Like the pooper-scooper behind the elephants in the circus parade, the Livingston County Commission is going to try to clean up the mess that Reps. Cindy Denby and Bill Rogers left behind when they were local officials.
The two Republican officials were once Handy Township supervisor and Livingston County Commission chair, respectively. And in those capacities, the two "fiscally conservative" Republicans spearheaded an arrangement by which Handy Township borrowed millions of dollars for water and sewar improvements on behalf of private developers of new subdivisions. The county agreed to back the bonds with its full faith and credit, putting the county taxpayers on the hook if Handy Township failed to collect enough money to pay for the bonds.
The subdivisions never filled up with homes and the money that was supposed to be collected from homeowners never came in to pay off the bonds. Several other townships did the same thing, creating special assessment districts to pay back the bonds for these improvements without waiting to see if the lots in already improved subdivisions sold.
The mad rush for development outpaced demand and the lots never sold, making Livingston County, "ground zero" in the problem of Toxic Special Assessment Districts, according to Bloomberg News.
On Monday, (March 5, 2012), the county commission will try to clean up the mess by approving the issuance of up to $8.5 million in new bonds, replacing the previous bonds, with a longer repayment period in order to stretch out the payments to a level Handy Township can afford. The item and backup materials are item number 2012-03-080 at the bottom of page 2 of the agenda posted on the Livingston County website.
This fiasco has been a major headache for the county commission over the last two years or more. How can two people who created such a mess claim to have any credibility as fiscal conservatives?
Showing posts with label Cindy Denby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cindy Denby. Show all posts
Monday, March 5, 2012
Friday, July 8, 2011
Denby Taking Post's Criticism to Heart?
In her second term in the Michigan House, Republican Rep. Cindy Denby seems to be following the advice of her opponent, Democratic challenger Garry Post.
In his 2010 campaign, Post pointed out that Denby had sponsored only seven bills during two years in office, despite having campaigned on the claim that she was knowledgeable about the ways of Lansing because she had served as chief of staff for then-Rep. Joe Hune. Denby's seven-bill output placed her third from the bottom among House members.
This term, Denby already had churned out 13 bills -- nearly double the number of ideas she came up with during the previous two years. Some are retreads, re-introductions of bills she submitted the previous terms. Those include four bills designed to clean up the toxic Special Assessment District crisis she helped create in Livingston County while supervisor for Handy Township.
During the campaign, Denby maintained that she concentrated on constituent service so bill introductions did not reflect her full effort on the job. Constituent service is important, but leaders need to come up with ideas, too, not just unsnarl bureaucratic issues.
Maybe Denby decided Post's criticism has some merit. Maybe not. But for some reason, she decidied to step it up a notch.
In his 2010 campaign, Post pointed out that Denby had sponsored only seven bills during two years in office, despite having campaigned on the claim that she was knowledgeable about the ways of Lansing because she had served as chief of staff for then-Rep. Joe Hune. Denby's seven-bill output placed her third from the bottom among House members.
This term, Denby already had churned out 13 bills -- nearly double the number of ideas she came up with during the previous two years. Some are retreads, re-introductions of bills she submitted the previous terms. Those include four bills designed to clean up the toxic Special Assessment District crisis she helped create in Livingston County while supervisor for Handy Township.
During the campaign, Denby maintained that she concentrated on constituent service so bill introductions did not reflect her full effort on the job. Constituent service is important, but leaders need to come up with ideas, too, not just unsnarl bureaucratic issues.
Maybe Denby decided Post's criticism has some merit. Maybe not. But for some reason, she decidied to step it up a notch.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Cleaning Up Cindy Denby's Mess
Livingston County taxpayers have just made a $100,000 installment on a multi-million-dollar problem.
Their elected representatives -- the all-Republican Livingston County Commission -- has decided to give $100,000 to Handy Township for legal fees over an uncompleted sewer line. The line was part of an expansion the township was constructing for a private developer. The bonds were backed by the county, which puts all county taxpayers on the hook for paying them off. The first construction company failed to complete the sewer line and walked away in 2008. The second one hired to finish the job also gave up on it and its owner says the county failed to inform it of numerous difficulties with the project when the company bid on it. Now the matter is in the courts, and Handy Township needed money for legal fees.
Whose idea was this mess anyway?
