ABOUT LANA POLLACK:
Lana Pollack has spent her long and diverse career as an outspoken advocate for people and causes whose voices are often unheard in the halls of power. Before beginning her political career, Pollack had the pleasure of raising two children and was a teacher of dance and social studies. She spent years as a political volunteer, learning from the ground up before she managed campaigns and chaired the Ann Arbor Democratic party. Realizing that she would be in a better position to promote change as an elected official, Pollack was elected to a term on her local school board before serving 12 years as a state senator. Sworn into the legislature in 1983, she served two of her three terms as Michigan’s only Democratic woman senator. In 1988, Pollack was the Democratic nominee, but lost the race for Michigan’s 2nd Congressional District. Six years later, she took on the leaders of her own party and narrowly lost a spirited race for nomination to the U.S. Senate. Since 1996, Pollack has served as the president of the Michigan Environmental Council.
In the State Senate, Pollack frequently led efforts to promote the well-being of women and children. A dedicated and able fundraiser, she founded OUR CHOICE, a political action committee which supported pro-choice women running for state office. In addition, Senator Pollack established two bi-partisan statewide coalitions, one to promote policies preventing teen pregnancy and another to fight the proliferation of guns and gun violence. In 1992, Senator Pollack wrote a bill amending the state’s civil rights law to end discriminatory practices that kept women athletes off Michigan’s private golf courses at peak times and relegated them to second-class facilities within their own clubhouses.
The environment is another of Lana Pollack’s dearest causes. In 1987, she introduced legislation that would later be called the “Polluter Pay Law.” Signed into law in 1990, this legislation forced the responsibility of cleaning polluted industrial sites onto the polluters themselves and generated $100 million for the environment before the law was gutted in 1995. The attack on the Polluter Pay Law drew Pollack back to the policy arena and, in 1996, she assumed the presidency of the Michigan Environmental Council, an umbrella organization for environmental groups across the state. Under her leadership, this organization became a powerful voice for Michigan’s environment, an important regional force for protecting the Great Lakes, and a national authority on the auto industry’s impact on the global environment.
As a tireless political volunteer, principled politician, and dedicated environmentalist, Lana Pollack has spent years fighting for justice. Our environment is healthier, women enjoy more social equality, and our children are safer thanks to the efforts of this woman.
ABOUT LISA WOZNIAK:
Lisa’s career spans over two decades of environmental and conservation advocacy in the political arena. She is a nationally- recognized expert in non-profit growth and management and a leader in Great Lakes protections. Lisa is a three-time graduate from the University of Michigan, with a bachelor's degree and two ensuing master's degrees in social work and Education.
Lisa serves a co-host and content partner in 89.1 WEMU's '1st Friday Focus on the Environment.'
RESOURCES:
Michigan League of Conservation Voters
TRANSCRIPTION:
David Fair: This is 89.1 WEMU, and I'm David Fair. And thank you for being here for a special fundraising edition of First Friday Focus on the Environment. To support local programming and community engagement, take a moment and invest in your listening future. Donate at WEMU.org or call 734-487-2229. Now, the month of June is going to be a long series of lasts for me. I'll be retiring from radio at the end of the month and moving on to the next phase of my work life. Today is the very first of my lasts. It is the last time I get to serve as co-host of First Friday Focus on the Environment. And I get do it with the two esteemed women who have been the driving force behind this monthly conversation series. This is a segment that launched nearly 30 years ago because of one of my guests. Lana Pollack is a former State Senator from Ann Arbor. She was the author of Michigan's polluter pay laws that help manufacturers and corporations be legally and financially accountable for the environmental messes they created. She became head of the Michigan Environmental Council and later served as the U.S. Chair of the International Joint Commission as appointed by President Barack Obama. It was Lana Pollock's idea to bring a statewide and national environmental perspective to Washtenaw County through what you know as First Friday Focus on the Environment. And, Lana, as I prepare to say my goodbyes, it's truly a pleasure to once again say hello to you!
Lana Pollack: And hello to you, David! We're going to be looking closely, or listening closely, as the case may be, to the next chapter of your life. Because if the previous one is any indication, watch out, world!
David Fair: Well, I'll knock on Formica for you. My second guest today has been a guiding light and principal leader of this segment. Lisa Wozniak is the CEO and President of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters and, just about 16 years ago, was hand-selected by Lana Pollack to take over. And since that time, we have all been the beneficiary of her knowledge of the myriad of environmental issues we are confronted with, where the challenges and successes lie. And she approaches it all with passion and dedication that is certainly an inspiration to me. Lisa Wozniak, thank you for being here for my final segment! And thank you all the decades of partnership and friendship!
Lisa Wozniak: David, it's been a true honor to be part of this over these last many, many years. It was a privilege to step into this role when Lana moved on to the next phase of her career. And I will miss you in an extraordinary way because you have been the anchor to all of this. And I know it's going to continue, but your voice, your passion, your commitment will be deeply missed.
