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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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"Councilman Horrigan wanted to know the projected total of investments when this redevelopment is completed." Herman indicated close to $200 million was completed and the final will be the $230 million.
It will take approximately (eight) 8 minutes to walk from the Cultural enter to downtown and that is very important,said Herman.
In response to a question from Horrigan regarding the obstacles presented by I-475, Herman indicated Sasaki was addressing that issue. According to Herman, "the neighborhood has to be linked to downtown by more pedestrian friendly overpasses or park-like atmosphere, possibly, taking the Kearsley Street bridge and condensing it to a couple of lanes making a green space". Horrigan referenced Detroit crating specific overpasses made into parks. "Councilman Coleman wanted to know if that was the only area they were gong to worry about: I-475." He received no response.
When City Clerk Inez Brown asked Herman to address the issue of University Park, Herman indicated they had only a certain amount of money and that area was in the process of being looked at.
Councilman Murphy inquired about the grade along the Flint River and were there any plans regarding that issue. Herman said a solution would require the Army Corps of Engineers. Sasaki addressed the issue of "depths"be addressed, said Herman,and also adress issues regarding flood control and the artificial canals. |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 1:20 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Herman told council how he wanted to address the district components, although he had already addressed most.
"Uptown is concentrating on the area between Court Street and kearsley Street and are in the process (along with the DDA and the Downtown Small Business Association) of renovating facades in the downtown area. The Ruth Mott Foundation provided a $1 million dollar grant to a facade committee that is made up of several organizations downtown. Apparently, there has been 27 grants given out for a total of $450,000 for the facades. It is a "one for one" grant meaning there is a total of $900,000 being spent in the downtown ara on facades."
According to Herman, some buildings may have to be tore down because they are past their useful life. Uptown is looking at the first couple blocks of Saginaw for the development of up to 50 to 60 lofts.
Development was described by Herman as "conceptuals" and he described the first as the Republic Bank building which was to have 19 lofts. He described private funding from the Automotive Heritage Foundation for the arches with the footings being part of the streetscape and has been bid out.
Herman discussed attempts to get developers to create lofts |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 2:48 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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A survey indicated potential renters of the lofts feared the crime in the area. Herman said he believed the perception of crime was out of proportion and downtown was safe.
Councilman Schlinker requested information on the parking downtown. Sasaki did not address those issues because another study by Rich and Associates was being funded by the EDA (Economic Development Authority?) Some of the information from the study has been incorporated into Uptown. When asked if two way streets would affect street parking, Herman remarked they hope everyone would park on the street causing congestion as they believed it would be good for downtown.
Coleman said, while downtown may need something in downtown,in the past some decided Flint needed Autoworld and it was a failure. He wanted to know how these proposals were different. "There has been no change in the neighborhoods, there aren't that many businesses in the City of Flint and he would like to know how changing the downtown area is going to help the City of Flint at this time when the neighborhoods are in a state of dilapidation.", asked Coleman.
Coleman also demanded to know what was this Master Plan Herman kept referring to as he was unaware of a new Master plan for the City.
Herman explained this was only a master plan for downtown.
"If the Council is going out for a a total master plan for the City, they might be able to incorporate this part of the city and this planning into the total master plan. In talking about what is different now from 15 years ago: fifteen or thirty years ago, it had always been the "big bang theory'- you bring the big "bang" into town and everyone will come. They (Uptown) are going to build success in downtown, on building at a time;they are going to bring people in nd get people living downtown; again, be a place people will want to come and live. That is what the DDA, the Uptown Reinvestment and the Small Business Association are looking to do" replied herman. |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:46 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Coleman refuted the argument saying "they are still surrounded by dilapidated neighborhoods. Why would they invest all this money in the downtown area and not think about or do something jointly to improve them?" Coleman indicated it made no sense to him to build this beautiful place that is surrounded by neighborhoods in disrepair. Coleman did note how Herman had mentioned the east side."They are doing nothing to addressing the issue of total neglect and disrepair of this city. Are they going to move all of the residents who live on East carpenter to the downtown area?"
Herman said that while Coleman made a good point, his "charge at the FOCUS Council and the Uptown Reinvestment Corporation is the "downtown and they need to work in partnership with the neighborhoods and the other institutions in this community to make sure they do the right thing and work together."
Coleman countered by asking Herman how he proposed that to happen when they are taking block grant monies that are meant for downtown areas and investing it in bricks. Herman said he was unsure they were doing that. Coleman explained that
block grant money (federal CDBG) was taken for bricks and told Herman how any councilperson could acknowledge how this money was invested in downtown bricks. |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 4:03 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Councilman Taylor arrived late and inquired about any plans for the Genesee Towers.
