A lot has been done, but more needs to be accomplished, said Ari Adler, communications director in the governor’s office, when he recapped Gov. Rick Snyder’s State of the State speech at Capitol Issues Forum Jan. 24. The state of Michigan has achieved significant progress during the governor’s tenure, Adler noted, referring to two Wall Street Journal articles the governor handed up during his speech. The first article published Oct. 2009 was titled ‘The State of Joblessness’,

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

Washington gridlock, the state’s budget and the opioid epidemic’s impact on the workplace are a few of the items on the agenda at the Michigan Society of Association Executives (MSAE) Legislative & Public Policy Conference, Wednesday, Feb.15 in Lansing. In a special preconference on the opioid epidemic, Ingham County District Judge Donald Allen and Amanda Lick of Michigan Pharmacists Association will explore its workplace impact. In “Progress or Gridlock: What's Happening

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