Great Lakes Wire

MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. -- Governor Gretchen Whitmer On June 1,  delivered the keynote address at the 2023 Mackinac Policy Conference. 

 Since taking office, Governor Whitmer has brought Democrats and Republicans together to power strong economic growth. The numbers speak for themselves: Michigan has added 61,000 jobs year over year; the unemployment rate is 3.8%, only the third time since 1970 it's been below 4.0%; and the state has won 16,000 jobs and secured $16 billion of investment with economic development tools that bring manufacturing and supply chains home from China. Governor Whitmer is focused on continuing that tremendous progress to grow the economy and create jobs. That's why she will focus on her Make it in Michigan and Growing Michigan Together plans, proposals to grow the state’s economy and population while making Michigan a place where families want to live, people want to work, and businesses want to invest.  

 Please see below for her remarks as prepared for delivery.   

 It’s good to be back! Thank you, Conference Chair Matt Elliott, CEO Sandy Baruah, chamber leadership and staff. Let’s also thank the people behind the scenes: all the staff here at The Grand. Give them a hand. 

 2 years ago, I spoke about political division: our need to come together and solve problems. Last year, I focused on the year 2100 and how we must act now to set up future generations for success. Today, I’ll combine those concepts and focus on “Growing Michigan Together.” Earlier today, I signed an executive order establishing a Council to do just that. 

 Today, I’ll dig into what the Council will accomplish and if you stick around—we’ll make a little more news. 

 Just a heads up before we get started—we have included pieces from some of Michigan’s youngest and most promising artists throughout this presentation. You can contact their agents directly about purchasing options. 

 As we approach the second quarter of this century, Michigan must actively work to grow our state’s population to spur economic growth, lead the future of key industries like mobility, chips, and clean energy, and ensure an exceptional quality of life at a great cost of living to all who call Michigan home.  

 But first, a little bit about what we’ve been up to. 

 We’ve been busy downstate. We made some promises last year... and we are keeping them. 

 We quintupled the Working Families Tax Credit putting hundreds back in people’s pockets… and lifting nearly 26,000 families out of working poverty. I want to thank the chamber for their advocacy on this shared priority. 

 We expanded advanced manufacturing and brought supply chains home. 

 Made record investments in housing and community development. 

 Ushered in robust small business growth. 

 Expanded Going PRO to help businesses up-skill their workforce and continued finding new ways to attract and grow talent. 

 Grew innovative, bipartisan programs like Tri-Share to lower the cost of child care and remove that barrier to employment. 

 Made critical infrastructure upgrades at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. Let’s also continue our united effort to compete for more defense industry investments. And let’s support our service members like Major Jason Holm from Macomb—callsign Sherlock—and Major General Darren Werner, commander of TACOM Detroit Arsenal who is departing later this year—thank you both for your service.  

 Also want to recognize Major General Paul Rogers. Last month, he and I traveled to visit our troops in Latvia—our European partner and one of the most crucial allies to Ukraine. It was an honor to share some MREs with Michiganders on the front lines. 

 This year I also signed commonsense gun violence prevention legislation supported by a majority of Michiganders into law. 

 Together we expanded the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act—it’s the right thing to do and it’s just good economics.  

 The majority of us know that bigotry is bad for business... 

 And the same goes for repealing outdated abortion bans! Your future workforce is watching. Getting Michigan on the right of history is good for business. 

 At their core, each of these policies is about something we all need or care about: Safety. Children. Work. Communities. Home. All these priorities coexist. We reject false choices in our own lives every day. We want to be good parents and love our jobs. We want our families to succeed and give back to our communities.   

 We live “the power of and” every day. We strive for it. But too often, many think of government or business decisions in a zero-sum way, stymied by false choices. Environmental conservation or economic development? Quality of life or cost of living? Invest in the future or live in the now? I don’t have time for that and neither do you. In Michigan, we can harness “the power of and.” Just look to our past. 

 At the turn of the 20th century, Michigan was home to 2.4 million people. Twenty years later, our population grew 51% to nearly 3.7 million. In 1970, it was 8.9 million people—a 140% increase in fifty years. That’s what we’re capable of. At the same time, household wages went up and the middle class grew. Businesses made record-breaking profits and powered groundbreaking innovation.  

Dutch immigrants established Holland, Michigan. The Great Migration of Black Americans left legalized oppression in the South for Detroit and a fair shot at a good life. The Finns shared sisu with the UP. Middle Eastern immigrants brought their rich culture to Dearborn and beyond. 

Look, we may be America’s high-five but these are working hands. Generations of families built this state with their grit and hustle.  

We all know Michiganders put the world on wheels and assembled the arsenal of democracy. And we’ve done a heck of a lot more too. Michiganders have been on the cutting-edge of furniture design and health care. We are the birthplace of canned baby food and cereal… techno music and traffic lights…    

Because of Michiganders past—our parents, grandparents, and ancestors—we defined so much of the last century. By learning from their example, we can lead this one too. 

That’s why I am more optimistic about Michigan’s future than ever. We are a state on the rise.  

We’re leading the future of mobility, chips, and clean energy. 

We will “dominate” battery manufacturing by 2030. 

We are building semiconductor components from Ann Arbor to Bay City to the Keweenaw Peninsula. As you can see, MLive is passionate about chips too! 

We are winning international investments in cutting-edge industries like hydrogen. 

We are reimagining historic buildings into “cathedrals of innovation” like Michigan Central. 

