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Governor's Council of Economic Advisors Aims to Revive Manufacturing

No Bay or Midland County Representatives Get Appointments; Saginaw Has 2

October 10, 2003       Leave a Comment
By: Dave Rogers

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Gov. Jennifer Granholm has met with a Lansing group to discuss her "Manufacturing Matters" initiative and coming summit.
 

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm says her newly-created Council of Economic Advisors will play a key role in creating a "new Michigan."


MyBayCity comment: "However, there are notably no appointees from Bay or Midland counties and only twomembers from Saginaw County."


NOTE: The Saginaw members are Tom Boensch, secretary-treasurer of the Michigan State Building and Construction Trades Council, and Peggy Malone, administrative secretary, Saginaw County. The council includes one Mt. Pleasant member, Gail Torreano, president, SBC of Michigan. The Detroit area has fully half the appointees on the 48-member council, followed by Grand Rapids, 7, Ann Arbor, 5, Lansing, 4, and even the Upper Peninsula and the Benton Harbor area with two each.


Granholm: "This council is my ‘kitchen cabinet' of business and community leaders who are here for a reason - to make Michigan the best place in the country to expand a business, grow a new venture, or develop new products and services," Granholm said. "For generations, Michigan has been the home of innovation and ingenuity. We are going to continue building upon our reputation as the best place in the country to locate a new business and create newjobs."

MyBayCity comment: "The tri-county area of Bay-Midland-Saginaw, with about 400,000 population, has long been a leader in industrial innovation. It is home to one of the world's largest chemical companies, The Dow Chemical Co., the most successful joint venture perhaps in American business history, the Dow Corning Corp., and many firms which have set the pace for industry for many years. The General Motors Bay City Powertrain plant was one of the pioneers in the employee involvementin the decision-making process which has revolutionized management-labor relations. To ignore this area is to shortchange the state as well as the area concerned."

Granholm: The Council of Economic Advisors will work in an advisory capacity with the Department of Labor and Economic Growth (DLEG) and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). It will have four specific charges, Granholm said. They are:

• developing a comprehensive strategy to revive and strengthen themanufacturing sector in Michigan;

• focusing on traditional and technology-driven economic development through the Technology Tri Corridor which focuses on attracting more tech-based businesses and jobs to Michigan in automotive technology, homeland security technology, and the life sciences;

MyBayCity Comment: The Granholm advisors might do well to look at Valley Center Technology Park, in Monitor Township, Bay County, which has helped produce about 1,000 jobs, many of them in high tech industries. It is a model of development which has been cited for excellence by the Michigan Economic Development Commission (MEDC).

Granholm: • working with labor and institutions of higher learning on workforce development and education;

• developing a strategy to improve the quality of life and revitalize Michigan cities through the administration's efforts to attract more jobs to "cool cities."

MyBayCity comment: "Cool cities? Take a look at Bay City's waterfront and arts and culture development!" Midland and Saginaw both have extensive cultural (can you say cool?) aspects.

Granholm: "There is no better way to have a healthy discussion of Michigan's economic issues than to assemble thebest minds in business and education and have them give us objective, insightful advice on the issues our state is facing in these tough economic times," Granholm said. "We have attracted a broad cross-section of Michigan's business and education leaders from different regions and areas of expertise and given them a meaningful mission to create the next Michigan - a magnet state for business expansion and high tech job growth."

MyBayCity comment: "Governor, we're all for it and behind you all the way. All we ask is an opportunity for the tri-county area to join the state effort. We've got lots to contribute from a number of very talented business executives and we need development, too. We believe our experience and our world class industries deserve a place at the table where decisions are being made."



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Dave Rogers

Dave Rogers is a former editorial writer for the Bay City Times and a widely read,
respected journalist/writer in and around Bay City.
(Contact Dave Via Email at carraroe@aol.com)

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