Once upon a time in a land far far away, the City if Detroit
actually possessed real power in the Michigan legislature. Guys like
Coleman Young, George Montgomery and Mo Hood roamed the halls of state
government and tossed their weight around. Let's just say Detroit
benefited from having powerful folks in high places.
Then, as they say, things changed.
Gradually the power edged toward west Michigan. Guys like Dick
Posthumus, Ken Sikkema, and others emerged as leaders in the state
senate.
The earth has moved again but this time along an axis between
Ann Arbor and Midland.
Two of the last four governors have been Michigan State
University grads, but Rick Snyder will be bringing all things maize and
blue to the capitol corridors for the first time in ages.
And out of nowhere, Midland, home of all things Dow, has
suddenly emerged as the home of mucho power both in the nation's and
state capitols.
Say hello to Dave Camp who is the new GOP chair of the, as they
say in D.C., the powerful Ways and Means committee which is just what
the name implies. If you want to have your "way" in Washington you
need a "means" to get there and Midland's own Congressman Camp has
control of the purse strings. It's a nice plumb for the region.
Back in the state legislature, you have Sen.-elect John
Moolenaar (R-Midland) who is co-chair of the senate budget panel. No
money will be spent unless he signs off on it. And also from Midland
is the new House GOP Floor Leader Jim Stamas who is the traffic cop
every time the house meets.
And to round out the slam dunk for the region, the state's new
top cop is Attorney General Bill Schuette who also hails from Midland.
Not bad for a region that has gotten little attention in the
past, but now it can boast its own versions of Coleman Young, George
Montgomery and Mo Hood…much to Detroit's chagrin.
(Special thanks to Rusty Hills from Mr. Schuette's staff for
pointing out this power shift.)