Latest news with #MichiganAdvance
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Hall, Nesbitt support convention to rewrite state constitution
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Twp., left, and Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Twp., participates in a PAC reception during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance) MACKINAC ISLAND – Republican leaders in the Michigan Legislature say they plan to support an initiative to hold a constitutional convention to rewrite the document. The proposal automatically appears on the ballot every 16 years. The November 2026 general election will be the fourth time since the state's current governing document, which went into effect in 1963, that voters decide whether to go back to the drawing board. House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) said he does think we need a 'Con-Con.' 'They stuff so many things in this Constitution, all kinds of things, every time,' Hall said, pointing to ballot proposals legalizing marijuana and creating an independent redistricting commission that were approved by voters as examples. 'Some of those proposals sounded good, but then had intentions that the public is frustrated about,' Hall said. While Hall was focused on taking things out of the state's constitution, Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Township) sees it as an opportunity to make updates that he said Lansing leaders haven't had the 'political courage … to actually get done.' Those include making the state superintendent an appointment of the governor rather than of the state Board of Education, as well as changes to how university boards are selected. 'I think there's a lot of things that should be discussed,' Nesbitt, who is running for governor, said. 'And the constitution could be a lot simpler than what it is right now.' That simplification could touch all aspects of the state's guiding document. Eric Lupher, president of the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan, previously told the Michigan Advance that if a constitutional convention were to be approved, 'everything is fair game, from Article One through Article 12, so it's not a piecemeal approach. It is an open document that will be examined from A-to-Z.' Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) said she hasn't given it much thought but is open to hearing pros and cons. House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) said he wasn't familiar with specifics of the proposal but that it didn't sound like something he would support. If voters did call a constitutional convention, a special primary and general election for delegates would be held, with one delegate elected in each of the state's 110 state House and 38 state Senate districts. The convention would convene in October 2027 with no limit on how long it would last before proposing a new constitution, which voters would either approve or reject. The legislative leaders were speaking during a Detroit Regional Chamber PAC reception during the final night of the Mackinac Policy Conference. The unusually tense reception marked the first meeting of the four so-called 'quadrant' leaders, representing the four key positions in the Michigan House and Senate, with no quadrant meetings having been held since last year. Brinks said the Democratic majority in the Senate is willing to work with the Republican majority in the House on priorities like transparency reform and long-term road funding. She said that starts by having more regular conversations. 'It's important for us to sit down and negotiate the differences,' Brinks said. 'That's how the Legislature works, and it's particularly important when we have a Republican-led House and Democratic-led Senate to sit down and just hash out those differences.' Puri said it should be easy to set up plans for another meeting, pulling out his phone and saying he has time next Tuesday at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. But Hall said he doesn't need to meet with the other legislative leaders, arguing that the House is getting things done on their own, though the state has seen just four bills signed into law so far this year. Hall pointed to an Epic-MRA poll saying he has a 60% approval rating as evidence that his current strategy is working. But Puri said the polling numbers aren't indicative of the state's actual perspectives. 'I congratulate the Speaker on his polling numbers. Contrary to what you're saying, that was not statewide in Michigan, that was a select few lobbyists and Lansing insiders telling you that you're doing a great job,' Puri said. 'I don't get my validation by pleasing lobbyists, and I see some in the room, I'm sorry. My validation is waking up to a family that loves me.' Hall said he does work well with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, citing a positive vision while criticizing Brinks and Puri for offering a negative vision. 'I would encourage the Democrat leaders to empower your governor, Gretchen Whitmer,' Hall said. 'Empower her in negotiations, and her and I will get a deal done, and we'll get it done very quickly, on the budget, on roads, on many things.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Michigan launches welcome program for recent grads, new residents
