Commentary: Michigan’s Undemocratic Emergency Manager Law  The
law that allows Gov. Rick Snyder to appoint a manager over
Detroit violates the basic tenets of democracy.  Posted:
03/29/2013 11:07 AM EDT  As Detroit wrestles with the
appointment of an emergency financial manager, the city is
facing not just a controversial chapter in its history, but also
a crucial debate over whether the state’s takeover of the city’s
finances is constitutional.  That is the central question in a
federal lawsuit filed by opponents of the decision by Michigan
Gov. Rick Snyder to place the city’s finances under the control
of his appointed custodian, Kevyn Orr.  The suit focuses on the
law that enables the governor to appoint an emergency manager,
asserting the position completely removes the power from the
residents of the city who voted into office elected officials
whose duty is to deal with the city’s finances.  The fact of the
matter is that there is something outrageously undemocratic
about a city whose voters have electe