New Michigan Growth Office Faces Challenges: How Will It Address Black Community Growth and Retention?

Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration has announced the formation of Michigan’s Growth Office, a new initiative aimed at addressing the state’s persistent population stagnation. This office will spearhead efforts to attract and retain residents in a state that has faced decades of sluggish growth. However, it will operate with the same four-person staff that has been managing these issues within the Michigan Department of Economic Development (MEDC) and the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. Housed within the MEDC, the Michigan Growth Office is set to implement the recommendations of the now-defunct Grow Michigan Together Council. This council, which Whitmer introduced with great enthusiasm at the 2023 Detroit Regional Chamber’s Mackinac Policy Conference, aimed to chart a new course for Michigan’s population growth. Despite its dissolution, the council left behind an 85-page report brimming with recommendations, including education reform, enhanced public transportation, and community investments. Michigan’s struggle is real. With a population of 10 million, the state ranks as the 10th most populous in the country, yet it stands 49th in growth since 1990. This lag has resulted in job shortages, challenges in attracting new businesses, an aging population, and various financial and quality-of-life issues. Critics have been vocal, pointing out...