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By Tom Watkins Maintaining Michigan’s gov-
ernment structure as though nothing has changed, when ev- erything has changed, is pure insanity — or pure Michigan.
Too much of our limited
tax resources are invested in propping up the past rather than investing in our future.
We are witnessing the be-
ginnings of success for GM, Ford, Chrysler and other cor- porations after they accepted their new reality, restructured and reorganized for the unpre- dictable global economy. Have we seen the same degree of change in government?
The government structures
evolved as Michigan ballooned in population and economic prosperity.
That balloon deflated long
ago, yet we continue to blow life into a government bureau- cracy that sucks the life out of our ability to grow and pros- per.
It is past time for Michigan
to consider radical change and begin acting to reorganize school districts, the state and local units of government.
This involves streamlining,
sharing services/resources and consolidating school dis- tricts and local government units to help redirect limited public resources and promote the region and state for eco- nomic development and job creation. Consolidation and shared service arrangements help increase efficiencies by eliminating redundant func- tions.
Michigan is not lacking for
local units of government. The state is divided into 83 coun- ties, 1,240 townships, 274 cities and 259 villages. We also have 551 school districts, 57 intermediate school dis- tricts and 240 public school academies or charter schools — considered school districts under Michigan law.
There is no interest from
the general public in invest- ing additional tax resources to maintain the government structures we created for a dif- ferent era.
Michigan ranks 13th among
the 50 states in terms of the number of local governments under a system of government that was created in the 19th
Tom Watkins
and 20th centuries and even as we enter the second decade of the 21st century.
The people of Michigan
need to ask tough questions about the most effective size and shape of government that will save and redirect taxpay- er money to more productive purposes.
What is the best govern-
ment structure that will enable us to position Michigan to not simply survive but thrive in the hyper-competitive, disrup- tive, global, knowledge econo- my where ideas and jobs move around the world effortlessly?
According to the laws of
history, the new will not come until the old has gone. Yet too many of our elected leaders at the local and state level are clinging to the past.
We must get a handle on the
cost of operating government bureaucracy — everything from the number of units and size to the pension and health care benefits that have been promised yet in many cases are underfunded and unsus- tainable.
These issues, along with the
declining economy and falling tax collections, threaten the potential for multiple munici- pal and school districts’ defi- cit spending and bankruptcy.
We created government to
serve the people — not the other way around. Today, the people of Michigan are paying for far more government than we need, are receiving and can afford — an anchor that is hampering economic growth
THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
Michigan is broke: Is there a leader in the House, Senate or Governor’s Office?
for our state. Just think, if we just discov-
ered this place called Michi- gan with 10 million people and a rich history and resources — would any sane, rational group of people structure this government that exists today? If not, the answer (other than from those who are benefiting from the existing system) is obvious: we need to move ag- gressively to undo the old and begin building anew.
How about creating new re-
gional, educational/innovation entrepreneurial clusters that encapsulate our manufactur- ing, agricultural and human capital to make Michigan a hub for global export growth?
Our existing patchwork of
fragmented, uncoordinated competing local governments is unlikely to produce what we need.
Change is avoided until
it can be avoided no longer. Today, we have reached this point in Michigan.
The challenge and contro-
versy to effect change will be immense.
The father of power poli-
tics, Niccolo Machiavelli, cap- tured the essence of the battle to unseat the status quo when he wrote in 1532, “There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to con- duct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.”
But “a new order of things”
is exactly what this state needs. The only question that remains is whether leader- ship will emerge in the public, civic, foundation, political and or business community to push for sensible and rational change.
Come November, we will see
if our new governor will rise to the occasion or continue to let the state sink.
The status quo is insanity. Let’s not let the status quo
rule our collective future. That would be crazy!
Tom Watkins is a business
and educational consultant in the U.S. and China and former Michigan state super- intendent of schools. E-mail him at
tdwatkins@aol.com.
