Update: Just hours after this segment aired, the Michigan Senate passed a measure that would put $71 million toward food assistance. Supporters say it wouldn’t take effect by Nov. 1 or cover all SNAP benefits, but it would help food banks bridge the gap in the meantime. The measure still needs approval from the House. (Reporting by Colin Jackson, MPRN)
In Michigan, roughly 1.4 million residents rely on those benefits to stretch their grocery budgets. The federal pause means November’s payments could be delayed — a disruption that would ripple through the entire food system. Families will face the prospect of empty dinner tables, while local grocers, food co-ops, and urban farms brace for reduced spending.
In Detroit, one person working to keep the city’s food systems healthy amid the uncertainty is Amanda Brezzell, co-founder and creative director of Fennigan’s Farms, an urban agriculture and community design studio devoted to food access, sustainability, and resilience.
Brezzell joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to describe what she’s hearing from residents and what advocates are doing in real time.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.
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Food stamps will not be available in Michigan next month.
The state Department of Health and Humans Services says it’s been instructed by federal officials to pause the Snap benefits program in November as a result of funding gaps caused by the ongoing federal government shutdown. Around 13% of Michigan households rely on Snap benefits—roughly 1.4 million residents.
In a statement, the State of Michigan said the program will remained be paused until further notice.
Additional headlines from Thursday, October 23, 2025
Hamtramck’s former Chief Altaheri allowed to resign, collect severance pay after lawsuit
Former Police Chief of Hamtramck Jamiel Altaheri has reached an agreement with the city that allows him to resign and receive five months of his salary as severance. His resignations is being back dated to August.
Altaheri was the first Yemeni American and Muslim police chief in the city. Tensions between Altaheri and the former city manager led to an internal investigation. Allegations against Altaheri prompted him to sue the city.
Eventually Altaheri agreed to drop the lawsuit, and resign instead of being fired.
Honorary street sign
Community organization Dream of Detroit is asking for support from residents to get an honorary street sign for Imam Abdullah Bey El-Amin on the corner of Davison Street and Woodrow Wilson Street on Detroit’s west side.
El-Amin was a prominent faith leader in Detroit and co-founder of the Muslim Center of Detroit. He died in March of 2023. Dream of Detroit is asking residents to give messages of support to city council at their next formal session, Tuesday October 28.
Michigan Starters Coalition seeks to remove barriers for new entrepreneurs
An entrepreneurial advocacy group Right to Start is launching the Michigan Starters Coalition. It’s a statewide initiative promoting entrepreneurship as a civic priority.
The group aims to educate lawmakers about removing barriers to starting and growing a business and increasing public awareness about how starting new businesses drives economic growth. To learn more visit righttostart.org/michiganstarters
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Detroit has always run on women’s strength: holding families together, organizing blocks, running the quiet machinery of care.
Now, the city is giving that strength a formal voice.
The Detroit Women’s Commission is a new group in the mayor’s office. They’re meeting monthly to discuss challenges women face in Detroit. And how to improve the lives and experiences of women calling Detroit home.
It’s getting started at an interesting time. Detroit could have its first woman mayor in November, a mayor that this commission would be working with.
Producer Jack Filbrandt spoke with Detroit Documenters Colleen Cirocco and Noah Kincade to learn more about Detroit’s Women’s Commission.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.
WDET strives to cover what’s happening in your community. As a public media institution, we maintain our ability to explore the music and culture of our region through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
By Beth LeBlanc, Chad Livengood, Melissa Nann Burke, Grant Schwab, MediaNews Group
After vowing to bring state employees back to Lansing, the Legislature’s actual written instructions included in this year’s spending plan leaves much of the decision-making on remote work up to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer‘s administration, as it has been for the past several years.
The so-called boilerplate language in the state budget bill requires state departments to “optimize” in-person work, to monitor remote workers and ensure all state employees comply with Office of State Employer standards.
But it leaves those standards up to Whitmer’s administration, which has allowed state workers to operate under a patchwork of remote work policies that differ by agency since the governor sent them home in March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Additionally, the provisions in the budget require state buildings to have about 80% occupancy, without defining how that occupancy would be measured. Currently, the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget measures building occupancy by available square footage versus the amount of square footage allocated to an agency or tenant.
In other words, an increased occupancy rate, under the current definition, does not necessarily mean more individuals in a building.
House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, had been an outspoken critic of the Whitmer administration’s post-pandemic in-person work requirements, vowing in April to “bring the state workers back to work” through a state budget mandate. One Republican-controlled House committee held a blistering hearing about the issue in May.
When asked about the budget’s work requirements last week, Hall said through a spokesman that the language included in the budget stems from “productive conversations” between Hall and Whitmer about how to get employees back from the office.
While the speaker believes the language represents progress, “the House will be monitoring that progress over the next few weeks to see how it plays out,” said Gideon D’Assandro, a spokesman for Hall.
