Michael Delaney is an energy policy wonk - a wonk in the sense of his thorough study. Someday, he may run for office with carefully crafted energy policies for Michigan. He'll be well-prepared.
Delaney has just finished an unusual training program for would-be policymakers and politicos.
The Michigan Political Leadership Program (MPLP) at Michigan State University prepares a carefully selected group of interested people to become effective policy leaders. Each year, for 10 months, its 24 participants are part of a weekend intensive in leadership, politics, and policy making.
MPLP is highly regarded for its scholarship, multi-partisan approach, and balanced curriculum. Participants receive hands-on experience and exposure to the state and nation's leading authorities on public policy and political leadership. Since its launch in 1992, nearly 500 people have completed the program and gone on to roles in public service, campaign management, or citizen activism.
One quarter of them are serving or have served in public office, including Detroit City Council member
Kenneth Cockrel, Jr., former Michigan House Speaker Craig DeRoche,
Sen. Wayne Kuipers,
Rep. Ed Clemente,
Rep. Robert Dean, and
Rep. Kenneth Horn.
Next week, former Michigan governors Jim Blanchard and John Engler will keynote a pair of MPLP fundraisers: dinner on Thursday, Feb. 25 at Laurel Manor in Livonia and breakfast on Friday, Feb. 26 at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids. Both events are open to the public, but tickets aren't cheap. For more information and to purchase tickets online, visit
here.Concentrate sat down with Michael Delaney last week to talk about his MPLP experience and take a look ahead.
How did you become interested in public policy?I attended the (Gerald R. Ford) policy school at U-M. It gives you a grounding in policy – how to think about and analyze the issues. My background was in physics and nuclear engineering, energy policy in part. At DTE, I work in corporate strategy and in DTE Energy Ventures, a small venture capital arm.
How did you become a fellow in the Michigan Political Leadership Program?DTE Energy is a sponsor of the program. It's a good way to make connections with people interested in politics and policy. Public service is a noble thing. My interest in public office is more exploratory. I probably will volunteer on a campaign.
Are you involved in other avenues of public service?I was an intern for Lynn Rivers the summer before she was redistricted out of her seat and had to run against John Dingell. It was a great experience – and good perspective on how Washington, DC operates.
I'm still forming positions and getting more engaged in local issues. I serve on the
Ann Arbor Energy Commission, which is appointed by the mayor. I'm there as a conduit for my company as well as a local resident.
It's an organization that's looking for its purpose. It's been around since the ‘70s. Its bylaws say it's a citizens' advisory panel on energy issues. It wrestles with how best to execute that. We put recommendations in to City Council on what issues are most important for making the city a leader.
What would convince you to run for office?I don't know if I'm going to do it any time soon, especially with a young son – seven months old – at home. It is not a decision one should make lightly, not only because of the scrutiny you and your family come under. It's a major time commitment. I don't do things halfway. My wife and I would have to sit down and talk about it.
What else would affect your decision?There's the issue of getting into office and once you're there, what to do. You're also preparing to run in the next election cycle. There's a growing realization that state term limits have had unintended consequences. No one (in the legislature) knows each other. You're just figuring out the job and you're done. Nobody's stable in their position. You don't get to know the people on the other side of the aisle.
Is there a cure for the legislative gridlock in Lansing?Lobbyists divide the legislators into leaders and sheep. Most people just fall in with their caucus, outside of the two or three issues of greatest concern to them. You've got your two or three issues. Outside of that, you fall in with your caucus because you have no experience.
Increasing partisanship comes from redistricting. Michigan is likely to lose (at least) one federal representative after the next census. The real race is in the primaries. There's a disappearing group of moderates. Paul Hillegonds, now with DTE, was one of the last. (Hillegonds is a former State Representative and Speaker of the House. He's now senior vice president of corporate affairs at DTE.)
Gridlock has an impact on Michigan's ability to capture federal matching funds. How can we be sure the state gets its full share?After this year's state budget is settled, the legislature is going to have to figure out how to make smart investments and where to find the money. Tax structure is another issue.
How can we keep talented young people in Michigan?I can answer that as a young person who wanted to stay in Michigan. I'm from Muskegon. I met my wife at MIT. We were interested in living in the Midwest. Michigan has a lot of good things, but we're our own worst critics.
To keep (young people) in Michigan, we have to figure out what they're looking for and provide it. We really need to counterbalance (the appeal of) Chicago, which seems to be a mecca for every young person in Michigan. It is very attractive but we can flourish here, too. Grand Rapids has done a great job in downtown redevelopment.
What about Detroit – can it be saved or will it fall into a black hole?Fixing Detroit – it's good to have a serious person in the mayor's office. (Dave) Bing has served on the DTE Energy board. He has a lot of experience managing large organizations.
Detroit is a story of pockets. There is a lot of isolated progress. We need to bring (those pockets) together. It was a bad decision not to create a casino entertainment district. Then we could have started building other things around it.
There is no silver bullet, but we especially need the realization that we're all connected: the City of Detroit and the suburbs, Western Michigan and even the UP. There's a need for more action on that idea.
What else did you learn through MPLP?Before participating in MPLP, I had no solid idea of how (the election system) works. The program provided good grounding in what it takes to run for office. We heard people talk about strategy and planning, being a consultant, running campaigns, what mistakes they made. I'm not a finance person but I have learned how businesses look at financial decisions.
The class is intentionally diverse: 12 Democrats, 12 Republicans, 12 men, 12 women, geographically dispersed throughout the state. The last helps overcome that upstate/downstate mentality. If any of us are elected, we'll know who to call.
Constance Crump has an uncanny sense of timing. She is
an Ann Arbor writer whose work has appeared in Crain's Detroit Business, The Ann Arbor News, The Detroit Free Press,
and Billboard Magazine. Her previous article was MASTERMIND: John Rosevear.
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All Photos by Dave Lewinski