The emergency financial manager can sell off municipal assets, dissolve school districts, abrogate contracts and ignore local laws. In other words, financial martial law.
It didn't take long for Snyder and his cronies to start grabbing. Snyder appointed an emergency financial manager in the poor city of Benton Harbor. The manager dissolved the planning commissions that deal with real estate development. That made it a lot easier for Snyder's pals to start developing a community waterfront park into a luxury golf course.
Now comes the latest outrage. Michael Stampfler is the emergency financial manager for the troubled city of Pontiac. Given new powers under the law, Stampfler abrogated the city's contract with its 11 police dispatchers.
Stampfler also dissolved the city's planning commission and privatized the city's water treatment -- by signing a contract with a company accused of felony violations of the Clean Water Act.
The Michigan Messenger reports,
Stampfler privatized operation of the city’s water treatment last month by signing a contract with United Water, a New Jersey-based subsidiary of the French company SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT. This company has been indicted on felony charges related to its operation of the wastewater treatment facility in Gary, Ind.According to the Environmental Protection Agency,
United Water Services Inc., and employees Dwain L. Bowie, and Gregory A. Ciaccio, have been charged with manipulating daily wastewater sampling methods by turning up disinfectant treatment levels shortly before sampling, then turning them down shortly after sampling.We just have one question: What are the odds that United Water has contributed to a political candidate or two in Michigan?
