One Detroit | Growing Michigans population with education, infrastructure | Season 8 | Episode 8

Are and working together in a collaborative way.

Let's turn now to Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Growing Michigan Together Council, which she announced at the Detroit Regional Chambers, makin our policy conference in June.

The bipartisan group is tasked with creating strategies to grow the state's population and economy.

They're focusing on several key areas, including education, infrastructure, jobs and talent.

One Detroit contributor and Michigan Radio political director Zoe Clark sat down with the recent council appointee, State Senator Darren Camilleri, to talk about growing Michigan together.

Oh, let's first talk about the council that you've been appointed to.

What are you looking forward to?

What is actually going to get done here?

I'm excited that we'll have a chance to dove deep into population trends, not only in Michigan, but across the country as we look to figuring out solutions to help put us on the map for being one of the best places to live, grow, grow a family and and have a job and work here.

We've got fantastic features for people to, you know, have recreation and love being here and work here.

But we need more people to know that that is a story that Michigan has to tell.

Where is that disconnect?

Right.

Because there was also a report that said Michigan is second only behind West Virginia when it comes to population growth.

I think as a young person and knowing a lot of my friends who have moved out of state or even out of the area that I grew up in and down river, people are looking for places where you have a lot of activity, where you can walk to coffee shops or museums or art shows and a place that you can feel like you're part of a community.

And I think we need to go back to more of those types of communities.

If you look at Michigan and places that are growing as places like Traverse City or Ann Arbor, or places like Royal Oak and Oakland County, and those are walkable, livable communities that people are attracted to based on the experience that they have there.

And so we need more of that across the state.

So those those places that you just named also happen to be, you know, very wealthy areas.

Talk to me a little bit about how when we're talking about growing population that fits in with inclusivity for all and so that everyone can make a home in these areas that can be tough to to find housing affordable living.

And that's actually a key piece that was brought up in our first population council meeting, is that we want to ensure that any of the data that we are looking at and analyzing is really inclusive of every experience of all of our Michiganders.

And so we're talking about communities of color.

Some of that data is not always aggregated in a way that is telling the full story.

Let's let's put it that way, where we're talking about Latino communities or black communities or any of our other diverse, beautiful members of Michigan we want to ensure that every piece of the data is accurate and that we are inclusive for all of those voices.

Growing Michigan's population has been on the top of politicians, lawmakers, academics, economists minds for decades here in Michigan.

How will this council, do you think, be different this time?

Than previous conversations, iterations, idea making?

I think for a lot of the conversation previously, it's always been about how do we harken back to the past?

How can we become a place that is still a beacon of hope for the future?

It's about climate.

It's about our environment.

We are going to be the place that because of the lack of action at the national and worldwide level for climate change.

Michigan is a place where you can seek refuge in the future.

You know, we do have our moments of really high heat but we're not sitting in 120 degrees like in Arizona.

There's going to be a point pretty soon where people are starting to realize that we want to live in a place that is bearable and beautiful all at the same time.

Let's talk a little bit about education.

You are chair of the pre-K through 12 education budget in the Senate The governor just recently announced an entire new department will go into effect in December.

Talk to me a little bit about Miley.

I think for this new department that the governor is creating, it's again back to that principle of we need to be focused on a goal as a state and we need all be working towards that direction and so with her new initiative with Miley, I think it's going to be very important that we again, focus on those early learners as well as those who are looking to go it right into the economy and to get a job.

And we do know that those who have been working in the Department of Education, I've heard it over and over again during this budget process.

They need more staff.

They need more support.

And so if we can figure out ways to balance that workload, I think this new department's really going to help.

So you just mentioned the Department of Education.

So these are going to be two separate departments.

And there's been some consternation from some folks who are part of the Department of Education, including the state superintendent, Michael Rice.

The Education Board member is actually asking for an opinion from the state attorney general, Dana Nessel, about the constitutionality of this new department.

Is it not great that it's already, you know, with it, with its announcement that there's already a little controversy surrounding whether it's something that even Democrats are going to back?

I think there's always going to be resistance to change, no matter whether it's coming from a Democratic administration or a Republican administration.

But this one component around education, no matter the party of the governor, there has not been an ability for the governor to really lead in a direction unless they do some systemic departmental changes.

And that's one way that I know that Governor Whitmer is trying to lead in this space.

She has the constitutional authority to create her own departments and to reorganize departments as well.

I'm backing it.

I think a lot of legislators are backing it, too, because we do see the benefit of working with a department that is focused on some of these early and post opportunities for education.

Let's think about 20, 33.

Write me a headline.

If Michigan is a successful state, when it comes to population growth and particularly your passion, which is education.

The headline that I'd like to see is that Michigan is a top ten state for growth and that we are in a top ten state for education across the country.

When we look at some of the things that we're investing in right now, we are trying to plant the seeds for future opportunities not only for our students before our educators as well.

If we can be the place for an education workforce, that's going to set us up for so many opportunities for success.

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