Why, none other than Livingston County's own Rep. Cindy Denby. The so-called conservative Republican lawmaker was township supervisor when the project was initiated. She was in charge when the township, with a population of roughly 7,000, decided it needed not one, not two, but three more subdivisions in the township, (on top of another one in the village of Fowlerville.) Combined, they would have added thousands more households to the 2,500 in the townships. Even as the auto industry shed thousands of jobs in Michigan that decade, Denby listened to the snake oil sales pitch private developers were giving and decided to build sewer lines for the developers' pipe dreams without getting any financial guarantees from them. Denby's "conservative" Republican buddies on the Livingston County Commission aided and abetted the plan, giving county backing to the bonds. Now the township can't make its payments to the county for the bonds because the projects failed.
Now that the chickens have come home to roost, Denby has moved on. Voters rewarded her by electing her state representative in 2008 and then re-elected her in 2010.
Because she is "conservative."
Their elected representatives -- the all-Republican Livingston County Commission -- has decided to give $100,000 to Handy Township for legal fees over an uncompleted sewer line. The line was part of an expansion the township was constructing for a private developer. The bonds were backed by the county, which puts all county taxpayers on the hook for paying them off. The first construction company failed to complete the sewer line and walked away in 2008. The second one hired to finish the job also gave up on it and its owner says the county failed to inform it of numerous difficulties with the project when the company bid on it. Now the matter is in the courts, and Handy Township needed money for legal fees.
Whose idea was this mess anyway?
Why, none other than Livingston County's own Rep. Cindy Denby. The so-called conservative Republican lawmaker was township supervisor when the project was initiated. She was in charge when the township, with a population of roughly 7,000, decided it needed not one, not two, but three more subdivisions in the township, (on top of another one in the village of Fowlerville.) Combined, they would have added thousands more households to the 2,500 in the townships. Even as the auto industry shed thousands of jobs in Michigan that decade, Denby listened to the snake oil sales pitch private developers were giving and decided to build sewer lines for the developers' pipe dreams without getting any financial guarantees from them. Denby's "conservative" Republican buddies on the Livingston County Commission aided and abetted the plan, giving county backing to the bonds. Now the township can't make its payments to the county for the bonds because the projects failed.
Now that the chickens have come home to roost, Denby has moved on. Voters rewarded her by electing her state representative in 2008 and then re-elected her in 2010.
Because she is "conservative."
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Something to Watch from State of State
Livingston County should keep a close eye on one piece of legislation outlined in the State of the State message on Wednesday (Jan. 19, 2011). That's the proposal to let emergency financial managers intervene earlier in entites with severe financial problems.
How could that possibly affect Livingston County, one of the wealthiest counties in the state and with the often-bragged about lowest tax rate?
The fact is several townships may soon be unable to pay back their share of the $100 million the county has borrowed for them in order to build water and sewer systems for private developers, who later walked away from the projects and left taxpayers holding the bag. One of the worst affected is Handy Township, who got deeply in debt when Republican Rep. Cindy Denby was township supervisor and thought the world was going to move to Handy Township even as the Michigan economy shed jobs by the hundreds of thousands throughout the decade.
If Handy Township can't make it's debt payments, will a financial manager be needed? Will Denby and the other Republican lawmakers from the county slip something into this bill to help out Livingston County -- like that $5 million taxpayer bailout they proposed earlier?
Keep your eye on the ball.
How could that possibly affect Livingston County, one of the wealthiest counties in the state and with the often-bragged about lowest tax rate?
The fact is several townships may soon be unable to pay back their share of the $100 million the county has borrowed for them in order to build water and sewer systems for private developers, who later walked away from the projects and left taxpayers holding the bag. One of the worst affected is Handy Township, who got deeply in debt when Republican Rep. Cindy Denby was township supervisor and thought the world was going to move to Handy Township even as the Michigan economy shed jobs by the hundreds of thousands throughout the decade.
If Handy Township can't make it's debt payments, will a financial manager be needed? Will Denby and the other Republican lawmakers from the county slip something into this bill to help out Livingston County -- like that $5 million taxpayer bailout they proposed earlier?
Keep your eye on the ball.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Was the Michigan Economy Bad Early in Last Decade?
