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There's not a lot more than can be said about the incredible events that rolled through Kalamazoo this evening. It was inspiring. And certainly from the perspective of GRPS a bit of envy-producing.
The Superintendent was well focused.
The student speakers were absolutely charming? And the President hit it hard. Good schools are not a product simply of good backgrounds, they arise from a community's commitment. And as we're finding out in Grand Rapids, this sort of commitment is generated by leadership.
Hot of the wires, Dave Hildenbrand releases his"impressive" list of endorsers:
Richard Root, Mayor, City of Kentwood
George Haga, Ada Township Supervisor
Fred Goldberg, Cascade Township Trustee
James Buck, Grandville Mayor
Frank Force, Grattan Township Supervisor
Dean Agee, Kent County Commissioner
Roger Morgan, Kent County Commissioner
Gary Rolls, Kent County Commissioner
Art Tanis, Kent County Commissioner
Ray VerWys, Kentwood Commissioner
Jeff Altoft, Lowell City Councilman
Maryalene LaPonsie, Lowell City Councilwoman
Jerry Hale, Lowell Township Supervisor
Carl Blough, Lowell Township Trustee
Mark Anderson, Lowell Township Trustee
Bill Thompson, Lowell Township Trustee
Allan Baird, Vergennes Township Trustee
Tim Wittenbach, Vergennes Township Supervisor
Mari Stone, Vergennes Township Clerk
Jean Hoffman, Vergennes Township Treasurer
It's hard to read this without noting who is missing -- just about everybody from Kentwood and Grand Rapids. In short, any one who is actually associated with the challenges facing our cities.
And only because this is so easy: Hildenbrand wants federal tax money to help rebuild our roads. But to date the State Senate as refused to make the appropriations necessary to release this money. For someone who wants to make Michigan a competitive state, the silence on this measure is deafening.
The recent income tax vote came closer to defeat than perhaps even its opponents realize. And with that, there are important lessons here for those campaigning in the City. These lessons can be seen when we compare the 2010 vote with the 2009 Silver Line vote.
Good News:
First Ward -- 16 of 26 precincts increased in share of Yes votes. A big win.
Second Ward -- 15 precincts voted Yes, up from 10 in 2009. Another win.
Bad News:
City Precincts / East Hills / Eastown -- more than 100 votes did not show up. If we looked at expected turnout something like 400+ votes would have gone missing. This was a cushion that shouldn't have been discarded. This is a failure of GOTV.
Third Ward -- All precincts voted Y in 2009, seven came in on the N side in 2010. All precincts had a smaller Y share in 2010. Compared to the success of the campaign in the First and Second Ward, it's pretty plain the campaign dropped the ball here.
I suspect this all happened because the Income Tax folks assumed they had the Third Ward; they assumed that messages that worked in the First Ward worked in the Third as well; and they assumed that of course the minority, and the urban hip would come out to vote. Of course.
These are warning signs for campaigns as we head into the high political season. Just sayin'.
Our local senator Bill Hardiman is rather excited this week, his new web site is up and running.
It was with great pleasure that I read his accomplishments:
Passed SB 1024, creating penalties for destroying telephone equipment to prevent communication in a domestic violence situation.
While Domestic Violence is always serious and sometimes deadly, this measure seems a bit small. Useful, but minor. It is hardly the sort of achievement that one reads about and says, "aha! Congressional material! Get that man to Washington!"
The Senator presents as a reason to vote for him, along with his balanced budgets as a mayor, and of course successfully voting no to anything the Governor requests. These are together, small things. What Michigan and the nation require is some bigger vision of what is possible, and what we can do together to create and sustain thriving communities.
Now the big news in this morning's paper (and on Justin Amash's facebook pages) is the commitment to overturn the legislation. That's right, it is much better to be excluded for pre-existing conditions. Go on Justin (and Bill): tell us why you want to exclude individuals from coverage. Tell us why you think the the "donut hole" in Medicare should be re-opened. Go ahead and tell us why Doctors accepting Medicaid patients should get paid less than Doctors accepting Medicare patients.
Oh, please do.
It should make for an interesting summer. In the meantime, thank you to Dems for standing up and making history.
What exactly does Jordan Bush stand for? Yes he's running for the 75th, and he's young, but what exactly does he stand for? What are his positions?
In a Facebook posting, he proudly proclaims
We cannot afford to bring jobs here at $142,000+ per job. Let's make our state a great place to do business for everyone, not just the chosen few.
For a realtor the guy is simply numerically challenged. Let's step back and look at the actual numbers. First there's the small matter matter of $303 million in construction. How much of that goes back to wages? How much of that goes back to West Michigan?
