by Rob Smith In the March 13th issue of the New York Times there is an article about the severe economic problems that face Italy. That country, like Michigan, has been in one of the deepest recessions on record. Unemployment in Italy last measured at 9.2 percent in March 2012—just about the same as Michigan’s [...]
by P.D. Lesko Guess what you can get in Michigan for a $10,000 donation to Rick Snyder’s campaign? You can get $18,000,000 in state money to bail you out when your project crashes and burns just 10 months after it’s launched. You can also get a seat on the board of the economic development entity [...]
by P.D. Lesko Michigan has bled jobs, and the state’s residents have suffered Depression-era unemployment levels. The Detroit Free Press recently concluded in its report card evaluation of Governor Rick Snyder that Snyder’s first year in office has been all about “jobs and kids.” The Freep went on to give Mr. Snyder a rather inflated set [...]
by P.D. Lesko I read a Tweet from Ann Arbor SPARK on November 17th: “Paul Krutko, Ann Arbor SPARK’s CEO, speaking at the VC breakfast in San Jose, California. http://twitpic.com/7felds.” Krutko was the Chief Development Officer for the city of San Jose, California. He resigned from his job with two days notice after a breach of [...]
by P.D. Lesko Oddly enough, one of the five upcoming City Council elections—Ward 2—could have a major impact on Ann Arbor SPARK and CEO Paul Krutko’s fantasies of using money generated by Ann Arbor taxpayers on becoming a regional player. Some have posited that Ann Arbor Second Ward Council member Stephen Rapundalo (left) is in [...]
by P.D. Lesko Livingston County has a population of about 180,000, less than half the number of residents of Washtenaw County. However, Livingston County politicos have more than twice the smarts than have Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County politicos when it comes to spotting boondoggles that are a huge waste of taxpayers’ money. First it [...]
Legend has it that Helen of Troy had a face that launched a thousand ships. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, on the other hand, has a ”job creation” strategy that has launched a recall effort. It’s a strategy that has resulted in Snyder having approval ratings of just 30 percent, and a popularity problem that already [...]
According to a piece published today in The Detroit News, “A group that wants to recall Republican Gov. Rick Snyder says it will file its proposed petition wording with the state of Michigan this morning. Michigan Citizens United, which last month filed paperwork to form a political action committee, announced the development Sunday on its website, [...]
John Hieftje, to get his Fuller Road Parking Garage for the University of Michigan studied, designed, then hooked up to water and sewer, has already diverted millions from Ann Arbor’s General Fund and citizen services. It was the generosity of Hieftje and all of the Council members who have consistently voted in support of Hieftje’s Fuller Road Parking [...]
By appointing former Ann Arbor SPARK CEO Michael Finney to head the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), Republican Governor Rick Snyder has sent a clear message: he intends to reward friends with plum jobs and super-sized salaries. Michigan’s economic woes and public-sector employees be damned. Mr. Finney’s track record as the CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK [...]
