PRESS RELEASE: Public Sector Consultants names 'top prognosticator' from 2013 Prophecy Contest
January 15, 2014 January 10, 2017 | in News| by Kristie
Contact: Selma Tucker, Director of Marketing and Communications
Public Sector Consultants
LANSING, Mich.―Public Sector Consultants Inc., Michigan's premier public policy research firm, announced today the winners of its current events prophecy contest for 2013. The firm has staged the contest, which tests prognostication skills on political, arts, cultural, and sports matters, for more than 20 years.
Bob Kleine, a former state treasurer and former executive with PSC, is the 2013 winner. Kleine, now a principal with Great Lakes Economic Consulting in Eaton Rapids, correctly answered 46 of the 57 questions, or 80.7 percent.
Tying for second place were John Bebow, president of the nonprofit Center for Michigan in Ann Arbor, and George Wood of Mason. Both correctly answered 45 of the 57 questions.
"We are so pleased to congratulate Bob Kleine on his victory," said PSC Chief Executive Officer Jeff Williams. "His ability to see the future is what made him so valuable to us as a colleague and to the state as a treasurer. And John Bebow is nothing if not consistent. He has entered twice and finished second twice, which is quite a performance with such wide-ranging questions."
The 2013 contestants were a decidedly "Lake Wobegon" bunch, with more than half of them correctly answering at least 39 of the 57 questions.
The "easiest" question was: "Will one or more local units of government, including school districts, consolidate with a neighboring unit?" About 91 percent of the contestants correctly answered "yes."
By contrast, Gov. Rick Snyder threw almost everyone a curve by declining to officially announce a re-election bid in 2013. Only 9 percent of the contestants correctly predicted that Snyder would not make that announcement. Oddly in such a political town, contestants performed worst in the "politics and policies" section of the contest.
The 2013 winners will be feted at a traditional high-octane Lansing lunch hosted by PSC to dull their senses and give others a chance to win in 2014.
To enter the 2014 contest, click here to access this year's contest form.
Submissions are due by 5:00 PM on January 31. The 2014 winners will be announced in January 2015.
Public Sector Consultants is Michigan's most respected, connected, and dedicated research and program management firm, with specialties in governance and regulation, health care, education, energy, and environmental policy. PSC is committed to providing objective research and sound solutions to the public and private sector.
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