Category Archives: Accountability

Week 2 Truth Squad Roundup

By John Bebow | Published: June 17, 2010
Every day, the Michigan Truth Squad referees are combing through the claims made in political advertising in the run up to the August primary election. Our latest calls examine Rick Snyder’s claims of being the only businessman in the governor’s race and document a wide range of misrepresentations in a Michigan Republican Party “goodie bag” attacking [...]
Also posted in Fresh Thoughts | Comments closed

SPECIAL REPORT: Inside the fight over state employee pay

By The Center for Michigan | Published: March 18, 2010
By John Foren On one side are those who say state of Michigan employees are getting Cadillac salary and benefits in a junker of an economy and must cough up some of it. On the other are those who contend the workers are self-sacrificing public servants who have already made more concessions than the fat-cat legislators who [...]
Also posted in Fresh Thoughts, Government Collaboration | Comments closed

Keep those letters coming on budget and term limits reform!

By John Bebow | Published: March 18, 2010
Fresh thoughts readers sent nearly 100 letters to legislative leaders in response to our plea last week to help state representatives Bill Rogers and Tim Bledsoe gain hearings and support for their proposals to get no-budget, no pay and term limits reforms on the ballot later this year. Don’t stop there! Flood the capitol email boxes! It [...]
Also posted in Fresh Thoughts | Comments closed

Business Leaders' new benchmarks suggest Michigan is far from a return to prosperity

By John Bebow | Published: March 18, 2010
In May, the Center for Michigan will publish the 2010 Michigan Scorecard — a report card on nearly 30 quality of life measures. This week, Business Leaders for Michigan beat us to the punch — at least as it relates to economic measures — with their 2010 Economic Competitiveness Benchmarking Report. BLM’s key conclusions this year: Michigan’s economic [...]
Also posted in Fresh Thoughts | Comments closed

SPECIAL REPORT: If beaten by budget, state's 3 top leaders risk exiting office without legacy

By The Center for Michigan | Published: February 4, 2010
By Susan J. Demas Gov. Jennifer Granholm has framed the upcoming budget debate as requiring a “grand bargain” – a painful mix of government reforms and revenues. That’s the only way she believes the state can close an at least $1.7 billion budget gap for fiscal 2011. But there is a question hanging over budget negotiations: How can [...]
Also posted in Fresh Thoughts | Comments closed

The shared vision of Granholm and Bishop

By John Bebow | Published: February 4, 2010
Quote of the night from Governor Jennifer Granholm’s State of the State Address: “Let’s be candid. The budget process is broken – it’s a last-minute, crisis-driven disaster. We must do better… The pundits are already saying you won’t agree to a budget in this election year. For Michigan’s sake, prove them wrong. It can be done… [...]
Also posted in Fresh Thoughts, Government Collaboration | Comments closed

A big shout out to the Bipartisan Freshman Caucus

By John Bebow | Published: February 4, 2010
In the summer of 2008, Center for Michigan workers traveled the state to give Michigan House of Representatives candidates fresh polling data and reports indicating the public’s deep desire for bipartisan cooperation and problem solving in the state capitol. Some of those candidates took up the message and used it to help win their seats. Even more [...]
Also posted in Fresh Thoughts, Government Collaboration | Comments closed

GUEST COLUMN: A bipartisan approach to fiscal stability

By The Center for Michigan | Published: February 4, 2010
By Kevin Prokop and Jim Curran The State is about to begin its annual budgeting rite when the Governor presents her proposed budget. While the specifics are far from clear, we all expect more gloomy news. As Co-Chairmen of the Legislative Commission on Governmental Efficiency, which has spent the past 18 months examining the State’s structural issues, [...]
Also posted in Fresh Thoughts | Comments closed

Michigan's Next Governor should build a "purple coalition"

By John Bebow | Published: February 4, 2010
For the past several years, The Center for Michigan has worked to bring people together into coalitions to push for change. Long before we involved 10,000 people in statewide Community Converations, we launched the “Michigan’s Defining Moment Campaign” with the support of nearly 100 bipartisan statewide leaders. We’ve held a half-dozen big-picture issue conferences statewide in [...]
Also posted in Fresh Thoughts | Comments closed

Last chance to lead

By Phil Power | Published: January 21, 2010
Within the next few weeks, Michigan’s three top leaders: Speaker of House Andy Dillon, Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop and Governor Jennifer Granholm – have a last-chance opportunity to redeem their roles as leaders of this state. During their years in power, they have tolerated the fierce and rigid partisanship that has stymied our ability to [...]
Also posted in Fresh Thoughts | Comments closed