Now, let's look at the wages for work at the plant. As MLive reports, the new plant will employ 400 workers with an average weekly wage of $1,093. The quick swing of the calculator reveals that's $20 million contribution to the community. Every year. Twenty million that would not be here otherwise, twenty million that would fuel some other town, twenty million spent in our stores and invested in our institutions.
And Mr. Bush's alternative? Oh I don't know, maybe communism where everyone gets paid the same? Or more likely, more low wage, low value jobs? (And how on earth does the realtor figure he's going to get paid? Inquiring minds want to know).
Sadly this sort of perverted economic thinking is all too common, with its naive notion that government shouldn't spend money. Bush's protests here only reveal the inner contradiction at work. The entire notion of the "conservative" notion so at work in Lansing is that we should have lower taxes to promote business -- let's grant that. So how then do we come up with this thinking (and sadly, Bush is not the only one) that tax breaks are somehow bad? We're supposed to be a low-tax state, then we give out tax breaks and it's wrong?
No wonder the florist thinks he has a chance in the primary.
WZZM and http://www.mlive.com/news/gran... The Grand Rapids Press] both report that the Grand Rapids Comptroller, Stan Milanowski is thinking he has a political future. The late Friday news has Milanowski contemplating entering the 29th State Senate or running for the Third Congressional seat now held by Vern Ehlers.
While we might congratulate him on getting out of the frying pan, has he escaped?
Lots of folks aspire to go to Washington, but frankly, that doesn't seem to be in his future. With both Steve Heacock and Bill Hardiman already declared for the seat, it is difficult to see what another "moderate" would bring to the table, except perhaps an Amash win. For that reason, the state senate run seems more practical. Milanowski has some obvious governmental creds, plus he brings a clear Grand Rapids connection. The two current candidates lack one or both of these, especially Lori Wiersma beloved of the old Dutch network (but backed by the folks in Wyoming).
The obvious weakness to a Milanowski campaign is that he lacks the core electioneering experience. The learning curve is huge for a race like this. Of course, at this time, things are still in the "exploratory stage" as they should be. That he's even talking about the campaign suggests that others have been speaking with him already.
Independent of his chances, Milanowski's consideration of a run is on more sign that the Republican center -- the adults -- may in fact be entering the political arena. Clearly, he is no fan of the values side. Given the run-ins on financial matters with the City, it is not clear whether one should think of Milanowski as one of those fabled pragmatists; his will likely be the customary Midwest conservatism of tight money and an appreciation for the role of government -- an idea that has often gone missing in the age of Tea Party foolishness.
A Milanowski candidacy may also be a sign that the conservatives are reconsidering their abandonment of the city. Well, it's about time. The Rovian contempt, and its vague stench of racism and polarization (Vern? Bishop?) has been a style of politics that worked at cross-purposes for this region, a region that seeks to propel itself into the global economy.
The Detroit papers are reporting that Bart Stupak will have a primary challenger. The move is both understandable, but also points to a potential fracturing in west Michigan politics. Connie Saltonstall is a former county commissioner, who ran against Kevin Elsenheimer (MI 105) in 2008.
As she expressed her reasons to the Free Press
"I believe that he has a right to his personal, religious views, but to deprive his constituents of needed health care reform because of those views is reprehensible"
We have largely found a way to keep both wings -- the pro-choice and the pro-life -- talking with one another here in Kent County. The longer Health Care Reform founders, the more the impasse is seen as turning on that of abortion (an objection many observers find unfounded), the greater the risk to this alliance and to our ability to hold the gains we have made.
It will take a great deal of wisdom and common sense for the party to maintain its unity in the light of these outside challenges. We have strong advocates on both sides of the abortion issue. And with the upcoming election we will need everyone working together.
In another ill-kept secret, Steven Heacock entered the race for the Third Congressional Seat. In an era of petulant Republicanism (see Mike Bishop, Jim Bunning), Heacock comes across as something of an adult. Whatever else he is, Heacock is definitely a downtown man -- or perhaps we should say a Pill Hill Man. Oh, let's just say it: he's Establishment.
This candidacy naturally stands in contrast to Justin Amash's Tea Partying. But it also exposes the weakness of the Cultural Warriors to the west. The Grandville crowd are now stuck with the lackluster campaign of Bill Hardiman.
Money, not babies looks to be the dominant issue for the GOP. And that paradoxically opens up another avenue for an enterprising Dem candidates: let's talk about family values. The good news is that we have Democrats able to step up and position themselves as champions of real family values. This is definite good news for Bob Synk, Jim Talen, David LaGrand, and perhaps even the eventual Democratic candidate for the Third Congressional.
