Lieutenant Governor Coming To Benton Harbor Next Month

garlingilchrist
garlingilchrist

Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist is coming to Benton Harbor in September as part of his Thriving Cities tour. Gilchrist started the tour in 2019 by holding conversations across Michigan to hear directly residents of cities. The current phase of the effort is aimed at analyzing the effects of state investments in communities. Announcing the next leg of the tour Monday, Gilchrist said during his first tour, it became clear to him that a lack of investment by the state has caused a variety of problems for cities.

“As a young boy on the east side of Detroit, I saw the challenges and the opportunities that exist in our cities,” Gilchrist said. “I started this tour as a way to improve the quality of life for people in cities across the state of Michigan so everyone has a chance to thrive.”

Gilchrist also announced the launch of a new website for the Thriving Cities tour. It lists the lineup of tour stops and what citizens of each community have revealed through surveys. For Benton Harbor, “kids in cities” ranked as the biggest concern for residents, followed by affordable housing, economic opportunity, environmental quality, and transportation. Gilchrist’s local stop will be at the Magical Memories Event Center on M-139 on September 16 at 12 p.m.