By Charles Ballard, Michigan League for Public Policy board chair
From the First Tuesday newsletter
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My name is Charles Ballard and I am an economics professor at Michigan State University. I am also the new board chair of the Michigan League for Public Policy.
In my new role, I am excited to get to communicate directly with you—the members and supporters who make the great work of the League possible. I share your passion for public policy and want to engage you in the dialogue on how we can make Michigan better, starting with this message today.
When Governor Rick Snyder outlined his 2017 budget proposal last month, many of the state’s biggest problems continued to be overlooked. If they are not addressed, Michigan will lurch from crisis to crisis for decades to come.
The water crisis in Flint is certainly the most severe story, but it is a symptom of a larger problem of outdated infrastructure and continued state disinvestment. Lots of older cities (including Battle Creek, Lansing and Detroit) have similar stories. After the loss of so many of the manufacturing jobs that used to provide solid incomes for workers with modest skills, and after decades of flight to the suburbs, what is left behind in many cities is a low-income population with aging infrastructure, legacy costs and an inadequate tax base.
One big source of these problems is that the state relies too much on local communities to finance their public sectors, even when many low-income communities simply don’t have the resources to do what needs to be done. At the same time, the state has made drastic cuts to statutory revenue sharing to Michigan’s cities, villages and townships. Over the last 15 years, local revenue sharing has declined from over $600 million annually to approximately $250 million a year. These revenues are used to support local services, such as public safety, water and sewers, and roads, and the ongoing cuts have hurt local infrastructure. The governor’s 2017 budget recommendation includes no increase for statutory revenue sharing.
These policies have led to a mismatch between needs and resources. While it is admirable that cities like Lansing and Ann Arbor have been proactively removing their lead water pipes, not all communities have the financial capability to do that. The state should be tackling these issues statewide, instead of putting the burden on low-income communities and low-income residents.
This leads me to a second source of the infrastructure problem, which is the state government’s obsession with tax cuts. Michigan’s elected officials have severely reduced the state’s tax collections in recent decades. This includes the $1.6 billion in business tax cuts passed in 2011, as well as the state’s lengthy list of special tax breaks. As a result, the amount of money available for fixing critical infrastructure is seriously inadequate.
If we in Michigan were to raise the same percentage of our income in taxes that we raised a few decades ago, we would have billions and billions more every year to fix our roads and bridges, schools and water systems.
As a result of all of these policies, infrastructure spending in Michigan has been billions of dollars less than in neighboring states, year after year. It is no wonder that our infrastructure is crumbling. We have reaped what we have sown.
I believe that what happened in Flint would never have been allowed to happen in Bloomfield Hills or East Grand Rapids or Okemos. But a similar crisis will happen in another financially struggling community if we don’t act soon.
The League has released its first look at the governor’s 2017 budget, and while it includes some positives like funding for Flint and Detroit schools, it does not do enough to prevent such crises from happening again. After years of disinvestment, the governor’s budget recommendation of $165 million for infrastructure improvements barely scratches the surface of the revenue that is actually needed to fix the problem.
It’s time for our elected officials to step up and fix our infrastructure, at long last.
— Charles Ballard
Emily Jorgensen joined the Michigan League for Public Policy in July 2019. She deeply cares about the well-being of individuals and families and has a great love for Michigan. She is grateful that her position at the League enables her to combine these passions and work to help promote policies that will lead to better opportunities and security for all Michiganders.
Jacob Kaplan 
Mikell Frey is a communications professional with a passion for using the art of storytelling to positively impact lives. She strongly believes that positive social change can be inspired by the sharing of data-driven information coupled with the unique perspectives of people from all walks of life across Michigan, especially those who have faced extraordinary barriers. 
Rachel Richards rejoined the League in December 2020 as the Fiscal Policy Director working on state budget and tax policies. Prior to returning to the League, she served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Department of Treasury, the tax policy analyst and Legislative Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy, and a policy analyst and the Appropriations Coordinator for the Democratic Caucus of the Michigan House of Representatives. She brings with her over a decade of experience in policies focused on economic opportunity, including workforce issues, tax, and state budget.
Donald Stuckey 
Patrick Schaefer
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
Renell Weathers, Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) Community Engagement Consultant. As community engagement consultant, Renell works with organizations throughout the state in connecting the impact of budget and tax policies to their communities. She is motivated by the belief that all children and adults deserve the opportunity to achieve their dreams regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or economic class.
Megan Farnsworth joined the League’s staff in December 2022 as Executive Assistant. Megan is driven by work that is personally fulfilling, and feels honored to help support the work of an organization that pushes for more robust programming and opportunities for the residents of our state. She’s excited and motivated to gain overarching knowledge of the policies and agendas that the League supports.
Yona Isaacs (she/hers) is an Early Childhood Data Analyst for the Kids Count project. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, she began her career as a research coordinator in pediatric psychiatry using data to understand the impacts of brain activity and genetics on children’s behavior and mental health symptoms. This work prompted an interest in exploring social determinants of health and the role of policy in promoting equitable opportunities for all children, families, and communities. She returned to the University of Michigan to complete her Masters in Social Work focused on Social Policy and Evaluation, during which she interned with the ACLU of Michigan’s policy and legislative team and assisted local nonprofit organizations in creating data and evaluation metrics. She currently serves as a coordinator for the Michigan Center for Youth Justice on a project aiming to increase placement options and enhance cultural competency within the juvenile justice system for LGBTQIA+ youth. Yona is eager to put her data skills to work at the League in support of data-driven policies that advocate for equitable access to healthcare, education, economic security, and opportunity for 0-5 year old children. In her free time, she enjoys tackling DIY house projects and trying new outdoor activities with her dog.
Amber Bellazaire joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a policy analyst in June of 2019. Her work primarily focuses on state policy and budgets affecting Michigan’s Medicaid programs. Previously, Amber worked at the National Conference of State Legislatures tracking legislation and research related to injury and violence prevention, adolescent health, and maternal and child health. She also brings with her two years of Americorps service. As a full time volunteer, Amber had the opportunity to tutor high school students in Chelsea, Massachusetts and address issues of healthcare access and food insecurity through in-person outreach in Seattle, Washington.
Simon Marshall-Shah joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a State Policy Fellow in August 2019. His work focuses on state policy as it relates to the budget, immigration, health care and other League policy priorities. Before joining the League, he worked in Washington, D.C. at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), providing federal policy and advocacy support to nonprofit, Medicaid health plans (Safety Net Health Plans) related to the ACA Marketplaces as well as Quality & Operations.
