Border Thoughts On The Michigan Governor Election

I wonder which candidate, Devos or Granholm will make the first statement on the border crossing matter on their election websites.

I have not found anything yet on their websites whereby they discuss what their position is on a matter that we think is so vital to us. Frankly, given the position of the Republicans in the House and Senate in Michigan and the Legislation they passed, I am surprised that Devos has not attacked Granholm over her handling of the file. But for the Republicans, the State might have had to pay its share of billions for a new crossing while at the same time giving up billions in Federal matching grants.

I would have thought that this was something that a candidate for the Governor's job should be pointing out and on which he should have been attacking the Governor.

I am surprised that the Governor has been so tardy in taking action on the border. Back in November she said:

• "Granholm announced yesterday that her administration is accelerating over $600 million in needed road and infrastructure building projects. The projects are part of her Jobs Today Initiative and will put 11,000 people to work.
  
  Nine companies recently announced they will invest almost half a billion dollars in Michigan’s economy, creating and retaining more than 1,500 jobs."

Gee, how many jobs would the Bridge Co. half a billion dollar bridge "enhancement project" bring to Michigan along with the jobs that $2 billion in Federal matching grants would bring. Similarly, how many would it bring to Windsor along with the road building with the $300 million BIF Funds, assuming of course that the money is still available after all of this time.

I am also surprised that the Governor has ignored the Detroit Mayor on the border and Devos has not picked up on that. She acted for the Downriver communities but not for the City on the DRIC decisions. I just hope that the Detroit Mayor's diverticulitis attack does not flare up between now and the Governor's election date as it may have done in Windsor so that he could only spend a few minutes at Eddie's Summit the other week.

Her Michigan First position shouldn't surprise us given her comments in her Press Release when she killed the Downriver crossings proposals but this statement of the Governor is troubling to me as a Windsor resident:

• "Granholm is urging lawmakers to take up her compromise and send her legislation that will create jobs by allowing border communities to better compete with their neighbors in other states." [eg. Competition for warehousing business is particularly fierce along Michigan borders where communities must compete against Ohio, Wisconsin and Indiana tax incentives.]

I wonder if Eddie could call her husband and seek an exemption for this side of the river. I think that they are on good speaking terms after he helped out Eddie with the "dysfunctional" Council. Or perhaps, ignoring Windsor already may mean that the Governor thinks we are uncompetitive and can be ignored given what her hubby saw of our elected officials!