The Detroit News. October 27, 2018
Bail reform could benefit taxpayers
Bail systems are designed to protect public safety and ensure criminal defendants appear in court for their trial. Recent research from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy suggests Michigan’s current system doesn’t accomplish either of these goals efficiently, while also unnecessarily burdening defendants and taxpayers.
Michigan should look to what’s working in other states and take steps to make improvements here.
A judge now has three options for handling a defendant awaiting trial: deny bond and keep him or her locked up; release the defendant on personal recognizance, or issue conditional release in which a defendant must provide collateral before going free.
Bail can only be denied outright if there is proof that the accused is guilty, and if bail is set, it must not be excessive. But because judges don’t know the financial standing of the defendant, bail is often too high. The result is that too many individuals are unnecessarily forced to sit in jail waiting for their trail.
And the costs of that detainment can be significant. In jail, defendants - who are presumed legally innocent - cannot work, pay rent, or care for their children. Michigan taxpayers foot the bill for the lock-up time.
About 41 percent of an estimated 16,350 jail inmates at the end of 2013 were awaiting trial in Michigan. At an average daily cost of $75 a day, that would amount to $500,000 a day, and more than $180 million a year.
Michigan should adopt a results-based approach to bail.
In New Jersey, only 44 people posted money bail of more than 140,000 defendants who faced criminal charges in 2017. Releasing most defendants awaiting trial caused a 20 percent decrease in pre-trial jail populations and saved taxpayers millions.
There was no risk to the public. In fact, murders, robberies, and assaults decreased in the state that year.
New Jersey’s success is due in large measure to its use of case managers who help supervise defendants as they await trail. This means defendants can continue to live their lives while receiving support for issues that could impact their ability or willingness to appear in court such as substance abuse problems and employment pressures.
Michigan should weigh the cost of caseworkers against the cost of jailing those awaiting trial.
The state should also consider instituting a risk assessment questionnaire - as has been done in New Jersey and Indiana - to quantify statistical risk to society and likelihood of court appearance based on factors such as age, criminal history, and financial standing. With such a tool judges would be better informed when determining bail.
Keeping defendants locked up because they can’t come up with the cash to post bail creates an unequal justice system in which the poor are unduly burdened. Many misdemeanor defendants feel pressure to plead guilty because the actual sentence will require less time in jail than would be served waiting for a trail.
Those who can’t pay may also turn to additional crime to raise the bond money.
Solutions applied in other states save taxpayers money and better serve the causes of justice and public safety.
Michigan should adopt them.
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Times Herald (Port Huron). October 25, 2018
Mitchell best choice for Congress
Voters should re-elect Paul Mitchell to represent Michigan’s 10th District in the U.S. Congress.
He has the experience, attitude, and track record to best represent the residents of the Thumb.
In his first term, Mitchell has delivered on his promises to those who voted him into office. He helped lead opposition to the Ontario Power Generation nuclear waste dump and helped preserve the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which has been valuable in restoring area waterways and fish habitat, and fought to get the Army Corps of Engineers to do something about Asian carp. He has stood up for Michigan taxpayers and farmers.
Mostly, he has gotten things done. And he has done it without the partisan rancor that corrodes our politics today. Mitchell has engaged with congressmen of both parties to get things done in the House.
Now, it is time he engaged with the constituents in his district to make sure their voices are being heard in Washington. Mitchell, in his first term, was one of the Republican congressmen who avoided face-to-face town halls with the people who elected him. He instead opted for telephone conference calls with a pre-picked audience designed to avoid hard questions.
In his second term, we hope he can arrange town hall meetings to hear from his constituents. If he can work with Democrats in Congress, he should be able to work with voters in Marlette or Marine City.
Mitchell is the best candidate for the 10th District.
His challengers are not bad choices.
Democrat Kimberly Bizon has an impressive resume of environmental and political activism and there is no question that she would represent the Blue Water Area and all of the Great Lakes state well in Congress. Her calls for common sense gun reforms and better protection for needy families and their health care should also appeal to many of the district’s voters.
Voters would also do well to consider the independent and third-party candidates in the race.
Jeremy Peruski has done an impressive job campaigning as an independent. Unlike most candidates who separate themselves from the established parties, he has established himself as a serious, earnest candidate that voters should be paying attention to. While he calls himself a middle-ground candidate willing to work with anyone, he seems more an old-school conservative who believes in fiscal restraint and responsibility while also holding people and families above corporations and special interests.
