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Stephanie Leiser

Lecturer in Public Policy
Stephanie Leiser is a lecturer at the Ford School and leads the Michigan Local Government Fiscal Health Project at the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP). Her general area of interest is in public finance, budgeting, and financial…
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MPPS in the news

Michigan residents more divided than ever on wind power

Jun 18, 2024 Iron County Reporter
When I was a young child, I saw my first wind turbine in the hills of Iowa when my family was driving from Michigan to Colorado. Many people consider them an eyesore, but I thought they looked absolutely wonderful. They were like giant pinwheels...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

Support for rooftop solar outpaces other energy infrastructure

Jun 4, 2024 Route Fifty
In November, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a landmark energy law that sets an ambitious goal for the state to generate 100% of its energy from renewable resources by 2040. With the law, Michigan joins its neighbors in Illinois and Minnesota,...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

Brann: Retain college graduates to boost economy

Jun 4, 2024 The Detroit News
Michigan’s colleges and universities are top-notch institutions that graduate some of the best and brightest students in our country. But as tens of thousands of young people in Michigan walked at graduation ceremonies this spring, too many of them...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

Rural Prosperity Summit 2024 Recap

May 23, 2024 MI Office of Rural Prosperity
Over 275 attendees representing 91 rural Michigan communities attended the first-ever Michigan Rural Prosperity Summit on May 20, 2024. The Summit, hosted by the Michigan Office of Rural Prosperity, featured 19 speakers and panelists over 10...
Ford School
In the Media

Early Public Comment Roundup Gives ICRC A Glimpse At Road Ahead

May 20, 2024 Gongwer
Members of the public have been providing public comments since the inception of the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission Track, but on Monday, commissioners got a peek at what those commenters were saying about the maps created between...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

Big Pinwheels in the Sky

May 20, 2024 Rural Insights
When I was a young child, I saw my first wind turbine in the hills of Iowa when my family was driving from Michigan to Colorado. Many people consider them an eyesore, but I thought they looked absolutely wonderful. They were like giant pinwheels...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

Survey: Local governments see EV charging as costly, lower-priority

May 7, 2024 Green Car Reports
More local governments across Michigan see EV charging as a relevant issue, but the number is still fairly low, according to a new University of Michigan survey, and those interested in EV charging see cost as a barrier. While the survey is...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

Survey: Local governments see EV charging as costly, lower-priority

May 7, 2024 Queen City News
More local governments across Michigan see EV charging as a relevant issue, but the number is still fairly low, according to a new University of Michigan survey, and those interested in EV charging see cost as a barrier. While the survey is...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

More local officials see relevance of electric vehicle planning

Apr 30, 2024 The University Record
Local officials across Michigan increasingly view electric vehicle infrastructure planning as relevant for their governments, though many cite too few public charging stations and costs associated with adding them as barriers to...
Ford School
In the Media

Report: Locals Fiscally Sound During COVID, Long-Term Unclear

Apr 12, 2024 Gongwer
Local governments generally found themselves fiscally sound during the coronavirus pandemic due to one-time infusions of federal aid, but long-term fiscal health is more varied and could be tough to navigate due to constraints on fiscal policy, a...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

STUDY: Rural communities struggle to access grant funding

Dec 28, 2023 Interlochen Public Radio
Researchers from the University of Michigan have noticed a significant gap between rural and urban communities when it comes to getting state or federal funding. The latest Michigan Public Policy Survey asked local governments what they...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

Local relations with state government decline over time

Dec 22, 2023 Michigan Association of Counties Magazine
Public service delivery is a process that often depends on multiple levels of government, especially among the state and its local governments. As threats to American democracy have increased, working relationships across levels of government in our...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

LOCAL LEADERS DECLINING FAITH IN MICHIGAN STATE GOVERNMENT

Dec 5, 2023 Barrett & Greene Management Update
Typically, people use the phrase “state and local government,” as though they are two entirely separate sets of entities. But unless the states and their cities, counties and towns work together smoothly, impediments to progress abound. Some...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

Home Builders V.P.: Michigan’s in a ‘housing crisis’

Nov 22, 2023 The Livingston Post
Dawn Crandall of the Home Builders Association of Michigan describes the state’s housing crisis as ongoing, with supply being limited, demand remaining really high and individuals seeking workforce housing getting “bumped even further down the...
Ford School
In the Media

Ford School hosts talk on uplifting rural communities

Nov 16, 2023 The Michigan Daily
About 60 University of Michigan students and Ann Arbor community members gathered in Weill Hall Wednesday evening to listen to a conversation about rural communities and sustainability in the United States. Hosted by the Center for Local, State, and...
Ford School
MPPS in the news

Survey finds many Michigan communities struggling with housing shortage

Oct 21, 2023 The County Press
A recent survey by the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy at the University of Michigan found officials in many of the state’s communities feel they lack affordable housing. The Michigan Public Policy survey found 27% of respondents said they...
Ford School