The Macomb Daily was hoping to organize a debate on the upcoming Macomb Intermediate School District millage hike proposal — pros and cons, two people speaking on camera – fairly simple, right? Well, no. Not in this age of political warfare.
The idea was to create a 30-minute debate, live-streamed on our website and recorded for video viewing on our site through Election Day.
We quickly secured anti-tax activist Leon Drolet of Macomb Township to serve as the anti-millage participant. Drolet joked that he’s used to being “the anti guy.”
We hoped to arrange for the mom of a special education kid to serve as the pro-millage spokesperson, with the intent being that she could speak from the heart.
But the MISD turned this straightforward request into an ordeal.
Cass Franks, their PR consultant, wanted to know whether the format would protect the mom from being roughed up by the outspoken Drolet. What could we do, he asked, to restrict Drolet’s tone? We tried to keep it simple but the intermediate school district was clearly skittish.
The district wondered whether a special ed mom might not be a good choice because she couldn’t possibly know all the stats and figures that went into the creation of the proposed 1.2-mill hike.
After several days went by Drolet, founder of the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance, became the stumbling block. Franks informed us that no MISD parents were willing to go head-to-head with a “professional fear monger.”
OK. At that point, we simply asked that they supply someone, anyone of their choosing, to participate in our little debate. Several more days passed.
This morning, the MISD called. They informed us that they decided to take a pass.
Voters – do with this information what you will.
Chad we appreciate the attempt here. Clearly MISD has gone out of their way to keep this 40% tax increase secret from taxpayers. They certainly didn't want the visibility a debate would bring so they chickened out. But why not debate with an MISD official? We know this tax increase will not go to the special needs kids but to maintain the $120,000 salaries for the hundreds of directors in MISD. Chad we hope you'll arrange another debate and treat us to a couple columns on this never ending government greed.
Leon Drolet is an intimidating person with an agenda and to subject a mom to his vitriol is unfair.
My agenda is simple: hold government accountable for how it spends tax dollars.
I understand that many in the government class consider any hint of opposition to this 40.7% MISD property tax hike to be "vitriolic".
Please send any MISD bureaucrat/administrator to this forum. I'm happy to civilly point out why it is the Macomb Public Schools, through their disregard for salary and benefit restraint, that is stealing from families with special needs children.
-Leon Drolet
I have an autistc son in the center line school district
My family will be voting NO to the tax hike.
Geina Deake
Geina, you must know something. Your student should stay funded first.
What a great idea Chad. The MISD has "cancelled" what would have normally been their monthly meeting(they meet 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month BTW )that would have been on this Wednesday. They won't have another one until November 9th. Too late for discussion by then. What a scheme to leave off how many years this will indebt the taxpayers-20 YEARS! Time to cut costs MISD and 21 other districts. Our kids already have outdated beat up books and crappy copies sent home because there"aren't enough books" And so, let us revive the olive story .It’s impossible to talk about cutting costs without mentioning Bob Crandall,firebrand former chief of American Airlines. . firebrand former chief of American Airlines. Most notorious among Crandall’s legendary cost-cutting was his idea to remove an olive from each salad served to passengers. A 1000 small things that each save 40K k a year end up saving $40 million and that's hardly small change yet are quite possible to achieve for a company the size of American Airlines.A tiny garnish would never be missed, the reasoning went, and savings amounted to at least $40,000 a year. This might also include reusing paperclips (for example). The waste in all of these districts is incredible, no doubt but 1000 small things that each save $40 a year end up saving in the end and that's hardly small change yet are quite possible to achieve for a school district or MISD. UNTIL THEY START BY REMOVING OLIVES OR CAPPING SALARIES -VOTE NO. We like Leon and they are just scared to debate, shown by cancelling their public regular meeting.
Leon Drolet vs. Chris Layson!
-Brian Fairbrother
How many of you have had a 41% increase in your salary?
How many of you have had a 41% increase in your retirement portfolio?
Voters are NOT voting to cut MISD services with a tax reduction.
Everyone should acknowledge that regardless of the vote on November 8th, the current property tax monies collected by the MISD will remain in effect.
If you have a special needs child the MISD will not lose their Millage rate. But the facts are that the MISD did not initiate this ballot issue. It was only after the 21 Macomb County Superintendents pushed it off onto the MISD, that this 41 percent increast became a line item on the Nov. 8th ballot.
Voters ARE casting ballots for a 20 year millage increase, however neither the MISD, nor the 21 Macomb County Superintendents who hatched this scheme, have any idea what property values and taxes will be in 5 years. The 21 superintendents merely want to stop the short term draw from their general funds, which in some Macomb County districts are flush with ‘rainy day taxpayer’s cash’.
A 41% tax increase for the school districts…when the Mackinac Center for Public Policy has noted in the Macomb Daily that “The average teacher in the 21 school districts made approximately $75,900 in salary alone in 2010.” WOW–Really!!! I have college educated friends and relatives that don’t make anywhere close to that amount. Several have seen their salaries frozen for the past four years. Yet there are school districts in Macomb County have still are allowing teacher step increases.
It is not about the kids. The MISD did not initiate this millage vote, the local school districts looked at this vote as their best “Heart-string” promotion to get into the taxpayer’s pockets for more dollars that will be split with the MISD..
This millage should be defeated soundly to send a message from the Taxpayers of Macomb County that we have felt the economic pain, and are not happy with the free spending school districts who squander our tax dollars, then come back and want… “More please”!