Mackinac Policy Conference: Candice Miller on Michigan’s infrastructure

Almost a full year has passed since the federal government approved a disaster declaration for Michigan following a damage-causing round of heavy rainfall. Since that time, southeast Michigan has continued to experience heavy flooding, which has caused power outages and other disruptions that have affected homes and businesses.

Officials at the Great Lakes Waters Authority attributed last June’s flooding to water pumps that stopped working because of various electrical failures, while also stating that “the system is not designed for storms of this magnitude.”

“In the older communities the stuff is just, it’s old, it’s antiquated, it’s undersized, it’s falling apart, we have to invest in it.” —  Candace Miller, Macomb County Public Works Commissioner

Listen: How Candace Miller would address Michigan’s infrastructure problems.

Guest

Candace Miller is the Public Works Commissioner for Macomb County. Prior to that, she was a Representative for Michigan’s 10^th Congressional District, a former Michigan Secretary of State, Macomb County Treasurer, and Harrison Township Supervisor.

Miller wants Michiganders to think more about underground infrastructure; from sinkholes, to pump stations, and highway underpasses.

“In the older communities the stuff is just, it’s old, it’s antiquated, it’s undersized, it’s falling apart, we have to invest in it,” says Miller. “You have to make steady progress, and again, you’re doing it not just in the immediacy, but we have to think of it generationally.”