Mike Duggan’s independent campaign for governor began as a bold experiment in post-partisan politics and ended Thursday with a thud.
The post How Mike Duggan’s independent campaign for governor fell apart appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.
In this episode:
Both the Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan Senate have completed their 2026-27 fiscal year budgets and advanced them out of their respective chambers.
This week on WDET’s MichMash, Gongwer News Service’s Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss what’s different this year. They also break down some of the major points of the budgets.
The 2026 election may have influenced the pacing a bit. Despite the improvements from last year, there is still a long way to go.
“This is the easiest part. House Republicans and Senate Democrats have drafted their budget plans without consulting the others,” Gorchow says.
One of the major parts of the budget proposals is that none of the $800 million in new tax revenue Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed is included in either budget.
https://youtu.be/hUW-cezlQDA
Later in the show, Public Service Commission Chair Dan Scripps stops by to discuss energy costs in Michigan and data centers.
When asked whether Michigan residents were paying a reasonable amount on their electric bills, he said Michiganders pay less than residents in neighboring states.
“We’ve seen a pretty significant slowdown in the rate of growth [in rates] since 2020. Since 2020, we’ve seen residential bills being less than the national and regional average. The average customer in Michigan pays less in bills than Indiana or Ohio,” Scripps says.
Scripps says rate increases rose during a short period of time, but growth in those rates has since slowed.
One-of-a-kind podcasts from WDET bring you engaging conversations, news you need to know and stories you love to hear. Keep the conversations coming. Please make a gift today.
The post MichMash: The 2026-27 fiscal year budget process is outpacing last year appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.
Activists in Ypsilanti Township keep fighting to halt a data center development associated with nuclear weapons research.
Stop the Data Center members gathered following an anonymous tip about a potential groundbreaking ceremony in South Hydro Park in Ypsi Township. So far, construction details for the $1.2 billion data center have been kept under wraps by University of Michigan and Los Alamos National Laboratory officials.
Elizabeth Jordan is a spokesperson with Stop the Data Center. She says the facility will have several buildings, including one for nuclear weapons research that will need so much energy that a new DTE substation will need to be built on location.
“One of the buildings will account for 10% of the energy, serving as a small data center for University of Michigan to lease, while the remaining 90% will power a much larger, top-secret military data center authorized for Los Alamos to conduct nuclear weapons research,” says Jordan.
Local officials are also against the data center’s construction in Ypsilanti Township. Jordan says the political influence of the University of Michigan could move the project forward despite existing zoning restrictions and widespread local opposition.
Jordan says Stop the Data will continue to monitor the site closely, and host monthly public meetings.
“[Stop the Data Center] is on Instagram…we also have big monthly meetings. The next one is May 9 at 2 p.m… it’s in North Hydro Park, right across the river,” Jordan says.
The post The fight against a $1.2 billion U-M and Los Alamos-backed data center continues appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.
In town halls and public squares across Michigan, people are debating whether data centers should be part of their neighborhoods.
Some communities have hit pause on data center development — the massive server farms that power artificial intelligence and cloud computing.
The concerns are straightforward: these facilities can consume as much electricity as a large city. They often use millions of gallons of water a day, and critics say they deliver few permanent jobs for the enormous tax breaks they receive.
Now Detroit has entered the fray.
Last month, Detroit City Could voted 6-2 to ask Mayor Mary Sheffield to impose a two-year freeze on all new data center permits.
Detroit City Council Member Scott Benson is leading that effort. He has convened a working group of city planners, utility officials and environmental advocates with a December 31 deadline to develop zoning rules for data centers.
Benson joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss why he is pushing for a two-year pause and what Detroit needs to get right before data centers arrive.
Hear the full conversation using the media player above.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.
Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.
The post The Metro: Detroit is trying to write the rules before Big Tech moves in appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.
Detroit City Councilman Scott Benson met with a group of community leaders on Friday to discuss planning for new zoning rules for data centers. The city passed a resolution last month supporting a two-year data center moratorium.
The group that met consisted of the city’s planning commission, members of the mayor’s administration and the Detroit Economic Development Corporation, as well as DTE Energy and other tech experts.
Residents across the state have spoken out against data centers, citing concerns over energy costs, lost farmlands, and air, noise, and water pollution. The group will hold its next meeting on May 8.
The City of Detroit is looking to help ease property taxes for seniors by opening the Senior Citizen Solid Waste Discount applications early so that the 50% off discount can be applied to homeowners’ summer property tax bills. The deadline for early application is tomorrow, April 15.
The solid waste fee this year is $270, but with the discount seniors would only pay $135. To be eligible, homeowners must be at least 65 years old, their home must be their primary residence and the applicant must be listed as the property owner on the city’s tax rolls.
For more information or to apply visit detroitmi.gov/dtsc.
The City of Detroit is looking for volunteers for this year’s Motor City Makeover program. The program is a city-wide cleanup and beautification effort set for three Saturdays in May.
Volunteers clean up the city as well as plant trees and flowers and distribute vegetable plants. This year, youth can submit a design for a new Motor City Makeover T-shirt. For more information visit motorcitymakeover.org.