 And of course, we are fixing the damn roads. 

 While some states are telling women what to do with their bodies, Michigan is protecting your fundamental right to make your own decisions.  

 While some states demonize the LGBTQ+ community, Michigan is expanding civil rights so everyone has the freedom to be who they are.  

 While some states wage war with Mickey Mouse or demean battery projects, I will go anywhere and compete with anyone to bring jobs and businesses home—including in states where their main philosophy seems to be “the power of OR.” 

 In Michigan, we embrace “the power of and.” And together, we will make Michigan a place where people want to build their lives, start their family, and pursue their entrepreneurial dream.  

 When people move somewhere, it’s the ultimate vote of confidence. It means they know they can build a bright future in that place. Our job is to make sure the world knows what Michigan has to offer. 

 Our goal is to grow Michigan and to succeed, we must do it together. We’re making progress but we must do more. It’s time for a growth strategy led by leaders and experts focused on collective goals rather than personal, political, or partisan agendas. 

 Yesterday, I laid out “Make it in Michigan,” our plan to win more projects, invest in people, and revitalize places. Growing our state and economy requires progress on all three fronts. 

 This morning, I signed an executive order establishing the Growing Michigan Together Council. This new Council, co-chaired by Ambassador John Rakolta Jr., a Republican, and Shirley Stancato, a Democrat, will bring leaders in industry, education, and government together to focus on growing Michigan’s population in a smart, strategic way. 

 That last part is key—we need strategic population growth so we can grow our economy without ever sacrificing our quality of life or endangering our natural resources. One of those resources is water. 

 Michigan is home to 21% of the world’s freshwater and 80% of North America’s. In the decades ahead, the effects of climate change will accelerate, and Michigan will be a climate refuge. But our population goals cannot be cynically fueled by climigrants—people who migrate to Michigan only because of climate change. It must be driven by our ability to address global challenges and what we have to offer. 

 Now let’s talk about some of the Council’s directives. 

 First—jobs, talent, and people. The Council will identify a specific population goal for 2050 and map out how to use all the different levers we have: retention, recruitment, domestic migration, and immigration to continue growing our economy and create upward economic mobility for everyone. They will also focus on how we can build, attract, and retain a skilled workforce that can compete with other states and nations.  We know that talent drives growth and we must create equitable paths to opportunity so Michiganders can get the good-paying jobs created by the cutting-edge companies we are competing to bring home.   

 Next, infrastructure and places. We have made record investments in every kind of infrastructure, but we’ve still got a lot to do, especially with an increasing population. The Council will develop long-term funding solutions for transportation and water infrastructure so we can increase capacity and keep costs low. 

 Finally, education. We must improve student outcomes at every level, from preschool through postsecondary. The Council will develop policies and sustainable funding recommendations to improve education, so every child realizes their full potential. And it will propose how to measure our performance against other top states. 

 The ultimate goal of any policy or plan, however, is its impact on people. We want to ensure everyone can build their future in Michigan. Here’s a few examples. 

 A young family facing high child care and housing costs in another state should be able to move to one of our growing small cities or towns like Cassopolis and get a good-paying manufacturing job at the Hydro aluminum recycling facility there. 

A young woman who wants to live in a state where her fundamental rights are respected should be able to apply her engineering degree at one of our cutting-edge semiconductor or science facilities in Ann Arbor, like KLA or Wacker. 

 A couple—international students who met in one of our top-ranked academic programs—can stay in Michigan, start a family, and apply their talents at one of the Big Three to help us lead the future of mobility and electrification. 

 Blue collar, white collar, no collar—doesn’t matter. Everyone has a path to prosperity in Michigan. 

 The Council will report in December. Then, we will act on as many of their recommendations as we can with bipartisan support to grow Michigan together. However, in addition to this work, we need personnel embedded within state government focused full-time on growing Michigan.  

That’s why I am excited to announce that Hilary Doe will be Michigan’s first Chief Growth Officer! She will be the first Chief Growth Officer of any state in that nation. Hilary brings a policy, strategy, and technology background to state government, including most recently serving as president of a global software company helping organizations around the world move their communities to action. She’s a Detroit resident, two-time Wolverine, and a damn proud Michigander—heck she’s got a tattoo of both peninsulas on her wrist.   

As Chief Growth Officer, Hilary will be housed within the MEDC. She will work closely with the Council to implement recommendations, chase funding, and bring stakeholders together. She will lead a first-in-the nation effort to tell Michigan’s story of natural beauty, diversity, and economic leadership. I’m excited for you all to work with Hilary and the Council.  

As you leave here tonight, or tomorrow with sunglasses and an Advil, I urge you to embrace the power of and. 

Because to grow Michigan, we must reject false choices. We need Republicans and Democrats… business and labor… small towns and big cities… Yoopers and trolls! 

 We all have a personal stake in this effort. Heck, I have two—my daughters. Everyone in this room knows someone—maybe even your own child—who went to college at one of our public universities, but started their career somewhere else. We need a plan to keep our kids here and bring those who have left back home. We are building something special in Michigan and we want everybody to be a part of it. 

 You all consider the future when you make investments today. We all want Michigan to succeed. The Detroit Chamber’s poll that came out earlier this week showed that a majority of Michiganders are optimistic about the state’s future—numbers we could not have dreamed of a decade or two ago.  

 Michiganders believe in Michigan. They know our future is bright. Let’s work together to build it. Thank you.

Original source can be found here