Canada is Michigan's largest trading partner, It is also the largest trading partner for 34 other states. So when it came time to replace the only bridge open to commercial traffic at the busiest border crossing in North America, it should have been a slam dunk. Unfortunately, the next sixteen years have been a battle between the champions of economic progress and one of Michigan's wealthiest families. I was a key member of the team that is making the New International Trade Crossing a reality since 2005.
The Ambassador Bridge has been privately owned since its opening in 1929. It is currently owned by Manuel "Matty" Moroun, a Detroit trucking magnate and generous political benefactor of elected officials across Michigan. When the international study examining new bridge options eliminated a twin span of the Ambassador Bridge from contention, one of the legendary political battles in Michigan's history was unleashed.
As the Legislative Liaison for the Michigan Department of Transportation, I was one of the key advocates for the benefits of a new bridge, communicating with members of the Legislature the economic impact of the crossing. The Legislature persisted in adding language to the Department of Transportation budget preventing the MDOT from spending money on the bridge. My work at MDOT brought me into close contact with the team at the Detroit Regional Chamber, another supporter of the bridge.
By 2008, the relationship with the Chamber led me to continue my advocacy of the new bridge as an employee of the Chamber rather than a partner. Along with the rest of the Chamber team I was able to successfully convince the Michigan House of Representatives to pass legislation to authorize Public Private Partnerships in the state, including for the construction of the new bridge. Unfortunately, the Moroun family influence, buoyed by hundreds of thousands of dollars of campaign contributions prevented a vote on the legislation in the Michigan Senate.
In the 2010 Republican Primary for Governor, the Chamber's Political Action Committee became the only organization to support a little known venture capitalist named Rick Snyder. When Gov. Snyder gave his first State of State Address in 2011, he announced his support for the "New International Trade Crossing." Having been promoted to lead the Government Relations team at the Chamber in 2011, I played a key role in briefing and convincing the Governor's team to take on this difficult project. Along with other leaders, I was able to build a broad coalition of support for the NITC that included business organizations, labor unions and agricultural interests from across the state which partnered with the Canadian government to bring the Legislature to the conclusion that this project was too important to ignore.
Matty Moroun refused to go quietly, unleashing a barrage of television advertising and stoking cynicism in the electorate against the project. By November of 2012, Moroun related interests had spent over $40 million in false advertising. MIRS News quoted me as saying "the only thing true about the ads is the line at the end that says 'Paid for by the Detroit International Bridge Company'." The news media agreed with every major newspaper in the state editorializing against the Moroun ad campaign.
When the Legislature again rejected authorizing legislation, Gov. Snyder boldly used his executive power to form an agreement with the Canadian government to make the bridge a reality. This is when Moroun used his overwhelming resources to try and buy the Constitution, proposing a constitutional amendment to require that all new international bridges be approved by the voters. Moroun outspent opponents of Proposal 6 by a 40:1 margin, and I served as a key spokesman for the "No" campaign, often debating Moroun interests in public and in the media.
Ultimately, Michigan voters decided that the "No" campaign were clearly correct in their position defeating Proposal 6 by 19 points in November 2012. The Moroun family continues to try to throw up roadblocks, but with the leadership of organizations like the Chamber and individuals like me, the newly named "Gordie Howe International Bridge" continues to move forward.
