LANSING ? Gov. Jennifer Granholm?s ratings among small business owners has fallen sharply in the latest Small Business Association of Michigan?s Barometer survey.
Thirty-nine percent of small business owners rated the governor?s performance as negative in a survey conducted in November and December. Fourteen percent gave Granholm a positive rating. Forty-six percent were neutral. In comparison, in the first quarter of 2003 shortly after the governor?s election, 20 percent of respondents gave her a negative rating, 40 percent positive and 40 percent neutral.
?It appears that the more experience small business owners had with the Granholm administration, the more negative and less positive they became about the governor?s performance,? says SBAM President & CEO Rob Fowler. ?Michigan?s economic performance and job growth have stalled over the past two years, and fairly or unfairly, the governor is associated with that lack of progress.?
Negative ratings for the state legislature also exceeded positive ratings in the survey. Twenty-eight percent of small business owners gave a negative rating to the performance of the legislature, 19 percent positive and 52 percent neutral.
?Dissatisfaction with the performance of both the governor and the legislature indicates bipartisan uneasiness over the direction state government was heading on budget and tax policies late in 2004,? Fowler says. ?But 2005 is a new year, and small business owners will be watching lawmakers closely to see if they enact polices that cut spending, foster the growth of the small business economy and reduce unnecessary government regulations.?
The quarterly Barometer survey is sponsored by SBAM with the participation and support of the Center for Urban Studies of Wayne State University. The survey was conducted by Public Policy Associates of Lansing.