D’Assandro referred questions on specifics to the governor’s team.
The Department of Technology Management and Budget said it is “constantly evaluating our state-owned buildings and leased footprint.”
“That work will continue as we implement the new boilerplate,” spokeswoman Laura Wotruba said.
The Office of State Employer, when asked about the possibility of new work requirements, did not answer directly.
“The Office of the State Employer is currently reviewing the budget recently signed into law by Gov. Whitmer and will provide information and appropriate guidance to our department and agency partners in the near future,” the office’s spokeswoman, Lauren Leeds, said.
The vagueness of the budget language prompted the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce to formally ask for clarification last week on when workers might return to the capital city. The letter from the chamber’s president and CEO, Tim Daman, seeks a clear timeline for the implementation of return-to-work policies and a clear indication of how occupancy will be measured.
“As the chamber continues to collaborate with state agencies and business partners to strengthen Michigan’s capital region economy, clear communication about the policy’s timing and application will help ensure businesses are prepared to support increased workforce activity downtown,” Daman wrote.
Will autism funding be restored?
The Autism Alliance of Michigan laid off 18 employees last week who worked in their autism navigator program, helping thousands of families find services for their children on the spectrum, said Colleen Allen, president and CEO of the nonprofit organization.
The Autism Alliance’s $2 million appropriation in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services was swept up in targeted spending cuts as lawmakers sought to find funds for a roughly $1.8 billion annual road repair increase.
Allen said the layoffs amounted to half of the organization’s staff and will result in the remaining autism navigator staff being able to serve 1,000 families annually instead of 4,000.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signaled her support for restoring the $2 million in a year-end spending bill.
“The governor included funding for the Autism Alliance in her executive recommendation and would support restoring the funding,” Whitmer spokesman Bobby Leddy said.
But Allen said she couldn’t take a chance of not being able to make payroll in the coming monts if lawmakers don’t come through with promises to restore the funding.
In an Oct. 8 interview, House Speaker Matt Hall said he’s unsure if lawmakers will be able to restore the $2 million program.
“I don’t see a vehicle to do that,” Hall said of restoring the funding. “I don’t think that we wanted it out. I think that essentially there wasn’t enough money left to pay for it.”
The Kalamazoo County Republican characterized the decision to cut the autism navigator program as “an oversight.”
“I think it was also an oversight because I don’t know that anyone intended for it to happen,” Hall told The News.
Hall also labeled the $2 million line-item as “pork,” a description Allen took exception with.
“We’re not an earmark,” Allen said. “We’re embedded in the MDHHS budget.”
Clerks oppose ranked choice voting
County clerks across the state voted unanimously Tuesday to oppose a ballot initiative that would allow for ranked choice voting in Michigan.
The Michigan Association of County Clerks’ rare public rebuke of a ballot initiative was based on concerns over the effect RankMiVote’s voting initiative would have on ballot length, voter confusion, audits and recounts and delayed results.
“We support the rights of voters to amend the state constitution through the initiative process. And as county clerks, it is our duty to implement all election requirements, including this one, if enacted,” Washtenaw County Clerk Larry Kestenbaum said in a statement. “But we feel that this proposal, as written, will have unintended consequences for Michigan elections.”
Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib is scheduled for a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday morning, about seven months after President Donald Trump nominated him to be ambassador to Kuwait.
The hearing comes after New Hampshire U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, last month said the panel’s chairman, Republican Idaho Sen. Jim Risch, had agreed to postpone consideration of Ghalib’s nomination as senators await more details about Ghalib’s background.
Ghalib’s nomination has prompted criticism from groups accusing him of antisemitism and of being anti-Israel. But Ghalib earlier this month said he had received a call from Trump, who “renewed” his support for Ghalib, despite the pushback to his nomination.
Last year, the mayor endorsed Trump for president and campaigned with him in Hamtramck in October at a critical juncture in the 2024 election when the Republican nominee was trying to win over Arab American voters in battleground Michigan.
Groups devoted to fighting antisemitism have come out strongly against Trump’s pick of Ghalib.
They have highlighted Ghalib’s support for the movement to boycott, divest and impose sanctions on Israel and called him a “denier” of sexual violence by the militant group Hamas in its 2023 attack on Israel ― an apparent reference to Ghalib’s remarks at a protest following the Oct. 7 attack.
Both the Anti-Defamation League and the grassroots group StopAntisemitism called on Trump to withdraw the nomination months ago, with the ADL saying it “strongly” opposes the pick. The American Jewish Committee expressed similar concerns.
McClain, Slotkin on No Kings rallies
Republicans in Congress spent the last week deriding the No Kings protests against the Trump administration as the “I Hate America” rallies, and suggesting that Democratic lawmakers were only trying to keep the government shutdown until after the protests.
