Troy Mayor Janice Daniels will need a slight miracle to stop the recall from going to voters this fall.

Does she deserve to be recalled?

No, I say, not for the stupid shit she keeps saying, especially about gay people. Politicians exist to say stupid stuff, and she can't help herself. But we love Brooks for it, so she can be forgiven.

But turning down the federal grant for a transportation center when it was first presented is a big problem. Eventually, I think, it was accepted after a compromise, but her first effort was to decline it.

Uh oh and oh no. You don't turn down federal dollars, because they eventually go somewhere else. The only thing local leaders need to know for sure is to accept federal dollars.

And they always do so happily.

Just this week:

In Springfield Twp, they're paving a road that would never have been paved without federal dollars.

In Oak Park, they're adding three public safety officers, after laying off 15 officers, with a federal grant.

In Detroit, they can bring back firefighters after more than 150 were let go, again thanks for a federal grant.

I think the best thing Bill Clinton did after balancing the annual budget was his police officers grants late in his presidency. It put feet on the street and made it very easy for local leaders to cover their communities without tax hikes, those constant, we need another millage requests. If you live in Waterford, you know all about those. They get hard to keep voting yes for.

So if you're a mayor, please say, Thank you very much. Not every grant is a bridge to nowhere. The federal govt is huge and yes it owes money, but when taxes return to the community, it helps the community.