After Herman stated Uptown did not own the building, Taylor replied he knew they did not own the building. He also stated he was aware "thereto see the owner of the building fix it up to code are ways and means of acquiring this building and he would like to know if there were any plans for doing so. Herman indicated "It is definitely an opportunity site site for downtown and they (Uptown) would like to see the owner fix it up to code" and he was tired of rocks dropping on his car when he parks in the alley behind the Mott Foundation building. Taylor inquired why they do not buy this building from the owner as part of the the Uptown Reinvestment. "They intend to bring the downtown area "up", so he would lie to know why they have not made the owner of that building an offer and purchased that building." Herman's response was "maybe they should"- that is a good suggestion.
Taylor then wanted to know if Upton had considered making such an offer and Herman responded in the affirmative. "Herman responded to Taylor that neither he nor members of Uptown had approached the owner regarding a sale. when asked if the planned to approach the owner, Herman said he would have have a discussion regarding that issue. |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 4:26 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Taylor stated he was aware of some "back door" action to try to obtain the bulding from the owner. Herman asked how much the owner wanted and Taylor refused to speak for the owner.
Taylor told Herman he hoped Uptown did not use a lot of block grant monies just to invest in the downtown area. "That is his concern as there are a number of dilapidated neighborhoods where block grant monies could be used and he would think the Uptown Reinvestment orporation could probably receive grants from the Mott Foundation since Bill White is a big proponent of the college area and the downtown area of Flint."
(Note: Uptown did receive the Towers for a dollar after the owner won a lawsuit and Flint residents paid millions (not counting years of legal fees) for the settlement. They used block grant funds for the demolition after promising they had the funds for demolition.
Also, both Taylor and Kincaid sent identical letters to the court during the litigation in support of the owner. |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 4:45 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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A.C. Dumas was allowed to address the council:
He stated he was a resident and the President of the Flint Branch of the NAACP.
While he does appreciate all of the efforts put into downtown Flint, Dumas using tax dollars, as opposed to private funding and grand funding, to build up downtown when th neighborhoods look like look like a "demilitarized zone with garbage, trash, dilapidated houses-it is more than brick and mortar-it is about the people, it is about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If thy go to the north end and they go on the east side of Flint, the condition of these neighborhoods are terrible. he (herman) does not care how they build up the downtown area, as they are saying they are going to have people from the suburbs come into the City of flint, support the business owners who d not live n Flint and take the money they make from the City of Flint outside Flint?
Dumas objected to the failure of the DDA to properly bid out contracts. "They give contracts to their friends', referencing the reconstruction of the bricks on Saginaw Street. He stated he knew of another $10,000 no-bid contract. Dumas addressed Rutherford, head of the DDA, and demanded fairness in the bidding process and fairness for African Americans who were being left out of the process.
Dumas indicated he had called Herman about the bricks and stands by his comments to Herman. "They cannot take public dollars and make them available to "exclusive clubs" That is what they are doing with this project: using tax dollars for exclusive lubs. If it is private money, they can do what they want with it. Again, downtown Flint blongs to the people and whoever the "people" are in the City f flint that make up the population, they should have a vote on what is happening to "our downtown".
The special meeting was ended.
Note: a no-bid contract for security downtown was given by Rutherford, then director of the DDA. Mayor Williamson, as Chairman of the Board, rescinded the bid, but lost the resultant court battle. |
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Wed Jun 29, 2016 5:18 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Monkey Cage
How racial segregation and political mismanagement led to Flint’s shocking water crisis
By Jessica Trounstine February 8
The Flint River, near downtown Flint, Mich. (Paul Sancya/AP)
As much of the country knows by now, the water supply in Flint, Mich., is badly contaminated with lead. The water has poisoned an entire city and has probably irreparably damaged a significant share of Flint’s children. And it could have been prevented.
This is a story of political failure. The federal structure of overlapping and mismatched government authorities ensures that public services vary from place to place, and makes it easy for officials to pass the buck. Extreme residential segregation in the United States means that the people who are most likely to suffer in this system are the poor and people of color.
A little history of urban water
Flint’s is not the first case of harm caused by a municipal water supply. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there was a substantial mortality penalty to living in cities. Sewer and water systems were built before modern understanding of disease transmission developed. Many early sewers couldn’t handle growing populations and frequently overflowed into the streets.
