Michigan Matters: Talking data centers, politics and civility

John Rakolta Jr., former ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and chair of Walbridge, appears on Michigan Matters this Sunday to discuss his family's 116-year-old construction company, which has built numerous automotive and manufacturing facilities worldwide.  

Walbridge is also building data centers, including the one in Saline, just outside Ann Arbor, which has drawn attention amid community protests as it comes to life.  

He talks about economic opportunities in Michigan and how data centers have evolved over the years. He mentioned how some entities behind data centers haven't done an effective job in communicating about them and what's involved, which has led to distrust over them.  

Rakolta, an influential voice in Republican Party politics, also discussed the heated U.S. Senate race in Michigan between Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed.

He lamented the lack of conversation about real issues in many of today's political races.  

Then the roundtable of David Dulio of Oakland University, Tonya Schuitmaker of Michiganders for Civic Resilience, and Rebekah Warren, co-director of the organization, appears to talk about civility and politics.

Dulio, who runs OU's Center for Civic Engagement, talked about political debates and the fact that so few politicians in top Michigan races are participating.

Warren talks about the growing number of young Michigan voters who participated in the August primary and the role they may play in the November election, with so much on the line.  

(Watch Michigan Matters at its new time: 5:30 a.m. Sundays on CBS Detroit and 9:30 a.m. Sundays on CW Detroit 50 WKBD.)

(Carol Cain is the 13-time Emmy-winning senior producer and host of Michigan Matters.)