The nonprofit group “Rising Voices” is hosting a potluck celebration called Feast of Resistance. This year’s theme is “building the table together” with the goal of celebrating Asian American and other immigrant communities by looking at how their stories live in the food they make and the spaces they create together.
The event will be held on Sunday May 2 from 5-9 p.m. at the Association of Chinese Americans Community Center. That’s at 32585 Concord Drive in Madison Heights. The event is free and open to the public. For more information on upcoming events check out their website: risingvoicesaaf.org.
Rising Voices is also looking to hire a Community Navigator. The role is a full time, hybrid position for one year with the possibility of extending the position.
The Community Navigator will help connect community members to legal resources, mutual aid, and essential support. Lived experience, organizing, or volunteer work is welcome. Training will be provided.
The Parade Company announced that USA Today has nominated the Ford Fireworks as one of the best places in the country to see fireworks this summer. The show is recognized as one of the largest of its type in the country. The public can vote online daily.
Voting ends on May 11 at 11:59 p.m.. The Ford Fireworks will be held on Detroit’s riverfront on Monday June 22.
Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.
The post Detroit Evening Report: Councilman Scott Benson works with city leaders to set rules for data centers appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.
Michigan elects a new governor this year and WDET is talking to the candidates vying to replace term-limited Democrat Gretchen Whitmer.
One of those in the crowded Republican field for governor is former Michigan Speaker of the House Tom Leonard. He wants to lower taxes and reduce government spending.
But Leonard says he’s also running to protect the future for Michigan’s children, including his own kids.
Listen: GOP governor candidate Tom Leonard speaks with WDET’s Quinn Klinefelter
The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Tom Leonard: There’s three very simple reasons why I’m doing this. And those are Hannah, Thomas, and Danny. That’s our nine-year-old, our six-year-old, and our now 20-month-old.
When you look at the state of our state right now, the unemployment, the lack of income growth, a quarter of our population right now suffers from some type of mental health issue. Half of them are not getting treatment. The list goes on.
We are doing this because the last thing that we want is for one of our kids to come to us in the next 15-20 years and say, “Dad, we’d love to stay in the greatest state in the country. But unfortunately we have to leave because there’s no opportunity for us here in Michigan.” That’s why we’re doing this.
Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: If you were elected governor, how would you try to address some of that?
TL: There are so many things that we have got to get done to turn this state around. One of the biggest issues that I’m focused on right now is education. Fourth graders right now in this state cannot read at a proficient level. Quinn, that is our foundation, that is our base. And I can tell you as a former prosecutor, if somebody has to drop out of school because they’re illiterate, you have created a pipeline to a welfare check or a prison cell.
I believe we need to make Michigan a right-to-work state again. Growth states in this country are right-to-work states. I believe we need to phase out the income tax.
I hear many of these candidates out there gaslighting people across the state, saying that they’re going to eliminate the state income tax on day one. That’s despite the fact that the legislature isn’t even sworn in until nearly two weeks after the governor comes into office.
I would say look at my past track record and my history. That’s what we did when I was speaker. And when I’m the state’s next governor that’s exactly what we’re going to do. We’re going to get these big-ticket items across the finish line.
QK: You mentioned education. What other issues do you think are vitally important at the moment to Michigan?
TL: I seem to be the one candidate out there right now that’s talking about this mental health crisis. As I said, a quarter of our population suffers from some type of mental health issue. Half of them are not getting treatment.
I believe it starts with ending the stigma that comes attached when somebody is diagnosed with a mental health issue. Think about this for a moment. If you or somebody is diagnosed with something physically, what do they typically do? They go to their friends, they go to their family, they go to their place of worship, they ask for prayer, they start treatment.
Sadly, when people are diagnosed with a mental health issue, they are scared. They don’t know what to do. We’ve got to end the stigma that comes attached.
TL: Energy costs. This is a big one right now as I travel the state. I’m hearing more and more of people that can no longer afford their electricity bills. Frankly, we’ve got a broken system. We’ve got a Michigan Public Service Commission that no longer works for the people of this state. They work for two monopoly utilities. They sign off on every single rate increase that they ask for.
Enough is enough. We are the one campaign that has put forth a plan to not only bring choice and competition to the state and the utility monopolies, but also shake up the Michigan Public Service Commission.
Right now those regulators, who dictate our rates, are three unelected bureaucrats appointed by the governor. That is way too much power given to the governor. The governor should never control those appointments. Our plan calls for increasing the Michigan Public Service Commission from three to five members, only giving the governor two appointments.
The other appointments would be made by the attorney general, the speaker of the Michigan house and the senate majority leader. These are the types of bold solutions we are putting on the table to address the problems that the people of this state are facing.
QK: There’s been concerns raised by some people about the possibility of rate increases and energy or water problems from the advent of data centers across the state. From some of your past statements, it sounds like you’re not exactly a fan of data centers.
