Hamtramck Leaders and Other Cities of Promise Attendees Receive Words of Encouragement from Governor Granholm at First Annual Conference

LANSING – Governor Jennifer M. Granholm offered hope and promise of better days to come to nearly 200 attendees at the first annual Cities of Promise conference held at the Kellogg Center on the campus of Michigan State University Monday. The first annual conference hosted by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) along with the Michigan State University Extension Service and the Michigan Municipal League captivated leaders, including mayors from the eight Cities of Promise. The attendees gathered at the day long conference to exchange ideas, share best practices and build on existing partnerships through networking and breakout sessions. The Cities of Promise is Governor Granholm’s interagency initiative that aims to redevelop communities and reduce poverty.

“Hamtramck is a City of Promise because we have suffered from much of the same economic hardships as the rest of America, we are grateful for help from the state and the agencies involved in the Cities of Promise initiative and the examples we are seeing from the other Cities of Promise from which we can learn,” said Hamtramck Mayor, Karen Majewski. “We are excited to be a city that is growing, changing and diversifying – we are well poised to step into the future both economically and culturally by being a model for what the future can be. We really reflect the new America, the new economy.”

Opening remarks from MSHDA’s Interim Executive Director, stressed that collaboration was the key to the initiative’s success.  

“The partnerships being developed through the Cities of Promise are crucial in picking up Michigan’s economy,” said MSHDA Interim Executive Director, Keith Molin. “In order to keep the momentum moving forward, we must all work together. The leaders from the eight Cities of Promise have committed themselves to doing all they can to not only better their own cities, but to improve the state overall.”

Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon’s keynote address encouraged local officials to partner with their school districts to train students for existing workforce vacancies.

“We must get away from saying what we can’t do and start doing what we can do,” Simon said. “We can and will work with business and government to connect the workforce and education. The Cities of Promise can help us achieve that balance.”

The goal of the conference was to bring together key city leaders to focus on the transformation of the eight cities through six educational tracks: youth development, cultural asset appreciation, faith-based initiatives, land bank development, workforce development and neighborhood revitalization. Local leaders agreed that the conference delivered the goal.

This five year initiative includes nineteen state agencies, working together in a strategic, collaborative fashion to focus resources in these communities - driven by the local plans and presenting needs.

MSHDA is a quasi-state agency that provides financial and technical assistance through public and private partnerships to create and preserve safe and decent affordable housing, engage in community economic development activities, and address homeless issues.  MSHDA’s loans and operating expenses are financed through the sale of tax-exempt and taxable bonds and notes to private investors, not from state tax revenues. For more information on MSHDA programs and initiatives, visit the Web site at www.michigan.gov/mshda.

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