We did it: 136 Votes!

 Fantastic news! Two weeks ago, the Michigan LCV helped secure a major environmental victory by taking a lead role in the passage of the Grand Rapids Transit Millage on May 3rd.

And the entire state has taken notice of the big win for West Michigan. In an editorial, The Detriot Free Press praised the people of metro Grand Rapids for blazing a path for the rest of the state by understanding that investments in mass transit pay off by encouraging economic growth, keeping talented young people in our state, and protecting the environment by creating thriving downtowns that encourage smart land use.

Working out of our reopened Grand Rapids office, West Michigan Director Phil Skaggs and West Michigan Organizer Zane Corriveau formed the core staff leading the Friends of Transit RapidYes Campaign in support for the proposal. Together, Phil and Zane developed and implemented the winning campaign plan, including knocking on over 19,000 voters’ doors by organizing over 100 volunteers. Our team with the Friends of Transit brought together the mayors of all six cities, business leaders, the faith community, environmental organizations, and student groups to pull off this amazing victory. Given the struggling economy and an aggressive anti-transit opposition campaign, this was no easy task. In the end, the margin of victory after a back-and-forth election night was a mere 136 votes. That’s proof positive that every vote counts and the hard work of our Michigan LCV team, including Board Trustee Mayor George Heartwell, made the difference between this year’s victory, and the defeat of a similar proposal two years ago.

Because of these efforts, Grand Rapids and its core suburbs have become statewide leaders in public transportation. The seven-year long millage will bring in $150 million in property taxes and federal and state grants. The Rapid (the local transportation authority) will now greatly expand the hours and frequency of its buses and will build Michigan’s first high-speed Bus Rapid Transit line.

We believe that public transit offers many benefits. It helps cities revitalize their urban centers, creates jobs, increases local economic activity, limits carbon emissions, and safeguards our greenspace and farmland by curbing sprawl.

Michigan LCV could not have pulled off this crucial victory without the support of donors from all over Michigan. The Michigan League of Conservation Voters is dedicated to making Michigan more sustainable, and we hope you are as well. 

Will you help us continue similar efforts by donating today? We’ve set a goal of having 136 people – the same number as the margin of victory – donate $136, $50 or even $20.

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Thanks.