Last night's decision to close Stocking School may be one of the last of its kind. Or at least, the last easy step for the GRPS board.
The decision rested on the notion that school buildings make a greater difference than what goes on inside those buildings. Structure before people -- this s the logic of the charter movement. And today, one of the leading advocates just switched sides.
Diane Ravitch, conservative education reformer and long-time advocate for No Child Left Behind and charters, has become in her own words, a "skeptic." This is big news, and a real vote of no-confidence in the semi-private charter school movement. She announces her shift here, and explains it in detail with her new book,The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education (Basic Books, 2010).
With West Michigan being ground zero for charters in Michigan, and with GRPS adopting charters as a model for reform -- the shift of an advocate changes the dynamics. A move to community-oriented schools certainly reinforces the position of Tony Baker, Henry Campbell and Wendy Falb in their attempt to keep Stocking School open (and correspondingly, makes the difficulties of John Helmholdt and Bernard Taylor that much more difficult).
As other recent articles make clear, teachers play a far more critical role in the success of our schools. The path that GRPS will need to take cannot be in finding charter alternative models, but in the rebuilding of trust with parents and teachers.
And I can think of one school on the west side where they could start.
Monday morning, it looks as if Rep. Justin Amash will have company in the race for the Third Congressional seat. A Thursday press release (below fold)has an important announcement at Hascall Steel, in Grandville. Definitely outside the district -- sure looks like a campaign announcement.
The Grandville location is also significant, home of Terri Land. It's been apparent for some time that there is a split between the money of Ada, and the social conservatives (and money) of Grandville. While Peter Secchia and the Ada boys may have helped elevate Hardiman, his heart has always belonged with the social conservatives to the west.
If the Land organization is backing him, it certainly puts a crimp into the plans of Steve Heacock. Although the Hardiman candidacy will also rob Amash of some of his Christian High social conservative creds.
In any case, this has become a lot more interesting.
This interview from WOOD-TV makes the case about as well as anything for why Dan Kildee attracts so much attention. Yes, we like our Virg, but this is rather substantive.
Then again, it may be too adult for Michigan politics. We'll see.
Update, Tuesday, 12:03 pm: Kildee Files
From MIRS:
Former Genesee County Treasurer Dan KILDEE announced moments ago that he's filed the necessary paperwork with the state to fund raise and campaign for the office of Michigan Governor.
"What I am hearing from people across Michigan is that Lansing is broken and we need new ideas and a clean break from the politics of Lansing that have kept us from moving forward," said Kildee, who filed today as a candidate in the August Democratic primary election for governor. "The people of Michigan are fed up with business as usual, and so am I. I am inviting citizens to join me in taking back our state."
I suppose it is too much to ask, but shouldn't Peter Hoekstra actually know something about Michigan? In Sunday's Press (conveniently not online), Hoekstra tweets
"People are craving leadership and I'm leading with substance."
Really. For someone running for the Governor's office, the congressman's obsession with terrorism is rather simply missing the point about what is happening in this state. For that we only need to turn from the Regional section to Page 1 and Peter Luke. The column is a horror story of the challenges facing our state, not least the prospect that it will take a generation before the state again reaches its 2000 employment figures. A generation.
Off hand, that qualifies as substance in most people's book.
One would think the first task for any one willing to become governor is to look at our state and say, "here's what I'm going to do." But no. The Congressman, like so many in his party, remains in denial. And the longer the denial, the longer the pain this state must suffer.
So Peter, here's a suggestion: Next time you're tempted to jet off to Yemen? Try going to Detroit, first. Or at the very least, please read your newspaper.
As you know, Congress continues to consider the best way to improve Americans' access to quality health insurance and reduce the cost of medical care. Today, Democrats presented a new 1,990-page bill which was negotiated and written behind closed doors with no input from me or my Republican colleagues.
They're making a deal without him. And he's surprised? This is the difference between politics of West Michigan and those of the nation. While he's been proclaiming his willingness to work on something (if only it would come along), the reality remains that he is part of the Go No plan of the Republicans.
Of course he's not standing still. No sir.
I am working with a group of Republicans on an alternate proposal that would implement widely agreed-upon reforms to our health care and health insurance laws in a fiscally responsible manner. It is my strong hope that this proposal will be considered alongside the Democrats' new bill as we debate how to improve health care for Americans.
This, presumably, is the same set of Republicans that promised a measure in "a matter of weeks" as Rep. Cantor said. Well, Friday will be day number 135 since the promise was made, and still nothing from the Republicans and Vern, except of course for the complaints.
