Whitmer eyes more investment in jobs, families
Governor says focus will be on dinner-table issues
When Governor Gretchen Whitmer takes the oath of office for her second term in January, it will be the first time in 40 years Michigan will have a Democratic majority in the legislature and a Democratic governor.
“It’s very exciting,” said Whitmer. “The legislature is still the legislature, so things don’t always move quickly but I look forward to working with both Democrats and Republicans to solve problems.
“We will be able to make the kinds of investments and policies that will truly benefit Michigan- ders.”
Whitmer said her administration will continue to focus on “dinner-table issues” that affect Michigan residents on a day-to-day basis. Ensuring students have the resources to bounce back from remote learning during the COVID pandemic is a top priority for her.
“We want to invest in public education and make individual tutoring available so that we can get every child back on track and be one of the top 10 states for literacy,” Whitmer told The Macomb Daily in an interview. “That is one of our goals.”
The governor said groundwork that has been laid over the past four years to cultivate industries that support electric vehicles and semiconductor production will enable Michigan’s economy to grow.
“As we think about our economy and investment that creates good-paying jobs that you can raise a family on and for future generations to have a path to prosperity, these kinds of businesses will help more Michiganders be able to make enough money to pursue their dreams.”
Whitmer would also like to see a revival of Michigan’s film industry. In 2008, then governor Jennifer Granholm adopted a filmmaker incentive program. That program, which was termi
nated by Gov. Rick Snyder in 2015, stimulated business in the state and generated more than $300 million of film production spending at its peak.
“I was always proud to support the incentives as a legislator,” said Whitmer. “Michigan is such a beautiful state and I think showcasing it is a way that we can tell the Pure Michigan story and show what we have to offer.”
Even businesses not directly connected to filmmaking such as restaurants, catering services, hotels, and transportation providers experienced an economic bump from film crews working in the state, according to Whitmer.
“People benefitted from having the film industry here who were not even on the film set,” she said.
Helping Michiganders deal with inflation and the possibility of recession is also high on her list.
“As we think about inflation and how tough it has been for families, doing things like repealing the retirement tax and tripling the earned income tax credit are important, strategic ways we can get money into the pockets of Michiganders,” said Whitmer.
Rumors about a repeal of Michigan’s freedom-to-work or other specific changes to existing legislation are, at this time, speculation.
“At this point, I think that everything is rumors,” said Whitmer. “The new leadership takes oath of office in January and at that time we will hit the ground running.”
Whitmer praised the resilience
of Michigan residents in the face of what she called “historic challenges” dealing with the COVID pandemic and for coming to the polls in record numbers for this month’s midterm election.
“I’m just so grateful for a second term,” said Whitmer. “The people of Michigan turned out in historic numbers and affirmed the agenda from the past four years and rejected the conspiracy theories that undermined democracy.”
Whitmer carried Macomb County with nearly 52 percent of the vote here while fellow incumbent Dems Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel also won the county vote on their way to re-election. Voter turnout countywide was 54.7%, That percentage was actually down compared to the 2018 mid-term, gubernatorial election was 58.1% of Macomb County voters cast ballots.