FedGov Screws Up Again - Manufacturing Grant Goes to Canton

**Meddle** · February-23-14, 09:32 PM

When they spend this kind of money, it should be IN town, in the area that needs help, not out in YuppieVille that's already loaded with resources.

http://www.freep.com/article/2014022...anton-Township

GUSHI · February-23-14, 09:38 PM

I agree y not Detroit.

**313WX** · February-23-14, 09:43 PM

Also agreed.

Granted, I imagine the people who have/had a say in this plan live out in YuppieVille that's already loaded with resources who probably didn't want to have the "misfortune" of doing business IN Detroit.

**401don** · February-23-14, 10:16 PM

The Feds accepted the only bid they received from Michigan. Should they have turned it down and given it to another state because it wasn't inside Detroit?

**MikeyinBrooklyn** · February-23-14, 10:31 PM

The title of this thread could lead to posts that last until the end of time. I agree with 401Don. We couldn't win when we don't submit a bid. Like with the silly reports in the paper the other day about Detroit getting a 2016 political convention: while we have not missed the absolute final deadline, all the cities seriously bidding already have planned out bids and flown in the relevant subcommittee members to see their cities. And for what it's worth, Detroit benefits from the suburbs growth. People working in Canton spend money all over metro Detroit, including the city. LBrooks rants notwithstanding, strong suburbs help Detroit.

**noise** · February-23-14, 10:41 PM

No, not every single positive thing happening in Michigan should only happen in Detroit.

Especially when you didn't read or understand the details.

**DetroiterOnTheWestCoast** · February-23-14, 11:12 PM

Originally Posted by 401don

The Feds accepted the only bid they received from Michigan. Should they have turned it down and given it to another state because it wasn't inside Detroit?

Can we change the title to MI Gov Screws Up Again? It would have been nice if Michigan pitched a Detroit location. But that wouldn't have played as well to Snyder's base.

**DetroitPlanner** · February-23-14, 11:26 PM

1. Canton is hardly yuppieville. It has at least two Walmart stores.

2. Seriously. The goal of this site is to strengthen the Detroit-Windsor Metropolis. Detroit has had a lot of wins lately at the expense of suburbs. I say this because many of the jobs downtown now a few years ago were in suburban areas. These equate to a zero-sum gain. We need new jobs in our region, I don't care where they are located. Yes it would be nice if they were in the City Center, but new real jobs means more new jobs throughout the region through spin-offs. Detroit will gain jobs from this both as a region and as a City.

http://www.detroityes.com/about.php

"Detroit. What went wrong? How can we heal it? Where are we going? The DetroitYES! Project takes on these questions by providing a cyberspace setting where an audience of those who care can meet, discuss, and discover the way forward toward resolution of the complex and evolving issues facing the struggling Detroit-Windsor international metropolis."

**MikeyinBrooklyn** · February-23-14, 11:32 PM

Originally Posted by DetroiterOnTheWestCoast

Can we change the title to MI Gov Screws Up Again? It would have been nice if Michigan pitched a Detroit location. But that wouldn't have played as well to Snyder's base.

Pretending for a moment I agree with the premise of your statement about Engler and his base, what great things did Jennifer Granholm do for Detroit in her 8 years as Governor, or was she playing to Snyder's base, too?

Yes, Snyder hates Detroit so much he's actually trying to fix it. The bastard!

**Honky Tonk** · February-24-14, 08:17 AM

Originally Posted by MikeyinBrooklyn

Pretending for a moment I agree with the premise of your statement about Engler and his base, what great things did Jennifer Granholm do for Detroit in her 8 years as Governor, or was she playing to Snyder's base, too?

Yes, Snyder hates Detroit so much he's actually trying to fix it. The bastard!

Thank you for that, sir.

**DetroitPlanner** · February-24-14, 08:31 AM

Originally Posted by MikeyinBrooklyn

Pretending for a moment I agree with the premise of your statement about Engler and his base, what great things did Jennifer Granholm do for Detroit in her 8 years as Governor, or was she playing to Snyder's base, too?

Yes, Snyder hates Detroit so much he's actually trying to fix it. The bastard!

Another thing to consider is that this is a republican congressional district. Don't you think that a democratic President if given the choice would have located something like this in a partisan district?

**401don** · February-24-14, 08:46 AM

You have to wonder though if these job numbers are pie in the sky. If it creates 2,000 NET new jobs it will be well worth the investment. Gov'ts are spending hundreds of millions to attract plants to employ 1,000 and this is going to create 10,000 jobs with 140 million, only half of which is gov't money? Gov'ts are always talking about this type of partnership. Why wasn't it done sooner?

**Hermod** · February-24-14, 08:58 AM

Originally Posted by MikeyinBrooklyn

Yes, Snyder hates Detroit so much he's actually trying to fix it. The bastard!

"Why brought ye us from bondage,
Our loved Egyptian night?"
Kipling

**rex** · February-24-14, 09:04 AM

why is the state government only bidding on one project?
Still good news no matter how you look at it.

**RO_Resident** · February-24-14, 10:09 AM

Originally Posted by rex

why is the state government only bidding on one project?
Still good news no matter how you look at it.

