Politicians support ballot initiatives

Debbie Fusilier's 7-year-old son looked up as Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer climbed into a tractor outside Ann Arbor's Farmer's Market yesterday, while she wondered if her son would ever get the chance to own a tractor of his own.

At a press conference yesterday afternoon, Archer joined forces with farmers and local politicians to voice his support for two ballot initiatives designed to preserve Michigan's agriculture and revitalize Michigan's 12 core cities.

Archer said Michigan is losing farmland at the rate of 10 acres per hour and said "unplanned" urban sprawl is diverting resources from Michigan cities. He said it is inefficient to rebuild the sewers, public works and cultural infrastructure that already exist in urban areas.

"We cannot save our farmland unless we save our cities and the reverse also holds true," Archer said. "Proposal 1 and the Clean Michigan Initiative are critical for the future: to build jobs, to control urban sprawl, to increase environmental safety."

If approved, Washtenaw County's Proposal 1 on November's general election ballot - the first county-wide proposal of its kind in the state of Michigan - would raise $3.5 million, with half going to purchase development rights on agricultural land. The rest of the funds would be allocated to urban revitalization, purchase of open land and city planning.

On the state level, the Clean Michigan Initiative, Proposal C, is a $675 million bond proposal designed to spur economic development and clean the environment. Half the money would go towards cleaning up environmentally contaminated "brownfield" sites, with the remaining funds going toward cleaning up state waterways and improving state parks.

Jack Laurie, president of the Michigan Farm Bureau, said if both ballot proposals pass, Michigan will become a model for states across the nation.

"This is a unique opportunity for city and country to work together," Laurie said. "People will not move to new areas being developed and will be forced to reinvest in our cities."

Agriculture is the second largest sector in Michigan's economy and many Michigan farmers are struggling to maintain their standard of living, said Fusilier, who owns a farm 30 minutes west of Ann Arbor.

Fusilier said her family owns 50 acres of land, and rents another 500 acres to till with wheat, corn and soybeans. She said they recently lost more than 1,000 acres of land they had rented in past years to developers.

"We had an auction last month and sold off all the majority of our equipment," Fusilier said. "My son had tears in his eyes and asked why we had to sell our big tractor. How do you explain urban sprawl to a 7-year-old?"

Archer said strong cities ensure viable markets for Michigan's agricultural products and hopes Clean Michigan and Proposal 1 will be the start of a long-term dialogue.

"On the week of Oct. 12, each of (the 12 core cities' mayors) have made a commitment to spend a day on a farm," Archer said.

State Rep. Liz Brater (D-Ann Arbor) said that although she supports the Clean Michigan Initiative, it will not reverse the environmental damage that has taken place during Gov. John Engler's two terms.

"It's like putting a band-aid on a deep bleeding wound," Brater said. "In the last few years we've dismantled all our environmental laws, we've reduced standards on environmental cleanup."

Engler said he proposed the Clean Michigan Initiative because the state can afford to devote more funds to environmental causes in a time of strong economic growth.

"I am bothered by the idea that some of these "brown" sites are left dirty," Engler said. "We can afford to borrow the money, we're putting in place a fund source for the next couple years while the economy is strong."

State Senator Alma Wheeler-Smith said the Clean Michigan Initiative is a ploy by Engler to "whitewash a very bad record on the environment." She said she supports the proposal, but said the state's environmental policy should not depend on bond issues.

"We need to put funds in our regular (budget) so we have more state dollars to clean pollution and clean orphan sites," Smith said. "Engler saw this was a flaw in his record and ... too big an issue for him to ignore."

10-02-98