David Fair: Well, I don't know about the two of you, but I have a hard time remembering a long time ago, but, Lana, do you recall the motivation for approaching me about a regular segment on WEMU? Why was this the right place and the right choice?
Lana Pollack: Well, I knew that I would have a fair-minded, intelligent discussion with you every month. I knew that WEMU had a good listenership and a growing listenership. I was feeling, in those days, and this is not unusual, a lot of times, people are talking to themselves, or they're talking to the people who agree with them always. And the environmental community, I was determined should have had or needed a broader audience, a wider listenership and a conversation that would include some some pushback and new ideas. And so, WEMU was first on my mind and you made it happen. Thank you!
David Fair: When we first took to the air, Lana, John Engler was the Governor of Michigan and had just about fully dismantled the polluter pay laws that you fought so hard to get enacted. Here we are in 2026, and that is an ongoing effort to reestablish, even parts of the laws that you put on the books. Fair to say you remain frustrated and angry about it?
Lana Pollack: Well, I remain frustrated and determined. I'm going to live long enough. I hope to see that this law be reenacted in Michigan and beyond. Michigan's polluter pay law was the best in the country. It was effective. It was effective in two ways. It not only cleaned up, paid for money the taxpayers would otherwise have had to suffer, or the pollution would have stayed put. And the people would have to suffer. But it also was a very strong preventative. People in interest knew that they would be liable, they were liable, and they would be held accountable. And that made them much more cautious. It reduced the pollution, even as it increased the funding for clean-up. That was $100 million in five years collected for clean-up. That was a lot. It worked. It worked. When you hold people responsible, they take more caution, and it's just fair.
David Fair: You are listening to a fundraising edition of WEMU's First Friday Focus on the Environment. I'm David Fair, alongside the founder of this segment, former State Senator Lana Pollack and my current partner, Lisa Wozniak. Lisa is CEO and President of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. And this is the last time I get to co-host this segment before retiring, and I'm asking that you make a donation and invest in your listening future by calling 734-487-2229 or donating online at WEMU.org. Lana, when you decided it was time to move on from First Fridays, you hand-selected Lisa Wozniak as your successor. Why did you do so? And thank you!
Lana Pollack: Well, I did so because Lisa knows her stuff. Lisa, frankly, has a a great radio voice and put the answers with depth and knowledge. But I want to something else too. What the League of Conservation Voters to Michigan's environmental community is a political arm. Most of the environmental organizations are under the IRS tax code of non-profit. That means that they can do some lobbying, they can do some education, they do important research and work. But they can't do political work in the sense of helping the people know which candidates are likely to be accountable to the environment and to them. Lisa was running an organization and building an organization--Michigan LCV--that did that. And in addition to their status as a nonprofit, they have a nonprofit political arm that allows them to do extremely important work in holding political candidates, elected candidates and elected people accountable
David Fair: Well, Lisa, given that you were going to be forced to partner with me, what about WEMU and its audience made it an attractive enough option to overcome working with me?
Lisa Wozniak: It's been a pleasure, David! And you know that to work with you. WEMU is one of the only stations that actually covers everything from the local to the state to the national in a really important and continuous way. The integrity that this station has in its commitment to that is something that drew me here. And, of course, the program that you and Lana established together had been something I had been listening to and admiring for a long time. And so, to be able to step into Lana's shoes and carry this forward was an honor! And I think about what Lana just shared about the organization that I'm privileged to be a part of. That organization was founded with a deep commitment to non-partisanship or bipartisanship. And that is something that we remain committed to. I'm very sad to say that one of our board members who was a very pivotal part of the organization for the last many years, former Congressman Joe Schwartz, just passed away recently. He sat on our board until the very end of his life. And it has been a real gift, I think, to this state to have an organization that's really committed to that and to be able to bring that to WEMU to bring a perspective that we can recruit guests to this show that represent all sorts of different ideas and approaches to protecting our environment. And that has been real gift, certainly to me, and I hope to the listeners.
David Fair: It's certainly been a gift to me! And we've had the privilege of speaking with governors, U.S. transportation secretaries, presidents of utilities, a number of state representatives and state senators. What stood out as a highlight to you, Lisa?
Lisa Wozniak: Well, you're right. We've such an array of people! I mean, I think one of the most compelling and certainly emotional ones for me personally was when we had the CEO of DTE Energy on to talk about nuclear energy shortly after the Fukushima disaster. That was not an invitation he had to accept. It was an issue that was, obviously, very important to the world, to the globe. And we were able to have that conversation right here in WEMU's studio about what that meant for nuclear power, nuclear energy, in our region. And so, that's one thing that really stands out for me.
David Fair: Through all of these years of First Friday Focus on the Environment, the two of you have not only remained colleagues, but friends. Now, we can talk policy all we want, but without forging relationships, we just don't get very far. Lana, what do you think the relationship that we've established with WEMU listeners has meant to environmental awareness and stewardship?
