Signatures To Put Emergency Manager Law On Ballot Have Been Collected

Opponents of Michigan’s emergency manager law have put together enough signatures to put a repeal measure on the November ballot according to a state elections staff memo of Wednesday.  The memo sent from elections staff to the State Board of Canvassers and reported by the  Associated Press states the Stand Up for Democracy coalition collected about 40,000 more signatures than needed to suspend the law until the November election.  The board is set to vote today on whether the issue will go on the ballot.  The decision would affect emergency managers in the Detroit, Highland Park and Muskegon Heights school systems and the communities of Pontiac, Flint, Ecorse and Benton Harbor.  Supporters of the emergency manager law say it’s working to stabilize financially stressed cities and school districts – it expands the power of emergency managers in order to better equip them with the tools needed to address a local unit’s financial emergency.  Gov. Rick Snyder pushed for the law and has said it should remain in place.