And while I would like to hear some acknowledgment that the CBO has scored the new bill with a $100B cut to the deficit -- well, I'm not holding my breath on that, either.
In a Twit er, tweet, Peter Hoekstra notes that Hospitals in the District cancelled surgeries so docs could protest HB5386 (the medicare tax sponsored by Rep. Cushinberry). Well, while Congressman Twit-er-Tweet gloats,the reality is that healthcare along the lakeshore gets held hostage for doctor pay checks.
Behavior like this only underscores two salient facts: first, that healthcare reform is indeed a necessity. And second, that the Hardiman-Bishop--GOP budget crisis in Lansing needs a serious alternative. And not soon enough.
One has to admire Justin Amash's sheer political consistency, misguided as it is. In last night's vote on proposed Education budget (and with it a $218/student cut in funding), Cascade-based Amash was one of two to vote for the cuts. Two.
A bill so bad, even Dave Agema voted against it, yet evidently the rule for Republicans in the Senate. Through it all, one struggles to make sense of Rep. Hardiman and the Repubican viewpoint generally, that somehow money grows on trees, that these cuts to our schools, to early childhood education are cuts that come at no real social cost, no loss for our future.
(Oh, John Engler trained them well, didn't he?)
The business community has been every bit as bad, insisting that it wants a trained workforce on one hand, but then championing cuts that prevent the development of that very workforce they seek. (And then of course, they will tell us that they have to move since they can't find the workers here in Michigan). What is this attitude except a strip mining of our social capital?
Some people have spoken out. Consider the outrage in the press release from Grand Rapids-raised, Sen Gretchen Whitmer. (She learned real values living in Cascade, a shame that Rep. Amash missed them). The senator's words below the fold:
Of course we didn't need The Press to tell us (we rarely do, as a matter of course), but there was proof positive in Sunday's PolPourri.
"It was a great experience. There were 2 million people there, peacefully protesting this country's slide toward socialism and demanding less government control of our lives," Dykstra said.
He was disappointed, though, in the national media coverage of the event, which he said was nonexistent outside of Fox News.
Huh, could have fooled me. Who knew that Teabaggers don't have internet connections?
(Hey! We've got to get this going. The following is cross-posted from Michigan Liberal)
With all the shouting, the reality of the health care crisis and this economy can get overlooked. The Half Tank blog at The Washington Post stops in at a clinic in Grand Rapids, and the stories flow.
Leading off is that of a good friend of Democrats, Rick Tormala. A former City Commissioner, an aide to Sen. Levin, one of my all time favorite word-slingers, but now under-employed and uninsured. The clinic is literally a life-saver for him.
“I was very close to not coming here, and if I hadn’t, I would have probably stroked out somewhere and my family would be burying me.”
Next is a patient with an infected cat bite on his hand. Why hasn't he treated it? The trip to the hospital would mean absence from work and he fears, the loss of his job.
“Every day,” said clinic director Karen Kaashoek, “every day a person comes in that door that has a story.”
At this point I start getting sick, especially realizing that the clinic is turning away 200 people each week. But there's more, there's a Nate DuVal, 22-year old, diagnosed in the nick of time with Type 1 diabetes. Twenty-two years old. Trying to make it through college, not wanting to burden his already stressed family.
The piece concludes with the Move On rally we had at Rosa Parks Circle downtown. More stories of struggle follow, not least grubbing for cans to pay for meds to keep your bi-polar under control.
And did I mention there were photos?
This is the face of our neighbor, the reason why health care is so critical; why health care is properly a moral and not merely an economic issue.
That's the word from James Epolito, head of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. For the record, he also called our home town "an unbelievable place."
All this and more is in a huge shout out from this morning'sFree Press. The article covers the 1,000+ new direct jobs coming to the area; the 30+ medical device manufacturers; and the entrepreneurial spirit. Even the Mackinac Center has a kind word to say about the developments.
Why this matters It's no secret that Michigan must find a way past its reliance on the auto industry. West Michigan is pointing a way out, and increasingly it will fall upon Democrats to guide the region. The older days of letting the Chamber, or the GOP powers-that-be determine the region's fate are over. That's good news, but it carries a challenge.
Our task going forward will be to develop the policy chops necessary to contribute to the region's growth. We will need to be more passionate that we have good schools and that our graduates have good opportunities. When we were a minority party we could settle for a sort of reactive politics. In the last election voters began entrusting us to help shape our future together. On Tuesday, at the County Commission we will take a big step forward when we seat eight members on the commission. The responsibility is ours. Entrepreneurship is not only for business, it's for our politics as well.
