SEMCOG
Southeast Michigan Council Of Governments

Legislative Policy Platform Task Force Kickoff

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Michael Spence

Michael Spence

Michael Spence is the Government Affairs Manager at SEMCOG. In the 2000s, while earning his master’s in public administration, he supported SEMCOG's communications and local government operations work. With a newly-minted MPA in-hand, he worked as a local government manager in Northern Michigan. In 2015, he returned to Southeast Michigan – and SEMCOG – to lead the region's legislative advocacy and government finance/operations work.

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SEMCOG launches 2027-2028 Legislative Policy Platform Task Force

SEMCOG’s Legislative Policy Platform Task Force has launched and will convene for its first meeting on July 17. Robert McCraight, Mayor, City of Romulus, will serve as Chairperson as the task force with Scott Benson, Councilmember, City of Detroit, serving as Vice Chairperson.

Legislative Policy Platform with Chair and Vice Chair at SEMCOG.

This nonpartisan task force will work together to build policy recommendations for state and federal laws, regulations, and appropriations. These recommendations will focus on key changes needed in State and federal policy to help realize SEMCOG’s vision that all people of Southeast Michigan benefit from a connected, thriving region of small towns, dynamic urban centers, active waterfronts, diverse neighborhoods, premiere educational institutions and abundant agricultural, recreational, and natural areas.

Every two years, SEMCOG gathers a task force with the goal of setting priorities to advocate for our member communities and advance regional planning in Lansing and Washington. Task force members include representatives from local governments, education institutions, and other regional organizations. The task force’s final recommendations will focus on data-backed policies that advance Southeast Michigan through a variety of areas including:

  • Economic growth
  • Natural resource protection
  • Community development
  • Protecting local voices and fiscal sustainability
  • Public infrastructure investment
  • Overall regional prosperity and advancement

Over the coming months, the task force will meet three times to discuss, draft and review policy platform recommendations. In December, SEMCOG’s Executive Committee will meet to consider approval of the proposed policy platform.

Past Accomplishments

The Legislative Policy Platform Task Force has a well-established track record of developing policies and advocacy priorities that provide SEMCOG staff direction in their advocacy work with our state and federal partners.

The 2025-2026 Legislative Policy Platform, which includes 113 policies focused on issues of importance to local governments, schools, and regional stakeholders was the basis for a number of accomplishments during the current state and federal legislative session, including:

People seated around a conference table listening to a presenter at a podium, with presentation slides displayed on large screens in a meeting room.

Kickoff Meeting Preview

The task force convenes for its first meeting on July 17 at the SEMCOG’s office. At this introductory meeting, Chair McCraight, Vice-Chair Benson, and SEMCOG policy staff will provide an overview of the task force objectives and some of the new and ongoing key legislative and regulatory issues that have emerged since the Task Force last convened in 2024.

After this introduction, Task Force members will engage in discussions to highlight the emergent issues in their communities that require State, federal legislative or regulatory changes. These initial discussions will set the course for discussion at the Task Force’s second meeting in September.

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