Analyst: Next Governor Won't Solve All Our Woes

By Mark Bashore, WKAR

Michigan voters should not expect their next Governor to be the catalyst for a major economic revival, according to an analyst with a southeast Michigan political think tank. John Bebow, the Executive Director of the Center for Michigan in Ann Arbor, says the electorate needs to remember a Governor's role in economic development.

"No governor is going to come in with a cape on and solve this thing for us," he says. "It's more about trying to create the kind of climate that can move Michigan forward and help companies do so efficiently here, and help create the kind of environment where people are going to want to be."

That, Bebow says, means the candidates should discuss tax and regulatory burdens on businesses, and how to create more attractive communities with better transportation and schools. 

He says voters should worry little about what the state's gubernatorial candidates have done in the past.

"This isn't about what these guys just got done doing," he says. "It's about what they're going to do.  And I think the tenor of the campaign so far is it's all about the past, it's all about the records.  And I'm not sure how well that serves voters."

He urges voters to study the candidates' plans on their websites and compare them with the agenda of an interest group they feel is important.  

Democrat Virg Bernero faces Republican Rick Snyder in November to become the state's 48th chief executive.