Chief Growth Officer Hilary Doe speaks during a press conference with Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist on the porch of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance) MACKINAC ISLAND – Michigan's first chief growth officer announced the state is creating a welcome program offering perks to new residents and recent college graduates staying in the state. Participants in the Make MI Home program will receive free access to Michigan's state parks, opportunities to connect with others through curated events and discounts at various local attractions and businesses. Two years after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the creation of Chief Growth Officer Hilary Doe's position in her Mackinac Policy Conference keynote, Doe said the state is beginning to trend in the right direction, with Detroit and Flint both showing population growth for the first time in several years. 'Every year, there are more people moving to Michigan and fewer moving out than there were in the year before,' Doe said. But she said there is still work to do to ensure those trends continue, which is why the state announced more than $700,000 of grant funding for five programs aimed at reversing Michigan's population decline. Make MI Home offers grants to programs throughout the state to help people with things like housing and relocation support, access to coworking spaces and more. Among the grant recipients is the City of Detroit, which will receive $210,000 to launch the Detroit Tech Fellowship Program, which will target recent graduates from Michigan universities to scale their startups in Michigan, providing access to coworking space, housing support, and cohort events to network and collaborate with peers and local entrepreneurs. 'What we're talking about today is making it easier for people to say yes to living in Michigan,' Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist said. Gilchrist said he understands the need for the funding as someone who was born and raised in Michigan but left the state to pursue his career after graduating college. 'We grow our population one decision at a time, one person deciding where they're going to take their next step in life, where they're going to build their next chapter, where they're going to make their family and their future and their career real,' Gilchrist said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Duggan, Dems spar with competing ad campaigns during Mackinac Policy Conference
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan delivers a keynote address during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance) MACKINAC ISLAND – Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says a new attack ad launched by the party he was a member of until last year is an example of the type of political system he's campaigning against in his independent bid for governor. The Democratic Governors Association launched a digital ad Thursday accusing Duggan of a 'long, corruption-riddled history.' A press release from the group points to federal agents saying in 2022 that they had linked Duggan to a chain of events that ultimately outed a confidential FBI informant, alerting a target of an ongoing investigation of bribery, extortion and fraud. 'As Mayor, Mike Duggan put himself and his corrupt insiders first, including apparently trying to undermine a federal investigation into one of his closest political allies who went to prison for accepting bribes,' said DGA Communications Director Sam Newton. During his keynote address at the Mackinac Policy Conference on Wednesday, Duggan railed against attack ads used by both Democrats and Republicans. He pointed to an ad the campaign of Curtis Hertel ran accusing Tom Barrett of writing a bill that put women and doctors in jail, and Barrett's campaign countering with an ad accusing Hertel of working for the Chinese Communist Party. 'How did we get here, to the point where fighting for our state is not as important as being angry with the other party,' Duggan said. Duggan added that Republicans are already running attack ads against U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City) despite not having a candidate in the 2026 race yet. 'They have no idea who their candidate is. But they know if there's only two choices … if we just make the Democrat terrible, we can win,' Duggan said. 'We are not going to be living in a state where you only have these ads two or three months a year. We're heading to a state where 12 months a year, year in, year out, we're going to have toxic ads.' The mayor said in an interview with the Michigan Advance on Thursday that the new DGA ad demonstrates his point. 'The Democrats are nothing if not predictable. They only know one thing: Tear down their opponents,' Duggan said. 'I said yesterday that Democrats only united on two principles: They hate Republicans in general, and they hate Donald Trump in particular. But today, I've gotten them to broaden their platform; now they hate me, too.' Duggan, for his part, is also running ads, though they are focused on his own campaign: Billboards along I-75 in northern Michigan declares Nov. 3, 2026, 'Independent's Day.' He told reporters Wednesday that the series of billboards were meant to welcome people back as they drove up for the Mackinac Policy Conference. Other candidates in the race to succeed the term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer include Democrats; Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson and Republicans; U.S. Rep. John James, Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, former Attorney General Mike Cox and former congressional nominee Anthony Hudson. Polling commissioned by the Detroit Regional Chamber and released on the first day of the conference shows Duggan's campaign could pull votes from both Democrats and Republicans. Duggan said during the keynote that his inclusion in the race makes it more difficult for either party to win by simply attacking the other side. 'If I come along, and there's a third choice, you can't just kill one party and automatically win,' Duggan said. 'You have to actually say what you're for.' He told the Michigan Advance that Democrats are 'making it really easy for people to make a choice.' 'But just once, wouldn't you like to see the Democrats put up a billboard that says, here's our housing policy? They don't have it in them,' Duggan said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Benson proposes light rail network to connect Detroit to Traverse City, Grand Rapids
