April 24, 2012

Former Emergency Manager Michael Stampfler, suggest changes to Michigan's Public Act # 4, at event

At the Rotary Club of Wyandotte, former Emergency Manager Michigan Stampfler held press and public event on April 24th, highlighting what ways he believes Michigan Controversial statue Public Act #4 should be altered.

"Civil capital and capital infrastructure. Civil capital is engaging and making a new construct of leaders in the community", former Ponitac Emergency Manager Stampfler stated. "Civil infrastructure is preparing the community to have a new economy."

Michigan urban communities of Pontiac, Benton Harbor, Flint and Detroit are all under of Emergency Management or a Consent Agreement with the State after a 'Financial Advisory Board' recommendation to Gov. Rick Snyder (R) and State Treasurer Andy Dillion.

All members of the 'Financial Advisory Board' are appointed by Gov. Snyder and Treasurer Dillion. Dillion has also self-appointed himself, onto some of these boards.

Stampfler displayed confidence that if his ideas were amended into Michigan's Public Act #4 statue, each locality under Emergency Management or a Consent Decree would be able to repair its' fiscal budgetary issues and thinks acts to repeal P.A. #4 aren't focusing on financial reasons for the crisis.

"The idea is to not repeat the process, once your in the situation and trying to fix it, one must attend to the issue of civic capital to fix the job," he stated.

Pontiac, Benton Harbor and Flint, Michigan previously was under a form of Emergency Management with the states' now defunct statue, Public Act #72 of 1990, during former Gov. Jennifer Granholm's administration.

Stampfler addressed federal governmental programs such as block grants and Housing and Urban Development (H.U.D.) financing and loans, originally allotted to improve community infrastructure and encourage property ownership in urban municipalities.

He believes these programs, operated under similar administrative guidelines in all states, fail to work effectively distressed urban areas nationwide.

"There's a lack of tailored approaches. Its a big bureaucracy and they only go by the book." "That doesn't work for some of these communities. In fact, it works the wrong way," Stampfler cited.

"Recently there's this issue that redevelopment loans have not been paid. That's a case that not only the city is deficient in collecting but the feds are deficient in enforcing that. So what that does is take away money that could be repayed back or be recycled, continuing the process. They have problems like that which exacerbates the situation in distressed communities."

Voters in distressed communities who repeatedly elect governmental officials who fail to balance budgets, provide efficient reasoning for State Government oversight on whom operates a municipality, county or school board, Stampfler believes.

"Civil capital is building Democracy and spreading it, building Democracy with civil participation. Build the base and get more people involved," he cited.

A resident of Pontiac, Michigan asked Stampfler if he studied its' city charter documentation, during his tenure as Emergency Manager from May 2010-September 12, 2011.

"The charter is just maybe interesting reading", Stampfler responded leading to a conclusion during this 14 month Emergency Manager stint, suggesting he hadn't studied Pontiac City Charter document during his tenure with the city.

A search of the city's Governmental webpage, references to Neustar Landing Page, suggesting Pontiac now no longer functions as a municipal community in Michigan.

Former Emergency Manager Michael Stampfler, suggest changes to Michigan's Public Act # 4-ROJS News

February 26, 2012

The Case against Michigan's P.A. 4 & Why a Constitutional Referendum Vote is Right

In the past couple of weeks, my local newspaper Ann Arbor.com has featured two articles attempting to slam the work Michigan Forward and its' Chairman Brandon Jessup has done to place a Constitutional Referendum vote on the general election ballot; re-affirming or repealing Michigan's Public Act #4.

Now for a disclaimer-As a Michigan Politics Blogger and political activist...our blog and weekend podcast radio show via Blog Talk Radio Network-have worked for the past year in educating the public why P.A.#4 present a vicious direct attack on Democracy in Michigan witnessed in my lifetime. On our podcast, we've interview Brandon three times and wrote three articles this year about the effort to repeal P.A. 4.

When I saw these articles in my local newspaper (especially the last one) I felt the need to write a Op/Ed piece, specifically highlighting areas in Michigan Constitution were P.A. 4 and our states' founding document greatly conflict. Additionally, I found on a Google Archive search, a 1981 Michigan Daily Article including a groundbreaking quote from Michigan's longest serving Gov. William Milliken (R) (yes, he was/is a Republican) detailing his vicious defense of Michigan's Open Meeting Act 267 of 1976. Former Gov. Milliken signed this act into law.

On February 6th, Judge William Collette of Ingham County Circuit Court ruled that P.A. 4's the "closed Financial Review Teams" meetings violated Michigan's Open Meeting Act Statue. This was a very important ruling as it raises a question. Specifically, with legal precedence of "Emergency Managers" appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder (R) and State Treasurer Andy Dillon (DINO-D) after these previously "closed Financial Review Team" meetings. Open for debate and discussion is if these Emergency Managers have authority to make mandates on cities, townships, villages, school boards, counties and local authorities at all....literally.

Today, Michigan has Emergency Managers in the cities of Benton Harbor, Flint, Pontiac and up until 2/21 Emergency Manager Jack Martin was running Highland Park Public Schools District. Martin was "deactivated" from his duties, by Gov. Rick Snyder (R) nearly three weeks after Judge Collette's ruling. Another open question is why was Martin deactivated and did it have anything to do with Judge Collette's ruling, noted above.

I have forwarded this article on our blog for a "Letter to the Editor" with Ann Arbor.com. Either way, until its' possibly posted there, I believe its' important to share this piece with Michigan forum members of Democratic Underground. It's rare that I cross-link articles on the blog here. But, I think this article raises important questions about our Constitution, The Open Meetings Act, why Gov. Milliken signed the law, defended it against a 1981 Republican attempt to test validity of the statue and why P.A. 4 is the most aggrieved piece of legislation crafted in Michigan since 1837.

Thanks!

The first two links are the Ann Arbor.com articles highlighted above:

Piece 1-Why bankruptcy is worse for Michigan cities than emergency managers

Piece 2-Q&A with Brandon A. Jessup: The fight to repeal Michigan's Emergency Manager law

The last link is to our article on ROJS News.com
The case against Michigan Public Act #4 and why a Constitutional Referendum vote is right