Tag Archives | Michael Stampfler

Former Pontiac Emergency Manager Stampfler: “City charters are just interesting reading”

By on April 25, 2012 in Emergency Manager Law, Emergency Managers, Pontiac

I find your quaint city constitutions mildly amusing…

At a speech criticizing Michigan’s Emergency Manager law yesterday, former Pontiac Emergency Manager Michael Stampfler was talked about the importance of investing in capital infrastructure and something he called civic capital — engagement of the local citizens in the process of governing.

Then he suggested that city charters were just “interesting reading”.

Here’s video from Bruce Fealk of the Rochester Citizen and Communications Director for Michigan Rising:

AUDIENCE MEMBER: The first question I have is did you, at what point, what did you think that our charter meant to your job in our city?…

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Former Pontiac Emergency Manager Michael Stampfler says Public Act 4 isn’t working (and can’t work)

By on April 17, 2012 in Emergency Manager Law, Emergency Managers, Pontiac

Oh. NOW you tell us.

Former Emergency Manager of Pontiac Michael Stampfler is giving a presentation to the Rotary Club of Wyandotte about why Public Act 4 – Michigan’s Emergency Manager law — isn’t working and cannot work.

Stampfler says, “I do not believe EMs can be successful — they abrogate the civic structure of the community for a period of years then return it virtually dismantled for the community to attempt to somehow make a go of it. The program provides no structure for long term recovery, and that is why most communities slide back into trouble, if they experience any relief at all — a vicious cycle.…

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Wednesday afternoon Michigan Emergency Manager news round-up

By on February 1, 2012 in Detroit, Emergency Managers, Highland Park

It just goes on and on and on again…

  • Decision to close Highland Park school not made by Emergency Manager Jack Martin
    Contrary to what some outlets have reported, the decision to close Barber Focus school was NOT made by new Emergency Manager Jack Martin
    During a parent meeting on Monday, superintendent Edith Hightower announced that Barber Focus School would merge with Ford Academy. The decision to close Barber was made prior to Martin’s arrival without his knowledge, contrary to other published media reports.

    At the meeting, tempers flared with one attendee saying, “I’m sick of them in Lansing sending these black men in here to take over”, before being escorted out.

    • …


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EXCLUSIVE: The cost of privatization – Pontiac has water contamination issues under United Water

By on January 26, 2012 in Emergency Managers, Pontiac

This past year, the Emergency Manager of Pontiac at the time, Michael Stampfler signed a five-year contract with United Water to run their water and wastewater treatment systems. The move was said to save Pontiac an astonishing $2.8 million per year.

I broke a story that made national news about the fact that, by hiring United Water, Stampfler had hired a company facing a multiple felony counts by the U.S. Justice Department for violations of the federal Clean Water Act.

United Water Services Inc., the former contract operator of the Gary Sanitary District wastewater treatment works in Gary, Ind., and two of its employees, were charged today with conspiracy and felony violations of the Clean Water Act in a 26-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury, the Justice Department announced today.…

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Pontiac’s Emergency Manager fires several key city department heads, federally-indicted United Water to run public works

By on November 1, 2011 in Emergency Managers, Pontiac

In September, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder appointed Lou Schimmel to replace Michael Stampfler as Pontiac’s Emergency Manager. Yesterday, Schimmel fired several key department heads: the city clerk, the city attorney and director of public works.

Pontiac Emergency Manager Lou Schimmel has fired the city’s clerk, attorney and director of public works in what he says is realignment in City Hall.

City Attorney Mark Hotz, Clerk Yvette Talley and Department of Public Works Director Jarvis Middleton were let go Friday.

The changes are part of what Schimmel said is an effort to put together his own team.

“My qualified team of experts,” he said.

…


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Pontiac gets a new Emergency Mgr, privatization “expert” & former Mackinac Center staffer Louis Schimmel

By on September 12, 2011 in Emergency Manager Law, Emergency Managers, Michigan, Pontiac

After the resignation last week of Michael Stampfler as Pontiac’s Emergency Manager, Louis Schmimmel was chosen as his replacement. The former emergency financial manager of Hamtramck and Ecorse is known as an expert at privatizing public services and comes highly recommended by the far-right conservative Mackinac Center think tank. Schmimmel, in fact, was the director of the Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative at the Mackinac Center.

Earlier this year, I broke the story that Stampfler had hired United Water to run the city’s water treatment plant, a company facing multiple federal felony indictments for violating the Clean Water Act in Indiana.…


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BREAKING: Michigan EFM outsources water treatment to company facing 26 felony Clean Water Act violations

By on June 9, 2011 in Emergency Financial Managers, Michigan, Pontiac

I have a new piece up today at A2Politico that shows just how far Michigan’s CPA-style Emergency Financial Managers (EFMs) will go to cut costs.

Michael Stampfler is Pontiac, Michigan’s EFM. He has the dubious distinction of being the first Michigan EFM to use new powers granted by Michigan Republicans to cancel a union contract. What went nearly unnoticed was that last week, he dissolved the Pontiac Planning Commission and replaced it with a smaller number of his own hand-picked, unelected members. But he also did another thing. He made a contract for water treatment services with United Water Services permanent, outsourcing the water treatment to them and laying off city water treatment officials.…


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