Benton Harbor's city commission no longer has a Whirlpool-owned majority. Gov. Granholm is taking desperate measures to carry out a hostile takeover of the city.

The following is an article with Rev. Pinkney's commentary in bold and brackets.

Official: Granholm committed to Benton Harbor

[Gov. is not committed to BH, but to Whirlpool]

Responding to commissioners' criticism of governor, statespokeswoman cites various grants, programs that her administration has pushed

[The Governor has "pushed" only for Whirlpool, it's real estate arm Cornerstone Alliance, and the massive development called Harbor Shores where she will have a Lake Michigan mansion]

By Evan Goodenow - Herald Palladium Sat., Feb. 6, 2010

BENTON HARBOR - When Benton Harbor city commissioners blamed Gov. Jennifer Granholm for Benton Harbor's financial mess, were they throwing rocks at a lame duck or legitimately questioning why the head of a debt-ridden state should order a cash-strapped city around?

[Questioning was legit. because Granholm put on a song and dance about how much she'd help the city, but she's failed to do anything. Her largess has been focused squarely on Whirlpool, Cornerstone, and Harbor Shores]

With Granholm close to deciding on a state financial takeover to deal with the city's $4.1 million overall deficit and what a state review panel last week found was incompetent money management, commissioners lashed out at Granholm at Monday night's commission meeting. Commissioner Duane Seats said $5 million in state taxpayer money that should've gone to the city went to Citizens for Progressive Change, a group of mostly local residents formed in response to the 2003 riot.

[Seats is right on point. BH received no money. "Citizens for Progressive Change" is not made up of BH residents, but people who Granholm assembled for the purrpose of destroying BH so Harbor Shores development could be built.]

"The governor of the state of Michigan has never come to the City Hall, but she comes to churches," Seats said, adding that the city should appeal if Granholm appoints an emergency financial manager to oversee city finances.

[Granholm needs a finacial takeover of the state - she's almost 2billion in the red.]

Commissioner Marcus Muhammad compared a possible takeover to a coup d'etat. At a previous meeting, Commissioner Eddie Marshall, noting the state's $1.8 billion projected shortfall, compared a takeover to alcoholic parents advising their children not to drink.

[Muhammad and Marshall are 100% right.]

Through spokeswoman Liz Boyd, Granholm declined a chance to respond to the criticism.

[How can she respond to truth which she's attempting to hide?]

But Boyd said the criticism was unfounded. Boyd noted that the state is forbidden from running deficits, leading Granholm to make tough choices to balance budgets such as laying off state troopers, reducing Medicaid benefits and increasing employee pension contributions.

[Granholm is worse then Engler, and nobody's worse than Engler.]

Since taking office in 2003, Granholm has had to deal with the collapse of the U.S. auto industry and housing market and the worst recession since 1945. But Boyd said Granholm, whose approval ratings are way down in her last year in office, has steered millions of dollars to Benton Harbor.

[Not to the city, but to Whirlpool and Harbor Shores development.]

In the past two months alone, the state approved the city receiving a $13.9 million federal taxpayer anti-blight grant and $14.3 million in bonding for the water plant upgrade.

"The Granholm administration has been absolutely committed to helping the community lift itself up," Boyd said. "That's always been our goal, and it is surprising that some are questioning our commitment because it's been so strong."

[The residents of BH are worse off now than they have ever been.]

In a 2008 Herald-Palladium op-ed piece, Granholm wrote that Benton Harbor had come a long way since the 2003 riot.

[BH has gone a long way backwards - Granholm has not brought one job.]

She cited state support for summer youth programs, pre-apprenticeship job training, $21 million in tax credits from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority for the Benton Harbor Housing Authority's public housing renovation and MSHDA support for Habitat of Humanity's building of 21 homes.

[The summer "youth program" was designed to help Whirlpool and Harbor Shores clean off their brand new golf course. A lot of picking up of paper, etc. from the ground was what the lucky youths learned how to do.]

Granholm also noted the state Department of Transportation's upgrades in the Arts District and Main Street and the state Economic Development Corporation's support for the Harbor Shores golf, residential and retail development project.

[The art district is all white, no jobs for BH.]

"Although much remains to be done, Benton Harbor is in a far better position today than just five years ago due to a shared vision the community has created for the future," Granholm wrote. [again, worse off than ever because of you

"My goal is to make the state of Michigan the strong and committed partner Benton Harbor needs to transform itself into a place of growth and opportunity."

[Your only goal, guv, is to enrich the corporations and make sure BH gets demolished for your mansion.]