“I hope after they have the ‘I hate America’ rally on Saturday that some reasonable Democrats will stop being ruled by their Marxist left-wing arm of their party and come to their senses and open up the government for the American people,” said U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain of Bruce Township, chairwoman of the House Republican Conference.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Holly led a group of Democratic members of Congress last week, pushing back against the narrative. The group, which served in the military or, like Slotkin, in national security roles, called on veterans and others to show up “patriotically” and protest peacefully at their local No Kings rally on Saturday.
“We are all watching what President Trump is doing with the uniform military, using it to police American streets. … We’ve seen this authoritarian playbook before in too many other countries,” Slotkin and the others said in a montage video.
“As people who have served, we think it’s important that we say something. … Let’s exercise our freedoms and make clear that this is out of a deep sense of patriotism, love of country and collective desire to make our country better. … Because this is our country, and we need to fight for it, because America … has no king.”
Appearing in the video with Slotkin were Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego of Arizona and U.S. Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Pat Ryan of New York, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire.
Reps: Pay federal law enforcement
U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Holland, led a group of lawmakers in writing to the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget to encourage efforts to pay federal law enforcement during the government shutdown after the administration previously reprogrammed funds to ensure troops wouldn’t miss a paycheck last week.
The shutdown is in its third week, with most civilian federal employees scheduled to miss their first paycheck Oct. 24.
“Federal law enforcement are currently performing dangerous, mission-critical work without pay—including Border Patrol, ICE agents, CBP officers, DEA, Secret Service, Federal Air Marshals, and Transportation Security Officers,” Huizenga wrote.
“This is especially true in this climate of increasingly hateful rhetoric and violence directed at these officers — from the recent sniper assault on an ICE facility in Dallas to the nationwide harassment, endangerment, and doxxing of federal agents by extremist groups like Antifa, and by cartels placing assassination bounties on law enforcement officials.”
The letter was also signed by Reps. Tom Barrett of Charlotte and John James of Shelby Township, among others.
Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, last week introduced legislation in Congress to pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees during government shutdowns.
Former candidate endorses in 10th District Dem primary
Days after posting the top quarterly fundraising haul in a suburban Detroit Democratic congressional primary, attorney Eric Chung won the endorsement of a one-time opponent.
Chung, of Sterling Heights, is one of three Democratic hopefuls looking to replace James after the twice-elected GOP lawmaker’s term expires at the end of 2026. James is running for governor of Michigan instead of seeking reelection to Congress.
Alex Hawkins of Rochester, an Army veteran and former congressional fellow for then-Rep. Slotkin, recently dropped out of the race. He will instead challenge GOP state Rep. Mark Tisdel of Rochester Hills for a seat in the state Legislature.
“I’ve gotten to know Eric Chung over the course of this campaign, and I’m proud to endorse him for Congress in Michigan’s 10th District. Eric’s the real deal,” Hawkins said in a statement.
He continued: “(Chung) shows up, listens, and fights for people instead of playing politics. At a time when so many are tired of career politicians and empty promises, Eric brings honesty, integrity, and a deep commitment to serving our communities. I’m proud to stand with him in this race and look forward to working alongside him to deliver real results for Michigan.”
Hawkins chose Chung over former special victims prosecutor Christina Hines of Warren and Pontiac Mayor Tim Greimel.
“I am honored to have Alex’s endorsement,” said Chung, a former U.S. Commerce Department attorney during the Biden administration. “A veteran and a community leader, Alex understands what it means to lead with integrity and purpose. I am looking forward to working with him to build a brighter future for workers and families in Macomb and Oakland County and across Michigan.”
Tweet of the Week
The Insider report’s “Tweet of the Week,” recognizing a social media post that was worthy of attention or, possibly, just a laugh, from the previous week, goes to Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Cox.
The former attorney general had a bone to pick with the way the recent state budget was portrayed when the actual numbers told a different story.
Nearly 100 “No Kings” rallies throughout Michigan on Saturday brought thousands of demonstrators to the streets and spurred a war of words between local officials in the country’s two major political parties.
The cross-country rally initially organized in opposition to President Donald Trump’s birthday parade in June returned Saturday to Metro Detroit, Lansing and the Upper Peninsula in response to moves including sending immigration agents into cities, pushing for the redrawing of congressional maps to favor Republicans and “gutting health care,” according to the rally website.
The rallies were held as the federal government is shut down amidst a fight between Republicans and Democrats over Medicaid policy, and after Trump’s attempts to send National Guard troops into Chicago and Portland, Ore. to reduce crime. Trump has also sent an influx of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into Chicago to arrest undocumented immigrants.
In Oakland County’s Ferndale, the No Kings rally was on Woodward Avenue between Cambourne and Albany streets, where hundreds of demonstrators lined each side of the thoroughfare and the median and waved signs at traffic. Motorists honked their horns as they passed by, prompting cheers from the crowd.
