|
|
Election Recap:
Don't Forget Those State Ballot
Proposals
By Mike Thompson
Governor, U.S. senator and reps, state senator and reps, circuit judges, county board members, sheriff's road patrols.
Saginaw County voters face an array
of key decisions on Nov. 7. And indeed, all will make a lasting
impact that could go well beyond the terms of office for the elected
officials who are selected, or on the taxes levied.
Still, all are temporary. The most
permanent choices relate to the five state ballot proposals,
especially Proposal 2 to weaken affirmative action and
Proposal 5 to guarantee inflation-adjusting state budget shares
for education. These would amend the Michigan Constitution. Once
language is placed in the Constitution, it's almost unprecedented to
see those words removed.
So consider that regardless of
whether Democrat Jennifer Granholm remains as Governor or
Dick DeVos ousts her, their respective views on affirmative
action will matter a whole lot less if Prop 2 passes.
We also know that Granholm & DeVos
would offer sharply different budget plans both for spending and
taxation. But if voters approve Prop 5 to protect K-12 and college
funding in a 'lock box' - to borrow an old Social Security campaign
term - either choice for guv would have a lot less say-so in
charting the state's future priorities.
In summary, this all adds up to
assert that informed voters must decide far more than whether they
believe whether Granholm pushed Michigan's economy deeper or kept it
afloat, or whether DeVos through Amway created jobs in-state or
shipped them to China.
An informed voter must see a bigger
picture to go beyond the governor's race into other elections, into
the judiciary and yes, even into those ballot propositions.
Similar themes are expressed in the
Granholm -DeVos race and the U.S. Senate campaign pitting Democratic
incumbent Debbie Stabenow against Republican challenger
Mike Bouchard. The cornerstone issue is the economy. Nobody
denies that Michigan is worse off than virtually any other state.
Granholm & Stabenow point to flawed national policies under
President Bush and a Republican Congress. DeVos and Bouchard point
to high state taxes and bureaucracy.
Mid-Michigan's two congressmen -
Republican Dave Camp of Midland and Democrat Dale Kildee
of Flint - appear to be taking easy paths to re-election. Camp for
the second time faces Democrat Mike Huckelberry of Greenvile,
while Kildee's low-profile foe is the GOP's Eric Klammer of
Buena Vista Township.
Republicans now control the state
Senate 22-16 and the House 58-49 (with three seats
vacant). Political analysts say the Democrats' best chance to forge
a turnover is in the Senate. House map of districts will
increasingly favor Republicans because flight from urban areas
continues. Remember when Jim O'Neill's long held 95th
District consisted only of the City of Saginaw? Now it also includes
BV, Bridgeport, and Spaulding townships.
For Circuit Court judge, voters may
choose two of three candidates. Elected incumbent Lynda
Healthscott and appointed incumbent Darnell Jackson -
previously elected as a District Court judge - face Jim Howell,
the former Republican state rep prior to Kahn. Each candidate is
running a separate campaign, although red signs for Heathscott and
Jackson are grouped more often, while blue signs for Howell more
typically are placed by themselves. Jackson & Howell, both with past
police experience, aired their views in a Review Oct. 5th
forum. Heathscott did not respond.
None of the county board races
involves big money and Democrats appear poised to keep their
majority on the 15-member panel.
County leaders in August lost an
all-or-nothing 1.6 mill pitch for a 'no boundaries police' tax that
would have added up to 70 personnel. They opted not to give voters
the separate choice of simply renewing 0.3394 mill. This time they
aren't gambling. Voters may support either or both of two options:
1) Renew that 0.3394 mill, and/or 2) Support 0.5394 mill, which
would include the renewal and an 0.2 mill increase. Sheriff
Charles Brown says that without the higher millage, inflationary
costs would force him to eliminate 14 deputy positions.
For analysis of the five ballot
proposals, refer to our last edition, which is online at
www.review-mag.com.
An excellent neutral web site for the quintet of state proposals is
the neutral Citizens Research Council at
www.election.crcmich.org.
For the more obscure state courts,
university boards, and the K-12 school board, we would commend the
Michigan League of Women Voters non-partisan election guide via
www.lwvmi.org.
To do your sister and fellow voters a
favor, go to the polls prepared so that you may mark your ballot in
a timely and expeditious manner.
|
|
|
|
||