Michigan Governor Signs New Emergency Manager Law

New law runs contrary to November proposition vote

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder just signed a law to continue giving broad power to emergency financial managers appointed by the state to fix local financial problems, even though voters rejected a similar measure in November.

The new law has already been derided by opponents, but like the heated right-to-work law, it has a measure in place keeping it safe from voter referendum. The law won't go into effect for 90 days and will likely face court challenges, especially over a manager's ability to modify collective bargaining agreements and contracts.

But the revised law does offer troubled communities some control. Officials can choose between bankruptcy, mediation, a special partnership with the State of Michigan, or to accept an emergency manager. Elected officials can also request the dismissal of a manager, or vote one out with a two-thirds majority, after 18 months.

Emergency managers are used in Michigan to fix financially troubled cities and school districts. They previously held the power to overrule locally elected officials, adjust contracts, and sell public assets.

Via the Detroit News and the Huffington Post.

Do you think emergency managers ought to be able to overrule local officials?

[seedtick]

Yes, yes...if local officials are the problem or are unable to manage what they were elected or hired to do.

[PNWest]

Then I am sure that you will have no problem with Obama putting in emergency managers where republican governors who refuse to implement Obamacare against the best interests of their states.

[Yank]

@PNWest what do cities going bankrupt and obamacare have to do with each other?

[DaddySon]

@PNWest Great point!

[DaddySon]

@Yank Thank you for once again showing the rest of the world how clueless many of our citizens are. Cities rely a great deal on State and Federal funding to balance their budgets.

[Yank]

@DaddySon which again has what to do with Obamacare?

[PoliticalSpice]

I really think this is something each state and city should decide for themselves, there is this concept called federalism...and something called the tenth amendment.

[jessejaymes]

I don't have a problem with different states trying different things. Someone might actually come up with something that works.

[DaddySon]

Maybe you need to educate yourself on what is in the U.S. Constitution; specifically what Article 6 says. The U.S. Constitution is the Supreme Law of the land. The whole "States Rights" issue has been one of the worst ideas still embraced by our citizens.

[DaddySon]

@jessejaymes I agree. However the efforts should still stay withing the law.

[jessejaymes]

@DaddySon Detroit has been a cesspoll of local govt corruption for at least the past 20 years. Maybe you should discuss "staying within the law" with their local govt?

[jessejaymes]

@jessejaymes cesspool too

[DARSB]

Hey, wait, what happened to the "small government" theme Republicans were promoting (at least until they got some power)?

[jessejaymes]

There is no difference in the far right and far left. they want govt regulation of what THEY believe in and the govt out of everything they don't believe in. Wanna be dictators all.

[DARSB]

@jessejaymes Yeah, both parties have expansionist tendencies, but I find the GOP to be just a little bit more hilarious. It's like P. J. O'Rourke's famous observation to the effect of "Republicans say government can't fix anything, and then they get elected and prove it."

Tweet of the Day (from Andy Borowitz)- "Al Qaeda disbands, says job of destroying US economy now safely in Congress' hands."

[PNWest]

@jessejaymes Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.- Lord Acton

[jessejaymes]

@DARSB Love the tweet. On the money. I would say that as the dominant liberal on this site I think you're giving your own side more credit than they deserve. I think Obama is a wuss of a President and in miles over his head. The only thing worse than him is the House Tea Baggers. So to that extent you're right but overall neither party is worth the powder to blow them to hell.

[PNWest]

@jessejaymes The problem is that the two parties are really the only game in town. The deck is stacked against third party candidates. Unless someone comes along with an enormous amount of charisma and political skills we aren't going to see a non-democratic, non-republican President in our lifetimes. Even if someone like that does come along - what would be the odds that they would be a good President? All that we can do now is go with the better of two bad choices.

[RobertJHarsh]

Let's just say why he signed it...Detroit is screwed. Period. The people running that town cannot get their act together and now its time for the state to step in and use heavy handed action to fix the place. I think personally the Governor should declare some kind of financial martial law, set aside the local government, and resolve the issue. Detroit can be salvaged, but it never will be fixed as long as the people running it now continue to do so.

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

People who don't live in Michigan don't understand what you just said. I'm tired of being taxed to death so that the state can shovel money into that hellhole Detroit.

[ConserveUSA]

@Neo_NtheMatrix I am tired of my tax dollars going to waste.

[CommonSense]

Unelected bureaucrats won't do a better job. If the people running that town are so bad let the local voters hold a recall and decide who to replace them with.

