LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Only a year ago, Rick Snyder began his second term as Michigan governor promoting the same achievements that had propelled him to victory in 2014: The state was at last in the midst of an economic comeback, and Detroit had emerged from bankruptcy.
Now the water crisis gripping Flint threatens to overshadow nearly everything else Snyder has accomplished, and the governor’s annual State of the State address has become perhaps the most important speech of his career.
The Republican has little choice but to devote much of Tuesday’s address to the emergency, which has put Flint families at risk for lead exposure and engulfed his administration with criticism from across the nation.
“Right now, it’s everything,” Lansing-based Republican consultant Tom Shields said of the Flint disaster. “People will forget about what he did to bring Detroit out of bankruptcy and change taxes and everything else” if the Flint situation is not handled correctly.
The images of an impoverished city where no one dares to drink the tap water have put Snyder on the defensive and forced him to step up his efforts to help. The governor, who has apologized for regulatory failures and for an underwhelming initial response, has rejected calls for his resignation.