Worse, some cities dumped unfiltered waste upstream of their water intake. In 1900, infectious and parasitic diseases killed nearly 8 in every 1,000 residents, accounting for more than 45 percent of all deaths and more than 60 percent of deaths among children.
Over the next 40 years, water filtration and sewage treatment led to dramatic health improvements, all but eliminating death by typhoid, cholera and diarrhea. But these benefits were neither inevitable nor universal. At the beginning of the 20th century, some cities spent as little as $100 per person on municipal services. Others spent more than $900. The well-off got better services, including better water.
[Do public goods have to be public? Not in some African countries]
In the United States today, some people still have access to good schools, well-paved and plowed roads, sewers that never overflow, public parks with safe swing sets and restrooms, adequately staffed police and fire forces, clean water, and safety nets when their means are limited. Others do not.
All of that varies by neighborhood, city and state, a result of our federal system. Federalism means that different communities are allowed to raise and spend funds as they wish, whether or not to raise taxes, issue bonds, or replace lead water pipes.
The people who have access to high-quality public goods and services are more likely to be white and well off; those who do not are likelier to be racial or ethnic minorities and low income. That’s as true today as it was in 1900.
The tangle of systems bringing water to U.S. citizens
National, state and local governments all have authority over building public infrastructure and monitoring drinking-water quality. Water delivery is largely handled by municipal governments and special districts, creating a patchwork of systems.
A home-rule charter adopted by Flint residents in 1929 granted the city government the authority to install and maintain its own sewers and waterworks. Flint once was a boom town. Its population doubled between 1920 and 1960, and the city’s water supply from the Flint River could not keep up with the increased demand.
City leaders planned to build a pipeline to Lake Huron, but a local millionaire conspired with public officials to defraud the city in a land deal. Voters were disillusioned. Instead of building the pipeline, Flint entered into a 30-year contract to buy water from Detroit’s Water and Sewer System, leaving it at the mercy of Detroit’s decisions and price increases.
As the auto industry tanked, Flint went from boom to bust, losing roughly half of its population between 1960 and 2010. At the same time, city expenditures continued to rise. The general fund deficit had reached $26.6 million by 2001.
In the federal system, the national and state governments are sovereign. Cities are not. States delegate authority to cities to govern themselves – but they can also take that authority away. Michigan’s governor, Rick Snyder, was elected in 2010 on a platform promising austerity. One of his early moves was to take over insolvent local governments, placing them under state control with the goal of balancing their budgets. In 2011, Snyder appointed an emergency manager to govern Flint.
Michigan’s emergency managers have broad authority to cut expenses, reorganize city government and renegotiate city contracts. And – this is important — when under state control, local elected officials can exercise the powers of their offices only with the manager’s written approval.
[Politicians play the race card. This is what helps neutralize it.]
Emergency managers are accountable to the governor. In Flint’s case, this was a governor who did not receive a majority of the vote from the city’s residents. Flint was being ruled by an official who was not elected by or responsible to Flint’s residents. My work shows that when rulers are not accountable to their subjects, they have an easier time making decisions that defy the preferences and even best interests of those people.
Click here for more information!
In April 2014, supposedly to save money, the emergency manager changed Flint’s water source to the Flint River — a noxious, polluted body of water — while awaiting a new pipeline to the lake. We know now what happened next.
Who’s in charge?
Many of Flint’s water pipes are made of lead, and an additive needed to be added to the water to prevent that lead from leaching into the water. But it seems that none of the officials who could have made the choice to treat the water did so. Neither the Flint water staff, nor the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, nor an engineering firm hired by the emergency manager to upgrade the Flint water treatment plant determined that the water should include those critical corrosion-controlling additives.
And so, as the water corroded the pipes, those pipes delivered lead-poisoned water to Flint’s residents.
Residents began complaining about the water quality immediately, and experts pointed out elevated levels of contaminants, but it took nearly a year for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to document the problem. And even when it was discovered, MDEQ chose not to compel the Flint water staff and emergency manager to treat the water. After 18 months the water source was changed back, but the damaged pipes continued to leach lead.
Who was in charge? Everyone, and no one. Different people within Flint’s city government, the emergency manager, the Michigan governor’s office, the state Department of Environmental Quality, and the state Department of Health and Human Services had — and continue to have — a hand in managing Flint’s water quality and delivery.
This overlapping structure of governments, with both appointed and elected officials, makes it possible for problematic decisions to slip through the cracks and makes it easy to shift blame.
