Marquette County Ambassadors Make Annual Legislative Visit to State Capitol

For quite some time, we have been talking about the Marquette County Ambassadors making their annual legislative visit to Lansing. Preparation for the trip actually begins eight to 10 months prior, which means date selection for the 2012 trip is already underway.

The Marquette County Ambassadors are a privately funded group of business, education, community and government leaders from across Marquette County, who are also members of the Lake Superior Community Partnership. Their mission is to promote and foster economic vitality throughout Marquette County and the Upper Peninsula, to carry the story of the Marquette County area to others, and salute those who deserve recognition.

Each year the group spends two full days in the state capitol meeting with elected officials and government department heads. In the months leading up to the trip, the Ambassadors complete legislative white papers, a report giving proposals on important issues, which is used as an agenda for discussion. The white papers are focused on five areas: education, economic development, transportation, health care and tourism. Each section contains three to five action items that are important to the Marquette County community. To view the complete 2011 white papers, visit our Advocacy page at www.marquette.org under Economic Development.

Appointments were scheduled with 22 different legislators and agencies this year, making for a busy couple of days! As is tradition, the Ambassadors sponsor a reception which they hold on the first evening of the trip. The reception gives the Ambassadors the opportunity to invite all sitting legislators, administration and department staff. This event is typically well attended, and is an informal meet and greet that allows the group to catch up with folks they may not have been able to schedule time with. Also, it’s a perfect opportunity to showcase the people and issues of the Upper Peninsula.

While I won’t bore you with the details on all 22 meetings, I will give you a few highlights. The trip included sit down meetings with our UP delegation, Lt. Governor Brian Calley, Chair of the Public Service Commission Orgiakor Isiogu, Attorney General Bill Schuette, MDOT Director Kirk Steudle, MEDC VP Doug Smith and DNR Director Rodney Stokes. We appreciate the fact that they all take time out of their schedules to speak with us. Many departments also bring in their leadership teams to meet as well. A great opportunity to build additional relationships.

Of particular note this year was the upbeat and positive energy coming out of the capitol. It was refreshing to hear that job creation is an extremely high priority of the new administration, and that message is embraced across the board. The restructuring of departments has allowed for the “silos” to come down and instead become integrated in the name of economic growth.

However, the work does not stop now that we are back on UP soil. Each white paper issue will need to be followed up on to move toward completion. We need to maintain contact with our Lansing representatives, continue to build strong relationships and increase their knowledge of what our community needs to be successful. I have to say… this is one of favorite parts of the job!

For more information on the LSCP, visit www.marquette.org or call 226-9658.