MPPS: Local government and environmental leadership: views of Michigan's local leaders

Key Findings

• Michigan’slocalgovernmentleadersaredividedintheirviewsabouttheseriousnessofglobalwarming.Overall,52%sayglobalwarmingiseithera“veryserious”ora“somewhatserious”problem,while39%sayitiseither“nottooserious”or“notaproblem”atall.

» WhileMPPSsurveysoftenfindlocalofficials’viewsarecorrelatedwithcharacteristicsoftheircommunities,suchaspopulationsizeandregioninthestate,thisisnotthecasewithviewsontheseriousnessofglobalwarming.

» Thereis,however,astrongcorrelationbetweenviewsonglobalwarmingandpartyidentificationamongMichigan’slocalofficials:while77%ofDemocraticofficialssayglobalwarmingisaveryorsomewhatseriousproblem,only57%ofIndependentofficialsand39%ofRepublicanofficialsfeelthesame.Thisoverallpatternisalsofoundamongpartisansinthegeneralpopulation.

• Despitethesedifferencesinopinion,overall,68%oflocalofficialsbelievelocalgovernmenthasaresponsibilitytohelpreduceglobalwarming.

» MajoritiesofRepublican(61%)andIndependent(66%)aswellasDemocratic(84%)officialsfeelthisway.

» Evenamongthoseofficialswhothinkglobalwarmingis“nottooserious,”amajority(63%)stillbelievelocalgovernmenthasatleastsomeresponsibilitytoact.

» FindingsfromapartneringsurveyofMichigancitizensshowthat70%ofthestate’sresidentsalsobelievelocalgovernmenthasaresponsibilitytotakeaction.

• Regardingwiderquestionsofenvironmentalsustainability,70%ofMichigan’slocalleadersbelievethatpromotingsustainabilityisanimportantaspectoflocalgovernmentleadership.

» Thisbeliefisfoundamonglargemajoritiesofleadersacrossthestate,regardlessofregionorcommunitysize.

» While85%oflocalDemocraticleadersfeelthisway,sodo66%ofRepublicanleaders,and65%ofIndependentleaders.

• Intermsofactionsbeingtakenatthelocallevel,approximately23%ofjurisdictionsreporthavingexistingpoliciestoimproveenvironmentalsustainability,particularlyfocusingonenergyefficiencyingovernmentfacilities,changingtheirworkpractices(suchasregulatingthermostatsandconservingwater),andprogramstargetedatresidents,suchasrecyclingandhomeweatherizationprojects.Evenlargerpercentagesofjurisdictionsexpecttoinitiatethesekindsofactionsinthecomingyear.

Local government and environmental leadership: views of Michigan’s local leadersThisreportpresentsMichiganlocalgovernmentleaders’opinionsonglobalwarmingandenvironmentalsustainability,andontheroleoflocalgovernmentinthesedomains.Thereportalsoidentifiesactionsbeingtakenbylocalgovernmentstoaddresstheseissues.ThesefindingsarebasedonstatewidesurveysoflocalgovernmentleadersintheFall2010waveoftheMichiganPublicPolicySurvey(MPPS).

>> The Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) is conducted by the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) at the University of Michigan in partnership with the Michigan Association of Counties, Michigan Municipal League, and Michigan Townships Association. The MPPS takes place twice each year and investigates local officials’ opinions and perspectives on a variety of important public policy issues. Respondents for the MPPS include county administrators and board chairs, city mayors and managers, village presidents and managers, and township supervisors, clerks, and managers from over 1,300 jurisdictions across the state.

For more information, please contact: [email protected]/(734) 647-4091.

The Center for Local, State, and Urban PolicyGerald R. Ford School of Public Policy >> University of Michigan

Michigan Public Policy Survey July 2011

2 www.closup.umich.edu

The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy

Republicans Independents Democrats

8%31%

24%

29%

8%

24%

33%

15%

8%

20%

38%

39%

9%

7%7%

Very serious

Somewhat serious

Not too serious

Not a problem

Don’t know

Michigan’s local leaders are divided about the seriousness of global warmingIssuesrelatedtoclimatechangeandenvironmentalsustainabilityappeartobegrowinginimportanceatalllevelsofgovernment,includingthelocallevel.Forexample,theWorldBankrecentlyannouncedfinancialandtechnicalassistancespecificallytargetedatmajorcitiestoencourageclimatechangereductionprograms.1TogetabetterunderstandingofhowMichigan’slocalgovernmentleadersviewtheseissues,theFall2010MPPSsurveyaskedaseriesofquestionsaboutglobalwarming,environmentalsustainability,andtheroleoflocalgovernmentintheseareas.TheopinionsexpressedbyMichigan’slocalleadersrevealawiderangeofbeliefsabouttheseissues.

