On July 18, 2013, the City of Detroit filed the largest municipal bankruptcy case in the history of the United States. The city that was once commonly referred to as the "Paris of the Midwest," was just now admitting what residents had known for years, that it could not pay its bills and provide the level of services that residents and businesses deserved.
Gov. Rick Snyder had already begun his intervention into the city's rescue with the support of Detroit Regional Chamber and other supporters of the city. While most knew that the bankruptcy filing was a likely outcome after the appointment of Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, the uncertain future was concerning for all. Recent elections had ushered in an overwhelmingly Republican Legislature. Beyond their natural disinclination to help a mostly Democratic city, few of the members of the Leadership had ties to metropolitan region.
I am the leader of the Detroit Regional Chamber's Government Relations team, we are the face of "Detroit," with whom many out-state policy makers are most comfortable. Under my leadership, the volunteer members of Chamber PAC have strategically cultivated relationships with candidates for office, regardless of geography. I emphasize this, because I understand that “Detroit issues” require support from a broad spectrum of policy makers. Moreover, while Chambers of Commerce have traditionally aligned with Republican members, the Chamber PAC recognizes that the political make-up of the Detroit Region requires positive interactions with pro-growth Democrats to be influential in the region.
The wisdom of this strategy was never more apparent than when Gov. Snyder, Mr. Orr and Mayor Mike Duggan began their push for a "Grand Bargain" for Detroit. The Grand Bargain would utilize philanthropic contributions, support from the Detroit Institute of Arts and $350 million of state resources to protect the assets of the DIA and mitigate damage to city pensioners. I implemented an "all-hands on deck" approach collaborating with interests across the political spectrum and pushing the Legislature for action on the deal. I developed a messaging strategy that was executed by our team that made “Detroit” a state issue that resonated with all political parties. My strategy was all encompassing, but some highlights included:
- Maximizing the my own and the Chamber’s reputation as a bi-partisan, honest broker our team organized and led the coalition supporting the package that included business, labor, municipal and civic organizations around one goal.
- Utilizing the Chamber's experience as international economic developers, messaging was focused on Detroit's brand being more prominent than Michigan's for the purpose of business attraction, convincing out-state legislators that a failing Detroit had a direct impact on their region's ability to be successful in economic development.
- At my direction, our team acquired zip code information for all City of Detroit retirees and was able to show every member of the Legislature how many of their constituents would be impacted if the damage to pensioners wasn't mitigated. In the end, all 148 members of the Legislature had constituents who were collecting pensions from the City.
- My team and I were able to effectively communicate to Republican Legislators the potential cost of allowing the legal system to decide whether or not the State of Michigan was constitutionally obligated to guarantee public pensions potentially costing the state billions. Simultaneously, we convinced Democratic members that a legal strategy would be too costly and uncertain for pensioners.
The end result was the Chamber serving as the most prominent public voice in favor of the Grand Bargain, outside of Gov. Snyder and Mayor Duggan. More importantly, I led the "hand to hand combat" of lobbying the Legislature spending countless hours in the halls of the Capitol twisting arms and counting votes. My team’s whip count was consistently more accurate and up to date than every other organizations. Multiple other advocacy organizations relied on my team and I for the most current information and suggestions as to which Legislators they could be most effective in reaching out to. The passage of the "Grand Bargain" legislation with strong bipartisan majorities in the Legislature was one of the most remarkable exercises in good government and bipartisanship that has been seen in Lansing in years. My role in leading the effort has been my proudest career accomplishment to date and may still be when I retire.