Thousands gathered on the Capitol lawn in Lansing (and many other places) Wednesday in throngs of anti-government and anti-tax rage. Now that the picket signs are back in the garage, we have a place for those interested in going beyond protest and working productively to make sure Michigan’s public sector provides maximum value for those tax dollars.
Through Michigan’s Defining Moment (MDM), your voice is making a difference in the future of our state.
We need your continued input to build a common ground citizens agenda for Michigan’s future – a nonpartisan/bipartisan issues agenda that can become the cornerstone of discussion in the statewide elections in 2010.
On May 13, 2009, from 8 AM-noon (with optional lunch and discussion from noon to 1 PM) at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing, we will hold our first MDM Action Group session on government collaboration and accountability.
We’re inviting community leaders and engaged citizens from across the state to join us in this action-oriented morning session to:
• Hear expert nuts-and-bolts proposals to maximize the efficiency and accountability of Michigan’s government and education systems and learn of local collaboration success stories worth replicating across the state.
• Interact with policy leaders and prioritize reform proposals to address ways in which the public sector can be most effective in this age of limited resources.
• Sign up for brief-but-effective volunteer activities to help assure leaders in Lansing focus on common ground reform efforts raised by citizens all across the state in the Community Conversations.
We are excited that innovative leaders in government collaboration and accountability will present their views on how best to move Michigan forward. Our speakers include:
• Mike Flanagan, Michigan’s Superintendent of Public Instruction
• Kevin Prokop, Chair, Legislative Commission on Government Efficiency, and partner in Rockbridge Equity Partners LLC
• Paul Tait, Executive Director, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments
• And local officials who will outline how their success stories on intergovernmental cooperation could be expanded elsewhere across the state.
Please join the Michigan’s Defining Moment team on May 13 in East Lansing. As space is limited, please RSVP by April 30 to Laura Braun at lbraun@pscinc.com. Please indicate whether you will be staying for the optional lunch.
Directions to the Kellogg Center are at http://www.hfs.msu.edu/kellogg/about/location.html.
2 Comments
What if one of the objections of the Tea Party citizens is not to trust a majority of the elected and non-elected officials now in power? What if the Tea Party citizens think the majority officials in power do not have the same values and interests?
I heard your NPR conversation today and would like to learn more. I am looking for a different, responsible leadership. I like the idea of a “CITIZEN MOVEMENT” to save the state.