Quote:
Originally Posted by Detroitnerd
http://detnews.com/article/20110912/METRO01/109120339
In honesty, only one person proposed the idea of all the Pointes merging into one city, perhaps meaning in Macomb County.
Lower taxes! That seems weird to me. After all, we had this debate about Grosse Pointe Schools being "schools of choice" and I recall a number of GP residents proudly declaring that they pay high taxes for excellence in services.
So why the haggling over county taxes? Might it be because GP residents resent having to pay taxes that benefit Wayne County in general? Perhaps the racial makeup is an issue here? [[The article does not mention race.)
And then there's a desire to gerrymander themselves out of a Democratic county. One GPS resident says, "We don't have a voice politically. We have not voted Democrat for years and years and we get dragged in."
This is regionalism in reverse. Or "home rule" run amok. How the hell are we ever going to get a unified city and reinvest in our central city with suburban secessionists salivating over a merger with the boonies?
How is this "Home Rule run amok"?
1. Grosse Pointe Shores votes to become a City.
2. More than a year later, it is "discovered" [[no, I don't think this was just discovered) that, because a portion of the now-city is located in Macomb County, the Shores could more to that county.
3. Obviously, the discussion of merging the Pointes - a discussion that's gone on forever - is re-energized by the possibility that a merged Pointes could apply the same law and move to Macomb County, where it seems a disproportionate number of people from the Pointes has been moving to for the past 10 years.
4. Grosse Pointers are OK with paying higher school taxes because they control that money. County taxes are not in the control of Grosse Pointers, and are perceived to be wasted funds. Thus, the lower taxes of Macomb County are more attractive.
5. I don't understand how this is considered suburban secessation from a central city. We are talking about counties here.
Though disproportionately so, the lack of county funds from Pointe residents will be SOMEWHAT offset by the reduction in area and people to provide services to, etc.
6. The race thing...not sure about that. 2/3 of Wayne County is not Detroit, and a big majority of that 2/3 is white. Granted, 90% of Macomb is white, but I think it has more to do with perhaps classism and certainly #3, above. If this was really about race, something would have been done a long time ago. I think that, after years and years and years of holding on, the Shores is doing what it has known it could do...become a city and move to Macomb County. The discussion obviously re-ignites the Pointe's consolidation considerations.
From a regional perspective, Grosse Pointe was never Detroit, and if it moves to Macomb County, the "Tri-County" area is still the Tri-County area.