Governor Takes Positive Road Attitude to Holland
West Michiganders are too humble, Gov. Rick Snyder again told the Tulip Time Festival Luncheon audience.
He asked each of the more than 900 gathered at DeVos Fieldhouse on Wednesday to be “ambassadors for Michigan,” touting the area’s positive momentum to anyone who will listen.
It’s a sentiment he expressed last year when he spoke at the annual luncheon.
Snyder himself touted the state, but said there remains room for improvement.
“I’m not complacent or content with where we’re at, and I hope you aren’t either,” he said.
Sen. Arlan Meekhof, R-Olive Township, joked that Snyder is “always telling us to brag, but he won’t do it.”
“The guy is relentlessly positive all the time,” Meekhof said, referencing Snyder’s catchphrase, “relentlessly positive action.”
Snyder has long advocated for increased road funding, and his tact hasn’t changed.
“Don’t we all agree? We need better roads,” he said during a post-luncheon press conference.
Later, in an interview exclusive to The Sentinel, the governor said, “If people don’t want to pay for it though, there’s consequences. … Nobody wants to say ‘we need more revenue.’ (Increased road funding) actually saves us money.”
Snyder has been pushing for a $1.2 billion annual investment in Michigan roads, something he says will save money and lives. His proposal would increase both registration fees and gas prices, something that has gotten significant push-back from the public and from lawmakers.
“If we don’t do it this year, it’s not going to happen next year,” Snyder told The Sentinel.
Michigan’s economy has been steadily improving. The state has been paying down its long-term debt and adding to the “rainy day fund,” but now that the economy is back on an upswing, many have suggested the extra money go back to the people in the form of tax cuts or that it be spent.
Snyder wants to keep up payments on both debt and to the rainy day fund.
“We will not slide back. We will not do that same dumb thing we’ve done in the past,” he told the crowd.
In the case of lithium-ion battery manufacturer LG Chem and its $150 million tax abatements, it’s not the way Snyder would have done it, but now that it’s done, the governor supports the company like any other “customer” of the state.
“That market’s taken longer to develop than most people in the industry expected,” he admitted.
After his speech, Snyder spoke briefly with the news media before changing into his Dutch costume and wooden shoes and making his way to Eighth Street for the Volksparade.
