Welcoming Remarks to the U.S. Conference of Mayors

Saturday, June 23, 2001

Mayor Archer, Mayor Coles (Boise Mayor Brent Coles, President), Mayor Morial (New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial, Vice President), Senator Levin:  On behalf of the people of Michigan, I am honored to welcome America’s great city mayors to our Great Lakes State.

Of course, we have a great mayor right here in Detroit – Mayor Dennis Archer.

Mayor Archer, I certainly appreciate everything you have done over the past eight years for the people of Detroit. I look forward to joining you later this summer when we celebrate the 300^th anniversary of the founding of Detroit – a city with a great history, a great spirit, and a great future.

As we all are aware, the past decade was a time of tremendous growth and increasing prosperity all across America. However, not all our cities, nor all our people, shared in that prosperity.

I believe strongly that the rebirth of our cities is the key to a new era of renewal and revitalization.

For example, clean, safe, livable cities must be the linchpin of any strategy to slow urban sprawl and curb the loss of farms and green space. And improving the quality of urban schools must be the cornerstone of any strategy to provide skilled workers for high tech industries.

The 2000 Census tells us that many American cities are turning the corner. Families are coming back. The middle class is growing. Living in the city is a choice more people are making. But mayors, governors and legislators know that we still have much work to do to transform our cities into the model communities we know they can be.

As I look at the challenges we face, it boils down to what I call the three S’s – schools, safety and services. Our cities must have good schools. Our cities must have safe streets.  And our cities must provide high quality services.

As a governor, I know that meeting the challenge of schools, safety and services is incredibly difficult. That’s why I think that government at all levels must collaborate and work together – not just with each other but with industry and with the nonprofit sector.

By leveraging all our resources, and pooling our knowledge and experience, we can truly make a difference and change our communities for the better.

For example, just yesterday many of the mayors here this morning gathered together on Detroit’s southwest side to help raise the walls of a Habitat for Humanity home that will belong to Marvie West and her three children.

To the partners in this effort – Freddie Mac, Habitat for Humanity International, Detroit Habitat, the Detroit Mayor's Office and the US Conference of Mayors – thank you for helping Detroit gain one more, very proud, very excited, homeowner!

In Michigan, we are so impressed with the work of Habitat for Humanity that our Department of Corrections has partnered with Habitat to create the Michigan Prison Build Program. This program gives the concept of a prison wall a whole new meaning because inmates, instead of sitting idly behind those walls, are building walls for new, affordable homes. The Michigan National Guard helps out by delivering the pre-fab walls to the home site.

This partnership has already helped to build 175 homes for new, first time homeowners all across Michigan. And what’s so exciting is that the homeowners aren’t the only beneficiaries because the inmates learn a valuable skill that they can put to work outside the prison walls. As one inmate said:

"When I started, I didn’t know anything. I’ve been locked up off and on since I was 17. I couldn’t read a tape measure and I didn’t know what a 2 by 4 was. All I knew is how to work on cars and do all the wrong things in life. We’ve built a house from the ground up. Now I can go out and get a real job."

That inmate will most likely never meet the family who lives behind the walls he built, but his life – and theirs – have both been changed for the better.

It is through partnerships with faith and community-based organizations like Habitat for Humanity that we can rebuild and renew our cities – one family, one home, and one neighborhood at a time. Working together, we can achieve our goal of good schools, safe streets and high quality services.

Again, welcome to Michigan and thank you for leading the fight to make our cities great.