But doesn’t the buck stop somewhere? Government institutions are structured so that an official at the top (whether a general or a governor) is the final decision-maker, responsible for what happens. In a democracy, elections hold these people at the top accountable.
Segregation now
But what happens when the democratic process is undermined? If Flint had been mostly white and mostly well off, it is possible that the MDEQ and governor would have listened more attentively. But what’s even more likely is that the deep financial woes that led to this series of disastrous choices would never have taken place.
Over the past 200 years, zoning policies, housing policies, lending policies and transportation policies passed by federal, state and local governments have contributed to the segregation of people of color and the poor. The spatial accumulation of disadvantaged means that some cities have the luxury of providing clean water to their residents — while others struggle, as is true in Flint, where more than 40 percent of residents live in households below the federal poverty line and 1 in 4 residents is unemployed.
[Racial prejudice is driving opposition to paying college athletes. Here’s the evidence.]
There are many different ways to measure segregation. One clear metric is the difference in racial demographics and household wealth between central cities and suburbs. In 2000, city/suburban differences in the Flint metro area were among the highest in the nation. Here’s how Flint fits:
Each dot represents a metropolitan area. Data are from the 2000 Census of Population and Housing. For each city, I calculated the share of households with incomes above $100,000/year and the share of residents identifying as non-Hispanic white. I then took the average for all non-central cities in the metro area and subtracted the city share from this average. Positive values mean that the suburbs have (on average) a higher share of wealthy or white residents.
A tale of two cities
Flint’s neighbor directly to the east is the city of Burton, which receives water from Lake Huron through Detroit’s system. Burton’s population is 86 percent white, the median household income is nearly $44,000 per year, and the median home is worth almost $75,000. In Flint, 64 percent of the residents are people of color, the median income is just under $25,000 per year, and the median home is worth about $42,000.
In 2012, Flint had a debt burden of about $1,600 per person, compared with only $400 in Burton. Between 2007 and 2012, many city governments saw expenditures fall as the recession took a toll on municipal budgets. In Flint, spending declined by $225 per resident — in Burton, spending actually increased by $1 per capita. And Flint residents pay the highest water and sewer fees in the metropolitan area. In 2014, the average water bill in Flint was $140, compared with only $58 in Burton.
[Born that way? ‘Scientific’ racism is creeping back into our thinking. Here’s what to watch out for.]
The fact that Burton has clean, inexpensive water and Flint does not is the result not just of the variation that federalism allows, but also of two centuries of accumulated structural racism (in which institutional forces that impose rules and laws by racial categories reinforce and reproduce racial inequalities). It is no coincidence that as Flint slid further away from economic stability, it was becoming a majority-black city.
Eventually this economically depressed, largely minority community was taken over by the state, which then proceeded to make a series of unsound decisions that no one in the many overlapping governmental agencies responsible for water quality managed to notice. When finally alerted to the problem, these officials tried to shuffle the blame rather than fix the problem.
Meanwhile, Flint’s neighboring white towns were able to provide good services and clean water for their residents. The structural benefits that brought them good housing, good jobs, good roads and good schools meant they have enough money to pay for those services and that their elected and appointed officials actually monitor the services, lest they lose their jobs.
So what could have been done in Flint? The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality should have recognized the problems with Flint’s water before the switch was made. Corrosion controlling additives should have been included from the outset.
Federal and state governments should be responsible for ensuring a minimum level of basic services. Clean water is a good place to start.
Jessica Trounstine is associate professor of political science at the University of California at Merced.
More than 5,300 U.S. water systems violated lead-testing rules last year
"There is no cop on the beat," argue the authors of Tuesday's report, which found that regulators do not take formal action in the vast majority of cases.
washingtonpost.com
© 1996-2016 The Washington Post |
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Thu Jun 30, 2016 6:09 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Carola Von Hoffmannstahl-Solomonoff is the author of "deep qt" in which she details abuses of the HUD programs. Her observations on February 14, 2005 were especially appropriate and apply even today.
