Learning How To Play Nice

To say that things have been politically thorny in Michigan lately is probably an understatement. Partisanship seems to be at an all-time high (doesn't it always?) and term limits don't help the situation.

In 1992, when Michiganders voted to enact term limits on local political leaders, they probably didn't anticipate some of the consequences of a constantly rotating legislature. After all, why make long-term plans or compromise with someone on the other side if you're just going to be moving on in a couple of years?

At the end of this year, 45 out 110 legislators will be leaving the Michigan house. By anyone's estimation that's a dramatic change. Imagine running a company with 40% turnover in a single year.

Enter the Michigan Political Leadership Program (MPLP), a yearlong nonpartisan fellowship designed for those seeking greater involvement in Michigan's public policy process. Supported by Michigan State University and the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, the program was started that same fateful 1992.

"The people behind the genesis of MPLP came together and said we need to prepare future leaders for the state," says program co-director Dianne Byrum, who served in both the Michigan House of Representatives and Senate. "I think it was very forward thinking and progressive in its formation."

Along with co-director Anne Mervenne, who represents the Republican side of the aisle, Byrum feels that the program breeds a real appreciation for other people and other points of view. "A lot of times people come to the program and they don't have a lot of experience beyond their own little sphere," Byrum explains. "MPLP not only opens them up to the diversity of Michigan but lets them hear issues played out through someone else's perspective. That's incredibly important for developing policies that will inevitably affect everyone in Michigan."

Though there will be no caps or gowns, tonight is the graduation for the 2007 'class' of MPLP fellows, who have each dedicated one a weekend a month for the last year to the program. Held at Laurel Manor in Livonia, the event includes a fundraiser dinner with bipartisan guest speakers Geraldine Ferraro and Bill Kristol.

The MPLP's 24 fellows were equally divided between men and women, as well as Democrats and Republicans, and came from the four corners of the state. Among them is Ned Staebler, the Director of Capital Markets Development at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and an Ann Arbor resident.

Staebler is no stranger to politics, being the grandson of longtime Democratic Party activist Neil Staebler, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and ran unsuccessfully against George Romney for governor of Michigan in 1964.

Metromode sat down with Ned to chat with him about his experiences with the MPLP.

Metromode: What is the value of a program like the MPLP fellowship, both personally and politically?

Ned Staebler: Well, for a state like Michigan, which has term limits, you have a lot legislators who don't get a whole lot of time to really work with each other, which is how trust is built. There's great value in knowing that when you make a deal you know it's going to stick and you know who to go back to in order to move things further. Anything that can bridge the gap of partisanship in this state is a good thing.

Personally, I got to meet people from all over the state that had perspectives on things I'd never considered. And as we traveled around the state, everyone got a taste of each other's environment. For instance, there were small business owners from rural areas that had much different takes on taxation and government spending. You got a great mix of views and opinions.

MM: Given the current political climate in Michigan, how does an organization like MPLP navigate past political partisanship when it confronts topics like "Ethics in Campaigns and Governing"? There is certainly a wide gulf in how people view these issues.

Staebler: Good question. Because there are a lot of hot button issues, things can get very contentious. But there's a reason why there's partisan bickering, if you will. Because there are legitimate differences of opinion. MPLP tries to address this by providing a lot of facts from a lot of different points of view. People on both sides of the aisle are encouraged to build a dialogue and meet each other in formal and informal settings to discuss policy, personal perspectives, and bigger agendas. We then do exercises oriented toward conflict resolution, personal leadership, and team building to try to arrive at some kind of consensus. The best way and easiest way are usually not the same thing, and so we were forced to tackle problems from different angles.

MM: Can you give us an example?

Staebler: Sure. There was an exercise where we looked at regional budgets for southeast Michigan via role-playing. One person was a labor leader, another was a county executive of a suburban county and yet another was the mayor of a large urban area. We each had our own agendas to defend and a point scoring system that evaluated how well we advanced that agenda. And of course there was finite pot of money for a variety of policy choices. We had to come to some kind of consensus on how to spend that money and make our 'people' happy. Whether it was developing a downtown convention area or mass transit or roads and infrastructure, everyone, of course, had a different opinion about what was most important. But in the end we could only come to one answer.

MM: How'd you do?

Staebler: Miraculously we solved all the problems for the region in about an hour. No, actually there was a lot of name calling and yelling. But most of it was in fun. It was an exercise. We took it seriously but we were supposed to have fun while we did it. Ultimately, we all got the point. There's only one pie and you have to split it up in some way that you can all agree with. It was a great insight into what probably happens every day.

We were there during last years' budget problems so obviously it was a regular topic of discussion ... how it was going to be resolved, how it should be resolved. A couple of nights we stayed up until 3 a.m. debating solutions. And both sides recognized the underlying difficulty: that policy and politics are frequently at odds. You might think that something is a great public policy but from a political standpoint there's no gain so the policy gets put by the wayside. There was lot of understanding at three in the morning about what should be done and what could be done. The trick was trying to find the balance between the two.

MM: Was there any one topic or issue that you found yourself rethinking your position on?

Staebler: We got so much information from so many sources; it's hard to pinpoint any one that impacted me most. Though, learning about Michigan's agricultural economy was truly enlightening for me. Not only its importance — it's the second largest industry in the state right now — but how public policy affects farmers, which was fascinating. From production to supply chain logistics to ownership, it was eye-opening to see how many ways the agricultural sector is impacted by decisions that may seem like they have nothing to do with it.

We're the second most diverse biosphere in the country. That was news to me. For some fellows, from more rural areas, it was old hat. But for other folks in the fellowship like me, you could see the impact of that information as they reconsidered our state's approach to agricultural policy.

MM: Do you see a continued role for programs like the MPLP, maybe even an expansion? There are probably a few people currently serving in the legislature who could benefit from its training.

Staebler: I'm guessing it might be a little hard to tell our current leaders, "Hey, you need to go back to school and learn how to play nice in the sandbox."

But I do think grooming and educating people who have an interest in shaping policy or are likely to be in the next generation of political leadership is important. I was greatly impressed with several of the fellows. They are going to do some great things for the state Michigan. I'm really optimistic about the next generation of political leadership. The MPLP is the type of program that you hope will put itself out of business as we grow into a state that produces leaders that are solutions oriented. Hopefully the voting public will follow suit.

My grandfather used to say that the price of democracy is one hour a week from everyone. I think that's too cheap. I think we should invest a little more than an hour a week. It doesn't mean that hour needs to be out campaigning but it could be reading a newspaper, actively learning about what's happening in your municipality or the state. These are things that have such an important impact on your family, your life and your job. You ought to be able to do at least that.