Lana Pollack: Well, I think it presents information in a way that is fact-based and clear, but it also leaves room for controversy. It leaves room for difference of opinion. I think one of the things that this kind of programming does is help people understand that controversy, if it's there, are differences of opinion. Controversy, if it's civilly engaged in, is a way of solving problems. It's a way of finding maybe a compromise. It may not be a compromise, depending on the issue. It's a way of informing a discussion and finding better ways to solve the problems. And radio and this kind of programming, this exchange of ideas in this program, short-form, has been extremely, I think, helpful to a number of people. Look. After I left the program, I was a listener to the program, and no one learned more than I did in listening to almost all of these presentations and arguments.
David Fair: Once again, this is 89.1 WEMU's First Friday Focus on the Environment--my last one ever. And I'm so happy to share with you the two women who have kept me company for nearly 30 years, educating and informing all of us. On this second day of the WEMU fundraiser, I encourage you to donate at WEMU.org or call 734-487-2229. It will serve as tribute to these two amazing environmental advocates and partners in WEMU's First Fridays. And it will ensure that, as we move into July and beyond my tenure at WEMU, the segment and the station carry on stronger and better. And with that in mind, if you are just tuning in earlier this morning, we made the formal announcement as to who will become my successor in co-hosting First Friday Focus on the Environment, and that will be former State Representative and State Senator Rebekah Warren I, for one, am beyond excited about what's to come, Lisa. I promise you I'm going to be least listener number one when this segment gets underway.
Lisa Wozniak: That's amazing!
David Fair: I am going to learn. I am going to enjoy. The first episode with Rebekah Warren and Lisa Wozniak will take place on Friday, July 3rd. I think this is a partnership that can expand the conversations and create even greater awareness and community involvement.
Lisa Wozniak: Absolutely! Rebekah has been a key fixture in Washtenaw County for many years, but, as you said, also represented the county and the area in Lansing. She understands the state very, very well. She's also done work at the national level. And so, she brings perspectives and interests that I think will be very important to this. And whether we are talking about the whitefish issues in Lake Michigan, where if we don't actually invest there, we're going to have literally no whitefish in Lake Michigan, or issues pertaining to Washtenaw County, the SEU in Ann Arbor. I mean, I know that Rebecca's going to bring a great deal of knowledge to each one of these conversations.
David Fair: And with both of you, many of our conversations have been focused on climate, climate change, climate adaptation. It's been a real focus through the course of these First Friday conversations. Given the expertise of Lisa Wozniak and Rebekah Warren, Lana, what are you most looking forward to as First Fridays continue into the future?
Lana Pollack: Well, the country is in a place that we've never been. There have been challenges that are new in my lifetime, and those will be reflected in the environmental decisions and challenges that have been met here in Michigan and locally and beyond. And Rebekah is smart. She's informed. She was, I recall, a very effective state legislator. She played an important role in helping negotiate the Great Lakes compact some years ago. And so, I think...well, I don't think. I know. There's some confidence. There's going to be intelligent discussions. In a period of time, that, as I said at least unique in my lifetime, the challenges are great. They are grave. But I don't think they're beyond the country, and I certainly don't think they're outside the realm of embrace by WEMU and the listeners. I really want to give the listeners a whole lot of credit here too. I think one of the things you do best, David, is respect your listeners. And I know that's essential. You can't engage people if you're not respectful of who they are and what they know.
David Fair: Well, sadly, our time together today has run out. Lana Pollack and Lisa Wozniak, thank you for sharing your wisdom, knowledge, and humor with me and the WEMU audience for nearly 30 years! Thanks to both of you for making time to share the air with me one last time as I prepare to leave the airwaves! I am beyond grateful to both of you!
Lisa Wozniak: My thanks to you, David! You've held this this program in high esteem and high priority during these last many years you have led on this. And I have been very grateful to be your co-host!
Lana Pollack: Yes! And let's hear it for good humor, even in the roughest of days!
David Fair: That is the founding mother of WEMU's First Friday Focus on the Environment, Lana Pollack, and the ongoing successor and co-host Lisa Wozniak. Lisa is the CEO and President of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters and, from here forward, will co- host First Friday Focus on the Environment with former Ann Arbor State Senator, Rebekah Warren. They will take to the air together for the first time on Friday, July 3rd. I'm David Fair, and no one is more excited about that prospect than me! I ask you today, during this second day of our on-air fundraiser, to please contribute for nearly 30 years of amazing work from Lana Pollack and Lisa Wozniak and to ensure the foundation is stable and growing for what is to come. It's going to be bigger and better with Lisa Wozniak and Rebecca Warren! So, my request to you is that you invest in your future listening with a donation now. I promise you will be rewarded! 734-487-2229 or WEMU.org. Signing off from First Fridays for a final time, I'm David Fair with the biggest thanks to all of you for so richly supporting these conversations with me for more than 32 years! Thank you!
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