There’s a real old sayin’ in the biz, “no tough questions. Only tough answers.”
Hello Gov. Whitmer. She ran into a buzz saw of pointed question from not one, not two, but four nosy reporters all wanting some guidance on where state civil servants should be working these days.
Unless you were one of those who thought quarantining the state when the COVID bug was on the prowl was a lousy idea, you probably didn’t give a second thought to state government employees working from home far away from the downtown Lansing offices near the capitol.
But that was then and now is now and on the warpath to get those civil servants out of their comfy homes and back to their job cubby-holes is none other than the House GOP Speaker Matt Hall.
“We want to know if the state workers are working ... at home?” he asked the rhetorical question in front of the capitol press corp.
He had no proof but he still wondered out loud if some of those dedicated public servants had a side gig while dragging down a taxpayer funded pay check?
Well any self-respecting political reporter knew the next assignment was, no duh, to get the other side of the story from the Whitmer administration.
As the old rock and roll hit suggested, “Easier Said Than Done.”
Since civil servants are under the Department of Management and Budget, or whatever they are calling it these days, you would normally turn to the director. But seems Michelle Lange is not only camera shy, but she displays a severe case of lock-jaw when a microphone or note-pad carrying reporter comes a calling. In a word she is a tough interview to get.
But if she is not talking, reporters know that the governor has been known to grant an interview or two and there she was the other day in front of a new state office building being renamed to honor Michigan’s retired U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow.
It didn’t take long for the first reporter to begin the interroga... eer question asking.
She wanted to know what the governor thought about those Republican concerns over getting workers back in the office.
(Oh boy. Now we’ll get to the bottom of this.)
“We’ve got a work force that devotes much of their lives to the people of Michigan and we’re going to continue to do our jobs,” the governor opines.
Say what?! Reporter two dives in wanting to know about the ‘hybrid” state policy i.e. a little work at home and a little work at the office.
The governor warms to the subject.
“We are always analyzing where there are opportunities to be efficient and without compromising the work that needs to be done for the people of Michigan.” Another dry hole.
Reporter three decides it’s time to bring in the big guns that go to the heart of the issue.
“Do you want to get all state workers back downtown?”
(Now the fat is in the fire but she deftly puts the fire out.)
“You know, I want state government to work for the people of Michigan.”
Man, the people of Michigan are really getting some ink in these responses but still no direct answer to the question and reporter three offers a follow- up.
“I’m not sure that was an answer to my question.”
She won’t give an inch.
“A lot of state workers are downtown. A lot of state workers who work in other parts of the state. We’ve got offices in other parts of the state. We’ve got offices all across the state,” she continues her unsolicited geography lesson for the press corps adding, “and they are showing up and doing their work and I think we should be thanking them.” The only thing missing was a “damn right.” But she rarely swears. :) But wait there’s more. Reporter four enters the rabbit hole wanting to know more.
She’s ready. Bring it. “Companies, states, governments, we’re all grappling with what is the right balance. At the end of the day the most important concern is making sure that the people of Michigan (Fifth time) are protected.”
And now, perhaps sensing, that she has prevailed, she closes, “I’m proud of the state work force. I’ll match ours against any in the country.”
Score it governor 10 and news hounds nada, but there will be another chance to ask why she won’t answer these questions ... moving the score up to 11/zippo.
By Tim Skubick
