LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered her second State of the State address on Wednesday night.
She went on the offense and to plan B to get the roads fixed. Her road plan includes $3.5 billion to fund 122 major road projects, a maneuver which does does not require legislative approval.
Her address was concise, less than 45 minutes, and the tone was no-nonsense.
Whitmer opened the address with some sharp humor. She poked fun at those who reacted to her dress last year, showing she’s still got fight.
“I must say, everyone is looking fantastic tonight. But, this year, I want to get one thing straight: This is not the red carpet,” Whitmer said. “Please, I urge you, focus on the substance of my speech. It’s about the issues, not appearances. I don’t care how distracting Sen. Shirkey’s outfit is -- cut him a break.”
Her 45 cents gas tax hike to fix roads was a failure last year. The bond proposal is her backup plan and she’s starting it Thursday.
“I am not here to play games. That’s why it’s time for plan B,” she said. “For those of you who want to keep playing games, I’m going to press on without you. I’m going to use the power of my office to do what I said I was going to do.”
She also hit on education funding and revisited Michigan’s third grade reading law. While she didn’t mention names, she did call out what has been a recurrent problem over the years, allegations of sexual harassment and abusive behavior in the Legislature.