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I have a brief memory of the governor's residence in Lansing when I was a reporter for The Detroit News.
It was the mid-1980s and James Blanchard was governor. The occasion was a holiday party and most reporters at some point greeted the governor and his wife Paula. It was only the second time I had met her. So I told her my name and she replied: "I know." I don't remember saying much more, and I didn't get a feeling she enjoyed hosting the event for the press very much.
Interestingly, just as her husband was starting to relax at the party, and was getting chatty with reporters, the bar mysterioiusly closed and the food vanished. It was probably only about 8 p.m. I felt his wife was keeping a close eye on him.
Still, I thought it was cool that the governor had an official residence. It suggested a rich tradition.
So it's heartening to hear that Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer will move with her husband, Lansing dentist Marc Mallory, and two daughters into what has been refered to as the governor's mansion. (It's a 8,700-square-feet ranch-style home that never seemed like a mansion.)
The place has been unoccupied since Gov. Rick Snyder took office in 2011, the Detroit Free Press says.
Built in 1957, it was donated by Howard and Letha Soberto the state in 1969. Besides Blanchard, govenors who have occupied it include William Milliken, John Engler and Jennifer Granholm.