There was a consortium of bidders. The partners go well beyond Michigan and Ohio.

Highlighted the public/non-profit partners with local connections. I probably missed a few. [[Thanks CBS News).

Among the LM3I Institute’s 34 corporate partners are ABS, AEM, Alcoa Technology, Boeing, Comau, Easom Automation, EWI, Fabrisonic, Flash Bainite Steel, GE, Honda North American Services, Huys, Infinium Inc., Innovative Weld Solutions, ITW, Lockheed Martin, Luvata, Materion, MesoCoat, MTI, NanoSteel Co., Optomec, Phoenix Integration, PowderMet, RealWeld, RTI International Metals, SaCell, Southwest Research Institute, Steel Warehouse Co., ThermoCalc, Timet, Trumpf Inc., UTRC and Wolf Robotics.

University partners are the Colorado School of Mines, Michigan State University, Michigan Technological University, Ohio State University, University of Kentucky, University of Michigan, University of Notre Dame, University of Tennessee and Wayne State University.
Organizational partners are the American Foundry Society, American Welding Society, ASM International, the Center for Automotive Research, Columbus State Community College, Conexus Indiana, Det Norske Veritas, Focus: Hope, International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers, Ivy Tech, Macomb Community College, Magnet, Pellissippi State Community College, the states of Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio, and the Southeast Michigan Workforce Intelligence Network.

These types of programs tend to go far and wide.

**401don** · February-24-14, 10:13 AM

Originally Posted by rex

why is the state government only bidding on one project?
Still good news no matter how you look at it.

It was a collaboration of Ohio, Mich, U of M/Ohio State [[who'd of thought) and 50 other profit/non-profits. Pretty complex to expect a second bid.

**Bham1982** · February-24-14, 10:48 AM

Since when did Canton become "yuppieville"?

And people keep saying "geez, we should concentrate resources in existing areas where people actually live". That's what they're doing here, and everyone complains. Canton is pretty much built out, fairly heavily populated, and a relatively mature community.

What people mean to say is "don't concentrate resources where people live, concentrate them in bombed-out areas with 90% population loss where the only people living there have no choice, and any investments have to be deeply subsidized".

**Honky Tonk** · February-24-14, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by 401don

The Feds accepted the only bid they received from Michigan. Should they have turned it down and given it to another state because it wasn't inside Detroit?

The bigger question is WHY didn't our City fathers put in or proposition the State to put in a bid for Detroit? Too busy with more pressing issues, I guess.

**iheartthed** · February-24-14, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

Since when did Canton become "yuppieville"?

And people keep saying "geez, we should concentrate resources in existing areas where people actually live". That's what they're doing here, and everyone complains. Canton is pretty much built out, fairly heavily populated, and a relatively mature community.

What people mean to say is "don't concentrate resources where people live, concentrate them in bombed-out areas with 90% population loss where the only people living there have no choice, and any investments have to be deeply subsidized".

I don't recall news of a bomb ever going off in Detroit.

**DetroiterOnTheWestCoast** · February-24-14, 03:22 PM

At least its not in Oakland county.

**iheartthed** · February-24-14, 03:37 PM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

The bigger question is WHY didn't our City fathers put in or proposition the State to put in a bid for Detroit? Too busy with more pressing issues, I guess.

Were they ever approached about submitting a bid?

**Honky Tonk** · February-24-14, 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Were they ever approached about submitting a bid?

Well, instead of playing "Whose Fault Is It Anyway", I would think someone in elected office, in a City in need, would stay connected enough to the outside world to keep abreast of such things. I remember reading some of the Council members had assistants three and four layers deep.

**iheartthed** · February-24-14, 04:58 PM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

Well, instead of playing "Whose Fault Is It Anyway", I would think someone in elected office, in a City in need, would stay connected enough to the outside world to keep abreast of such things. I remember reading some of the Council members had assistants three and four layers deep.

That doesn't answer the question. If the state wanted to put this in Detroit then they would've contacted the city and said "hey, let's make this work." Now, it's possible that they did do that and the city told them to screw off... But that's very hard to imagine since the city is under state control right now. It sounds like Detroit was either not considered as a location or Detroit was considered but the powers that be chose Canton over Detroit.

**coracle** · February-24-14, 06:33 PM

However many good jobs come to Michigan because of this project they cannot be credited to Gov. Snyder' policies because they will be in the wrong place, employ the wrong people and be non-Union positions. You can only credit Snyder with the result if Michigan had lost the project.

**Honky Tonk** · February-24-14, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

That doesn't answer the question. If the state wanted to put this in Detroit then they would've contacted the city and said "hey, let's make this work." Now, it's possible that they did do that and the city told them to screw off... But that's very hard to imagine since the city is under state control right now. It sounds like Detroit was either not considered as a location or Detroit was considered but the powers that be chose Canton over Detroit.

Ok then, My answer is "I don't know". When were the bids originally taken? Was the City under the States control then? If not, why wasn't someone on the City staff being proactive? I don't ever recall reading an article or announcement saying "We have just put our bid in for _________. If we get it, it will bring numerous jobs to our fair City".