From among the worst to one of the best–that was the theme of Governor Rick Snyder’s final state of the state address Tuesday night.
The Republican governor touted that under his leadership, Michigan has surged from a state in the bottom 10 of the country to among the top 10, as the economy and unemployment improved since 2010.
He said the state’s comeback has included 540,000 new jobs, reinventing the tax code and balancing the state’s budget.
Snyder also focused on some the key challenges ahead, which included competing for high tech talent and promoting STEM education, and providing employment for veterans and parolees reentering the workforce.
During his final year as governor, Snyder said he is looking forward to breaking ground on the new bridge to Canada in Detroit and the grand opening of the American Center for Mobility at Willow Run.
Statement from State Rep. Scott Dianda (D-Calumet) in response to Gov. Rick Snyder’s State of the State address:
![](http://www.keweenawreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Dianda-with-Hillstrom-300x206.jpg)
LANSING —Gov. Rick Snyder gave his final State of the State address tonight. In response, state Rep. Scott Dianda (D-Calumet) issued the following statement:
“One of the most important tasks before us is keeping talent here in the state and in our communities so that we can create and keep good jobs that help our economy and ensure that workers can provide for their families. Steven Hillstrom, President and CEO of Xeratec, an IT solutions company, who joined me to hear the governor’s speech, knows about creating jobs and finding good people to fill them. The governor talks about talent and education, but he hasn’t followed through because our schools still lack the funding they need to provide the books and technology students need, and workers still struggle to provide for their families. I’ll fight to support our public schools, colleges and trade schools to prepare our kids for jobs and opportunities, and protect our workers from attempts to repeal prevailing wage and build an economy that works for everyone.”