Intermsoftheseriousnessofglobalwarming,thereisnoconsensusamongMichigan’slocalgovernmentleaders.Overall,52%oftheselocalleaderssayglobalwarmingiseitheraveryseriousproblemorasomewhatseriousproblem,while39%sayitiseithernottooserious,orisnotaproblematall(seeFigure 1a).

PreviousMPPSstudieshaveoftenfoundopinionsamongMichigan’slocalleaderstobecorrelatedwithcharacteristicsoftheircommunities,particularlytheirpopulationsizesandregionswithinthestate.Forinstance,leadersfromlargecommunitiesoftenexpresssignificantlydifferentopinionsfromthoseinsmallercommunities.AndleadersinSoutheastMichigan,forexample,oftenexpressopinionsthataredifferentthanthoseofofficialsfromtheUpperPeninsula.However,thisisgenerallynotthecasewithviewsonglobalwarming,whichdonotappeartobecorrelatedwithsuchcommunitycharacteristics.

Viewsabouttheseriousnessofglobalwarmingare,however,correlatedwiththelocalofficials’partyidentification,asshowninFigure 1b.While77%oflocalDemocraticofficialssayglobalwarmingiseitherveryseriousorsomewhatserious,only57%ofIndependentofficialsand39%ofRepublicanofficialsfeelthisway.Thesepartisandifferencesarenotnecessarilysurprising,asviewsonglobalwarmingtendtodivideacrosspartylinesamongthegeneralpublicaswell.2

Figure 1aPercentage of officials who believe global warming is a problem

Very serious

Somewhat serious

Not too serious

Not a problem

Don’t know

18%

34%18%

21%

9%

Figure 1bPercentage of officials who believe global warming is a problem, by partisan identification

3

Michigan Public Policy Survey

Where does responsibility lie for dealing with global warming?IntheUnitedStates’federalsystemofgovernance,primaryresponsibilityforparticularpolicyissuescanbeplacedatvariouslevels:thefederalgovernment,stategovernments,orlocalgovernments.Forexample,responsibilityfornationaldefenseisprimarilyheldatthefederallevel,whileresponsibilityforeducationpolicyhasprimarilybeenheldatthestateandlocallevels,historically.Sinceissuesofglobalwarmingandclimatechangearerelativelynew,itisunclearwherecitizensandtheirgovernmentleadersthinktheirresponsibilityshouldlie.Itisalsounclearwhethercitizensandtheirlocalleadershavecommonoropposingviewsabouttheroleoflocalgovernmentindealingwithglobalwarming.

Inauniqueresearchendeavordesignedtoaddresstheseissues,theMPPSpartneredwiththeNationalSurveyofAmericanPublicOpiniononClimateChange(NSAPOCC)3toasksimilarquestionsaboutglobalwarmingofMichigan’slocalgovernmentleadersandofMichigan’scitizensduringthefallof2010.ThegoalofthiseffortwastogaugewhetherthereisagreementordisagreementbetweenMichigan’scitizensandtheirlocalgovernmentleadersintermsofwheretoplacethelocusofresponsibilityfortakingactiontoreduceglobalwarming.Docitizensthinktheirlocalgovernmentsshouldtakeaction,whiletheirlocalleadersfeeltheresponsibilityliesathigherlevelsofgovernment?Or,dolocalleadersbelieveintakingactionatthelocallevel,whiletheircitizensfeeltheopposite?Orindeed,docitizensandtheirlocalleaderssharesimilaropinionsonthismatter?

