Bailey on Mackinac

By Ari Adler

The first day of the policy conference is coming to a close, although it’s only a little after 11:30 p.m., so the “networking” should be continuing for some time yet at the local watering holes.

Opinion leaders, business leaders, state legislators, lobbyists, legislative staff and media from around the state are here along with more average business folks.

So far, the talk from attendees seems to be focused in a few areas:

1. Why is it so cold this year? / At least it’s not snowing (new attendees vs. veterans).
2. The opening session had some good messages (Can we carry it forward?)
3. The annual discussion that involves Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and others is getting stale, particularly when it becomes the talk of the conference only because of the antics Kwame and Brooks try to one-up each other with. (Where is the person willing to stand up and challenge the regional leaders and demand some answers? It seems the region is desperately in need of a hero.)
4. When will the mayor arrive? What will happen when he arrives? (Depending on who you talk to, it’s either a tense moment best avoided or a must-see event.)
5. How can you have a full signal on your cellular phone one second and no signal the next? (OK, that one is actually mine, but, seriously, it would almost be better to just not have a signal rather than the constant teasing from the Verizon Wireless Fairy.)

One last note for tonight: kudos to the folks at Arnold Transit Company. Not only did they handle a lot of people and their luggage efficiently today, but when a certain blogger had to return to his car for something he forgot, they offered a free round-trip to retrieve it. That’s customer service worth telling your friends and neighbors about.