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SaveMICity - John Philo, lead counsel on Headlee lawsuit - Episode 16

Host:
Tony Minghine, Deputy Executive Director & COO, Michigan Municipal League

Guest:
John Philo, Executive and Legal Director, Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice; Lead Counsel, Headlee lawsuit

In 2016, Taxpayers for Michigan Constitutional Government filed suit against the State of Michigan for violating the Michigan Constitution by not applying the Headlee amendment appropriately, leaving local governments struggling for revenue. John Philo, lead counsel on the Headlee lawsuit, discusses the case as it winds its way through the courts.

Michigan Politics, Huh? - Crystal Proxmire, Oakland County Times Editor/Publisher - Episode 20

Host:
Matt Bach, Director of Communications, Michigan Municipal League

Guest:
Crystal Proxmire, Publisher/Editor, Oakland County Times

Matt Bach sits down with fellow-journalist Crystal Proxmire, publisher/editor of the Oakland County Times, which she founded in 2009. Her mission is to cover local community and government issues which impact the cities, villages, and townships of Oakland County. Many of the issues covered in the Oakland County Times are the same ones the League focuses on for our member communities, i.e. voting laws, medical and recreational marijuana, real estate development, and non-discrimination ordinances. Proximire strives to be a resource for Oakland County residents when issues hit their community. For more information on the Oakland County Times, visit http://oaklandcounty115.com/. 

Economics of Place - Community Investment - Episode 11

Host:
Dan Gilmartin, CEO and Executive Director, Michigan Municipal League

Guest:
Melissa Milton-Pung, Program Manager, Policy Research Labs, Michigan Municipal League

League CEO Dan Gilmartin sits down with Program Manager Melissa Milton-Pung to highlight community investment vehicles available to small investors who want to make a difference in their community. Many people are familiar with donation-based crowdfunding, such as the Public Spaces, Community Places program where the Michigan Economic Development Corporation matches donations raised by the community for a public quality of life project. To date, over 200 projects have successfully raised funds through this program. Another vehicle is investment crowdfunding, wherein investors get a return on their investment, possibly with interest. Detroit City Football Club and the Tecumseh Brewing Company are two organizations that have benefited from investment crowdfunding. For more information on both types of community investment, visit http://www.crowdfundingmi.com/

SaveMICity - Debra Horner on U-M annual public policy survey - Episode 15

Host:
Tony Minghine, Deputy Executive Director & COO, Michigan Municipal League

Guest:
Debra Horner, Project Manager, University of Michigan Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP)

On this episode, the League's Tony Minghine talks with U-M's Debra Horner, who heads up the annual public policy survey conducted by the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP). For the past 10 years, CLOSUP has been surveying Michigan's cities, villages, townships, and counties on a variety of topics, including fiscal health, poverty, energy, opioids, and - most recently - relationships on their councils and boards. Based on the survey results, they compile a variety of reports to help municipalities in their policy-making decisions. The data is also available online at http://closup.umich.edu/

Limelight - Matt Resch, Successful ballot proposals - Episode 9

Host:
Emily Kieliszewski, Membership Engagement Specialist, Michigan Municipal League

Guest:
Matt Resch, Founder, Resch Strategies

In August 2018, Michigan saw overwhelming success with hundreds of proposals on local ballots. Of the 847 local proposals Michigan residents voted on, 808 - or 89% - were approved. Michigan residents stepped up to invest in local services. But what makes – or breaks – a local ballot proposal? As more communities explore revenue-generating options, a successful proposal requires significant groundwork, including smart messaging and voter engagement. On this episode of Limelight, Matt Resch, founder of Resch Strategies - a communications, public relations, and issue management firm - shares his on-the-ground expertise. 

Michigan Politics, Huh? - Andrew Brisbo, Exec Dir of Marijuana Regulatory Agency - Episode 19

Host:
Matt Bach, Director of Communications, Michigan Municipal League

Guests:
Andrew Brisbo, Executive Director, Marijuana Regulatory Agency
Christopher Johnson, General Counsel, Michigan Municipal League
Jennifer Rigterink, Legislative Associate, Michigan Municipal League

Michigan recently released the emergency rules for adult use/recreational marijuana. In this episode, we talk with Andrew Brisbo, head of the state's Marijuana Regulatory Agency, about some of the specifics and the fast-approaching deadline for communities to opt in or out of permitting recreational marijuana establishments.

SaveMICity - Tony Minghine interview on Craig Fahle Show - Episode 14

Host: 
Craig Fahle

Guest:
Tony Minghine, Deputy Executive Director & COO, Michigan Municipal League

The League's Tony Minghine appeared on The Craig Fahle Show on Deadline Detroit to discuss municipal finance, our SaveMICity initiative, and our advocacy for major changes in how Michigan funds cities, villages, and townships. Listen to this great interview!

SaveMICity - Monica Galloway, Flint councilmember - Episode 12

Host: Anthony Minghine, Deputy Executive Director & COO, Michigan Municipal League

Guest: Monica Galloway, Councilmember, Flint

Tony talks with Flint Councilmember Monica Galloway about the impact that lost revenue sharing has had on her city's finances. As she became more aware of the seriousness and complexity of the municipal finance issue, she decided to join the first group of local government officials to become trained as SaveMiCity Ambassadors. The ambassador program provides local officials with the knowledge and presentation skills they need to educate lawmakers and the public on our state's broken municipal finance system. Learn more on our SaveMICity website.

Michigan Politics, Huh? - Former State Rep. Rob VerHeulen - Episode 18

Host:
Matt Bach, Director of Communications, Michigan Municipal League

Guest:
Former State Rep. Rob VerHeulen (R-Walker)

At the Michigan Municipal League's 2019 Capital Conference, former State Rep. Rob VerHeulen was honored with one of the League's 2019 Legislative Awards of Merit. In the State House, VerHeulen was a tireless advocate of local government through his role helping shape the General Government budget, personal property tax legislation, work on local court funding concerns, and the costs associated with the new Indigent Defense Commission standards. In this episode, VerHeulen talks about what it means to him to be honored by the League for his legislative service.

Limelight - Award winners Paula Zelenko & Mark Vanderpool - Episode 8

Hosts:
Emily Kieliszewski, Membership Engagement Specialist, Michigan Municipal League
Matt Bach, Director of Communications, Michigan Municipal League

Guests:
Paula Zelenko, Mayor, Burton
Mark Vanderpool, City Manager, Sterling Heights

On this episode of Limelight, we sit down with two of our award winners at the League's 2019 Capital Conference. Paula Zelenko was honored with the Michael A. Guido Leadership and Public Service Award. And Mark Vanderpool was honored with the Jim Sinclair Exceptional Service Award. Learn more about the accomplishments of these two municipal leaders that earned them these distinguished awards.