Letter to the Editor: Sen. Patrick Colbeck Says New Bills Limit Government

Colbeck says SB 802 requires all state departments to disclose tax dollars are spent; SB 21 offers 'a valuable tool to rein in government spending.'

Dear Editor,  Ever wonder where all of your state taxpayer dollars go? I do. In fact, it was one of the questions that led me to run for office. As a concerned citizen, I had requested state spending information from our representatives. I was frustrated by the lack of useful information provided in response to my queries. Upon entering into public service myself, I understand why my previous requests met with such poor results. They didn’t have access to the information either.  Thankfully, the lack of useful spending data has now been addressed with the passage of SB 802, which I introduced to require all state departments to publicly disclose how they are spending our money. The spending plans for each department in state government …

•  9 Comments
• Photos (1)

Patti McCoin

10:58 am on Saturday, January 12, 2013

He told me that parents can FOIA the information they want from the cyber schools. Why are neighborhood schools providing that information on their websites but cyber schools can charge for complying with the FOIA request?   more ›

Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Vote For Fred Shadko in Northville Township Trustees Election

Interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor? Email it to nancy.kelsey@patch.com.

- The following Letter to Editor was submitted by Marjorie Banner, current Northville Township trustee and soon-to-be township treasurer. I would like to encourage the residents of Northville Township to vote for Fred Shadko for Township Trustee. I have worked closely with Fred over the last six years, during which time he spearheaded the citizens group to fight off annexation of the 7 Mile property, devoted his time to passage of Township millages, created dog parks for our community, and became videographer and later a commissioner on the Township Historic District Commission. These activities were all done while working full time as an information technology manager in the automobile industry with responsibility for schedules and …

• Photos (1)

Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Vote For Gwen Markham For Oakland County Commissioner

A Novi resident writes that Markham - who is running to represent Northville and Novi in Oakland County - is the best choice.

- The following Letter to the Editor was submitted by Novi resident Colleen Crossey in support of Oakland County Commission candidate Gwen Markham. If elected, Markham would represent the small portion of Northville in Oakland County. I talked to Gwen Markham. She has my vote. Her time on Novi’s Planning Commission tells me she brings experience and skills to the job. Her campaign has knocked doors all over Novi. This tells me she has the passion to both tell voters her plans and listen to their concerns. She fully understands the economic pain that people are enduring now. I like her ideas on fixing our infrastructure and energy grid in order to attract new technologies to Oakland County.  Smart. A lot of talented neighbors here have lost…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

A Call to Action: Send Us Your Letters to the Editor

Northville Patch wants to hear from you.

Northville Patch wants to serve you better and continue to bring you news about Northville that both warms the heart and/or sparks conversation. To better serve you we want to challenge you to get involved and make Northville Patch more than a news site, we want it to be a conversation. Patch would like to extend an invitation to every member of the Northville community to submit a letter to the editor. Express your thoughts or concerns about anything that might be stirring up conversation around town, and we'll post it. Email it to Editor Nancy Kelsey at nancy.kelsey@patch.com. The more Northville Patch serves as on online space for community dialogue, the more useful our site will be. So next time you have something to share with your …

• Photos (1)

Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Former River Rouge Mayor Opposes Prop 6

John F. McEwan: 'This is truly a free bridge. Make it happen.'

- The following Letter to the Editor was submitted by John F. McEwan, Former Mayor of the City of River Rouge During the sixties, the air pollution over Michigan Downriver communities was terrible. A huge red cloud of iron oxide hung over the area. Premature deaths were blamed on the dirty air. Under federal and local funding of the Clean Air Act, the Downriver communities in cooperation with the Wayne County Health Department, launched the Downriver Air Pollution Control Project. Following a meeting in the middle of the Detroit River on the first Earth Day, the Canadian communities of Windsor and Sandwich West became full contributing members of the project. Canadian funds were matched 3 to 1 by U.S. federal funds. Because Canadian air …

• Photos (1)

Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Vote 'Yes' on Tech Bond to Keep Northville Schools Top District

Interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor? Email it to nancy.kelsey@patch.com.

- The following Letter to the Editor was submitted by Northville resident Richard Brown “The only constant in life is change” a wise man once said. The change in technology happens virtually every day and we must maintain our knowledge of these changes to live and work in the real world. Technology has become an integral part of living, affecting nearly every  aspect of our daily lives. The public schools play an important role in assisting our students in understanding and participating in these real life changes whether at home, work or school.  The proposed Technology Bond for the Northville Public Schools will assist in preparing students for both a lifetime of learning as well as participating fully in life after graduation. The …

• Photos (1)

Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Support Tech Bond For Northville Public Schools

A Northville teacher says the bond will strengthen education in the community.

- The following Letter to the Editor was submitted by city of Northville resident Matthew Ladach I am a very proud resident of the city of Northville, and I am equally proud to serve as a physical education teacher and football coach for Northville Public Schools. The pride I have in my residency and in my profession is a direct reflection of the pride and support that this community has always demonstrated when it comes to our children. I truly love this community, and I cannot imagine that there is a better place to raise a family than Northville. Over the past few years I have become increasingly troubled with our state’s inability to appropriately fund our public school system. It is important to note that this lack of funding is not a…

• Photos (1)

Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Thoughts on 'Redistribution of Wealth'

Northville resident Jim Nowka writes about his disappointment in a government he says wastes American resources.

- Submitted by Northville resident Jim Nowka Political scripting cannot hide that America is swamped by the massive debts and bad decisions. Misty pleas defend the wreckage! Now the utterances, "you did not build it" and the next words fitting a narrative, "You did not earn it," affirm a plan of redistribution of wealth. Next step, in the path to dissolution of your freedom, are the words of a despot: "You don't own it!" In our pretty shaky economy and private sector job losses, expect threats of unrest by the standby crew of occupiers. The next chapter in our story of a modern day serfdom under the direction of governance by organized bureaucrats  beginning in Obamacare? This legislation illustrates routine socialist ideas of compassion …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Vote 'Yes' to Support Tech Upgrades in Northville Classrooms

A Northville parent writes that the passage of the tech bond is important because "we can’t let our classrooms fall behind."

- The following letter to the editor was submitted by Northville resident Jennie Patterson As a member of the Northville community and a two-decade Informational Technology professional, I strongly encourage you to VOTE YES on the upcoming Northville Public Schools Technology Bond.  Throughout my professional career, I have always been intrigued by the endless explosion of high tech tools that improve day-to-day tasks. It was my passion for using technology that motivated me to obtain a Masters of Information Systems Technology at George Washington University 13 years ago. At the time, it was clear that technology had invaded the workforce. Companies were desperately trying to update their information systems in terms of data, processing, …

• Photos (1)