EM Ruling
Governor Snyder has asked the Michigan Supreme Court to rule on the legality of the new Emergency Manager law. “That would mean bypassing lower court proceedings, against the wishes of the law firm that filed the lawsuit opposing the EM law,” Laura Weber reports. “The revised law lets emergency managers strip power from locally elected leaders and scrap union contracts. A lawsuit filed in Ingham County claims the law is unconstitutional in part because it takes away citizens' rights to petition local government on certain matters,” the Associated Press explains. The Detroit News reports there was no immediate word from the Michigan Supreme Court on Snyder's request.
Pontiac Cuts
Pontiac residents could soon pay more for fewer services as the city tries to tackle a projected $12 million deficit. “Emergency manager Michael Stampfler's plan would add more than $6 million to Pontiac’s tax rolls. Stampfler is also calling for $9 million dollars in budget cuts – which could mean the layoffs of 10 deputy sheriffs and a reduction in fire services,” Rina Miller reports.
Durant In
Republican Clark Durant, a charter school executive in Detroit, has officially entered the race to unseat Democratic U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow in the 2012 election. A formal announcement is expected to come after Labor Day. Just last week, three state Republican leaders endorsed Durant even though, at that point, he had not entered the race. As of now, Durant faces other Republican candidates in the primary including former West Michigan U.S. Representative Pete Hoekstra. As I reported last week, Governor Snyder plans to endorse Hoekstra in the GOP primary.