Beth McGraw held a sign with her father’s picture from his service in the Navy with the words “My dad fought for freedom, not fascism.” McGraw said her father served on one of the ships that bombarded the Germans in the allied invasion of Normandy.
McGraw said today’s political landscape is “a slap in the face” to her father.
Hundreds of people gather in downtown Ferndale for a No Kings protest on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Katy Kildee, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS)
“We’re barreling into fascism if we’re not already there yet, the way that there’s no checks and balances anymore,” she said. “It’s almost like everybody forgot their civics classes.”
Demonstrator Michael Bachman had a sign with playing cards showing four poker hands, none of which had kings.
Bachman said the protesters were exercising their constitutional right to peacefully assemble, noting that tea party members publicly demonstrated against the Affordable Care Act in the early 2010s.
“The shoe’s on the other foot now,” he said. “We have the right to protest.”
Ahead of the rallies Saturday, the Oakland County Republican Party claimed that “affiliates” of the No Kings rallies “have a well-documented history of fueling division and unrest in our communities.” The party’s news release listed the Communist Party USA, the Freedom Socialist Party and the Democratic Socialists of America as affiliates, though none of these groups are listed as partners on the No Kings website.
“The Oakland County Republican Party stands for law and order, and we reject the radical and violent tactics that have become the hallmark of the No Kings movement and its extremist sponsors,” Chairman Vance Patrick said in the release.
Devon Graham-Aiyash of Ferndale, 33, wears a cat costume as hundreds of people gather in downtown Ferndale for a No Kings protest on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Katy Kildee, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS)
The release also asked anyone with “intelligence or information regarding Antifa domestic terrorism activity” to report it to the FBI, referencing the leftist group recently designated by the Trump administration as “a militarist, anarchist enterprise.”
In June, confrontations at the No Kings rallies were isolated and the protests were largely peaceful.
Police in Los Angeles, where protests over federal immigration enforcement raids erupted the week prior and sparked demonstrations across the country, used tear gas and crowd-control munitions to clear out protesters after the formal event ended. Officers in Portland also fired tear gas and projectiles to disperse a crowd that protested in front of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building well into the evening.
In a prepared statement, members of the Oakland County Democratic Party said they were “deeply disturbed” by the local Republican Party’s statement.
Eric Ericson of Royal Oak, 74, center, holds a sign that reads “I served to support freedom not fascism” while standing alongside hundreds of others in downtown Ferndale during a No Kings protest on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Katy Kildee, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS)
“Their statement, cloaked in the language of safety, instead fans the flames of division and fear by mischaracterizing peaceful civic mobilizations as threats and by implying that those who exercise their constitutional rights should be treated as suspects,” the statement reads. “At a moment when our democracy demands leadership rooted in truth and responsibility, this kind of rhetoric is not only reckless, it is dangerous.”
State leaders had opinions of Saturday’s demonstrations as well. Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Curtis Hertel praised them and said demonstrators are making clear that “the power belongs to the people.”
“Today’s marches are a peaceful demonstration of patriotism in the face of a Republican Party that is more interested in Trump’s power grabs and passing tax cuts for billionaires than serving the American people,” Hertel said in a prepared statement.
State Republican Party Chairman Jim Runestad had an unfavorable view of the demonstrations, calling them “a canard” that gives credence to the idea that Trump will take citizens’ rights away. Runestad said presidents have the right to federalize law enforcement when they see fit, and used Dwight Eisenhower sending troops into Little Rock, Ark., during school integration as an example.
Runestad said accusations of Trump acting in a “totalitarian” manner are a deflection on the part of the Democrats in the wake of the federal government shutdown. Republican leaders are refusing to negotiate on an end to the shutdown until a short-term funding bill to reopen the government is passed, while Democrats say they won’t agree without guarantees on extending health insurance subsidies.
“They’re frustrated with the shutdown, and they want to cast all the blame on the Republicans, and this thing is just a big canard pretending that President Trump is the dictator-in-chief when Biden went after conservative groups in every way he possibly could, and there never was a peep out of them on any of that,” Runestad said.
Thousands of people march down Michigan Avenue during a No Kings rally on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 in Detroit. (Katy Kildee, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS)
In Lansing, demonstrators crowded outside of the Michigan Capitol for the event, marking one of largest rallies on the Capitol lawn this year.
Among them was 78-year-old Bob McVeigh of Dimondale. He carried multiple signs, including one that said, “Nobody paid me to be here. I just hate Trump.”
The crowd chanted things like, “Lock him up,” referring to the Republican president.
“We’ve got to do what we can to save the country,” McVeigh said, as he stood on the Capitol lawn.
Speakers at the Lansing event frequently focused on immigration and criticized the deportation efforts of the Trump administration.