Figure 2aillustratesanumberofinterestingfindings.First,Michigan’scitizensandtheirlocalleaderslargelyagreeaboutresponsibilityamongthevariouslevelsofgovernmentforreducingglobalwarming.Forinstance,74%ofMichigan’scitizenssaythefederalgovernmenthassuchresponsibility(either“agreatdeal”oratleast“some”responsibility),andthisviewissharedby77%ofMichigan’slocalleaders.Also,72%ofMichigan’scitizensand76%oftheirlocalleadersbelievethestategovernmenthassuchresponsibility.AndmostimportantlyfortheMPPSresearchefforts,70%ofMichigan’scitizensthinklocalgovernmenthasthisresponsibility,withacorresponding68%ofthestate’slocalleadersfeelingthesame.Thus,Michigan’scitizensandtheirlocalleadersappeartoshareacommonviewthatlocalgovernmentshouldindeedtakeactiontohelpreduceglobalwarming,thoughbothgroupsgenerallyplacegreaterlevelsofresponsibilitywiththefederalandstategovernments.

Figure 2bLocal officials’ and citizens’ views about local government responsibility for reducing global warming, by partisan identification

Figure 2aLocal officials’ and citizens’ views about government responsibility for reducing global warming

A great deal of responsibility

Someresponsibility

No responsibilityDon’t know

22%4% 27% 47%

17%6% 32% 45%

24%4% 32% 40%

18%6% 51% 25%

26%4% 36% 34%

25%7% 50% 18%

Citizens on federal government

Officials on federal government

Citizens on state government

Officials on state government

Citizens on local government

Officials on local government

Some responsibility A great deal of responsibility

Republican Local

Officials

Republican Citizens

IndependentLocal

Officials

Independent Citizens

Democratic Local

Officials

Democratic Citizens

13%

48%

35%

34%

17%

49%

38%

40%

30%

54%

29%

34%



Officials express widespread agreement on the importance of local leadership for environmental sustainabilityBeyondspecificissuesofglobalwarming,alargemajorityofMichigan’slocalgovernmentleaders(70%)agreethatpromotingenvironmentalsustainabilityisanimportantaspectoflocalgovernmentleadership.Only10%oflocalleadersdisagreewiththisview(seeFigure 3a).

Asnotedabove,previousMPPSsurveyshavefoundstrongpatternsinofficials’policyviewsassociatedwiththeircommunities’characteristicssuchaspopulationsizeandgeographicregion.However,thisagainisnotthecasewithofficials’viewsontheroleoflocalgovernmentinpromotingenvironmentalsustainability,wheresupportforlocalgovernmentleadershipcutsacrossallcommunitysizesandgeographicregions.Forinstance,73%ofofficialsfromthestate’slargestcommunitiesbelieveinlocalleadershipfortheenvironment,asdo69%ofofficialsfromthestate’ssmallestcommunities.Andwhile71%ofofficialsfromSoutheastMichiganfeelthisway,66%ofofficialsfromtheUpperPeninsulasaythesame.

Aswithviewsontheseriousnessofglobalwarming,onefactorthatdoesappearcorrelatedwithofficials’viewsonenvironmentalleadershipistheirpartyidentification(seeFigure 3b).While66%ofRepublicanand65%ofIndependentofficialsagreethatpromotingenvironmentalsustainabilityisanimportantaspectoflocalgovernmentleadership,fully85%ofDemocraticofficialsfeelthisway.Still,evenwiththesedifferencesinmagnitudeofsupport,perhapsthemostinterestingfindingisthatlargemajoritiesofofficialswithinallpartisangroupsbelieveinlocalleadershipontheenvironment.

Figure 3aPercentage of officials who believe promoting environmental sustainability is an important aspect of local government leadership

Figure 3bPercentage of officials who believe promoting environmental sustainability is an important aspect of local government leadership, by partisan identification

Anotherparticularlyinterestingfindingisthat,eventhoughMichigan’slocalleadersaredividedintheiropinionsabouttheseriousnessofglobalwarming,stillalargemajority(68%)believelocalgovernmenthasatleastsomeresponsibilitytotakeactiontohelpreducethatwarming.Thisincludes84%ofDemocraticlocalofficials,aswellas66%ofIndependentofficials,and61%ofRepublicanofficials.Evenmoresurprising:amongthoselocalofficialswhothinkglobalwarmingis“nottooserious”ofaproblem,63%stillbelievelocalgovernmenthasaresponsibilitytoact.