TL: The one being proposed right now that’s being built in Saline Township is 1.4 gigawatts. That is equivalent to the energy used by a million homes. There’s now one being proposed in Van Buren that’s nearly double that, with energy use equal to 2 million homes. Quinn, there are only 4.5 million homes in this entire state. Two industrial-sized data centers alone that they’re proposing would equal the energy for 3 million homes.
I don’t want these things driving-up our energy rates. We need to end the tax subsidies that come attached with these things.
The legislature a couple years ago passed legislation to give tens of millions of dollars to these big tech data centers. They should not be taking money out of our pockets and putting it in the hands of big tech to go out and buy up our farmland. So, end the subsidies.
We need to ban the use of non-disclosure agreements. You’ve got these local governments that are signing these NDA’s. The local citizens have no idea who’s going to be built in their area. They have no idea who’s going to be running these data centers.
These data centers do not create long-term jobs. Yet there is the risk that they are going to drive up our energy rates. And every time I push back on this energy issue, people say, “Well, they’re going to be regulated.” And then I ask the question, “Who’s going to regulate them?” “The Michigan Public Service Commission.” And I say, “So the same three regulators that have given us some of the highest electricity rates in the country, the same three regulators that refuse to tell DTE Energy and Consumers Energy ‘No,’ we are now going to allow to regulate these data centers?” I don’t think so.
I fear that they’re going to drive up our rates. We’ve already got the highest rates in the Midwest and some of the highest in the country. We cannot afford to pay more on our electricity bills.
QK: It’s no secret how politically divided not only lawmakers but the country and the state as a whole are nowadays. Do you think it’s possible that anyone who would be governor will be able to bring people together at this point in time? Or is it just simply a matter of, “We’ve got to go forward with our policies and hope the other side comes along at some point?”
TL: I believe Democrats gave Republicans a playbook two years ago for what happens when you wake up every day and you have no vision and your only focus is hatred of one person. You lose. And I believe, as a Republican, if Republicans wake up every day and their only focus is hatred of Democrats, they will lose.
They’ve got to put forth a vision. That’s why every single day I’m focused on tackling problems, not people. I’m going to stay bold in my convictions, I’m a strong conservative. I don’t shy away from that. But there is nothing wrong with working across the aisle when it comes to accomplishing things for our state. We’ve actually labeled it the “Dan Campbell” approach.
You may recall when Coach Campbell became the coach of the Lions and he stood on that stage at the first press conference. He didn’t focus on six decades of failure. He didn’t cast blame. He didn’t point the finger. He just simply said, “We’ve got a problem here. And with a lot of grit, a lot of determination, working together with a positive vision every single day, we’re going to turn this program around.”
If Coach Campbell was able to turn the absolute worst sports franchise in the history of all mankind around with that type of vision, we can do the same thing for this state.
The post GOP governor candidate Tom Leonard says Michigan needs a Detroit Lions-esque turnaround appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.
The State of Michigan and the City of Romulus have sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to stop them from converting a warehouse into an ICE detention center.
This week on MichMash, Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben talks with Attorney General Dana Nessel to discuss her concerns about the department’s actions and much more.
In this episode
Nessel felt that the legality of the Romulus warehouse purchase was in question, and even pointed out the irony of the DHS operation.
“They are taking people who mostly have no criminal records of any kinds and [saying] that these people didn’t come into the state properly so we are going to detain you or deport. Well, DHS didn’t come in to Romulus properly. They are not abiding by the laws. So I think it’s a bit of hypocrisy by the federal government.”
Nessel said they filed a preliminary injunction so that DHS could not proceed with the project while the legal battle evolves.
One-of-a-kind podcasts from WDET bring you engaging conversations, news you need to know and stories you love to hear. Keep the conversations coming. Please make a gift today.
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In late 2024, Michigan lawmakers voted to provide tax breaks for large data centers. Since then, local officials across Michigan have seen an influx of proposals.
Last year, there were more than 15 proposals for data centers across the state. Several are still waiting for the green light, including one in Allen Park. The city’s planning commission has delayed a vote twice this year, requesting further information from Solstice Data.
Related:
These proposals come with the promise of jobs, but taxpayers are skeptical. They want to know if the electric grid handle the energy demand data centers create, and how much air, water, and noise pollution they will produce.
Steven Gonzalez Monserrate is a post-doctoral researcher at Goethe University in Frankfort and studies data centers and how they affect the people and the environment.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.
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State Sen. Mallory McMorrow says voters don’t trust politicians who “talk out of both sides of your mouth.”
The post Senate candidate McMorrow says voters don’t trust flip-flops as she waffles on key positions appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson is rolling out a plan to impose strict new safeguards on data centers in Michigan to address concerns over rising energy costs, environmental impacts, and transparency. As artificial intelligence increases the demand for massive, energy-devouring facilities, many residents across the state are pushing back, saying the projects will harm communities […]
The post Benson takes on data center boom with stricter safeguards appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.
With proposals of large-scale data centers spreading across Michigan, U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on Thursday released what he called “terms of engagement” aimed at protecting communities from higher utility bills, grid strain, and environmental harm.
The post Senate candidate El-Sayed says data centers must protect communities or stay out of Michigan appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.
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