Michigan
This November Michigan voters may get a chance to put Michigan among the forefront of states in renewable energy usage, pending a petition that would put the initiative on the 2012 ballot. The proposed ballot initiative would require that 25% of Michigan’s energy utilities come from renewable energy sources by 2025, a significant increase from the 4% that currently comes from renewable energy. By putting the initiative directly on the November ballot, the Michigan Jobs & Energy Coalition (which filed the proposed language change) would supersede the Michigan Legislature and put the power directly in the hands of voters.
Yesterday’s Common Sense article from Paul Jacob touches on the Michigan recall controversy:
The state constitution of Michigan grants citizens the right to recall their elected officials, but that right may face a challenge from the state legislature:
A a letter from the Michigan ACLU reminded officials in Sagatuck this week that public streets are a public forum where restrictions on free speech are prohibited. The letter comes after two people collecting signatures to recall Gov. Rick Snyder were allegedly told they could not approach or speak to pedestrians on a public sidewalk:
To tell petitioners that they may not speak to pedestrians in Saugatuck is not only incorrect and unconstitutional, it sends a confusing message to residents about their rights.
The powers that be at the Genesee County Parks Department don’t seem to be familiar with the freedom of speech guaranteed under the First Amendment. Fortunately for Michiganders, the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is.
As with everyone, politicians and government officials like to get their way, and most of them don’t appreciate it when citizens take charge with popular initiative, referendum and recall petition campaigns. Michigan’s constitution recognizes the right of the people to exercise these forms of direct democracy, but that doesn’t prevent elected and appointed officials here from trying to restrict this right.
A group of Emmet County organizations and community leaders are gaining support for a public initiative to put the creation of an Emmet County public transit system on the ballot for 2011. Friends Enhancing Emmet Transit, an offshoot of Emmet 20/20 and the Charlevoix Emmet Human Services coordinating body transportation work group, submitted a petition with 1,290 signatures Tuesday afternoon to the Emmet County Board of Commissioners calling for the county to allow voters to decide whether they would financially support a bus system. Of the signatures, 1,152 signatures were from Emmet County residents.
Last week Citizens in Charge Foundation - a partner organization to Citizens in Charge - sent a letter to Secretaries of State and Attorneys General in 12 states asking them to stop enforcing unconstitutional restrictions on ballot initiative rights. In light of recent legal action in which Kansas officials agreed with petition advocates that the state’s law against petition circulators from other states was unconstitutional, Foundation President Paul Jacob asked officials to “do the right thing” and stop enforcing similar
A Marijuana initiative will likely be on Kalamazoo’s Ballot in November. It wouldn’t be the legalization of Marijuana, but a group has submitted petitions to ask voters to change the city Charter to make investigations of the use or possession of less than an ounce of marijuana the Public Safety Department’s “Lowest Priority”. It would still be a crime to drive under the influence, or smoke dope in public, or to deal or possess in larger amounts.
After an angry and contentious Detroit City Council meeting Tuesday, an advocacy group will make one more attempt next week to convince council members to put a question on the Nov. 3 ballot about whether the mayor should oversee Detroit Public Schools.
It looks like Benton Harbor won’t be getting a casino any time soon, as a statewide effort to get expanded gambling on the November ballot has failed. According to the Michigan Department of State, none of the groups that hoped to place a constitutional amendment or an initiative on the ballot were able to collect enough petition signatures before Monday’s deadline. That includes Michigan Is Yours, which had sought voter approval to open several new casinos.
The tiny Kent county village of Sand Lake may vote itself out of existence Aug. 3. The reason? Some residents say they pay too much in taxes. The Grand Rapids Press reports on the situation, calling it a “civil war” and noting that the battle has been brewing for months. Residents submitted 56 signatures for disincorporation in December. Of those, 53 were certified by Nelson Township Clerk Laura Hoffman.
Facing declining property tax revenues, the city of Mt. Clemens — located in Macomb County — is expected to approve a ballot measure Monday night to increase property taxes, the Macomb Daily reports. The city, like most in the state, has been socked hard by a stagnant economy, record high unemployment and crashing property values. As a result, Mt. Clemens is facing nearly $1 million in deficits this budget year. Adding to the financial crisis is a 24 percent increase in employee health care costs — $800,000 for current employees and $1.4 million for retirees.
In what may be an indication of the limited reach and political muscle of the nascent anti-government, anti-tax Tea Party movement, voters in three municipalities and at least two school districts in west Michigan approved various tax increase initiatives. The Grand Rapids Press reports that residents in Grand Rapids, Kentwood and Wyoming all voted to approve tax increases on themselves to support fire and police services. While voters in Holland’s school district and in the Kenowa Hills district approved millages to fund building and various expansions in those districts.
This week, a coalition made up of law enforcement, state lawmakers, and various anti-gambling groups launched a campaign to oppose a ballot initiative that would allow the creation of several new casinos in Michigan — including one in Benton Harbor. A group called Michigan Is Yours is behind the plan to open seven new casinos, and needs about 386-thousand signatures on its petitions to get the matter before voters in November. Benton Harbor Mayor Wilce Cooke is a supporter of the idea, and has said that the possibility of opening a casino locally would be at least worth studying.