Policy Topics

Community and Social Issues

Showing 61 - 90 of 759 results

In the Media

Michigan Clerk Faces Recall Election After 2020 Election Controversy

May 1, 2023 NBC News Meet the Press Now

Adams Township clerk Stephanie Scott is facing a recall election and investigation over accusations of mishandling election materials during the 2020 election. “What happened here in Adams Township Michigan could happen anywhere,” said NBC News...

MPPS in the news

Labor Voices: Public workers keep government services going

Apr 18, 2023 The Detroit News

When newly elected officials take office, people often take for granted that government services will continue to be provided seamlessly. That continuity is only possible because of the institutional knowledge and hard work of dedicated public...

MPPS in the news

Recycling gets positive reviews as green groups press for more action

Apr 14, 2023 Great Lakes Echo

Local government officials in the state generally feel positive about the benefits of recycling, according to a public policy survey report from the University of Michigan. But environmental organizations say that while local officials felt upbeat,...

In the Media

Is your local government reading what you post on social media? It's possible

Apr 9, 2023 Daily Telegram

Local politics are especially charged in 2023, given two years of pandemic-fueled infighting and changes in the way candidates run for office. Social media posts from frustrated residents abound. But what if those posts were targeted by data-mining...

MPPS in the news

Recycling gets positive reviews as green groups press for more action

Apr 3, 2023 Manistee News Advocate

LANSING – Local government officials in the state generally feel positive about the benefits of recycling, according to a public policy survey report from the University of Michigan. But environmental organizations say that while local officials...

MPPS in the news

Recycling gets positive reviews as green groups press for more action

Mar 31, 2023 Capital News Service

MPPS in the news

Local Leaders Largely Support Community-Wide Recycling

Mar 28, 2023 Gongwer News Service

Local leaders reported positive attitudes toward recycling, supporting the current services they have or expressing a desire to bring recycling services to their communities, a recent report from the Michigan Public Policy Survey...

In the Media

Flint, Michigan's finances stable but fragile as citizens get closer to state settlement payout

Mar 23, 2023 The Bond Buyer

Flint, Michigan's fiscal condition remains stable but fragile with some positive signs on the horizon as its citizens move closer to receiving compensation for the 2014 water contamination crisis, with a $600 million state-backed settlement clearing...

MPPS in the news

Local leaders report widespread support for community recycling programs

Mar 20, 2023 The University Record

A strong majority of Michigan local government leaders feel that good governance includes promoting environmental sustainability and “being green,” according to a survey of nearly 1,400 leaders across the...

MPPS in the news

How some Michigan communities are using ARPA dollars

Mar 16, 2023 Rural Innovation Exchange - Secondwavemedia.com

The lens that leaders of municipalities throughout Michigan are looking through is prompting them to take a “glass half full, glass half empty” approach depending on the amount of money they received through the American Rescue Plan...

MPPS in the news

Plan Now to Overcome Reflexive Opposition to Large-Scale Solar

Mar 6, 2023 American Planning Association

Community opposition to solar projects is becoming a common hurdle that renewable energy proponents must respect and address. It often stems from uncertainty, resulting in a tension in which perceptions of place and community character are pitted...

In the Media

Whitmer’s new budget proposal: What it means for Michigan residents

Feb 24, 2023 The Michigan Daily

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced her fifth executive budget recommendation for the 2024 fiscal year on Feb. 8, setting the record for the largest budget proposal in Michigan’s history at $79...

In the Media

Machine-readable disclosure has 'revolutionized' Flint's financial reports, CFO says

Jan 25, 2023 The Bond Buyer

For Flint, Michigan, new machine-readable disclosure standards which have sparked controversy across the muni market represent a "quantum leap" for the city's finances, its CFO said. "If you're asking me, it's about time that we modernize and...

In the Media

2022 in Hindsight

Jan 5, 2023 Hour Detroit

A year is a long time in politics and life. When Hour Detroit asked an esteemed panel of experts in November 2021 to offer predictions for 2022, there was an awful lot they couldn’t have imagined. Like, say, that half the field of Republican...

In the Media

This year’s ballot measures will change how many Americans vote

Dec 15, 2022 The Center for Public Integrity

In states across the country, voters weighed in on voting, impacting voter ID, early voting and who can vote in local...

