After experiencing more twists and turns than a James Patterson novel over the past 20 years, the Gordie Howe International Bridge will finally (hopefully) open on July 27.
Jim Blanchard, Colin Bird and Rick Snyder played important roles in helping get it over the finish line along with other champions on both sides of the border. The bridge will be a crucial link for Michigan/U.S. and Ontario/Canada relations — largest trading partners for each other — as billions of dollars of commerce will traverse over it.
For Blanchard (former Michigan governor and U.S Ambassador to Canada), Bird (Canadian Consul General in Detroit) and Snyder (former Michigan governor), the moment will rank among their proudest.
I asked each leader what inspired them to forge careers tied to business, policy and politics. One theme arose: They got hooked on public service when they were young.
Blanchard, 83, who grew up in Ferndale, became enamored with Canada as he watched Channel 9, the Windsor, Ontario TV station. The Democrat found his calling in school and would go on to become a congressman from Oakland County before governor and ambassador.
“I started out at 10 years old, handing out leaflets for Adlai Stevenson (who ran for president) and G. Mennen Williams (who ran for governor),” Blanchard said. “I first thought of being a U.S. congressman at 14 when I realized I wasn’t going to succeed Al Kaline in right field. … I also loved John (F.) Kennedy and vowed to run for office the day he died.”
“From a young age I loved history and world affairs,” said Blanchard, citing Pew Research that found people interested in politics and public service tended to develop that interest while in middle school.
Bird, a 61-year-old career diplomat, got the bug for public service as a pre-teen, “with mentors who encouraged me to think that my voice counted. So many groups opened their arms to me, whether it was my local Unitarian church, Amnesty International or YMCA international programs. They made me feel that even a kid from a working class suburb of Montreal could make a difference in the world.”
Bird, who will retire in a few weeks (Andrea Clements will replace him, coming in from the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.), recounted an earlier moment, too .
“I still remember the thrill when the Amnesty group I chaired in high school got a call from a cabinet minister’s office,” Bird said. “They were granting a ministerial permit for our Chilean prisoner of conscience to come to Canada. It made me believe in democracy and the power of caring.”
Snyder, 67, was inspired to serve by watching his father, Dale Snyder, who ran a window washing company in Battle Creek.
“After he retired, he held a variety of elected and appointed roles in Battle Creek Township. My first campaign work was in 1974 when I was 16 and volunteered to help Gov. (William) Milliken’s re-election campaign by making phone calls. I never got to meet Milliken as I was just a kid volunteering.”
That changed when Snyder ran for governor in 2010 and was endorsed by Milliken.
Middle schoolers show their curiosity, knowledge
At the 2026 National Civics Bee statewide contest, hosted by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and held July 8 at the state capitol, encouragement for middle school students to get involved in their communities and learn more about civics was on full display.
I emceed the event and was blown away by the knowledge, composure and enthusiasm of the students.
Hundreds of students from across the state submitted essays on a business or community and suggested how they might sell it. Sixteen were invited to participate in the July event. They answered 20 questions and the top five moved to the next phase, where each presented their issue and took questions from three judges.
The National Civics Bee was launched by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation three years ago. In honor of our nation’s 250th anniversary, all 50 states will each send one student to the national contest in Washington, D.C., this fall.
“The National Civics Bee isn’t just about knowing the three branches of government or memorizing historical facts. It’s about encouraging the habits that strengthen democracy — curiosity, listening, critical thinking, thoughtful dialogue, problem solving and civic engagement,” said Jim Holcomb, president/CEO of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce.
Holcomb added that civics knowledge remains alarmingly low: “Only 22% of U.S. eighth-graders score proficient in civics and fewer than half of adults (are) able to name all three branches of government.”
Carolyn Taylor from Tappan Middle School in Ann Arbor who participated through the Canton Chamber of Commerce won the statewide contest and will head to D.C.
Other finalists: Shivam Patel, of Avondale GATE Magnet School (Rochester Hills) who participated through the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce; Sanat Pandit, of Greenhills School (Ann Arbor) who participated through the Canton Chamber of Commerce; Madhu Regunathan, East Middle School (Plymouth) from the Canton Chamber of Commerce, and Hadley Baer, of Riley Street Middle School (Hudsonville) who participated through the Grand Rapids Chamber.
The judges were Jamie Gluski, a middle school teacher from Walled Lake Schools; Corwin Smidt, a political science professor at Michigan State University, and Mel Trombley, regional businesses manager for The Christman Company and member of the Michigan Chamber Foundation’s Board of Directors.
“These kids provided examples that civic solutions take someone who can work with others and bridge opinions to create a shared framework for a solution,” said Smidt.
Making future leaders
MSU’s Michigan Political Leadership Program, the non-partisan program turning out 24 graduates each year, is accepting applications for its 2027 class.
There are more than 800 MPLP alums including Michigan Secretary of state Jocelyn Benson, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett and former state Rep. Maureen Stapleton.
“MPLP participants make connections that cross the usual boundaries and last over their careers,” said Matt Grossmann, director of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, which oversees MPLP.
(MPLPM Applications are due by Oct. 2. For more information go to https://ippsr.msu.edu/ and click on Political Leadership, or contact Linda Cleary at 517-353-0891 or cleary@msu.edu).
Contact Carol Cain at clcain@cbs.com. She is senior producer/host of “Michigan Matters,” which airs 5:30 a.m. Sundays on CBS Detroit and 9:30 am Sundays on CW Detroit 50. See gubernatorial candidates John James, Jocelyn Benson and Perry Johnson; and Brian White, deputy mayor of Detroit, and Susy Avery, former chair of the Michigan Republican Party, on this weekend’s show. You can also watch the show on the two stations’ listings on Fubu, Pluto TV, Hulu, YouTube TV and Apple TV.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Civics Bee students, 3 leaders in Michigan are having a moment
Reporting by Carol Cain, Detroit Free Press Business Columnist / Detroit Free Press
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By Carol Cain, Detroit Free Press Business Columnist | USA TODAY Network