Rick Martinez, 66, of Potterville, who described himself as a lifelong Democrat, contended Republicans had been “stagnant” in the face of Trump’s actions and said Trump had been “jailing his enemies.”
“We just need to make sure that we have a good democracy here,” Martinez said.
In Detroit, demonstrators brought their signs to Roosevelt Park, where they heard speakers give calls to action.
Sharon Jeter, who stood in the crowd with an American flag, said she marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. when he visited Detroit in the 1960s. She said she came to the rally “to save America.”
“I’ve seen so much happen, and so many things that were really bad, improve. And now we’re supposed to go back? We’re supposed to go in our corners and be quiet? I don’t think so,” said Jeter.
Marcia Alexander of Lake Orion, 63, left, and Sylwia Flaga of Royal Oak, 46, center, join hundreds of others in downtown Ferndale for a No Kings protest on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Katy Kildee, MediaNews Group)
Michigan’s $81 billion budget opens with a promise to put more money into classrooms.
It raises per-student funding to record levels and keeps free breakfast and lunch on the table for 1.4 million children. It’s a lifeline for many schools after years of uneven pandemic recovery and shrinking federal aid. But those gains come as districts grapple with rising costs and teacher shortages.
Beyond education, the budget steers nearly $2 billion a year toward fixing Michigan’s roads and bridges. To help pay for it, lawmakers approved a 24% cannabis wholesale tax. That new revenue stream has already drawn a lawsuit from the cannabis industry, claiming the tax is unconstitutional because it alters a voter-approved marijuana law without the supermajority required.
The plan also trims vacant state jobs, pares back business incentive programs, and closes the SOAR fund that once grew large corporate deals. It adds $50 million for affordable housing and maintains funding for child care.
Bridge Michigan reporter Jordyn Hermani has been mapping the winners and losers in this deal. She joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss what this budget reveals about Michigan’s future.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.
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The hiring of a new assessor in Clarkston has led to confusing communication with Independence Township in northern Oakland County over their intergovernmental agreements, which includes police and fire services in the city.
Clarkston City Manager Jonathan Smith told the city council on Tuesday night he received a text message from Independence Township Supervisor Chuck Phyle on Sept. 23 stating his intention to cancel the three-year agreement signed by the two municipalities in June.
It came one day after the council voted 7-0 to approve hiring Kim Fiegly Assessing for assessing services for Clarkston.
“Supervisor Phyle texted me to say that because we had selected Kim, the township would be canceling the police, fire, department of public works and Deer Lake Beach agreements,” said Smith. “He texted that to me.”
That text from Phyle was followed by “I will send official notice from (township attorney) Dan Kelly.”
In a statement to The Oakland Press on Wednesday, Phyle seemed to change his position.
“Independence Township is reviewing all intergovernmental contracts with the City of the Village of Clarkston to ensure fairness, compliance, and protection for residents of both communities,” Phyle said. “As township supervisor, I have both the authority and the responsibility to initiate these reviews when terms appear inconsistent with the township’s fiscal or legal obligations. Any final action to amend or terminate a contract will, as always, go before the full board for approval.”
Clarkston’s Smith told the council there was a meeting on Oct. 2 between Phyle, Kelly and Clarkston city attorney Jerry Fisher to discuss cancellation of the agreement.
“I was hoping it was just a big misunderstanding, but that was not the case,” said Smith, who was also in the meeting. “He suggested that the city could not afford to be a city anymore and we should consider folding into the township.”
Smith and Trustee Amanda Forte met informally with Phyle after a township meeting on Oct. 7 to find out what the problem was with the hiring of Fiegly, the former Independence Township director of assessing.
“He noted that Kim would not be able to work with their (Independence Township) building department due to the way she left things,” said Forte. “We asked if there was any major incident that happened and he said ‘no’ and we asked if she was fired and he said ‘no,’ so he did not give us any specifics on why that would be an issue.”
“He cannot provide any reason why we should not do business with someone who is completely independent from them,” Trustee Erica Jones said. “It is nothing that a publicly elected official should be doing.”
It turns out Fiegly left her position at the township because Phyle was on track to overload the assessing department in order to cover the townships assessing costs.
Phyle sent a text message to Clarkston City Manager Jonathan Smith the day after Kim Fiegly was approved the city council to take over as head of the assessing department.
photo courtesy Independence Township
Back in April, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners approved a cost increase on assessing services done through the county, which led to several communities looking into bringing in their own assessors.
Fiegly said Phyle began talking with those communities about signing on with his department for their assessing services.
“Mr. Phyle was soliciting other governmental contracts for me to head up an assessing division for profit for Independence Township,” said Fiegly. “He was soliciting as many municipalities as he could that the county had alienated. He was trying to make money off of other municipalities to offset his own (assessing) costs.”
She said he had been in contact with Commerce, Springfield, Orion and Oxford townships, but knew the amount of work it would bring would overload her department.
