72 using circuitous logic

By on August 7, 2012 in Emergency Financial Managers, Emergency Manager Law, Emergency Managers

BRAAA-AAAINS!!!

With the approval of the PA 4 repeal ballot initiative imminent, the predictable (and predicted) fight over what happens next is fully underway.

Using a truly astonishing act of mental gymnastics and pretzel logic, Republicans, aided and abetted by Attorney General Bill Schuette, are convinced that we will simply revert to the original statute, Public Act 72. Though this law gave Emergency Financial Managers much less abusive authority than the Emergency Managers under Public Act 4, those municipalities and school districts currently under the thumb of a local dictator beg to differ with this view of things.

Join me on the Zombie Law Roller Coaster after the jump.


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Wednesday afternoon Emergency Manager news round-up – 2/15/2012

By on February 15, 2012 in Emergency Financial Managers, Emergency Manager Law, Public Act 4

All the news that’s fit to make you cringe

Lots of news to get to today. Lots more after the jump, too, so make sure you click through.

UPDATE: My article for The Nation magazine on Michigan’s Emergency Manager law will be in the issue that goes to print today and will hit the stands later this week. It may or may not be online unless you are a subscriber. I’ll keep everyone posted when it’s available.

  • Michigan Forward to turn in petition signatures February 29th
    Michigan Forward’s petition drive to repeal Public Act 4 is near its end and they will turn in well over 200,000 signatures on February 29th.

    • …


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Great mini-documentary on Michigan’s odious Emergency Manager Law

By on September 8, 2011 in Emergency Financial Managers, Emergency Manager Law, Michigan

This 7-minute documentary, Dictators Over Communities of Color: Coming to a Town Near You , was put together by the New Media Adovocacy Project in cooperation with Michigan Forward and the Advancement Project. It’s well worth a watch and I would love for you to share it widely. This isn’t just something Michiganders should be paying attention to.

Big shout out to my very good friend Brit Satchwell. He’s the super-energetic guy toward the end with the sunglasses and big smile working the Ann Arbor Farmer’s market. Brit is the president of the Ann Arbor Education Association, our local teachers’ union and a phenomenal organizer.…


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Why the Michigan GOP took the “Financial” out of “Emergency Financial Manager”

By on July 11, 2011 in Education, Emergency Financial Managers, Emergency Manager Law, Emergency Managers, Labor, Michigan

When Michigan Republicans passed the legislation that became Michigan Public Act 4 of 2011 or P.A. 4 or the “Emergency Manager Act” or “local government and school district fiscal accountability act” or, as I call it, the Financial Martial Law Act, they took a subtle step that few noticed. They changed the name of “Emergency Financial Manager” to simply “Emergency Manager”.

Why did they do this? A quick look at the new law tells the tale.

In P.A. 4, there is a “Definitions” section and one of the items there is this:

“Emergency manager” or “manager” means the emergency manager appointed under section 15.…

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