
Michael Griffey, as his logo states, is a lawyer and educator. But you can probably guess that by reading his columns. A Free Press contributing columnist, Griffey tackles a wide range of topics with a unique perspective, focusing on root causes and best outcomes. In 2024, Griffey trained his lens on the 13th District congressional race — a seat he unsuccessfully ran for in 2022 — and the representation Detroiters deserve.
Bringing RenCen back could work, with a lot of public input
“Two of Detroit’s most influential companies have teamed up to solve a complex problem.
“And then they fumbled with the proposition…
“GM and Bedrock must ignore their self-imposed artificial deadlines and rethink community engagement, as well as the essence of public-private partnerships.”
Read the full column here
Detroit learned all the wrong lessons from Shri Thanedhar’s 2022 win
“You may consider me an optimist, but my heart beats with faith in a brighter future. That’s why I’m running for the 13th U.S. Congressional District seat in 2022, despite eight other candidates entering the race.
“I was one of seven Black Detroiters seeking the seat, and I now believe that my candidacy, unfortunately, contributed to a split vote in the Black community in a low-turnout primary, which ultimately sent U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar to Washington, D.C. With only 28% of the votes. Because the 13th District is heavily Democratic, the election was decided in the August primary, in which 18% of registered voters cast ballots. As a result, for the first time in sixty years, Detroit has no black representative in Congress. As a joke, friends in DC often send me different messages Tanedar photos He demonstrated around the Capitol with the caption “Griffey’s mistake.”
“But lessons learned for sure. Shortly after the race, I proposed a solution to Michigan’s crowded caucus primaries: ranked-choice voting.
“Ranked-choice voting gives voters a chance to rank their top three candidates, resulting in an immediate runoff of sorts. … Ranked-choice voting will provide a clearer view of the will of voters, preventing the election of a candidate that most voters would not. Choose — and ask candidates to make deeper connections “And expand the number of voters required to win in this way.”
Read the full column here
Michigan Democrats must fix what Betsy DeVos did
“Michigan’s public schools have been in free fall for decades, with every demographic group lagging behind their peers nationally on most key metrics. This means that when you compare affluent suburban kids in Michigan to affluent suburban kids in other states, the achievement gap It is expanding.
“So, if wealthy suburban kids in Michigan public schools have a cold, Detroit kids in public schools have the flu.
“After decades of disinvestment and state-controlled fiscal mismanagement, major education policy has made even the simplest tasks difficult for Detroit parents.
“Parents of children living in Detroit are overwhelmed with ‘choices,’ but decades-old Lansing policies have made choice nothing more than a fallacy. Instead of simply showing up to enroll their children in a neighborhood school, Detroit parents face the unenviable task of sifting through Mountains of data and community recommendations simply choosing a school for their children to attend.”
Read the full column here