Community
Why Our Most Talented Young People Leave, and Why We Need Them Back
Like many young people, I spent my entire childhood dreaming of getting out of here, my teenage years working to do just that, and then my...
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Community
/ 6 days agoThe Top 5 Mistakes Small Towns Make and How Communities Like Montague and Whitehall Can Avoid Them
Small towns like Montague and Whitehall have many advantages that larger cities cannot replicate. We have strong families, deep community roots,...
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Community
/ 3 weeks agoShort-Term Rentals, Local Control, and the Cost of Getting It Wrong
Across the country, and increasingly here in West Michigan, short-term rentals have become a focal point of local policy debates. Muskegon...
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Community
/ 2 months agoHow a Civic Board Meeting Should Be Conducted: Principles of Structure, Discipline, and Purpose
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to serve on and work alongside a number of civic boards. From school...
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Community
/ 2 months agoHow Business Leaders Can Influence Positive Change Locally
How Business Leaders Can Influence Positive Change Locally I started CatchMark with a simple mission. Help people and solve problems. That...
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Opinion
/ 2 months agoWhy Read Across America Day Matters in our Community
I’ve always been an avid reader. Not casually. Not “when I have time.” I’m the stack of books on the nightstand,...
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Community
/ 3 months agoThe Proper Role of Local Government in a Free Community
Recently, the Whitehall City Council discussed the possibility of contracting with a single trash pickup provider in an effort to reduce...
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Opinion
/ 3 months agoWhy Attending a Local Board Meeting Matters
There’s a room in your community where decisions are being made that will shape the next year — and the next...
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Community
/ 3 months agoStewardship Matters. Rethinking How We Manage Community Assets
At a recent Whitehall City Council meeting, the city auditor stated that there were no formal methods in place to track...
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Community
/ 3 months agoLocal Government: The Meeting Is Not the Job
A few weeks ago, I sat in the audience of a city council meeting listening to a debate between our local...