What Can We Expect From The Mackinac Policy Conference?

Stephen Henderson meets with Christy McDonald, DPTV anchor of MiWeek, and Nolan Finley, Detroit News editorial page editor, on Mackinac Island to talk about what they would like to hear discussed at the Mackinac Policy Conference. The key points:

• Two Detroits: Finley says there will be conversations not only about how the city is developing and how economic opportunities are being created, but also about the strengthening racial divergence in Detroit. He says that the city is rapidly splitting into two Detroits: one white and one black. This, he says, is merely the symptom of a deeper problem and that “if you’re not seeing good diverse crowds, it’s a loss.”
• Michigan’s failing education system: McDonald says she would like to hear conversations about education not just in Detroit, but statewide. Finley says that for a long time Michigan has been a “smug state”, looking down on others regarding education but this can no longer be the case. He says that Michigan is falling into rankings of 40-50 in the country in terms of performance of all school children.
• How to fix the roads?: According to McDonald, this 1.5 billion dollar question is one of the major issues for people looking to move to and work in Michigan. Finley is not optimistic that a long-term solution for the roads will come out of the policy conference in Mackinac.

Hear the full conversation by clicking the audio link above.