Khouri Named New State Treasurer

Current DTE Energy Vice President and former Chief Deputy State Treasurer Nick Khouri was named Michigan’s new State Treasurer this week by Governor Rick Snyder, succeeding Treasurer Kevin Clinton. Mr. Khouri will take the helm of the Department on April 20^th and plans to spend his first 30 days getting to know department personnel and reaching out to legislators.

Mr. Khouri, of Plymouth, was Chief Deputy State Treasurer for Treasurer Doug Roberts during Governor John Engler Administration. When he left the Department, he joined Public Sector Consultants and later DTE Energy.

Although he has declined to comment on specific policies, the Treasurer-designate pointed to the Governor’s theme of “simple, fair, and efficient” as his goal for the administration of the state’s tax structure.

Kevin Clinton took the post as Treasurer in 2013 when former Treasurer Andy Dillon stepped down. Clinton was then Director of the Department of Insurance and Financial Services. He will reportedly be returning to the private sector where he, an actuary, had previously been employed.

posted by PAA Online , Friday, March 20, 2015 10:41 AM
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Whiston to Serve as State Superintendent

After nearly two hours of debate, the State Board of Education ultimately coalesced behind current Dearborn Public Schools Superintendent Brian Whiston as the new State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Mr. Whiston, who served as a lobbyist for Oakland Schools prior to the position in Dearborn, was also named 2014 Superintendent of the Year by the Michigan Association of School Administrators.

Brian Whiston was consistently among the top candidates for the position as the Board narrowed its search. The Board ultimately appointed Mr. Whiston on a 7-1 vote, with Board member Eileen Weiser (R-Ann Arbor) as the lone “no” vote.

The factors that reportedly pulled Mr. Whiston ahead of the other finalists were his work in improving achievement and, most significantly, his time as a lobbyist – a factor that garnered him significant bipartisan support among current legislators. Whiston takes over for retiring Superintendent Mike Flanagan in July 2015.

posted by PAA Online , 10:40 AM
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Department of Talent and Economic Development Launched

Governor Rick Snyder held a press conference Monday to launch the new Department of Talent and Economic Development, bringing three previously autonomous agencies together to work collaboratively. The new Department will include the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) and the Michigan Talent Investment Agency.

The new Department will be led by Department Director Steve Arwood, who is also MEDC CEO, as well as the MSHDA Director and the Talent Investment Agency Director. MSHDA is currently being led by interim Director Wayne Workman, and Stephanie Comai is the Director of the Talent Investment Agency.

The Department will have approximately 1,600 employees and a $1.4 billion budget according to the Governor’s 2015-2016 budget recommendations. In addition to the three management directors, the other three unclassified positions will be Deputy Director of Operations Greg Tedder, Deputy Director for Communications and External Relations Melanie Brown, and Deputy Director for Policy and Legislative Relations Jeremy Hendges.

posted by PAA Online , 10:40 AM
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Pavlov First to Announce 10th Congressional Bid

State Senator Phil Pavlov (R-St. Clair) announced Monday that he will be running for the United States Congress in the 10^th U.S. House District to replace current U.S. Representative Candice Miller who recently announced she will be retiring at the conclusion of the current term.

As was reported by PAAdvisory last week, Senator Pavlov could greatly benefit from the expected crowded Republican Primary for the seat. Some analyses have shown that up to 45 percent of the Republican votes cast in the last 10^th Congressional District election came from Senator Pavlov’s current Senate District.

Speculation continues relative to other candidates. State Senator Jack Brandenburg (R-Harrison Township) has indicated that a decision regarding his future is very near, as Senator Brandenburg reportedly has spent time in other areas of the district (e.g. Michigan’s “thumb”) during the last couple of weeks.

Others evidently still considering the race include: current State Representatives Todd Courser, Andrea LaFontaine, and Peter Lucido; current State Senators Mike Green and Tory Rocca, and former office holders Pete Lund and Alan Sanborn.

posted by PAA Online , 10:38 AM
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PAAdvisory Briefs

Michigan Charter Law Recognized

The Center for Education Reform has again given Michigan an “A” for the state’s charter law. Michigan was ranked fourth on the scorecard. The state earned only six of ten possible points for funding and zero of five possible points for building funding.

Booher Proposes Natural Resources Trust Fund Reform

State Senator Darwin Booher (R-Evart) this week laid out his proposal for reforming the rules for how Natural Resource Trust Fund dollars may be spent. Senate Bill 206 was the topic of debate before the Senate Natural Resources Committee where Senator Booher made his case. The committee did not vote on the measure, which Senator Booher described as positive reform to address the hurdles that have caused 231 development applications to go unfunded throughout the last five years.

Senate Panel Undecided on LARA Fee Increases

The Senate Appropriations Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) Subcommittee held another hearing this week where the panel again heard from LARA officials on the rationale for the Governor’s budget recommendations including fee increases and extension of sun-setting fees. The Subcommittee Chair, Senator Marty Knollenberg (R-Troy), indicated that the panel was done hearing testimony and that a plan would hopefully be developed by next week. The conversation before the subcommittee drifted into a discussion relative to those licensed occupations under the Department’s umbrella that pay higher rates and supplement those that have lower fee structures.

posted by PAA Online , 10:37 AM
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