deep qt candy box: The CDBG Sweetheart Assortment
"soft centers"
"Urban revitalization has become the scam of the day for an entrenched class of cross party, cross state, political and business grifters... Economic development funds pass back and forth between them: the money barely touches ground. If, at the end of it all, real improvement in blighted cities resulted , the frauds and cronyism would be more acceptable, But revitalization dollars are almost exclusively used to buy political power and to prop up and inflate the investments of the politically connected. With less and less social quid pro quo. Even the middle class has gotten into the act, jockeying for neighborhood gentrification dollars, while tolerating political corruption, deterioration of the wider urban landscape and the formation and the formation of an entrenched underclass." |
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Sat Jul 02, 2016 7:41 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Von Hoffmannstahl-Solomonoff originally wrote these words in 2002 for her piece "Home Towns USA" when " a number of northeast politicians and public contractors from midsize urban centers were being investigated and/or indicted in corruption cases, connected to development deals and the misuse of federal funds. The urban areas they served were former industrial centers. With downtowns that were being turned into corporate and government enclaves by massive infusions of HUD funds, tax breaks and other types of public subsidies. Most also had a few upscale New Urban neighborhoods juiced with smaller helpings of the same. Plus a goodly number of moderate and low income blue collar nabes picking up government crumbs whil sliding downward into slums. A slide being hastened by FHA backed mortgage flips and Section 8 tenant dumping.
Meanwhile, low or no income slums that had already hit bottom were places where city services rarely reached and drug thugs ruled. Yet according to pols and their spokesfolk, revitalization was always just around the corner. In the meantime, slum dwellers needed to stand up and be counted, in order to keep the entire city eligible for federal programs such as CDBG. |
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Sat Jul 02, 2016 8:18 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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http://www.flinttalk.com/viewtopic.php?t=12339
This post demonstrates the use of a Quasi-public corporation to circumvent government agencies and city politics, especially in redevelopment policy making process (Stoker 1987)
FAEC and FAIF were created as Quasi-public entities to run the Enterprise Zone, much like the one created in Baltimore.
Blacks Law Dictionary defines Quasi Public Corporation as "sometimes applied to corporations which are not strictly public, in the sense of being organized for governmental purposes, but whose operation contribute to the comfort, convenience, or welfare of the general public."
Investopedia gives the following definition: :
a type of corporation in the private sector that is backed by a branch of government mandate to provide a given service. Most begin as a government agency, but have since become a separate agency. |
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Sat Jul 02, 2016 9:53 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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n the above listed related site, it was demonstrated how the entity used to manage the Enterprise Zone Revolving Loan Fund could be mismanaged. The two 108 loans now in default and being repaid by the city, Giacalone's OK Industries, and James Crawleys Manhattan Place, also had "bridge loans" applications with FAIF, directed by Alex Thomas o the DCED.
There was inadequate investigation into these three loans and the costs in HUD repayments and lawsuits as well as money that could have been used for a better purpose is staggering.
Downtown groups lobbied for Manhattan Place twice. Twice, Flint lost money and was sued. The first lawsuit was so costly and even included fraud allegations against Citizens Bank and City of Flint officials, that to me it was inconceivable the City agreed to round two in this development battle.
http://flinttalk.com/viewtopic.php?t=12257
This link has more on the two 108 loans and the mismanagement of FAIF. More to come! |
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Sat Jul 02, 2016 10:09 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Sat Jul 02, 2016 10:16 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Was the citizen participation for the new City Master Plan all a pretend urban democracy? So many plans already drawn for inclusion and Flint's north end revitalization is at a minimum 20 years out!
[PDF]initiatives for uptown: flint uptown reinvestment strategy - Wade Trim
www.wadetrim.com/hamilton_dam/.../Flint%20Uptown_Reinvestment_Strategy.pdf
Sasaki Associates, Inc. Watertown ... conditions of Flint and southeastern Michigan as the 21st .... of plans and programs to attract new wealth into the heart.
[PDF]Flint Riverfront Restoration Plan - Wade Trim
www.wadetrim.com/hamilton_dam/reports/Flint-Riverfront-Restoration-Plan.pdf
University of Michigan-Flint .... Flint. The Flint Riverfront Restoration Plan provides a vision that will ...... plan was prepared by Sasaki Associates, Inc. to assess.
[PDF]master plan - University of Michigan-Flint
https://www.umflint.edu/.../Campus_Master_Plan_-_201...
University of Michigan–Flint
May 7, 2007 - Flint, Michigan. Campus Master ... Sasaki Associates, Inc. ... the 2011 university of michigan-flint master plan update provides a framework for.
Cultural Center plan: Sarvis demolition, Sloan expansion, downtown ...
www.eastvillagemagazine.org/.../cultural-center-plan-sarvis-demolition-sloan-expansi...
Jan 18, 2016 - The Flint Cultural Center Corporation (FCCC) recently updated its master ... Sasaki Associates, the firm hired to develop the 2003 FCCC master plan, ... of Eastern Michigan and installed in its new Hunger Solution Center.
