"Detroit Matters" - that’s the straight forward headline on the cover of the Michigan Municipal League’s most recent edition of the Review Magazine. The March/April 2013 magazine, available for free online here, is all about Detroit and why Detroit should matter to the rest of Michigan. The cover story focuses on John George and his Motor City Blight Busters program (pages 24-27).

Other highlights in the issue include:

• A column by League CEO Dan Gilmartin that explains how Detroit is Michigan’s beating heart (page 5);
• Q&A articles with people living in Detroit and why they chose to move there in recent years (pages 8-10);
• The revitalization of Clark Park (pages 12-14);
• A feature article on Recycle Here!, Detroit’s grassroots recycling program (pages 16-18);
• A look at several of Detroit’s social entrepreneurs, including Ponyride.org; GreenGarageDetroit.com; DetroitSoup.com; HatchDetroit.com (pages 19-21);
• A first-hand account of volunteering at Cass Community Social Services (pages 34-35);

"Our Review magazine often has articles related to Detroit, but this is the first time in recent history where an entire issue was devoted to Detroit,” said League CEO Daniel Gilmartin. “Our 2013 Convention is taking place in Detroit in September and we thought now would be a good time to highlight some of the positive people, places and things in our state’s largest city. This issue of the magazine gives our members and the general public a glimpse of what they might see if they come to our Convention in September or simply visit Detroit.”

So why does Detroit Matter? Gilmartin explains it best in his column at the start of the magazine. Here’s a segment: “Imagine your body without your heart. Sure, maybe some fancy life support machine could keep your arms, legs and gut technically alive. But you certainly won’t grow and thrive. … Detroit is the beating heart that’s big enough and strong enough to keep Michigan’s lifeblood flowing. A state’s major metropolitan area is also its calling card to the rest of the world. It is the magnet that draws people and business, the face of our cultural coin. … Help us make Detroit a place that matters, so that Michigan will matter, too."

The League’s March/April Review Magazine was mailed out to subscribers this week. The print version of this magazine goes to more than 8,500 municipal leaders – mayors, city council, city managers, municipal staff – as well as state and federal politicians, numerous state agencies, and others interested in community placemaking efforts. The bimonthly magazine also is posted on the web here.

Matt Bach is the League's director of media relations. He can be reached at (734) 669-6317 and mbach@mml.org.

The latest issue of the Michigan Municipal League's bi-monthly magazine, The Review, comes out this week, but you can view it online now here. The magazine focuses on how education is one of eight key assets the League has indenified for vibrant communities. The November-December issue of the magazine should arrive in our members' mailboxes later this week or early next week.

Our cover story is about newly elected League Board President Carol Shafto, mayor of Alpena, and how she used education as her ticket out of poverty. It's a stirring story that is worth your time. Read about how Shafto believes the success of the city of Detroit is important to every Michigan community no matter its size or location. Other articles include an overview about why education is one of the eight assets identified in our 21c3 initiative, a column by League CEO Dan Gilmartin, a column by Lou Glazer, founder of Michigan Future Inc., a photo story of our highly succssful 2010 Convention in Dearborn, and question and answer session with Adrian Mayor Gary McDowell, a piece about the city of Wyoming coming together to help students, and much more.

You can also view a full pdf version of our magazine here.

View pdf version of the magazine

Matt Bach is director of communications for the Michigan Municipal League and executive editor of The Review magazine. He can be reached at (734) 669-6317 or mbach@mml.org.