Tom Ivacko

News

Michigan local government leaders’ views on their employee unions: few changes in relationships or impacts as Right-to-Work comes and goes

Jul 26, 2023

Pluralities of local government leaders across Michigan say the state’s recently repealed "Right-to-Work" law had no impact on issues such as community business growth, the ability of their local government to lure or keep public sector employees,...

Most Michigan local officials believe their government workforce reflects their community, though less so in urban areas

News

CLOSUP and Poverty Solutions to examine Michigan’s approach to criminal justice reform

Jul 20, 2023

In the wake of racial justice movements across the country, the State of Michigan and some of its communities have been implementing new public safety and criminal justice policies. The perspective of Michigan's local government, public safety, and...

CLOSUP and Poverty Solutions to examine Michigan’s approach to criminal justice reform

News

Michigan local governments face ARPA spending challenges with inflation and supply chain issues

Jun 29, 2023

Michigan local governments are facing challenges in spending the $4.4 billion which was allocated to them in the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), according to a new survey. The funds were intended to support local governments to stabilize...

Michigan local governments face ARPA spending challenges with inflation and supply chain issues

News

Most Michigan local officials continue to say state is on the wrong track, though outlook slightly improved

May 17, 2023

Despite a two-year trend of improvement, nearly 60% of Michigan's local government leaders say the state is on the wrong track in 2023, according to a recent University of Michigan survey. Specifically, 59% see the wrong track, less than the 62%...

Most Michigan local officials continue to say state is on the wrong track, though outlook slightly improved

In the Media

Ivacko reveals factors behind threats to local officials

Mar 24, 2023 Wisconsin Public Radio

Tom Ivacko, Wisconsin Public Radio: "There's been a very concerted, ongoing effort with very strong media behind it to convince people that there are enemies in the public sector, undercutting their own democracy and working against the interests of...

Ivacko reveals factors behind threats to local officials

News

Michigan local leaders report widespread support for community recycling programs

Mar 15, 2023

A strong majority of Michigan local government leaders feel that good governance includes promoting environmental sustainability and “being green”, according to a survey of nearly 1,400 leaders across the state. The survey, a special wave of the...

Michigan environmental leaders analyze CLOSUP recycling report

News

Ford School welcomes local and state elected officials to boost collaborative work

Feb 16, 2023

Elected officials from local, county, and state government came to the Ford School to hear about the potential for collaborations with their offices and the School’s faculty, research centers, and students. Fifteen members of the Michigan State...

Ford School welcomes local and state elected officials to boost collaborative work

In the Media

Ivacko reflects on 2022, and what it means for future elections

Jan 5, 2023 Hour Detroit

Tom Ivacko, Hour Detroit: Tom Ivacko, executive director of the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy at the University of Michigan, nailed it: “The 2022 election outcomes will be the hot topic — including what they mean for Trump and his hold...

State & Hill

Think local: CLOSUP checks in with local government officials

Dec 19, 2022

By Tom Ivacko (MPA ’93), executive director, Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy Democracy in the United States and across the globe has been in decline for years, as documented with rigorous tracking methodologies. Freedom House has tracked...

Think local: CLOSUP checks in with local government officials

Publication

Local government fiscal outlook in Michigan a mixed picture: near-term improvement, long-term challenges

Dec 14, 2022

A majority of Michigan local leaders' assessments of their fiscal stress this year remain essentially unchanged compared to both 2021 and 2020, despite significant infusions of federal and state aid in recent years. The findings come from the...

News

Michigan local leaders give high marks on the state of local democracy while federal outlook remains grim

Nov 16, 2022

Michigan local leaders are generally optimistic about how democracy is functioning in their jurisdictions, but are far less praiseworthy about the national picture, according to a new University of Michigan report. When asked to rate the...

Michigan local leaders give high marks on the state of local democracy while federal outlook remains grim

News

Ford School experts available for Michigan election 2022 analysis

Nov 3, 2022

The eyes of the country are on Michigan, as voters consider ballot initiatives on whether to enshrine abortion rights into the swing state's constitution and expand opportunities to vote. The highest offices in the state are also up for grabs, with...

The impact of Michigan’s redistricting efforts on the 2022 midterms

News

Former Michigan legislators overwhelmingly favor reforming or abolishing term limits

Nov 1, 2022

As voters in Michigan consider a ballot measure to change the state's legislative term limits, a survey of former legislators shows overwhelming support for reforming or abolishing the limits. The survey, conducted in 2020 and 2021 by Rusty Hills,...

Former Michigan legislators overwhelmingly favor reforming or abolishing term limits

In the Media

Fair elections on the ballot - Ivacko

Oct 31, 2022 CBC

CBC: Tom Ivacko at the University of Michigan says the fair administration of elections is absolutely an election issue this fall. Yet it's unclear how many Americans care: Ivacko noted polls indicating that 70 per cent view democracy as under...