Sasaki Planning for the Health and Wellness District
www.mott.org/.../201500637_Sasaki%20Planning%20for%20the%20He...
Sasaki Planning for the Health and Wellness District. Foundation for the Uptown ... Geographic Focus: United States: Michigan: Flint & Genesee County ..
Policy: Planning can provide new paths for change
www.mott.org › News › News Articles
Jan 5, 2010 - The Sasaki plans -- produced from 2001 to 2003 -- have helped ... for the Genesee Early College on the University of Michigan-Flint campus, ...
[PDF]2011-2016 Consolidated Plan City of Flint
https://www.cityofflint.com/.../Flint%20Consolidated%20Plan%202011-2016_FI...
Flint
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Uncategorized | Flint River Corridor Alliance
www.frcalliance.org/category/uncategorized/
FLINT, MI – Spray-painted walls, a crumbling facade and broken windows exposed to the elements make up .... Flint River District Strategy - Sasaki Plan (pdf) ...
Demolition Means Progress: Flint, Michigan, and the Fate of the ...
https://books.google.com/books?isbn=022605005X
Andrew R. Highsmith - 2015 - History
Flint, Michigan, and the Fate of the American Metropolis Andrew R. Highsmith ... GFHP; Lawrence R. Gustin, “Big Plans on the Horizon for Central Flint,” FJ, June 8, ... University of Michigan–Flint (Flint, |
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Sun Jul 03, 2016 3:50 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Detroit, Flint need enterprise zones
Terry W. Van Allen 12:08 a.m. EST December 3, 2014
o
(Photo: Robin Buckson / The Detroit News)
Financial commentator Larry Kudlow has proposed a “new” federal enterprise zone for creating jobs and businesses in Detroit.
But Detroit has had both federal Empowerment Zone and Renewal Community programs, which were administered under the city’s department of Planning and Community Development, and both of these programs have expired.
America needs to create thousands upon thousands of new jobs, and hundreds upon hundreds of new businesses in low-income areas. Low-income areas are the first to decline in a bad general economy and the last to improve in a good economy. Because of a dearth of good-paying jobs and profitable businesses in low-income communities, commentator Tavis Smiley has cried out for greater attention to the economic needs of low-income citizens.
In President Bill Clinton’s book, “Back to Work,” his proposal for empowerment zones was a key idea for policy-makers. Political commentators are anticipating Hillary Clinton’s possible call for new policies on this front should she announce a run for president. All viable candidates must respond with plans likewise.
In the past, but under the radar, successful federal programs derived from the concept of state Enterprise Zones, accomplished a stellar result to an impressive degree, yet only on a small scale and scope of success in creating new jobs and businesses in low-income areas.
For example, the federally designated Renewal Community of the City of Flint, Michigan created 1,289 new jobs in its most blighted area, according to official reports submitted by the community to the federal government. This federal program was created for a period of 10 years from 2000 through 2009.
It was passed by Congress in the 1990s and signed into law by Clinton.
The third round of Empowerment Zones was a parallel program to the Renewal Communities.
The first and second rounds of federal Empowerment Zones were based on assisting communities through larger grants and welfare subsidy programs. The third round of empowerment zones was based on creating jobs and businesses through economic and fiscal incentives for private investments.
While Michael Moore’s movie, “Roger and Me,” illustrated the effects of the sharp decline of General Motors Company in the Flint area, many dilapidated buildings in downtown Flint have been renovated.
While there is much more economic development needed, the downtown area has been rejuvenated to a significant degree by the federal Renewal Community program, along with the expired state Renaissance Zone program.
The C.S. Mott Foundation, University of Michigan-Flint, Chamber of Commerce, and Downtown Development Authority (and other local entities) have been positive anchors to community development in downtown Flint. Of course, creating 1,289 new jobs in the most blighted area is a modest success compared to the estimated 70-80,000 job losses over the decades in the greater region, but it is a positive start to revitalizing the community.
There is a great need for creating large scores of jobs and businesses in low-income areas across the nation and in cities such as Detroit and Flint. There is a great need for a new initiative with a larger scale and scope of economic incentives to create large numbers of new jobs in low-income areas. There is a great need for a new initiative with incentives for not only new businesses, but for existing businesses across-the board with community roots in low-income areas.
This great need is a clarion call for proposing new enterprise zones as a centerpiece for the presidential election of 2016.
Terry W. Van Allen is director of Research and Sponsored Programs at University of Michigan-Flint. |
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Sun Jul 03, 2016 6:03 pm |
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