Women gather to move Michigan forward

BENJAMIN MICHAEL SOLIS

Staff Writer

With Gov. Rick Snyder making big budget cuts and federal stimulus money nearly gone, Michigan is again left to fight for its fiscal survival. Yet the Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw (WXW), which hosts various networking events for local businesswomen, is striving to do what so many in government have promised before — help small business owners move forward. Hosting Moving Michigan Forward last Thursday, the WXW, along with the combined talents of Craig Thiel, Pam Byrnes and Marisa Smith, aimed to help Michigan companies understand why Lansing may not understand their frustrations and how to navigate the rough terrain of state politics. And even though getting in touch with lawmakers can be a tough task, operating within the system may not be as hard as most think, according to Smith, founder and president of Whole Brain Group. “At times, getting in touch with the right people has this sort of mystique surrounding it,” she said. “But in reality, it’s actually quite easy to get appointments with representatives and groups that impact public policy.” Smith’s advice: Get involved with public action groups and always ask for help. Recalling her struggle to receive a HUBZone certification, which helps businesses access federal procurement opportunities, she said that such involvement helped her “land the plane,” politically speaking. “I had joined a group called Women Impacting Public Policy shortly before and I had just mentioned my interest in getting one,” Smith said. “Suddenly I was connected with the right person to talk to. “If you get involved with these types of organizations, your chances of success are much higher.” Yet even though Smith’s safety-in-numbers style was a big plug for the WXW, Byrnes said that it isn’t the content of what you advocate, it’s how you advocate that gets an elected officials’ attention. “A lot of lobbying is very wasteful,” said Byrnes, a former state representative from Washtenaw County. “People will often bring big brochures and gizmos, when really the most effective way to present your information is with a short summary page.” Lobbying and advocacy is like marketing, Byrnes explained, and said that “if you do your homework and know your audience, the more likely you are able to make your cause seem more important.” And it seems that even the best causes don’t ever see the light of day, according to Byrnes. “This is where the rubber meets the road it is policy versus politics,” she said. “What needs to get done isn’t always what does get done.” Although Byrnes did touch on Snyder’s new budget plan, Thiel, director of state affairs for the Citizen’s Research Council of Michigan, presented a magnified view of the overhaul, which had come out just hours before the presentation. Discussing Snyder’s plan in detail, Thiel explained that the largest blow to the state budget was aimed at K-12 and higher education. However, the CRC’s head researcher said that it is important to understand that in any modern tax structure, there are always winners and losers. Speaking about the process of advocacy, he said there is not a specific reason why people don’t come into contact with lawmakers, he explained, but that the majority of the problem has to do with “individuals not knowing how to use complex data regarding the way the government works spends money.” “It can be an intimidating process, but if people know where to go and what to look for, it can be much easier than people think,” he said. “But the truth is that the size of the state’s money problem is huge and the solution is going to be very difficult. “Michigan business owners are basically on their own when it comes to solving their problems.”