District 20 Kalamazoo Robert Jones District 21 Berrien, Cass, Van Buren
Scott Elliott District 24 Allegan, Barry, Eaton
Michelle DiSano District 28 Kent (part)
Robin Golden District 29 Kent (part) David LaGrand District 30 Ottawa
John Chester District 34 Muskegon, Oceana, Mason, Newaygo Mary Valentine District 35 Northwest LP Roger Dunigan District 37 Grand Traverse & north Bob Carr
Michigan State House Candidates
District 59 (St. Joseph & Cass Counties)
Carol Higgins District 60 (Kalamazoo) Sean McCann District 61 (Kalamazoo) Thomas Batten District 63 (Kalamazoo)
David Morgan District 70 (Ionia & Montcalm Counties) Mike Huckleberry District 72 (Kentwood & Cascade)
Brian Bosak District 73 (Kent County)
Jerrod Roberts District 74 (Ottawa County)
Leon Chase District 75 (Grand Rapids) Brandon Dillon District 76 (Grand Rapids) Roy Schmidt District 77 (Wyoming)
Scott Baron District 78 (Berrien County) Cindy Ellis District 79 (Berrien County) Julee Laurent District 80 (VanBuren) Tom Erdmann District 86 (Kent County)
Frank Hammond District 87 (Barry & Ionia Counties)
Greg Grieves District 89 (Ottawa County)
Donald Bergman District 91 (Muskegon)
Ben Gillette District 92 (Muskegon)
Marcia Hovey-Wright District 100 (Newaygo, Lake, and Oceana Counties)
Donald Bergman District 101 (Northwest) Dan Scripps
County Commissions Candidates
Allegan County Commission
9 Fritz Spreitzer (I)
10 April Carvalho
Barry County Commission
1 Bob Dickinson
Benzie County Commission
3 Kristin Hollenbeck (I)
4 Anne Damm (I)
6 Donald Tanner (I)
Berrien County Commission
3 Marletta Seats (I)
4 Mamie Yarbrough (I)
10 Andrew Vavra (I)
11 Jess Minks
12 Michael Ringler
13 John Klimek (I)
Cass County Commission
1 Ed Goodman (I)
7 David Taylor (I)
9 Judy Helpingstine
11 Clark Cobb (I)
12 Minnie Warren (I)
13 Johnie Rodebush (I)
14 Debbie Johnson (I)
Grand Traverse County Commission
1 Bernol Soutar
Ionia County Commission
1 Lynn Mason (I)
4 Mark Vroman (I)
Kalamazoo County Commission
1 Jack Urban (I)
2 Carolyn Alford (I)
3 Robert Barnard (I)
4 John Taylor (I)
5 Brian Johnson (I)
6 Mike Seals
7 David Buskirk (I)
9 Chuck Vliek
10 Michael Quinn (I)
11 Barb Hammon
12 Scott McCormick
13 Harvey Hanna
15 Leroy Crabtree
16 Thomas Post
17 Jerry Rudolph
Kent County Commission
1 Mary Lauka
2 Patricia Kramer
3 James Black
4 Fred Clowney
6 James Rinck
7 Al Nielsen
8 Keith Courtade (I)
9 Duane Sprague
10 Albert Abbasse
11 Russell Duffin
12 Pete Hickey (I)
13 Kyle Hinton
14 Carol Hennessy (I)
15 Dick Bulkowski (I)
16 Jim Talen (I)
17 Candace Chivis
18 Richard Tormala
19 Bob Synk (I)
Leelanau County Commission
3 Jason Harrall
6 David Marshall (I)
7 Karl Dungjen
Manistee County Commission
2 Marlene E. Wood-Zylstra
3 Glenn Lottie (I)
4 Ervin A. Kowalski (I)
5 Karl R. Waitner
6 Jim Krolczyk (I)
7 Carl Rutske (I)
Montcalm County Commission
1 Ronald C. Blanding (I)
Mason County Commission
5 Jerome Rybicki (I)
8 David Fonnesbeck
Musekgon County Commission
1 Kenneth Mahoney (I)
2 Charles Buzzell (I)
4 James Derezinski (I)
5 Carl Wentzlof
6 Lew Collins (I)
7 Scott Plummer
8 Anthony Longmire
9 Rillastine Wilkins
10 Benjamin Cross
11 John Jurkas
Newaygo County Commission
1 Barbara Geno (I)
5 Rick Werkema
Oceana County Commission
1 David Spitler
5 Evelyn Kolbe (I)
Ottawa County Commission
3 Jeff Williams
Van Buren County Commission
1 Claudia Maddox
3 Al Hughes