Democratic candidates for Livingston County Commission rightly made this county's $100 million debt for overbuilding subdivisions an issue in the last campaign. But defenders of the Republican regime insisted that the multiple special assessment districts that were approved by townships, and then backed by county taxpayers, were not foolish investments. Nobody could see economic problems coming in Michigan, taxpayers were told over and over, so it was perfectly logical to keep approving more and more subdivisions that remain unfilled.
But now, when it comes time to assess the performance of Gov. Jennifer Granholm, people have changed their tune. Turns out, the economy was lousy all through the last decade and Granholm should have recognized it.
According to a Livingston Press and Argus editorial on Sunday (Dec. 12, 2010):
"While Michigan's economy has long bounced up and down with the domestic auto industry, there was no reason to believe that was going to be the case with the slump that greeted Granholm. There was plenty of reason to think otherwise.
"Michigan, as Comerica Bank economist Dana Johnson said early in the decade, had the most to lose because it, by far, had the highest percentage of manufacturing jobs. The state was not enduring a cyclical fluctuation, but instead enduring a fundamental shift.
"Over the last decade, Michigan has been suffering greatly while the rest of the country was doing well or at least limping by. That all changed by the end of 2008, when the rest of the nation's fortunes crashed. But Michigan had been in those economic throes for up to eight years by then."
So, according to the editorial, Granholm should have recognized the state's fundamental economic problems earlier, but county leaders like Maggie Jones, Dave Domas, Carol Griffith, and Jack LaBelle, (and state Rep. Cindy Denby) could not be expected to have reached the same conclusions and stopped putting taxpayers on the hook for subdivisions that are near ghost towns.
Granholm should have seen it coming, but Republicans here in Livingston County shouldn't be held to the same standard.
That's a double standard if there ever was one.
But now, when it comes time to assess the performance of Gov. Jennifer Granholm, people have changed their tune. Turns out, the economy was lousy all through the last decade and Granholm should have recognized it.
According to a Livingston Press and Argus editorial on Sunday (Dec. 12, 2010):
"While Michigan's economy has long bounced up and down with the domestic auto industry, there was no reason to believe that was going to be the case with the slump that greeted Granholm. There was plenty of reason to think otherwise.
"Michigan, as Comerica Bank economist Dana Johnson said early in the decade, had the most to lose because it, by far, had the highest percentage of manufacturing jobs. The state was not enduring a cyclical fluctuation, but instead enduring a fundamental shift.
"Over the last decade, Michigan has been suffering greatly while the rest of the country was doing well or at least limping by. That all changed by the end of 2008, when the rest of the nation's fortunes crashed. But Michigan had been in those economic throes for up to eight years by then."
So, according to the editorial, Granholm should have recognized the state's fundamental economic problems earlier, but county leaders like Maggie Jones, Dave Domas, Carol Griffith, and Jack LaBelle, (and state Rep. Cindy Denby) could not be expected to have reached the same conclusions and stopped putting taxpayers on the hook for subdivisions that are near ghost towns.
Granholm should have seen it coming, but Republicans here in Livingston County shouldn't be held to the same standard.
That's a double standard if there ever was one.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
In the 47th, Dem Candidate Means Business
Republicans like to think they have a corner on the market when it comes to having people with business experience in their party. And they like to paint Democrats as a bunch of professional politicians with no understanding of how to meet a payroll or turn a profit.
Well, Republicans won't be able to use that false perception this year in the race for the 47th District House seat. This time, it's the Democrat who has the business experience and the Republican who is the politician.
Garry Post of Hamburg Township, who filed papers on Monday for the Democratic nomination, has owned and operated a manufacturing business and managed real estate. The incumbent, Republican Cindy Denby, has been in the job two years and before that was chief of staff for the Republican who held the job before that, Joe Hune. The 47th district includes the townships of Cohoctah, Conway, Deerfield, Hamburg, Handy, Hartland, Howell, Iosco, Putnam, Tyrone, and Unadilla, most of the city of Howell, and that portion of Marion Township included within the city limits of Howell.
A graduate of the University of Michigan, Post also has a law degree from Detroit College of Law, and a degree from the Duke University Fuqua School of Business’ "mini-MBA" program. He established a law firm in Michigan before moving to North Carolina in 1988 to pursue a career in manufacturing, becoming president and chief operating officer of Athol Manufacturing Corporation. Athol supplied vinyl coated fabrics for cars, truck and buses including major mid-level automotive companies.