News

Ivacko discusses voter priorities in 2022 election

Oct 30, 2022

Ahead of the midterm election, Tom Ivacko, executive director of the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, joined WXYZ Detroit to discuss what's on voters' minds. "This is a very interesting election cycle. Typically, the economy is one of the...

Ivacko discusses voter priorities in 2022 election

In the Media

Ivacko breaks down Michigan Public Policy Survey for MLive

Oct 27, 2022 MLive

Tom Ivacko, MLive: "We released a report recently that found over half of Michigan local governments reporting their personnel have been harassed or abused by the public in the last few years, and much of what passes for public discourse on national...

Publication

Local government officials offer mixed reviews to Michigan's new approach to redistricting

Oct 26, 2022

Local officials in Michigan have rendered a mixed verdict on the state's new constitutionally mandated approach to redrawing electoral maps with the goal of reducing gerrymandering and promoting fairer elections. Only 24% of local officials are...

Local government officials offer mixed reviews to Michigan's new approach to redistricting

News

Michigan local government officials cite good rapport with each other and public, despite divisive discourse

Oct 13, 2022

Michigan’s local government leaders report generally good relationships among officials and residents, despite well-documented examples of coarsening discourse and antagonism in public gatherings, according to a new University of Michigan...

News

Ivacko provides advice to local officials worried about election tampering

Oct 9, 2022 Michigan Advance

With less than a month until the 2022 election, local officials are worried about election fraud conspiracists sabotaging the election. Tom Ivacko, executive director of the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, gave advice to concerned...

Publication

Confidence in election security high, according to Michigan local government officials, disinformation causes concerns

Sep 22, 2022

Michigan township and city officials are now even more confident in their jurisdiction’s election security and ability to administer an accurate election than they were when asked a similar question in 2020, when confidence was already high,...

News

More than half of Michigan local governments report personnel harassed, abused for doing their jobs

Sep 8, 2022

A majority of Michigan's local governments are experiencing some form of harassment or other abuse from the public, according to a statewide survey conducted by the University of Michigan. Officials from 53% of jurisdictions report harassment,...

More than half of Michigan local governments report personnel harassed, abused for doing their jobs

In the Media

Macomb County government turmoil reflects statewide trend: Ivacko

Aug 30, 2022 The Detroit News

A conflict between Macomb County's executive and prosecuting attorney, from different political parties, reflects statewide trends in the deterioration of relationships between elected officials and their own confidence in Michigan's democracy,...

Publication

Local leaders' pessimism about Michigan's direction continues, eases slightly from last year

Jul 6, 2022

More than 60% of Michigan's local government leaders say the state has gotten off on the wrong track—down slightly from last year yet still among the most pessimistic responses since tracking began in 2011. According to those local leaders...

News

CLOSUP survey looks at online government meeting quality, service disparities

May 26, 2022

More than half of Michigan's local officials say that moving government meetings online during the pandemic decreased the overall quality of such gatherings, according to a University of Michigan survey. The finding comes from the spring 2021 wave...

In the Media

Ivacko and Bednar comment on issues surrounding Ford's Tennessee investment

Mar 20, 2022 The Detroit News

“There’s a lot to learn from what’s happened in Michigan. We’ve experienced … state takeovers of minority communities,” said Tom Ivacko, executive director of the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, on Tennessee’s takeover of a...

Ivacko and Bednar comment on issues surrounding Ford's Tennessee investment

In the Media

Ivacko weighs in on 2022 Secretary of State election

Feb 7, 2022 HOUR Detroit

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is preparing for the 2022 election. So far, her Republican opponents don't seem viable based on their extreme views. “If the GOP nominates QAnon conspiracy theorists, Benson will have an easier path...

News

Ivacko debates 2022 hot topics

Jan 5, 2022

Selected as a panelist for Hour Detroit's 2022 political predictions, Tom Ivacko, Executive Director of CLOSUP, weighed in on some of the most burning questions about Michigan's 2022 elections. The first question: How would Roe v. Wade, and...

News

2021: A year of public policy

Dec 16, 2021

The Ford School of Public Policy is a top-ranked public policy school dedicated to preparing diverse leaders to take on society’s most pressing challenges and make transformational discoveries through cutting-edge research. Experts from the Ford...

News

Michigan local government officials report improved fiscal health after a year of COVID-19, but not to pre-pandemic levels

Dec 16, 2021

Michigan’s local governments report improvement on many fiscal health measures after a year of struggles with the COVID-19 pandemic, but for much of the state the situation has stayed the same or continues to decline, according to a new Michigan...

State & Hill

Partnerships in focus: Learning and research collaborations that create better public policy

Dec 13, 2021

By Rebecca Cohen (MPP ‘09) Two-directional learning helps small businesses and students thrive Lily Hamburger (MBA ’16) supports economic mobility for entrepreneurs as the senior director of the pandemic-born Detroit Means Business, a coalition...

Partnerships in focus: Learning and research collaborations that create better public policy