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democratic candidate for governor, speaks during a panel promoting her book at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 28, 2025, the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance) MACKINAC ISLAND – Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says if elected governor she would prioritize creating a light rail network connecting the state. Benson was speaking during a session promoting her book, 'The Purposeful Warrior: Standing Up for What's Right When the Stakes Are High,' during the Mackinac Policy Conference on Wednesday. She said it would be part of her platform to make Michigan 'the best place to be a kid, raise a kid and call home.' 'Transit in our state, and mobility, is this massively unsolved problem an issue that is holding us back from attracting some of the best talent and some of the best businesses,' Benson said. She said possible routes include from Detroit to Traverse City, with stops in Flint and Saginaw along the way; from Detroit to the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Ann Arbor and Chicago; and from Detroit, through Oakland County and onto Lansing and Grand Rapids. 'We can do it quickly, we can do it efficiently and we can deliver those results to make sure Michigan is the best place to call home, so people can move around with ease,' Benson said. Benson said other states, like Florida, have been successful in implementing similar transit systems. She said in an interview with the Michigan Advance that public-private partnerships would be key to making it happen. 'To me, getting things done as governor is getting things like that done – big things that we haven't been able to get done, but if we did, it would be transformational,' Benson said. Benson said she would also create a department on arts, culture, tourism and sports if elected governor, which would 'lead the way in investing in places for people to move, to grow and to create industries that will generate content, whether it's filmmaking or more broadly in the arts.' 'What will be critical to us being able to turn around the population decline in the state is creating places where people want to create things and thrive,' Benson said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Duggan proposes $4.5B school funding plan, says failing principals should be fired
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan delivers a keynote address during the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 28, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance) MACKINAC ISLAND – Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says he would propose investing $4.5 billion in Michigan's schools if elected governor. But he warned that investment would come with 'punishment' for school administrators who fail to show progress toward education goals. 'If we're going to pour $4.5 billion into our schools, the people who run the schools need to have some skin in the game,' Duggan said of his proposal, which he said was likely to 'piss people off.' Duggan gives a keynote address at the Mackinac Policy Conference every year as Detroit's mayor, offering him a platform to tout his independent campaign in a way that his opponents in the Democratic and Republican primaries could not. He said he decided to run for governor as an independent because of a 'broken system' that has failed the state's residents, as evidenced by population loss and low fourth-grade reading scores. 'I look at the trends of young people leaving across a whole bunch of governors. I look at the trend of the kids reading scores declining across a whole bunch of governors. And I thought, somebody has to say, the problem isn't the governor, the problem's the system,' Duggan said. Other than suggesting the additional funding would come from reallocating existing state revenues and unspecified federal funds, Duggan provided no additional financial details. Duggan pointed to shifting policies under Republican and Democratic governors as an example, including an A-F grading system for school performances that was created, replaced and saw its replacement get replaced before it was created again and then repealed again, all in the span of about 10 years. 'There's no central vision that says, here's what we're going to do for the kids,' Duggan said. 'It's 'what can I do to pass a bill that will give me a partisan advantage in the next election?'' He said he would collaborate with educator groups to create some form of school grading plan – whether it be an A-F scale, based on percentages, or some other format that is easy for parents to understand – and place a five-year moratorium on changes to the grading system to allow results to be measured over time. Results would be measured over five years, the same amount of time the $4.5 billion would be invested over to train more teachers and literacy instructors, as well as rebuilding career technical education programs offered in high schools. If a school is failing in the first year, they would be required to submit an improvement plan. If they fail to improve by year two, the state would offer a support team to help turn things around. By the third year, if there is still no improvement, the principal would be fired and a new leadership team would be put in place. 'If you were in business and your business declined three years in a row, you either get rid of the leader or you go out of business,' Duggan said. 'Only in public education can the principal fail year after year, and you send the next group of kids.' If there is still no improvement by year five, Duggan said the district's superintendent would be fired as well. He said selecting replacement principals and superintendents would be left up to the local school boards. Duggan said Michigan residents are 'losing confidence in what's happening in the schools,' citing the number of local millages that failed to pass in May special elections. Polling commissioned by the Detroit Regional Chamber shows that Duggan pulls voters equally from Democrats and Republicans and is the only candidate with favorable views from both liberals and conservatives. Other candidates for governor include Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson in the Democratic primary, as well as U.S. Rep. John James, Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, former Attorney General Mike Cox and former congressional nominee Anthony Hudson in the Republican primary. Duggan chastised Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel for criticizing Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's appearances with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office and at Selfridge Air Force Base. 'This chaos became a national embarrassment,' Duggan said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
