Gov. Granholm: 'I don't think that I would have wanted to be governor during any other period'

Gov. Jennifer Granholm delivered a high-energy speech on Saturday in which she said the state needs to continue to diversify its economy and invest in education.

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

Granholm, who will finish eight years in office this year and is term-limited, reflected on her experiences as governor and shared her vision for the state's future at the Washtenaw County Democratic Party's annual dinner.

"It has been a challenge being governor during this period of time," she said. "But I don't think that I would have wanted to be governor during any other period of time because it's this moment that your decisions make a difference. I wouldn't have wanted to have somebody else whose values I disagree with making decisions at this time."

Granholm, who was elected Michigan's first female governor in 2002, was the keynote speaker for the event celebrating 90 years of women’s suffrage.

Appearing casual in blue jeans and a button-down shirt, she delivered a 45-minute, high-energy speech that was generally well-received by the 300-person crowd at Washtenaw Community College's Morris Lawrence Building.

For a few laughs, she showed a video clip from the popular Saturday Night Live sketch in which a fictitious financial analyst played by cast member Kenan Thompson offers up a simple solution to the nation's economic crisis: "Fix it!"

"Now let's just be clear," Granholm said. "That's what people want, right? 'We don't care how. Fix it! And fix it quickly!' This long-term strategy stuff, they don't want to hear that. They want it fixed."

But Granholm said fixing Michigan requires a long-term solution, one that she started on and one she says should be continued by the next administration.

"We must continue to diversify and educate our citizens," she said. "I'm asking you fellow Democrats to be able to make this strong case to those whom you will elect in the fall — that they must keep up diversifying and educating."

Granholm attempted to put the past decade into perspective, referring to a Time magazine article that called it "the decade from hell." She said that rings particularly true in Michigan, which has been harder hit than any other state due to the high number of automotive and manufacturing jobs lost.

Granholm recalled her first realization that Michigan was entering a crisis that wouldn't be easily fixed. She said it started with a phone call in December 2003 from Jim Donaldson, vice president of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. Donaldson relayed news that the Electrolux refrigerator plant planned to leave Greenville, taking with it 2,700 jobs in a community of 8,000 people.

Granholm remembers rallying the troops and heading to Greenville to try to prevent Electrolux from moving to Mexico. She said she put every incentive the state had to offer on the table, including zero taxes for 20 years.

"We basically shook out our pockets, put our chips on the table and pushed them across to the management of Electrolux," she said. "And they said, 'Thank you so much, this is a very generous offer, but there's nothing you can do to compensate for the fact that we can pay $1.57 an hour in Mexico.'"

That was a sign of events to follow, Granholm said, as Michigan continued to bleed manufacturing jobs in the coming years.

"Sometimes there are circumstances beyond your control and this was one of them, but I still didn't want to accept it," she said. "In fact, I was obsessed about this because I knew what it meant. What it meant for us was that we were in the middle of this structural change — that this was not a cycle, that this meant the foundations of our economy had shifted entirely."

Granholm said her efforts to attract new industries and retrain laid-off manufacturing workers have been successful to date. She said her No Worker Left Behind initiative has trained 125,000 workers, and community colleges in Michigan have seen a 50 percent increase in enrollment.

She lauded the MEDC's efforts to attract 929 new or expanded companies in six key job sectors since 2004: advanced manufacturing, life sciences, alternative and renewable energy, homeland security and defense, film and tourism.

As a result, she said, Michigan has been ranked the third best state in the country in terms of attracting new and expanded businesses for the last three years. Of course, any gains have not offset the losses in traditional manufacturing, but Granholm says the state is building a more stable foundation for the future.

"There's all these Republicans out there saying, 'Get rid of the MEDC,'" she said. "Remember the MEDC was created by John Engler, and every single state has a version of the MEDC — every single one. And to kill it would mean that we are unilaterally disarming the state that needs it most."

Citing Winston Churchill's famous quote that kites rise highest against the wind, Granholm said Michigan must steer in the direction it has feared and resisted most. In this case, she said, Michigan must take advantage of globalization and seek investment from other countries.

She cited her track record of taking 10 trips abroad, trips that have led to 47 companies relocating or expanding in Michigan to bring 13,000 new jobs.

Debbie Dingell issues a call to Washtenaw County Democrats on Saturday to fight to protect Democratic seats in Lansing and Washington.

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

After a decade of losing jobs every single year in Michigan, Granholm said she finds hope in a new economic forecast that predicts the state will see a net gain of more than 17,000 jobs in 2011 alone. She jokingly lamented Michigan's resurgence should come in the year after she leaves office.

"I sort of feel like Maxwell Smart — you know: 'Chief, missed it by that much!'" she quipped, drawing laughs for her impression of the bumbling secret agent from the hit 1960s television comedy show "Get Smart."

Granholm pointed out that Vice President Joe Biden plans to visit Midland this week for the groundbreaking of an advanced battery manufacturing facility being built by Dow Chemical Co. She said she thinks Michigan is in a better position than any other state to embrace clean energy jobs.

She cited 16 battery companies that have located in Michigan in the last 10 months — companies projected to create 62,000 jobs in the next decade.

She also cited research by the Pew Center on the States, which recognizes Michigan as one of the best-managed states in the nation. She pointed out Michigan has 11,000 fewer state employees today than it did in 2001, and 300 boards and commissions have been cut.

"Contrary to the nattering nabobs of negativity on the Republican Party, Michigan has cut a higher percentage out of government than any state in the country," Granholm said. "So those who continue to say that we are some big, bloated government, honey, come and look again."

The host committee for Saturday's event included state Sen. Liz Brater and state Reps. Kathy Angerer, Pam Byrnes, Alma Wheeler Smith and Rebekah Warren. The fact that Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County are well-represented by women in Lansing helped carry the night's theme of women's suffrage.

In an interview before Granholm spoke, Brater talked about becoming Ann Arbor's first female mayor in 1991.

"It was really interesting," Brater said. "A lot of people scoffed at me for trying to run and said, 'Oh, you can't do that.' And I said, 'Yes, I can.'"

Brater said it was a stormy two years as mayor.

"People weren't quite used to the idea of a woman wielding power," she said. "But I think it was well worth the effort, and I've enjoyed and have been honored by my years of public service."

Debbie Stabenow, who became the first woman elected to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate in 2000, relayed a written statement of support to the Washtenaw County Democratic Party prior to Saturday's event.

"As we approach the 2010 election, it is important that we remember the courage it took to gain the rights we take for granted today," she said. "I am grateful to the women who came before me and made it possible for myself and others to make our voices heard and fully participate in public service."

Several politicians and candidates for public office attended the event, including Michigan gubernatorial hopeful Virg Bernero, secretary of state candidate Jocelyn Benson, attorney general candidate David Leyton, and U.S. Reps. Mark Schauer and John Dingell.

Before Granholm spoke, Debbie Dingell, the Congressman's wife, gave a pep talk to the crowd in which she called on Washtenaw County Democrats to pull together and work to ensure the party doesn't lose any seats in Lansing or Washington this year.

"If we don't all pull together, we're in trouble," Debbie Dingell said. "That's why we elected President Obama, and if we don't keep fighting at the national level and the state level, what we've spent our lifetime fighting for could go right down the drain."

Ryan J. Stanton covers government for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529.