$500,000 in previously approved federal funds, as well as the less tangible, but equally important belief that the
residents of this pothole-riddled metropolis may one day be able to leave the autos at home, like, um, people in
real cities do. The basis for Engler’s veto was the failure of the state Senate to pass his eleventh-hour proposal
to create up to 15 new charter schools in Detroit. In a baffling quid pro quo that must exist solely in a lonely
corner of the ex-governor’s mind, the failure to pass the charter school bill obviously mandated a veto on the
transit bill.”
Public Act 10 gave Detroiters the right to vote to return to an Elected Board after 5 years. The people voted in
November, 2004 to restore control back to taxpayers. In November, 2005, Detroit residents voted for