Terrible idea.
According to the law, which has already been approved in the House, the governor will be able to declare "financial emergency" in towns or school districts and appoint someone to fire local elected officials, break contracts, seize and sell assets, and eliminate services.
Under the law whole cities or school districts could be eliminated without any public participation or oversight, and amendments designed to provide minimal safeguards and public involvement were voted down.
An amendment to require Emergency Managers to hold monthly public meetings to let people know how they are governing was rejected by Senate Republicans, along with proposals to cap Emergency Manager compensation and require that those appointed to run school districts have some background in education.
UPDATE: As has been pointed out to me, the legislative mechanics that Snyder is seeking to expand into what Republican state Senator Jack Brandenburg terms "financial martial law" were put in place by Democratic Governor Jim Blanchard -- the nonpartisan embrace of these policies further their likeness to the trade policies that people like Greider and Moyers reported on a decade ago.
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