Great Lakes Politics

I find it somewhat ironic that this is coming from the same group of individuals who, a year or so ago, were arguing that one term in office wasn't enough time for him to accomplish all that needs to be done.

Of course, I find it to be extremely ironic that the letter I received from this group - which purport to be made up of Detroiters who care deeply about their city - has a Royal Oak post mark on it.

Posted by fnemecek at 03:05 PM | Permalink

The Dearborn Press & Guide is reporting that Comprehensive Environmental Solutions, Inc. and three of its former employees have been idicted for illegally dumping toxic waste into Detroit's Water & Sewage System.  A federal grand jury returned a 12-count indictment against them last week, charging them with violations of both a city ordinance and the Clean Water Act.

The company, according to the indictment, had been doing this since March, 2002.  While I'm thrilled that these polluters are being prosecuted, the fact that it took the government roughly 4 year to bring them to justice is somewhat troubling.

Posted by fnemecek at 01:27 PM | Permalink

Wayne County Clerk Cathy M. Garrett (D) announced yesterday afternoon that she would file a lawsuit in the Third Circuit Court, challenging a recent ordinance that strips her of responsiblity for the county's records and transfers it to Wayne County Executive Robert A. Ficano (D).  The new ordinance comes after Mr. Ficano's long-standing desire to move most of the county's records from Detroit to Southgate and Ms. Garrett's resistance to it.  The general displeasure that members of the Wayne County Commission felt after she levied fines against many of them for failing to file their campaign finance reports on time was also a likely motivation behind the move.

Ms. Garrett argues that such a transfer violates Michigan's Constitution.  She isn't totally wrong in her assertion.  Article VI, Section 14 of the State Constitution mandates that the county clerk, and only the county clerk, is responsible for any records relating to the circuit court.

As for county records that aren't related to the court, that isn't as clear.  It looks like this will be one of those cases that will likely drag out for months. 

Posted by fnemecek at 12:41 AM | Permalink

They will begin their work in the upper mile of the Trenton Channel, which is south of Detroit and upstream from the Black Lagoon.  A boat and crew will sample all next week, weather permitting. The Wyandotte Municipal Boat Ramp will serve as their staging area.

Polluted sediment is a major reason why many fish from the Great Lakes are not safe to eat in unlimited quantities. Sediment contamination also harms aquatic life and habitat and pollutes sources of drinking water.

Posted by fnemecek at 07:15 PM | Permalink

This, of course, is an effort to capitalize on tax incentives that the Michigan Legislature finally past this week after a mere three years of deliberations.

I have to say, though, that housing a regional office to promote metro Detroit to filmmakers inside of the convention bureau is a stroke of genius.  I heard a rumor that someone had circulated a proposal to do so in the spring of 2005.

I wonder who that someone could have been.

Posted by fnemecek at 04:38 PM | Permalink

Earlier this week, a suspect who was fleeing from the Michigan State Police crashed his Jeep into another car, killing three innocent men in that vehicle.  This prompted Detroit City Councilwoman Alberta Tinsley-Talibi to introduce a resolution calling for tighter controls on police chases.  Of course, she neglected to mention during her press conference that, according to an article in the Detroit Free Press, the Troopers in question were only going 45 m.p.h. and that they were a quarter mile away from the the Jeep at the time of the collision.

The only thing Ms. Tinsley-Talibi's resolution is going to accomplish is to a) get her name in the newspapers and b) make the next police officer wonder whether or not it's worth it to persue a suspect.  I could excuse the first part, because politicians are always looking for a chance to see their name in the newspapers.  However, the second part is dangerous.

Ms. Tinsley-Talibi should have looked for another option to put her name in the newspapers, but she didn't.  As a result, everyone in the Great Lakes State is that much worse off.

Not to be outdone in their first act of sillyness for the week, the Detroit City Council followed this up by voting to deny the transfer of a liquor license so that Larry Flynt could open a Hustler Club in a currently empty building in downtown Detroit.  They voted against the transfer after hearing an objection that was raised by Richard Mack, attorney for the Perfecting Church.

Mr. Mack argued that by opening a Hustler Club, downtown Detroit could see a decline in property values and an increase in crime.  Of couse, he failed to mention that Detroit already has two strip clubs in its downtown.  In spite of that, property values have been increasing steadily and Detroit is rated as one of the safest downtown in the nation.

I readily admit that a threat by the Hustler Club to file a lawsuit probably caused a couple of Council members to vote against the transfer, just to show that they weren't going to be intimidated.

I sincerely hope that the Detroit City Council gets its act together soon.

But I'm not going to hold my breath. 

Posted by fnemecek at 03:44 PM | Permalink

Detroit's Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick managed to broker a tentative deal between the Detroit Public Schools and Detroit Federation of Teachers early this morning.  This deal could have teachers back in their classrooms as early as Thursday after an all-night negotiating session that was held in his office.

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm (D, MI) was quick to issue a statement saying how glad she was that students were returning to school.

I am personally thrilled that Detroit teachers will be in their classrooms instead of on a picket-line.  However, I truly hope that Kilpatrick and Granholm will not end their involvement once the agreement is ratificed.  It is time, after all, for everyone to take the next step.

For years, the Detroit Public Schools have lagged behind the rest of Michigan in their test scores.  In some classrooms, more than 90% of students fail to meet the state's minimium standards for academic performance.

Now that the teacher contract is out of the way, it's time for all parties to come together and find a better way to teach our children. 

Posted by fnemecek at 01:19 PM | Permalink