Tom Watkins: Keep the state's emergency manager law

Public Act 4, which allows appointment of an emergency manager to fix a community’s finances, will be tested by voters on the Nov. 6 ballot. Vote “yes” on Proposal 1.

The law should be approved and retained as a vital tool to help fix dysfunctional local governments and schools where local elected leaders have failed

for years to address financial problems.

This law is a sensible solution where local elected local leaders have been unwilling or unable to act to address fiscal messes that have been allowed to continue for years and in some cases, like the city of Detroit — decades.

The law, Public Act 4 establishes criteria to assess the financial condition of local government units, including school districts.

It authorizes the governor to appoint an emergency manager upon the state finding a financial emergency and allows the EM to act in place of local officials.

It requires the EM to develop financial and operating plans that could include termination of public workers’ contracts, and it determines expenditures, services and use of assets until the emergency is resolved.

It is tough — but tough medicine is necessary.

It is time to stop the pretending and spending and

fix both the short-term and long-term structural fiscal problems in government.

When a emergency manager is appointed by the governor it is because of a historical failure for local elected leaders to act.

If local elected leaders do the job they were elected to do — there will be no need for the governor to appoint an emergency manager.

The changes needed are painful because they have been neglected for too long. Once upon a time, a bandage or aspirin may have sufficed.

Today, major surgery and amputation is required to save the local units of government because they would pretend and spend.

This is the reality that needs to be addressed.

If you have a hole in your roof, pretending to fix it will not keep the rain out.

One only need to be reminded about the bankruptcy of Chrysler and General Motors to recall the fate of organizations that pretend and spend and fail to address fundamental fiscal problems in a timely fashion.

Be clear, the only human that likes change is an infant. The changes required under the Emergency Manager Act are difficult and hurt because they have been neglected for far too long.

Centuries ago, Niccolo Machiavelli, in his famous book “The Prince,” offered his analysis to the political theater we are witnessing today, as Gov. Rick Snyder attempts to address long-standing and neglected problems, when he said:

“It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, or more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all those who profit by the old order and only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new order, this ‘lukewarmness’ arising partly from fear of their adversaries, who have the laws in their favor; and partly from the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe in anything new until they have had actual experience of it.”

Stop the games, fix the problems. Vote “yes” on Proposal 1.

Tom Watkins is a former state superintendent of schools and served as an elected member of the Wayne County Charter Commission. He can be reached at: tdwatkins88@gmail.com.