Good Riddance To Emergency Manager Joseph Harris

Latest


After several tumultuous years, Joseph Harris, the Emergency Financial Manager in Benton Harbor, Michigan, is finally gone. He was a total failure. Joseph Harris made several false statements and made several federal and state violations. He also increased the budget deficits and defaulted in his duties. The whole experience shows why the people should be self-governed.
Welcome to Benton Harbor, Michigan! The citizens of Benton Harbor, and the State of Michigan voted to disband the controversial state Emergency Manager takeover law, Public Act 4 in the Nov. 6, 2012 general election.  However, less than two months after the election, Governor Rick Snyder and the Republican controlled state legislature began crafting a new law—another version of the same bill—which passed during the lame duck session.

protest against manager Joe Harris
Emergency manager Joe Harris is paid $11,000 per month by the city of Benton Harbor. The per-capita income in Benton Harbor is approximately $10,000 annually.

The new emergency law, Public Act 436, replaced Public Act 72, which had been in effect once the emergency manager law was shot down in the general election.  The new law, Public Act 436, is also called the Local Financial government Stability and Control Act. The new law gives government or a corporation that wants to take over a troubled local government four choices: Chapter 9 bankruptcy, receivership, a consent agreement or mediation.
The new law is the same as the old law with stronger teeth. Like the old law, it undermines democracy. It gives emergency managers the authority to break union contracts and strip elected officials of their power.
The majority of African-American cities in Michigan are under the new Emergency Manager law: Flint, Pontiac, Ecorse, Allen Park, and Benton Harbor, as are three school districts in Detroit, Highland Park, and Muskegon Heights.

Benton Harbor’s new Emergency Manager, Tony Saunders II.
Benton Harbor’s new Emergency Manager, Tony Saunders II. Photo/Rev. Edward Pinkney

We are seeing the merging of government and corporations.
Tony Saunders has taken over the city of Benton Harbor Emergency Manager duties. The media claims Saunders served as an advisor for the Detroit suburb, Highland Park.  On Feb. 11, 2013, Tony Saunders sang to the Benton Harbor residents. He sang and some Benton Harbor residents danced. It was Déjà Vu all over again. It was the same old story of corporate takeover.
We the citizens of Benton Harbor, Michigan have had enough of government imposed grossly incompetent dictators. The reason Tony Saunders is here is for the continued control by the Whirlpool Corporation over the residents of Benton Harbor. We the people must fight back for control of our city.

+ Articles by this author

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

War No More – Veterans Reflect on the Meaning of Memorial Day

Veterans for Peace say wars will not end, – and nuclear war will not be averted – unless there is a sea-change in the thinking of the U.S. people and our political leaders.

Harvard University Stands Up to Illegal Federal Government Actions

Read letter by Harvard President Alan M. Garner, about the University's stance on the Federal government's illegal actions to force Harvard to give up the school's academic independence and academic freedom.

Trump’s Big Cruel, Deadly Policy Bill is a Healthcare Heist

Outrage is rising against Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” that would give massive tax breaks to the rich while slashing Medicaid, nutrition, and clean energy. Some say 14 million people could lose health coverage.

Is FREE Electricity in our Future?

Electricity should be a right, free to all.  Yet, for-profit energy companies set prices to maximize profits to shareholders, even when users can’t afford the prices and suffer shutoffs.

Let’s Rein in U.S. Military Spending Before it Destroys Us

Excessive military spending has bankrupted the country and eaten up money we need for human needs. What's more, the billionaires' reliance on war as a foreign policy instrument threatens to destroy the world.

More from the People's Tribune