Editing Benton Harbor, Michigan (section)

==Government and politics==
The Michigan Treasury Department in 2009 sent a team to look into the city's finances. The team's report was a long list of mismanagement to the point that budgets were "effectively meaningless as a financial management tool."<ref name="Mahler">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/magazine/benton-harbor.html?_r=0 |first1=Jonathon |last1=Mahler |title=Now that the Factories are Closed, It's Tee Time in Benton Harbor, Michigan |newspaper=[[The New York Times Magazine]] |date=December 15, 2011 |access-date=May 9, 2015}}</ref> The city was $10 million underfunded in its pension fund and increasing budget deficits. In April 2010, Democratic Governor [[Jennifer Granholm]] appointed Joseph Harris as Emergency Financial Manager. City staff was reduced by 30 to 70.<ref>{{cite news|last=Carey|first=Nick|title=Michigan town's woes a sign of tough choices to come|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-debt-municipalities-idUSTRE74A0TK20110511|access-date=January 24, 2012|work=[[Reuters]]|date=May 11, 2011|archive-date=February 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218052446/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/11/us-usa-debt-municipalities-idUSTRE74A0TK20110511|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Image:Benton Harbor City Hall.jpg|thumb|Benton Harbor City Hall]]
Harris was given expanded powers under a new law signed in March 2011 by [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] governor [[Rick Snyder]].<ref name="emergency manager" /> Harris was previously the chief financial officer for the city of [[Detroit]].<ref name="emergency manager" /> On April 14, 2011, Harris suspended the decision-making powers of Benton Harbor's elected city officials, who can hold meetings but are not allowed to govern.<ref name="emergency manager" /> The Michigan [[AFL–CIO]] president called the move "sad news for democracy in Michigan", but at least one city official, City Commissioner Bryan Joseph, supported it, saying the city had been mismanaged for decades.<ref name="emergency manager">{{cite news |url=http://detnews.com/article/20110416/POLITICS02/104160351/Emergency-manager-cuts-roles-of-Benton-Harbor-officials |title=Emergency manager cuts roles of Benton Harbor officials |work=The Detroit News |date=2011-04-16 |author=Santiago Esparza |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110417155725/http://detnews.com/article/20110416/POLITICS02/104160351/Emergency-manager-cuts-roles-of-Benton-Harbor-officials |archive-date=2011-04-17 }}</ref>

On January 4, 2012, [[city commissioner]]s Marcus Muhammad and MaryAlice Adams held a press conference where they stated that if there was still an emergency financial manager administering the city when Benton Harbor hosted the [[Senior PGA Championship]] in May, an "[[Occupy movement|Occupy]] PGA movement should sit in on the golf greens and driving ranges in protest."<ref>{{cite news |first=Kate |last=Genellie |title=Occupy the PGA? |url=http://www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2012/01/05/local_news/8015971.txt |work=[[The Herald-Palladium]] |date=January 5, 2012 |access-date=January 24, 2012}}</ref> Occupy PGA did hold protest marches on multiple days during the tournament, but did not disrupt the tournament.<ref>{{cite news |first=Brendan |last=Savage |title=Occupy The PGA marches in downtown Benton Harbor to protest Senior PGA's use of park land |url=https://www.mlive.com/news/2012/05/occupy_pga_marches_in_downtown.html |work=mlive.com |date=26 May 2012 |access-date=28 February 2020}}</ref>

On January 11, 2013, the Emergency Financial Assistance Loan Board (ELB) voted to replace Harris as the Emergency Financial Manager (EFM) for the city. On February 1, 2013, the ELB appointed [[Tony R. Saunders II]] as the youngest Successor-Emergency Financial Manager for the city of Benton Harbor.<ref>{{cite news |first=Terry  |last=Stanton |title=Emergency Loan Board Appoints Tony Saunders II Successor-Emergency Financial Manager in Benton Harbor? |url=http://www.michigan.gov/treasury/0,4679,7-121-1755_1963-292933--,00.html |work=[[Michigan.gov]] |date=January 11, 2013}}</ref>

Library service for the city is provided by the [[Benton Harbor Public Library]].

The town has a police department.<ref>{{cite news |title=Former Benton Harbor police officer sent to trial for allegedly running over suspect |url=http://www.wndu.com/content/news/Former-Benton-Harbor-police-officer-sent-to-trial-for-allegedly-running-over-suspect-489280091.html |access-date=28 July 2018 |agency=WNDU |date=26 July 2018}}</ref>

===Mayors since 1971===
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" width=70% align="left"
|-
! style="background:#F5DEB3"|  <small>Mayors of Benton Harbor, Michigan</small>
|-
|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! Image
! Mayor
! Years
! Notes
|- style="height:2em"
|-
|
| [[Charles F. Joseph]]
| 1971–1975
| First African-American mayor of Benton Harbor<ref>{{Cite news|first=Julie |last=Swidwa |title= Benton Harbor, Bridging Gaps  |newspaper=[[Herald Palladium]]|date=December 20, 2005 |url=https://www.heraldpalladium.com/localnews/benton-harbor-bridging-gaps/article_a824a03a-828e-5a8c-a0ed-1f0e89552c5e.html  }}</ref>
|-
|
| [[Joel Patterson]]
|  1976–1979<br /> 1980–1981
| 
|-
|
| [[Wilce Cooke]]
|  1982–1983<br /> 1984–1987
| <ref name=Cook>{{Cite news|title= Former Benton Harbor Mayor Wilce Cooke Dies  |newspaper=[[WSJM-FM|WSJM]]|date=August 3, 2021 |url=https://www.wsjm.com/2021/08/03/former-benton-harbor-mayor-dies/  }}</ref>
|-
|
| William Wolf
| 1987–1990
| <ref name=Bizarre>{{Cite news|title=Voting has bizarre touch   |newspaper=[[Lansing State Journal]]|date=November 5, 1987 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/208726748/?terms=%22Henry%20Nickleberry%22&match=1  }}</ref>
|-
|
| [[Emma Hull]]
|  1991–1997
| <ref>{{Cite news|first=Louise |last=Wrege |title= Former mayor loses home to fire  |newspaper=[[Herald Palladium]]|date=April 27, 2015 |url=https://www.heraldpalladium.com/news/local/former-mayor-loses-home-to-fire/article_492e04e9-e9b2-5f30-b735-42ea60001ec4.html  }}</ref>
|-
|
| [[Wilce Cooke]]<br /> (2nd term)
|  2004–2007<br /> 2007–2011<br /> 
| <ref name=Cook/>
|-
|
| [[James Hightower (mayor)]]
|  2012–2015
| 
|-
|
| [[Marcus Muhammad]]
|  2015–Present
| <ref>{{Cite news|first=Maureen |last= McFadden|title= Michigan's New Mayors: A conversation with Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad |newspaper=[[WNDU-TV|WNDU]]|date=February 23, 2016 |url=https://www.wndu.com/content/news/Michianas-New-Mayors-The-Changing-of-the-Guard-369828211.html  }}</ref>
|-
|}
|}
{{clear}}