In January, Governor Rick Snyder kicked off his final two years in office and he’s shown no signs of slowing down.  Neither have Lt. Governor Brian Calley and the various departments who continue to move full steam ahead to complete several objectives.  Keeping Michigan’s global presence, the Governor lead an investment mission to Israel in January and the Lt. Governor led a trade mission to Mexico in February.  On the statewide front, in January the Governor gave his annual State of the State address and the following month presented his budget recommendations to the legislature.  Additionally, the Governor has made several appointments, including Al Pscholka as the State Budget Director, Kevin Elsenheimer as Judge in the 13^th Circuit Court, Aric Nesbitt as Lottery Commissioner, Earl Poleski as MSHDA Director, and Brad Jacobsen as Liquor Control Commissioner.  Most recently, Governor Snyder will be making an appointment to the Michigan Supreme Court in the upcoming month, following the announcement in late March that Supreme Court Justice Robert Young is retiring from the bench.  Furthermore, the Governor has signed two executive orders; one creating the position of Homeland Security Advisor and a second creating the Child Lead Exposure Elimination Commission. 

In addition to the gubernatorial appointments, the past few months have seen many changes throughout state government.  In the first few weeks of January, the Michigan Supreme Court unanimously selected a new Chief Justice.  In February, the Governor’s Chief of Staff announced his departure and a few weeks later his replacement was named, and the long-serving chief economist announced his retirement.  In March, the state elections director announced his retirement from a position he’s held since 1981.  “Throughout the remainder of Governor Snyder’s term in office, there will continue to be changes to leaderships in his office and throughout leadership levels of the departments, especially next year as the Governor enters his final year as the state’s chief executive,” stated Brendan Ringlever of MLC.

Michigan Legislative Consultants is a bipartisan lobbying firm based in Lansing, Michigan. Our team of lobbyists and procurement specialists provide a wide range of services for some of the most respected companies in America. For more on MLC, visit www.mlcmi.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.