Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm wins the prize among governors so far for referring to “manufacturing” or “manufacturer” 14 times in her State of the State address. The Democratic governor spoke Wednesday, and here are the first references from her speech, “A State in Transition: Crossing to the New Michigan Economy“:

Where the old Michigan economy was all about autos and manufacturing…the new Michigan economy is much broader: clean energy, life sciences – like bio-economy and medical devices – homeland security and defense, advanced- manufacturing, film and tourism.

We have steadily focused on the unique attributes that give Michigan a competitive advantage.

No state has the skilled workforce we do.

Nobody has the capacity and the manufacturing know-how we have.

Nobody has the natural resources – the forests, the diverse agriculture – the water…that we have.

Combine that with our great universities and colleges, and we’re using these unique assets to attract new companies and whole new industries.

That’s our competitive advantage.

Gov. Martin O’Malley, a Democrat, delivered his State of the State speech in Annapolis Tuesday. As we continue our search for governors’ references to “manufacturing” and its variants, we find this in the Governor’s speech:

To rebuild and restore our economy, we must help our businesses create and save jobs. Jobs from innovation in science, security, and discovery. Jobs of noble and valuable service. Jobs that create and rebuild our vital connections of travel, trade, and business. Jobs that revitalize and restore our environment. Jobs in teaching, manufacturing, and healing – they all matter.

This month we concluded a nation-leading public/private partnership at the Port of Baltimore that will create 5,700 new jobs in construction and port operations; and just last week General Motors announced that it will build its new generation of electric hybrid engines in our State, in Baltimore County – creating new green manufacturing jobs and new opportunities. This job-creating partnership was only possible because of the investments of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, along with the strong actions of the State of Maryland, County Executive Jim Smith of Baltimore County, and businesses, and labor – all working together.

These are the remarks as prepared for delivery, with the unusual approach of including footnotes. Sixty-three footnotes!

Oregon’s voters supported big increases on state individual income tax and corporate income taxes in the vote-by-mail election that ended Tuesday. Results were 54-46 percent on Ballot Measure 66, the individual income tax, and 53-47 percent on Ballot Measure 67, the corporate tax. (For results, see Oregon Secretary of State, Elections Division.)

The Wall Street Journal page laid out the campaign dynamic in a Jan. 15 editorial, “Oregon at the Tax Crossroad.”

The public unions are the primary drivers behind the Oregon tax hike campaign. In recent weeks, national powerhouses AFSCME and the SEIU have poured close to $1 million into the state campaign to secure passage. Oregon’s public employees have one of the sweetest deals in America. Their average pay is about one-third higher than that of private Oregon workers, and Oregon public employees don’t have to pay anything toward their health-care benefits.

In the last budget, the Democratic controlled state legislature doled out a $259 million pay raise to the government work force, even as the state was facing a near $1 billion deficit. In the last three years, the state has added 25,000 new public employees while losing 40,000 private sector jobs. The union TV ads say the tax hikes are needed to preserve schools, roads and public services.

The Journal, perhaps anticipating the yes votes, noted the value of states as the “laboratories of democracy.” But this experiment has already been run. In raising taxes to protect the public employee unions, Oregon’s voters have followed the California model of governance and taxation. And look how well that’s turned out: California has lost 600,000 manufacturing jobs since 2000, 32 percent of the state’s manufacturing workforce.

Oregon’s unemployment rate is 11 percent, by the way.

Back in the ’60s, anti-growth Gov. Tom McCall famously told Californians to come and visit, but not to stay. Now Oregon’s voters have sent their own version of the message: California’s policies are welcome, it’s the jobs we’re telling to leave.

• Christian Science Monitor, “Oregon voters raise taxes on wealthy, businesses”
• Bloomberg, “Oregon Approves Tax Increase on Top-Earners, Business“
• Oregonian, “Oregon voters pass tax increasing measures by big margin“

Gov. Jack Markell of Delaware, a Democrat, delivered his State of the State address on Thursday, Jan. 21, and he used the word “manufacture” in his speech (transcript).

We’ve been search for references to “manufacturing” and “industry” in governors’ speeches this month, and Markell’s mention certainly qualifies. His reference comes as he describes a multifaceted policy and spending approach toward economic growth in Delaware, using as a starting point the announcement by Fisker Automotive that the company will manufacture a plug-in hyrid sedan at the former GM plant.

