Policy Conference Brings Leaders to Mackinac
By Leslie Rott

Grand Hotel is hosting the 25th annual Mackinac Policy Conference Wednesday, May 31, to Saturday, June 3, with Governor Jennifer Granholm and her Republican contender, Richard DeVos, just two of the many dignitaries on Mackinac Island for the four-day event. More than 1,300 people were expected to attend.

Besides the gubernatorial candidates, speakers include Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and former mayor Dennis Archer, Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis, Wayne County

Executive Robert Ficano, Macomb County Chair Nancy White, University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman, Western Michigan President Judith Baily, Oakland County

Executive L. Brooks Patterson, Chrysler Group President and CEO Thomas LaSorda, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Michael Flanagan, and a host of executives from organizations concerned with leadership and economic issues.

The goals of the conference are to bring people together from all areas of the economy and to stimulate action and change, said Christianne Sims, the special projects coordinator for the Detroit Regional Chamber, which sponsors the annual conference.

"It's a conference for the entire State of Michigan," she said.

The conference has been criticized in the past, she said, because "a lot of the action was left on the Island," so conference organizers this year hope that post-conference communication will keep the motivation for change alive.

"We want to make this conference not just a time for people to come together once a year," she said, "but an ongoing dialogue that produces results."

Mackinac Island remains an ideal location for discussions about social, economic, and political issues, she added, because many of the attendees feel more comfortable discussing issues outside of their respective communities.

The conference also provides exposure for Mackinac Island and Grand Hotel, and the hotel makes sure it runs smoothly.

"We use all our resources, all of our departments" to accommodate the conference, said Mary Beth Daniels, Grand Hotel's vice president for convention services.

The conference began in 1904 as an annual Great Lakes cruise. From 1981 through 1997 it was the Mackinac Island Legislative Conference, in 1988 it was the Mackinac Conference, and from 1999 to 2003 it was known as the Leadership Policy Conference. Since then it has been called the Mackinac Policy Conference.

The event has grown 10fold, from an initial attendance of 130 participants.