August 18-24, 2010 B.R.I.D.G.E.S.
Providing resources and solutions to Detroit’s youth and young adults
In early June, the Detroit Branch NAACP
pulled together members of the law enforce- ment, civic, business, philanthropic and faith- based communities to meet with citizen who all wanted to build bridges and help push De- troit forward. Out of this initial meeting that took place at Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School, the Building Resources In De- troit, Giving Expanded Service (B.R.I.D.G.E.S) initiative was born. This community discus- sion served as the catalyst to develop solutions right now for the community, policing and youth violence prevention for young people be- tween the ages of 14 and 24.
“The B.R.I.D.G.E.S. program was conceived
from needs expressed by the community,” said Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony, president, Detroit Branch NAACP. “Once those needs were ex- pressed, the Detroit Branch and the various partners and collaborators who participated in the discussion went to work on how to help our young people be a priority in this city. If we want the city to grow and flourish, we must provide opportunity and outlets for them all year round. When we foster this activity it is done in hopes that they will do the same for those who come after them.”
Since that initial meeting the B.R.I.D.G.E.S
program has begun. A collaboration was formed with Detroit Public Schools (DPS) to keep six high schools open Monday through Friday from 3 to 8 p.m. To participate in the programming young people must either be a Detroit resident or a DPS student. The six schools have pro- gramming that includes open gym time, dance workshops, job training provided by Detroit Workforce Development Department (DWDD), conflict resolution training given by Flip the Script and a police interaction workshop led by the Michigan State Police. The extension of the school hours and the workshops were all done as donations to the B.R.I.D.G.E.S initiative. The open gym, dance, job training and violence prevention workshops are free. The program- ming concludes on Friday, Aug. 27, 2010.
The funds that were donated to the
B.R.I.D.G.E.S initiative have allowed for 18 young people to be hired and serve as the am- bassadors of the program at the six schools. These young people help to facilitate the open gym and workshops being provided at the vari- ous schools. The six participating schools are:
• Cody College Preparatory Upper School of Teaching and Learning 18445 Cathedral Street Detroit, 48228
• Kettering High School 6101 Van Dyke Ave. Detroit, 48213
• Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School 3200 E. Lafayette Street Detroit, 48207
• Mumford High School 17525 Wyoming Ave. Detroit, 48221
• Pershing High School 18875 Ryan Rd. Detroit, 48234
• Southwestern High School 6921 W. Fort Street Detroit, 48209
In addition to the extended day program-
ming at the six DPS high schools, DTE Foun- dation has donated $100,000 to provide paid training for over 40 young people on weatheriz- ing homes. This training gives young people an employable skill set in an expanding market
The B.R.I.D.G.E.S program has received gen-
erous donations and support form the com- munity. To date the faith-based honor roll has contributed $3,700.
• Fellowship Chapel, Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony, $2,000
• Corinthian Baptist Church, Pastor Joseph Jordan, $1,500
• Central United Methodist Church, Rev. Edwin Rowe, $200
Contributions from the following businesses,
non-profits and law enforcement agencies total $44,400:
• Atty Nabih Ayad, $10,000 • Arab Chamber of Commerce, $10,000 • First Independence Bank, $10,000 • Black Family Development, $5,000
• Michigan State Police/FBI, Violence Crimes Taskforce, $5,000 • Goodwill Industries, $1,400 • Sync Technologies, $1,500 • Wayne County Sheriffs Department, $1,500 Donations to B.R.I.D.G.E.S should be sent
to:
City Connect c/o B.R.I.D.G.E.S 8220 Second Avenue
Detroit, MI 48202 For more information regarding B.R.I.D.G.E.S
please call (313) 664-2403. The Detroit Branch NAACP is the organiza-
tion’s largest branch. It holds monthly meet- ings that are free and open to the public.
For more information please call (313) 871- 2087 or visit
www.detroitnaacp.org.
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