Why do I look so happy? Must have caught me in a weak moment, because as I make my list of concerns for the upcoming year, I see plenty to be worried about. Not the least of which would be me helping out in our nation’s capital.
As we look to tackle the challenges before us… those already on our radar as well as the ones we’ve yet to confront, we can use the new year as a chance to start fresh, with revitalized passion and commitment.
If that sounds like a prayer, can I get an “Amen?” Actually, I think it sounds kind of pie-in-the-sky, but how else should we look at a new year? I’m just trying to stay positive and hoping we can make some progress on a few issues that directly affect our community.
And here they are, with publisher prognostications…
Housing
Though we made significant progress in 2025, we still need more, and less. More units… less expensive.
Housing developments keep popping up wherever there’s available space. And more are on the way. Increased inventory, regardless of the cost, will lead to more competitive pricing.
And we’re not sitting still. We now have people whose primary job is to work on the housing issue. We have a city willing to work with private developers… as much as they can. And I see young professionals buying up older housing stock and rehabbing it, rather than letting it go to seed.
The old hospital property looks to be ready for development. That, in addition to the new units Northern is putting up, should help relieve some of the 3-to-a room realities in the neighborhoods around the university.
• Level of optimism: I’m feeling better about it.
Our Homeless Citizens
The ongoing story of issues surrounding our unhoused population came to a head last month when Room at the Inn appealed to the city to identify some space, somewhere, they could use for overflow from their downtown Warming Center.
Apparently the Presque Isle Pavilion ended up being the spot city officials put at the top of the list.
I don’t think the city was actually advocating for that site. It just happened to be more logistically appropriate than all the other options.
Backlash to the idea was swift and sure. Residents responded with an impassioned thumbs down, and the idea was scrapped before the last salamander crossed the road.
There are plenty of legitimate reasons why the pavilion was a bad idea. Regardless of that, even though I know it’s there, I didn’t sense a lot of compassion for the plight of the homeless, and those who are trying to help them.
I think RATI would find more community support if they could do something about the curb appeal at the Warming Center. This community does care about our disadvantaged neighbors, we just want them to be good neighbors too.
• How I think it’s gonna go: Any improvement to the visual … what we see when we drive by, would be welcomed. I hope they’re looking for a new location. I doubt they’ll find one in 2026. They have a lot of challenges, but I think they have the right leadership in place.
e-Bikes
Here’s the background info. We have an e-Bike problem.
An ad hoc committee has been working for several months on how our city should deal with the proliferation of e-Bikes. We’ll probably see the committee’s recommendations presented to the commission at an upcoming meeting, giving the commission time to gauge public opinion and have something ready by spring.
Committee chair Cary Gottlieb has already indicated that whatever they come up with, it’s not likely to make everybody happy. In fact, he’s not sure it it’ll make anybody happy. And yes, regardless of what they come up with, he’s probably right.
It’s a problem without an obvious or easy solution. E-Bikes are bikes with motors. Not quite as imposing as motorcycles, but more so than pedal bikes. Our multi-use paths were not designed for them, and neither were our streets, or sidewalks. See the problem?
• Odds the city ends up with a workable solution: I think the city is going to have a hard time nailing down a plan. I see a lot of trial and error until we find what angers people the least.
Miscellaneous Others
Renewable Energy
I hope our legislature is able to reconsider the renewable energy demands they are putting on municipalities like Marquette.
They wanted us to go from coal to something more efficient, and we did. And now, well before our current RICE generators are anywhere near their use-by date, they want us to abandon those in favor of things like wind and solar.
I’m all for the next thing, but let us get our money’s worth out of this thing first. Renewable energy should be the goal, but costs have to be considered as well.
• Confidence in our legislature to do the right thing: Though I think they generally want to please the people, it seems they often fail to do so. On a scale of one to two, I’ll give this a one.
Data Centers
I haven’t seen any proposed for the U.P. yet. They probably wouldn’t be any more welcome here than they’ve been downstate.
• Data Centers… yay or nay: I haven’t heard anything good about them, although I’m sure they serve a purpose. They must have some positive impact on the tax base, but other than that, I guess they use a lot of power and water. Since I don’t know that much about them, I’m gonna push on this one.
Artificial Intelligence
If you’re not scared to death of Artificial Intelligence, you’re probably one of them.
Seriously, AI is going to explode in 2026. I used to think the internet was the last great advancement. Those were good times.
The only thing I can tell you for sure about Artificial Intelligence is… it didn’t write this article. Other than that, I have no idea if what we’re seeing these days is AI or the work of an actual human.
Oh, one more thing I can tell you about AI… it’s responsible for the photo of me at the top. You can rest assured, I’ve never been to D.C. as anything but a tourist.
• What to think of Artificial Intelligence: AI… if you’re reading this, I want to be your friend.
2026, Day Two – So far, so good.