Bridge Michigan

Rural Michigan are in crisis: Too many governments that too few want to lead. Rural townships and villages face increasing trouble finding residents to run for local offices, as growing workload and increased public vitriol are making public service ...

After a year of studying Michigan’s K-12 education system — reviewing the academic literature, analyzing data, interviewing and surveying stakeholders, and examining state practices nationwide — one thing is clear: The current system of state-level e...

Over half of Michigan local officials currently rate their jurisdiction’s overall relationship with the State government as just fair or even poor, while 34% of local officials say it is either good or excellent. It is an important relationship becau...

John Chamberlin, Ford School professor emeritus of public policy and political science, says a recent controversy in Lansing calls out the need for increased transparency when it comes to lawmakers. A Michigan state representative is proposing a law ...

“The idea is to build districts that work for the citizens, and actually works for the representative,” Chamberlain said, adding that if a representative has a coherent district, it’s easier for them and their staff to actually serve their constituen...

As the state of Michigan could receive as much as $10 billion from the Biden administration stimulus package, officials are planning how to allocate the resources in the best way. “It’s hard to exaggerate how big of a deal it is,” Brideg Michigan quo...

In a Bridge Michigan op-ed, Leiser and Ivacko call for COVID relief to foster greater cooperation, trust in government built at the local level.  "Across the country, nearly three quarters of U.S. adults say they have a "great deal" or a "fair amou...

Commenting on the announcement that census data will be delivered up to six months late, Ivacko told Bridge Michigan, “The commission’s plate is already extra full because this is their first time. They’re building the plane as they're flying it, and...

Speaking about a recent racial incident in the Leelanau Peninsula to  Bridge Michigan, Tom Ivacko said that the growth of Traverse City and the area’s influx of vacationers and retirees are shifting local politics. “If this pandemic pushes that even ...