It's Wednesday, the morning we speak with Michigan Radio's Political Analyst Jack Lessenberry about what's going on in state politics.
Governor Snyder plans to appoint an emergency financial manager to run the city of Detroit. He announced last week that a financial emergency exists in the city. Detroit City Council can challenge the decision. If it does, there will be a hearing next week on the issue, but the council is divided on what to do. Jack Lessenberry says "the odds of any appeal being successful are pretty small."
The Governor also wants lawmakers to act soon on a plan to raise more than a billion dollars in new revenue for roads and transportation projects. But a plan is elusive. Lessenberry says that's because "everybody agrees the roads need to be fixed but nobody wants to be blamed for raising taxes to fix them except the Governor."
The automatic federal spending or sequestration cuts went into effect on Friday. Jack Lessenberry says so far any real effects have yet to be felt in Michigan. But toward the end of the month they are expected, according to Lessenberry, to hit things such as Head Start and defense appropriations and it won't be good for the economic recovery.