“I agreed to take on one or two small units for him, but it blew up much larger to the point where we could not do it without compromising the quality of service,” she said. “It was in my best interest to bow out and leave.”
Fiegly resigned in April, opened up her own business and submitted one of four proposals for the Clarkston assessor position.
The three-year proposals were from: Kim Fiegly Assessing - $22 per parcel, AAS Assessing - $23.68 per parcel, WCA Assessing - $27.16 per parcel and Oakland County - $32.11 per parcel. Independence Township has since contracted with AAS for their services.
Clarkston would have paid Oakland County an average of $32.24 per parcel if they had agreed to a proposed three-year contract for county assessing services from 2026-28.
The threat of pulling police and emergency services from Clarkston due to her hiring did not dissuade Fiegly from signing the contracton Tuesday. She notified the state that her company is now the assessor of record for the city.
“I did a lot of soul searching with the city and I said, ‘I don’t want to bring harm to you,’ and they said this has nothing to do with you and you are the one we want for our assessor,” said Fiegly. “I grew up in this community. I have 40 years of real estate knowledge here and this is something I could give back to the village.”
By not going along with Phyle’s plan, she said their dynamic changed.
“(Phyle) went from advertising us as the greatest assessing office to me being incompetent,” said Fiegly. “He is retaliating and he is angry at me and he is taking it out on (Clarkston), but he has no authority to tell the village who they can hire.”
Fiegly drew nothing but praise from Clarkston Treasurer Greg Cote.
“Kim Fiegly is a startup company with Kim having 30 plus years of experience. Kim grew up in Independence Township and is quite capable of serving this community,” Cote said at the Sept. 22 where she earned board approval. “If a resident wants to talk to an assessor, Kim being born and raised in this community, indicated that she would come here to the office and sit down and explain rationale. So, I believe Kim is more than capable of performing the duties we are requesting.”
“She is highly regarded in the field and has nothing but the highest reputation,” said Smith.
Clarkston has three intergovernmental agreements with Independence Township for police services, fire services and building services (including building and code enforcement services).
The police agreement commits Clarkston to pay 2.7% of the township’s total cost for police services and a $300 a month administration fee.
The fire agreement commits the city to pay the township the same millage rate that the township charges its residents - 3.37-mills.
The city has been contracting with Code Enforcement Services, a division of Ann Arbor-based Carlisle- Wortman Associates ,for building services since 2017.
The Deer Lake Beach agreement committed Clarkston to lease the beach to the township for $1 per year with the Independence Township Parks and Recreation Department offering multiple services including swim lesson, a boat launch and open swimming for residents of both municipalities. The township would keep the collected fees to offset their costs.
Trustee Jones said it would impact Clarkston significantly if the agreement was canceled.
“It affects the actual emergency services that would be provided to our community,” she said. “(Phyle) is putting resident safety in jeopardy. This is basically a breach of contract. We signed a contract for those services in June and those contracts have gone into effect.”
Fiegly also recognizes the consequences of leaving the city without a fire department.
“When you start threatening to take away fire services in a historical district with homes from the 1800’s, that is some pretty major stuff,” she said.
Jones said the possibility of “folding” Clarkston into Independence Township was unrealistic.
“It legally cannot happen because of the way our charter is worded. A township cannot absorb a city,” she said. “(Phyle) wants the brand affinity of the Clarkston name for Independence Township.”
Clarkston could have their emergency services canceled by Independence Township after hiring a new assessor. Township Supervisor Chuck Phyle now says their intergovernmental agreements are under review.
file photo
Michigan leaders have avoided a state government shutdown, even though the governor has not yet signed a budget by the midnight deadline. Lawmakers in Lansing reached the framework of a budget agreement late last week but released little information because many details had yet to be worked out. They’ve approved a bill to fund state government for one week to give them time to finalize their deal.
The federal government failed to reach a budget deal by its midnight deadline, resulting in a shutdown. About 30,000 federal employees live in Michigan, but it’s not clear right now how many might be affected. U.S. Mail service will continue as normal, and Social Security checks will be delivered. TSA agents will continue to work at Metro Airport because they’re considered essential workers, but they will work without pay. That could lead to longer lines at the airport. It’s not immediately clear what other service changes might affect Detroiters.
Additional headlines for October 1, 2025
Truck restrictions
The City of Detroit is announcing new restrictions today on truck traffic in Southwest Detroit. The area has dealt with semi-trucks traveling through neighborhoods for years to get from I-75 to the Ambassador Bridge. The travel clogs streets and adds to pollution in the area. The city says there will be new truck routes to keep commercial avenues freed up, and police will increase their enforcement. The new rules take effect on Monday. Truck traffic in Southwest Detroit should be further alleviated when the Gordie Howe Bridge opens next year. That structure will allow heavy trucks headed to Windsor to move directly from I-75 onto the bridge without traveling through neighborhoods.