Diggingdeeperintothegeneralagreementamongcitizens(70%)andtheirlocalleaders(68%)thatlocalgovernmenthasaresponsibilitytoact,Figure 2aalsorevealsinterestingdifferencesintheamount ofresponsibilityeachgroupplacesatthelocallevel.Figure 2ashowsthatlocalleaders(18%)areonlyabouthalfaslikelyascitizens(34%)tosaythatlocalgovernmenthasagreat deal ofresponsibilitytohelpreduceglobalwarming.AsshowninFigure 2b,thisdivergenceisdrivenprimarilybythelowpercentagesoflocalRepublicanandIndependentofficialswhosaylocalgovernmenthasagreat deal ofresponsibility.Thatis,while35%ofMichigancitizenswhoidentifythemselvesasRepublicansfeellocalgovernmenthasa great deal ofresponsibilitytoact,only13%ofMichigan’sRepublicanlocalgovernmentleadersfeelthisway.Similarly,while38%ofMichigan’sIndependentcitizensfeellocalgovernmenthasa great deal ofresponsibility,only17%ofMichigan’sIndependentlocalgovernmentleadersfeelthisway.

Strongly agree

Somewhat agree

Neither

Somewhat disagree

Strongly disagree

Don’t know

28%

5%

19%

5%

42%

1%

Republicans Independents Democrats

Somewhat agree

Strongly agree

Neither

Somewhat disagree

Strongly disagree

Don't know

43%

20%

6%7%

23%

1%

37%

22%

7%5%

28%

1%

41%

11%

44%

1%1%2%

5


18%21%

24%

37%40%

Population <1,500

Population 1,501-5,000



Population >30,000

Population <1,500




Population >30,000

17%

23% 23%

34%

44%

Figure 4bPercentage of jurisdictions with existing environmental policies or practices targeted at their workforce practices, by population size

Figure 4cPercentage of jurisdictions with existing environmental policies or practices targeted at residents, by population size

Figure 4aPercentage of jurisdictions with existing policies or practices to improve energy efficiency in government facilities, by population size

What are Michigan’s local governments doing currently to promote environmental sustainability?TheFall2010MPPSaskedaseriesofquestionsaboutactionslocalgovernmentsmayalreadyhavetakenormaybeplanningtotakeinthenext12monthsregardingenvironmentalsustainability.AswithmanypreviousMPPSfindings,responsestosomeofthesequestionsdoshowstrongcorrelationswithcommunitycharacteristics,particularlycommunitypopulationsize.

Overall,aboutaquarter(23%)ofalljurisdictionsinMichiganreporthavingexistingpoliciesandpracticestoimproveenergyefficiencyintheirgovernmentfacilitiesthroughupgradesinlighting,insulation,HVACsystems,andsoon.However,thisisstronglycorrelatedwithcommunitysize:thelargerthecommunity,themorelikelyitistohavesuchpoliciesorpractices(seeFigure 4a).Forexample,only16%ofthestate’ssmallestjurisdictions(thosewithlessthan1,500residents)havesuchpoliciesorpracticesinplacenow,comparedto53%ofthestate’slargestjurisdictions(thosewithmorethan30,000residents).ItisimportanttonotethatmanyofMichigan’ssmallestjurisdictionsarestaffedonlybypart-timeofficials,andthatatleastsomeoftheseunitsmaycarryoutonlythemostbasiccoreactivitiesrequiredbylaw.

Asimilarpatternholdstrueregardingjurisdictions’effortstochangetheirownworkforcepractices,forexamplebyconservingwater,regulatingthermostats,etc.Overall,23%oflocaljurisdictionshavesuchpoliciesinplacenow,thoughthistooiscorrelatedwithpopulationsize:18%ofthesmallestjurisdictionshavetakentheseactions,comparedto40%ofthelargestjurisdictions(seeFigure 4b).

Andagain,findingsaresimilarregardingjurisdictions’programstargetedatresidents,suchasrecyclingandhomeweatherizationefforts.Overall,23%oflocaljurisdictionshavealreadyinitiatedsuchprograms,thoughagainthisisrelatedtopopulationsize.Whereas17%ofthestate’ssmallestjurisdictionshavetakenthesesteps,44%ofthelargestcommunitieshavedoneso(seeFigure 4c).

Afterthosethreeleadingareasoflocalgovernmentactivity,twootherareasshowsignificantlylowerlevelsofexistingactivity.Only5%oflocaljurisdictionshaveexistingeffortstodeveloporpurchaseenergyfromalternativesources,andonly4%havebegunprogramstargetedasbusinesses(suchascommercialrecyclingprograms,recognitionprogramsfor“green”practices,etc.).

