MichMash: The 2024 Mackinac Policy Conference preview

May 17, 2024

Our “MichMash” panel sat down with Brad Williams, vice president of government relations for the Detroit Regional Chamber, to hear what we can expect this year.

A view of the Mackinac Bridge from Mackinac Island, Michigan.

A view of the Mackinac Bridge from Mackinac Island, Michigan.

  The 2024 Mackinac Policy Conference is only a few weeks away, and we here at MichMash will be increasing our coverage by making a trip to the island for the event. MichMash host Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Zach Gorchow sat down with Brad Williams, vice president of government relations for the Detroit Regional Chamber, to hear what we can expect this year. Gongwer News Service co-host Alethia Kasben also joined the conversation for a MichMash roundtable.

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In this episode:
  • The purpose of the Mackinac Policy Conference
  • How Michigan is doing in attracting talent
  • The bipartisan nature of the Mackinac Policy Conference
Williams shared how having the policy conference on Mackinac Island allows for an opportunity for guests to focus solely on whatever items are on the agenda. “You’re on an island together for three days in the middle of Lake Huron,” he said. “The proximity and geography allow for a level of conversation that we just can’t have back home,” Williams said that some conference guests, like U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga  (R-Mich.), have said that they’ve gotten more done with Detroit stakeholders in one day at the conference than they have in one year normally. Williams also shared how the success of the conference is connected to Detroit’s comeback.   “Looking over the NFL draft and the difference with how we hosted the NFL in 2006 verses how we hosted the NFL 2024 where we didn’t have to paper-over windows to hide our vacant buildings — we were able to show Detroit as it is — that to me is the success of Mackinac as a policy generator,” he said.  The 2024 Mackinac Policy Conference will take place Tuesday, May 28 through Friday, May 31 and this year’s theme is “Bridging the Future Together.”   More from Gongwer News Service: More from WDET:

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Author

  • WDET reporter and producer Hernz Laguerre Jr.
    Hernz Laguerre Jr. is a Multimedia Journalist at 101.9 WDET. He is one of the co-host for "Detroit Evening Report," one of the weekend anchors for "Weekend Edition," the producer for our political podcast, "MichMash," and reports on arts, culture and politics.

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