Fisker also received support from federal taxpayers via the Obama Administration, including a $528.7 million dollar loan from the Department of Energy. Vice President Biden traveled back to Wilmington to announce Fisker’s siting choice.

The governor did not discuss the federal funding, but he plugged the state’s company recruitment and regulatory reform initiatives, thanked the congressional delegation, lauded the state’s workforce and praised the UAW. He also put Fisker in a larger policy context:

Fisker’s decision to locate in Delaware will only be a success when the cars produced here get sold in showrooms across the world. Fisker has announced an extensive dealer network and their business plan calls for them to export half the cars produced here. One of the most attractive aspects of Delaware was our easy access to, and high-quality workforce at, the Port of Wilmington. Businesses like Fisker need to efficiently get products to the market. That is why I am recommending $10 million in bond bill funding for the Port of Wilmington and that we move forward with the Northeast Corridor Rail project and the Route 301 bypass project – all important infrastructure projects that will make Delaware more competitive.

To restore Delaware’s promise and prosperity, we should not only build, assemble and distribute the next generation of cars in Delaware. We should invent and manufacture the technology for the cars – as well the technology for other industries of tomorrow. …

That is why I am supporting in this year’s bond bill plans to provide a center for high-tech laboratories, health sciences, alternative energy research and development, and other emerging industries at the old Chrysler site.

Global trade, infrastructure and R&D are powerful tools to encourage economic growth.

Education is also a prerequisite. A section of Gov. Markell’s speech was entitled, “A Great Economy Demands Great Schools.” Earlier in the week, he joined Sen. Ted Kaufman and DuPont to announce  a Statewide Council to Improve  Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education.

All in all, Gov. Markell’s State of the State address presented the big picture of how to achieve economic growth and jobs for the state, one that embraced the important elements for a strong manufacturing sector. It’s appreciated.

For earlier posts on other governors’ state of the state addresses, go here.

Virginia’s new Gov. Bob McDonnell delivered his State of the Commonwealth address Jan. 18, fleshing out the policy programs he mentioned in his earlier inaugural address. While he did not use the word “manufacturing” — the term we’ve been searching for in governors’ addresses this month — the Republican governor did talk about “industry,” e.g., the bio-tech industry, an industrial mega-site, the wine industry, and, with the most detail, the energy industry.

McDonnell’s prescription for economic growth via energy is an all-of-the-above approach, including offshore oil and gas development, nuclear power, coal and bio-fuels. The Virginia governor is giving the Republican response to President Obama’s State of the Union address Wednesday, but his vision of energy development is non-partisan and one that the President would profitably embrace in pursuit of jobs, growth and tax revenues.

From McDonnell’s prepared remarks:

I am committed to utilizing all of our vast, God-given natural resources to make Virginia the “Energy Capital of the East Coast.” We must do our part to promote American energy independence.

We have the opportunity to be the first state on the Eastern Seaboard to sell the leasing rights to explore and drill offshore for oil and natural gas in 2011. The federal moratoria have been lifted. The state that is first will reap an economic bonanza. We can lead or be left out. Four years ago you had the foresight to pass legislation giving us a critical advantage. We cannot now let Washington bureaucracy undermine the clear desires of the people of Virginia.

I have written to Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, and have let our congressional delegation know that this is a priority for our Commonwealth, consistent with President Obama’s commitment to make our nation more energy secure. Several studies show that environmentally-safe offshore exploration and production will create thousands of jobs, put hundreds of millions into our depleted state coffers, and spur billions in capital investment in the Old Dominion. There are many unemployed Virginians who are ready to work in the oil and gas production industry.

Gov. John Lynch of New Hampshire gave his State of the State address on Thursday, Jan. 21. He did mention “manufacturing,” the term we’ve been searching for in governors’ speeches this January (along with “industry”). In this case, the word was part of a company’s name included in the Democratic governor’s round-up of good things going on in business. From the transcript:

Let’s keep good companies and good jobs here in New Hampshire. We can and we will keep New Hampshire working.

Already we’re putting people to work repairing our roads, reconstructing water treatment plants, weatherizing 1,000 low-income homes a year, and helping businesses like Foss Manufacturing in Hampton lower their costs by becoming more energy efficient.

We must continue to grow the businesses and the jobs of the future here in New Hampshire.

