Photo by Sherri Kolade
Ron Cimino (left) tells Gov. Rick Snyder’s staff members Michael Marzano (second from left) and Laura Stoken ideas he would like to discuss with the governor during mobile office hours Wednesday.
By SHERRI KOLADE
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN — A handful of Gov. Rick Snyder’s staff members are hitting the road and bringing answers to resident’s pressing questions during the governor’s “mobile office hours” bus.
The bus stopped at Einstein Bros. Bagels, 5700 Mercury Drive, June 27 as part of its month-long, 64-stop tour.
Deputy Manager of Constituent Relations Michael Marzano said the tour began as a way for the governor and his staff to keep an open line of communication between Michigan residents.
“Connecting with Lansing can be difficult,” Marzano said during the mobile office tour in Dearborn. “Lansing seems distant to a lot of communities… so we’re here to listen to any ideas people have about our government.
“Any concerns they have or if they have compliments we’ll take those as well. The objective is to get as much information as we can about what people are thinking about and take it back to the governor.”
During the Dearborn stop, six people showed up to tell their concerns and comments to the governor’s staff. An average of 10 to 50 people show up on any given day. On the same day, the mobile office hours bus travelled to Detroit, Ann Arbor and Grosse Point Woods.
Dearborn resident Carolyn Buell said she stopped by the bus to voice her concerns about new bills that alter the voting process.
“I want the governor to veto the pending bills on limiting voter access,” Buell said. “There are many people who are dissatisfied with the bills that the legislature just passed regarding voter registration and absentee ballots. They are too restrictive.”
Other issues during tour stop included problems people are having with the state agencies including the Secretary of State and Department of Human Services. Others wanted to know more about a new bridge to Canada and public safety, Marzano said.
“There is a litany of issues that people want to comment on or know more about,” Marzano said. “The next step is for the governor to go over the information everybody is talking about so we can start focusing on what the citizens want to know or care about.”
For more details about Snyder’s mobile office hours call 517-335-7858.
(Sherri Kolade can be reached at [email protected])