THE SUPER RICH STEPPED IN TO SAVE A CITY. SOME SAY THEY MADE IT WORSE
ON THE STEPS OF CITY HALL, MAYOR David Anderson hollered a guttural “Wahhh!!!” and shot his arms into the sky in celebration, looking like an inflatable air dancer blowing in the wind.
“Four! Hundred! Million! Dollars!” he shouted to city residents gathered in July in Bronson Park, a leafy plaza adorned with bronze busts and plaques honoring pioneers and philanthropists.
Anonymous donors had just given what is thought to be the largest ever gift to support a municipality, and for city officials, it was like winning the lottery. It was also a win for two of Kalamazoo’s richest men, philanthropists William Parfet and William Johnston, who created the foundation that received the money and that will determine how most of it is spent.
Since the Two Bills, as they’re known to locals, launched the Foundation for Excellence in 2017 to close budget gaps in their cash-strapped city—reportedly pledging $70 million of their own money to do so—the nonprofit has distributed around $26 million a year to close budget holes, lower property taxes and fund a wish list of projects.
Instead of the empty storefronts and vacant lots that characterize many Rust Belt cities, Kalamazoo today is a busy hive of spending. City crews are repairing sidewalks, building a splash pad for kids in a low-income neighborhood and replacing lead pipes, their work marked by orange and white construction barrels and closed roads. Hundreds of children have been able to attend free summer camp and go online, thanks to routers paid for by the foundation.
But beyond the construction crews and new pickleball courts, a tension hums below the surface of Kalamazoo’s budget miracle. There’s a long history in the U.S. of the rich stepping in to fund cultural amenities like