We must keep New Hampshire taxes among the lowest in the nation. We should continue to ensure state government uses every dollar as efficiently as possible. We must ensure we have a skilled and trained workforce. And we must help entrepreneurs and new businesses compete and succeed.

Clean energy holds great potential for bringing new jobs to our state. Companies like GT Solar in Merrimack are already leaders in their fields. Other New Hampshire businesses are developing new products with tremendous promise.

Warner Power has created new transformers with the potential to save large amounts of energy. H&E High Efficiency Power Burners in Goffstown invented a way to retrofit boilers to make them more efficient, saving people 30 to 50 percent on their oil bills.

The governor also emphasized the state’s efforts in addressing the shortage of skilled workers, a recurring theme for governors’ this year.

Governor Jay Nixon on Wednesday delivered his State of the State address in Jefferson City, and it was a speech heavy on the importance of business to Missouri’s economy and citizens.

Nixon, a Democrat elected in 2008, did not use the word “manufacturing” or its variants, but did mention a manufacturing company: “Smith Electric Vehicles makes all-electric, zero-emission trucks. It’s building a new plant in Kansas City using our Quality Jobs incentives. That plant will create 200 jobs, and pump millions of dollars into the local economy.”

He also referred to industry and industries in the context of his “Training for Tomorrow” initiative:

I’ve proposed a 20 percent increase in funding for customized training programs tailored to the needs of specific high-tech industries. By matching industry’s needs with training programs, more Missourians will be able to find work quickly.

And with respect to tax incentives:

We’re putting $15 million into an effort to give the housing industry a boost and help more Missourians afford the American Dream.

If you want to buy a house in 2010, the state will pick up your property taxes for the first year, for up to $1,250. And we’re offering another $500 in tax relief if you make that house more energy efficient.

Earlier posts on state of the state addresses and inaugural speeches are here.

Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana delivered his State of the State address on Tuesday, and we’ll declare him the winner of the Wonkiest SOS of 2010. No other governor dares a line like, ”Having as many as 22 different assessors setting property values in a single county was a formula for unfairness, waste and, all too often, corruption.  Moving assessment to a single, accountable county official was a matter of simple common sense.” 

Right on!

Yet of course it was a serious speech given in serious times of economic stress and budget cutting. And, yes, Daniels did mention “industry,” if not “manufacturing” — the terms we’ve been looking for in this month’s reviews of state of state addresses. The context was the state’s recent recruiting of electric vehicle manufacturers.

When the dust settles on this recession, we will have a higher share of America’s auto, RV and steel jobs than we did before.  In a 2009 when national business investment fell by almost one-fourth, the number of new jobs committed to Indiana actually grew over the near-record year of 2008.

2009 was the year when several young companies who may lead the electric vehicle industry chose Indiana for their plants.  Many of their suppliers are following them.  Our goal is to be the capital of this potentially massive industry of tomorrow.

And the best line we’ve seen anywhere in the context of state budget crises: “Solvency, like freedom, requires eternal vigilance.  We could be Michigan in a minute of meekness, Illinois in an instant of irresolution.”

Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey was sworn into office at noon Tuesday and delivered his inaugural address to a joint session of the Legislature. It was a relatively brief, scene-setting speech with few programmatic details, and the Republican did not mention “manufacturing,” “industry,” or related words.

He certainly had something to say about fixing the state’s business climate, though. From the text, as prepared:

The era of runaway spending and higher and higher taxes has not worked. We have the largest budget deficit per person of any state in the Union. We have the highest tax rates in the nation. We have the highest unemployment rate in over a quarter century. Our economy is stagnant and our people are suffering under the burden government has placed on them. And we cannot continue to mortgage our future if we hope to improve it.

Today, we are taking a new direction. Today, a new era of lower taxes and higher growth will begin.

For earlier commentary on governors’ state of the state addresses and inaugurals, see these posts.

Bob McDonnell was sworn in Saturday as Governor of Virginia, and thus his first speech in office was an Inaugural Address, a tone-setting speech more philosophical than programmatic. (Text.) Still, we’ll include it among state of the state addresses we’ve been reviewing, reporting on whether governors mention “manufacturing,” “industry” or variants thereof.

McDonnell, a Republican, did indeed cite “industries” when stating his belief that developing domestic energy will lead to economic growth and jobs for Virginia.