Currently in Michigan, nearly 50 percent of the state’s African-American population no longer has elected officials calling the shots in their cities or school districts.Emergency managers are championed as having the ability to make tough financial decisions quickly, as evidenced in Detroit, where emergency manager Kevyn Orr filed for bankruptcy in July. But when the fiscal crisis finally ends, how long should citizens wait for their democracy to be restored?In one city, it might take longer than residents ever expected.Twenty miles north of Detroit, the city of Pontiac spent four years under state control before its financial emergency was officially declared over on Aug. 13. But before Pontiac Emergency Manager Louis Schimmel retired, he created a new position called the “city administrator,” who wields all the financial powers of an EM.
via Pontiac Emergency Manager Order Postpones Democracy For City After Financial Crisis.
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