In The Media
Escanaba paper says Michigan lawmakers need to compromise
The Escanaba Daily Press editorial of Jan. 14, 2025 says it well: State Legislature Can Show What Governing Looks Like. “Over the next two years, Republicans in the state House and Democrats in the state Senate could find a way to talk to one another, compromise, and craft legislation that serves all of Michigan and her diverse people. Lawmakers could show us what working together for the betterment of all means. They could show us that, sometimes, we don’t get everything we want, but we can still take small steps forward by working with those with whom we disagree.” Here is the entire editorial.
We are on Off the Record!
Mi Good Government founders Fritz Benson and Michael Ranville spoke with Tim Skubick for a half-hour show that aired over Thanksgiving. They talked about how partisanship has played a role in our state’s decline over the last 20 years, and how compromise and civility can bring Michigan back. See the discussion here.
Mi Good Government Hopes to Inspire Bipartisanship by Looking to Past
Sept. 17, 2024
To bridge the bitter partisan divide, a bipartisan group of Michigan political leaders launched a website to tell stories of enacting past landmark policy through mutual respect, leadership and compromise.
The project, MIGoodGovernment.com, was developed by two former political staffers turned Lansing lobbyists, Charles “Fritz” Benson and Mike Ranville.
“Our goal is to show today’s elected officials from both parties specific examples of how people can reach across the aisle to achieve policies that are wins for both sides – but in particular, for the people of Michigan,” Ranville said in a statement.
Read gongwer Article (behind paywall)
We already know how to get along. We just stopped trying. | Opinion
Dec. 24, 2023
By John Lindstrom in the Detroit Free Press
A recent poll by the Pew Research Center showed most Americans describe themselves as “always exhausted” by politics (they also say they are “always” angry about politics) and blame divisiveness as a primary cause of their weariness. …
Michael Ranville and Fritz Benson are two former Lansing lobbyists who recognized people, politicians and regular folks, need to work together, but no longer knew how. After a gathering, they chatted about pulling together stories on how politicians once worked together.
