In GR, Gov on urban outreach, Schmidt

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - From the time he took office, Gov. Rick Snyder has focused on how to revitalize the urban centers of the state, make them safe, and create an environment that will help rebuild Michigan.

Snyder, in Grand Rapids for an event about his urban initiatives, hopes to spur progress by expanding advisory groups to urban centers around the state. Previously, Snyder's only outreach office has been in the Detroit area.

But a non-profit grant funded several such boards, including one in Grand Rapids, and the governor said he wants to expand one in Kalamazoo.

The governor also prefers to keep on topic, and made it clear he was not going to weigh in on the controversy surrounding newly-Republican Rep. Roy Schmidt and Speaker of the House Jase Bolger. Schmidt and Bolger were the topics in a scathing report from Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth that called Schmidt's party-switch a "fraud" on the electorate.

Snyder talked about improving infrastructure and other plans for 2013 and beyond. Those plans involve keeping a Republican majority in the House, so he has to hope the Schmidt-Bolger affair doesn't upend his plans.