Dan Gilmartin is the executive director of the Michigan Municipal League and is recognized as a leader in local government reform. He was one of the speakers at a Placemaking Summit in Traverse City. Watch the video to find out why Gilmartin thinks it’s important for Michigan to have competitive places.
Maple City area resident Jan Waling (pronounced “Yon Whaling”) is used to being incognito. His job has been to make others shine at what they do. For more than 30 years, Waling has sweetened the sound of performers’ music and voices at concert venues near and far, helping with the setup, running the mixing board and, eventually, recording performances — live and in the studio.
In reality, there are three parties actively running in these midterm elections: Democratic incumbents, Republican moderates and Republican Tea Party extremists who would have us storm the kitchen, fire the chefs, dump out the giant vat of slow-cooking soup, and start all over again. Michigan largely appears to have bucked the trend of Tea Party-rage this election season.