2008 Mackinac Policy Conference


The Grand by suesue2

The Detroit Regional Chamber's annual Mackinac Policy Conference is underway on Mackinac Island. Detroit's WWJ News Radio is providing live audio coverage and podcasts of the Conference, which will include speeches and interviews with Gov. Granholm, Lou Glazer of Michigan Future Inc. (check out his "Cutting through the fluff" interview), Center for Michigan founder Phil Power, Joe Schwarz, James Croce of Next Energy, Jack Lessenberry, Tim Skubick and others who will analyze the upcoming elections and a collection of Michigan legislators who will discuss "Moving Michigan Forward ".

One of the new twists this year with be a "Fusion Track", designed to give young professional an opportunity to share their ideas for transforming Detroit and the state. This is driven by Fusion, a Detroit Chamber convened group of young professionals who have been brainstorming ways to attract young people to metro Detroit. From the Freep:

"We've seen what we like in other places, what works in other places, what attracts young professionals to other cities and states. We want to bring some of that here to Michigan," said Markeisha Miner, an attorney at Dickinson Wright in Detroit who is a member of Fusion and plans to attend the conference.

Find a good story or blog about the conference or have an observation? Post it below!

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This entry was written by farlane and posted on May 29, 2008 at 7:40 am and filed under Articles, Blogs & Forums, Business, Chambers of Commerce, Community, Computers & Technology, Government, Industry & Manufacturing, Jobs & Employment, Media, Michigan, Newspapers, Radio & Podcast, The Michigan Pages, The Michigan Pages: Build Michigan!. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.

One Comment

  1. farlane
    Posted June 6, 2008 at 12:40 pm | Permalink

    The Center for Michigan had a brief (and not terribly heartening) post about the Mackinac conference:

    It was sad to watch key legislators fight over a smoking ban in casinos while the state burns. Much better focus and problem-solving is critical, right now, Center President Phil Power writes.

    Likewise, trite talk about film incentives and biofuel landfills also takes attention away from critical government reforms, writes Michigan's Defining Moment Public Engagement Campaign Co-Chair Doug Rothwell.

    John noted that while the Detroit Chamber brought in young professionals, they did it in a paternalistic and somewhat patronizing way (having their program while many attendees were already headed home). He did close with a bit of sunshine when he looked at the blog of one millenial and recent UM grad, Ashley Aidenbaum:

    Membership to this generation leads my coworkers and collaborators to constantly ask: “You are a millennial, what do you want? What do you think?”

    Cities must compete for our minds and money; we expect an accommodating, personalized experience whether we are shopping, surfing the web, or searching for a home.

    I won’t speak for my generation in the remainder of my blog. Still, I do feel that my observations and perspective are consistent with a broader population of urban-inclined young adults who have failed to find convenience or quality of life in the suburban spaces in which they were raised.

    Well, Michigan, are you listening to the voice of your future?

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