I-75 cap
The Downtown Detroit Partnership is holding a public meeting tomorrow to discuss the future of I-75 downtown. The organization is working with the City of Detroit and the Michigan Department of Transportation to consider ways of connecting the downtown area to nearby neighborhoods. The collaboration is looking at the feasibility of placing a cap over I-75 between Third and Brush.
The plan calls for a series of parks over the freeway, which would provide space for residents, similar to the plazas over I-696 in Oak Park. The online public meeting takes place tomorrow from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. There’s more information at DowntownDetroit.org/i75cap.
Dodge Fountain
The City of Detroit is shutting down the Dodge Fountain in Hart Plaza for the rest of the year. The Construction and Demolition Department is working to make sure the structure is properly winterized so that no damage occurs during the cold weather. The fountain did not operate properly for several years, but it was repaired in 2024. The water will be turned off for the winter, but the city says the fountain’s lights will continue to operate. The fountain will return to warm-weather operations in the spring.
Tigers win on Tuesday
The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Guardians yesterday in their American League Wild Card game. Detroit pitcher Tarik Skubal threw 14 strikeouts for the Tigers. Game two in the best-of-three series is scheduled to take place this afternoon at Progressive Field in Cleveland. First pitch is at 1:08 p.m.
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A new survey conducted by the University of Michigan and Outlier Media reveals the top concerns Detroiters would like to see the next mayor address.
Crime and Safety topped the list, followed by neighborhood maintenance, access to better paying jobs and affordable housing.
Mara Ostfeld is with the University of Michigan and co-authored the survey. She spoke with WDET’s Bre’Anna Tinsley.
Listen: U of M, Outlier Media survey asks residents what they want Detroit’s next mayor to focus on
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Mara Ostfeld: If you had to identify your top three major challenges just getting by in life today, what would you say those are? And as you mentioned, the most commonly selected ones were crime or safety, neighborhood conditions and employment. And I don’t think any of those would jump out as new themes for people who’ve been in Detroit or talking to Detroiters, but I think it was interesting to think when we asked Detroiters who mentioned crime or safety next as a follow up: so what would you want the city to do about this? …A majority of Detroiters mentioned something other than police when they were talking about what would make them feel more safe. A lot of Detroiters mentioned things like better lighting or more gun control or less vacant housing or more support for neighborhood associations. Which highlights something different and something we have seen more in Detroit, but something different than what often comes to mind is the most common response to safety concerns.
There was just a really big push in desire to see the city show respect for people’s neighborhoods in a way that reflected the way a lot of people love their neighborhoods.
MO: It would probably resonate with you and other people who spent a lot of time talking to Detroiters, is that a big theme was just concern about how people’s neighborhoods were being maintained and attended to. And a really strong desire for just better attention for neighborhood upkeep, whether that mentioned just trash pickup or vacant lot maintenance or, you know, people coming to fix lighting or fix trees. There was just a really big push in desire to see the city show respect for people’s neighborhoods in a way that reflected the way a lot of people love their neighborhoods.
Bre’Anna Tinsley: Employment and access to jobs were mentioned in the survey, and when asked what specifically Detroiters would like to see addressed, items like wages and flexible hours were mentioned. Not typically something a mayor can address, does the mayor have any sway over these things?
MO: I mean, I think that’s a really good question, and not all of these are things that the incoming Mayor can directly mandate. But it does speak to you know, we do know that mayors and our legislators do work to create incentives for different types of companies to come to the city. And I think another thing is that we can think about what makes the desire for flexible schedule so prominent. We know a big factor that leads to a desire for more flexible schedules is after school programs, child care, and transportation. All of those things are things that are more directly in the realm of mayoral control and impact.
BT: Schools also fell into that same category. Issues like better teachers, class sizes and more schools were of big concern for Detroiters, but the mayor doesn’t have direct control over that. In what ways could the mayor address these concerns?
MO: There are partnerships that can be incentivized in the city, building more partnerships with teacher training programs. And I am hesitant to say too much. I don’t know all of like, the policy dynamics and politics behind, you know, education policy. But regardless of whether it’s in their direct realm of control, we know there’s a lot of indirect mechanisms in terms of incentivizing certain partnerships or changing the structures around which some of these like things, are enabled for this by the school board. And so I think it’s important for the mayor to know what’s this? Residents, especially people concerned about education, want in that realm so that they can work within what is in their space to incentivize these other changes.
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The future of a nearly 100-year-old dam in Flat Rock, MI will be determined tomorrow. The board of commissioners for Huron-Clinton Metroparks, who owns the dam, will vote on its long-term plans for the structure at 1 p.m. at Willow Metropark. The meeting is open to the public.
Three proposals
A two-year feasibility study conducted by Huron-Clinton Metroparks produced three options for the future of the dam.