Green Party candidate Harley Mikkelson calls himself the left-most of the four, but his ideas and plans are more mainstream than that.
Mitchell has a record of serving the district well. Vote for him Nov. 6.
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Grand Haven Tribune. October 26, 2018
Who knew the railroad was so callous?
The Michigan Shore Railroad is heading down the wrong tracks with the timing of a grade crossing project near Grand Haven High School.
Why would anyone schedule track maintenance work right outside an already congested and troublesome entrance to a high school during a school week?
“We know it’s going to be a nightmare,” Grand Haven Area Public Schools Superintendent Andy Ingall said.
The railroad did it with little warning to Grand Haven schools, which would be majorly affected by it, and Grand Haven Township officials. Actually, they apparently only notified the Ottawa County Road Commission, which alerted the school system and township.
The railroad wants to reconstruct the grade crossing at Ferris Street just west of U.S. 31. If you’ve ever been there in the morning for the start of the day at Grand Haven High School - which is just a stone’s throw away from the crossing - or at the end of the school day, then you know how many cars and buses cross those tracks on their way in or out of the school campus.
But the thing is, school is not always in session. There are two and a half months during summer (which, by the way, is a better time of the year for any construction work in Michigan!) when the high school traffic is light. Close it for two weeks at that time, if you want. Or spring break week. But not when school is in session.
The work and road closure were incorrectly reported to take place during the week of Oct. 22. It is actually scheduled for the week of Oct. 29.
Big deal. Unless it is an emergency, one that the railroad can’t safely run on those tracks, then the project should be postponed until next summer. Or it should have been done before school started this fall.
“This construction and detour will have a huge impact on school traffic and will likely create significant delays and confusion at the Ferris and U.S. 31 intersection, especially during the morning,” Grand Haven Township Manager Bill Cargo said in his weekly township report Oct. 19. “The township has tried to have the railroad reschedule the work - so far, no luck.”
Ingall said the school district was not asked by the railroad company for consultation.
“They just made the decision and we learned about it in real time, just like everybody,” he told the Tribune for a story Oct. 20. “We’re very disappointed about that.”
Ingall said the school district is working with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office to convince Michigan Shore Railroad to reconsider the work for another time.
As of now, Ferris Street will be completely closed off to traffic at the crossing starting Monday, Oct. 29, and is expected to be closed for one week. A signed detour will follow U.S. 31 north to Hayes Street, west to Lakeshore Drive and then south to Ferris Street.
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Lansing State Journal. October 28, 2018
Witwer the best choice for Michigan’s 71st House District in Eaton County
With Michigan’s gerrymandered legislative districts, it can be difficult to find truly contested general election races. The bid to become the next state representative for the 71st District is one of those races. The district stretches from the more urban and growing Delta Township to the rural areas in western Eaton County. In this race, more than some, voter turnout will be a huge factor.
Incumbent Tom Barrett is vacating his seat in hopes of becoming a state senator. Republican Christine Barnes and Democrat Angela Witwer have been fighting - sometimes bitterly - to be the voters’ choice to replace him.
Both candidates have been targeted in campaign ads attacking their financial histories. Witwer was late on her property taxes in 2003, 2004 and 2006, and made an incomplete payment in 2001. Barnes also had late property tax issues, in 2014 and 2017. And records show she has filed for bankruptcy twice - in 1998 and 2008.
These issues are concerning considering whoever is elected will be making decisions about how taxpayers’ money is spent. The LSJ Editorial Board endorses Witwer as the better candidate to serve the 71st District.
Witwer’s experience as a small business owner and elected Waverly School Board member will serve her well in the House. She said her priorities would be addressing Michigan’s crumbling roads, improving public education by addressing issues such as teacher pay, standardized testing and closing the Proposal A loophole; and working on health care issues.
Barnes is not a newcomer to local politics. She served on the Eaton County Board of Commissioners and is eager to be part of a bipartisan team finding solutions to the state’s problems. Her priorities would be auto insurance reform, roads and infrastructure and public safety.
Barnes and Witwer both spoke of bringing civility back into politics. Both women seem to have the wherewithal to speak their minds and vote their conscience.
Even before their financial issues surfaced, this was a tossup race in a tossup district. Witwer gets the edge.
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