Friday, December 17, 2010
Holiday Shopping
I know everyone is out and about doing their last minute shopping for friends and family. I hope you are thinking of our local businesses and all the wonderful goodies they are selling. When you shop locally your dollars have a much higher ratio of ending up reinvested in our community. Also for those of you who haven't had a chance to stop by 212 Arts Center Holiday Sale, it is still going on through this Saturday. The sale hours are 10am-6pm and they have a diverse offering of handcrafted items, ranging from beautiful pottery, paintings, to jewelry and hand-knitted items.
Wishing everyone a fantastic holiday season and a very happy and successful new year!!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Changes...
And as I said goodbye,
Yesterday afternoon the Center for Michigan and Business Leaders for Michigan Common Sense Reform Summit was held in Lansing. It was developed to discuss how to significantly change Michigan and bring forward ideas that will make our economy stronger and our state more competitive for new investment and talent. Panelists discussed public sector efficiency, making Michigan competitive, and investing in our future. The final panelists were 2011 legislative leadership and Governor-Elect Rick Snyder finished the afternoon. We have a new governor that is ready and excited to get to work. The leadership in the legislature said they want to work together for Michigan and not continue in the previous negative partisan manner. We have much work to do as a state...we are a state of citizens and each and every one of us was asked by this leadership to contribute. So I share the message..don't think of one(self), think of all, that is the real answer to how Michigan will work again.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Transportation Funding Crisis
I recently had the opportunity to testify at the House Transportation Committee public hearing at Washtenaw Community College (see below). Tuesday is a Transportation Funding Rally Day-we need our legislators to act before they adjourn for the summer. Please call them today!!
Testimony
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today regarding the state of transportation funding. I am Gretchen Driskell, Mayor of the City of
In Saline, we have been fortunate to have our Ford/Visteon, now ACH facility (1.5M sf), remain open during this automotive roller coaster ride. The city has an excellent relationship with management and we worked closely with Ford as they transitioned the closing and consolidation of 2 other facilities into ours. That entailed a $100M investment on Fords’ part, which included adding 23 shipping docks. Last week they announced an additional $45M investment into the plant. Employment is at an all time high of 2,000. Why do I bring this up?
This facility now has 300 trucks going in and out of the plant every day. Onto a highway (US12) that has been documented for decades as being one of the most heavily travelled 2lane highways in the state. Ford has made a financial commitment to our state to the tune of $150M, why doesn’t the state step forward and make an investment in this vital economic corridor? I stood before this same committee 3 years ago when you held your public hearing and made very similar remarks. And there has still been no change to the underfunding of our transportation system.
The county has 2 very exciting transit initiatives underway. The Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter rail and the US23 Corridor commuter rail (aka WALLY). In my work as CAC chair I sat on the passenger intermodal committee. We studied transit systems across the country. We documented the additional private dollar investment that comes into communities around transit hubs and commuter rail lines. This investment ranged from $6-9 of private dollars for every $1 invested in the system. Additionally this has become a business recruitment issue. International companies look for transit to support their employees, our inability to provide this alternative mode of transport makes us less competitive in national searches.
I am sure you have heard by now all the statistics of where we stand vis-à-vis other states regarding transportation funding. How counties are cutting back to the minimum and just doing maintenance. How we are spending half of what is needed in this state to maintain our system let alone become competitive. How the longer we wait to fix roads the more expensive the fix becomes.
I just don’t understand the inability to do a minor increase in the gas tax. The price of gas can change more in one week than the proposed increase! The argument can be made in multiple ways that this is an investment that gets a high return. It is probably the clearest public infrastructure investment with an outcome of significant return of all the spending we do in
In March the NLC board met and Ray Lahood, secretary of transportation came to speak with us for about an hour. I know you are all aware that nationally our infrastructure is in crisis also. Secretary Lahood spoke to this issue. He made it clear that there is a commitment to improving the infrastructure at the federal level. He also made it clear that money would go to those regions that can provide the necessary match, those regions that are making a commitment to investing in their future. We have not shown that commitment.
I have been an elected official for 18 years, 12 years as mayor. I have lowered taxes and I have raised taxes. And I would certainly prefer to lower taxes. However, as leaders we have a responsibility to make the hard choices. As leaders, we study the issues and plan for the future of our state. That is what we are elected to do. This crisis will not go away, it will just get worse. After in depth study, the TF2 made a recommendation 18 months ago to increase the fuel taxes.
I urge you to take leadership on this issue, to make the responsible choice, move these bills forward and invest in our future.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Holiday Happenings
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Commuity Volunteers
Saturday, August 22, 2009
In Saline we are now hosting a community bike ride once a month thanks to the healthy living coalition (Pick up the Pace, Saline aka PUPS) and PEAC. We are also working on the final pieces to a citywide nonmotorized transportation plan, which should be completed mid September. What other action items can we take to make the road a safer place for all? I bike regularly out Austin Road to Bridgewater for a quick workout. Biking is an important part of the healthy lifestyle we should all be able to participate in safely.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Looking for sunshine in Saline?
Okay, so it is taking a little longer to get those hot summer days we have been so longingly waiting for. If you walk into The Cobblestone Rose (101 S Ann Arbor St) you will find the interior design store that has fully embraced our summer longings. Bright colors, florals, and outdoor patio effects will inspire you to be patient for the delightful days to come. The owner, Karen Hodgson, started her business years ago with beautiful arrangements of dried flowers. She has expanded to support your creative urges through many different alternatives, interior design fabrics pieces, clothing, jewelry and everlasting florals. If you stop by for a visit, you will find friendly faces and styling inspirations. Have fun!!