MPPS in the news

Report highlights perspectives on democracy, fiscal health among Michigan administrators

Dec 14, 2022 American City and Country

Politically driven incidents over the last few years at all levels of government have fundamentally shaken public perception about the health of America’s democracy. Administrators have likewise been impacted. A new study from the University of...

In the Media

Indignation as Michigan judge drops Flint water charges against GOP ex-Gov Snyder

Dec 12, 2022 nationofchange.org

Environmental justice advocates on Friday condemned a move by a district judge in Michigan to drop two misdemeanor charges against former Republican Gov. Rick Snyder in connection with the 2014 Flint water crisis that killed dozens of residents of...

In the Media

Indignation as Michigan Judge Drops Flint Water Charges Against GOP Ex-Gov Snyder

Dec 10, 2022 CommonDreams.org

In the Media

Michigan Judge Drops Flint Water Charges Against Ex-Gov Snyder, Sparking Outrage

Dec 10, 2022 Truthout.org

In the Media

A retrospect on the new redistricting process for Michigan voters

Dec 7, 2022 The Michigan Daily

On Nov. 30th, the Ford School of Public Policy held an event to discuss Michigan’s new citizen-led redistricting process and its impacts on the midterm election, the first election since new lines were drawn in December 2021. The meeting was...

In the Media

Redistricting experts weigh in on results of first general election under new maps

Dec 1, 2022 Detroit Free Press

Results from the first general election held under new maps drawn by Michigan's independent redistricting commission seemed to demonstrate that the group achieved its aim of drawing fair maps while underscoring Black Detroiters' concerns that they...

MPPS in the news

Report: Local Gov't Officials Still Concerned About State Of Democracy

Nov 23, 2022 Gongwer News Service

The state of local democracy is not in jeopardy in the eyes of officials across Michigan, however there is still much concern for the stability of democracy at the state and federal levels according to a report from the University of Michigan's...

CLOSUP Updates

MPPS Report: Michigan local leaders’ concerns about U.S. democracy at state and federal levels ease somewhat, but remain grim

Nov 16, 2022

A new report presents local government leaders’ views regarding the functioning of democracy in their jurisdictions, the State of Michigan, and the United States as a whole. These findings are based on statewide surveys of local government leaders...

In the Media

Fact check: False claim Michigan's Proposal 2 would allow felons to vote from prison

Nov 7, 2022 USA Today

Voters around the country will be making decisions on an array of candidates and issues in the 2022 midterm election on Nov. 8. One viral Instagram post urges Michigan voters to vote against a ballot proposal that it characterized as a threat to...

In the Media

Meet the election deniers on the cusp of controlling U.S. elections

Oct 31, 2022 CBC

Let's try imagining what the next U.S. presidential election might look like. It's 2024. It's been a bitter, hard-fought campaign. Votes are being...

MPPS in the news

Whitmer, Dixon race nears finish line; GOP entering midterms with cash edge: Your guide to Michigan politics

Oct 30, 2022 Mlive.com

While you’d be excused for thinking that political news only happened at the state level this week, there was no shortage of other interesting political headlines. That includes Republican Sen. Ed McBroom giving an at-length speech on the dangers of...

MPPS in the news

Despite political tension, relationships with Michigan’s local officials remain civil, study finds

Oct 27, 2022 Mlive.com

A new study revealed that relationships amongst local government officials in Michigan, as well as between local officials and residents, have remained relatively stable despite polarizing politics at the state and national...

MPPS in the news

Despite political tension, relationships with Michigan’s local officials remain civil, study finds

Oct 27, 2022 AnnArbor.com

CLOSUP Updates

New MPPS Policy Brief: Local government officials give mixed reviews to Michigan’s new approach to redistricting

Oct 26, 2022

A new policy brief presents the opinions of Michigan local government leaders on Michigan’s new approach to electoral redistricting and the performance of the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC). These findings are based...

A blue map of Michigan layered over a blue neighborhood map

MPPS in the news

Mixed Reviews From Local Leaders For Redistricting Commission

Oct 26, 2022 Gongwer.com

Support among local leaders for the concept of an independent redistricting commission has waned over time, according to a study published by the University of Michigan's Center for Local State and Urban...