Zach Gorchow, editor of Gongwer News service, joins Capitol Issues Forum Thursday, Sept. 27 to talk about his coverage of the governor's race, the potential for a partisan shift in control of the Legislature and ballot proposals. An editor at Gongwer since 2009, Gorchow also reported for the Detroit Free Press, covering Wayne County and the City of Detroit. He is an international relations graduate of Michigan State University, where he wrote for the State News, MSU's student

Do election surveys still work? Join Capitol Issues Forum Wednesday March 21, 8 – 9 a.m. to hear Jeff Williams, CEO of Public Sector Consultants (PSC), discuss the accuracy of election polls and a breakdown of the 2018 candidates running for statewide offices, along with ballot proposals on redistricting, recreational marijuana and others. Williams has more than 25 years experience as a policy analyst, systems analyst, statistician and manager. Prior to joining PSC, he was p

Michigan could be losing out on jobs and economic growth thanks to inadequate investment in infrastructure, said Mike Nystrom, Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association and Janice Beecher, MSU's Institute of Public Utilities, who spoke at Capitol Issues Forum Feb. 16 on findings and recommendations of Gov. Snyder's 21st Century Infrastructure Commission. Potential businesses looking to relocate or expand to the area are concerned about Michigan's i

A 21st Century Infrastructure is essential to ensure Michigan's comeback, noted Ari Adler, communications director in the governor's office, who recapped Gov. Rick Snyder's annual State of the State address at Capitol Issues Forum Jan. 18. The governor's goals are to improve 'hard' infrastructure such as water and sewer systems, roads and bridges, as well as the 'soft' infrastructure such as public education and the continuing revitalization of Michigan communities. "Th

“The good news is the 2016 election is over,” said Tony Stamas, vice president of government relations for the Small Business Association of Michigan, who spoke alongside Dennis Denno, founder of Denno Research, at Capitol Issues Forum Nov. 10. “The bad news is the 2018 elections are now upon us.” Stamas said mass voter turnout of people who traditionally do not vote influenced results of the presidential election and that pollsters did not accurately measure enthusiasm amon

While the big question late in the election season seems to be, “Is it over for Trump?” in Michigan it’s, “Is it over for Democrats or Republicans?”, said Ed Sarpolus, executive director, Target Insyght, who offered “Pre-election Insights, Outlooks” at Capitol Issues Forum Oct 12. As Democrats and Republicans vie for House seats, voter turnout will have the greatest impact on results. Minimal in-state campaign efforts from presidential candidates and the failure of both Mich