"I know what it is like to create a product and to create jobs in the business world. I want to bring that perspective to Lansing as the next representative for our district," Post said in his announcement.
After the company was sold in 2000, Post began a career in real estate management and development in Ann Arbor with a focus on serving students.
You can read more about Post's background by visiting his website.
In the 47th House race, it's clear which candidate has the best resume for what Michigan needs right now.
Well, Republicans won't be able to use that false perception this year in the race for the 47th District House seat. This time, it's the Democrat who has the business experience and the Republican who is the politician.
Garry Post of Hamburg Township, who filed papers on Monday for the Democratic nomination, has owned and operated a manufacturing business and managed real estate. The incumbent, Republican Cindy Denby, has been in the job two years and before that was chief of staff for the Republican who held the job before that, Joe Hune. The 47th district includes the townships of Cohoctah, Conway, Deerfield, Hamburg, Handy, Hartland, Howell, Iosco, Putnam, Tyrone, and Unadilla, most of the city of Howell, and that portion of Marion Township included within the city limits of Howell.
A graduate of the University of Michigan, Post also has a law degree from Detroit College of Law, and a degree from the Duke University Fuqua School of Business’ "mini-MBA" program. He established a law firm in Michigan before moving to North Carolina in 1988 to pursue a career in manufacturing, becoming president and chief operating officer of Athol Manufacturing Corporation. Athol supplied vinyl coated fabrics for cars, truck and buses including major mid-level automotive companies.
"I know what it is like to create a product and to create jobs in the business world. I want to bring that perspective to Lansing as the next representative for our district," Post said in his announcement.
After the company was sold in 2000, Post began a career in real estate management and development in Ann Arbor with a focus on serving students.
You can read more about Post's background by visiting his website.
In the 47th House race, it's clear which candidate has the best resume for what Michigan needs right now.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Denby Emerges from Obscurity
So Cindy Denby really does exist.
I was beginning to wonder if Livingston County still had two representatives in the Michigan House or if Denby had been kidnapped by aliens. But she surfaced Sunday (July 19, 2009) with an op-ed in the Livingston Press and Argus.
I thought Denby was a nice person during the 2008 campaign, but I can't say she has been at all impressive as a legislator.
Especially when her op-ed touting a meeting on agriculture fails to mention what day it will occur.
I was beginning to wonder if Livingston County still had two representatives in the Michigan House or if Denby had been kidnapped by aliens. But she surfaced Sunday (July 19, 2009) with an op-ed in the Livingston Press and Argus.
I thought Denby was a nice person during the 2008 campaign, but I can't say she has been at all impressive as a legislator.
Especially when her op-ed touting a meeting on agriculture fails to mention what day it will occur.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Anderson vs. Rogers in 66th District -- Who's Really Experienced?
It's time for the main event in the race for the two Livingston County seats in the Michigan House.
In House District 66, Democrat Donna Anderson defeated her young opponent, while Bill Rogers won the Republican primary.
Neither one has ever served a day in the Michigan House. So as far as I'm concerned, they start off on equal footing. Neither one is more experienced than the other when it comes to being a state lawmaker.
In House District 47. Democrat Scott Lucas had no opposition. He now knows that his opponent will be Republican Cindy Denby. Denby was on the staff of outgoing Republican Rep. Joe Hune, who voted against the school aid bill that provided more funding to Livingston County schools. Denby's performance in the recent Livingston Press and Argus debate was less than impressive for someone who claims to know her way around Lansing.
These will be competitive races -- especially if you volunteer to help Anderson and Lucas in their campaigns!
In House District 66, Democrat Donna Anderson defeated her young opponent, while Bill Rogers won the Republican primary.
Neither one has ever served a day in the Michigan House. So as far as I'm concerned, they start off on equal footing. Neither one is more experienced than the other when it comes to being a state lawmaker.
In House District 47. Democrat Scott Lucas had no opposition. He now knows that his opponent will be Republican Cindy Denby. Denby was on the staff of outgoing Republican Rep. Joe Hune, who voted against the school aid bill that provided more funding to Livingston County schools. Denby's performance in the recent Livingston Press and Argus debate was less than impressive for someone who claims to know her way around Lansing.
These will be competitive races -- especially if you volunteer to help Anderson and Lucas in their campaigns!
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