[RobertJHarsh]

@CommonSense I think Synder's idea is this: drop a bean counting hard ass into Detroit with "my way or the highway" financial super powers with the mission of getting the place back in the black with the power to ignore any and all elected officials and the problem will get fixed. I support this plan. On a side note, yes I am in Ohio but Detroit is not too far up the road and Toledo is a de facto suburb of Detroit and the crime is starting to move south. This problem must be fixed. I personally think the Michigan National Guard should be activated and moved in, but I'll take any solution at this point.

[hwyangel]

@Neo_NtheMatrix

I know what you mean, being that I am originally from Michigan myself. I'm torn between the dictatorship law and allowing Benton Harbor and Detroit pull the rest of the state down with it. The law does allow local officials to have the option to develop an alternative plan if it saves the same amount of money as the manager's proposals. And from what I understand it also gives the community the right to choose from different options. If we didn't have a Republican house to to tighten the purse strings on Obama's spending, I could see the benefit of hiring management services to help him budget.

[thejimbo]

If only we had a Rick Snyder here in DC.... these liberal idiots that run both cities are hellbent on keeping them as third-world hellholes... smh

[bsking]

especially when those local officials are heavily influenced by corrupt unions. it's similar to putting an adult in charge of the pocketbook when the children have gone wild

[mtkopf]

It looks like democracy is dead at least in this country. Twice the people of Michigan spoke through referenda and twice that Governor and state legislature still did as they wished. What is next naming himself dictator of Michigan?

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

I live in Michigan. The sewer called Detroit threatens to take the whole state down. I support anything Snyder wants to do to minimize the cankor sore called Detroit. That city should be made into it's own state. I shouldn't be punished because the voters and leaders there can't get their act together. If any of you want to know what the effects of excessive taxes and spending beyond one's means are and what is headed for the U.S. if we keep following obama's leadership then look at what the once great city of Detroit was turned into by radical leftists. No apologizes from me. Snyder is finally starting to make me proud.

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

@WattheTyler - Please point out the racism in my post. New rule for the new year, liberals are not allowed to throw out the race card without qualifying why they are throwing it out.

You do know all blacks in Michigan don't live in Detroit, and all Detroiters are not black, right?

[WattheTyler]

@Neo_NtheMatrix Do racist white people who hate Obama call him a n___er? No. They use codewords. "Foodstamp president" "Muslim" "Not American" "Chicago politics" "stupid" "lazy" "uppity"

You don't need to say n___er to be a racist. All you need to do is use racial code words and attack areas where a lot of black people live like Detroit, Chicago, New York, etc.

Check out posts on stormfront if you don't believe me. America is still the most racist country on earth. The most racist US state, Mississippi, is also the poorest and most conservative. Poverty leads to ignorance. I hope one day you see though your racist ignorant views and stop posting hatefilled posts on the internet.

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

@WattheTyler - So you're saying if I criticize a dysfunctional city like Detroit that makes me a racist? Either something works or it doesn't. I don't care what color of person lives in Detroit, I care that the city is a dump. Have you driven through there recently? Do you have any idea of how bad things are there? The mayor before the current mayor is a felon, the current mayor is a former NBA player. Yes, a former NBA player. That was his qualifications to turn the city around. Do you live in Michigan, or are you throwing shots from far away?

[Vance1]

Do you think emergency managers ought to be able to overrule local officials?
Maybe...Because sometimes Local people just cant manage the actual problems.
They get too involved with local politic's rather then whats best.

[artjeb]

Yes emergency managers are good. Look at BUFFALO NY that city was throwing money away & no returns. A fiscal control board was put in & it was 3 yrs that finances started balancing.

[WattheTyler]

It's time to impeach Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. Snyder ran as a moderate but since taking office he's lead a anti-democratic radical far right agenda is a threat to everything America stands for.

[ConserveUSA]

Okay, it's time to Impeach President Obama! Rick Snyder for President!

[Sabio]

if they cant make it, let em go under! enough of this bailout crap!

[CommonSense]

If Snyder wants to "overrule" local governments he should do it the right way, get legislation passed in the Michigan Legislature that overrules what they want to do! Obama doesn't appoint emergency governors when states don't do what he likes.

[EnemyCombatant]

No, this is the tyranny that everyone has been crying about. This is a monarch appointing viceroys. You can't have an unelected appointed official overruling elected officials. This is taxation without representation. Stand up against this tyrannical governor.

[Cheenoguy]

Where are all the Michigan Republifascists screaming about tyranny and a dictatorship now? Where are the Michigan Militia that is supposed to exist to protect Democracy?

[justapirate]

So, let's see- Twice Michigan voters made a decision and twice the Pub governor and the Pub party used a cheap little trick (attaching additional legislation that prevents voters from having their say again) to do what they wanted and to hell with the voters.

I don't care if the voters approved hanging themselves, the voters spoke. You want to know why the Pubs have a bleak outlet from the public? They don't seem to believe in a democracy.