A rally for revenue sharing and public safety

Township, city and village officials, police officers and firefighters gathered in front of the state Capitol on Thursday, Oct. 22, to urge the governor and Legislature to restore revenue sharing funding. The message at the rally came as a warning: public safety in Michigan will be at greater risk unless the Legislature and governor restore deep revenue sharing cuts for FY 2010. Revenue sharing cuts over the past eight years have resulted in layoffs of more than 1,800 police officers and 2,400 firefighters in Michigan.

John Daher, supervisor of Lansing Charter Township, spoke on behalf of townships at the rally. He stated, "Decisions being made in the Michigan Legislature are a threat to the safety of all communities in Michigan, and constituents will know where the blame lies when their communities are threatened." He said constituents should know that police and fire layoffs and communities pushed into insolvency are a direct result of the decisions made by this Legislature.

MTA would like to thank the following state representatives who attended the revenue sharing rally: Joan Bauer (D-Lansing), Fred Durhal (D-Detroit), Mike Huckleberry (D-Montcalm Twp.), Mike Lahti (D-Hancock) and Coleman Young II (D-Detroit).