Population <1,500




Population >30,000

16%

22%24%

39%

53%



What are Michigan’s local governments likely to do in the near future to promote environmental sustainability?Meanwhile,lookingaheadoverthenextyear,localofficialsreportasignificantamountofexpectednewactivityonthesetypesofpoliciesandprograms.Accordingtotheseofficials,36%oflocaljurisdictionsaresomewhatorverylikelytolaunchneweffortstoimproveenergyefficiencyintheirgovernmentfacilities;31%arelikelytolaunchnewprogramstargetedattheirresidents;30%arelikelytochangetheirjurisdictions’workforcepractices;20%arelikelytolaunchprogramstargetedatthebusinesssector;and20%arelikelytodeveloporpurchaseenergyfromalternativesources(seeFigure 5).

Overall,thisexpectednewactivityisnottiedquiteasstronglytocommunitysizeasarethefindingsregardingexistingprogramsandpolicies.Forexample,while37%ofthestate’slargestcommunitiesarelikelytolaunchnewprogramstoimproveenergyefficiencyintheirgovernmentfacilitiesinthenextyear,35%ofthesmallestjurisdictionsalsoexpecttodothis.While32%ofthelargestcommunitiesarelikelytochangetheirworkforcepracticestoimproveenvironmentalsustainability,27%ofthesmallestjurisdictionsplanthesestepstoo.Andwhile27%ofthelargestjurisdictionsarelikelytolaunchnewprogramstargetedattheirresidents,28%ofthesmallestjurisdictionsreporttheyarelikelytodoso.

Onlyintheleastcommonexistingtypesofprograms–thosetargetedatbusinesses,andthosetodeveloporpurchaseenergyfromalternativesources–aretherestillsignificantdifferencesbyjurisdictionsize.Forinstance,whileonly17%ofthesmallestjurisdictionsarelikelytolaunchnewenvironmentalsustainabilityprogramstargetedatbusinesses,31%ofthelargestjurisdictionssaytheyarelikelytodothis.Andwhileonly17%ofthesmallestjurisdictionsarelikelytodeveloporpurchaseenergyfromalternativesources,30%ofthestate’slargestcommunitiesreporttheyarelikelytotakethesestepsinthenext12months.

Figure 5Jurisdictions’ plans for adopting policies or practices in the next 12 months to improve environmental sustainability

Improving energy efficiency in government facilities

Programs targeted at residents

Changing your jurisdiction’s work practices

Programs targetedat local businesses

Developing or purchasing alternativeenergy sources

Very likelyto adopt

Somewhat likely to adopt

Somewhat unlikely to adopt

Very unlikely to adopt

14%29%

13%27%

9%15%

8%14%

8%16%

15% 5%

14% 6%

20% 10%

21% 10%

24% 12%

7


Michigan’slocalgovernmentleadersexpressdivergentopinionsabouttheseriousnessofglobalwarming,with52%sayingitisaveryorsomewhatseriousproblem,but39%sayingitiseithernottooserious,orissimplynotaproblematall.Thesedifferencesinopinionarecorrelatedwiththelocalofficials’partisanidentification,withDemocraticofficialsmorelikelythanIndependentsorRepublicanstosaytheproblemsareserious.

Despitethesedivergentviews,overtwo-thirdsoflocalofficialsoverallbelievelocalgovernmenthasaresponsibilitytohelpreduceglobalwarming.Significantmajoritiesoflocalleaderswithineachpartisangroupsharethisview.Furthermore,theirconvictionthatlocalgovernmenthasaresponsibilityinthisdomainissharedbythemajorityofMichigan’scitizens,amongwhom70%agreewiththisview.ThustheMPPSfindscommonagreementamongMichigan’scitizensandtheirlocalleadersthatlocalgovernmenthasaresponsibilitytoactonglobalwarming.Andonissuesofenvironmentalsustainability,widespreadagreementisfoundamongMichigan’slocalleaders.Seventypercentoftheselocalofficialsagreethatpromotingenvironmentalsustainabilityisanimportantaspectoflocalgovernmentleadership.WhilethisviewisstrongestamongDemocraticofficials,itisalsoheldbytwo-thirdsofRepublicanandIndependentofficials.

Finally,whilerelativelysmallpercentagesoflocaljurisdictionsoverallhavetakenactionalreadytopromoteenvironmentalsustainability,largerpercentagesarelikelytodosointhenearfuture.Existingprogramsintheseareasarefoundmostcommonlyamongthestate’slargerjurisdictions,butplansforfutureactivitiesare,ingeneral,aboutequallylikelytobefoundincommunitiesofallsizes,fromthesmallesttothelargest.

