55Plus Series: Show Me the Public Money
Attend in-person or online
Taxpayer dollars are meant to shape the future of our communities. In Kent County, major public investments are being made in private and quasi‑public developments such as the Acrisure Amphitheater, the Amway Soccer Stadium, and the Three Towers. Yet often these decisions have been made with limited public discussion or meaningful community input.
Catholic social teaching insists that public resources exist for the common good, especially for those most vulnerable, and that decisions about economic life must respect human dignity, solidarity, and subsidiarity. When public money is used without transparency or broad participation, we have a moral responsibility to ask difficult questions: Who benefits? Who bears the cost? What kind of community are we becoming?
This presentation will explore how public financing works, why community voices are important in decision‑making, and how people of faith can engage constructively and effectively. Rooted in Catholic social doctrine and civic responsibility, Show Me the Public Money proposes participation in local decision‑making not as partisan activity, but as a faithful expression of discipleship and care for the common good.
Bob Sadowski is a representative of the Cathedral of Saint Andrew parish community engaged in the work of Together West Michigan.