While doing some (a lot) of housecleaning in my work
cubicle this morning, I came across a Detroit newspaper from May 31, 2003, that
said: “Detroit’s new step forward.” Under the headline was a photo from the
annual Mackinac Island Policy Conference that showed then-governor Jennifer
Granholm giving a high five to then-mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

Of course, Kilpatrick is no longer in the Manoogian
Mansion, he’s in prison. And Granholm, whose name surfaced then quickly disappeared
in the speculation last week about Sen. Carl Levin’s successor, is nothing more
than a bad memory for many Michigan voters.
But the newspaper headlines about Detroit are still the
same. In fact, the headlines in today’s papers announcing the newly appointed
emergency manager for Detroit also refer to the city moving forward and turning
the corner.
However, there was one prescient moment from that ’03 Mackinac
excursion. In her speech to a large crowd, the new governor unveiled her plan
to create “cool cities” in Michigan. She told the audience that she envisions the
day when young people will live in loft apartments in Detroit and socialize in nearby
cyber cafes while they drink Starbucks coffee.
At the time, that was considered pie in the sky. But in
many parts of the downtown and Midtown area – not due to state efforts but as a
result of an organic process –  Granholm’s  vision became a reality.