ItisimportanttonotethattheMPPSsurveyquestionsdidnotasklocalofficialstoidentifyhowhighapriorityenvironmentalissuesarecomparedtootherissuessuchaseconomicdevelopmentorpublicsafety.Instead,thesurveyquestionsonlyinvestigatedwhetherglobalwarmingandenvironmentalsustainabilityarelegitimatepolicydomainstobeaddressedatthelocalgovernmentlevel.Giventhestrainedstateoflocalgovernmentfinancestoday,itmaybereasonabletoassumethatenvironmentalissueswouldtakeabackseattomorepressingmatters.

Still,thesefindingsmayprovideastrongbasisforlaunchingneweffortsbythoseinterestedinpromotinglocalgovernment’sworkontheseissues.Clearly,thegreatmajorityofMichigan’scitizensandtheirlocalleadersbelievethatlocalgovernmentshouldindeedbetakingactiontoreduceglobalwarmingandtoimproveenvironmentalsustainability.

Notes1 Barrionuevo, Alexei. “World Bank to Help Cities Control Climate Change.” New York Times, 2 June 2011, sec. A10.

2 Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. May 4, 2011. “Beyond Red vs. Blue: The Political Typology.” http://people-press.org/2011/05/04/section-8-domestic-issues-and-social-policy.

3 Borick, Christopher, Erick Lachappelle, and Barry Rabe. 2011. “Climate Compared: Public Opinion on Climate Change in the United States and Canada.” http://closup.umich.edu/policy-reports/15/climate-compared-public-opinion-on-climate-change-in-the-united-states-and-canada.

Survey background and methodology

Conclusion

The MPPS is a biannual survey of each of Michigan’s 1,856 units of general purpose local government. Surveys were sent by the Center for Local, State and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) via the internet and hardcopy to top elected and appointed officials (including county administrators and board chairs, city mayors and managers, village presidents and managers, and township supervisors, clerks, and managers) from all 83 counties, 274 cities, 259 villages, and 1,240 townships in the state of Michigan.

The Fall 2010 wave was conducted from November 9- December 31, 2010. A total of 1,189 jurisdictions in the Fall 2010 wave returned valid surveys, resulting in a 64% response rate by unit. The margin of error for the survey as a whole is +/- 1.7%. The key relationships discussed in the above report are statistically significant at the p>.05 level or above, unless otherwise specified. Missing responses are not included in the tabulations, unless otherwise specified. Data are weighted to account for non-response.

The National Survey of American Public Opinion on Climate Change (NSAPOCC) data used in this report were collected from November 15-

December 9, 2010 via using random digit dialing of landlines and cell phones. A total of 413 respondents were interviewed by telephone, with a margin of error for the sample of +/- 4.8%. Data are weighted to reflect population estimates of the state of Michigan. The survey was conducted by the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion in Allentown, Pennsylvania and funded by both Muhlenberg College and the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan.

Detailed tables of the MPPS data analyzed in this report broken down three ways —by jurisdiction type (county, city, township or village); by population size of the respondent’s community; and by the region of the respondent’s jurisdiction—are available online at the MPPS homepage: http://closup.umich.edu/mpps.php

The views reported herein are those of local Michigan officials (MPPS) and citizens of Michigan (NSAPOCC) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Michigan.

University of Michigan

Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy

Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Joan and Sanford Weill Hall

735 S. State Street, Suite 5310

Ann Arbor, MI 48109-3091

Regents of the University of Michigan

Julia Donovan DarlowAnn Arbor

Laurence B. DeitchBingham Farms

Denise IlitchBingham Farms

Olivia P. MaynardGoodrich

Andrea Fischer NewmanAnn Arbor

Andrew C. RichnerGrosse Pointe Park

S. Martin TaylorGrosse Pointe Farms

Katherine E. WhiteAnn Arbor

Mary Sue Coleman(ex officio)

The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP), housed at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, conducts and supports applied policy research designed to inform state, local, and urban policy issues. Through integrated research, teaching, and outreach involving academic researchers, students, policymakers and practitioners, CLOSUP seeks to foster understanding of today’s state and local policy problems, and to find effective solutions to those problems.

www.closup.umich.edu >> 734-647-4091

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MPPS: Local government and environmental leadership: views of Michigan's local leaders