Print

Yes

7 (63.6%)

No

4 (36.4%)

Total Members Voted: 11

Voting closed: November 02, 2012, 03:33:18 AM

[lilly]

A referendum on public act 4 of 2011- The Emergency Manager Law

Public Act 4 of 2011 would:

- Establish criteria to assess the financial conditions of local government, including school districts.

- Authorize the Governor to appoint an emergency Manager (EM) upon the state finding of a financial emergency, and allow the EM to act in place of local government officials.

- Require EM to develop financial and operating plans, which may include modification or termination of contracts, reorganization of government, and determination of expenditures, services, and use of assets until the emergency is resolved.

- Alternatively, authorize state-appointed review team to enter into a local government approved consent decree.


People voting yes say:

- A "Yes" vote upholds public act 4, the local government and school district fiscal accountability act. The law allows the state to intervene in schools and local governments who are experiencing financial difficulty in order to attempt to avoid bankruptcy.

- Repealing the law puts the local elected officials back in charge who may repeat the same mistakes, putting Michigan taxpayers on the hook for the debt these officials pile up

- Repeal would throw several Michigan cities and schools into financial chaos, threatening critical services because of a political decision.


People voting "No" say:

- A "No" vote repeals public act 4. This law undercuts local control by replacing democratically elected representatives with an unelected manager overseen by the state, even if the financial difficulty resulted from causes beyond the control of local officials.

- The law allows emergency managers to break and/or renegotiate contracts, including contracts with employees and private businesses, and to suspend collective bargaining.

- This law gives extensive power to an appointed emergency manager, with few checks and balances on his or her actions and behavior.

[marilyn.monroe]

"No"

[Monroe Native]

No.

It has worked.

There are checks and balances. 

We elect the governor, they appoint the emergency managers.

It is not unlike the power that a bankruptcy judge has.

At some point you need to do something different to fix problems in cities and schools that can't fix themselves.

[jbs49238]

I will be voting "YES".

When a smaller unit of government has PROVEN IT CANNOT HANDLE ITSELF FINANCIALLY the State needs to step in and make every effort to right the ship.  If a city refuses to take care of its citizens properly, the state surely has every right to do so.  Detroit residents ARE MICHIGAN residents too.

I remember the intent was for the States to be soverign.  I don't think cities and school districts are afforded the same guarantee.

[The Fuzz]

I have been leaning towards Yes on this since the debate started. 

[Professor H]

Yes - this one is a no brainer.

They want the job
They want the responsibility
Then let them do it without State Bailouts, or if the bailouts come they come with an EM

It's a process to protect the citizens from incompetent elected officials

[jbs49238]

Prof,

That is what it boils down to for me on this one.  If the City of Detroit were screwin the pooch with only money raised through taxation within the city I would say no, but Detroit has been squandering money from Lansing for years.  That is money that YOU AND I and everyone else who isn't a resident of Detroit have paid in.

If Detroit wants State money, then the State gets to carry the big stick.  And I bet Biden can assure you, just as Obama's, it is a big one.

Joe Biden Promises: "The President Has a Big Stick!"

[ell]

Unfortunately, I see it as a necessary evil.  I will most likely be voting yes unless I see a compelling reason not to do so.

[ducksoup]

I find it interesting that those that are so vociferous complaining that the auto bailout should have not happened and they should have gone bankrupt instead are proponents of the same thing… government doing it instead of bankruptcy.

Yeah, I can hear it now, “but they are private companies and cities are public…” They are different in that one stepped in to guarantee loans that they couldn’t get from banks and cutting funding and eliminating elected officials.

Either way, seems like you have to be for both or against both and not just the one your party pushes so you can be a partisan hack.

[lilly]

LOL....It's a referendum to BLOCK public act 4....my vote will be yes as well...watch all the edits now. 

http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Michigan_Emergency_Manager_Referendum,_Proposal_1_%282012%29

As I stated, I am just copying the information that I received in a flyer from a Republican candidate, and that it was stated that the language of each proposal was approved by the state board of canvassers. I am not attempting to confuse voters, only to give the information that was presented to me.

[lilly]

LOL....It's a referendum to BLOCK public act 4....my vote will be yes as well...watch all the edits now. 

http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Michigan_Emergency_Manager_Referendum,_Proposal_1_%282012%29

You might be the one doing the editing.

From your link:

The official ballot text reads as follows:[3]

   

PROPOSAL 12-1
    A REFERENDUM ON PUBLIC ACT 4 OF 2011 – THE EMERGENCY MANAGER LAW

    Public Act 4 of 2011 would:

        Establish criteria to assess the financial condition of local government units, including school districts.

        Authorize Governor to appoint an emergency manager (EM) upon state finding of a financial emergency, and allow the EM to act in place of local government officials.

        Require EM to develop financial and operating plans, which may include modification or termination of contracts, reorganization of government, and determination of expenditures, services, and use of assets until the emergency is resolved.

        Alternatively, authorize state-appointed review team to enter into a local government approved consent decree.

    Should this law be approved?
    YES __
    NO ____

Voting "Yes" means exactly the opposite of what you think it does.

[eriemermaid]

sheesh, now I don't know, does yes mean no and no mean yes?
 

[lilly]

But, hey, if you could provide the links to proposal's 5 and 6 that would be great, and save me a lot of typing. I will add in the people voting Yes and No portions.

[Frenchfry]

A bit confusing considering this:

Editor's note: This article is NOT about Public Act 4. This article pertains to the veto referendum that aims to block Public Act 4.
http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Michigan_Emergency_Manager_Referendum,_Proposal_1_%282012%29


Michigan Emergency Manager Referendum, also known as Public Act 4 of 2011, Local Government and School District Fiscal Accountability Act, is on the November 6, 2012 statewide ballot in Michigan as a veto referendum.


 Opposition to Public Act 4

Stand Up for Democracy Campaign is a coalition that sought to place the referendum on the ballot.

Michigan Forward also supported placing PA 4 on the ballot. According to their website:

    Public Act 4 of 2011, "The Local Government and School District Fiscal Accountability Act" has created elite bureaucrats with absolute power by expanding the role and power of Michigan’s emergency financial managers. This legislation supersedes the previous emergency financial manager policy and court decisions that provide accountability and support democracy. Many municipalities and school districts in Michigan’s urban areas are threatened by the extremes this policy takes in the sign of financial distress.

    On September 12, 2011 the Flint City Council passed a resolution in support of placing the proposed referendum. The resolution, according to reports, does not explicitly take a position on the issue but several city council members spoke out against the state law. Councilman Scott Kincaid said, "None of us like it, including myself. What we really need to do now is support the referendum."[9]

    Rep. Woodrow Stanley argues that any attempt to create a temporary emergency manager law would undermine the will of the people and infringe on the democratic process of voters electing their government leaders.[2]
http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Michigan_Emergency_Manager_Referendum,_Proposal_1_%282012%29

[lilly]

A bit confusing considering this:

The confusion should be cleared up by reading the actual ballot proposal as it is written. The ballot question is whether or not Public act 4 of 2011 should be law.

Voting Yes means you believe it should be law,
Voting No means you believe it should NOT be law