In Shelby Township, being the police chief doesn't make you the highest paid law enforcement officer in town.

That honor went to a patrol officer, whose gross pay (including overtime) of $112,211 in 2009 exceeded the police chief's by almost $4,000, according to documents received in a Freedom of Information Act request.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics data from May of 2009, police and sheriff patrol officers made $51,270 (not including overtime) on average in the state of Michigan. All but five of the Shelby Township patrol officers surpassed that average salary in 2009. The average gross pay of the 50 Shelby Township patrol officers was $78,402.

According to a Freedom of Information Act Request, the Shelby Township Police Department has 72 employees, of which nine made six-figure gross salaries last year, and another 13 made $90,000 to $99,000. Thirty percent of the police force was paid at least $90,000 for 2009.

Also, according to the "all funds" 2010 budget information online, Shelby Township's expenses exceeded revenue by $2 million.

Shelby Township is one of many municipalities that are paying lucrative salaries while in red ink.

Several  Shelby Township officials - including the supervisor and  two of the trustees -  didn't respond to requests for comment.

Jack McHugh, senior legislative analyst with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, said he suspects these type of salaries are occurring throughout Michigan.

"This suggests that we still have problems of a more chronic nature," McHugh said. "It's anecdotal, but every local government-oriented reform activist I speak to recently seems to have similar stories."

McHugh said if municipal contracts were reviewed as closely as teachers' contracts "a lot of eyebrow-raising figures will come out."

Gov. Jennifer Granholm's "Cool Cities" initiative has not done much to help the working middle class. Joel Kotin, a professor at Chapman University, sheds light on what is happening in American cities in an article appearing in "The American" titled "Urban Plight: Vanishing Upward Mobility." Mr. Kotin points to a Brookings Institution study that found that New York City and Los Angeles have the smallest share of middle-income neighborhoods of all American cities. The Brookings Institution found that in 2007, Manhattan ranked first in social inequality, with the top 20 percent earning over 50 times more than the bottom 20 percent, a gap similar to Namibia's.

In Michigan, Gov. Granholm has stuck with the playbook of urban planners and the political left in attempting to attract the "creative class" with grants and "green policies" aimed at luring young urbanites into cities like Detroit, Flint and Grand Rapids. The result: Michigan still has an unemployment rate north of 13 percent and so much abandoned land in Detroit and Flint that urban farming is being touted as the next big thing. 

"Cool Cities" policies discriminate against middle class jobs because those jobs often build things and use energy and emit pollution - things that are not considered environmentally correct by the political ruling class.

As voters go to the polls in November, especially those without a job or who are underemployed, they should hold politicians accountable who promote policies that favor one class of Americans over another. Often, candidates who proclaim the loudest that they are for the little guy are guilty of pursing elitist policies. 

Leading up to the 2010 November elections, Michigan's largest charter school association will be hosting "Meet the Candidate" nights all around the state.

The Michigan Association of Public School Academies (MAPSA) will feature events in or around Grand Rapids, Midland, Port Huron, Rochester/Auburn Hills, Detroit and Grand Blanc.

Gary Naeyaert, vice president of public relations for MAPSA says that invitations have been sent to all state House and Senate candidates for each event area, with several already signed up to participate.

"We hope the candidates will talk about jobs and the economy as well as their plans for education," said Naeyaert. "We want to give people the opportunity to meet candidates in a casual environment so they can make an informed decision when they vote."

Each gathering will feature politicians from each political party talking and answering questions about their plans for jobs, education and other key issues. The events will be non-partisan and are intended to educate people about their elected representatives' views.

The meet-ups will take place over the next two months, starting in Grand Rapids on Monday.

To see a list of the events and locations, click here. To see the event calendar for MAPSA, click here.