Leave the dam as-is, but improve the fish ladder
Partial removal of the dam, with construction of rock arches
Full removal of the dam
The organization’s CEO Amy McMillan recommended partial removal, saying it would maintain similar water levels of the impoundment and preserve recreation activities like kayaking and fishing.
Community members and elected officials oppose all options that remove the dam, urging Metroparks to leave the dam as-is.
Brad Booth, president of the Flat Rock Dam Coalition, says ‘similar’ is not firm enough. His group wants a commitment from Huron-Clinton Metroparks to alleviate fears of a significant decrease in water level.
Booth told The Metro that in addition to recreational activities, his group is also concerned about property values and changes to flora and fauna.
Aging infrastructure
The aging dam is in fair condition but is classified as a “high hazard potential” by Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). That designation is an assessment of risk, meaning dam failure may cause serious environmental and infrastructure damage, or even loss of life.
A 2020 high-profile dam failure in Mid-Michigan led to severe flooding in Midland, MI, and Sanford Lake was emptied out, wiping out property values and recreation for lakefront homes there.
Elected officials weigh in
Elected officials have joined the chorus of community voices opposed to full or partial dam removal. Rep. Jamie Thompson (R-Brownstown) wrote a letter to the Metroparks board members urging a no vote on dam removal.
Flat Rock’s mayor, Steve Beller, also both spoke at an August 14 board meeting after its city council unanimously passed a resolution to urge Metroparks not to remove the dam.
Proponents of dam removals point to improved river health and biodiversity. They also mitigate the risk of catastrophic dam failures.
In the case of Flat Rock Dam, the Metroparks feasibility study for this project notes improved fish passage for sturgeon, walleye, and salmon to travel up the Huron River to spawn.
Brad Booth, president of the Flat Rock Dam Coalition, joined The Metro to discuss why his organization opposes partial or full removal of the Flat Rock dam.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.
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Detroit could generate tens of millions of dollars each year with a tax on tickets to sports and entertainment events, raising revenue that could reduce property taxes, fund city services, and help attract national events, according to a new study. The Citizens Research Council of Michigan released the study Wednesday, pointing out that “Detroit is […]
Since President Donald Trump took office in January, federal agents arrested 1,432 undocumented immigrants in Michigan as of the end of July, and most had no criminal convictions, according to data from the Deportation Data Project. The total is nearly triple the 523 arrests recorded during the same period in 2024, when Joe Biden was […]
Wayne County Commissioner Jonathan Kinloch, a longtime political activist and Detroit Democrat, never served a 30-day jail sentence after getting busted for his third drunk driving in a little over three years in 2003, Metro Times has learned. Records show that a judge and the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office mishandled Kinloch’s sentencing, allowing him to […]
A Detroit Montessori school is asking a Wayne County judge to immediately halt construction of a Chick-fil-A restaurant next door, arguing developers violated zoning laws and endangered children by building just feet from its playground. The Giving Tree Montessori, which serves 116 children from infancy through kindergarten, filed an emergency motion last week, accusing Verus […]
A majority of Michiganders want the U.S. to help secure food, water, and medical supplies for people in Gaza, where Israeli attacks since October 2023 have killed more than 62,000 and led to mass starvation, a new poll shows. The survey, released Thursday by the progressive advocacy group Progress Michigan, found that 69% of Michigan […]
Corporate greed drives up costs. Recently, corporations have begun using technology to raise prices in new ways and without your knowledge. Why should big grocery store chains be allowed to use facial recognition technology, digital price tags, and our personal information to price gouge? Our families are already struggling to cover the costs of groceries. […]
A Detroit man says his ex-partner falsely accused him of molesting their daughter and alleges her powerful, politically connected family helped her get a felony charge dismissed for filing a false police report. The ex-partner, Taylor Clark, is the granddaughter of retired Wayne County Circuit Judge Michael Hathaway, whose cousin Richard Hathaway is the chief […]
A Wayne County judge on Wednesday ordered the Detroit City Clerk’s Office to follow election transparency laws after a lawsuit alleged officials began processing and tabulating absentee ballots early without public notice. Robert Davis, a citizen watchdog, filed the emergency lawsuit against the clerk’s office on Monday, alleging the city began processing and tabulating absentee […]
Social service agencies, particularly government and nonprofit ones, rely on money from the federal government to feed people, provide healthcare, and cover housing payments. And since federal cuts from both the Trump administration and the Big Beautiful Bill, many local organizations are concerned about the future of their operations.
That includes the Community Housing Network, which helps people get housing in Macomb and Oakland counties.
How has it been reacting to federal funding cuts? And, what does homelessness look like in the suburbs, especially as it’s been rising over the past five years?
Kirsten Elliott, the president of Community Housing Network nonprofit, spoke with producer Sam Corey about that and more.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
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